The trip to Murshidabad......

We've been planning a trip for a long time. I couldn't decide where to go to, somewhere that would be cheap yet refreshing. Arijit, Mayukh and I finally decided that we will go to Murshidabad for our yearly trip. Now the dates were a tough call, someone or the other had something on the fixed dates. Finally it was decided that we would start off on the 3rd of Jan, just in the beginning of the new year, stay there in Murshidabad on the 4th and return back on the 5th.

Just as we planned, we met at Esplanade bus depot in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Luckily i had a cold shower at 5 in the morning on the day which was supposed to be the coldest day of the season, and that had really woken me up. We had decided to travel by bus, because all the trains reach Berhampore town, the train station at Murshidabad at midnight. The Calcutta State Transport Corporation bus started sharp at 7.30 AM. The three of us sat on a triple seat and i got the best view with the window seat. As the bus picked up speed, the blowing wind was absolutely freezing. The windows and the door got locked in no time as we raced towards the National Highway. The bus had no scheduled stops before Krishnagar, a beautiful town in the district of Nadia. It is a three hours drive from Kolkata. Krishnagar is famous for its fried sweets popularly known as 'Shor Bhaja' and 'Shor Puria'. We had our breakfast there, during the 15 min stop. The bus trip was uneventful. We slept a bit, chatted a while and was bored the most. After a 5 hour long trip, we reached Berhampur, the largest and most popular town of Murshidabad. The first thing that had struck me when we reached Berhampur was the number of rickshaws and bicycles. It seemed everyone had one or the other. The loudspeaker at the bus depot was playing nice rabindrasangeet. Seemed like a nice little town to me. I had already researched on the hotels of Berhampur, and thus we started looking for the good ones.
Finally after a long search we decide to stay at Berhampore Lodge, right in front of the town lake. It had a really nice view and the rooms were clean. We showered and had lunch at the hotel restuarant. Tandoori roti and masala egg curry along garden fresh salad and lime soda. After a bit of rest, we decided to take a stroll around town. Berhampur is a very small town centered around a square field. Although it had a rich past with nawabs and kings ruling the roost, but most are in ruins now. Although the rich cultural heritage can still be seen on the grand architecture of most buildings. We went round the square field where there was everything from vendors selling groundnuts to children playing cricket. It was a party for everyone. Amazingly the square field was surrounded by huge trees, by huge i really mean huge, the trunks were about 6-7 feet in diameter. We saw the Circuit house, the District Magistrate's house, the Jail-house and of course the town college which was modelled on Cambridge University with it's huge pillars and archways. We strolled towards the Bhagirathi river which flows just beside the town. It was pretty chilly out there with the river breeze blowing around. The river looked stunning, with the moon light shining bright. After a brief retrospection on your years at college and the trips that we three have been on together, we decided to return back. A evening well spent, i would say. We had dinner and then ended the night with a very long adda that went well into the night.

Day 2: We woke up around 8.30 in the morning. We showered and had breakfast. Our hotel had arranged for a car to take us for a sightseeing trip to Lalbagh were all the Nawab's ruins were. We started off in a white ambassador car. On the way we passed the Bhagirathi bridge, the only bridge which connects the north of West Bengal with it's south counterpart. After half an hour of journey, we reached our first destination, 'Katgola bagan'. Mahimapur is half a km North of the Nasipur Palace. Here, the palace of Jagat Seth and the once famous Pareshnath Temple are now in ruins. Katgola, the palace garden of Raja Dhanpat Singh Dugar and Lakshmipat Singh Dugar and their famous Adinath Temple were built in 1873, by Harreck Chand. The walls of this temple are also intricately designed. A typically Jain style of ornamentation lends a unique beauty to this Jain temple. Though some of its glory has been lost, it still remains a major tourist attraction, chiefly because of the beautiful temple with an admirable work of stucco. There were some really interesting objects inside the palace museum. We were awestruck by the sheer magnitude of the architecture of the palace. The huge pillars from the first floor verandah were so big that it actually had two floors within it. The master bedroom has a bed that is so high and so big that you need to climb three wooden steps to get onto it. Then there was an interesting thing on top of the huge dining table. There was a big mercury ball hanging from the ceiling. We thought it was some kind of a decoration, but later we came to know that it was actually a security feature. Where ever you sit on the table you are able to see all side of the room by looking at the reflection of the ball. If someone tried to intrude or murder the king, the security people would be able to see instantly even if they are standing behind the king. Ingeniuos i should say. Unfortunately we couldn't take a picture inside the palace. The living room was splendid too, with huge chandeliers and decorative sofa sets. The billard room was an interesting feature. It was surprising to see that the kings used to play billards during that time. Next in line was the king's guest house which was absolutely in ruins. The kitchen was so large that it could easily be called a separate house. Then there was a dancing balcony which had belgium glass windows, so that people outside the balcony couldn't see the dance perfomance happening inside for the kings. We took a few pictures and then headed for the next destination.
Next in line was the Nasipur Palace. The Nasipur Palace was built by Kirti Chand, a descendent of Debi Singh. Debi Sing, who settled there from Punjab, was a tax collector in the early days of the East India Company. Within the palace compound is the Ramachandra Temple, one of the largest temples in the district. Adjacent is the palatial temple of Lakshmi-Narayana, famous for its Jhulanjatra celebrations. The main building of the Raj Bari , which is a two storied house with a grand flight of stairs, has an imposing facade. But everything is in shambles now.
We moved on to the Samadhi of Azim Unnasi. A samadhi is a burial ground. Although it was simple cemetry but it was grand in its design.
The biggest attraction of them all was our next destination. Our driver was a pretty cool fellow and knew the place pretty well. He kept on passing us valuable information about the places which we were visiting. The Hazarduari Palace, or the palace with a thousand doors is the chief tourist attraction of Murshidabad. This three-storey palace was built in 1837 by Duncan McLeod for the Nawab Najim Humaun Jah, descendent of Mir Zafar. It has thousand doors (among which only 900 are real) and 114 rooms and 8 galleries, built in European architectural style. The total area of Hazarduari Palace is 41 acres. It is now a museum and has an exquisite collection of armoury, splendid paintings, exhaustive portraits of the Nawabs, various works of art including beautiful works of ivory (Murshidabad school) of China (European) and many other valuables. The Armoury has 2700 arms in its collections of which only few are displayed. Swords used by Shiraj-ud-Daulla and his grandfather, Nawab Alivardi Khan, can be seen here. The other attractions in this floor are Vintage Cars and Fittan Cars used by the Nawabs and their families. The library containing rare collections is not accessible to the public unless special permission is obtained. The Palace was used for holding the "Durbar" or meetings and other official work of the Nawabs and also as the residence of the high ranking British Officials. Between the palace and the Imambara is a small mosque, ‘Madina’, with colourful tiled verandahs. The Mosque has an ornamented replica of Hazrat Muhammad's tomb at Madina. Around the palace are other attractions like the Wasef Manzil (the New Palace) by the bank of the Ganga, Tripolia Gate, the Dakshin Darwaza, the Chak Darwaza, the Imambara, the Gharighar (the Clock Tower), the Bachchawali Tope (a canon) and the Madina, the only surviving structure built by Siraj-ud-Doula. The Bachchawali Tope (canon) was made between the 12th and the 14th century, probably by the Mohammedan rulers of Gour, and requires about 18 Kg of gun powder for a single shelling.
We were pretty hungry by then, and decided to have lunch at a roadside resturant. Luckily mayukh had brought his digital camera along and we had taken a few good pics. We moved onto the Katra Mosque. Katra Mosque is about one and a half km from Murshidabad Railway Station on the Berhampore-Lalgola Road. This imposing structure was built by Nawab Murshid Quli Khan in 1723-24 and it remains one of the most important tourist attractions. The gorgeous building with its huge domes and high minarets has a simple cemetery of the Nawab below the front staircase.




Jahan Kosha, a huge cannon, is about 1 km of Katra. It was built in the early 17th century by craftsman Janardan Karmakar of Dhaka. Kadam Sarif is a beautiful mosque near Jahan Kosha said to contain a replica of the footprint of Hazrat Mohammad, the prophet. The canon is 17.5 ft long and weighs 16,880 lb., with a girth of 5 feet at the touch hole end. The diameter of the touch hole is one and a half inches, and that of the orifice is 6 inches.


Last in line was Motijheel which is about one km South of Lalbagh. This beautiful horseshoe shaped lake was excavated by Nawazesh Mohammad, the husband of the famous Ghasseti Begum. In the palace adjoining it (now in ruins) Lord Clive celebrated the acquisition of the Dewani of Sube Bangla (Bengal, Bihar & Orissa) in 1765. Moti Jheel was the home of Warren Hastings when he became the Political President at the Durbar of the Nawab Nazim ( 1771 - 73 AD ). Sir John Shore, afterwards Lord Teinmouth, also lived here. Moti Jheel is also known as the "Company Bagh", due to the fact of it having been in the occupation of the East India Company. The only old building existing is the Mosque of Shahamat Jang. To the east of Nawajesh Muhammad's mosque, is a small enclosure within which are four tombs and to the east of which and outside it is one tomb. Here lies the mortal remains of Shahamat Jang alias Nawajesh Muhammad, Ekram-ud-Doula the younger brother of Siraj-ud-Doula, Ekram-ud-Doula's Tutor, Shumsheree Ali Khan the General of Nawajesh Muhammad, and the Nurse of Ekram-ud-Doula.
It was getting dark so we decided to return back to our hotel. The return journey would take about half an hour. I had to admit, we had a fantastic day. Looking at our states history, i was feeling pretty nostalgic. We returned back to our hotel, had our dinner, chatted for few hours and finally called it a day. We were dead tired and fell asleep immediately.

Day 3:It was our final few hours at Murshidabad. We showered and got ready. By the time everyone had packed, it was already 11.30. We paid our balances and checked out of the hotel. We strolled around the town for a bit and then had our lunch. Boiled rice along with super fried fishes and vegetables. Then we reached the bus depot and got on a bus which was leaving for Kolkata. It was a pretty boring journey and we finally reached our home around 8 in the night. Although it was a short trip but it was fantastic on my account. I would love to visit Murshidabad again.........

The day i made medical history....

The day began with an early wake up call, which i truly, really and absolutely hate. It was the day of my pre-employment check up for ITC. I had to keep a 12 hour fast for the blood test, so i had my dinner last night at 9, calculated to the point that i would be reaching for the tests at 9 in the morning. Anyway, my timing was perfect, reached the gates of 'The Nightangle' hospital at 9. It is on Shakespeare Sarani, beside the Nagaland house and the Nike store. After the preliminary paperwork, which i donno how, managed to fill out correctly. The first test began with blood tests. A syringe full of my precious liquid silver. Nxt in line was the x-ray. A chest x-ray to be exact. It was such an odd position, my head pushed forward, hands bent backwards. I think i was looking like a chicken with the xray board in front of my chest at the police lockup, standing for my first trial. Well last in line was the ECG and the doctor check up. There was a lady doctor at the ECG section. After attaching multiple nodes with wires all over my body, she attached 7 vacuum pointers on my chest. After a few painless minutes the job was done. Then came the personal question hour with doc. Starting from my alcohol intake to whether i ever had hernia, she left nothing to chance. After an exhaustive 50 questions about my health and a blood pressure test, i was marked as OK. Nothing much but just a tick mark beside it on the form. Well that completed the tests. The results are to be sent to my office directly. After a good 13-14 hour fast, i was ready to gobble up anything that came in my way. Getting out of the hospital i headed straight for the nearby cake shop..........

I think this is the best advertisement of the century.....

I'm really waiting for this one......

Something to really look forward to. Rocky Balboa. The sixth edition to the best boxing series ever made. The 'ROCKY' series. I've heard Stallone has really put up a perfomance. Maybe his last one.

Go balboa, the Italian Stallion rides again.......

I'm really waiting for this one......

Guys you havta check this......

Why i love Kolkata....

Hmmm, Kolkata, my city, my life. The reasons which make Kolkata famous.....

• Kolkata is the home of India's Nobel Laureates. Namely "Rabindranath Tagore", "Mother Teresa "and "Amartya Sen". 3 out of 6 Nobel prize winners!!!

• Kolkata is the "Second largest city" in the country, with a population of 13,217,000.

• Kolkata has the second largest cricket stadium in the world, "The Eden Gardens", the biggest in Asia.

• It has the world's third highest capacity football stadium and the biggest football stadium in Asia, "The Salt Lake Stadium".

• The "Cricket and Football Club - CCFC" in kolkata is the second oldest cricket club in the world.

• It boasts of having the very first "Metro" in India, that too at a time when the very thought of having metro trains in India were impossible.
  

• The one and only home of the "Trams" in India.

• Kolkata has the largest open park, "The Maidan", third in the world after New york state park and the Hyde park in London.

• The home of India's most successful test cricket captain, and the record holder for the maximum number of centuries in one day internationals after Sachin Tendulkar, and India's most successful ODI captain "Sourav Ganguly".

• 75% of the players in the Indian "Football" team is from Kolkata and is the home of major leagues and tournaments, having the best football clubs in India along with the IFA-The Indian Football Association.

• It is the home of the "Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI)".

• It is the home of India's Oscar winner "Satyajit Ray", considered by many film makers, Western and Eastern alike, to be among the four greatest directors of film history.

• Kolkata is the home of India's only Olympic medal winner in Tennis, "Leander Paes"

• It is the home of "Arjun Atwal", one of India's international golf players.

• The "Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC)" is the second oldest golf club in the world, which was established in 1829 in Kolkata.

• Kolkata is the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India and the northeastern states. It is home to the "Calcutta Stock Exchange" - India's second-largest bourse. It is also a major commercial and military port, and the only city in the region to have an international airport.

• Kolkata houses "The Asiatic Society", "The Indian Statistical Institute", "The Indian Institute of Management", "The Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics", "The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences", "The Marine Engineering and Research Institute" and "The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER)".

• Kolkata has long been known for its literary, artistic and revolutionary heritage. As the former capital of India, Kolkata was the birthplace of modern Indian literary and artistic thought. Kolkatans tend to have a special appreciation for art and literature; its tradition of welcoming new talent has made it a "city of furious creative energy". The city also has a tradition of dramas in the form of jatra(a kind of folk-theatre), theatres and group theaters.

• The "Indian Museum" in Kolkata is the oldest museum in Asia.

• Kolkata houses the "National Library of India" which is India's leading library.

• Kolkata is the capital of the "Hindi theatre stage" in India.

• Kolkata has an eminent place in the history of American diplomacy as one of the oldest "American Consulates" anywhere in the world, and the oldest in India.

• The "Indian Botanical Gardens" is home of the world's largest banyan tree(the banyan tree with the biggest girth), which is around 240 years old.

• "The Kolkata Book Fair" is the world's largest non-trade book fair, Asia's largest book fair and the most attended book fair in the world. It is the world's third largest annual conglomeration of books after the Frankfurt Book Fair and the London Book Fair.
  

• "Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay" was one of the earliest Bengali novelists and is popularly known as the author of India's first national song, "Bande Mātarom" (pronounced in Hindi "Vande Mātāram").

• Calcutta University has been termed as the first modern university in the Indian subcontinent.

• The Bengal Engineering and Science University, Shibpur is the second oldest engineering university in India, although it is not directly in kolkata, but it's root is in kolkata.
  

• "Medical College", Kolkata is one of India's oldest medical institutions.

• The first college for women in India, the "Bethune College" was set up in 1879 in Kolkata.

• The "Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM)" was set up in 1953 as the country's first management institute.

• It is the home of "Bipasha Basu", India's first Ford Supermodel of the World title holder and a notable actress.

• It is also the home of India's first Miss Universe title holder, "Susmita Sen".

• Home of the First Indian Woman to swim across the English Channel "Miss Arati Saha" and First Indian Man to swim across the English Channel "Mihir Sen".

• Kolkata houses the biggest "Reebok" store in Asia.

• The largest "Pizza Hut" restaurant in Asia.

• Kolkata the largest and the biggest selling outlet of Music World.

• The largest and the biggest selling outlet of Pantaloons.

• And who could forget that despite all the shortcomings, the difficulties and the pain, the people of kolkata always manage to put a smile of their face. That is why the city is named as "The City of Joy". The people of this city are also known for their helpfulness, their hospitability and their honesty!!
  

There are other facts which i have not been able to compile right now, but i promise to put forward those points in the days to come. If you guys want to input some info, plz write a comment, i'll upload those points.

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Special Disclaimer: All the info may not be upto date and references have been drawn from http://www.wikipedia.com, http://www.calcuttaweb.com and searches from http://www.google.com

Forgiveness......

I had big brawl with Mr. J, not a street fight but a verbal duel. He has refused to pay up!!! I think if i want i can cancel the show and ask all the colleges not to participate in it. It would land him up in a whole lot of trouble. That is what i wanted to do, but after thinking it off i have decided to forgive him. Cause cancelling the show wouldn't solve my purpose, he wouldn't pay even if i do cancel it. The best thing is to go with the show. Maybe someday he's going to get the idea in his pea brain of his, that it was better off paying me. Let c how it goes. If you guys wanna come down and enjoy the show, turn up on the 3rd of November at The Bhawanipur Gujrati Education Society early morning!!! It's the WESTSIDE-MTV Style Showdown.

The hitch-hiker's guide to the best places in town !!!

The hitch-hiker's guide to the best places in Kolkata city :

• The Maidan
• Nandan/Rabindra Sadan
• Millenium Park/The riverfont/ The Ghats
• Victoria Memorial
• The Light and Sound Fountain
• The Sahid Minar
• Town Hall
• High Court
• Academy of Fine Arts
• Indian Museum
• Birla Industrial and Technological Museum
• Birla Planetarium
• Botanical Gardens
• Centre of International Modern Art (CIMA)
  
• BBD Bag
• Jorasakho Thakurbari & Rabindra Bharti Musuem
  
• Eden Gardens
• Fort Willam
• Howrah Bridge
• Vidyasagar Setu
• Missionaries of Charity
• Nehru Childrens Museum
• National Library
• Nicco Park
• Aquatica
• Science City
• The Lakes
• The Zoo

Now, for the religious kind :

• Kalighat Temple
• St. John's Church
• St. Paul's Church
• Nakhoda Mosque
• Dakshineswar Temple
• Belur Math
• Tipu Sultan Mosque

For the shopaholics, the big ones :

• City Centre
• Forum
• 22 Camac St.
• Gariahat
• Gariahat Mall
• AC Market
• Ballygunge New Market
• Dakshinapan
• Fancy Market
• Metro Shopping Mall
• New Market
• Emami Landmark
• Shreeram Arcade
• Treasure Island
• Vardaan Market
• Planet Fashion
• Shagun Wedding Mall
• Fort Knox
• Steel City
  
• Home mall
• Metropolis
  
• Crossword
• Oxford Book Store
• Pantaloons
• Music World
• Raymond Stores
  
• and many more smaller establishments....

Now for some chow....

• Actually too many to name here, there are loads as you walk down each lanes and bylanes.

For references and exact locations you can try out http://www.calcuttaweb.com and a host of other sities available on the net.

ITC beckons......

The day began with a stressful 3 hour bus journey to ITME, Diamond Harbour. I had to reach thr at 9.30 in mornin. I knew i would nvr be able to make it. Cause i'm those lazy ass types who r nvr able to wake up before 10 in the mrnn. He he. But hey i had to, as i always say ' U gotta do what u gotta do'. Anyways managed to reach that god forsaken place at 10.30. The exam started around 12.30. The team from ITC gave us a presentation on the company first. After seeing the presentation i knew, i had to get in, cause not only they had good networking prospects but it was not always that you would get the opportunity to get in India's 4th largest company!! The exam had three sections, two sections were pretty easy, english and maths. The analytical was a bit tough. Seeing the turnout i thought i would not be able to make the selected list. After an eager half 'n hour wait, the team announced the list. You guys wouldn't believe this but my name was on top of the list!! I couldn't believe it myself. Anyways 16 of us were selected out of a lot of 135 candidates. Most of the competition was out of contention now. The HR informed us that we would be divided into a group of two, eight on each side and we would be having a Group Discussion round. All my group members seemed to be pretty experienced in GD. I had never participated in a GD before, especially in a corporate GD. We had a case study for the GD. The HR was repeating that they were looking for specialized candidates, who would be taking initiatives and would be leaders in their division in 4-5 years time. The GD went off pretty well. I was pretty sure that i would get through, although you could never be sure. When the list was getting announced, i was getting a bit impatient 'cause my name was not in the first few that were called out. I thought i had blown it. But then at last my name was called out. Keepin the best for the last i guess, he he. Finally i was into the last round, the much feared, the much respected and the toughest of them all, the technical and hr interview. Our team had been cut short to 12. I was the last in line for the interview. Was getting a bit nervous, waiting for my turn. But i told myself i cannot blow this opportunity. It was wat i wanted, i could not let it go. I wasn't nervous anymore. The conference room had 8 interviewers, ready to pounce on me. But everyone was pretty nice. There were a lot of questions, mainly on networking and telecommunications. I answered most, except a few which i had no knowledge of. I think it went off pretty well. Ultimately everyone had completed their interviews. Now it was a nervous wait. Finally the HR came out with his list of selected candidates. My heart started pumping at a rate which would put rajdhani to shame. The climax of the moment was that the first name that was called out was mine!!!!! Phew, i had done it. I had been selected. My joy knew no bounds. There was congratulations from everyone. Four more of my frinds were selected too, five in all. The ones who couldn't make it, were unfortunate, not incapble by any chance. I wish them all the very best for the future endevours. Finally returned home to give the good news to my parents and relatives. Everyone was very happy for me. Even I was happy for myself, hehe. Why wouldn't i be. I would be working in the field which i had dreamt of and that too for a pay package that would put even experienced people to shame. I had received something which i guess everyone dreams of having in their career. A big tag name. All's well that end's well i guess. he he he....

A journey in the State Transport Bus.....

I stay at narendrapur, and it takes quite a while to come down to office everyday. One fine and sunny morning I decided to take the much feared, much frightening and the much waited bus no. 5. As i entered the bus depot, i saw there were no buses in sight and a long queue jostling for space. I stood in the queue which did stretch to quite a distance with separate lines for women and men. I wondered if we still live in a civilized and advanced world, because we still have separate queues and seats for men and women. I laughed at myself. As i stood beside the depot office i saw a mix of people standing in the queue. There was a group of office goers discussing the previous days events. Obviously they were pretty good friends as they called out to each other by their first names. I wondered if they worked in the same office. ' Prabir, kal khelata kamon holo bol ?' They were obviously talking about the east bengal-mohun bagan football match the previous day. Most were east bengal supporters it seemed as they were cursing the goalkeeper for making too many mistakes that day. I wondered how people from different walks of life have become so good friends just by traveling together to office on the same bus. That's the bengali babu for you, making friends where ever they go. Just then a bus rambled in. The queue started moving forward, as i was at the end of it there was no possible way i could get a seat on the first bus. I knew if i waited for the second bus i would be late for office. I got on, and as expected there wasn't a single empty seat. I knew the bus would be packed to capacity soon since it was going towards Howrah. It was very hot and humid inside the bus and i began to sweat in no time. Minutes passed and it seemed like eternity before the driver finally got on and started the engine. The bus rolled out of the depot and a few people scrambled on at the last minute. By that time the office group had started their antics. They started cracking jokes and was keeping everyone nearby entertained. I looked at my watch, it was 9.25. I had to get in to my office by 10. State transports are known for their speed and i knew i would make it if the road was clear. I thought i spoke too soon because in no time the bus was stuck in huge traffic snarl. The autorickshaws thought they own the road and they didn't care much for the traffic rules thus causing huge traffic jams. The bus was pretty packed now and heat was now becoming intolerable. I had a hard time grabbing the hand rail with so many people jostling for space. In the crowded bus people were continuously trying to get on and off the bus thus creating chaos between fellow passengers. My feet were throbbing with pain as people were stepping on my toes. There wasn't an inch of space left on the bus. Just then a big quarrel started between the bus conductor and a guy who has just jumped on. Both were screaming at each other at the top of their lungs and trying to prove their point. That's manhood i guess, egos took top priority!! The office group started passing funny comments to pacify both of them. I neither had the mood nor the enthusiasm to take interest because of the heat as well as the tremendous space crunch and the pressure due to it. The bus was moving along, sometimes smoothly in the traffic free stretches and sometimes fully stuck in the huge traffic snarls. It was 9.55, I was getting near to my office bus stop. I decided to move ahead towards the exit door, caused i had been pushed to the rear by the crowd. I had walked many a mile in my life but i never knew getting from the rear end of the bus to the exit door would be such a terrible experience and would take an eternity. I tried to move two steps at a time, pleading ' Dada, nambo, aktu jayga din'. My pleas fell on deaf ears, cause nobody could give me an inch. I tried to look out of the windows and saw my destination was coming up pretty quickly. I had no other option. I pushed hard forward. I heard the barrages of swears coming from people who's toes i was stepping on. I let out multiple sorries to everyone, but there was nothing i could do. I was squashed, my arms were twisted at an odd angle trying to grab a handrail. I felt as if my arm was going to tear off from my body but I was determined not to let go. Slowly and painfully i managed to scramble to the exit door of the bus, my hair messed up, shirt untucked and dripping sweat all over. Finally the bus reached my office bus stop and i got down, cursing myself for getting on the god-damned bus. I looked at my watch it was 9.59. I had just managed it, that is to say the bus made it in time. I went to straight to my office washroom, got fresh. As i sat in my office, i tried to remember the mornings events and laughed at myself, ' All's well that ends well' i guess!!

Phew, back after a while....

Have u guys heard of the term work-pressure. I surely felt it during the past week. I had to shift to a different department as they had way too many backlogs. I donno how a department with 6 team members can have so many backlogs. It does hurt to be resourceful i guess. Had to work in that department for three days. Anyways good to be back in my 'ol department. The biggest news is that Mayukh has joined up my company, as a server admin team member. He raking in a good sum i tell u!! Luck. Boy, its all in the path. It's good to have friends working with u. Although everything has its pros and cons, i've learnt it the hard way.
Winter's in the air. It still seems so festive. The kali puja is coming up. Crackers and fireworks all night. It's gonna b big, really BIG!! My maternal cousin went back to her boarding school after the puja vacation. Since she was not going to meet me on 'Bhai Phota' so she gifted me a fantastic 'Katha Stich' punjabi. It is really beautiful, fits me perfectly.
The WestSide event is comin up. Lets c how it builds up....

Ah the pujo updates !!

Hey guys here's my pujo updates :

DASAMI : Woke up late today, didn't wanna come to office. But anyway logged in, late as usual. Angshuman, Shayani, Paloma and Deblina have asked me to join them for dinner. I think i do need to eat out today. So the last pujo adda's here. He he. Will post the updates on the dinner later. Although i did wanna go to the 'BHASAN' at babughat, but for the first time in my life, i feel i'm burnt out and i do need a good rest after 5 days of non-stop revelry. I donno, since i'm such a freak, i might just go to bhasan after all. The last day of pujo is always sad. The SIDUR Khela is always fun. Women having fun with vermilion. The mark of their commitment, their sacrifice, their responsibilities. I still remember as a child i used to accompany my mom to the puja pandal, where all the ladies would have fun. Rubbing the sidur (or the vermilion as u would call it) on their faces. Since i was a kid, i used get some too, on my face and hands. Ha ha. Childhood. Good 'ol times. Well that's another story. Let's keep that for some other time.

NABAMI : Oh yessss !!! A break at last. No office today. Today i've decided to visit my two friends place who are having a puja at their own house. First stop, abhishek's house. Met up with Shubhojyoti and Abhishek thr. Anikesh is pretty sick so he couldn't join us. Nirmalya's house was our pit stop. The puja at their place is a huge family affair. Met with nirmalya and his girlfriend. I am happy for him, he's been thru a lot. Next stop, Kaushik's house. Boy, he himself has made the idol this time. Can u believe a lone guy, working day and night creating a piece of art ?? The idol was beautiful. Pretty big for a 'Barwari Pujo'. The bhog at their place was lip smacking. Met a few school friends thr. It was so good to see that everyone was going good in their lives. Met up with krish and his gang in the evening. Couldn't stay long though. My granddad was giving the family a puja treat. So hurried back home for dinner. A chinese affair is too good to resist. A day well spent i otta say. Adda with everyone at home is what i call quality time.....

ASHTAMI : The biggest day of 'em all. This is the day when everyone put on their ethnic best. Mom had gifted me a wonderful pyjama-punjabi which had colourful thread work on the front side. It was beautiful piece of craftsmanship. Decided to wear that to office today. Everyone had geared up for ashtami's anjali. The special day when people pray and ask for Maa's blessings. I did not go for the anjali. Mom was pretty angry with me for not doing so. Anyways, had fun at the office today. The management treated us again. Double treat i would say, my TL Anjanda informed me that i do not have to come tomorrow. A break at last. Anjanda is one of the best people i have worked with. He really has the personality to be a Team Leader. Well nothing big for tonight. We all met up at krish's house and went off to maddox. It had rained pretty hard during the afternoon, thus it was all sloshy and sloppy out there. Jam packed as usual. A good adda is what we wanted and that is what we got, after standing in the queue for an hour at Ballygunge Dhaba. But hey it was worth it. A adda with dinner is always pleasing. 3 in the night and i was fast asleep, too tired to stay awake.....

SAPTAMI : The first real big day of the pujas. I could smell the festivity in the air. The para-pandal had their loud speakers on at full blast. The purohit was chanting the mantras. The sanskrit slokes were giving me the goosebumps. Hearing it, was really enchanting. Although since i ain't much of a believer, it really didn't matter to me. Got drenched coming to office today. Can u believe rain during the pujas ?? I felt sorry for the crowd who are out pandal-hopping. Suprise, suprise !! The office management treated us for coming to office on non-working days, specially on pujas. A good treat, i gotta say. Too many plans for today. Donno what i'm gonna do. Krish 'an gang want me to join them for a booze session. My college pals want me to join them for a adda session at Maddox. My ex-colleagues want me to join them for booze and dinner at China Town. Although everyone would be meeting up at maddox, but at different times. Decisions at Crossroads, eh?? This is bigger, much bigger!! He he. After much deliberation, finally decided that i would join my ex-colleagues. Met them at the China Garden Restaurant in China Town. Arnabda, Dipuda, Amitda, Shubro and the new MD were there. We started off with Smirnoffs all around. Two big 750mls to be exact. Prawn chips, chicken nuggets, lamb chops, drum sticks and fish balls to accompany it. We were having a good adda. Things were running smoothly. Amitda did make a splash, u know wat. That too on me !! Yuck!! Well, cleaned up. Completed our 12th round, paid our cheques and vroomed off to Maddox Square. Billed as the most happening place in town during the pujas. 12 round of large ones was having it's toll. But keeping it high is the name of the game, buddy. Maddox was teeming with people and policemen. Although there were more number of boys than girls, but it seemed everyone was having fun. That was the point. Boy, the gurls were so HOTTTT!!!! Some of them were in sarees, some in designers and some i really couldn't recognize wat it was!! Met some school friends and krish and his gang there. Had a huge adda session till 3 in the morning. Caught up with the good 'ol times. It was so good to meet up some of my really old school pals. Brought back some really old memories. Funny ones and sad ones. Everyone was feeling a bit nostalgic. The night moved on with sound of the drum beats and the chantings of the pandit......
SHOSTI : The start of the festive season. Waking up to the sound of the dhak, is an awesome experience. You have to hear it to believe me. The dhakis are from the districts of murshidabad. they come to the city during the festive period making the pandals their home. They play throughout the pujas day in and day out, walking out with a few hundred rupees after it all. Well had a good day at the office. The girls all came in saree clad, looking gorgeous. Since it was the last day at the office before the puja break, everyone was having fun. Although i'm not going to get a break, i do have to come to office on the remaining four days. I told you, life sucks, but hey u gotta keep running !!! Anyway, had a big adda session today after office. Krishnendu and gang are here for the pujas. They are studying MBA at bhubhaneshwar, Orissa. Think we are gonna have a good time from tomorrow, specially with the gang around.

Pujo is in the air !!!

Ahhh finally Durga Pujo is here!!! Yessss new clothes, new shoes an everything new for everyone. Festivity is in the air, and happiness all around. Time for the rare family get-togethers and time to make new friends. Good food and good times are here to stay buddy.

Though some might feel a bit let down by the recent deluge. Anyways big plans for the pujas. Addas, booze and gurls (how could i forget that!! :) he he). I ain't a big believer, but hey who doesn't like the festive spirit.

Gotta catch up with my school friends, college buddies and my ex-colleagues. Whole night addas at Maddox Square are unforgettable. Am sure we'll be doing it this time too.

Shosti, Saptami, Ashtami, Nabami & Dashami. Five days of total revelry. Fun and frolic is the name of the game during these five days!!!

But hey there big bumper on my side, i gotta go to my office on all five days. Bumper eh?? It's a big blunder on the company's side. He he. But wat the heck, will come down to office in morning and freak out in the evenings. It's the time to party!!

Finally have completed Mr. J's work. He's making me the eastern event co-ordinator. Big job and big responsiblity i gotta say. But hey, i hav done it before, so no issues mate. Look out for the poster's at Westside and the colleges. It's gonna be big, really big. Dig wat i say??

Catch u guys at maddox. I'll there each an every day. Come one an come all, lets have a rockin time together.

Holla if ya hear me!!

Rain rain go away......

Rain rain go away,



Little Jonny wants to play...

Finally a fantastic shower just before the Pujas. I felt like singing and dancing in the rain. The harrowing experience on the bus today morning was swept away. I got partially wet today, but felt like getting drenched. I'm totally energetic today, i donno why. I ain't on drugs, but i kinda feel happy.

My colleague Medha has a cool blog, she's writing up good articles there, check out http://primrules.blogspot.com . She's cookin up a storm thr. Politicians take note...

I think i'll go for Sun Solaris Server Programming crash course. Sun's pretty HOT now!!

Since its free, Corporates will be gunning for it now, for their servers that is. Check out http://www.sun.com/

When u can't convince them, confuse them i say!!!

Ah a new look....

Finally was able to come up with a new look. Everything is embedded now, ads, time, searches. Phew. The work's done. It did take a while but it's rewarding i should say.

The confirmations have started coming in. But Mr. J is still not pleased. To hell with him i gotta say, but i can't do that until he pays me. He he, u can nvr let go of the money.

The MONEY!!!! It's worth everything.

My pockets r nearly empty, the calls, the photocopies have taken a toll. I think i have billed up upto around 400 bucks worth of calls!!

My co-worker Sutanu has been trying hard all day to work out some C scripts, I had to mention this, because i have nvr seen someone spend so much time against a C script. Perseverance, dedication and commitment. U must be wondering why is he spending so much time against it. Well, he wants to woo his student, Pallavi. He tutors her C programs and he wants to make an impression i guess. Hats off to ya. I'm sure he's gonna get it.

Kaushik and Shaumik r pretty busy searching for part time work. They have to find one before semester starts. I'm sure they will. Best of luck to ya both. Wanna wish my ex-boss. Congrats on the new born baby. I hope everyone's doing well.

He he. MONEY!!!! Ha ha ha ha.

Keepin it real dude.

Nooooo it's Monday again!!!!!

Arrrgh!!! I woke up today morning just to realize that it is monday today. That means waking up early, going to WORK. WORK???? Oh my god. I hate going to work on mondays. Anyways i gotta do what i gotta do. Do ya feel me??


Kaushik and Shaumik are having a gala time there. Wish i could be there too. Their classes start today, so they must be very busy. They sent me the pics yesterday. Nice place i gotta say. They said it was around 8 C there, but from the pics it doesn't seem so. Warm 'an sunny eh??
Wish them all the very best for the session ahead. Go RAYS!!!!

Had a meeting with Mr. J on saturday!! It seems he wouldn't stop until he has screwed me completely. Rajiv is not doing a proper job. I know he lies sometimes, but he seems a good kid, atleast my instincts say so. I have to start calling up the colleges from today. I gotta get the confirmations. Donno what happened to my article i submitted to the office, maybe they scrapped it. He he he he. Well, will keep you posted.

A friendship that's gonna continue in memories at least for now....

Kaushik and Shaumik had their bags packed yesterday. They left for the UK today morning . Each going to Sheffield University. A cool place people would say, a new country, a new culture. But u gotta be sad leaving your own country, a place where you were born and brought up. A place were u had friends all your life, your parents, your relatives and everyone else. Nothing can beat your mom's own home cooked food. But hey u gotta do what u gotta do. They feel it too.
Yesterday was a pretty emotional day. We all met up. Me, arijit, mayukh and aritra. The last probable reunion i guess!! We took a video of everyone's experience here. At last it was time to bid goodbye. Bear hugs all round. I think Sau was a bit more emotional than everyone else. I could see it in his eyes. We left, since they had a bit to pack. They said they want to watch MI3 during the flight. A movie does help in a long flight. Called them up in the middle of the night. They were still awake. Nerves i guess. I called up in the morning. They were safely in transit. Wish them a very happy and safe journey.

O and i forgot to say, the kid's mom called up and said they have found a new tutor. Phew!!! Finally free at last. Orkut got blocked at office today. But hey what are engineers for. We easily bypassed it and are happily orkuttin!!! Multiple tools to bypass. Google translator, other proxy servers, he he he and many more. Boy if the system guys hear bout this, they surely would go crazy. I'm kinda feelin hungry, i'll go grab a bite.......

Too many decisions too make....

Hmmm, finally was able to wake up early today. Although got late for office AGAIN!!! Mr. J has started to screw me again, wants to meet up with me to discuss the updates on the WEST SIDE event. Don't know if any of the colleges wanna join. Nobody has called me up yet.

Have to start tutoring the new kid from today, couldn't work up a deal thr. Donno how long will i be able to manage that since i get off work pretty late. My life has become a s@#$ hole. Taking bus no. 5 to and fro from work has nearly killed me. I get drenched with other people's sweat, squashed by smelly people and the auto rickshaws have started to think that other people don't have to get back home after work, since they own the goddamned roads.

My TL has announced that there is an article writing contest at the office, I'm thinking of submitting my articles specially the 'A day on the State Transport Bus' one, but its pretty long and weird. Let c if it comes out well.

I can't decide where i should go for my MS, the options are too many and choices too few. The budget's a problem and time's askew. AU, CA, UK or the US. Gotta decide soon. Time's running out on me.....

Hey seems my EQ is pretty up there!!!

Your EQ is 140

50 or less: Thanks for answering honestly. Now get yourself a shrink, quick! 51-70: When it comes to understanding human emotions, you'd have better luck understanding Chinese. 71-90: You've got more emotional intelligence than the average frat boy. Barely. 91-110: You're average. It's easy to predict how you'll react to things. But anyone could have guessed that. 111-130: You usually have it going on emotionally, but roadblocks tend to land you on your butt. 131-150: You are remarkable when it comes to relating with others. Only the biggest losers get under your skin. 150+: Two possibilities - you've either out "Dr. Phil-ed" Dr. Phil... or you're a dirty liar.

What's Your EQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient)?

Life sucKs but gotta keep running....

My life, my rules, my style....
If only i knew HOW. Got late for office today, handed the WEST SIDE stuff to Rajiv, hope he completes the goddam thing. I can't take anymore of this headache. My life sucks anyway. Can't decide what i'm gonna do in my AFTERLIFE!! Death might be knocking at the door, who knows.
Cards, cards and more cards at 123greetings.com. Looks like i'm gonna eat, sleep and drink cards for quite a while now.
I still feel so sleepy, watched aranyer dinratri the whole night yesterday. I think i'm gonna go for a cup of black coffee......