Do we hate our neighbours?

This is perhaps a million dollar question. Neighbours can be good or bad, depending on your luck. Really, I mean it! There are neighbours who are very helpful and maintain peace within their family. While, there are ones who seem to be born to fight over almost any petty issue in life. They literally make the life hell of those who happen to live next to them.

Now, you may wonder as to why I have decided to write on this topic. Well, one thing we must all better accept that our mental peace to a great extent gets affected if we happen to live next to lousy people. In many a times, we come across incidents or news of some rude neighbour living next to someone known to us.

Really, life literally becomes ‘hell’ when some dreadful family decides to rent or own a house next to ours. Thankfully, I am spared from such a situation, but my friend’s life seems to be in miserable condition.

My friend lives in North Kolkata, in a quiet, peaceful locality. But all peace from her life seems to wave her bye-bye, with the coming of a family of 4 – a couple with their 2 children. A few days after their coming, everything seemed to be nice and good. My friend had even become friendly with the man’s wife and they used to chat for at least once or twice a week.

But, then came the days when the husband dear and his wife used to quarrel over their children’s education. Then even started having fights over her husband's coming late from office and getting drunk at late hours. Matters became worse, with the locality hardly getting any peace of mind, and the condition of my friend was more pathetic. (Her house was just next to theirs)

In Bengali there’s a proverb (“barite kak chil boshte pare naa”), which means that there is so much noise in the house that even a crow or kite cannot sit there. This is true in case of my friend. Gone were the days when she would sit comfortably on her bed studying or reading some books. Now, she hardly can keep the windows of her room open, since her room is just next to the couple’s room, and she gets utterly disturbed by all sorts of verbal abuses that they throw to each other. It has become a daily routine now and she keeps me complaining about changing the house and moving to some other area.

But, getting a decent house in Kolkata is not a matter of joke, especially for a single like my friend. Just hope all things gets sorted out and my friend gets happy again!

The Last Man Standing!

On Tuesday, the late CPI-M veteran leader, Mr. Jyoti Basu was given 21 gun-salutes, the highest honour given to any West Bengal leader. Many VVIPs, noted sportsmen and celebrities from diverse field came to offer their last respect to this Marxist icon. We pray may his soul rest in peace.

Jyoti Basu was a history in himself in the sense he has got the rare opportunity to meet up with such legendary figures like Nelson Mandela, Indira Gandhi, Mother Teresa and Fidel Castro to name a few. He has made a record of being the longest serving chief minister in the world for any state at a span of 23 years.

Of course, it’s not a matter of joke to rule a state, particularly West Bengal that has populations diverse in terms of imbibing different ideologies and political inclinations. A question has come up as to does the death of Basu offer a death knell to CPI-M as well?

To me, the communist party in the state has already started suffering a set back, with the rise of the opposition leader Miss Mamata Banerjee quite sometimes back. Nothing seems to have fallen right on place for the Marxist party - losing major seats in the so-called bastions of the Left, untimely death of 2 experienced Front leaders, Anil Biswas and Subhas Chakraborty. Miss Banerjee has taken a vow to uproot the stronghold of the party completely from West Bengal and looks very positive on winning the 2011 assembly elections.

Now, if we discuss about the developments Mr. Basu has brought in Bengal, little did we see any change as such. Communists are against any kind of industrialisation; hence we can hardly find any development in terms of opening new factories and plantations in this state during his tenure.

Rather than opening up new channels of private and public investments, we have found one by one closing of factories such as the Dunlop Factory and various jute mills across the state. The health conditions of the inhabitants of Bengal and sanitation and living conditions of the poor are beyond any say - withering off rather than improving.

In their 32 years of non-stop rule, no fruitful results have come up and we failed to see our beloved West Bengal ruling the top in terms of food supply, health, sanitation and condition of roads and the drainage system.

It seems that change is inevitable and let’s hope whatever happens in Bengal, happens for good only.

Hacking: the New Buzzword of 2010!

When computer was invented long back in 1942-43 (Colossus was the world’s first programmable, digital electronic computer, developed in England), people thought it to be the safest of the devices born till date. However, with time, loop holes of computers came into limelight. Hackers started confiscating highly secured, personal information from the computers. The rate of illegal access of data from public institutions and government offices began to increase.

Little did the police got success, as the hackers were very intelligent people with sound technical knowledge and tactics to carry on illegal opertions and then escape without getting caught.

Last year saw a massive hacking of confidential data from public libraries to hospitals and government departments. Both the FBI and the Interpol has undertaken a head-long hunt for the criminals. In some cases they were successful in putting the hackers behind bars, while in most cases they failed to do so.

The breaking news of December 2009 was the pleading of guilty by the infamous hacker Albert Gonzalez. He is charged of hacking into the computer networks of US credit card processor Heartland Payment Systems, US convenience store chain 7-Eleven and supermarket chain Hannaford Brothers. Gonzalez has got access to data from tens of millions of credit and debit cards. His case is said to be one of the largest data breaches ever investigated and prosecuted in the United States.

2009 has enlisted many cases of hacking and phishing such as 'Truth', a Christian dating website that was compromised by 4chan hackers and they used the information to take over the victims’ Facebook pages. In October, about 10,000 Windows Live Hotmail customers’ accounts were illegally exposed on an Internet site. And, the beginning of the last year saw a major hijacking in the form of Britney Spears and Obama Twitter Feeds following a phishing attack.

Hence, we all need to be more careful, while surfing the Internet and check on the daily mails that gets stored in our mailbox.

My Favourite Poems

Hi there,
Today, I have decided to post 2 of my most favourite poems, which I happened to read for the first time during my school days. These poems were included in our school syllabus. Indeed, the poems are just awesome to read again and again, and I have treasured the book “Pageant of Poems” (which had these 2). The book contains some really beautiful and thoughtful pieces worth reading.


The Highwayman
Alfred Noyes (1880-1958)

PART ONE

I

THE wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding—
Riding—riding—
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.

II

He'd a French cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin,
A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin;
They fitted with never a wrinkle: his boots were up to the thigh!
And he rode with a jewelled twinkle,
His pistol butts a-twinkle,
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky.

III

Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard,
And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred;
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Bess, the landlord's daughter,
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

IV

And dark in the dark old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked
Where Tim the ostler listened; his face was white and peaked;
His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay,
But he loved the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's red-lipped daughter,
Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say—

V

"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm after a prize to-night,
But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light;
Yet, if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,
Then look for me by moonlight,
Watch for me by moonlight,
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way."

VI

He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand,
But she loosened her hair i' the casement! His face burnt like a brand
As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast;
And he kissed its waves in the moonlight,
(Oh, sweet, black waves in the moonlight!)
Then he tugged at his rein in the moonliglt, and galloped away to the West.

PART TWO

I

He did not come in the dawning; he did not come at noon;
And out o' the tawny sunset, before the rise o' the moon,
When the road was a gypsy's ribbon, looping the purple moor,
A red-coat troop came marching—
Marching—marching—
King George's men came matching, up to the old inn-door.

II

They said no word to the landlord, they drank his ale instead,
But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow bed;
Two of them knelt at her casement, with muskets at their side!
There was death at every window;
And hell at one dark window;
For Bess could see, through her casement, the road that he would ride.

III

They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest;
They had bound a musket beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast!
"Now, keep good watch!" and they kissed her.
She heard the dead man say—
Look for me by moonlight;
Watch for me by moonlight;
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way!

IV

She twisted her hands behind her; but all the knots held good!
She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood!
They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like years,
Till, now, on the stroke of midnight,
Cold, on the stroke of midnight,
The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers!

V

The tip of one finger touched it; she strove no more for the rest!
Up, she stood up to attention, with the barrel beneath her breast,
She would not risk their hearing; she would not strive again;
For the road lay bare in the moonlight;
Blank and bare in the moonlight;
And the blood of her veins in the moonlight throbbed to her love's refrain .

VI

Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hoofs ringing clear;
Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot, in the distance? Were they deaf that they did not hear?
Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill,
The highwayman came riding,
Riding, riding!
The red-coats looked to their priming! She stood up, straight and still!

VII

Tlot-tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot-tlot, in the echoing night!
Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light!
Her eyes grew wide for a moment; she drew one last deep breath,
Then her finger moved in the moonlight,
Her musket shattered the moonlight,
Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him—with her death.

VIII

He turned; he spurred to the West; he did not know who stood
Bowed, with her head o'er the musket, drenched with her own red blood!
Not till the dawn he heard it, his face grew grey to hear
How Bess, the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness there.

IX

Back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky,
With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high!
Blood-red were his spurs i' the golden noon; wine-red was his velvet coat,
When they shot him down on the highway,
Down like a dog on the highway,
And he lay in his blood on the highway, with the bunch of lace at his throat.

* * * * * *

X

And still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,
When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
A highwayman comes riding—
Riding—riding—
A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.

XI

Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard;
He taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and barred;
He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Bess, the landlord's daughter,
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1798

PART ONE
IT IS an ancient Mariner,
And he stoppeth one of three.
'By thy long grey beard and glittering eye,
Now wherefore stopp'st thou me?

The Bridegroom's doors are opened wide,
And I am next of kin;
The guests are met, the feast is set:
May'st hear the merry din.'

He holds him with his skinny hand,
'There was a ship,' quoth he.
'Hold off! unhand me, grey-beard loon!'
Eftsoons his hand dropt he.

He holds him with his glittering eye--
The Wedding-Guest stood still,
And listens like a three years' child:
The Mariner hath his will.

The Wedding-Guest sat on a stone:
He cannot choose but hear;
And thus spake on that ancient man,
The bright-eyed Mariner.

'The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared,
Merrily did we drop
Below the kirk, below the hill,
Below the lighthouse top.

The Sun came up upon the left,
Out of the sea came he!
And he shone bright, and on the right
Went down into the sea.

Higher and higher every day,
Till over the mast at noon--'
The Wedding-Guest here beat his breast,
For he heard the loud bassoon.

The bride hath paced into the hall,
Red as a rose is she;
Nodding their heads before her goes
The merry minstrelsy.

The Wedding-Guest he beat his breast,
Yet he cannot choose but hear;
And thus spake on that ancient man,
The bright-eyed Mariner.

And now the Storm-blast came, and he
Was tyrannous and strong:
He struck with his o'ertaking wings,
And chased us south along.

With sloping masts and dipping prow,
As who pursued with yell and blow
Still treads the shadow of his foe,
And forward bends his head,
The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast,
And southward aye we fled.

And now there came both mist and snow,
And it grew wondrous cold:
And ice, mast-high, came floating by,
As green as emerald.

And through the drifts the snowy clifts
Did send a dismal sheen:
Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken--
The ice was all between.

The ice was here, the ice was there,
The ice was all around:
It cracked and growled, and roared and howled,
Like noises in a swound!

At length did cross an Albatross,
Thorough the fog it came;
As if it had been a Christian soul,
We hailed it in God's name.

It ate the food it ne'er had eat,
And round and round it flew.
The ice did split with a thunder-fit;
The helmsman steered us through!

And a good south wind sprung up behind;
The Albatross did follow,
And every day, for food or play,
Came to the mariners' hollo!

In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud,
It perched for vespers nine;
Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white,
Glimmered the white Moon-shine.'

'God save thee, ancient Mariner!
From the fiends, that plague thee thus!--
Why look'st thou so?'--'With my cross-bow
I shot the Albatross.'

PART TWO

THE Sun now rose upon the right:
Out of the sea came he,
Still hid in mist, and on the left
Went down into the sea.

And the good south wind still blew behind,
But no sweet bird did follow,
Nor any day for food or play
Came to the mariners' hollo!

And I had done a hellish thing,
And it would work 'em woe:
For all averred, I had killed the bird
That made the breeze to blow.
Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay,
That made the breeze to blow!

Nor dim nor red like God's own head,
The glorious Sun uprist:
Then all averred, I had killed the bird
That brought the fog and mist.
'Twas right, said they, such birds to slay,
That bring the fog and mist.

The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
The furrow followed free;
We were the first that ever burst
Into that silent sea.

Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down,
'Twas sad as sad could be;
And we did speak only to break
The silence of the sea!

All in a hot and copper sky,
The bloody Sun, at noon,
Right up above the mast did stand,
No bigger than the Moon.

Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.

The very deep did rot: O Christ!
That ever this should be!
Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs
Upon the slimy sea.

About, about, in reel and rout
The death-fires danced at night;
The water, like a witch's oils,
Burnt green, and blue and white.

And some in dreams assur'ed were
Of the Spirit that plagued us so;
Nine fathom deep he had followed us
From the land of mist and snow.

And every tongue, through utter drought,
Was withered at the root;
We could not speak, no more than if
We had been choked with soot.

Ah! well a-day! what evil looks
Had I from old and young!
Instead of the cross, the Albatross
About my neck was hung.

PART THREE

THERE passed a weary time. Each throat
Was parched, and glazed each eye.
A weary time! a weary time!
How glazed each weary eye,
When looking westward, I beheld
A something in the sky.

At first it seemed a little speck,
And then it seemed a mist;
It moved and moved, and took at last
A certain shape, I wist.

A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist!
And still it neared and neared:
As if it dodged a water-sprite,
It plunged and tacked and veered.

With throats unslaked, with black lips baked,
We could nor laugh nor wail;
Through utter drought all dumb we stood!
I bit my arm, I sucked the blood,
And cried, A sail! a sail!

With throats unslaked, with black lips baked,
Agape they heard me call:
Gramercy! they for joy did grin
And all at once their breath drew in,
As they were drinking all.

See! see! (I cried) she tacks no more!
Hither to work us weal;
Without a breeze, without a tide,
She steadies with upright keel!

The western wave was all a-flame.
The day was well nigh done!
Almost upon the western wave
Rested the broad bright Sun;
When that strange shape drove suddenly
Betwixt us and the Sun.

And straight the Sun was flecked with bars,
(Heaven's Mother send us grace!)
As if through a dungeon-grate he peered
With broad and burning face.

Alas! (thought I, and my heart beat loud)
How fast she nears and nears!
Are those her sails that glance in the Sun,
Like restless gossameres?

Are those her ribs through which the Sun
Did peer, as through a grate?
And is that Woman all her crew?
Is that a DEATH? and are there two?
Is DEATH that woman's mate?

Her lips were red, her looks were free,
Her locks were yellow as gold:
Her skin was as white as leprosy,
The Night-mare Life-in-Death was she,
Who thicks man's blood with cold.

The naked hulk alongside came,
And the twain were casting dice;
'The game is done! I've won! I've won!'
Quoth she, and whistles thrice.

The Sun's rim dips; the stars rush out:
At one stride comes the dark;
With far-heard whisper, o'er the sea,
Off shot the spectre-bark.

We listened and looked sideways up!
Fear at my heart, as at a cup,
My life-blood seemed to sip!
The stars were dim, and thick the night,
The steersman's face by his lamp gleamed white;
From the sails the dew did drip--
Till clomb above the eastern bar
The horn'ed Moon, with one bright star
Within the nether tip.

One after one, by the star-dogged Moon,
Too quick for groan or sigh,
Each turned his face with a ghastly pang,
And cursed me with his eye.

Four times fifty living men,
(And I heard nor sigh nor groan)
With heavy thump, a lifeless lump,
They dropped down one by one.

The souls did from their bodies fly,--
They fled to bliss or woe!
And every soul, it passed me by,
Like the whizz of my cross-bow!

I have posted only that portion of the poem, which I had in my poem book. The original poem is quite long and one can check it out here: http://poetry.eserver.org/ancient-mariner.html

A Joy Ride

For those who want to enjoy an Antarctica ride, here’s a piece of good news. Croydon Travel operates Antarctica Sightseeing Flights, which is an Antarctica tour service that has flown about 30,000 people over Antarctica since 1994. Most recently, the agency is offering flights on the new A380 Superjumbo jet departing from Melbourne or Sydney a couple of times a year during the Antarctic summer.Antarctica travel is something that almost everyone wished, but only a few could actually make it. Adventure lovers and scientists would only manage to get to that area, which is one of the coldest place on earth, the other been Arctic. Many a times, we have seen pictures of the vast stretch of land with snow all over the place and penguins marching in hundreds and thousands in a line.

Among the animals that we get to see in Antarctica include blue whales, fur seals, colossal squids and of course Emperor penguins and other types of it. Little vegetation grows there, as the area remains covered with thick snow all the year around. Travellers may want to visit the region, but there are hardly any flights or trains going there. However, this flights news will be greeted by those who are willing to spend some money to enjoy a trip to Antarctica.

Indeed, travelling to the untouched wilderness on the planet is made easier and cheaper, in at about the same price as an economy class ticket from Hong Kong to San Francisco.

The most recent A380 flight was a New Year’s Eve flyover, and the next one will take off on 24th of January, followed by a 747 flight on the Valentines Day, February 14. Flights to Antarctica usually take passengers during the Antarctic summer because days are 24 hours long and weather conditions remain most stable. The trip lasts from November to February and Croydon plans flights accordingly, offering 3 to 12 flights during that time period.

While on flight, depending on the tickets that you have purchased, you will get to admire the prolonged beauty and white wilderness of Antarctica. There is business class seat, economy class seat, centre seat and superior window economy seat to name some. One can easily imagine the amount of excitement and joy that one will get when he or she will board on the plane and get to experience the true lasting beauty of white snow and the sight of elegant penguins walking and standing on the Antarctic land.

Are other sports neglected for cricket?

A cricket lover knows well that BCCI is the world’s richest cricket board. The board is spending crores of rupees on cricketers every year for playing various domestic and international cricket. But does anyone know of the 20-year old swimming champion from Bengal - Rashmi Sharma, who is in real need of a sponsor for making her dream of being the first Indian to swim English Channel both ways, come true!

How many of us ever think of any sports apart from cricket. Thanks to our Indian government, sponsors and media for bringing in cricket in our bed rooms, close to our heart and soul. Cricket is not our national sports, and to be frank, not many countries around the world play this game. So what? Indian cricket team is successfully making its mark in the world sports’ arena and it will continue to do so in the near future.

I am not against this sport, but what I mean to say is why we are neglecting other sports such as football, hockey, lawn tennis, table tennis or swimming when they are bringing in so much glory to our motherland. Take for example, Leander Paes who won Bronze medal in the Olympics (Atlanta, 1996) or weightlifter Karnam Malleswari who also won bronze in Sydney, 2000.

How can we ever forget the only Indian gold medal that Abhinava Bindra has won in archery in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games? There are so many of these real-life instances when various players from India have brought home triumph and honour. It’s really sad to see parents trying to make their son admit in a cricket coaching center to become the next Sachin Tendulkar or Kapil Dev rather than imbibe in him interest for hockey or football.

However of late, Indians have started paying attention and enjoying sports other than cricket. But, I am a bit confused as to whether it’s a genuine love for the game or for some other reason, may be get to see beautiful Sania Mirza or Saina Nehwal for that purpose!

Another very sad aspect is the indifference of the national sports authority towards players at various state-levels. Many of the aspiring young boys and girls, coming from humble backgrounds are finding it quite difficult to make their ends meet. They are literally begging for sponsors so that they can compete at the international meets held all-round the year.

An interview with Rashmi Sharma was published in a city’s daily newspaper, where she was upset in not getting a sponsor to make her fulfill the dream of swimming English Channel both ways. She has already made a hattrick in swimming in the stormy icy-cold strait from Calais to Dover.

Most recently is the news of the national hockey team in not willing to play unless their fees are cleared. What a sad instance for a country so rich in culture, heritage and with world famous players like Leander Peas, Vishwanathan Anand, Prakash Padukone and Sachin Tendulkar.

Record Fine for Driving!

Fine for rash driving is a common feature in many countries, but fine of $290,000 or £180,000 for high speed is really surprising.This has what exactly has happened to a Swiss millionaire who has been caught red-handed for a record speeding fine by a local court. The man was driving a red Ferrari Testarossa at 137km/h (85mph) through a village.

The penalty was calculated based on the unnamed motorist’s wealth, assessed by the court as $22.7m (£14.1m). The huge fine was awarded to him because of the past history of repeated rash driving. It is more than double Switzerland’s previous record speeding fine, which was handed to a Porsche driver in Zurich in 2008.

Really, accidental death due to vehicles has become one of the most common features in various countries, including India. Yesterday only, 4 students were hurt in an accident in the Rajarhat area of Kolkata. The pool-car carrying children to school were toppled down when it was hit by a private bus in early morning.

This area is very prone to accidents due to heavy traffic and rash driving by careless drivers. In many an instance, people has been found drunk in their driving state. FIRs have been lodged in the police stations, but no real positive change has come with regard to these horrific incidents.

Until and unless, drivers themselves become conscious of driving properly, nothing positive is going to happen.

School Bags Weigh too much

A few days back, there was interesting and eye-opening news about children and school bags. The authorities of the Kendriya Vidalaya chain of schools have ordered the principals of the schools to check the weight of the school bags. They have even threatened to take extreme steps against those principals who do not abide by this new instruction issued on them.

It’s a known fact to every parent, the amount of pressure kids have to handle in school. There is tremendous competition of performing up to the mark in school examinations. All the more there is the burden of the school bags, which has a good weight because of the fat text books and exercise copies that children have to carry to school everyday.

Its nice to see at least some school authorities have thought out of the box, and have tried to bring out some solution to the increasing weight of bags in educational institutions. The central government-run KVS (Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan) have over 1000 schools under them.

Under the new norms, these central school principals must ensure that the total weight of textbooks and notebooks does not exceed 2 kg, including the bag, for students of classes I and II. The admissible weight limit is 3 kg for students of classes III and IV, 4 kg for classes V to VII and 6 kg for higher classes.

Parents have long complained about the excessive weight of school bags that leave children bowed down to the ground. We cannot deny the fact that children of today hardly get any time to play. They are seen lost in doing homework, preparing ‘projects’ for various subjects and studying hard to get good marks in the examinations. Thus, they barely get time even to eat and sleep properly.

In the age of computers, and increased rat-race among people to make a good career and land on a fine job, a kid’s innocence seem to disappear amidst strict everyday routine of studies, tests and winning prizes or performance awards in schools.

It’s Picnic Time

Winter is the best time to arrange a picnic. We see loads of buses running towards some nearby lovely spot to enjoy a whole day of fun and extracurricular activity. It’s the season to relax under the sun, with chilly gusts of wind blowing across. This winter, Kolkata is experiencing a record cold that has not happened in the last 10 years, as reported by the Met Department.

Hence, the Kolkatans have become all the more excited to pack their bags and head for some real-life adventure with friends and family. But, in many places, these picnic parties end up in creating a problem for the local residents. This has just what exactly has happened in the adjacent area to the Bethuadahari Forest, on an open area along the 34 number National Highway. Bethuadahari Forest lies in Nadia district and the place is frequented by tourists who come for picnic during the winter season.

The local inhabitants have complained about the immense noise that continuously comes from the sound boxes that the picnic parties bring with them. Along with this, large amounts of plastics and other garbage can be seen on the spot after the picnic gets over.

Bethuadahari Forest is a reserve forest and any kind of disturbance to the animals living there is strictly prohibited. But, instead of the cries of the animal lovers, NGOs and local residents, this has become a daily routine. People are seen cooking with gas stoves and kerosene just next to the forest, and all kinds of chitter-chatter and yelling sounds keeps on pouring from their precious music system.

In the Alipore Zoological Gardens, on the 25th of December, pictures were flashed of people eating on paper and plastic plates, and huge piles of plastic bags and packets lying here and there, making the place look all the more nasty and dirty.

The Cheapest Car to take US by Storm

Nano is till date, the world’s cheapest car. It is made by the Indian automobile giant, the TATA Group. There was a lot of speculation over the making and selling of this car in India. Many of the Indians were skeptical about the price of Nano at Rs. 1 lakh only, which is a meagre sum of money for owning something luxurious like a car! However, the news turned out to be true, with the first introduction of Nano in the Delhi Auto Show in January 2009.

Till then, Nano has earned quite a bountiful of customers. They are happy in using the world’s cheapest car. Of late, the news of Tata showcasing the car in USA has once again attracted good media attention. Nano will be displayed in Detroit on January 14 at the Detroit auto show.

Tata Technologies have their regional headquarters in Michigan. The car will highlight its end-to-end vehicle engineering and design capabilities to its auto industry customers.

The really out-of-the-box thinking has made Tata Nano to take the centre-stage in the arena of world car manufacturing business. Nano will be sold for about USD 2,500 which is equivalent to Rs.1 lakh in India.

A Memorable Trip to The Sunderbans

Sunderbans is a participant and incidentally one of the finalists of the 2011 hunt for new 7 Wonders of the World. Bengal should feel proud to see Sunderbans nominated along with some of the most beautiful natural wonders on this earth, such as the Table Mountain of South Africa, Great Barrier Reef of Australia, Amazon in South America and Black Forest in Germany to name a few.

The Bengal Chief Minister, Mr. Buddhadev Bhattacharya has requested all residents of Bengal to vote for the largest mangrove forest in the world. For us, Bengalis, it’s a matter of pride as well as that of sorrow. Pride of course for its selection in the 7 wonders list, and sorrow because of the negligence on the part of the authorities to save this delta from getting eroded.

Sunderbans is in the midst of extinction. It’s perhaps not very long when we will hardly get to see the stretch of land, with tigers and deer and the infamous sundari trees, spreading across parts of Bangladesh and West Bengal.

I was studying in class 4, when I went on a trip to the Sundarbans with my parents. We had to reach Canning, a place near to the delta, from where launches sail for the mangrove forest. Our launch had a big team of around 30 people, couples and families, mostly Bengalis. I was very thrilled over the thought of seeing a Royal Bengal Tiger or two and some deer on the way.

The trip was for 3 days and 2 nights and we had lots of fun on the ferry, with people singing and taking photos of the surrounding forest and that of the Bay of Bengal. I remember well of anxiously looking at the Sunderbans to find some big animal staring at me. In a sense, I was lucky to get a view of 2 to 3 deer. They have come to drink water at the shore. But, they instantly disappeared on hearing the loud engine noise from our ferries.

There were about 10 ferries in line, since the place is said to be frequented by sea-bandits, who come to loot the tourists, when given a chance. People seem to be scared on hearing this fro our launch manager, and as such all the ferries used to stay very close to each other during the nights.

The Sundarbans have a crocodile sanctuary, where crocs are fed and babies are hatched from eggs. There were also different kinds of snakes in that sanctuary. In another place, we got to see a man-size puppet, who was sitting with a hookah in his hand. It seemed to be absolutely real! When asked what this was for, the authorities told us that it is meant to scare the tigers, who frequent this place.

The puppet has electric wires in his body, which is activated very night, and if an animal touches the man, the animal gets a light shock and instantly runs away in fear. There was also a watch tower, from where we got a lovely view of a large area of the forest.

The trip to Sunderabans was a memorable event in my life. I was happy to visit the place, but I would be all the more happy if I could get to see the Royal Bengal Tiger at least for once!

Friends forever!

Today, I feel like writing on something very special, very close to my heart – friends. Friends have always being a very good part of my life. I remember those days when we used to have lots of fun amidst our strict daily classes in school and college.Most people say school days are the best days of their life, but I somewhat differ from them in the sense that college days were the best days of my life. In school, I was really a shy girl, with a very few friends to mingle with.

We enter the school at a very young age and so mental maturity doesn’t come, as it happens when we grow up. And, so perhaps, I remained somewhat unknown to the actual meaning of friendship and bonding. For a kid, to understand these serious terms takes a bit time, and under stringent school rules and classes, we hardly get time to share our feelings with each other. Of course, we used to have fun during break time, playing hide n seek and tug-of-war, but they were all for a limited period only.

Freedom and maturity in the true sense of the term came in college, when I was a grown up lady. We had a close group of seven, and we friends have still kept contacts with each other and will remain to do so in future as well.

Most of my friends have got settled, with kids, and I to remain busy with my work and other family ties. But of course, whenever we get some time out of our daily commitments, we call each other and make a plan for a ‘get-together’. We meet either in City Centre, which is a much happening place in Kolkata or sit in a friend’s house to get lost in an unconditional, never ending “adda”. Time passes like a fast flowing stream, and so when the clock strikes 8 or 9 at night, it reminds us that time has come to say good-bye to each other and leave for the day.

We used to have loads of enjoyment and travelling during our college days in Bethune. Almost all Saturdays, we used to watch a movie (since our classes used to end by 12-1 o’clock) or plan a trip to Nicco Park or Victoria Memorial.

We even would enjoy a ‘gala’ feast with sandwiches, chips, popcorns and cold drinks. Our college has a big ground with lots of space to sit and chat during break time. I remember each day, waiting anxiously for the tiffin time to come, as it was the time to be free like birds in the sky.

The college canteen was also good, and they used to make bread chops, vegetable chops, chicken chops, fried rice and aloor dum. Girls used to gobble them down like anything and everyone would shout to get their order first. It was really nice to become nostalgic about those by-gone days. Three years we have spent in the college studying, enjoying and making the bond of our friendship strong and even stronger, with each passing day.

"Kalapani” and “Dasgaja"

This new year, we are going to see two new movies based on border dispute. Well known Nepali directors, Uddhav Abidit and Dayaram Dahal, have based the plot of their film on the border clashes between Nepal and its southern neighbour India. The movies names as “Kalapani” and “Dasgaja” are based on the actual conditions of the Nepali inhabitants living in these two regions and their views and thoughts on the same.

Both the directors have carried on a field survey by visiting these places and recording the opinions of the local residents. The films focus on the tribulation and insecurity faced by Nepalis living in what is now the “no man’s land” after the boundary between the two countries was affected by rivers changing their courses.

Kalapani is an area located in Nepal’s eastern Darchula district, on the borders of India, Nepal and China. Since the India-China war of 1962, Indian troops have been occupying Kalapani. The film title as same as the name of the region Kalapani is going to be released this summer tells the real-life story of the Nepalis living in constant fear of death and eviction. They are like refugee in their own country, states Uddhav Abidit, director of this movie.

Social filmmaker, Dayaram Dahal has also has a new film in offer on the border war named “Dasgaja”. This film is based on the village by the same name in far west Nepal’s remote and under-privileged Kailali district, where poverty and famine drive hundreds of able-bodied men and women in search of work to India across the border.

Good Luck

It is said that sometimes things happen, happen for good only. This is just the case of Rubina Ali Qureshi, the child star of one of the most popular movies of 2009 “Slumdog Millionaire”. The film was made by the British director Danny Boyle on the life of the Indians living in the slums of Mumbai (Bombay) in India.

Rubina is about to get a brand new flat in the suburbs of Mumbai very shortly on behalf of the Jai Ho Trust run by Danny Boyle. A child living in utter poverty in the slum of this industrial city is about to make a history by getting to live in posh house owned by her. It is no less than‘news’ that has perhaps kept many Indians bewildered.

This is called luck in the true sense of the term. Has Rubina and her family ever thought of getting a chance to act in the film and then earning so much reputation and fame from the so-called ‘biggies’ of the entertainment industry worldwide? The answer is of course No. Danny wanted to make a picture on Indian slum dwellers and this is how he came across Rubina and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, another slum dweller in reality.

Then the next is history. We have seen them many a times on the stage, in many awards nights, posing for cameras and getting awards for their highly acclaimed acting skills. Really, it’s a great achievement for the Indians to get so much attention in the Oscars and wining it. There are reports that Rubina is getting many offers to act in Indian as well as foreign films. It seems just a matter of time to see this girl child acting in another film.

One of the reasons for India’s triumph about Slumdog is the cast of the cinema. It has our favourite Anil Kapoor, as the host of the Indian version of the popular game show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”, along with the child artists like Irrfan Khan as the Police Inspector, Saurabh Shukla as Head Constable Srinivas and Mahesh Manjrekar.

Happy New Year 2010

Hi all,

Here's wishing everyone a very happy New Year 2010. While surfing the Internet at night, I came across some really interesting stuffs in the site www.forangelsonly.org that I have posted below for you all to check out.