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.