Sudipta's Life

I read this post recently on Blogbharti , and it brought back a particularly confusing memory regarding girls and their fascination for the Mills and Boons books. I remember seeing one such link from Desipundit as well, sometime ago. Apparently, they all go gaga over these books, and from experience I know that. But I also find it incredibly bewildering about the how and the why. For those who are interested about the "from experience" part above, let me explain. A long time ago, my sisters had been gleefully poring over some book. I am a voracious reader (I re-read through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows last night at one go in eight hours), and so something so interesting for my sisters definitely caught my attention. My sisters told me, "This isn't something that guys should read", which got me all the more interested. On a fine wintry afternoon, post-lunch, I took a folding cot out in the sun. Armed with a pillow and a snug little bedsheet, I started re...

Why do I have to do this? Why, why why? Why can't life be simpler? Why do I have to kill, maim and destroy? Why can't we just sit down and get this over with? Tell me, O Krishna, is that little piece of land called Indraprastha really worth all this? Look at them, dear friend, look at them. That old man you see there, thats Bheeshma: I used to play in his lap as a child. He helped me stand on my feet as a kid, taught me how to hold a bow and an arrow. Today you want me to shoot at him? See those bunch of people my age yonder? They are the brothers of Duyodhana. We used to play in the orchards together. That small guy there, he used to run and hide behind me when he was afraid, I used to protect him from the bullies. And today you ask me to go and stab him in his face. How can I do it? I still see in his face the child I used to protect. Today you ask me to butcher a child? I don't want it, I don't want any of this! How can I forget the love, how can I forget the feeling...

If you aren't a blogger, at least marry one!

Some people "nominated" my name for a committee of graduate students in our department, and there was an election coming up. So here is what I put forth on my election manifesto: ============================== If elected, I promise the following: Free breakfast, lunch and dinner for all graduate students everyday All printers in the department be converted into color printers with unlimited printouts Complimentary massages for everyone by a 'special' masseuse in the Taylor basement between 10:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. Full travel grants for anyone presenting anything at a conference/workshop anywhere on the globe Professional writers hired by the department to write your thesis and conference papers free of cost. Heh... and you were seriously considering voting for me! ;) =============================== All right so that wasn't the entire bit, there was a little 'sober' text following it as well. But guess what happened at the election? I won uncontested!! :D ...

My sister is about to get married, and this time when I went home the air had all the signs of the crazy times about to come. Fixing up caterers, booking halls, arranging for the Purohits and the decorators: you know the drill. Of course my sisters and mom were having a gala time buying sarees and 'matching' shoes and cosmetics for each day of the wedding. "On this day I wear this yellow one, on that day I wear this blue one, and oh that maroon one I wore at that sister's wedding: I can't wear that in this one..." -- boy they had it all planned out! My mom goes into a shopping spree whenever I go home and accompany her to the market. Since I don't stay at home during the Durga and Kali Pujas and the other festivals, I don't mind the pampering :) So for instance I went one day to the market to get one dhoti so that I could wear it on the next Puja or the wedding evening itself: I came home with a couple of fine pairs of dhoti-punjabi, pajama-punjabi, a...