A New Journey

The blog has shifted to...

English @ http://www.prempiyush.com/blog.
Hindi @ http://www.prempiyushhindi.wordpress.com

A Fine Year

Year of lots of learning,
Year of few yearnings,
Year of a fulfilled desire.
Year of friends and fire.

A Year of Satisfaction.

27 Days

Years reduced to Months.
Months Reduced to Days.
Left are only 27 days !
How should one count now?

Where is her lifelong Nest?
Where the beautiful heart rest?
When is the auspicious day?
“Wait Child”, two words He told.

Although the answer was enough.
And closing eyes were tough.
Nocturnal eyes slept wide open,
Searching roses in answer of hope.

Today, on nearing the day, one fears,
The auspicious moment of tears,
One wants to speak less, smile less,
To see her chirping, laughing forever.

WTO and Kamal Nath

The average Indian is not aware of Hong Kong WTO resolution. Kudos our Minister for Commerce and Industry Mr. Kamal Nath ,who took lead on behalf of developing countries and persuaded them towards free trade in banking and telecommunication. On behalf of these countries, the import restrictions reduction and making a point of lessening the subsidy on agriculture by developed countries leading to zero subsidy were remarkable steps. Unlike Kankum and Doha submit this summit of WTO at Hong Kong got something at least for long term benefit. Although the important point to note is that it was give and take negotiation with 30 hours debate magic.

Thanks God, he is not among the Operation Duryodhana's MPs.

A White Dove

O Dove, I don’t have bed of roses.
Not the golden cage.

O Dove, I don’t have the sweet grams here.
Not the green peas.

O Dove, I don’t have the sweets songs,
We are tribal.

O Dove, setting you free, just free.
From bondage.

O Dove, keep flying across sky,
Across the boundaries.

O Dove, if you fall tired,
Thick grasses, I grow here.

To my blog inspirations

The blog has covered a journey of more than one year. The birthday went off unnoticed . Anyway I saved all the birthday party expenses.

Presently I feel, its utmost important to me to recapitulate the events that led me to writing. All the times when I received appreciations and sometimes beautiful criticizes too, for my writings, I felt nice and encouraged. My writings had a cascading effect from the people around me and some of the well known authors and of course an excellent school teacher, my dear Maa.

My office boss, Sujay sir, better to say my elder brother, have many published Hindi articles in many magazines. The ground to earth man with an excellent attitude to think on the topics and analyze them impressed me. Last year once when my friend, Sanjay took out a topic of national importance for discussion on the net. I had ideas but could not gather them properly, so could not present my views. By the time my friend Prashant well wrote on the topic and let every one read on the group. The key was found. The ideas, he picked up were almost same as I wanted to say. But key was he took a strong point first, explained the details and added some another points and at last summed up it with another stronger point. By the time I saw Jaya’s blog too. Although the topics she touched ranged vastly but she had the ability to give sufficient reasons behind everything she wrote. In school, jokingly, I participated in a story writing competition after coming straight from the playground and after being forcefully insisted by respected Pandey sir, who used to teach Hindi. After few days, I knew that I was third. That meant that I had writing ability, may be at least of the third grade :-). Moreover for debates and extempore speeches, I am ready always since my school life.

So it was no looking back. I sat with my pen to write and created this blog and waited for comments. By the time Jaya’s suggestion came that one should keep writing without caring for them. I kept writing to sharpen my nib.

To none of my inspirations, till date I told them the fact. And one day when once my office boss told me, while casually seeing my Hindi poems on my laptop himself told that, these can be sent to the editors for publishing, I blushed. When Prashant again after seeing one of my writing told that I write well and presented that on our teacher’s website, I was again happy. At our alumni forum, one of my excellent friend, told me that my writings have confidence, I got really more confident. Some were traveling with me continuously and encouraging me among them were Manish ji, Silky ji, Alka ji, Sandeep ji, Piyali, Debashis da and more. To walk in a group has been an excellent experience for me.

Thanks a lot again my cohorts and inspirations, who are on an unknown mission which is very positive in nature. How nice it feels that the first day introduction meet remains same always.

An obituary to my Oxford dictionary

This is an example of an“imaginary SMS”

because I don’t keep a mobile now.

O suet grl..

i want 2 tel u

dat wen u snd

me all da

sms, wich r

mostly...

4warded

nd in wich

u wantd to

show ur luv 2

ur frnds bt i cud

nt ndrstnd dos

foren lang...

so i bout a nu

dicsonry

frm Xword

buks2or.

gud nght

suet drms

Ami Kolkatar Rosogolla

This is the title of one of the famous Bengali song and is based on Kolkata's lady beauty and have a good tune. The literary meaning is “I am Kolakata’s Rosogolla (sweet )”. The famous song sung by Bangla pop icon Usha Uthhup. I have danced on the tune in my childhood. I was humming the same lines on the streets of Kolkata on the human rights day, i.e. yesterday, 10th December. But now a days when I am grown up (still growing), as only humming the song , in Kolkata I saw the infamous Kolkata’s street dwellers, to whom I had seen in the almost same scene 13 years back too, when my Navodaya Vidyalaya arranged the Kolkata trip for us.

The black ladies and gents and skinny children, mud sticking to skin which again sticks to the bones. All their belongings packed in the sacks. The torn black plastic sheets make a roof shape structure for them. Ends of the plastic tent were tied to roadside electric poles and handles of old house doors. In between there is one broken kerosene stove and another black handi over it. Beside them two persons were on the aluminum food plate. The plate filled with rice and few fine meat pieces. The hungry eyes were concentrated on their shares of meat. At afternoon 3 pm, I too did not have my meals. In morning, I had two Kolkata’s rosgollas only and started the day. In hunger anything looks delicious. I was feeling hungry. The aromas of their limited prepared dishes set me tempted. I left the place. At least for my those Indian friends, whose coming generations too will not read my blog ever, I can never sing the song on Kolkata streets anymore. But the town celebrated the Human Right’s Day officially and rosogollas were of course the part of the snacks in between the meetings.

Shares of etiquettes , I bought

Hi my dear readers,
The reasons of mine last months absence have been revolving around me, my career as well as my family responsibilities. A lot of lessons, I have learnt in this period. I shall share them with you all. Ultimately my aims of writings are to benefit myself and/or my readers. The first topic, I do like to touch is basic etiquettes, the common man must have. Not being a Bengali guy (usually Bengalis give much emphasis to it) but as our oriental cultural outcome is there, which beautifies the life. The etiquettes cost nothing but gives back in lump. The base of etiquettes is respecting the other person. The net culture is not lacking it, but there are basic tendency of few people, due to which they miss a lot. I am not telling about calling me Prem ji or something like it. Even if they call me %#$# , I will be comfortable. But that too should be genuine and if with sufficient comments, then the better.

Then the topic of absence and etiquettes -- the relationship may not be clear to you. Actually in my absence I have benefited a lot with the asset of mine. But apart from the cyber- world, the real world gives you back more with this asset (yes, more than what you can expect). I am richer now. No one can steal it. The polite and natural behaving to the other, as if another is your family member is the key.

I am back

I must be back,
From backwaters.

I must be back,
From backtracks.

I must be back,
For my backbone.

I must be back,
With back lessons.

I must be back,
Not back but forward friends,

I am back,
To sleep again, someday!

A letter to Anjan da

Milan Pally, Kishanganj,
Gandhi Jayanti, 2005.

Dear Anjan da,

Hope my letter finds you in your ever ready smile and spirit. I am delighted after getting your marriage invitation card. From Mariani, it reached me quite early such that I could have made all the journey arrangements in time. Kartick da shall be joining you, along with her better half as he told me over the phone. I am missing this golden opportunity to join you all at the marriage ceremony on 17^th October because of my already planned schedule to Bangalore. Hope you shall understand it. And I can recall my wishes to shake my leg on Assamese music with widened hands at your wedding. I am missing to visit my well learned uncle, beloved aunt, scientist jamaibabu and jolly sisters and your traditional silk handicraft and of course the pan-betel nut.

If I were there ,you would have called my name with your same lengthy tone …Prrreeem…..which mixes more sweetness to my name. Your better half would have learnt the same thing from you and she might have called me the same way with her lady voice Prrreeeem or something like this. Ah…. I am missing something.

I shall like to congratulate my Pallabi boudi for her luck and an excellent unified life ahead. And to you, I shall like to suggest that after you get married please serve her morning tea as you used to do for us and share her household chorus too.

My best wishes for the couple. May the love’s sweet valley bloom and the fragrance spreads everywhere.

Your brother,
Prem.

Freeing up from own fibres

Every night, score of migrants lay down with occasional closing eyelids on our station platform. With dreams in their eyes, they let the night pass to catch the next morning’s train going to Delhi or Punjab. There they work as daily labourers in the factories, farms, construction sites or similar kind of establishments. These people mostly tie up the journey money in their safe waist. The scores of dreams are carried in the general coaches of train, not better than packed livestock. If coolies are given some money they can push them inside the packed coach. No wonder, if slipper falls on the track or co-traveler has to get down because he can’t travel standing on the stairs.

These are mostly hopeless farmers or labourers who have difficulty to get job or can’t earn well in our region. Our Gangetic planes have lush green fields and fertile lands. But irony is that the agricultural produce is just sufficient to feed the people and sell the part of it to buy the family needs. Then there comes nature’s fury in the form of flood.

Let me adumbrate on the reality behind this situation, which discourages the need of looking into the real problem, with an incident. Last year on the occasion of cultural night on the eve of Independence day, my cultural group got enough permission to present a drama titled as “Patua” from the program managing authorities. Patua or Patsan is the local name of the Jute fibre. Based on the local farmers’ problems, this theatrical theme was conceived by us. In the direction of my mother, it was well shaped and an effective presentation was prepared with enough practice. It was our surprise that while doing rehearsal, at the end, at my pathetic cry, the neighbours used to sneak through the window with sympathy. On the actual performance evening, with my enthusiastic theatrical team, we reached the auditorium at before time itself. At the spot, we were informed that due to time constraint, our drama was cancelled off ! We were shocked on this coercion.

Once permitted with the theme of drama on pen and paper, and next it was just cancelled. Behind the theatre, the reliable sources told us that, the invitees are the big businessmen of the town. My team’s voice representing the grass root farmers was looked askance, since the officials knew about the theme, the performing group and its malefic effects on the respected delegates. The other dance programs along with some patriotic songs’ dramatic performances were performed as usual to entertain them and make a ballyhoo of patriotic feelings.

The significant business in our town depends on the business of Jute fibre too. Once upon a time the fibre of Jute used to give back good return. The price given to farmers used to be pretty high and the young man might have sold a bundle of Jute and return home back with a new bicycle. After popularity of plastic, truly the prices of jute has fallen but not that much that the same fiber gives in return only the token sum of money which in the most cases gives back only the investment. In this cultivation, the bonuses are the Senthi (the woody stem of Jute plants) and the leguminous nitrogen fixed in the soil by the roots. This nitrogen fixed is helpful to grow the next crop of paddy. For the helpless small farmers the thought of considerable profit is out of thought.

Even knowing all these, every agrestic migrant like to touch the moon in the distant land without uttering a single word, mesmerizes me.

Selling magazines @ Sellable item

Last week, a popular national read magazine conducted so called all India survey on urban single women and sex. The book shops already sold integral times of the copies over normal circulation, in a rough estimate. Most of the stalls might have a shortfall too. In that particular issue, my current affairs topics were only two in numbers, that too not very important, I could not feel the need to buy the issue after paying Rs. 5 more than the earlier issues.

The changing lifestyle of urban people was studied. The magazine discussed the matter with the celebrities frankly (whether they did voluntarily or well paid, I don't know). Of course some politics was also played on the statements of celebrities in some regions.

For lakhs of readers the issue might have been a source of information. Let's see whether the magazine has the same concern to publicise the recent laws which state the making internal commitees to look-after sufferings of women at the unsafe workplaces and implementaion of section 12, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23 and the non boilable section 31 which safeguards the sanctity of household women from other members of the family. Being a national read magazine, which presents various national issues well, I shall like to suggest them to take consideration of the millions of passive partners living in the rural India too and to check about the reality about the baby making machines and bonded labourers.

What surprised me was, the way the marketing and advertisement was done for that particular issue in a planned way to increase the popularity of the magazine as well the price from the issue onwards. In marketing point of view, the time when FDI on foreign print media is going to be up to 74%, the strategy of company is not bad. The soaps of saas-bahus and sleazy remix songs all are doing the same thing, using the specific sex as commodity to sell more commodities like detergent, paste and shampoos of MNCs.

Who is being liberated: the common women or the economy of media companies?

The Sound of Silence

Yesterday morning, sipping the Darjeeling tea in the Netaji Cabin, again I saw another rally passing by the road. The rallies are common site in Siliguri, the down town of Darjeeling. Usually Bengalis are very adept with carrying out processions for their demand. The leader shouts and the followers mostly repeat last few words. The processions are carried in long queues. It also has a significant number of ladies too, which may be ostentatious display of equality or just a passive mass. Of course the bhadralok (gentleman) as well as bhadramohila (gentlewomen) voices become loud when it’s congregated.

But yesterday, the congregation of protesters was not even mewing, which surprised me. Like any other roadside person, I could not deliberately read about the demands on the moving placard at the first glance. The placard holders were mostly school level students. Soon I got clear when I saw the madams walking in between two queues were talking with the students in symbolic languages.

It was “the rally of deaf and dumb”

This integral part of society which has limited means of communication needed to bring out a rally, to make their voices be heard, was an uncomfortable shock to me.

The diplomats, who are already deaf and dumb towards the common man problems, that’s why they use blare of loudspeakers and thumps of punches in air in the processions. Their action can be justified to open up the earplugs and beam into sunglasses of languid officials, it’s okay. For that particular rally, neither shall I like pontification on my side, nor unctuous sympathy on their handicap. But I wonder, whether those deaf and dumb officials turn blind too and avoid seeing the speaking placards, which have basic demands of human rights.

Monsoon Sojourn

The sunrise and sunset,
Were as usual.

Once, when he stopped,
On the sideways.

Suddenly heavy winds arrived,
Took him to sky.

Into shapeless clouds,
That rained for sure,

Rained in the meadows,
For a dormant sleep.

Shaken by the sailor,
He got up.

Tired and Hungry,
Fed by the sailor.

Three pieces of bread.
And spare butter.

Like thousands other, he jumped down,
Into the pious lap.

Well-wishers, be thou cheer,
He landed there.

The useful plants of home garden -1

There have been autochthonous medicine practices in rural society, which uses herbs to heal the ailments and can be used as cosmetics too. There are credible facts that the geographical regions, which contain most prevailing diseases/problems also naturally grow the respective herbs to cure the same. There are many of them which can be grown in household pots too. Many of them can be excellent decorative plant also.

Aloe - Vera
Aloe Vera's (Ghritkumari ) thick big leafs makes it a distinct looking decorative plant in house garden. The leaves contain pulp which can be used as an excellent moisturizer. The pulp is colourless, odourless and feels slippery. The pulp dissolves with the skin immediately. To use it, cut out half a inch of the leaf and take out the inside pulp to moisten the skin of the washed and dry face. Apart from keeping “any kind of skin” glowing, this natural moisturizer is absolutely safe to use. Rosy effect If your garden have rose plant, take out few petals from the side of the roses and squeeze out the juice to mix with the Aloe-Vera pulp on the palm before applying on the skin. You can immediately feel the coolness and fragrance over the skin for the day long.

Thanda effect
Aloe-Vera is an excellent coolant too. Many of the elderly person, who may feel several headache or hotness over the head, may apply the pulp on the head and feel the cooling effect. Among our garden pots, once a construction labour identified the Aloe-Vera bushes. He had been searching for it for several months for his ailing wife with head-ache. He requested for a part of the leaf. Like many others he was cordially thankful to the plant.

Plantation
It can be planted like any other common flower plant. A little sapling after maturing augments several buds. Once successfully planted, the Aloe-Vera does not require much care except regular water ( but not daily). It's good if you can change the soil of the pot once in a year. My Maa's enthusiasm with the Aaurvedic medicines and my affinity with such plants helped to grow several Medicinal plants including the Aloe-Vera bushes in our small garden, which contain kilos of moisturizer pulp !

Dowry - A practical way to deal

The dowry system is a thorny bush which has grown in the sweet valley of love, the marriage. Many of my dear bloggers seem to be beating around the bush in discussions, some working hard to clean up weeds from the bush. Some are sitting silent helpless in the hands of their future determining guardians. Then what constructive work can be done against the evil. The first can be done now is to say...

"I am not going to take or give any dowry in my life".

Can you repeat this promise from the bottom of your heart like me? If yes, then read keep reading or don't waste your precious time here.

First of all, I use the dowry word for "forceful / with expectations" (hidden or shown) asking / giving money/gifts , which plays the main factor for determining any marriage.

Next thing is please don't use the law book's definition of dowry for the piece of paper or metal or degradable piece of object which parents/parents-in-law give with their blessings and affection to the new couple without any compulsion. The fact is in our Indian system, before departure of the guest or at auspicious occasions, elders do give few notes/coins to the children. Remember my word children. Even at the time of marriage any bride or groom is the same child in front of parents / parents-in-law. Even the cruelest law shall not stop this symbolized transfer of piece of affection on the auspicious occasions. Please don't evaluate or weigh those affectionate pieces, which can make marriage just weightless. Even if lakhs of Indian parents can't give these, few words of blessings from them are more than enough for the couple.

I have used QuickFix, an adhesive which binds anything within seconds ( The company is not going to pay me for this advertisement ) . After using QuickFix , I have found that, it's very similar to our dowry system which can fix a bore male with jolly female ( may be vice versa too), a beautiful girl ( who later puts a case against him ) to a corrupt serviceman, a rich man's lazy girl to an NRI doctor and so on ( Few more good examples you may add ). The same adhesive sticks the saas ( jo ki kabhi bahu thi) with the false pride (not bride). No wonder it may stick the not so faithful husbands and wives too. Why to surprise if it sticks the low paid police man and fame/money seeking NGOs? Last but not least it sticks the thread of discussion to amend/modify the law rather than abolish the dowry system completely with each individual effort.

The another way is talk dowry as bad word, like murder, theft or any other heinous word you can use for.

Thanks for reading me the promise takers...To your satisfaction, I have declared before the court in a affidavit, not to take or give any dowry along with one of my friend in a anti-dowry movement. Need confirmation? Then do know the details after writing me.

Dear prospective grooms and brides (also to be parents-in-laws), Have you guts to join me!!