India attacked!

Yet another terrorist strike! Yet again hundreds of people loose their lives! Yet again our our security systems were exposed! Yet again India was bruised!
The places of attack change, the modes of attack change, the names of the injured and deceased change, but the gist of the story stays the same: India attacked!
Tomorrow we will all go along with our regular routines, with some of us probably taking out some time to condemn the attack and blame the government and the security agencies, and slowly forget the matter. Those who are directly affected will brood for a few more days and they too will return to 'normal' life sooner or latter. Thanks to our current government, we are now accustomed to such terrorist attacks happening at regular intervals without fail, so what a big deal?
The show must go on buddy, but for how long? For how long will we brood over the current scenario over a cup of coffee and then forget about it? Come on man, the injured and the dead are just our synonyms. We can't sit and blame others, if we want to live (and I say live, not just manage to stay alive somehow), we need to protect ourselves. We need to shun our petty individualisms and stop talking and ACT. We need to stop creating differences and engage ourselves in making some difference.
You probably ask “How?” I'll say I do not have any specific answer. I'm not a leader who'll lead the way. I, however, have some idea. Something that might be helpful. We can be a bit more watchful about our surroundings. How many times have we wondered about the baggage round the corner and how many times have we informed the same to the authorities? We need to be a little more efficient and trustworthy, a little more watchful.
I admit that the security agencies and more so the government has failed us. That the government has been too soft on these people (Syed Abdul Rehman Gilani's case is an example of the same). That there has been a remarkable surge in such incidents in the last few years. However who choose the government? We need to realise that our single vote can make a huge difference. However when we cast our vote, we need to think about all the details. We need to rise above our small personal requirements and think about the country as a whole. If you feel that the current government is not competent enough, vote it out!! If you think that not a single candidate is suitable to be elected then use the 49-O provision and opt to officially declare that you do not want to vote, but do not abstain. Exercise your power and judiciously decide who will be able to lead the country in a better and efficient way. If the system is clogged, become a part of the system and cleanse it.
As it was said in a Bollywood movie: No country is perfect, we have to make it perfect!! So come lets just play our part and rectify the system . .

Friends

Spent a wonderful Diwali yesterday! Some of my friends from office came down to our house. We had a great time together. These are the times when you realize how important friends are in your day to day life. You probably go around doing your day to day work, never realising how your friends are there supporting you, guiding and protecting you, caring for you and standing by you. Each small action touches you in one way or the other, but you're too busy in your everyday chore to realise this. It is at some secluded time in your life that you realise that. I was doing the same yesterday and would like to thank all those friends who made me what I really am . .

A photographer again . .

Buddies!
I'd thought that I'll post my updates more frequently, but couldn't keep up with it. No, it’s not that I couldn't think of anything to talk about. Although nothing's been happening in my life as such, things have been happening around me for sure. I could have talked about the series of tragic blasts which took some many lives and devastated a lot more. I could have talked about the security concerns for the same. I could have talked about Singur and the ridiculous politicians of West Bengal. I could have talked about the furore the single issue has created. I could have sympathised with all being affected by the faltering American financial sector. As an IT professional, I can easily feel the heat. I could have spoken my mind out on the fact that the Indian banking sector is also treading on the same path in the name of easy loans and customer service. I could have talked about a host of other things. I could have dropped in to tell you that I’ve re-entered the world of Orkut. I could have brooded that the search for my bride is still on a that I’m still on Square I. However I did not do so. True, I’ve been a bit busy of late, but not so busy that I couldn’t have found time to jot down a few lines if I really wanted to. Probably my intention was not strong enough.
So today I said, “Enough is enough, I need to talk to my friends out there.” So buddies here I am. Do you know what I yesterday? I spent a fortune on a camera. I got a Sony H-50. I spent all night taking snaps and trying my hand at the different settings. You can find some proof at my picasa web album. And till the time I return back, probably with a few more snaps, Ciao . .

Some photos . .

Friends, I've uploaded the photographs I'd taken during my tour to Gwalior and Balamau. Please refer to my article A week-long tourney. You can find the photos related to Kavi's Marriage and Ritvik's Mundan. (If you want more photos of Ritvik, Visit his picasaweb album. ) Hope you like them.

Hi Folks!

Hi Folks! It was a bit hectic for me in office for almost the whole of last month and things seem to be similar for the coming few weeks too. I could therefore not update you about the party we had on the 17th of June to celebrate the successful launch of one of the world's largest OWB setup. We had a blast at the nearby bowling alley. I enjoyed the dance floor as much as I did the bowling alley and kept hopping between the two. It was a great time. You can find some photos in my web-album EDW GoLive Party. Although I missed my camera, I realised that life without camera is not that bad after all. I couldn’t have danced and bowled to the extent I did that day if I had my camera with me. Hopefully, the next time we have such a blast, I have a camera with me, but still find some time to move away from behind the camera and come in front of it . .
Irrespective of the camera, I enjoyed the party as best as I could. It was too bad that we had to leave a bit early. The dance floor was the best attraction. I really loved shaking my legs and a few other parts of my body. My desire to go to a discotheque has been kindled again. All I need is someone to accompany me. Hope I get someone soon enough . .

Marriages are made in heaven . .

Life has been a bit hectic for me for the past few days, especially in office. On the personal front nothing much happened that was worth mentioning except for the fact that I am now officially into the marriage market. We went to meet a prospective bride yesterday. I therefore need to prepare myself for an important and major change in my life. I always feel there is a bit of gambling in marriage, more so in case of arranged marriage. I have to depend on arranged marriage as till date I could not find someone with whom I could emotionally attach myself. Probably I didn't seriously look for one, but whatever the reason, I'm still single and ready to mingle ;) and since my family is now quite seriously looking for my partner, I might soon loose the single status.
Thinking about marriage, I sometimes get goose-bumps in my stomach. Just think of it. Two people, probably unknown to each other till a few days back, suddenly become the most important person in each others life and hand in hand fight the battle called life. Your upbringing is different, your family values vary, you way of looking at life and its countless pleasures and problems is different, sometimes drastically, yet you need to bond together. If you do not gel, your life might easily turn into hell. There is no art to identify a person’s characteristics in just a few meets, at least there are none that I know of . .
So for me marriage is a gamble. What do you think?

A week-long tourney


Hi folks!
You know where I've been last month? I was out to Gwalior and Balamau(near Lucknow). I had a great week meeting old friends. I went to Gwalior for the first time to my friend and ex-roomie Kavindra's marriage. I had a great time there. Though I didn't find much time to roam around the city, but still I liked Kavi's family and became part of them quite soon. I enjoyed the Baraat (For those who do not know what a baraat is; it is a procession accompanying the bridegroom to the marriage location.) a lot. Not only because I always enjoy the naach-gaana (dance and music) of a baraat (a pity that Bengali marriages do not have a baraat) but for two more reasons. I met a few of my friends from Delhi after a year and they revived some sweet-n-sour memories of the happy times we spent together. The other reason was that I dressed up like a Bengali Babumosai and donned a 'Dhuti-Panjabi'. This was the first time I wore it on my own and managed it without a slightest problem. It was a smash hit.
From Gwalior I moved on to Balamau for Ritvik's 'Mundan'. (Refer to A trip to Mumbai . . and I'm an uncle now . . to know about Ritvik.) Ritvik is in his third year now and is quite naughty. You can't help but love him. I spent a few days in the company of my bhanjas and batija. Vinay had named each one of them as an animal based on their so-called characteristics. It was all great fun. I got so used to calling them by their pseudo names that I kept forgetting their real names ;)
As all good things come to an end I had to return back to Kolkata and to my daily chores, but not after spending a week that I'll remember for long.

Swimming time . .

He Haw! I attended my first swimming class today! Yeah, I do not know swimming and really need to learn it. Everybody how knows my dad is surprised to know that I can't swim. Actually my dad is a good swimmer, no not the professional breed, but a good amateur. Being his son I atleast need to know how to swim, don't I?
So I've planned to learn swimming finally. I've joined a club where I can splash around in the pool in the mornings every weekends. Today was my first class and you know what I was told to do? I was told to 'float'!! Now the million dollar question was if I could float, why do I need to swim??
Well it was later explained to me, I was supposed to try to stay afloat without paddling my hands and feets. Although I was sinking to the bottom of the pool each time I tried, I could manage to enhance my performance by the close of play. Let us see what I could do in my next session . .

Hi again!

Hello friends!
I'm back again! And I could connect to the ‘Net from home now, finally. Actually since I last talked to you we have moved in to our own house. Since then I’ve been trying to get Internet connectivity. Although I had finalised on a service provider and booked a connection around a month back, the connectivity finally materialised today. I've been missing the blog since long. The problem is that we don't have enough cyber-cafes out here and I don't find time to update the blog from office. I hope I'll be a bit more regular now that I have a connectivity at home itself . .

So hope to meet you soon . .