Paris Bleeds !

When I stood below the great Eiffel tower and saw it twinkling above me.
It had made my heart flutter with joy and happiness.
Paris the mystical city of dreams, love, beauty, joy, art and culture
It has the magic to lighten and uplift the mood of the most gloomy souls.

Today I feel paralyzed to see you in this pain
How the lively, cheerful and welcoming city has been shackled by this barbaric attack
The streets are closed, the laughter and cheerfulness is gone and so are the lights on the Eiffel which have lightened up a million souls

I pray for the people, but can really God bring and end to this barbarism ?
Will the city be able to retain back it's glory and it's zeal ?
Will I be able to walk through those lanes again without the horror of this day haunting me ?
Will this city ever again welcome and give refuge without thinking twice ? I doubt !

I don't think changing my profile picture will help heal the wounds.
Nor do I believe that these barbaric's can be won by love
I am out of word's, plan's or opinions
Just pain's to see this place which filled my heart with happiness be put through this ordeal

My Bushy Bean

    Just a month ago it peeped up it's little head high

        From my dear rose bush bed.

    My harsh self many times tempted me to un weed it

        But somewhere down it my heart it had build it's nest 

    I wondered what it would turn up to be ?

        It didn't seem similar to any veggie I had planted earlier

    Nature took it's own sweet time

       And that tiny head grew up to be this spirited creeper

    Sending it's tendril here and there with full zeal

        In no time had it covered my dear rose and hibiscus it it's tight grip

   As time passed by, I saw it blossom with bunches of white blooms

        I recognised my friend to be a bushy bean

   I now wait eagerly for it to grow fruits

        Which I would rather admire than devour

  Till then I enjoy it's lovely moves

        As it dances away in the rain, wind and storm

   That's my little bushy bean !

Mach Mania - Fishy Side of a Bong

    For those who are still not familiar with the terms. A Bong is a Bengali, people who are living or descendants of West Bengal. And 'Mach' is the Bengali word for fish. Just as you can't imagine a Punjabi surviving without his lassi, or a Gujarati without his dhokla same is true for a Bong and Mach

(Fish). Give a Bong Mach bhaat ( fish & rice) and he will be content. Whereas deprive him from his daily dose and you can see the crankiest bong ever. 

         Myself being a Bong my journey with fish started pretty early. As a kid I was told strictly to finish up my fish if I dreamt of being an intellectual or brainy. I grew up watching people in the family who were absolutely headstrong when it came to having their Mach. I have an uncle who in this growing years would put up fits of anger if he was offered a piece of Mach less than daily routine. Amongst the younger generation is my niece who as a two year old would patiently wait for her Hilsa fish to be deboned daily.

         Although it is no secret to the world that a Bong's world revolves around his/her favourite food. Yet it is very intriguing for me to visit the fish market every weekend and see it swarming with Bong's. You can identify them easily. The  married ladies will be adorned in their red, white  and iron bangles. The guys will be carrying the macher bag. The easiest way is to identify them is observe the dexterity with which they can spot and name the types of fish on display and the ease with which they check out the eyes and the gills to see if it is fresh.

            Here again if you are a generation who was born and brought up in Bengal then differentiating a Boyal, Katla, Pabda,Tangra, Rui,Chara Pona, Chingri or Koi is like a child's play. However being a probasi Bengali, one who was brought up outside Bengal, the situation can be uneasy when you can't identify your Mach. You can start feeling the Bong peer pressure.  Initially I managed by asking the shop keeper the name and tried to connect with anything I might have heard at home. Later as the place got crowdier and the shopkeeper seemed to be the busiest man alive I started picking up the names from fellow bongs who where thronging the place. I can now proudly claim that I can tell the difference between a Rohu and Katla. Also can identify at least 12 different types of Mach.

    When it comes to preparing the Macher Jhol or the fish curry we seem to have infinite options. It could be a plain curry with veggies, could be mustard based or curd based or coconut based , tangy tomato based excetera. The texture could be fried pieces or complex kofta or chop or even the steamed Bhapa  version. Don't know about the rest of you people out there but my mouth has started watering in the process of quoting down the dishes. 

    When I started dwelling on writing down this topic, my husband warned me not to play with Bong sentiments. The myth that the Bong's are intellectuals because they have survived on fish may or may not be true. But next time when you see a Bong haggling or pestering other people at a fish shop just understand that getting that fresh Mach is as important to him as his life. So please cut him that slack. 

          

Shalom's Slithery Visitor

             Just Back from a visit to Kolkata I expected a most uneventful dull evening that day. My thoughts were as clouded as the monsoon sky. Memories of the previous weeks visit seemed to flash by. I guess that's why it's called home sweet home.

            What I least expected was any more adventures for the day. When I returned to our apartment gate ( shalom home) from the local grocery I saw a small gathering at the entrance. One of my friends started waving from a distance - hey we just spotted a SNAKE! 

            As I approached I saw that the cemented entry of the apartment had a small crack and the people around had placed a huge stone on the crack to prevent our friend from escaping. The spot was one neighborhood favorites. Often on a normal evening I may have spent hours sitting and chatting with friends and neighbors there. So have little children often ran along and fallen, got up and ran about that spot.

             Least did we expect our friend to turn up at such a spot. All necessary arrangements had been made. The snake handler had been summoned. He was some place far and suggested the owner to keep an eye till he reached the spot. Bangalore during monsoons has it's share of snake distress calls and these handlers were on a very busy schedule.
            There seemed to be three classes of people. The excited one's ! The super excited one's and the balcony watchers. The excited one's stood surrounding the spot and eagerly waited for the handler to come so that they could see first hand how a snake was caught and bagged. The super excited one's were these bunch of kids who had no idea how dangerous a snake bite could be. They kept trying to lift up the stone and have a glimpse. The only way to keep them in control was to shout and threaten them. Then their were the balcony watcher's who didn't dare come down to the ground floor. They stood at the safety of the balcony and watched the ongoing's. Some among'st them clutched their Bibles fearing that the devil had just showed up at their doorsteps.
           I was neither the balcony watchers nor the super excited group but chose the middle path. As a teenager in school I was a fan of Jeff Corwin and Steve Irwin. These two guys always awed me by their fearlessness to be in peace with any reptile. Today it seemed I was just at a shoot of such an episode on National Geographic. Excitement keep building on but the most awaited handler didn't seem to show up.
            From evening to night almost 4 hours had passed. People took turns to keep a watch, so that other's could finish dinner. Finally at 10 the guy turned up on his bike. He took out a hammer and started banging around the spot. I guess his attempts may have scared the little fellow. When he lifted up the stone our wriggly friend had disappeared in thin air. He hammered and broke down the cemented entrance but nothing turned up. He said the snake must have disappeared into the nearby hedges through the internal crevices. Everyone was  disappointed ! Some cursed him for scaring away our friend.
          People slowly turned back to there homes. Our slithery visitor had turned my dull evening into a racket. Some feared that it would show up at someone's doorstep in future. I knew at heart that he knew better and had run for his life.

Tanu weds Manu Return's with a Bang !

           I don't remember last time when I laughed this much during a movie. Here's a movie with is not only paisa wasool. It a double paisa wasool. I had a vague memory of the the original Tanu weds Manu. However that was the time when my love affair with Kangana Ranaut had just started. The rebellious Kanpur ki chori who boozed off when a probable groom comes to meet her for marriage caught my imagination. The movie apart from Kangana and Pappe Ji had it's set of flaws.
           But here comes the sequel and  I can hardly find any fault it the script, characters, direction etc. etc. Finally a Bollywood sequel which it better than the original. The script is hilarious. All characters however big or small roles have delivered flawless performances. The jokes are original and unlike so many of the recent Bollywood comedies are devoid of vulgarity and cheapness. Many of the dialogues and scenes are memorable and stick with you even after the movie. Be it Manu's dad discussing how every marriage sums down to adjustment after certain time or  the young lawyer introducing himself as the category of "Kandha's" (shoulders). Guys who come into picture only when the girl needs support. Or Pappi ji describing his 40 years old friend as a Tharki when he falls for the Datto, a girl much younger to his age.
          Kangana is mind blowing. Already the social media is flooding with loads of appreciation for her. The story makes you love each and every character of the movie. My favorite being Pappe Ji, Datto and the young lawyer who falls for Tanu.
           Here's a movie which I could watch again !

Piku - the best constipation journey !

       

         

         
            The trailer of the movie PIKU seemed promising. The awesome cast  of Amitabh, Irfaan, Deepika and Moushmi Chatterjee made it an irresistible watch. But experience has made me realize the hard hitting fact that a good cast or a good trailer promises nothing. Best is to go watch with zero expectations. Fortunately this movie surprised me. I was laughing and engrossed during the whole movie and didn't want this journey to end. As aptly said in the movie - eye path jodi aar sheesh na hoye to be kemon hobe tumi bolo toh ( how will it be if this road/journey never ends ). I left the hall with a lingering feeling to know what happened next in Piku's life. Piku although a very light hearted family comedy questions some hard hitting truths of life. Couldn't agree any less with Mr. Bhaskor Banerjee when he says that why girls have to do a zero IQ task like leaving their job, identity and aspirations after marrying and settling down. Is taking care of family and husband their only responsibility after marriage ? It makes us realize that how much we may be arguing or tired of taking care of our ageing parents. We will miss them when they are not there by our side. Better to cherish every moment with them. It portrays a lovely relationship between father and daughter. Mention has to be made of Irfaan Khan. The only Khan of current Bollywood genre whom I find awe inspiring. The man has broken all stereotypes of Bollywood heroes. He proves that talent can take you anywhere and not just lobbying or good looks. As for Moushmi Chatterjee, she is a whiff of fresh air. Wish we can see more of her on silver screen. The movie leaves me feeling happy and nostalgic for Kolkata. Great work Shoojit Sircar. You did a fab job with Vicky Donor and Piku. Waiting for your next.

Highlights @ Antargange: Boulders and Caves

          "Antaragange"; The name means Ganges from the deep. This mountain is considered a religious place with a perennial source of water coming from the mouth of Nandi inside the temple. The water is believed to have natural curative properties. This place is also a popular for trekking and cave exploration.
           We started our first organized trek with bmc(bangalore mountaineering club). It had been ages since the last time I went on a trek. Around Pune you have numerous forts of Shivaji and they are a delight for trekking in the monsoons. First trek to Torna Fort and was way back in 2006, first year of job and we were a group of friends all enthusiastic with no knowledge about trekking.
          The start of trek to Antaragange itself was bringing back flashes of memories from the first trek. We were a group of almost 40 people travelling in two buses, four instructors and the rest mostly amateurs in trekking. The trip started at the base of the hill with a small introduction. Our trainers from bmc were multi talented folks.

Rajesh: He was also a PADI instructor who was working full time with bmc.
Siggin: He worked at Amazon and was free lancing with bmc on weekends
Shankar: He was in the 3rd year of engineering and was free lancing with bmc on weekends
Nagesh: Sorry couldn't get his details but he was a sporty and helpful

      So why this elaborate introduction ? Because I was stunned by their passion. Most of them were balancing both their jobs and their dreams. Also they surely were the fittest people I have seen for a while and was impressed the way they handled everything along the trip.

Nature Trail

Boulder land

       
            Trek started from the base of the hill. We were split into two groups of 20. Till we reached the temple I was doing better than I had expected. But once the rocky climb started my breathing seemed to get heavier. The chocolate bars I had packed saved my day. The climb to Antargange is not that difficult, but my dizziness during the climb acted as an eye opener to my fitness ! The route uphill is beautiful, that is if you like the raw and rustic ways of nature. The mountain is full of huge boulders. They remind of  Gabbar from Sholay Movie sitting atop a rock asking - "Are oh Samba , Kitne aadmi the ?"

Temple with the healing water

The uphill trek

      

Once we reached the top we split in two groups. We started first with the Rappelling activities and the second group went on for cave exploration. So instead of jumping from one rock to another like Gabbar we would be descending a similar boulder with the help of a rope. The best part of rappelling was that you didn't have to look down. It was like going down with atleast not having to see whats below.

Yes that's ME..

                 By noon the team from cave exploration had returned and everyone joined in for lunch. Lunch was simple bisibele bhaat or masala bhaat with raita. It tasted great after the long days activity. After lazing around under the shelter of the rocks it was time to head for the cave exploration.

Cave man

               Little did we realize at that moment what we were actually heading for. The route to reach the cave itself was tricky. I would suggest the best way to explore this place is to come with someone experienced. If alone I would definitely have turned back. We realized that we had reached the entrance only when our instructor asked us to wriggle down a hole. Petrified at first of what to expect next we just had to entrust our complete faith in Shankar and Siggin. They made us perform unimaginable stunts through the rocks and crevices. " Keep your right leg here and the left almost at two hands distance." I guess I might have performed a full split. But at that moment we were trying hard to concentrate on the how to get a grip on the rocks. So we maneuvered from one opening to another. Funny part was how each time Shankar seemed to make us move through an opening we thought was a dead end. Soon we got the tip at least of descending. Sit and slide that was the trick. Getting up was definitely not at all easy and managed with everyone's help. It was a 1.5 to 2 hours of gripping excitement. Which way next, where to step next ? Thankfully we managed to come out in the light. At that moment I guessed each one of us thanked God and our saviors - Our guides that we had seen the light of the day in a single piece. No major injuries, no broken bones, and thankfully no snake or any other animal sighting. As Kungfu Panda would have said it was full of Awesomeness !!

View from the top of the cave

           The trek ended with a dramatic end. This place is infamous for it's monkey's. They can actually smell your fear. So a word of caution is to not open any food items in front of them. The monkey's had made a successful attempt to run away with a serving spoon from our lunch items. The locals and the trainers finally were able to retrieve it and we made our way back home.
           The return journey was bumpy (being seated on the last row of the bus) but memorable. It was memorable because of the people we met, the laughs, the aching muscles. Such organizations like bmc are indeed doing great work. Keeping the spirit of trekking alive as well as keeping it affordable. Check their site http://www.bmcindia.org/ for more details.