City of Joy and City of Sorrow !!

Having witnessed the old capital for the third time, one should understand the cultural ethos of the city. However, for me it was more of a shock everytime I travel here. Initially, I dedicated my purse to the Gurudev express which carried a bunch of shrieking sportsmen from Kolkota to Kochi. Happy having losing ground in football did not prevent a 'spirited' performance in relay and volley. We realized that 'All is not well' everytime. An italian pasta had ruined my journey back but saved enough money.

Indeed I admire Mother Teresa, Rabindranath Tagore, Raja Ram Mohun Roy and all other great products of Bangla, but still I did not revere the concept of City of Joy. Maybe it’s true that every coin has two sides and all Jokers know it!!! This time I had to fight with the driver and his assistant for 'charging' towards me. Google dada had provided enough advice that Airport is 20 kms from the City and you dont need to spend more than Rs 250. Language is not a problem to convey your feelings and emotions, all theatrics accept that.

Anyways, I managed to get an accommodation in one of the main Centres of the city. It was called the ‘Oven Room’, as the temperature was adjusted to fry any human alive. I had performed the big escape next day morning to reach the University of Calcutta only to inform that the gates opened at 10:00 am. I realized that I didn’t have my cup of joy, a tea and something to eat. I walked into a side eatery to have an unknown dish which served as a good appetizer. Nothing can feed a hungry tiger than a pound of flesh!!

Scheduling is a nomenclature invented by the westerners (thats my thought). If the show is at 6:02, then it will start at 6:02 with whatever seconds added to it. If you are asked to report at 10:17:00 am, then if you arrive at 10:17:30, you are chucked out. Time flies by, so do the planes. I experienced how to miss a flight and what you should do and should have done for avoiding it. I read their advice book, only after boarding the flight :) Time is money, and I had to bear the cost of delay. I begged the captain, Please sir. give me a chance to be a part of the flight team!! Please. His words resonated through the walky, repeated by the blue lady. I had to pay for it!! No excuse....

Its hard when you lose your identity especially when you are on air. As per tantric and karmic scriptures, when you die, you lose an identity only to regain another in the cycle of life and death. If you sinned, you get fed as a dog, if not you get fed as a human. Anyways I didnt feel any divinity after losing my license. I had made a full scan of myself and thought of asking to get a security check on the airport to trace my identity. I was searching for my lost identity. Somebody please help to identify me!!

Rhino vs Elephant

Is a malayali who knows assamese songs different from a malayali who knows assamese?

I wondered and pondered over the similarity which the rhino has with the elephant. Both are anyways animals, right!! But I am pointing to the similarity of gods own country and a country where even the gods fear to go (Courtesy: ULFA, Maoist). Nature has gifted these two distant lands with bountiful rainfall and greenery. However, they do not realize its value and is in a deep slumber.

Thankfully I managed to get a accommodation at a decent price in an indecent place. Just wanting to refresh after the journey, I was disturbed by the incessant knocks for food, laundry, mosquito coils and the beverage boy!! Came the knock and I expected the coiler to give me the killer; only to be greeted by a police. It was a routine check to see whether I had uninvited guest inside the room. No thanks my research is on campuses and not jails. I gave my Project Associate Card, to be greeted again’ Have a nice stay’. It’s just a matter of which stay he was mentioning. Maybe Amir Khan might have an effect on him. Athithi devo bhava. Please leave me!!!

After that I preferred to stay outside for most of the time. My basic instinct carried to the Kerala Bhavan nearby the railway station. It offered Onam special Sadya, nice to see that Keralites do not forget their home nor their food!! I resorted to the idlis and chutney to quench my Kerala instincts. It had all the malayalis of the assamese nadu sitting and biting over the porottas.

It is a common knowledge that you expect to hit over a ‘thattu’ malayali or a ‘kottu’ malayali in every place. But this malayali is different. He is a law malayali who has become an assamese by a college ritual called Ragging. He had to mug up the whole Assamese text and get enough bad words been fed in his mouth over the initial three years. He has become a litterateur, who can act as an Assam Correspondent for the channels since he knows Assam better than the Assamese. He is a swayam sevak and is in the initial stages of starting ABVP branch in Guwahati University. He already got two sevakites. But All Assam Students Union AASU has an oligarchy whose fortress got cracked last year by NSUI by money and glamour.

I quickly remembered my Jagi Jo, and atlast I got it. Thanks for his assamese friend. What Bhupen might not have thought is the manner in which a person can localize his songs. Thank god he didn’t hear me sing…

Nawabi lucknow

Lucknow is a hustling and bustling city. The age old buildings which has been refurbished has stories of the hight and plight of nawabs. The people still live in an era where the rulers rules, chariots passed through, people pulled rikshaws and used the public loo system.. Its nice to see the Bharat within India (as many economists and historians debate and discuss).... the glory of the nawabs and the plunder of the britishers (or the politicians!!)

The lucknowites are not bothered whether they are existing in Bharat or in India. Their routine runs through the commodity exchange system to other states especially the capital state, Delhi. Maybe we can term it as a life and blood city, or the feeding bottle for the Centre politics. Mayawati has done good enough to come with political postures which has raised the eyebrows of the MCP's. She is the power of the downtrodden and is devoting more time on highlighting it than fighting it. We need to admire her political history but not her administration of the state. Its a belief that a coalition government will have our first Dalit women creating a history of sorts by adoring the PM post. I wonder what would be the state of affairs. History does not support coalition for many months. Even my favourite Vajpaye had many unlucky 13's in that.

Lucknow draws the maximum attention for its huge voting base and been the centre of politics. All scams and crisis have its roots elsewhere but its impact is felt in UP. The kebabs will not be tasty during that time. Many a tiwari and Shekhavat had a bite of it.

I admire the people, who inspite of the adverserial atmosphere existing are able to adore national heights. Its true adversity creates opportunity. I often think that Kerala has all things to be proud of good literacy levels, low infant mortality, good birth and death ratio etc etc and nature;s bounties. They do not feel what adversity other than the self inflicted damage caused by the spirits. Keralites recluse from aiming high. Am I fearing my motherhood!!

The stinky smell have taken its toll. My stomach no longer permits to me to entertain food. I couldnt taste the famous kebabs. Fine, I will parcel it. Anyway everything can be couriered in this modern era!!