Work and Play

The past 6-7 months, in Kolkata, was very hectic for me....I remained much occupied with various activities. First I was preparing for an examination, attending classes, studying and all kept me very busy. Then there was my sister's wedding, and that took almost a month including the pre-wedding preparations and post-wedding hang-overs...:) And then there were some official paperworks that I had to finish up on behalf of my husband, who is in USA......so all these things kept me real busy and half a year of visit to my homeland was up and so imperceptibly the time passed....and I loved it.
Now I'm back to USA and joined my husband here, and suddenly, all the buzz is over, and I have all the time in the world. I am busy only watching movies, reading, surfing the net etc. I am happy getting the time to nurture my hobbies, but somewhere inside I also know that I will not be as happy after a few days. I'll soon feel that I need to have a working schedule again and crave for that 'busy-ness'
So, now I'm sort of enjoying this short leisure, before gearing up for what the life will offer me next.
Every night, before I fall asleep, my mind gets filled up with ideas, the 'to-do' lists, and the how and when of certain things I need to accomplish, and those include some hobbies and some real work, as well. 
So I feel that its time I get over my laid back state and start some good work. Because, it is very truly said, that : "It is only work that truly satisfies".

It's Politics...

...And It is about politics in India.....which is passionate, and equally dirty. Director Prakash Jha, in his latest 'Raajneeti', has captured uncensored, the passion, die-hardness, strategic manipulations and smuttiness (sad, but true) of it.

The story of the film was never a problem....because the premise is based on the most dramatic political saga ever written in human history -- the epic, 'Mahabharata'. The rest of the film's integrity has been assured by the casting director, who brings in an ensemble cast of brilliant actors who gave, quite expectedly (and some, to our pleasant surprise), powerhouse performances. The director's genius lay in creating the sync between the prehistoric epic and contemporary politics.

The movie has never once, been shallowed by what would have been undesired interruptions in this context -- full-length songs or unnecessary sequences involving the female lead (often thought to be the glamour quotient in films which has nothing much to offer otherwise). The glamour of 'Raajneeti' lies in its raw depiction of a religion in our country, called Politics.

The beauty of the film lies in the revelation of the reality. As for the other expertise in the making of the movie, the costume designers need a very special mention. They really made the actors look according to the mood of the film. Actors Ajay Devgn, Nana Patekar, and Manoj Bajpai proves their mettle once again, and Arjun Rampal showed that he is just getting better and better with each new role. The treat was to watch Ranbir Kapoor as the main strategist, in a never-seen-yet act filled with class, finesse and restraint.

To sum up, 'Raajneeti' successfully manages to show what it intends to, and holds the excitement of the opening sequence till the end of the movie.

Living in Kolkata has always been enriching and interesting for me....I love this city with all my heart and love my day-to-day living in here. And because I have lived mostly alone in this all-accomodating 'City of Joy' right from the start, I still love it like that....nevertheless I feel lonely at times in this buzz. In a movie I watched recently...it was said that the condition of 'living alone' is overrated, it's not that beautiful and sought after thing all the time. Even for me, who believes 'Solitude is Bliss', this rings true sometimes....seated in an almost empty bus speeding through the EM Bypass in the evening, or walking down a crowded street in a busy summer afternoon -- I longed for the presence of a valued friend by my side....sometimes...not always. The feeling of loneliness does not depress me though...nonetheless tears well up from nowhere in my eyes.
Again at times, I become the self-centred woman for whom the company of self becomes the only and most extremely valued thing of life....then I love to go watch a movie all alone on a lazy Sunday morning or in a rainy afternoon....trust me a good movie while it's raining outside is one of the many things to be thankful for in life...whatever....at these moments again, I need no one .
My life thus, like often the most of the world, oscillates between contentments and cravings, wishes and abandonments, desires and fulfillment.

Everyday in our lives....we come across a new realisation....often that goes in our favour, sometimes not so....I, at present, am living in a state where I have the option to not put up with this (as it is difficult sometimes) and flee....but difficult times are again a challenge....to bear something which I could easily have chosen not to and settled for something less but comfortable. I thus realise that everything in this world does not always go by one's choices....or more accurately, our own choices does not always add up to our conveniences, the latter being more true for me at the moment...

Jotting down something I believe..

1. The Kite-Runner and We The Living are the best books I've ever read..till now
2. There is something very wrong about how I pursue my goals, otherwise a dreamer like me would have been an achiever of that might as well.
3. Kolkata is the city where I actually grew up ( factually Durgapur remains, though)
4. Life's profound changes occur, or atleast begin to occur for that matter...within moments
5. I love reading poetry...although most of the time, I cannot understand them in full measure..
6. The most difficult emotion ever faced is to talk 'bout someone who's no more and whom I really really loved....
7. I rate heart more to head, actions to words, dreams to reality, instincts to planning
8. At times people find me as an open book written in some weird, foreign language
9.The best and worst memories of my life are those of my PCGH (Presidency College Girls' Hostel) days.
10. Nobody believed in me except my family and some of my school teachers....and hardly a friend or two....

Welcome 2010

One more year passed…and a decade too….I notice a strange thing in me….whenever at the end of a year I look back to recollect how the year passed….I couldn’t think about not-so-good things that happened…..and thus I conclude that the year’s been wonderful…same is the case with the past year too…..It was, as is life… a mixture of good and not-so-good…..but all over it has been very well spent…
Through 2009…I got to spend some real good time….stay in a new country…see places I once dreamt of visiting…. Meeting new people and all that... I would regard 2009 as a very comfortable one….
This year taught me that it’s really wonderful to have a busy scheduled day…and that multitasking is necessarily good for life …felt again that love is most important…peace with yourself …even more so. I realized that many things in life change with time….much more remains the same, though.

Now…coming to the favourites of the year…
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini has been the best read …Pursuit of Happyness, the best movie watched, The Essential Gandhi being the most inspiring read of the past year.

So, in a way, 2009 was good in more ways than one….
For 2010….I resolve to stay calm, that’s all…
I regret nothing except hurting my near and dear ones unintentionally…may they know that I love them…
I wish to have a life full of love, peace and work…
My mind’s humming…
“Goonja sa hai koi Iktaara… Iktaara..”

Hail the Mahatma..

October 2, celebrated every year nation wide as Gandhi Jayanti, to mark the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. Not only that, UN, on 15th june 2007, declared this day as the International day of non-violence, to mark the supremacy of Gandhiji's ideals and adherence to his belief in peace and non-violence...

Gandhiji played a pivotal role in tha making of India and many a great leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama are believed to emulate his ideas and ideals, great thinkers like Rabindranath Tagore and Albert Einstein salutes this great man and his works...

For me, in my childhood...or even a few years ago, for that matter, 2nd October signfied a national holiday and not much beyond that...although I knew the importance of Mahatma Gandhi...I was not aware of his impact, I must say. But few months back, I read 'The essential Gandhi'....an anthology of his works and thoughts...in his own words. I was truly moved by reading the book and hence wondering that this day is not only about celebrating as a holiday...I am asking myself how much are we actually imbibed through his ideals, his passions and his enthusiasm?

This one day of observing the ideals of non-violence is not really enough to understand or honour the man who lived his entire life preaching the tenets of peace. Neither can we really salute his works by celebrating a holiday and spending the day in leisure and comfort...We need to realise Gandhi in our everyday lives..A world in which violence is exponentially increasing and almost everyday we hear incidents which propagate signs that are against humanity, we really should assimilate his beliefs into our own spheres..as much as we can...to contribute towards a better, sustainable world....It's high time we give an ear to what Martin Luther King Jr. said : "We ignore Mahatma Gandhi at our own risk".