Shubho Bijoya!

Traditional Durga Idol at Sunnyvale Durga Puja festival in 2007

"Ai Shyamal, prosad ta niye ja"
"Abar kole keno. Puro shari ta noshto hoye jaache. Dhur!"
"Rosogollai apnar rosh dhokeni"
"Kabiraji cutlet - $5"
"Koto boro hoye gechish"
"Anjali kokhon"
"Maa, khide peyechi. Aar kotokhon line ey daratey hobe"
"Jotoshob naikamo. Aajkalkar meyegulor kono lojja nei"
"Ei khokon tor baba kothai re?
"Ei Doshta taka daona thakurmoshai ke dokkhina ditey hobe"
"Asho alaap koriye di"

Durga Puja at Sunnyvale Hindu Temple and I loved every minute of it. Suddenly I was transported to Kolkata. Just like I was in Bangalore or Nagpur many times. Its the time of the year when we convert all place that we inhabit into mini Bengals.

I expected snobbery. There was. But who cares. The accent was there somewhere but I couldnt miss the Birikhekos too. And there were quite a few. And for a change I loved them. Untouched by Markin Samrajjobad.

Bata's Sandak on foot but Marlboro in mouth. "Ki korbo dada, chele enediyeche. Eishob amar poshaina. Eije holo, cholo. Deri hoye jacchey".

"Arre Dhur baba! Kisher deri" - Son working for the enemy.

"Haan Go! eto tarahuro korcho keno"- proud mother of the proud son. "Tor baba ki niye aar para jaina."

Shob chilo shob. And everything else that I associate with a "our" Durga Puja. An event that makes me feel proud that I was born in Bongland.

While travelling this weekend I saw Kashphool. And they looked even more brilliant against the beautiful backdrop.

Everything was in traditional finery. Overdressed and conscious Boudis in their sindoor, shakha and tanter shari. "O Boudi ekta chobi tulbo" - No I couldnt. The Panjabis of every hue. The chic Fab Indians, the newspaper sound making biyer panjabi and the "antel" marka Rabindrik "keblas". Echara chilo Prabasi Anandobajar.


Durga Pujo without food? Of course not. How can food be left behind? Interestingly the Bengali fare was over when I reached. The duet of Radha and Ballabh, Kabiraji Cutlet, Luchi aar Aloor Dum.

I had to rely on Chole Bhatura and Aloo Dum. The enterprising ones had even set up a Udipi counter. And ofcourse we had our Barda from Cafe Dhaka with his not so Roshbhora Roshogolla.

And ofcourse there was Maayer Bhog which I could not partake because my Maa wasnt there to stand in the queue and get it for me like she does when she is around.

Shubho Bijoya!

Sleeping Around

I have just discovered from some folks here that it is so better to lie in the sun and sleep. All of these pictures were taken by a kind friend of mine while I was deep in sleep.

It is one liesure I have found can be done anywhere anytime and without any cost. Its invigorating after a nice long walk and a bellyfull of food. And by the time you are awake you are ready to hit the road again.

The Blue Angel's

This weekend I went to the San Francisco Fleet Week. Of the numerous events the show stopper was the pyrotechniques of the Blue Angel's. I had last been to the Bangalore Airshow. But it could not have got bigger than this. I have a lot of pictures to share.

For a start here is the Blue Angels - The U. S. Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron. They were flying the Boeing F/A - 18 Hornet.

More to come...

All photographs courtesy me...

Alone yet not Lonely

Its too late I know but its never too late you know

I envied people who could live by themselves; live alone and be independant. No emotional dependance, a feature that I am seeing about life here in America and what I saw in Scandinavia. You are trained to do things by yourself. Make it out on your own.

So this time during my trip to San Francisco I finally have an opportunity to live alone in the truest sense. Good or bad is besides the point but fact of the matter is that it is important to be able to live alone by yourself when the time demands.

Transamerica

The company apartment that I have been given is an overkill. It is huge and right at the foot of the tallest building in San Francisco. It has a huge patio. If you stand on the 20th floor balcony on one side you see the bay (which I consider the extension of the Pacific) and on the other side is the financial district of San Francisco. And you have the whole of downtown San Francisco spanning out in front of you.

My Present Nest

Sometime the bigness of the place can be a burden but when I look at the numerous lighted window of the numerous building around it can be a great leveller.

View from my Balcony

I can spend hours standing at my balcony looking at the different facets of San Francisco. A city which has many layers of looks if you travel around the different neighbourhoods - the Italian North Beach, Russian Hill, Japan Town, the famous China Town, Pacific Heights dotted by the Victorian Bungalows and ofcourse you have the magnificient steel and glass financial center which makes for a stupendous skyline overlooking the bay.

Victorian Bungalows at Pacific Heights

The Skyline from the Sea

But slowly I am getting used to being on my own. Sometimes I dare say even enjoying it.

Walking down the Bay can never be lonely I realised. Watching all the fair girls with different kinds of hair, the skateboard youths, kids with pacifiers in their mouth, smart attired executive or the rap star look good for nothing holding their pants while they walk.

And sometimes I sight Michael Masley playing his cymbalom like a pied piper. I hear the saxophone strains of the guy who plays just outside Emarcadero station. I catch a glimpse of the Hurrican drummer playing his assortment of improvised drums.

Michael Masley - The Pied Piper

The Hurrican Tireless Drummer

At times "the man behind the bush" scares the shit out of me during many of my numerous strolls down Fisherman's Wharf. Most unique is the sight of the rat on top of the cat which is sitting atop a dog. Their friend and master saying to me if they can get along why cant "we".

So each passing day as I see these people it makes me feel that it is not so bad to be alone after all, to be on your own. Certainly not as scary as I thought it was.

Fisherman's Wharf

The Rat, the cat and the dog

June is a Big Girl

I hope this post is not too premature.

Last night I got a call from my wife. Apparently June has spent 3 complete nights without her fingers in her mouth. It makes me really sad. I will not be able to see the cute sight ever again.

The way she put her fingers in her mouth was unique (next only to Ayush's). I really thought that defined her as a child and was a special feature of her personality. I could look at her for hours just like that.

She used to indulge in it when she was usually bored, was not getting much attention, was a bit tired, or lonely or plain frustrated with her surroundings. Just like when Opu chooses to have a drink. It is like a recharge.

This cute habit of hers has a little history too. When she was about 3-4 months old I had a client visiting us from the US. His name is Chuck Schriener. Chuck is an erstwhile clinical child psychologist who now works in the domain of wholistic living. It was a time when June just started putting the odd finger in her mouth.

Chuck came over to our house for lunch. And during the course of the day I tried taking June's fingers out of her mouth while she was happily chewing it away. But Chuck admonished me. He said "Let the tree grow". Don't "fiddle with its foliage". When the time comes she will stop doing it. If you dont allow her to do that you will make her an unhappy child.

After that neither me nor mun attempted to stop, encourage or admonish her. Except that we pointed out (of late) that it is something big girls usually do not do.

Recently June has had the tremendous urge to grow big. Or else how will she put liptick, grow her hair long and dry them after a bath, or go to a BIG school, or even teach like Sakina maa'm or Preeti teacher. Or dress up like Mom or even be like Scout.

May be that thought has been the catalyst. But sleeping without her fingers in her mouth seems to be too difficult. So as an aid she has requested her mom to sing her Beedi Jalaile, Zara Zara, Aaj Ki Raat, Pal Pal and Abol Tabol while she is sleeping.

Not to mention the contribution of Mun's mom in this. She has been the one who has been patiently explaining to her that this habit might be cause for major embarrassment one she is big.

If given an option I would have her continue forever to put her fingers in her mouth and be the cute little kid. But then she will be caught up like her dad biting her nails forever, even in a client meeting and getting admonished by her client.

Infact, if given a choice I will rather freeze her now. So that she remains a cute little child as she is right now, through my times. But may be this is what parental selfishness is all about.

But atleast I really hope during each phase of her life she will acquire some cute idiosyncracies which I can savour for times to come.