Sudipta's Life

Less than a year back, I had tried rock-climbing and fell down to break my bones . It was nasty, and I'd be lying big time if I said that it didn't hurt. So when I went with my colleagues (from my internship) to have some social gathering outside the office, the rock-climbing arena stood like a challenge before me. I took it, and I made it all the way to the top: Yaay!! It was exciting, but the thrill of reaching the top was really well worth the effort. It was a sort of batman's "Conquer your fear" moment. Oh, letting go of all holds from the top was the most thrilling part, for sure --- you know, you are 30 ft up in the air hanging on to a small ledge and then you suddenly let go and jump down and the rope brings you back gradually! ;) I was eagerly looking forward to the challenge as the two people before me went up all the way slow and methodically. When my turn came, all those years of fetching cricket balls from neighbour's balconies came handy --- time ...

I was giving directions to my friend who will be arriving to join the university soon and I said, "Okay, so the cost of the prepaid ride will be $15, and then give a tip of about 3 or 4$ to the driver who drops you there". My friend was shocked... "You want me to tip someone 200 Rupees??!!". And I smiled, a real amused smile. My reply was, "Welcome to America!". The realization about the currency conversion rate had took over for the first time when I visited Scotland. One GBP was worth somewhere around 89-90 INR at that time, and therefore every single penny saved used to be worth a lot at that time. Our salaries used to be converted into Indian Rupees and deposited into our accounts in Mumbai, and our eyes would light up at the end of each month when the money came in: the figures simply spread cheer through the team! Every single pound spent for the company (be it a cab ride or some extra allowance) was accounted for, and we submitted them religiously e...

Like any self-respecting grad student who has to pay 200$ per semester as gym fees, I decided one fine day to go and visit the gym at the university. The first day, there was a whole feel-good factor about seeing so many instruments, such huge facilities, etc. The initial excitement prompted me to use every machine, try the various weights, and I also looked around for the shortcut ways to building a Dara Singh physique. It all felt really nice until I woke up the next morning aching all over my body and having trouble even while brushing my teeth. Hmmf... that was sort of a dampener to the enthusiasm, but I managed to cling on. However, assignments, midterm tests and the lack of company ensured that I left going to the gym midway. I've picked up the habit here again while I'm interning, but I don't know how long this will last. The frustrating part, however, is not the kind of lacklustre routine I follow about going to the gym. The real jaw-dropping phenomenon is the kind ...

Another Face of Dice You seem so remote at times, A detached observer of the tumultuous waves, Breaking at the crags of Life's commitments --- Disturbing, agitating, unnerving, Frustrating, ridiculing --- Sweeping away in its retreating course The very essence That gives sense to life. You stand apart, Juvenile, confident, Impersonal, withdrawn, Mocking at the allured creature Consumed into your flame. ---Arundhati Chatterjee Dear readers, my mother, Dr. Arundhati Chatterjee has published a book containing poems which she wrote in her early youth. It is called "Songs and Lyrics", and the publishers are "Underground Literature", based in Hoogly, West Bengal. The above poem is just one random poem from all the 60 poems that make up the book. I cannot do a proper review of the book because I'll obviously be biased. But I can say this --- this is a collection of poems which you will not want to finish off in one go. You will need to stop after you read each ...

When God made his creatures, he thought he should add something to the male of each species to make them look better. The lion begot its mane, the peacock its feathers and we men received our share of beards. The rest of the animals accepted their gifts gracefully. The lion didn't paw its own mane out, peacocks don't pluck their own feathers. We humans, however, have to shave. My grandfather used to rub his cheeks against mine fondly when I was a kid, and his day or two old white stubbles used to tinge and nib my chubby cheeks. It was a lot of fun, but then I used to wonder when I would get my own beard. Elders used to laugh at me, assuring me that the time will come: and I looked on with innocent wonder. By the time I was in Class 9 or 10, the two of my classmates out of a hundred who had a full beard were the object of general admiration and authority on many subjects. One of them even acquired the nickname of ' dari ', the Bengali word for beard. The first sprouts on...

All right everyone, thanks for bearing the brunt of the last post --- I was just a little pissed off and therefore found the best place to rant: i.e. here! :) Like many of you pointed out, I was reading too much into too little: and I trust my roomies very much. Just sudden outpours --- I hope you know. Anyway, coming to this post. There are a few movies and actors, music directors etc. who I've come to like, but not necessarily everyone else has. I'd try to be specific about why I liked these actors/directors, but at the end of the day it is a personal choice. First, Abhay Deol and the two movies he has featured in. The first one was " Socha Na Tha ". It is both an uncommon and a common love story. I call it uncommon, because we don't usually find such a storyline in other Hindi movies. Usually the hero fights it out, kills a dozen bad guys and rescues the damsel. This movie was common, however, because it was so closely based on reality. There is something calle...