Postcards from Calcutta

Mahishasura Mardini - 2011 - Pujo Eshe Gelo

2011-09-14T00:28:00.001-07:00

Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu, Matri Rupena Sansthita
Namastasyai, Namastasyai, Namastasyai, Namo Namah
Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu, Buddhi Rupena Sansthita
Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu, Shakti Rupena Sansthita
Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu, Nidra Rupena Sansthita
Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu, Chaiya Rupena Sansthita
Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu, Daya Rupena Sansthita
Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu, Kanti Rupena Sansthita
Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu, Bhranti Rupena Sansthita
Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu, Shantih Rupena Sansthita
Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu, Tushti Rupena Sansthita
Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu, Lakshmi Rupena Sansthita

These are the lines from the epic recitation of Mahishashur Mardini.

I can remember the time when I was little, during the time of Mahalaya, my father used to wake me up very early morning. 4 Am I guessing. It used to be really dark in the morning and chilly as well, since Calcutta enjoyed a really lovely climate during the pujas .

Every year we would get up early- me and my dad - to listen to “Mahishasura Mardini ” and "Chandipath" by Birendra Kishore Bhadra .It used to broadcast on All India Radio, and I still remember how my dad would weave a magical atmosphere by telling me what the recitation was all about. The ceof Good over Evil . How evil demon king Mahishasura was blessed to never die in the hands of a man and how the gods created Goddess Durga and endowed her with ten hands and ten Bhahmastras to vanquish the evil as a loophole of that endowment to Mahishasura.

Maa Durga as we used to fondly call the goddess as, was also our first lesson in respecting the strength of a woman .As we awaited the radio transmission to come on- witnessing the birds fly out of their nocturnal slumber to witness and welcome the dawn which signified the first day of the Pujas – the day Mahishasura was vanquished – Mahalaya – the magical 10 days of fun and devotion, of culture and learning, of happiness and love, of family and friendship was here.

I still recall vividly how my dad would go to increase the volume on his Philips amplifier as Biderendra Krishna Bhandras immortal voice would start reciting which I believe was also called the CHANDIPATH…and we would welcome the goddess to her earthly abode and the inauguration of DURGA PUJO with Mahalaya.

As Mr.Bhadra's voice modulated slowly to a crescendo before tipping down again while he narrated how the divine goddess fought the evil demon king and killed him when he hid as a buffalo, I would visualize the epic battle in my mind as my dad translated the portions I couldn’t understand. The classic tale of good over evil was an overpowering one as well as the respect and faith in the idea of God which we all would have questioned several times as we grew up.

We never missed this special broadcasting ever as far as I can remember. Now many of us who are not living in Calcutta for various ,unite in the festivities with this recitation on Mahalaya. The hair still stands on the nape of my neck as I hear the rendition and it’s a part of my life which is synonymous with the idea of being a Bengali.

The pujas were magical as we not only got to wear new clothes , eat amazing food which is the pride of the Bengali Culture , it was also time of great stories of folklores being told to youngsters by the older generation reaffirming the passage of culture from one generation to the other , as well as arranging marriages and engagements.

My dad was a great story teller and he would tell me about how this Puja at this time of the year is called the OKAAL BODHON or the untimely invoking of Goddess Durga by lord Rama during the epic battle between him and Asura King Raavan and how the lessons of Professionalism could be imbibed from this one story of Ram invoking Debi Durga. The folklore goes that Rama being a Kshatriya (warrior) was not caste wise allowed to perform the pujas and he requires a Brahmin to do so .As to my amazement, he narrated how Ram sought the services of Raavan who was a supreme Brahmin himself to conduct the pooja .It was on Raavan's conducting of the Puja did Goddess Durga get invoked and she granted Ram the blessing and weapon to kill Raavan.

How Raavan stayed true to his professional duties changed my mindset and treatment towards Raavan forever. This story of professionalism is what I still repeat in my corporate Trainings and Management Classes to state that no person is entirely good or bad. Its circumstances and choices that make him /her appear to look good or bad in that matter.

Staying away from Calcutta and in a place where I find struggling to remain a Bengali everyday and stay true to my culture in my own small world, I look forward to Mahalaya Torpon on 27th September 2011. I look forward to hearing on my music system, recreating the Calcutta in my mind as I hear Mr.Birendra Kishore Bhadra recite

Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu, Shakti Rupena Sansthita
Namastasyai, Namastasyai, Namastasyai, Namo Namah

I will look out of the window and welcome a new dawn .This year as again the pujas would be different. My wife is not a Bengali and as I welcome the pujas, I would don the role of my father and tell her the story of how Gods created Debi Durga to vanquish evil and wish that I would be able to pass on this lovely cultural gem to my children, who would someday do the same.

As I pray for strength not to break down emotionally to Maa Durga, I ask her to give me the strength to fight the demons within and bless my family with love and happiness that we may be blessed to live another day, to hear yet another year as we invoke the Goddess in the voice of Birendra Kishore Bhadra reciting

Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu, Daya Rupena Sansthita
Namastasyai, Namastasyai, Namastasyai, Namo Namah

The Corner STone called Life

2009-10-09T03:45:00.001-07:00

wants to run away from the world
away to a corner
where no one asks your name ,
and yet every one smiles but not that of a stranger ,
where warm food and a warm heart warms up not only your life ,
lights up not only the eyes but your soul as well ...

can anyone give me the way to this utopia
Where happiness rings in the air
Where Love is the code of honour
And Smiling is in your best behavior
Where tears are treasured
And crying is not a sign of weak
Where the greatest sin is not to let love speak

Can any one give me the way to this utopia
Where a shoulder is lend to every crying heart
And where aprreciating others is not considered a lost art
Where your tears are wiped , by a soft hand
Which caresses your face and holds your hand

Where is my corner , where is that land?
Where theres happiness and love that’s knows no bound
Where is my life taking me away
To a bleak existance called life

I want to break free , I want to run ..
away from the world
away to a corner
where no one asks your name ,
and yet every one smiles but not that of a stranger ,
where warm food and a warm heart warms up not only your life ,
lights up not only the eyes but your soul as well ...

Oh ! Calcutta !

2009-09-23T00:08:00.000-07:00

(picture courtesy : http://z.about.com/d/goindia/1/0/6/6/-/-/TheEsplanade.JPG)

The smell of Kachoris in the morning sun

The swinging on the footboard of 30 A used to be so much fun

The smell of mustard and five spices galore

Of grand mom’s cooking which I miss in Bangalore

The fish, the curry, the Kheer and spice

I miss my life and when everything was nice

The radio that sang of songs of heart
Of Jimmy Tangrey, of Love is on the air, of feelings unspoken which used to hurt

The sound of Dhaak, the sound of love ...

The durgapujor parar utsav

The harmless flirting everyyear with the pretty girls

and then seing them get married off and the end of a cute love story ..and still the joys knew no bound

Friends who were soul mates and friends who were family

School that taught us of heritage and responsibility

Families that never competed with each other

But taught the essence of being joyous in happiness and success for each other

Calcutta I miss you, I miss you very much

I miss the fragrance of “bhapa ilish” and “bhaaja maach”

I miss my aunt singing rabindra sangeet

I miss my uncle dancing to "singing in the rain" without skipping a single beat

I miss Anjan Datta, Nachiketa, Euphoria and Mohiner Ghora guli

I miss running and paying tribute to the Maa Ganga aboard the old bridge of Hooghly

Calcutta, My mother, Calcutta my home

Calcutta my existence I owe to you, my soul you own

Dhano dhanye pushpe bhora

Amader ei boshundhora

Tahaar Maajhe Aache je ek Shokol Desher Shera

O she shopno diye toiri se desh Smriti diye ghera

Emon Deshti Kothao Khuje Paabe naako tumi

O she shokol desher raani seje aamar janmobhumi

She je aamar janmobhumi...

Thank you

2008-11-11T03:42:00.000-08:00

I guess at this point of my life, amazed at the people I have met, and their contribution to my life, often by mere presence has been astounding and ecstatic. And as my Dad used to say, never let any deed go by unheeded and un-thanked, cos everything that happens in your life, teaches you a lesson that’s called Experience.

And when I look behind, and I Realize the wonderful repository of knowledge that was endowed upon me by these people who had shaped the way I think and behave and do …and brushing aside the compliments which mean almost nothing when you have faced the storm, I hereby would like to give out certain gratitude points to certain people, who made me what I am today, Happen –
SO here it goes – my small thanksgiving speech

“Thank you,

To those of you who laughed at me, Thank You
Without you, I wouldn’t have cried!! You burnt me with the flame of your indifference and created a hardened shell which protects the softness inside and of people around him, just like a burnt clay shields a flame in a “diya”

To those of you who just couldn’t love me, thank you
For without you I wouldn’t have known real love, how to recognize it and how to share it with the world around me.

To those of you who have hurt my feelings, Thank you
For without you I wouldn’t have felt them and learnt how to not hurt somebody else and how to stand up with Dignity

To those of you who have left me lonely, Thank you
Without you I wouldn’t have discovered myself and denied the world of a great entertainer who gives excellent company to those who seek respite from the despair called Loneliness

But, it is to those of you who Thought I couldn’t do it; thank you the MOST
For it is YOU I would like to Thank the most …for without you I wouldn’t have tried...amd I would have never been able to realize the fighter in me , who awoke every time the fate challenge and you commented , like a Phoenix from the ashes…Thank you for making me the FIGHTER ..Who has yet to learn n so much more, but most importantly, is YET TO LEARN WHAT IS DEFEAT!!!!

I thank you!!!

Oye Teri …Call MK for Mr.Karthikeya...

2008-11-04T11:12:00.000-08:00

Have you ever come across an unusual person who looks usually unusual with an unusually long chin whom you see every nook and corner till he becomes a figurative conversation starter, ender and conversation piece as usual. Unusual isn’t it? You feel this feeling egg in you to call out his name, quite unsure if this person is that person you usually think he is...well figuratively speaking …….confused? well don’t be , cos I was .For 2 days hours at end I spoke and heard about this guy who isn’t who he is supposed to be.

Karthikeye...as seductive and figurative this guy can be, sometimes on a park bench with a femme fatale (read fatal for all females), sometimes with an overtly endowed female (read F-A-T “Sis”) and sometimes with man’s best friend (read DOG and not Playboy), Mr.Karthikeye a.k.a MK, still managed to get sighted quite a number of times under this pretty things balcony, and I would urge her to call out his name KARTIKEYE..in 3 voice modes – shout it all aloud ( Instead I was shouting his name on her behalf through hr call phone's "booming” speaker phone , some 800 kms away , waking up my neighbors instead of attracting MK’s attention, second one would be a seductive “karrtikeyeaaa” like the evergreen Rekha , and lastly HI!! R u kart? Oh you are not...anyways I’m Shultz the Mehfuz.

Still MK remained out of earshot, and I guess he is as excited to know this pretty lass as we are exited in calling out his name in different tone of voices – howling and barking included. Lemme tell u how MK is supposed to look like...Long irritable chin (trademarked MK, a dead giveaway even in the dead of the night), long hair which is not expected to trim and cut (on recent updates he has cut his hair-and by the way some one was breathing quite hard when describing MK, and on her own confession – she was sleeping also at the same time, on one side , and so I guess she was awake on the other side when her this side was dreaming about MK! Huh? Confused again!!!)

The promise is that the lass is going to shout his name aloud , when she has the inclination to , depending on the “next time” he crosses her balcony at night , quite like Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet, but only this time there is no ladder and Juliet is going to shout "oye tu MK hai kya ? nehi? oye teri …tere maa ki @#$#@#$*&^% ".

Guess that’s the new age romance...straight to “aati kya khandala..?” ..It’s the time to disco …lekin if pappu can’t dance saala...then...oye Teri maa ki aankh!!! Khisak le patli gali se …guess ludhiyana meets lokhandwala ….a Classic jab we met!!!

And the search for that elusive moment of shouting his name, we still await!!! For Thou shall not take thy MK’s name in vain!!!

The Mask

2008-10-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

(Image Courtesy : http://www.mirroria.eu/images/g_people/)

The mask I wear
The face you see
The illusion I portray
The person you know as me

A smile etched across its animated face
A brave pursuit not to lose the rat race
The mask I wear
The face you see
It’s not the person you think I am me...

The tears that well deep within the eyes
Swallowed in silence
The frown that hides behind the smile
How can that be a source of sustenance?

The mask I wear
The person...ME
The aura of Happiness
That seems to surround me

The absolution that I search for
The retribution I seek
The Peace of Mind...so alluring
The happiness and Love...the urge never ending

The search for Love
The Search for peace
The search for that state of Mind
Will you...can you ever give?

Could you love that face behind the MASK
And caress those cheeks streaked with tears
Could you uphold that child in the man?
Stunned to silence by his own fears...

The mask I wear
The face you see
An Illusion I portray
Can you ever forgive me?

Lessons of Life juxtaposed in time

2008-10-13T04:01:00.000-07:00

I’m an eternal romantic who’s lost his romance to the times
Staring into nothingness searching for my vice,
And For that exclusive note of the tinkle in the wind chime
Looking for that elusive emotion of love, Searching the genuine-ness behind each smile

Scores of faceless people,
With what not on their mind
Falling prey to their own judgment Juxtaposed in the image of sorrow
in the fervent rush against time

Some rise to meet the occasion
While most others fall
The mad race to nowhere,
“Where are you going?”- No one is able to recall

Running all your life, in pursuit of a elusive tomorrow
Death is at your door step, and time you still want to borrow
One hour and I make so much,
Value of money becomes the value of life ,Today’s story and tomorrow as such

Living life as of today
as if you merely exist
Dreaming of a tomorrow and yet
living the today you so fiercely resist

What good comes of wealth and Fame?
When all you can do is just breathe and nothing else
You see your life ebb away, lying in a heap of worthless value
See your loved ones far away, searching for their own tomorrow

Oblivious to your emotions as you were to theirs
They trudge on their life’s oath, with grudge and hatred to bear
A viscous vice of life and death,
and a period of suffering of what is the rest

Is this Life?
What happens to the daring conquests?
When you forgot love and relations for money
when you forgot to tuck in your child and say “Good Night Honey!”

What happened to the conquest when you lay in Death bed?
A broken sick man, unable to move
When Fate deals its cruel blow, squandering your wealth called Life
When people dash to own your money, even push comes to a Shove

Is this what you were fighting for?
A lesson of a Lifetime.
Was the victory worth losing loved ones and to die for?
Is this what you dreamt of what would be the end of the line?...

I’m an eternal romantic who’s lost his romance to the times
Staring into nothingness searching for my vice,
For that tinkle in the girl's eyes
Looking for that elusive emotion of love, Searching the genuine-ness behind each smile

Horror

2008-09-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

At the stroke of midnight when the world is fast asleep, you suddenly wake up not knowing why. You feel someone is there - watching you. Hoping this is all a dream you sit silently and then you hear footsteps in the distance coming closer. Shivers run down your body making you feel cold, very cold. Groping around for the light switch you see a blurry vision and a second later you hear a whisper ‘Hellooo Stranger’. And, you shriek!

5 things about me that many dont know yet

2008-09-15T08:10:00.000-07:00

Shruti had mentioned long back that I have to share five unknown facts about me which I have never shared here before. So let me get started because I don't want to disappoint her. Here goes:

1> I talk in my sleep and my Mom used to say when I was a kid that I would talk in an unknown language and had given her quite a number of sleepless nights in Horror.As I grew up ,That language took shape to English and recently someone ( i wont mention who) reportedly commented that now I have full conversations with who knows what in my sleep.I guess 12 -14 Hours of Wakefullness is not enough to keep the chatterbox in me satiated.

2> I have seen ghosts twice and thats what got me interested in the Paranormal.No im not kidding and no I didnt get disillusioned.When I was a Kid I was a non beliver in ghosts and yet I have seen things at my home that My mom used to speak in hushed tones.She still belives that there lies in me something mystical which she herself cannot comprehend.Needless to say Im quite freaked out with myself at times.Ive had deja vus of incidents years later and it is suddenly so shocking to realise that Ive been through that situation in Totality before and I can at times even predict what the person is going to say or what will I see.

3> I have seen a Boeing 747 take off and Land onroute from Delhi to Calcutta and Delhi to Kashmir , sitting with the Pilot in the cockpit while I was still in my shorts.I have sat in a MIG 27 at the Kalaikunda Airbase and have seen Sukhois being cleaned at arms distance .I still remember how the Delhi airport runway lights up on approach to resemble a arrow.

4> Ive played with Esha Deol as a Kid and had breakfast with Dharmendra , Esha Deol and Hema Malini in Kathmandu in 1986 when we had stayed in the same hotel at Pokhran( my mom introduced DHarmendra as Veeru and Hema malini as Basanti from SHolay.I have seen Bhupen Hazarika sing his songs without instruments in the same Hotel's Garden till 2 am and was stopped only when two foreigners complained to the 5 star hotel staff that they were getting disturbed by the songs.Riya Sen was one kid I used to hate in the Social Dos.I used to quite like Raima though cos she was very composed while Riya was cry baby.Aparna Sen ( actress , Film Director- 15 Park Avenue and Mr and Mrs Iyer ) has come home and Ive met Late former PM Rajiv Gandhi near my home in calcutta during his conferences.Rituparno Ghosh ( of Last Lear fame) is a family friend and Arindam CHaudhuri is someone I have known personally as a Mentor and worked with .

5> I have met personally former Ms Universe Natalie Glebova on her visit to Bangalore and have personally taken care of Michael Learns to Rock on their INDIA tour perfomace in Bangalore and have taken the band members of Red Nex( of Cotton Eye Joe fame) to shopping at the Forum Mall in Bangalore.

Bangalore - Where art thou??

2008-09-11T11:05:00.000-07:00

Gone July this year and I complete 9 years in Bangalore.It seems but only yesterday when I boarded the flight all on my own , for the first time in my life , hurtling towards a world which I had no idea ,amongst people I didnt recognise and Language I didnt converse in and most importantly Food which was not at all in taste with my palette.

From a kid who was just fresh out of school and who have never stepped alone anywhere , the flight 2500 Kms away to a destination whish was a new place was defiantely unsettling , but somehow I could smell freedom on that day as the plane rolled into the tarmac of the then Bangalore domestic airport.

9 years have passed and I wouldnt say that the period was all good.I detest and Loathe several moments in Bangalore where I was made to feel an outsider cos I didnt speak their Language.COming from a place like calcutta where you are welcome as long as you can communicate , the dark underbelly of Banaglore showed its can of worms like they used to be in Chennai ( where you are not welcome if you dont speak Tamil) or now in Mumbai. I love Kannada and I love the way people in Karnata speak nanu ninnanu preethi suthene ( I Love You ) or say Howdu ( is it?) , Eshthu ( How Much ?) , or Swalpa Adjust Maadi ( please adjust a bit) which brings out India and its wonderful way of accomodating everything beautifully ...and yes Identity is a precious feeling which needs to be sustained , and respected from both sides, but isnt India also all about Athithi Sanskar...I mean ..telling a person from another state to get out of "your "state or your culture and degrade him to a nobody , cos he doesnt speak your regional language - Is it fair ? and disrespecting your national Language Hindi by refusing to converse in it and condemning it ..i never understood the reasoning , cos thats the only language by which people across the country can communicate... other than English...imagine if US or Europe refused to communicate other than in French , german, spanish etc and lynched you everytime you spoke english , humiliating and mobbing you and degrading you cos you dont speak their language.Not that It doesnt , but Im talking about a educated breedof people here ....

I was in Pune recently and I loved the place and inspite of all thats happening in Mumbai , I saw that the Pune-ites are so accomodative and loving and helpful...and for the first time I felt , my bangalore seems to have lost its charm.

The city which helped me grow today is faltering at its own stance..people have become hostile , autodrives and Cab drivers seem to only increase the hostility, always ready to fight at the slightest and most benign of the remarks, abusing and foul mouthing , exhibiting pack behavior and mob mentality Cops take the route of non kannadigas go back stance , and the entire Maahaul has become so intrinsicly exploitative , that at times you might wonder , are we back to the days of the apertheid ?

I still shudder at the thought of getting attacked by 15 rowdies in broad daylight cos I said I didnt understand kannada and tried to converse in hindi and later learnt that one of them took it up as an issue cos it seems I have insulted Dr.Rajkumar in Kannada , while I was merely asking them to speak in Hindi. What followed was fist cuffs and my parentage and existance bein sullied , robbed and mobbed..and I ask myself , If i Have to defend myslef , isi t a crime ...not to know the regional language , I ask , is it a pre requisite to be a citizen of this country to know each and every language , and then if so , why doesnt these section of the society know Hindi ..or bengali , or marathi , or punjabi , or malayalam ....isnt it not teaching what you are preaching ?

However , not everything is lost ....The city and its people , at least a portion of it still creates a feeling of happiness and ambience.When I meet the schools and their principles ,and i hear them talking about education and how Bangalore is the place where every student gets a wonderful exposure, my heart swells with pride. I have given the city 9 years of my life and my entire career.

I have met some of the most amazing people like Narayan Murthy , Nandan Nilekani , Kiran Mazumdar Shaw , Giri Balasubhramaniam , people who instill the faith in the word BANGALORE and not as the rest of the pack seems to degrade it to a convenient bangalored as the US economy tames it as...

The city is fighting a dying battle of identity , not from anyone but from people who are native to the city by geneology.The language once the crown of the souther indian culture has today been tarnished and reduced into a gullible foul slang , used as a slew of abuses , and find its reflection in the mouths of inebrated, illogical , insecured pockets of people who believe that life should be served to them in a silver platter and destroys works of people like Girish Kasarvalli and Girish Karnad and Thespian Dr.Raj Kumar , who essayed the role of just and able representatives of a wonderful and amiable and people loving and cultured creed of Indians called Kannadigas.

Gardens have gone , the garden city is no longer green , and the IT which has raised the city to its cosmopolitan status today finds itself torn between people who bebefit from it , by welcoming talent from all the world , and also the same people who now have their high standard of living , yet curse saying "you outsiders get out of my country , you are destroying bangalore"..

So today as an Indian , and as per our preamble which rightly awards the right to its citizen to settle any where in india , I ask the country - when we can all earn the same rupee and eat the same food , why cant we have respect and equality in every place of our beloved country.Today the fight is no longer freedom and kashmir and tibet ..today its afight for your own identity , and for your life

So I ask today , INDIA where art Thou ? or are we soon going the russia way of breaking down into 33 countries or more ..instead of being the united sovreign states of India ..JAI HIND !!!

Who am I ?

2008-07-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

picture courtesy Libizblog.files.wordpress.com

The Laya's Song

I am a storyteller. I love telling stories .I have traversed the world...sipped civet coffee at the baristas in Paris, flirting with at the pretty French women as they passed me at the foot of the Eiffel tower, gazed in the horizon atop the Sphinx, charted a course atop the Nebuchadnezzar sailing its voyage sailing the river tzanghzi, touched the cannons at the Belem tower imagining what would be the crescendos moment they fired, raced a purple BMW Z class coupe through the busy streets of champalysses, sang “ Annie’s song” to my love , basking under the sun in the virgin country side , filled with the aroma of bacon and sausages, strumming my guitar and letting the beauty of the Himalayas soak in.

I stand for everything unconventional in the conventional, the chaos in the constant. I'm a free spirit wandering in search of an anchor and a shooting star that Boyzone sang about in the movie Hercules.

I find my sound in Euphoria and The Glorious Sun….I’m the light in the ever encompassing darkness, the purity in everything that is evil, I’m the serenity in the chaos and the calmness amidst turbulence, and yet I’m a ray of hope for all that has left it and I’m a challenge for all those who believe that they have conquered it all...
I am mortal, yet I have attained immortality. I’m the just in every unjust and the change in everything that seems to remain unchanged...

I have remained long enough to witness a millennium, and see tomorrow become yesterday and the future create history. I’ve faced the winds of change and gathered my ruins in the dust of time to rebuild what is a possible future.

I’ve lived to see countries fall and yet the spirits of its people rise like phoenix from the ashes of the ruins that terror left in its wake.

I’m unknown yet I live in everybody’s heart. I’ve seen it all and yet there is so much to be seen. I’m a possibility in the impossible; I’m the star that sparkles at night and the force that moves planets.
I’m order in the chaos and serenity in the cacophony. Who Am I? I am Sourish

HOME

2008-06-25T03:42:00.001-07:00

picture courtesy: Deepto "Abir" Roy

While cruising down the Ganges in the ferry ride, I just couldn’t help reminisces the yesterday that has passed away so deftly. Sitting at the bow of the ferry launch, I looked out at the horizon at the setting sun which was painting the skies in hues of orange and crimson.

A lot of events had happened recently and the decisions I took are crucial for me this point of time, especially in terms of career .Leaving Accenture was a big challenge and ghosts of the past still haunt. Everyone was of the opinion that holding onto a big brand will ensure that the career would move in the desirable sense to greatness. Agreed that it was a brand to reckon with and it was difficult to take the decision to leave all that behind. After all the weight age on the CV was unmistakable.

But at times you have to take a leap of faith and believe in yourself. Moving onto a small company compared to the IT giants was something people reeled with horror when they heard. You are leaving ACCENTURE?!!! Are you Mad?!!! But still I took the leap of faith and jumped.

It was not an easy decision, but considering what the new role offered, put the ghosts of doubts to rest. Not only a better pay package which has become incidental, a prestigious role to create and nurture concepts, and most importantly, I would be closer to home and would be able to visit home more often. To consider that I last visited home about a couple of years back, this was paradise....

To look back, at the times I had spent for and with the people who matter the most, I can weigh money, career and success at one side and family at the other, I would take family any time. They are priceless. Money will come and go, success would follow the steadfast, but family is the real strength. To see the smile on my niece’s face , and to pat my dogs when they clamor around me as I put down my bag and pick up the pugs while deftly patting my Labrador and golden retriever as they jump with joy , tails wagging and yelping in joy - I will chose this life any day.

I lean back seeing the auburn summer sun slowly setting in the Ganges. I am so happy I took this boat ride. To me, it signifies freedom and happiness- , a blast from the past; a life I had left long time back. With the breeze fluttering gently on my face, as I cross under the Howrah bridge, far inside the ferry I could hear someone singing Tagore's “Purano sei diner kotha, "( tales of time old , how can you ever forget ?"

I smile to myself - I am home again!!!