The Alchemist

Last week I read another Paulo Coelho’s book – The Alchemist. I had heard a lot about it and in spite of not liking “River Piedra” much, I went on to read it. Frankly speaking, it was another painful book to read and I wonder why I did not stop reading until I reached the end.

It is about some guy who loved traveling and became a shepherd. The beginning is Ok, but then what follows is mostly crappy. He has some supernatural dreams and he meets some vague people. He believes that he shall find some treasure near the pyramids and he sets off in search of it, though it was quite a risky venture.

All throughout his journey to the pyramids, the author gives vague fundaes on supernatural stuff - the soul of the world, the purity of the heart, the soul of the desert, etc. Ultimately this guy becomes so powerful that he can control the wind n all !!!

The ending is not that bad after all. While this guy is digging near the pyramids, another person comes over and asks what he was doing. He replies that he was searching for some treasure, which he had dreamt about. The other person says that all these dreams were crap, that he had also seen a dream that he would find some treasure at some dilapidated church. Now, the description of the church was exactly that of the place, where this guy had seen the dream. So basically, the treasure was right below the guy, while he was dreaming about the pyramids!!!!

If someone enjoys vague fundaes on supernatural stuff then it’s an excellent book for him. But personally, I like books which are closer to real life – books like those of Ruskin Bond – those that bring out the moments of joy and sorrow concealed in the trivialities of life.

is it good bye?

Most people who know me know that I am crazy about cricket and even more crazy about Sachin Tendulkar. For me, he is the symbol of authority and passion.

But the way he has been playing over the last year and a half, I must concede that his era is now finally over. No longer does he stamp his authority on matches, the way he used to. No longer does he dominate over the bowling. No bowler seems to have wet pants before bowling to him anymore. No more is Sachin the Sachin we loved.

Out of the last 9 innings he has been dismissed for a single digit score on 7 occassions. The other two being a decent 55 and a very scratchy 20. On top of that, he has been out either bowled or LBW on most occasions and bowlers like De Bruyn and Andrew Hall are managing to scatter his stumps. Five years ago, these very bowlers would have been smashed all over the park and thrown out of gear. Gone are those days when careers of bowlers were destroyed just because they had to face the bad luck of bowling to him in the early stages of their careers.

The way he plays these days, he just faces 'n' deliveries and then goes out for a cheap score. The urge of scoring quick runs and putting the opposition under pressure seems to have disappeared altogether. They say that as a person gets older, he loses his impulsive nature (‘khoon ki garmi’) , but with Sachin this transformation has come about a bit too early. He does not play the glorious drives in the ‘V’ anymore. He just tries to nudge the ball on the sides and as a result becomes a victim of incoming deliveries.

The most disappointing fact is that Sachin does not seem to realize that this change in his batting style isn’t doing any good either to him or to the team. He feels that since he is one of the senior members, he must bat with more responsibility. It’s all crap.

All I have to say is that I don’t think that Sachin will get back to his old self, at least in test cricket. The dream that Sachin will set unbeatable records in both forms of the game will remain a dream. Four years from now it will be time to bid adieu, but if he continues to play in this way, he must be kicked out in year or two.

The kind of movies I hate..

I found this review on rediff.com and really liked it. Just wanted to share it with all u ppl ...

Basically the filmmakers have a strategy based on which they promote the film as a 'love legend'. So whether you are ready or not, this spoonful of gooey, old world, sentimental romance will be thrust down your throat like that gluey rice porridge Mommy forced into your salivating mouth as a 7-month-old.Oh, but didn't you somewhat enjoy the taste of it initially?

Ditto with Veer-Zaara. It's not entirely inedible. You got to watch it like any other Yash Chopra film – with your eyes and heart wide open. After all, apart from that stray Vijay and Parampara, the King of romance had never given any reason to complain.Like any other Yash Chopra film, it has oodles of open-air romance, sensual chemistry between the lovers and teary-eyed emotionality.

Like any other Yash Chopra film, it has multiple cameras zooming in and out of mustard and sunflower fields, gushing waterfalls, snow-clad mountains and untimely rains.Like any other Yash Chopra film, it has its hero and heroine running towards each other from opposite directions to give that one passionate embrace.Like any other Yash Chopra film…wait a minute. Am I saying Veer-Zaara is like yet another Yash Chopra film? Guess I am. But then the makers need some strategic difference to project is as a 'love legend'.

Oh yeah, the hero, Veer Pratap Singh (Shah Rukh Khan) and the heroine, Zaara Haiyyat Khan (Preity Zinta) belong to different nationalities – India and Pakistan, respectively. You don't need to be too focused to notice just how much stress is given on their names and nationalities. It also stresses on how to improve the social standing of the fairer sex. You soon reach a point of 'okay, okay I get it. Now, can we get on with the movie please?' As Amitabh Bachchan's character (in a guest appearance) casually points out, "Hindustani ho, Pakistani ho ya phir Chini, Japani - ki farak painda hai"?

The story of Veer-Zaara, in a nutshell, revolves around two individuals who fall in love in two days and are forced to spend 22 years apart from each other owing to circumstances. Veer is now in a Pakistani jail serving for no crime or reason. He is a 50-something wobbly old man whose ca(u)se is taken up by a lady lawyer Samiya Siddiqui (Rani Mukherjee). Where is Zaara? What is the original problem? Now now, that would be telling.The funny thing, however, is that it's not that the Indo-Pak factor that really works against Veer and Zaara. The real reason is so ridiculous that at the end of it you feel it's you and not them who have been inflicted with needless tragedy.

craziness...

Diwali went by and frankly speaking, it was not as enjoyable as it usually is.

The only enjoyable part was going to a place called ‘Champahati’ to get the crackers. Not that there was anything special about the place and neither did we get any amazing crackers there. Basically what happened was that I heard that one could get good crackers out there and that we can go to that place by local train. That was enough for Varun and me to try that place. We had no idea of what kind of place it would be, what would we get there, how would we get back, etc. Basically it was a sort of a mini-adventure – another attack of craziness and it was this feeling of craziness that I really enjoyed.

In fact this time I wasn’t waiting for diwali as much as the day after diwali – India vs. Pakistan at the Eden Gardens. Though India lost, it was a wonderful experience. The electricity in the atmosphere is breath taking. It cannot be described in words. One has to be there to know what the feeling is to be there. The Mexican waves are just wonderful. Thousands of people rising in series one after the other is an awe inspiring sight. The noise, the frenzy, the madness – it feels as if one is in a different world altogether, the real world outside is forgotten for that period of 7-8 hours. That is what is most special about watching a match at Eden Gardens.

Well I don’t have much more to write now… more later…

it was "that time of the year"

It is this that time of the year when this city suddenly comes alive. The long drawn rainy season comes to an end, the weather is most pleasant, the unique smell of autumn fills the air and most importantly, there is a hang of festivity in the atmosphere. The dhaks beating rhythmically in the distance are pleasing to the ear for once, as if letting the whole city know that it is that time of the year – those few days when everyone forgetting all else, allow themselves to be submerged under this tide of festivity.

Yes, this is the Durga Puja of Calcutta…

Today is the last day of festivity, Vijay Dashmi, when the Goddess returns to Her heavenly abode and the people bid adieu with a heavy heart, but not too heavy either, because they know that next year, these happy days shall be back again.

And this year, probably I enjoyed these few days like never before, though I did nothing very special. Pujas for me started a day in advance, i.e., on Panchami itself, when Rohit and I went out on a late night ride on his scooter to have a look at the Pujas in our locality, but having been struck by a moment of craziness, we went on to see few of the most famous pandals in the city, all of them more than 10 kilometers away from home. We had a great time since the crowd at these places was ideal - neither too crowded, nor too deserted. We congratulated ourselves for taking this crazy decision, because we saw these pujas at a comfort level, none could imagine. The return journey was somewhat chilly, since we were in half pants and t-shirts, and the wind was pretty cool.

The whole of the next (i.e. Shashti) and most of the day after (Saptami) was spent at office. However, on Saptami, after coming back from office at 7, I along with Sayantan (probably my oldest friend) went off to Maddox Square, the hub of college and school students. There I met many of my school friends and had a good adda session. I was meeting most of these guys after almost a year and it was a real pleasure to be back with them. I also spent sometime with Devjit, another very close friend, someone whose company I always look forward to. The DBPC group then went on to have dinner at some corny place at Gol Park, and then it was back home.

I spent the next two evening with Mom, Dad and Yash (my little cousin), hopping from one pandal to another in South Calcutta. We did not venture into any of the very famous places, but still, we saw some really beautiful pandals and images. It is really heartening to see that nowadays, even the middle and low budget Pujas try their best to come up with artistic and novel ideas.

I also saw the “Maut ka Kuan” for the first time, where these people ride motorbikes and cars on the walls of an artificial well. I realized that one can have a good time with parents too and I did take pleasure in moving around with them, enjoying the festive atmosphere, without having to wait in long queues.

Toady, in the wee hours, I went out with mama and all to see the famous Pujas in south Calcutta and I must admit that I was struck with awe and admiration at the beauty and the art of these pandals. They are nothing but exquisite pieces of art, and I felt proud to belong to the city that houses such wonderful artisans and also people who value the art. In the evening I went with Rohit to see the burning of Ravan’s effigy at the Brigade Parade Ground. It was preceded by Ram Lila, a short dance drama. It was really well performed and I found the little monkeys real sweet. I saw the Dussera celebrations for the first time and it was enjoyable. The fireworks that followed were not bad, though they were nothing great either.

And here I am now, recalling all what I did over the last few days. I managed to enjoy everything. I saw all the very famous Pujas and also the not so famous ones, had a couple of first experiences, spent time with my school pals, with my parents, with my mama and also with my closest friend, Rohit.

All in all, the most perfect way I could have spent these days of festivity.

And they said he was a ...

In my first blog, I had written that Gandhi was one of my inspirations and one of my friends happened to ridicule me for that. It made me wonder, whether the youth today really know Gandhi or do they just hate him for the heck of it.

In the opinion of the majority of today’s youth, Gandhi was a hypocrite. The problem is that most (not all) students who dislike Gandhi, do so without having any concrete reason and probably because it is somewhat fashionable. Peace after all is outdated and unexciting, so praising a person who devoted his life for the purpose of non-violence would make one less of a ‘stud’, while abusing someone comes easy and sounds fun too!!

Those who have read something about him shall raise issues such as the withdrawal of the Non-cooperation movement, his cornering Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, signing of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact, resorting to emotional blackmail such as fast unto death to have his way, his unwillingness to force the British out in the early 1940’s when they were caught in the turmoil of the Second World War, etc. Those who have read in greater detail about him may know about his unjust attitude towards his family members, especially his son, Manilal Gandhi. Others, who hardly know about him, but nonetheless love to utter crap will say that Gandhi was the cause of partition, he was power hungry, he was not man enough to face violence and so he chose the path of peace and a whole lot of bullshit. I do not have anything against the 1st category, who formed their opinions on the basis of some facts, but the latter category of people are the ones who really disappoint me.

This is what I have to say about Gandhi:

No man is perfect and he had his share of imperfections. Many of the decisions taken by him were wrong and unjustified. He was rigid, stubborn and an extremist of sorts. But greatness is synonymous with extremism. There have been very few great men who were not extremists.

To the people who say Gandhi was not man enough : Gandhi had all the three ingredients that make up a real man – courage, self confidence and determination.

His work at South Africa is ample proof to show the courage he possessed. To go against unjust Acts, in a foreign country, requires true courage. He had to face many hardships in South Africa, but he weathered them all to bring justice to a few thousand Indians there. How many of us have the guts to rise against the unjust in this way? And then ‘they’ say he wasn’t man enough.

All through our lives, we make hundreds of resolutions, but we do not carry out even one of them religiously. But here was a man whose determination was such that once he committed himself into a cause, he never deserted it. He resolved that he would spin the wheel for at least one hour daily and he did so, whether he was in jail, whether he was attending meetings, whether he was on fasts, and even when he went to England for the 2nd round table conference, he carried his wheel along with him and carried out his resolution. He believed that truth and non-violence were the ultimate virtues of mankind and he devoted his whole life practicing these virtues. Violence, according to him was the manifestation of hatred.
[Once (after Gandhi’s death) Churchill commented that it was surprising that Indians did not hate the English even after all the atrocities they had suffered. To this Nehru replied – “This is because a great man taught us never to hate.”]

Today every other person talks about world peace, but Gandhi was not man enough because he believed in non-violence and was totally committed to it… huh!!

And to those who believe that he was the root cause of the partition. Gandhi NEVER wanted a partition, but the communal tension had risen to such an alarming level that he realized that if the partition did not take place, then incessant disharmony would prevail in the nation. It had become necessary to separate the extremists otherwise worse riots would have followed, because both sides had become power hungry.

Even in the fierce riots that took place in Calcutta, he had the guts to go in a hardcore Muslim area and lie down in fast there and such was his awe that blood thirsty extremists were forced to lay their weapons just for his sake. Had it not been for him, thousands more would have been killed in the city.

Very few people know that after independence Gandhi had expressed his wish to spend the rest of his life in Pakistan, to bring about harmony between the two nations. Jinnah proclaimed that he would never allow him to enter his country. Gandhi said that he would walk into Pakistan and he would see who would stop him from doing it. He died soon after, but I am pretty confident that if he were alive, he would do so and no one would have it in him to stop him from doing it. After all could anyone stop him from walking to Dandi in his famous Dandi March ?

After reading this article, most of you will think that I am an ardent Gandhi fan. It is not so. I believe that he had certain qualities that were beyond ordinary, and it is these qualities in the man that I really like. There are many things that I don’t know about him and hence I cannot form an absolute opinion, but from whatever little I have heard and read, I can easily conclude that he had the attributes of a great man.

I know that this article is going to attract some critical comments (especially from a couple of very close friends), but I don’t think that they will change my views.

All I can say is that you may point fingers towards him, but remember that your fingers are insignificant when compared to the stature of this great man.

being a child at heart

Got hold of this book by Paulo Coelho, “By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept”. Did not find it too great. It did drag at times and there was an overdose of Christian fundaes. However there were certain portions that were really well written. One speech in it, which I really loved and would like to share goes like this:

“Sometimes an incontrollable feeling of sadness grips us. We recognize that the magic moment of the day has passed and that we’ve done nothing about it. Life begins to conceal its magic and its art.
We have to listen to the child we were once, the child who still exists inside us. That child understands magic moments. We can stifle its cries, but we cannot silence its voice. The child we once were is still there. Blessed are the children, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

We have to pay attention to what the child in our hearts tells us. We should not be embarrassed by this child. We must not allow this child to be scared because the child is alone and is almost never heard.

We must allow the child to take the reins of our lives. The child knows that each day is different from every other day. We have to allow it to feel loved again. We must please this child – even if it means that we act in ways we are not used to, in ways that may seem foolish to others.

Remember that human wisdom is madness in the eyes of God. But if we listen to the child who lives in our soul, our eyes will grow bright. If we do not lose contact with that child, we will not lose contact with life.”

still in wilderness

So near, yet so far
I want to come close, but the bridge is broken
I try and mend the bridge, but the waves are too strong
I fall into the river
I manage to hold on to a reed
And here I am alone – in wilderness among known faces.

And what would have happened
If the river had carried me away
I would still be alone – in wilderness at sea.

of crushes and emotions....

"What's your name?"
"Kushal"
"Kushal is the name of one of my brothers also"
"But I am not your brother"
"Then become one"
... and she smiled, teasingly.

(Of course, I didn't accept her offer!!)

Well, I would be lying if I said that I fell for her at that moment or that her smile was the most beautiful smile I had seen, though writing this would make this post more romantic. In fact, I haven’t still fallen for her and nor do I find her smile the most beautiful. I just wrote these lines because as far as I remember, this was my first bit of conversation with her – my first crush.

As a matter of fact, she has been my only crush till date. I feel ashamed that I had my first crush at the age of 18. It should have happened at least 3 years earlier. I think I was slaisha attracted towards a girl in class 9, but I won’t put it down as a crush. I never had any special feelings for her, neither did I long for her company, hence not a crush.

Let me get back to my story. This conversation took place some time ago. Things have gone a long way since then. She is a good friend of mine and we are in constant touch. However I am not sure whether she knows that I have a crush on her and if she does, then I am really impressed with her. This is because this means that she has no special feelings for me, but she realizes that it is very natural for one person to have a crush on another and there is no need to react at all. Her attitude towards me has remained unchanged.

Crushes are usually one sided and it is really foolish to want the other person to reciprocate. Your liking her does not mean that she should also like you. You must understand that she will have her own likes and dislikes and she is not doing any injustice to you by not returning your favor. However, you should not mind communicating your feelings to her, because if she begins to avoid you after knowing your feelings, it means that she is not fit to be your crush, simply because she is a fool.

Let me tell you something about the nature of my crush. First thing I would say is that I am NOT in love with her. I don’t want her to become all mine, neither do I want to have a relationship with her. I just want her to be a good friend of mine, one with whom I can talk and spend time with on a regular basis. I would like to meet her more often and I would be very obliged, if she also likes my company in the same way.

I know I have a crush on her because I find myself thinking about her very often. I see her in my dreams at times also. She has many qualities that I like a lot. She is cheerful, chirpy, generous, helpful, friendly and free at heart. I am yet to come across any striking vice till date, though I don’t mean to say that she is perfect. Everyone has some imperfections and she is no exception. I don’t even know her closely enough.

There is a line in the movie Bawarchi – “ We people are so busy seeking things, that we think shall bring us loads of happiness, that we fail to live the small moments of happiness that life brings with itself incessantly.” I have discovered that she is one person who knows how to enjoy these small moments of happiness.

I am pretty certain that if she reads this post, she will know immediately that it is she.
To you I say, just be the way you are – don’t change. You are a wonderful human being.

Probably I’ll write another such article when I have my next crush…

This is me...

This being my first post, probably I'll write about myself. Frankly speaking it's very difficult to write about oneself. The reason being that most of us want to be modest, while within us we know what we are really worth, but we don't want to write it because we feel that when others will read it, they will think that we are too proud of ourselves. I don't say that I am an exception to this universal rule, but I would say that I'm trying my level best to get away from this bad habit of being too modest. Modestly is good, but being too modest is definitely not.

In fact, there should be times when one should think about oneself and his fields of strength. This will give him a certain degree of pride and confidence, and pride and confidence are really necessary for a person to tide through this challenge, called life. However one should not be foolish not to recognize his limitations. Once a person becomes aware of his strengths and limitations, he gets the optimum amount of confidence to act in the correct manner.

Enough of gyaan...

Coming back to myself...

Where should I start... well... the first thing I'll say is that I am a good student. Though I don't study too much, I manage to study enough to get good results, when they matter. In fact, as a student, being good in studies is my real source of confidence. Had I not been that, I think I would have suffered from an inferiority complex, because there is no other field where I score above others very convincingly.

But seriousness regarding studies does not mean that I don't enjoy life. I try my best to take out time for a lot of things, but I really don't manage to because I am a very lazy person and I spend a good amount of time day dreaming, watching TV, etc. I had always wanted to be good at playing a musical instrument, (my current crush being the guitar) but I never managed to even set the ball rolling just because I never had the time, though there is no reason why I didn't have the time. This thing really hurts me. I feel that I am a very capable person, but this laziness will never allow me to achieve my dreams. I am confident that academically, I won't be a failure, but there is a lot more in life than just academics and I want to do well in at least one more thing.

Coming to my passions, I think I am a very passionate person - passionate about crazy things such as flying kites, getting wet in the rain, playing football in the mud, and not too crazy things such as cricket, wildlife, music, etc. One thing that hurts me is that I am not an avid reader, though I know that there can be few hobbies better than reading. It doesn’t mean that I don’t read at all – I love Ruskin Bond and have read quite a good volume of his works. Jim Corbett is another favorite. I cannot say whether I developed an interest in wildlife because of Jim Corbett or whether I liked reading Jim Corbett because I was interested in wildlife. I guess it was both ways and they complemented each other. Being passionate is very important and equally important is being among passionate people. When you are passionate, you become enthusiastic about your passions, you get a ‘kick’ in life - you can actually enjoy life more than other people. But if you are passionate and the people around you are not passionate enough, you begin to lose your own passion.

Coming to music, I am not very knowledgeable about international music, but I do like Pink Floyd a lot. There is no other group or artist I am crazy about, but there are certain songs of Metallica, G n R, Eagles, Scorpions, Deep Purple etc. I really love. Basically songs with good lyrics and guitaring attract me. In Indian music, I like some works of A.R. Rahman and certain old hindi songs ( the ones with amazing lyrics) , but I simply hate those typical Kumar Sanu – Alka Yagnik types.
“Coming Back to Life” by Pink Floyd remains my favorite.

As for movies, I watch English movies very rarely. From whatever little I have watched, I enjoyed Life is Beautiful, Forrest Gump, Shrek, Troy, etc. I don’t like most Hindi movies too, especially the romantic ones. I like movies with a strong message and those that teach some moral values – Anand, Jagruti, Bawarchi, etc. Among others DDLJ, Dil Chahta Hai and Hera Pheri are my favorites for various reasons ( I will give a vivid description of why I like these movies in a later blog)

I don’t like romantic movies, not because I don’t believe in love. I very much believe in love, but I don’t much believe in love at first sight. I think that a person falls in love with another, because of certain qualities in that other, which he can discover only by knowing he/she for sometime. For example, the characteristics that attract me apart from beauty are cheerfulness, helpfulness, sacrificing nature and above all, the ability to enjoy the small moments of happiness that life brings with itself. Such qualities can never be deciphered in one sight. But I must clarify that just having these qualities wont make me fall in love with someone – obviously there is an invisible factor that actually makes you love someone.

The concept of ‘love’ of the current generation disappoints me. People enter into relationships not because they actually love each other, but because they want to have relationships and they are always searching for people with whom they can fall in love and have a relationship. It is not for no reason that nowadays there are innumerable cases of depression at young age. I know a few people who have had relationships for no reason, but for having a relationship – they broke up – and they had months of depression, poor results, etc. I don’t say that no one in the current generation actually falls in love, but the proportion is really low. Most other cases are that of infatuation and not love. Well that is my funda about ‘love’, though I am sure that quite a few people wont agree with it.

Coming to people who have had a strong influence on my perspective in life – The person who tops the list is my mama (maternal uncle) – an out and out genius and an impeccable human being. I can write endlessly about his greatness, so I wont bother to make this blog too long writing much about him. Others are Rohit Bhaiya, a friend, 13 years elder to me, who works in the Merchant Navy, Mahatma Gandhi, and Mr. Kapadia, a teacher in my school.
From Rohit, I have learnt to remain a child at heart and to spread a smile where ever I go, from Mr.Kapadia I have learnt to give up anger and to forgive people who make mistakes out of foolishness, and from Gandhi I have learnt the power of determination and self confidence.

My favorite one-liner is “Hating someone is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die”. I don’t think I need to comment on this line.

Well I have written quite a bit about myself, which might give you some insight about my ideology, likes and dislikes. I am sorry if I bored you ( u should have stopped reading in that case). That’s it then … more later….