O Santa

With Christmas round the corner

I look for Santa

for him to spread happiness

to spread love

I look for him to bless me

bless me with a heart

to forgive enemies

to remember long lost friends

to seek forgiveness from friends

who are angry with me

I look for him to bless me

bless me with love

to remember that moment

when I first fell in love

I look for him to bless me

bless me with that smile

I can spread among humanity

bless me with that smile

which never leaves me

While I was searching for him in desperation

I heard a voice whispering in my ears

I am Santa

I reside within you every moment

in moments of happiness

during times of pain and agony

during hours of loneliness

during days of sadness

I walk with you tirelessly

without my shadow coming in your way

I am Santa, I am You.

Dream and Do

While I sit back and think about my childhood, I visualise those lovely moments of friendship, playing, singing, living life to the fullest and above all, my dreams. And then suddenly my thought shifts to my so called today’s life- dreams, meetings, conference calls, emails, presentations, credit card bills, phone and internet bills, household expenses, and the list is endless.

When you grow up as a child, you have some dreams of your own and in some cases you have to fulfil the dreams of your parents. More often than not your dreams shape up as per the circumstances around you.

Some give up their dreams to the circumstances and live with it their whole lives with a guilt and one day they die with their dreams buried alongside them. Somehow they spend their entire lives without realising the fact that dreaming is not enough, you have to be a doer.

The other category is of those who keep fighting with their circumstances to fulfil their dreams, some do achieve them one day while some don’t, whether they fulfil it or not completely depends on an individual. At-least this category of dreamers don’t die with a guilt, a sense of satisfaction is buried alongside them when they die as they at-least tried to achieve what they dreamt of.

There is another category of dreamers, you can call them the achievers. No matter what these people don’t sit back unless they get to their dreams. Or shall we say these are species who convert their dreams into a vision. They are passionate about what they do, obsessed with their dream and needless to say they stand out in the crowd of non-doers. Also it’s not necessary that they are super intelligent human beings, they are ordinary people with extraordinary self belief. This particular category of people die with pride buried alongside them, pride of achieving of what they dreamt of.

I don’t wish to share any examples, I would leave that to you to recall the names of those great people.

"Dreams should make you uncomfortable, it should itch your brain, make your heart restless, transform your spirit into a fighter, make your days tireless & nights sleepless and make your breath unstoppable."

On that note I leave you to “Dream and Do”.

O Calcutta..

It was June 5th 2004 when I left Calcutta physically in search of a better career and came to Delhi. I never imagined that I will survive being away from the place where I was born, the place where I learnt how to fall while trying to take my first step as a child and then started walking. I have been walking since then tirelessly.

I wish I had a perfect answer on whether I have successfully survived these 7 odd years being away from my birth place.

The local trains crowded with people, the debates over Cricket on topics like whether Gavaskar was the best Batsman India ever had or who is a better player Saurav Ganguly or Sachin Tendulkar; arguments on who is a better playing football club- Mohun Bagan or East Bengal; heated debates on who will be the next Football World-Cup Champion- Brasil or Argentina; small groups of daily passengers playing cards; the hawkers selling lemon candies,peanuts and many more eatables; the book worms reading novels in that noisy train journey; some reading Anandabazar Patrika (the famous Bengali newspaper that comes in almost every Bengali house in Calcutta); students debating about the political scenario in Calcutta and their future; the Baul's singing Baul gaan (Bengali Folk) in some compartment's. 

Roads filled with private buses, mini buses and their conductors shouting Sealdah, Moulali, Burrabazaar, Esplanade, Park Street, Howrah etc. The Govt buses driving fearlessly faster than the private and mini buses. 

Hand Rickshaws which take you in the narrowest of streets in Calcutta in places like Chandni, Burrabazaar etc.

The Tram that gives you a sense of steadiness and the sweet sound of the Bell when a tram stop comes gives you goose bumps.

The Yellow Ambassador- the local taxi in Calcutta gives you a royal feeling due to its sofa like seats and the  fearless driving of the taxi drivers who know the streets of Calcutta in and out.

Streets of Esplanade (also known as Dharmatala) that are always crowded with hawkers all around the street, people- shopping, eating, walking towards Park Street or Chandni etc. The Metro Cinema, Lighthouse,Roxy, Regal  where fates of Movies are decided.

College Streets flooded with Students who go there to buy all kinds of books starting from academics to novels- both old and new. The famous Coffee House in College Street opposite the Presidency College is always flooded with Presidency College students & alumni members and also students of other colleges nearby. All kinds of discussions takes place in the Coffee House starting from Politics, Sports, Movies, Art & Literature.

The Lake Gardens where you would see boys and girls walking hand-in-hand alongside the lake or sitting beside the lake romancing, talking about their future, dreams and life.

The famous Victoria Memorial where you would see tons of foreign tourists visiting everyday. The Eden Gardens which is one of the best grounds in the World stands tall at the heart of Esplanade. When a match is hosted at The Eden Gardens with more than a 100,000 plus seating capacity with passionate cricket fans supporting India shows the spirit of the people of Calcutta and the flood lights that lit up the entire Esplanade area- it is absolutely out of the world.

The Kalighat temple where people come from all parts of the Country to worship Maa Kali.

The Street food without which Calcutta won't be Calcutta- eggrolls, puchka (gol-gappas), aloo-kabli (a spicy chaat made up of potatoes), mughlai paratha (a dish made up of egg and mutton in it served with a dish of potatoes), fish fry, aloo chop, piyaji, mutton and chicken cutlet, singhara, dim-er devil (a chop made up of egg), chowmein, jhalmuri are some of the most loved eatables when it comes to street food.

You cannot think of Calcutta without Rosogolla, Mishti Doi, Sandesh & Chena Pais. The City is famous for its sweets and I can proudly say the World loves it.

The Fish markets crowded with people at any hour of the day selling all kinds of fish starting from Hilsa/Ilish, Bhetki, Rou, Pomfret, Singi- to name a few and then the sea food items like Prawns, Crab and Lobsters.

The noise of the City makes you feel at home, the evening adda brings together friends making you feel alive and refreshed, Rabindra Sangeet in the morning in most of the houses makes you feel you are at the cultural capital of India.

The quietness of the east banks of Hooghly River makes you feel at peace and at serenity.

I have been physically away from the City of Joy but the City of Joy has never been away from my heart.

Happiness

For quite a long time I wanted to write something about happiness, I thought may be I would be able to write it better if I am happy, but then it was coming to me for a nanosecond and then it used to  return to its original destination. So I gave up the idea and thought let me make a start and see if I reach the end with or without being happy.

Don’t we sometimes think that where does happiness reside, within us, in our environment or some place else? I am still to find an answer to that, the closest I have got is it resides within us and it’s a mere state of mind and nothing else.

So when do we feel happy?

Let’s take a few examples, we are happy when we get our salaries, gifts, promotions, appreciations at work, crack a good business deal, a pleasant surprise and the list goes on. So what happens when some of these things happen to us, our state of mind changes, it leaves the earlier state it was in and a new state of mind takes over.

No, it isn't surprising that our state of mind isn’t constant, given the fact nothing is permanent and change is the only constant on which this universe is surviving. So at a particular moment if our state of mind is joyful, the other moment it can be sad and another moment we may be angry on something. Is our mind also working on the same law of universe, “Change is the only constant”!

Shall we then say Happiness is momentary?

Now come on, Google won’t give you an answer to this question nor you can find the meaning of it in any dictionary, you will have to find an answer yourself.

Sometimes I do think, why does happiness needs to be so hyped up, if you smile all day, doesn’t that mean you are happy in any circumstances. I have seen people who never look unhappy or tensed, they are always smiling and they always look calm and composed. Not that they don’t have problems or anything (who doesn’t have problems), its just that they choose to remain happy, come what may. Shall we then say they have been successful in taming their state of mind and make it work against the “Change is the only constant” law?

Try and recall the last time you were very happy and how long did it last, I am sure it didn’t last forever, or do you remember the last time you were sad and it lasted forever.

I wish I could conclude the meaning of “Happiness” for you, and so, I leave that to you.

Drinks and Nothing Else

Well, I know some of you don’t drink or don’t like the idea of drinking or think it a waste of money or think that its not good for health.

That’s OK.

You are not the only one, there are a lot of exceptions just like you, who think, “What does one get by drinking”?

Not that I have a perfect answer to that question, or shall I say there is much more to life other than finding perfect answers to things that give you pleasure, such as drinking in this case.

It all starts at the age of 18 or sometimes 16, depends on the environment you have been brought up into and ofcourse your friends. Generally it starts with Beer as when your friends tell you to drink, you say no, I don’t drink or mostly we would say,if dad comes to know I am gone, etc. they would tell you, “beer isn’t alcohol, it contains a very minimal percentage of alcohol”. And then what, more often than not, you start.

Yes, you take the first sip of alcohol, or let’s say the first sip of minimal percentage of alcohol better known as Beer.

At first the beer tastes bitter but then with time it becomes smooth and pleasurable. Drinking beer today is far more economical than driving a car as its cheaper than petrol prices in India. For those of you who drive a car and drink beer as well, I am sure you enjoy buying that one bottle of beer more than buying petrol. For all of you who agree with me, lets raise a toast to that. CHEERS!!

And comes the time when you want to drink something more stronger, the so called hard drinks in literal terms. Whiskey, Rum & Vodka become your new friends.

When you are in college, you don’t have enough pocket money left after spending money on your girlfriend/s & movies, you tend to pick up a bottle of Royal Stag, Royal Challenge or McDowells when you plan to drink Whiskey as it comes at a pretty handy price. Let me try and recall, the first time I bought a 750ml bottle of Royal Stag when I was in college, I had spend around Rs. 200. 

And when you plan to drink Rum the best is Old Monk, as they say, cheap and best. Although now there is Old Monk Gold Reserve which is a refined version of Old Monk and tastes far better.

After college when you start working and earn some money, slowly your taste changes. You move to Blenders Pride, Signature, Teachers or 100 Pipers. And starts the arguments with friends on which of these 4 to buy, the first three have somewhat a similar taste whereas 100 Pipers is a lot smoother than the first three.

Vodka tastes better with juices and cold-drinks. Romanov & Smirnoff are two good brands that are available in the market. Some like to have Vodka in the James Bond style, “Shaken & not Stirred”, whereas some just like Vodka shots, it does hit you hard, not as good as tequila shots though. 

A time comes when your taste changes with age and you want to drink less but high quality alcohol. If you are a Whiskey lover, I know what you are thinking of, let me take a guess, you may be thinking of Single Malt. Single Malt is expensive and it does damage your pocket quite a bit, but then, nothing beats the taste of having Single Malt. Another interesting fact to it is you don’t have to drink those 6-8 pegs that you normally drink (or let’s take an average of 4-5 pegs), Single malt has a very high purity level and the quality of the alcohol is far better than the blended whiskey, if you drink 2-3 pegs you would feel as high as you feel after having 5-6 pegs of blended whisky, or may be better. This is one of the reasons you pay more for a  Glenfiddich, Glen Drummond, Balvenie, Kilchoman, Highland Park, Glen Ord, Bowmore, Laphroaig, Springbank, and Tamdhu. These are some of the best available Single Malt Whiskies in the World.

For Single Malt, the older it gets the better it tastes, and now after developing that taste for purity and class, you step up the drinking ladder by making collections of Single Malt Whiskey starting from 8 years old to 25 years old.

So whether its the weekend or its winters or its raining out there or its too hot or its festival time or its celebration time or its a sad moment, drink to prosperity and happiness.

DRINK FOR PLEASURE AND DON'T DRINK TO GET DRUNK..... CHEERS!!

10 reasons to hate facebook

1. If you don’t like crowded places, facebook is not a place for you. You will find all kind of people in it, just like when you travel in a metro/ tube/bus/train you tend to bump into all categories of people, people who are weird, ugly, interesting characters, beautiful people and all other categories you want to categorize people into. But unlike a metro or tube where you would not talk to a stranger unnecessarily, on facebook you may receive a friend request or a poke from someone you don’t know at all. And to add on that you can get messages from strangers as well asking what you do and where are you from etc. Facebook was never for you.

2. Places- facebook offers a functionality which tells the exact location of where you are at a given point of time, this implies that you don’t have any privacy. Be rest assured to face questions and remarks from your friends when you are at a particular place and you didn’t want them to know about it. Especially when you are in a relationship and want a hideout, may God bless you.


3. People talk just about everything on facebook, starting from what are they eating, where they are, movie reviews, political views, expert comments on sports,social issues or any other matter that you can think of as a debatable topic. One thing that is scarce on facebook is the respect of others views and thoughts. If you like expressing your views freely, facebook isn’t the place for you.


4. If you are an amateur photographer, writer, painter, musician etc. or even an artist who believes in constant learning and growing and also appreciating others creations, facebook isn’t the place for you. You will find great artists who only believe in their own creation and think that others don’t have creative abilities. I don’t know if you will be surprised to hear, as a matter of fact, all these great artists achieve their so called greatness by mutual admiration (I leave it to you to define the mutual admirers group).These great artists don't believe in the fact that Art is never perfect. Oh yes, feedback is something you will never have to ask for on facebook (it comes free of cost and against your will).


5. If you have a bad argument with any of your friends, barely it will happen when you will get to know the issue direct from your friend’s mouth (surely there will be your best friends who will always come to you and tell you if they felt bad about anything you said to them, and for such friends it doesn’t matter if they are on facebook or not), you can expect to read that friend’s status message directing at you. If you like direct conversations, facebook is not for you.


6. If you are in a relationship and you accept a friend request from the opposite sex, you will face questions from your partner, needless to say questions often lead to arguments. If you believe even if you are in a relationship you still have your own life, and can still make friends then facebook shouldn’t be in your browser history as the last logged in page.


7. If you are there to make friends, be in touch with your school friends or old childhood friends or have a nice social life, you are mistaken, mostly people use facebook to prove their point, publicize their skills, showcase their creativity. Basically it has to do with gaining attention and show-offs. If you are not an attention seeker, sorry you won’t feel too happy being on facebook.


8. If you don’t like being part of online communities created by your friends or acquaintances and wouldn’t want to see unnecessary updates that keep popping up every minute, facebook isn’t the place for you.


9. If you are a private and reserved person and don’t want people to interfere in your personal life, facebook may very well destroy your private and personal life.


10. If you want your email account to be secure and safe, facebook isn’t for you.

Those Boring Conference Calls..

Aah, did I touch a string or played a chord you were trying to avoid! Don’t feel bad, I know you would have called few of your conference calls boring in the past. Well, don't we all sometimes. 

What is that one thing that makes a conference call boring?

Lets look at a few day-to-day examples, shall we? A presentation that you are least interested in, a report that has too much of data, graphs and bullet points; mostly being overdone with bright colors and designs [as if you were watching models walking in Lakme Fashion Week], an organization structure change that barely impacts your day to day job, a discussion that leads to an inconclusive argument, and sways you from solutions, a recurring conference call where all you do is discuss about things that were not done as decided in the previous call, a call which you joined for a mere formality or may be you are just standing in for your boss.

So what do you feel like doing when you are stuck on a conference call due to these reasons, apart from making faces and feeling frustrated - that where the hell am I stuck!

Let’s start with some business activities, to make us feel good that we still work while being on such calls [it's all about utilizing your time, ain't it]. To name a few- replying less important emails (depends on how many you receive in a day), drafting a less important email that needs one liners more than anything else, chat with a colleague on an ongoing issue - obviously on small and minor ones, go through a document/report that you have been wanting to somehow finish reading - a tick in the box basically, or do some basic reporting that needs less of your concentration.

We might not feel like doing any or all of these things during such calls always, so what else can be done? 

Have some fun probably. These calls turn out to be your chance to do something different that your busy schedule doesn't allow you to do; as we know its all about evolving. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Why be that Jack anyway! So here are a few things you can do while being bored to death on such calls; chat with your latest crush or love interest at work (make sure its not an explicitly-romantic conversation if you are talking on the office communicator, if it is, use your mobile. I am sure you know what I mean.), check out that cute, hot guy or girl on your floor - within your visible reach of-course (some may find themselves unlucky in this regard, I know you feel too bad about it), Facebook and Twitter are age-old options; not sure if you are bored of these too, shop online (now this is the most expensive thing to do on a boring call, unless you have a fat salary and love to shop), if you are using headphones for your call then you can stretch the wire and chit-chat with your colleague/s sitting next to you or a couple of desks away, and crack a few jokes (make sure the mute button on your phone is on or else you will end up being a joke yourself), start a group chat with your colleagues who are on the same call to check if they are also bored (make sure you don’t involve your boss in that chat, you know why, don't you) or may be you would just like to sit back and read an interesting article or blog on the internet.

Depending on what we do on such calls actually determines the duration of the call, a boring call often seems to be longer than its specified time. Doing something interesting shortens its duration and makes it a stress buster on that very busy day where you haven’t been able to take that smoke or coffee break even once.

While I write this on a boring conference call, I hope you make time to read it during one such call.

The ....

When you open your arms

the sky turns silver

the clouds get their existence

the trees start dancing

everything turns into a dream

When you take me in your arms

the sky showers its blessings on me

the clouds bring back my existence

the birds make me sing

the trees make me dance

my dreams turn into a beautiful reality

The Rain...

The Rainy Affair

Just after having my favorite Bengali dish-Malai Chingri in lunch on Sunday, it was now time to catch up with the Pune Warriors vs Delhi Daredevils- Super Sunday match. I lighted up a smoke and was enjoying some great hitting by Ryder and while I was just starting to get engrossed in the match I heard some thunder striking. And then in a  moment the  lightening started peeping-in from my bed-side window. It was getting darker minute after minute.

My attention got divided between the match and the breathtaking weather outside, can vouch though that the lovely weather started to grab all my attention. I looked into the sky and it had now turned absolutely dark with a strong breeze kissing the trees and making them dance.

It didn’t look like an afternoon anymore, the feeling of a beautiful evening stood right in front of me giving birth to so many wonderful thoughts in my heart. It seemed the Rain is starting to open her arms towards me.

At this moment my soul was filled with the desire of being in her arms, to feel new and rejuvenated, to have all my sorrows washed away, I just wanted to rest in her arms and forget the world and its existence.

Just then it started raining and I decided to switch off the idiot box as the desire of being with her took its toll on me. I decided to play some music to dance with her and just then the light went off, I thought, may be she wanted me to sing for her and then dance.

She took my hand and brought me to my balcony and we started dancing, I kept on singing and she kept on dancing with me. After sometime she whispered in my ears I have to go now but I will come back in your arms soon.

I kept on singing while she quietly went away leaving me waiting for her…

The Social Network- Necessity or Obsession

For a long time I wanted to pen down the most famous and favorite past time of today’s age, or shall I say the most famous obsession-The Social Network.

Friends, Acquaintances, Strangers, Enemies, Celebrities, Sportsman, Media Personnels, Fan Clubs all at one place. Every business has a specific audience unlike the social network, the whole world is its target audience.

I wish to have known if people of other planets also are on the social network. Given the fact, Technology is advancing at such a pace, soon there will be one day when we will be able to connect with people of other planets as well. After all it’s about changing and evolving. Just imagine you are chatting with a friend who is in Mars and you ask, how is the weather there or lets catch up for coffee. I wonder where the meeting place would be though!

Or imagine your parents messaging you the name of the boy/girl you have to be married to, and then the message says, check his/her profile on Facebook and if you like it Add him/her as a Friend.

Today, Blackberry’s, Smart Phones, Androids, IMacs, IPhones have taken a huge leap over our lives, seems it’s impossible to live without these gadgets which keeps us connected to the world.

Isn’t that the truth?

Social networking sites like Facebook & Twitter where we have millions of members does prove that the social networking gig has become an addiction cum obsession. How many of us read the FB notifications first before opening the newspaper at the start of the day. Notifications, Status Updates, Photo Tags, Friend Requests, Event notifications have become the headlines today. As a matter of fact News Channels today get their Bollywood bites from Celebrity’s Twitter Posts. How convenient is that!

We all want to be heard and seen these days, we like to be talked about, to be in the centre of attraction. As they say, “Modesty is such a waste of time, if you don’t show it they don’t see it”.

Are we still living in the Modern World or is it that we have moved ahead of the Modern Times?

There was a time when the first meeting between two people used to happen face to face, whereas now it happens on Facebook. The time when you wanted to be friends with someone, you used to walk up to that person and say, hey, would you like to be my friend or hey, can we be friends? And today you just have to send a Friend Request.

And I hope we don't start getting Marriage invitations on Facebook or other Social Networking Sites.

The charm of meeting friends everyday, sharing pictures on special occasions, planning events face to face, having face to face arguments or debates, giving updates about other friends is lost somewhere in the Social Networking gig.

Is Technology dragging us to a mere Virtual World from the Real World or has it already dragged us to the Virtual World…!!

Relationship- The Beautiful & The Ugly Side.

No, its not about the relationship with your Parents, Brothers, Sisters, etc. It is about the Relationship between a Man and a Woman.

When a Man and a Woman fall in Love with each other the world around is wonderful, the sunrise brings new elements of life, the days turn joyous, the sunsets turn romantic and the nights turns beautiful. The air is filled with the fragrance of Love.

The commitment to be happy together, to bear pain together,to fight against odds together and the commitment to be one in body and soul begins.

'I' becomes "We".

The "We" takes over 'I' giving rise to newer expectations and challenges.

The "We" who accepts and face the new expectations and challenges always remain the "We". The "We" makes up after a fight, forgives each others mistakes, compromises for each others happiness, cares for each others feelings, gives each other space, trusts each other fully and above all accepts each others individuality.

But the "We" who can't face and accept the new expectations and challenges start turning into 'I' and 'You'.

The 'I' starts taking over the "We". Fights, arguments, sarcasm, cynicism starts taking place. A constant battle between the 'I' and the 'You' begins. Sometimes the 'I' compromises to make things better and the 'You' denies it and vice versa.

When the compromises fail everything between the 'I' and the 'You' becomes a problem.

When a Man and a Woman start hating each other, the world becomes ugly, the sunrise brings another day of hatred, the days turn sad, the sunsets turn pale and the nights turn lonely.

Falling in Love is the most wonderful thing for the 'I' and 'You' together and falling out of Love is the worst thing for the 'I' or the 'You' separately.

The "We" always stays happy together and the 'I' and the 'You' stay happy separately.

Its on us to choose in between being the "We" or the 'I".

Yesterday and Today

Yesterday, Mom used to wake us up to go to school, Today, she wakes us up to go to work.

Yesterday, the excuse for not going to school was I haven't done my homework, Today, the excuse not to go to work is I am not feeling well.

Yesterday, there were classmates, Today, there are cabmates.

Yesterday, there was school prayer, Today, there is Team Huddle.

Yesterday, the talks in between the class used to be by writing on a piece of paper, Today, we talk via communicators or mobile phones during conference calls.

Yesterday, there used to be meeting with friends every evening, Today, you meet overseas colleagues via video conferencing.

Yesterday, we used to take a break to drink water in school, Today, we take a break to grab a cup of coffee at work.

Yesterday, there used to be homework on different subjects, Today, there is preparing presentations for different projects.

Yesterday, it was tiffin break and discussions were cricket or the hot girl in class/school, Today, there is a lunch break and the discussions are office politics, issues @ work, or the hot woman at work.

Yesterday, we used to bunk class to play cricket or spend time with our current crush in school, Today, we bunk office to go for an interview.

Yesterday, there used to be long adda's to chit-chat, Today, there is Facebook to chat.

Yesterday, Dad used to give pocket money, Today, you pay all your bills.

Yesterday, birthday treat meant chocolates, pastries, Today, there is Birthday Party over Pizza,Burgers & Drinks.

Yesterday, there was cricket, football, caram and chess tournaments, Today, there is video game competitions.

Yesterday, pictures were clicked once in a while, Today, they are clicked everyday.

Yesterday, movies used to come in TV once a week, Today, they come 24hrs a day.

Yesterday, there were friends who gave updates about other friends, Today, there is Facebook that gives updates.

Time has changed and has changed the Yesterday to Today.

Amit Gupta