My Best Friend's Wedding (extemely personal)

Indian brides are supposed to be shy....never taking an active role in their wedding decisions...but, here's my best and oldest pal Bulti...she was 'zoo-zoo doll' from the day her wedding was arranged...picking herself the sarees and the apparels... after shopping elaborately for about 6months, she was happy ...

and then the D-day arrived...it was the eve of her wedding, going thru the last minute preps, suddenly the bride discovers she hasn't picked up an eye-liner for the wedding....someone needs to buy an eye-liner immediately...the tensed bride looks here and there and she finds me.... well, a friend in need is a friend indeed...so, there i was, volunteering myself for the task...

the shy bride then reveals that not only the eye liner, she forgot to buy a lipstick, a lipgloss,white flowers for her hair and a pair of shoe to wear on her wedding...writing down the things to buy in a piece of paper i felt like running away, b'coz bulti is a perfectionist and me, a clumsy reindeer....but, this was the first time my best friend relied on me with a task, and i knew i cannot fail....i have to win...

so, i went out, with another friend...after travelling much and hopping thru 3 or 4 shops, we bought the eye-liner.....buying the lipstick was difficult because, me and bultz....never had same likings for lipstick shades....i liked light shades snd she the darker ones...usually it was, wahtever i like she hates and vice-versa....it seemed easy if it were any other ocassion but, it was her wedding, i will have to pick something that looks gud on her as well as that she'll like...the girl at the shop painted the back of my hand with various shades of red and pink....it was getting more and more complicated, 'strawberry red' or 'strawberry pink'...'wine red'...or 'sexy berry'??? then after much confusion, i decided to pick two shades, one in pink and one in red....

quite relieved that i faired well on the first task, we went to the shoe store...i liked a pair in the showcase....asked the shopkeeper if it will fit me...it did, but like every other things, we didn't have the same foot size...i asked the assistant to give me the exact design in one size bigger than the one in the showcase....the assistant kept telling me, it will not fit me, but, i said, "trust me, it will"....leaving the shopkeeeper and his assistant in bewilderment, we left.....then it was the flowers.....going thru the floral market twice and thrice we cudn't get a matching flower... it seemed the market had every colur of flowers other than white....then at last had to buy them from a street seller...when we were almost done, bultz called up to know how we were doing...this time it came to me that she hasn't informed any mehendiwali to paint her hands, as every indian brides do...it was about 10pm...so, we started walking towards basanti devi college....when we reached there, there was only few mehendiwalas left...we convinced one, who was charging almost double the rate....then it suddenly it came to me that i haven't asked for bultz's permission....this is important because...i like mehendi....it was obvious that she will hate it...but, there was no time to think, and we almost hijacked the mehendiwala and left for bultz's place...when we reached her place it was 11pm...we were exhausted, but happy at heart...bulti was obviously surprised to see the mehendiwala with us, but like a good indian bride she quietly painted her hands with mehendi...i dumped the stuffs at her place and came back....next day, we enjoyed the wedding to the fullest...and Bulti was the most beautiful bride in the world...

P.S. - Bulti didn't like the lipsticks and the lipgloss...neither did she like the flower and the shoes.....she never told me this, but i know... she happily took everything...not because she was a good indian bride but because she was a friend....and that's how friends are....

me and bulti are not in talking terms anymore....do u know why ??? ...never mind, u'll not understand anyway...!!

amar chhelebelar goli

amar chhelebelar rastay ekta gondho lege achhe... kemon jeno metho... sonda-sonda... bhije ekta gondho... shit-grishmo,borsha,bosonto sob somoy she pothe ami e-gondho pai... ekta bishaal math r tar pash diye ekta soru goli... golir du-pashe sar diye dariye bari...golapi-sada tader rong...kintu shob chhapiye amar chokh atke jay golir sobuje....temon kore dekhle kintu e golite gachh temon nei... kintu golita ki kore jeno sob somoy sobuj seje thakte pare....takalei sobuj mone hoy....mather epare dariye ami majhe majhe amar chhelebar golite unki dei... r mone pore jay shei lukochuri khela... babau-r 100 gonar modhye amader jotodur sombhob palate hobe....lukiye porte hobe...jate kichhutei na khunje pay... golita je amader para noy,para chhariye be-paray, tao kokhono mathay asheni... e-barir panchil topke, o-barir gachher chara mariye jokhon nimeshei pouchhe jetam amar chhelebelar golite, tokhon mone hoto....e to amari para...amari goli.....

amra jokhon chhute chhute lukochuri kheltam, golir sobtheke boro bari jeta, shei golapi barir piku da baranday boshe amader khela dekhto.... polio-te pikudar pagulo noshto hoye gechhilo, dourate partona, tai amader dekhei bodhoy shokh metato...oi boyesheo mone achhe, pikudar chokh duto khub ujjwal chhilo...chokchok korto sob samay...oi golitei ekta bari chhilo, talir....unoon dhorato ora...roj sondhye hole jokhon oi talir bari theke unooner dhoya beroto, r amra jala jala chokhe barir dike rowna hotam, tokhono dekhtam pikuda boshe...baranday....pikudar bodhoy unooner dhoay chokh jala korto na....

golita sotyi i boro rongin chhilo.....oi soru golite koto dhoroner bari....tokhon to ja dekhtam tai bhalo lagto....ekta biraat sada bari chhilo, baganwala....amra boltam doctorer bari....malik adou doctor chhilen kina jana nei, kintu tokhonkar dine borolok shoukhin manei doctor bojhato, tai barir malik amader chokhe doctor hoye uthechhilen sohojei....oi golitei chhilo guddir bari...parar, mane amar shei chhotobelar parar sobtheke sundari r naak unchu meye.....oi boyeshei ki demak....sobar sange khelto na...amar moto handa-kyabla gechho meyer sange to moteo bhab jomeni tar...jodio amar khub ichhe chhilo guddi amar bondhu hok...kintu she gure bali...

golir baire ottoboro math, kintu tar sathe moteo bhab chhilona amader...amader jotto khela jeno oi soru, chhotto golite...oi golitei rongona gachh chinechhilam, oi golitei kathpiprer kamor kheye bapre-bapre chechiye para mathay korechhi....

tarpor...onekdin kete gechhe....golita ki kore jeno dheke giyechhilo....unooner dhoao ajkal dekha jayna, hoyto oder bari r unoon jolena.....hoyto oder gas eshechhe....pikuda keo ajkal r dekhina.....ki jani ki kore??? bhulei gechhilam golita achhe.....jawai hoyna o-pothe....boro hoye gechhi je!! hotath aj rate office theke ferar pothe dekhlam hnaa kore mukh bariye amar chhelebelar goli...etodiner aral chhere beriye eshechhe... choke mukhe gaahro abhiman...kintu gaye shei purono, chena bheja gondho....jeno golitar modhye ajo royechhe ekta asto math,pukur,tapur-tupur bristir desh....mather epar theke dariye ami aj abar takalam oi chhotto soru golitar dike....buk bhore swash nilam, r bhora kuashar modhyeo amar nake bheshe elo unooner dhoaar gondho...chokhta hotath jeno jwala jwala kore uthlo......

time will turn

just when i thought everything was falling into place, it happened. The 'ladke lenge' attitude that i left at the doorstep of jadavpur university needed to be revived...starting afresh, not losing hope even when there is not a single ray of light...'Fight!' 'Fight!' i said to myself.....the days are miserable...who knew 120 seconds could be sooo long, 24 hrs in a day is such a huge time that a man can spend his lifetime in that period... passing time by staring at the window is the toughest job in the world, and those who can do it with a smile, are the most courageous people in the world....night time is predictable....again u stare by the window, listen to the weird sounds and watch the night fading into dawn...and then i realize yet another night has passed without sleep...to get out of these i talk to friends, they are comforting, understanding but that is not enough......colleagues- we are in the same boat, but their whining makes me sick....and then there are people who love to sympathize, take pleasure in others pain....but, they are more entertaining than the aboves....i often enjoy talking to them.....but, still the day does not pass.....in last 5 yrs, or more than that.....i hardly ever got to spend a holiday.....it was a long time i watched day turn into dusk...or relaxing on Sundays....i often complained about that, who knew GOD was listening!!.....anyways, it sucks!!! watching so many thing happening around the globe and I'm not a part of it makes me feel awful....but, i know the wheel of time will turn, I'll have my chance....the best of it.....there will be days when I'll be running all day and night for work.....may be, I'll crave for holidays again...who knows!!!

and when i get older, I'll tell my juniors its an evil thing to get holidays...they will think I'm a jerk, who just wants to make them work harder.....but they don't know that the best way to punish a working journalist is to send him on a month-long holiday.....