Point Blanc

The Green Revolution

2012-12-11T19:52:00.001-08:00

For too long in my culinary career (i.e. since I had started cooking after coming to USA), have I restricted my vegetarian cooking to the following few recipes:

Kopi'r dalla (Cauliflower curry)
Rajma (Kidney bean curry)
Masoor Daal (Lentils)
Mug Daal (Lentils)
Kopi diye Mug Daal (Lentils with Cauliflower)

These were good for when I used to eat my own cooking only once or twice a week (i.e. when when we were doing cooking turns in my friend's group). And these are good when I cook occasionally and the (dear) wife is doing most of the cooking (and Boy, she does cook well!).

But now that I was alone during my wife's trip alone, I realized I could not eat just the same dishes and survive. So I finally made some dishes I had wanted to learn for a while -- simple green veggies cooked in the Bong style. The wife makes them very well, but I needed to learn them myself (found the recipes online).

Anyway these are the three green veggie dishes I made today:

Green beans Bengali style
http://www.food.com/recipe/bengali-style-green-beans-481906
Bhindi (okra) Bengali style
http://easy2cookrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/04/okra-stir-fry-bengali-style.html
Broccoli Bengali style
http://www.tadkafry.com/bengali-recipes/broccoli-with-garlic-fennel-and-mustard-seeds-bengali-subzi-recipe/

All three were very easy to make, and I made all of them within two hours (while watching 'Shatranj ke Khiladi' on DVD). They all should go fantastically with daal and rice.

Ghorar Dim

2010-09-22T22:49:00.001-07:00

Dear Blog

I am writing this in Bengali because I want to. Sorry to people not understanding Bengali.

['Ghorar Dim' means 'Horses Eggs'.]

Accha bhaabte paaro? Ekta restaurant-e shudhu dim pawa jaaya... aar shetaai khub popular ekta restaurant? Maane India-te rastaar dhaare tumi nischoy oi stall gulo dekhecho je gulo-te omelette, egg-maggi ityaadi pawa jeto. Je rokom amra kharagpur-e Anil Da'r dokaan-e khetaam.

Kintu eikhaane, ei MAARKIN JUKTORASHTRE-y, shetaakei era 'Diner' bole chalaay. Aaj raatrei ami je bhojon kore elaam, ekta besh upmarket dim bhojon / bhokkhon-er dokaan-e khelam.

Ki khelam? Accha shono - ekta double dim-er poach - opor aar neech du dik-i bhaaja - so 'runny' eggs byapaar-taa nei. Ekhane etaake bole 'over-hard' Taa hole bujhtei paarcho 'over-soft', 'over-medium' jodi keu bole, taa hole ki bojhaabe. Amaar moto bhyabachaka hote hobe naa.

Accha dim-er sathe chilo aalu bhaaja. Paatla kore kaata aalu, halka kore bhaja. Etaa-ke ekhane bole 'hash brown'.

Aar chilo duto bacon-er strip. Naa hoy eta bongodesh-e tumi naa-o dekhe thaakte paaro.

Accha ei shob gulo'r pore aar ekta jinish chilo. Pancakes. Etaar-o kono exact bharotiyo juri neii.

Kintu jaai hok, pancakes to mishti jinish. Actual khabar taa ta hole ki daraalo? Dim aar alu bhaja. Eta khete tumi restaurant-e jaabe, kokhono bhabte paarcho? Maane kono chance aache? Nei, ami jaani. Kintu ei desh-taai e rokom. Alaada.

To ekhane surprised hoyo naa, jodi kauke shey restaurant-e ki khelo jigesh korle, shey bole: "dim-er poach aar aalu bhaja".

Jaai boli, puro byapaar-ta kintu bhalo kore serve korey. Aar pancakes gulo ghyama banaay maairi ekhaane. Sheta pore aar-o bistrito bornon kore likhbo aar ek din.

Cholo bhalo theko.

Kriti

What's up Blog!

2010-09-22T07:01:00.001-07:00

Hey Blog

How you doin'?

Well as you know I am now in SFO - spending a 3 month period of my life here. Well I did tell you a bit about all that in my last post to you, but this time - wanted to share some statistics with you.

The following one, I looked up on Sept. 11 this year.

About 3000 people died in the September 11 attacks on World Trade Center, New York ^
About 40,000 people live in Blacksburg, USA (that's where Virginia Tech is located) ^
About 230,000 people died in the Haiti earthquake, early 2010 ^

[Imagine 70 WTC towers collapsing simultaneously within 2 minutes. Or 6 towns like Blacksburg wiped out. That was the Haiti earthquake.]

OK, next one is not so grim. It is related to my love for Botanical Gardens. Loved it as a kid. Still love it. Found this one out after my visit to Golden Gate Park, SFO.

About 250 acres: Area of Botanical Gardens, Kolkata ^
About 1000 acres: Area of Golden Gate Park, San Francisco ^
About 5 million: Population of Kolkata ^
About 1 million: Population of San Francisco ^

[That means Kolkata has 5 times more people but it's biggest recreational area is 4 times smaller.]

Am curious to know if this post will reach you properly. Am sending it to you via email.

Take care.

Kriti

Chapter 2

2010-09-05T22:58:00.000-07:00

A lot of things going on recently. I traveled to Chicago to attend a truly international conference. Then came to California to do an internship. Experiencing new places, new people, new foods, new experiences. Office. Commute to office. California. Chicago. Long distance relationship. So many changes - so many things to write about. For a start, here some of my recent reflections/ observations/ experiences:

Walking at night on the roads of USA, you see many cars passing by but no people.
California food is good. Very good. Also Mexicans make curry very much like our mutton curry and rice pudding very much like our payesh.
Some people (read 'I') unwind by talking/being with their loved ones. Not having them nearby can be tough. Different time zones can make this even more difficult.
Writing comes naturally in these times.
In the real world (as compared to grad school), money is a big motivator. Commute-time to work is equally important.
The engine of a BMW is very powerful.
Driving a stick-shift is slightly more work but more fun.
Some people do not like being given directions by the GPS.
In Chicago, I had to search for places where I liked the food. In California, I have not yet found a place where I did not like the food.
A Mexican burrito can be very different from the one we eat at Moe's.
You might meet most of the first authors on the Reference list of your publication by going to an international conference.
Blue Moon beer tastes good.
It is great fun to sing along with someone playing the guitar to 'Hotel California' - even if you are reading the lyrics off the internet.
If you get lost in USA but have a laptop, check available Wireless connections. You might get an unsecured Wireless connection.
One night, in Chicago - I took a ferry ride on Lake Michigan to get a good view of the city lights. After a while, I realized that I was more attracted by a view directly opposite the city lights - the sight of the lake at night, and the dark wavy waters spreading out into a dark horizon.
You got to stay at the beach if you want to enjoy the ocean. A few hours just does not cut.
It is difficult to take good photographs on a rocking boat at night.
Chicago (and lot of central USA) is flat. Really flat.
Some people are not scared of looking down from the 110th floor of a building.
Yesterday, I walked for 45 minutes along busy roads but did not get within 20ft of another individual (except for those who were in cars whizzing by).
[Point made earlier but felt like noting it again.]
The Macbook has a clamshell mode. Fortunately.
TV has its attractions - after watching something on a large TV screen, difficult to go back to a small laptop screen.
Some good TV shows I found - Bourdain, Man vs. Food.

More later.

Oye! Get in line.

2010-06-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

The time is 1:50pm. 10 more minutes till school is out. As a school prefect, I have to excuse myself from class for dispersal duty.

Let me explain what dispersal duty is. When the school bell rings at 2, everyone is bound to make a mad rush to exit the school premises. This can be dangerous - so the dispersal must be done in an orderly fashion. Junior classes 6 and 7 leave first, then class 8 and so on. Dispersal duty prefects man important locations along the dispersal path - from corridors to stairways to exit door - and make sure the dispersal is carried out on in a disciplined fashion.

At almost all points, two lines come down the stairs, one from the left wing and one from the right. The prefects are usually at the middle of the two lines. To make sure that the lines remain separate and that there is not a mad scramble down the staircase - is the primary challenges.

I am in Class 8. I invariably am posted at one of the important locations. First the rush of Classes 6 and 7 come in. They come like a wave of foamy bubbles. With my height, I tower over most of them - and I easily pack these kids into proper lines. They try to escape but it is easy to push then back - seniority helps.

Then come my batchmates. They know me and even if I want to act tough - they will not let me. Some of them are pure villain - they want to piss me off intentionally. Some hoist the sentimentality flag - "Kriti, let me go yaar. You know how important it is that I get the first seat in the schoolbus". Some do not care whichever way - 5 minutes here and there do not matter.

By this time, the human wave is swelling. The height and average weight of the 'dispersees' has increased. I am pushed around. But I come back to my position and keep pushing people back into their lines. On my watch, not many people can break rules - it is an unpopular job but someone has got to do it.

And then come the seniors - classes 9 and 10. Some understand the need for maintaining lines (kudos to these compassionate souls). But for most, it is ridiculous that they have to obey orders from a Junior. They wear full trousers and Class 8 students have to wear shorts. The distinction is too much. The human wave knows no barrier now - the prefect is tossed and turned around. Seniors usually warn of extreme retaliation later on if we do not give in to them now. Some of the Class 8 prefects give in and just let the stampede pass. But many like me are stubborn. We resurface to face the challenge. It is a lost cause but nevertheless we do not give up.

After a few minutes of this frenzy, the wave subsides. What remains is just a trickle of lingerers - those who do not care when they get out of school. Then there are some who do not care whether they get out of school at all. We force these people out, and make sure the classrooms are empty.

The whole exercise works up quite an appetite. I wish my fellow prefects goodbye, and head back home for lunch.

----- o -------

A few days back, I suddenly happened to remember this. If I painted the picture right, you will realize that this daily routine was quite an ordeal. But 15 years later, it is now just another wonderful memory from my school-days.

A Hill Station called Blacksburg

2010-06-05T07:02:00.000-07:00

I never thought I would fall in love with the mountains.

When I was a kid, my family would make a trip about once a year. The first such trip was to Digha - a sea-beach. The trip was short - 2 days - but I was enraptured by the sea. There was something about the sea that immediately got me hooked. Moreover I was the only kid in the group - and I could get away from the elders and feel free when I was in the sea.

But we used to go to hills very often. I did not enjoy going to hills. Oh yes - it was beautiful and all that. But we would end up sitting in the car all day traveling - stay at a place with a beautiful view for a night - and then travel again next day to another beautiful sight. There were brief occasions when I could actually wander around in the mountains - never too far from the watchful eyes of accompanying parent or relative - but still I enjoyed those brief moments. The accompanying elder would take the well trodded trail while I would head into little more adventurous terrain. Alas! These moments were too short and far apart - and all in all, I did not enjoy the mountains as much as I enjoyed the sea.

And then three years ago, I came to Virginia. More precisely - Blacksburg, Virginia. Bang in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Mountains everywhere. East - West - North - South - mountains on all sides. But for most of my first one and a half years here, these mountains remained out of reach - my travels were limited to the campus, grocery store etc. Trips out of Blacksburg were mostly taken by Interstate 81. And when on these Interstates, I never got the true feel of the mountains. These roads do not wind around mountains like true mountain roads do - they just bulldoze through them.

But these mountains kept calling out to me. I remember that while taking breaks from work, I used to enjoy a particularly good view of the mountains from one end of my office building in Torgersen Hall. Over the year, I saw the hills changing color - the Greens of Summer and Spring, to the Reds and Oranges of Autumns, to the Greys of Winter - I kept on staring at the wonderful mountains. Alas - from afar!

And then things started changing. I bought a bike. Started going out into the countryside. I started exploring trails. Soon after, I got a car. Now the world opened up rapidly. Random drives led me to the most wonderful of places. One particularly memorable day was when I spotted a trailhead while driving - and ended up exploring that trail by foot for around two hours.

I realized I was hooked. I now had full access to the mountains. What I had experienced as a child was not the proper way to enjoy the beauty of the mountains. To enjoy mountains one does not (I believe) need to go to a famous point and see a beautiful sight. Rather one should get lost in the vast expanses of the mountains - and then he will begin to truly feel their true beauty.

True Love

2009-10-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

The pic below was drawn by a cousin sister of mine when she was in her 3rd grade. What really amazed me was the sensitive quote which was scribbled on it.

The transcription of the quote is below the pic.

~~~~~~~~~

A girl once asked a boy,
"Do you think I'm pretty?"
"No" replied the boy.
"Don't you want me?"
"No"
"Do you like me?"
"No.

I don't think you're pretty,

I think you're beautiful.

I don't want you,

I need you.

I don't like you,

I love you."

~true love~

A Sardar, A 'Yogi' and some Witty Comments

2009-10-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

The English weather might have been mild. But the emotions running amok in the mind of one particular member of the Indian cricketing team were far from that.

That person was unhappy over a tiff with the Captain of the team. Being the senior most member of the team, he felt he should have been treated better. In retaliation, he decided to take an extreme stand. He deserted his team and took the first flight back to India [Link]. A shameful exit from international cricket, most people thought. But luckily, the man got another chance to play for his country. And though his last stint consisted of a few good innings, when he finally retired 3 years later, it was not as if the cricketing community was in tears over his exit. A promising career had come to a damp end.

But the man had more to say. Literally, a lot more to say.

After retiring from active cricket, this man became a commentator for international cricket. There he created a niche of his own - with humorous and witty comments blended with knowledgable inputs about the game. While cricketing pundits were aplenty, these comments were unusual in the cricketing world. And soon this commentators quips became famous in India and the world.

The shamed cricketer's footwork was impeccable this time and no one was going to dislodge his wicket for a while.

The man - none other than Navjot Singh Sidhu. His comments - now collectively known as Sidhuisms. Some examples below [from this link]:

Statistics are like bikinis… what they reveal is suggestive, what they hide is essential!
In the orchard of opportunity, you cant wait for the fruit to drop.
Good intentions die unless utilized.

Personally, I find Sidhu's comeback story quite fabulous and inspiring. However, recently I read about a certain Yogi Berra, a famous baseball player and manager, and found out about his penchant for witty comments [Link]. His quotes are famous as Yogi-isms. I wondered whether this was a coincidence. Or was Sidhu just copying from Yogi's quotes. This suspicion jaded my respect for Sidhu a bit. But reflecting on the matter a few days later, and by actually comparing quotes of these two witty people, I now think that Sidhu is not plagiarizing. His ingenuity must be applauded.

To round up the article, here are some of Yogi Berra's famous quotes which are certainly worth sharing [Source: Wikiquotes].

It ain't over till it's over.
When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't go to yours.
Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.

Image credits:

MANPREET ROMANA/AFP/Getty Images [Link]

Something, Anything.

2009-08-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

And in the Mumbai blasts,
Did any of your kin die?
Or any for whom you would shed a tear?
Would you have to skip a meal?
Or suffer damage to property?
Or have effect on monthly wages?

Then why do you say
You are affected?

You feel angry?
Sad?
Anxious?
Threatened?
You could have been there, right?
So something must be done, you say.

You are right,
Something must be done -
But what?

You say - something. Anything.
Quick action.
Strong steps.
Ban the ***,
Hang the ***,
Raid the ***,
Kill the ***.

But then.
Hundreds die
Of floods
In Bihar every year
Or in Orissa of heat
Or in Delhi of cold
And on the day of such news
You calmly sip your morning-tea
And fold the paper
And call up your son.

What then?
Isn't it ironic
That when those people
Feel threatened
And insecure;
And some rebel outfit
Or insurgent group
Promises them security,
And they follow blindly,
You call them poor illiterates.

Come to think of it,
They too are just doing something.
Something, anything.

- Kriti Sen Sharma
Image credits: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/11/mumbai_under_attack.html
----------------------------------------------------
(Poem 1 of 2 written as a reaction to Mumbai terrror attack, November 2008. Read other poem here.)

Was asked by friend, Deepu George, to write in my reactions to the terror attack. He planned to read out such inputs on his radio show (aired on WUVT). These two poems were written as a result of Deepu's request. However, after writing the poems I felt that many people might take offense at my emotions about the attacks. Eight months later, I feel these poems can now be released.

Firstly, Switch off the TV

2009-08-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

Those who have lost someone of their kin, or someone close to heart, or those who have suffered loss of property in the recent tragedy in Mumbai, might find the following piece offensive. The millions of other people are requested to read on.
***

First of all,
Switch off the TV.
Don't look at the papers.

Instead
Go watch a movie
Gossip about stingy relatives
Gorge on glorious food
Or shop till you drop.

Then you will realize
You have not been affected.

And then
Before you go to sleep
Think -
Can you do something
To prevent another Mumbai
And if the answer is yes,
Get up and start working on it.

Otherwise go to sleep
And remember -
Every scared and threatened mind
Is another victory in the terrorist's tally.

- Kriti Sen Sharma
(Unaffected.
But till when?)
----------------------------------------------------
Image credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/soumik/3062552427/

(Poem 2 of 2 written as a reaction to Mumbai terrror attack, November 2008. Read other poem here.)

Was asked by friend, Deepu George, to write in my reactions to the terror attack. He planned to read out such inputs on his radio show (aired on WUVT). These two poems were written as a result of Deepu's request. However, after writing the poems I felt that many people might take offense at my emotions about the attacks. Eight months later, I feel these poems can now be released.

Getting Things Off My Chest

2009-08-13T17:37:00.002-07:00

Someone once noted that there is a clearly proven statistical risk in driving a car. It seems car accidents have killed more people in history than did all the killing World War II. Despite that, driving remains a pleasurable activity. On certain days I cannot but agree more and more with this. When the wind brushes through your hair, and you whiz past houses, people, trees, forests, lakes and hills, it truly is an out of the world feeling. And on top of this, if the radio churns out a song which is just right for the moment, well that really makes your day.

And that was the exact feeling I had the other day. Which brings me to the main reason for this blog post. I just have to recommend this song to everyone. Hopefully not too many have heard before and would enjoy it. (Caveat: A bit guy-friendly perhaps.)

Here's the song: "Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy" by 'Big and Rich'

***

And while I am on the topic of recommendations, there are a few other recommendations I would like to get off my chest.

'Spreading the light', 'My good deed for the day'... call it what you want, good things should be shared with everyone. So here goes my list (of recommendations):

The Movie: "I Want Candy"
(Rated R for sexual content and language. British comedy.)

The Other Movie: "Remember the Titans"
(Awesome Awesome Awesome movie. For the whole family. I do not know why no one had told me about this earlier. This movie is just too good.)

The Cartoon: Series on "Economic Meltdown" by David Horsey
http://www.seattlepi.com/horsey/popupV2.asp?subID=4287&page=11&gtitle=Economic+Meltdown&pubdate=

The Powerpoint Presentation: "Impact of Social Media in Our Lives"
(Amazing presentation! Huge number of slides. But believe me... It flies away in a jiffy. Also you get to know many interesting facts about Facebook)

What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later

View more documents from Marta Kagan.

A Field Switch

2009-07-02T15:26:00.000-07:00

So in the field of my research, I begin work on a new field.

I stay within the broad realm of 'Biomedical Imaging and Image Processing' but my topic of research shifts from the field of 'Imaging for Virology' to 'Computed Tomography (CT)'. As I begin on this path, a vast plethora of information comes up. There is information of various types - historical, business-related and technical. Historical information includes: when the CT was invented (1937), when major advances were made (1960-s by Hounsfield in EMI labs, the same company which owned the Beatles label!), and so on. Business-related info deals with leading CT scanner manufacturers (Toshiba, Marconi...), costs of various technologies etc. The technical angle translates into the literature survey, or papers I would have to read (YES.. it's pretending-to-read-the-paper-but-actually-sleeping time).

And while treading my first few steps on this path (the de facto first step was reading the Wikipedia entry), I came across a nice video (embedded below) about a group of researchers giving ideas for improving CT technology. I loved the presentation style. So I watched other videos by this group (on different techonologies) - I especially liked these two: On controlling a helicopter by neural control, On inexpensive Virtual Reality.

PS: One query for the writing gurus out there.... Is the usage of de facto in my post correct? Or would you suggest something different?

Is This India's SSN?

2009-06-25T19:36:00.001-07:00

SSN is all sacrosanct in USA. Now, India is setting up an agency to provide Unique ID (UID) numbers to all citizens.

Now considering that one of the aims of this is to provide citizens access to services like Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (for people below poverty line), I wonder whether this is a move towards the social security structure of USA. My understanding of social security in US, and I might be technically wrong, is that the government promises to give employment, medical care, housing to all its citizens; and in this way, UID sounds similar.

One good thing about the implementations in India: Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani has been made head of the agency for implementing UID.

PS: Junta in US, did you know that SSN is not mandatory. People can opt out if they want to. Read more about this at the Wikipedia entry on SSN.

Why is Safari Sticking to (new) Windows?

2009-06-10T17:36:00.000-07:00

So what with the release of Safari 4, I decided to finally shift from Firefox to Safari on my Mac. On my PC, I use Google Chrome. And I dare say that Safari does not come close to Chrome in terms of the beauty of the user interface. But Chrome has not yet launched for Mac, so Safari it is for now.

Since yesterday, I was annoyed to see that in Safari, links opened up in new windows instead of new tabs. According to me this is pure sacrilege. So I Googled "safari open link in new tab" and got the solution at the bottom of a forum thread. Here it is for easier reference

1. Open terminal. Cut paste the following line:
defaults write com.apple.Safari TargetedClicksCreateTabs -bool true

2. Restart Safari. And voila. You are done.

E=mc... WHAT!!!

2009-06-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

This reporter at ITN news has found a way to travel at the speed of light. According to him, flight speed sensors in the doomed Air-France flight became defective and this might have caused two things - ONE, the plane stalled and went straight down, or TWO, the plane approached the speed of light and the plane disintegrated at that high speed.

Did he say speed of light? I think I can hear Einstein turning in his grave.

Watch this video from around the 1:10 mark.

Well, that's what you call a silly mistake. That reporter must be getting a good leg-pulling from his friends today.

Finally my sympathy lies with the victims. And what a shame for technology that days have gone by and all bodies or the filght's black box have not yet been found.

Ai Chin Can Tok

2009-06-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

Recently, I thought I should start to learn the Chinese language.

And so I Googled the keywords - "learn Chinese". Google suggested "learn Chinese in 5 minutes" and I found out the language is not so difficult after all. I am pasting the tutorial below. All you need is to speak out the tutorial loud.

Image credits: http://www.funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/3865/Learn+Chinese+in+5+Minutes/

...which led me to this awesome awesome website which collects all these funny images. Which led me to spend zillions of mouse clicks browsing one image after another. Bad Bad PC.

Grooveshark

2009-06-02T12:10:00.001-07:00

Since Seeqpod seems to be down, I tried out Grooveshark. This is the link.

And here's a sample playlist of Yanni created on Grooveshark.

A Classic F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Scene

2009-06-02T05:22:00.000-07:00

Ross and Rachel have had their first kiss. Rachel relates the story of their kiss to her lady-friends the next day. Ross does the same, only this time, he is talking with his guy-friends. The contrast in perspectives is hillarious.

See the first few minutes of this video - and enjoy!!!
(PS: Unfortunately embedding of this video was not allowed)

Drifting

2009-06-02T05:17:00.000-07:00

Car enthusiasts would love this...

"Drifting" - this is a particular style of driving in which the driver purposefully makes the car skid while making a turn. The trick is to maintain control over the car even while doing the skid/drift.

YouTube has been promoting this over the last few days. See the following video to see how drifting is done in the nation where drifting was born - Japan (skip the first 1 minute 30 seconds, and be ready for a visual treat thereafter).

Or this explanatory pic (click to expand). Image credits: http://minizcanada.com/tech/driving.php

Baa Baa Black Ship

2009-02-20T19:52:00.000-08:00

The 2nd episode in my 3 part series on faux-pas in conversation.
(Episode 1)

At age 14 or 15

One of my first "hanging around" groups comprised a set of people much elder to me - 2 aunts, 1 uncle, 1 sister, 1 brother-in-law, my mom and my dad. Now had there been another kid of my age, I would probably have played carrom with that kid in another room. But there wasn't and so I became a regular member of their "adda" or discussion. Many a times, I contributed to their conversation and got the happy feeling that I was as old and as mature as them ¹. And then, sometimes, there were times like this one which put me where I belonged i.e. in the correct age bracket.

I was sitting next to my Mesho (maternal uncle) that day. Now Mesho was a tall man who spoke less. But when he spoke, everyone listened. The expression used to regularly describe him, a typically Bengali expression, was "Onaar khoob personality aache." which I think translates into "He has a very intimidating personality". Now, if being like one of the elders was cool, being like Mesho denoted a Nordic level of coolness. Addressing a sentence to him usually required careful consideration and thought, but my Mom presented me with such an opportunity that day, that I pounced upon it with eager glee.

The topic of discussion had veered to the subject of ships, and my Mom committed the typically Bengali error of pronouncing 'ship' as 'sheep'. My first language English education was aroused; here was an opportunity to gain some brownie points in front of the insurmountable Mesho, a pucca pundit of the British language. He undoubtably would be glad to know that I took so much care of restraining the 'e'-s in 'ship', and so I said, "Dekho Mesho, Maa'r ki baaje pronouncitation. Ship ke sheep bolche! (Just look at my Mom's poor pronounciation. She's calling a 'ship' as 'sheep'.)"

I finished my sentence and was eagerly awaiting a pat on my back for my diligence, or a commiserating sentence about the sad state of English pronunciation in Bengal. But my Mesho's face remained expressionless. I became a bit anxious. Finally, he spoke, "Pronunciation-er banaan bolo to. (Spell pronunciation.)"

I gulped. Had I goofed up somewhere? But he was asking me a sitter... I was too good at spelling to make a mistake at this one, and so I said, "P-R-O-N-O-U-N-C-I-A-T-I-O-N."

"Confident?" he asked.

I thought to myself, that's how I pronounce it when I say it, and that's the easiest way to work out spellings, so I must be correct, "Haan. Confident. (Yes. Confident.)"

Mesho smiled now, a smile which I realized was not for the reason I was hoping for, and said, "Kaal English teacher ke jigesh kore niyo. Spelling taa bhool, uccharon-taao taai bhool... Ota 'pro-NOUN-ciation' noy... ota actually 'pro-NUN-ciation'. Nijer Maa'r uccharon theek koraar aage nijer taa theek koro. (Ask your English teacher tomorrow. You spelt it incorrectly and hence your pronunciation is also incorrect. It's 'pro-NUN-ciation', not 'pro-NOUN-ciation. Son, before you correct your Mom's pronounciation, correct your own first.)"

I could find myself wanting to melt away as he spoke, but an embarrassed exit is all I managed that day.
----
¹ At age 14, kids long to grow older and be free from the shackles and rules enforced by their parents. By age 26, they learn better.

... 3rd episode coming up.
----
PS: I had been itching to put up this PJ that I came up with the other day. I would have included it here anyway. But now that I used the word 'intimidating', I get legal privilege to put up its' 'dictionary' meaning here (For those uninitiated to PJ-dom, this is no way connected with actual meaning intended in above piece.):

Intimidating:
Pronounciation: intimi-dating

The process of asking a girl out for dinner and threatening her with dire consequences if she refuses.

I saw them together

2009-02-17T11:51:00.000-08:00

I saw them together:

1.
The bushy tail
of a running squirrel
going swish and swash.

And a jogging girl's
Pony tail
Bobbing up and down.

2.
Two planes.

One big one small.

One fast one SLOW.

Flying ^{.....high....} flying _....low....

A white trail behind one,
A constant "whirring" sound from the other.

3.
A bevy of leaves -

Young yellow
and Fresh green

On a single tree.

4.
Bright red berries,
on a tree.
Lush green grass,
below.
And to fill the empty spaces,
pure blue sky beyond.

---

It's Only Words

2009-01-30T15:14:00.000-08:00

I have to admit (with a tinge of regret) that I have had my fair share of faux-pas in conversation. In serial fashion, here is a list of 3 forgettable incidents.

1
(At age: 13 or 14)

My Dad and I were sitting side by side facing the TV - Dad reading the newspaper, I with a book in my hand. My mind was elsewhere - things at school had been a bit rough that day, thanks to the actions of one particular classmate. To lighten my load, I struck up conversation with Dad, "Baba, Rajat ke mone aache?" (Dad, do you remember Rajat?)

Dad replied, "Haan mone aache. Keno ki hoyeche or?" (Yes, what about him?)

I continue, "Kichu hobe keno? Just bolchi - o ekta real bugger. Shobai okey hate kore. Aajke jaano ki koreche - teacher homework joma newar kotha bhule gechilo. Aar amra-o decide korechilam je kicchu bolbo naa. O Beta hothat uthe bole ki naa, 'Mees, aajke homework joma neben naa?' Beta bohut jalaaton kore."
(What about him? Well only that he is a real bugger. And that's why everyone hates him. Know what he did today? Miss had very conveniently forgotten to ask for the homework, and we had got it all figured out - no one would utter a word about it. And then there was Mr Rajat, standing up to point out to his dear Miss, 'Meees. Won't you take the homework today?' Man, does he think he is Jesus Christ.")

Having thus vented my frustration on the despicable Rajat, I was feeling a little elated. However, my elation was to be short-lived. Dad, who had been patiently listening all the while, said, "Son, you're growing up. As you grow older, you will take up jobs of responsibility and meet up with people for important work."

I was getting confused. I wanted him to join me in the denunciation of Rajat Mehta, and he was talking about my future! Dad continued, "In those times, you need to remember to choose your words correctly."

Come now Dad, can't we have the vocab class later? I realized not, when Dad concluded thus, "Otherwise people might misinterpret you in a terrible fashion. I agree that the word 'bugger' seems to mean a person who disturbs you. But I promise you that if you will go and have a look at the dictionary, you will receive quite a shock."

Perplexed, I left the room. There I was thinking of ways to teach Rajat Mehta a lesson next day, and now here I was forced to go and consult the dictionary. However, after seeing the meaning, I could not enter the room again for quite some time afterwards. Rajat bashing would have to be taken up some other convenient time.

The meaning listed in the Cambridge dictionary was this:

- One who engages in sodomy, especially with animals.

... to be continued
[Image Credits: http://illustrationinfo.com/?p=77]

The Case of the Reckless Bus Driver

2008-12-06T11:15:00.000-08:00

And so D*, you really thought I was unaffected by the terrorist attacks in Mumbai? No Sir... I WAS affected.

However I found that my thoughts were not aligned with the popular sentiments going around then, just in the aftermath of the attacks. The common emotions that I saw in people were fear, anxiety, rage, and an overwhelming feeling that "something must be done". My reactions were not on the same lines and probably that is why you thought that I was 'unaffected'. I was, so to say, differently affected.

One thing I did feel strongly was this: after the initial hullabaloo, we would ultimately forget. I found similar sentiments echoed elsewhere (I am quoting from Moushumi Palit's piece "Enough is Enough"):

All we care about is how does this impact me? So we continue to make tut-tuting noises about the spirit of Mumbai, nod our heads diligently to the “enough is enough” phrase that pops up each time, and just move on unconcerned, uncaring; each time, sinking back into the sea of apathy within hours of the tragedy, just glad it’s not us or our family members or friends…

..., I wonder why issues that really affect our life, our families, our safety like floods each year or recurring bomb blasts and the incompetence of the govt in dealing with these don’t make us angry. Why do we adjust to these? And worse, how long will we continue to do so?

Yes there are so many issues to which we turn a blind eye. Let us take up for example, the issue of rash bus driving in Kolkata. It would be an understatement to say that buses speed on the roads. In fact, buses actually race on the roads of Kolkata.

Say, we have a bus on route 221 which starts off from its' depot in Golpark at 2:10pm. For the first 15-20 minutes, the driver drives very very slowly. The drivers take all the time in the world to pick up people - regardless of whether they are standing at the bus stop or not. Someone from amongst the passengers regularly raises a voice - "Dada driver ki ghumiye porlo naaki? (Hey, is the driver asleep or what?)" To this, the bus conductors turn a deaf ear, an art that they have honed to perfection. This goes on for a while until the conductor gives the driver the signal they have been waiting for - the bus which left the depot 10 minutes after them has been spotted some distance behind them. And with this signal, the race begins.

The driver suddenly begins to drive like someone possessed. Overtaking from left and right, all horns blaring, the bus muscles its' way through traffic. During this race, the earlier concern shown for passengers boarding the bus (and now, also those alighting) is forgotten, putting those people in grave risk. Sometimes, the two buses catch up and go neck to neck for some time. In that moment, the drivers and the conductors curse at each other. And then one of the buses takes the lead and the race goes on.

It is during these mad races that many accidents have occurred - fatal in most cases. The news of the boy studying in Class 7, or the office-goer being mowed down by a bus while trying to cross the road, has become a regular feature of newspapers. No Mumbai type media coverage here. No being hooked to the TV for 2 days straight. These acts of violence happen in small dosages - the way to deal with these snippets of bad news is simple: first, feel sorry for the poor victims, next curse the authorities and finally, turn to the sports or comic page.

I wonder - why is it that a bus full of passengers are unable to control the behaviour of 1 reckless driver and his 1 or 2 equally irresponsible compatriots. Usually one of the passengers takes the initiative but he/she is never backed up by the others. The conductors usually silence the lone protester by use of arrogant and rough language and a great deal of confident arrogance. They seem to believe that what they are doing is right, and not having to face much retaliation, carry on doing so.

Why do not the authorities bring these people to book? One particular theory is that the bus drivers' union is allied with certain political parties, and this 'connection' renders them to be above the law.

Finally, for all those people who regularly say that "something needs to be done" - here is one issue which has remained unsolved for some time now. High time we get a solution, eh?

Image Credits: Maran http://umaipadam.blogspot.com

PS: While searching for the above image, I came across some interesting articles on the topic.
1. An incident where the public actually took some action
2. Fines proposed, but may not be effective

Going Hungry at the Tailgate

2008-11-26T16:01:00.001-08:00

My appetite for attending an American football game had been sated after watching a couple of games at Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium. But there was something else linked with American football, that I wanted to experience and which one literally had to have an appetite for. I am talking about the Tailgate party. A tailgate is a cook-out, family get-together, friend's re-union, cocktail party rolled into one. And I got a chance to experience it very recently.

I knew that people arranged barbecues and brought food to Tailgates. I also imagined that if I were to roam around aimlessly at the Tailgate arena with an amiable expression on my face, I would surely be invited by some Tailgaters to sample their fare. It was with this hope, an empty stomach and the Grad student's well-known affinity to free food that I decided to venture into this great American mela.

And believe me, there was good food. And there were great smells. And God was witness to the extremely amiable expression on the face of a certain aimless wanderer. However that wanderer was to find out, much to his disappointment, that the American people intended to carry on chomping their food and guzzling their beer without any help from outsiders. In all decency I tried my best not to curse the chompers and the guzzlers, but if some people in that lot suffered from indigestion on the following day, then I would not blame myself too much.

Reflecting on that day's incident with a saner mind and a relatively less-empty stomach, the American people's behavior may be easily explained. Imagine Indian people out on a picnic at Botanical Gardens, Kolkata. Every group usually arranges for their own food. Considering that on one such picnic, I was busy tucking into some Tandoori chicken and Egg-Fried Rice from my lunch box, and I saw a well-dressed Chinese person roaming around clicking pictures, I would not think of offering that person my food. Instead I would be more intent on checking which of my cousins was not eating the Pantua so that I could stake first claim on it.

**

I realize that the Tailgate is quite an American festival. It is one of the traditions that are quite endearing and I did know of before I came here. Being curious, I read up about Tailgates and found the following interesting trivia from here:

The first Tailgate occurred when people came to watch the Battle of Bull Run. Yes, a real war (Not particularly endearing, this particular trivia).
30% of Tailgaters never attend the football game (I would do that).

**

A must see: this slide-show on Tailgates put up by Time magazine.

Sun-Catchers

2008-11-26T16:01:00.000-08:00

Cycle wheels are usually equipped with small pieces of translucent plastic which act as reflectors. At night, when car headlights fall on these, they reflect the light and thus drivers become aware of cyclists on the road. In the daytime, if the sun's rays fall at the correct angle on these, they look like bright pieces of stained glass. I named them as sun-catchers for the context of this piece.

I noticed the beauty of sun-catchers one Saturday afternoon. I was returning home after a hearty lunch. There was not much work to be done that weekend so I had all the time in my hands. I had just missed the bus and the next bus was due in half an hour. To while away the time, I leaned on something and started admiring the beauty of nature. The weather was that of a perfectly lazy summer afternoon. I could have stayed there forever.

It was then that I saw someone riding a bike and it was on that bike that I noticed the sun-catchers.

The sun's rays happened to be at the most appropriate angle. And as the wheels of the cycle turned, the two sun-catchers captured my attention. My gaze was drawn to them and other visible features in my field of view (the rims and spokes of the wheels, the cyclist, the background) faded away. And the bright pieces of plastic seemed to be moving like Siamese twins - conjoined by some invisible force. They rolled along ever so slowly - it was as if they too felt the lull of the lazy summer afternoon.

I felt elated to observe this harmonious motion. Unfortunately such elation is not found everyday - probably the conditions for being able to find beauty in the simplest of things are very stringent.

Image Credits: anataman