Calcutta, always.

The last time I saw my grandmother was a year and a half ago. I’ve been feeling the guilt for a while now. My baby nieces are growing by the day.  Mamata Banerjee has changed almost all the names of the metro stations to utter ridiculousness.  Winters are also the season for rasgullas made of jaggery.  The closest cousin is going through awful times and I feel terrible for not … Continue reading “Calcutta, always.”

Pujo by the Palm

In no way like Calcutta, but Pujo was always a big deal even for children in Muscat. We had new clothes for each of the five main days.  The Indian Social Club, Bengali Wing would organise for an assortment of traditional and well, not-so traditional activities.  Recitations, cooking competitions, music and dance, theater style performance by children and adults. Over the years, it evolved into fancy dress competitions, fashion shows and things … Continue reading “Pujo by the Palm”

Kolkataaa – You Sexy

No matter what the world thinks, to me Kolkata will always be one of the most beautiful and soulful places on the planet – maybe this connection has got to do something with being born on the soil. Parents’ annual India trip gave me the opportunity to visit early this year for a family reunion of sorts. # Had the most dramatic airport pick up in my life, yet! # … Continue reading “Kolkataaa – You Sexy”

Yellow!

Three days at home at I feel as though nothing was ever wrong with my life! A few familiar faces, the smell of fresh laundry drying crisp in the sun, the sound of the typical Calcutta cycle-rickshaws honking as they glide past, almost everybody knows you around the lane you live in, mishti and lots of it – makes for such a refreshing change. In Bengal, it is customary to … Continue reading “Yellow!”

Shaadi Mubarak!

2011 has been big on the weddings front. Two very close friends and a brother got hitched and I’m very fortunate that I was able to be present and collect my own share of happy memories with them. Ridhima-Bhavya in May, Shoi-Bulan in July and most recently, Riki Bhaiya and his Jabalpur bride this month. Amongst a variety of speculations on whether I would be or should be able to … Continue reading “Shaadi Mubarak!”

Summer Tales

Although I cannot stop complaining about the way my life is increasingly edging towards mundane, looking back at my photo albums, there seems to have been a lot of movement. There seems to be a lot happening and I haven’t been able to keep account of the activities, so in no particular order, here goes: # Ridhima got married. Swetha, Bhardwaj and I splurged on an air-conditioned cab to get … Continue reading “Summer Tales”

Cumulonimbus!

It amazes me how changes in weather patterns affect my state of mind, and overwhelmingly, to say so! At the end of a day wherein my mood was a dripping graph, almost about to dive into the downbeat quadrants, there was sudden lightning, and there came the rains! We’re in that time of the year where one cannot really trust the meteorological department and nearly everyone around you is fending … Continue reading “Cumulonimbus!”

Living in Colour

The organisation I work for professes a philosophy by the name of ‘Living in Colour’, the crux of which is to be able to maintain one’s work-life balance. Increasingly, over the past few months I have noticed that I am the happiest when I am at work. There could be a variety of reasons as to why. For clarity and as I have always maintained that this is a forum … Continue reading “Living in Colour”

Ami Kolkata

I have been most productive in my Kolkata mini-break. a) Have been making calls to all random organisations to allow me to come and make a presentation to them to recruit a few batch mates, in a little above slave labour rates. b) Have been taking appointments with my gynae, dermatologist and family physician to ensure I haven’t grown any new ailments. I don’t think I could deal with any … Continue reading “Ami Kolkata”