somajm

My husband handed me something. “Your tickets for the Queen of hill stations”, he said. I looked down. “Oh Ooty,”I looked and felt disappointed. When families all across were on a ‘going abroad for a small holiday’ trip, Ooty was like falling down from a peak. .... From Chennai we were to travel to Mettupalayam, which would be a good 9 ½ hours. From there we were to board the narrow gauge ‘Toy train’. I was told it would be a novel experience for our seven-year-old son and us. It sure was. When we reached the station we found the train already packed. It was on first come first served basis. But our persistent efforts paid off in the end. We were bundled into a coach full of luggage. Another family like ours also managed to squeeze in. thus began our sojourn heavenwards with our feet failing to touch the ground. I cannot put down on paper the thrill of clutching onto something, more tangible than my husband’s hand, for safety with one hand whilst a finger of the other was pressed onto ...

Scanning the newspaper for tributes to the great Bengali Bard, Rabindranath Tagore , I came across a presentation by Sujoy Prasad Chatterjee . And my mind raced back to an evening in the past; an evening of recitations and songs I had experienced in Bengal Club .(please note the word experienced) a year back. A friend of ours had invited both of us, husband and wife, to this musical evening in honour of the Bard. Being used to spending the evening watching Himesh Reshmaiya snorting out popular numbers or watching with mounting disbelief the progression of the fast paced, nailbiting episodes of Indian Idol( we live very ordinary lives) , we were a bit apprehensive of what the evening had in store for us. Amongst the performers were Sujoy Prasad Chatterjee himself,singer Pramita Mullick , theatre personality Bijoylakshmi Burman , actors Arindam Sil, Chaitee Ghoshal, Parambratta Chatterjee amongst others. There were English renditions of various poems and plays. The English translations...

I literally sank into the sofa. I was trying to regain my composure. Three of us had ventured out to do some thing meaningful for society. We had heard of this place called “The Banyan ” a home for destitute, mentally imbalanced women . And all of us felt, due to some reason, that the time had come to go out and do something for the socially downtrodden. We drove ourselves to this place. With idealistic (or is it purely selfish motivation turned inside out) thoughts of spreading love and peace amongst the destitute, we entered the impressive gateways of the institution. Nothing had prepared me for what happened next. Hordes of women lost in their own worlds of heaven or hell sat staring at us. Some were smiling, some laughing, some muttering, some were utterly blank. To me it seemed that a common bond tied them together: they were totally cynical and were laughing at us. A knot of intense fear started growing in my tummy. Only the thought that I should not let my friends down kept me...

The central Govt officers' quarters at 30, Belvedere Road all lighted up for diwali

even the children want to participate in the proceedings be it fanning a dhuno into life