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Winter is almost here in my city, Kolkata. I say almost, because winter keeps playing hide and seek here. Its there now, gone for a few days, then suddenly it remembers us again! ⛄ Of course, its a different matter that the monkey caps and shawls come out at the first signs of chilly air. Kolkata residents are very particular about flaunting winter wear, whether required or not! 😄 But, as a city, Kolkata really celebrates winters.  Let's check out the top activities to indulge in here: Gather your friends, neighbours, relatives, office/business associates, literally anyone, and go for a picnic to a farm-house/ resort in the suburbs. Preferably with a waterbody for "boat-rides" and lawns for playing cricket/badminton. Take a cook along or arrange for a caterer to provide hot piping food. Because a picnic is all about food, isn't it? The menu must include breakfast, snack, and lunch, with an option of evening tea and snacks too! Start the day with pakora chai, then fol...

Healing Part-1 Alone Forty-eight hours had passed since she had last met him. No message or call since then. Her calls had been routed to the answering machine, all forty of them. Maya hated that she was constantly checking Aditya’s 'last seen' status on WhatsApp, and yes, he was online just five minutes ago. Yet he didn’t respond to the pleas or the threats she had sent in desperation. This sinking feeling was becoming unbearable, almost torturous. What if he……. And then, her phone vibrated. With her heart thudding in her ear, she unlocked her phone and stared at the screen. Finally! It was his message. But reading it, she nearly stopped breathing. Was he joking? “Think it was a mistake. Happens between two young people….It’s best to forget”, he had written, “Let’s cut our losses and move on…”. She had a wild urge to call him up and scream at him. How dare he do this? What right had he to suddenly break up like this?  Though she knew Aditya was married, such tech...

  You are getting ready for that glam winter party and want to look your best. You groom yourself, get a facial done, a hair wash and maybe some hair styling procedure. But the moment you return home from the parlour, your hair refuses to stay in shape. It becomes unmanageable and frizzy, and sticks out in in an unruly manner. Your hair style goes for a toss, and now you have to deal with the additional headache of frizzy, dry hair. So, what went wrong? Sounds familiar? The bane of most people in winter, and for some unfortunate ones throughout the year - Frizzy Hair can literally cause you "bad hair days" followed by sleepless nights!  And now that the dry cold season is here, the problem actually gets worse. The good news is that you can  tame this "hair-raising" problem!  Let's find out what causes frizzy hair, and what aggravates it. Let's also look into managing frizzy hair in winter, with some simple home remedies and lifestyle modifications that...

Let's take a very common situation. You have earned a promotion through sheer dint of hard work. With a raise of 20% and a chic new cabin, you are feeling on top of the world. The world is your oyster, so to say. People are coming to congratulate you, and you are the toast of parties. At last, you have made it, it seems!  Suddenly, a feeling of inadequacy creeps in. You begin to feel like a fraud, a flash in the pan, a wannabe, who's soon going to be uncovered for what you actually are. Your success feels unreasonable, it seems you have just got lucky! Soon people will find out what a big loser you are, and you will be back to square one! It has happened with you, right? It is termed as Imposter Syndrome . Happens to the best of us, and the most successful achievers.  Mainly due to: Low self esteem or   self opinion caused by either Severe criticism by persons close to you,  Or Bullying in childhood Feelings of Insecurity caused by job loss or failure in relationship...

There's something I feel strongly about, and that is shaming or ridiculing someone for their looks/ weight/ height/ colour of skin/ age/ social standing/ English speaking abilities and sundry other reasons. I have faced weight shaming in my adolescence, and it has left quite a mark on me. I was called moti, or plump, and wasn't included in hip circles.  In college, I used to dress in salwar kameez, so I was labelled a behenji. When I donned skirt and top for a role in a college play, the girls went wow at my open hair, hip look. What a transformation, they said. Why don't you always dress like this?  Because I value comfort over looks, I wanted to say. Because my mother only buys me traditional clothes. Because I travel to college in a DTC bus where leers and sundry "touching" were the normal routine. And even after covering up so much, I feel so exposed. But I couldn't say all this, and just kept quiet, gloating in the praise and acceptance of my trendy class...

If you stay in India, you know what a storm the Amazon web series #Panchayat created.  After a super-successful first season, they returned with a second season that achieved the rare feat of bettering its predecessor!  Image source: News 18 With Raghubir Yadav, Neena Gupta, Jitendra Kumar and everyone in the cast turning in assured performances, this series with a solid storyline and a very familiar, lived-in mileu, scripted a rare success story. No one had thought a series set in a remote village, predicting rural life, and everyday issues, would capture the audience's imagination so much. I just loved both the seasons. Everything was so relatable and homely. The squabbles, the bickering, the bonhomie, the bonding between the "Sachiv" and others in the village, the warmth and homeliness of residents, the small enmities, the political interference and debauchery, everything is something we have faced or seen somewhere in our lives.  Also the fact, that it showed the ...

Hi folks, I am trying my luck with writing fiction and stories that connect. Here is one very short story I spun. Tell me how it is? Roses or Thorns? Aaina stood staring at the bouquet of scarlet red roses. Who had sent this bouquet to her on her birthday? Those close to her knew she loved jasmine and gladioli. Then she saw the tag – Rohan Malhotra. She should have known. With a cheesy caption too! She sighed and threw them aside. How typical of Rohan to always do what he preferred. Even his gifts seemed like charity. She thought back to that day when Rohan had first proposed. She had politely declined. Her heart belonged to Shekhar, her childhood sweetheart. Quiet, serious, thoughtful Shekhar, he was everything she wanted in a life partner. They were soon to be married. Aaina’s heart skipped a beat even now, thinking about her true love. Rohan was furious on being turned down and left in a huff swearing under his breath. Aaina had a hunch he would be back soon. He wasn’t the t...

Lokkhi Chhele , Kaushik Ganguly's latest directorial venture, is a must, must-watch. It's so heartening that Bengali films are finally broaching the topic of religious dogmatism and blind beliefs. What a refreshing change from silly detective capers or TV-style family movies! This Bangla film is so, so, so sensitive and moving in its approach. You feel totally immersed in the proceedings, and root fervently for the feisty young do-gooders, who try to save a child's life against all odds. That they risk their lives and take on the might of some detestable hooligans in the process, is something we don't see in our self-serving society any more.  And do we anyway care for those inhabiting the other India? They are people at the fringes, far removed from our secure existence. We click our tongues at their superstitions, mock their customs, and carry on with our lives, secure that our world's will never merge.  This film challenges our smugness and shows us what a little...

"Kya pata hum mein hai kahani ya, hai kahani mein hum?" This line just about sums up what Laal Singh Chaddha wants to convey. We are all a part of the grand design of the universe, of life, and life itself is made from our stories. Aamir Khan   has delivered a gem of a film as usual. Atul  Kulkarni' s strong screenplay and Advait Chandan 's able direction helps this film become an all time classic, just like its predecessor, Forrest Gump. All the actors have delivered winning performances. And the cinematography that spans our beautiful country's landscape is simply superlative. The music and lyrics speak to the heart. Image Source : Wikipedia And what can be said about the story? Your eyes well up several times in the film, as you navigate your way through the simpleton Laal's life. A slow witted person, who lives by his mother's teachings of humanity and pure love, he stumbles through life. But finally achieves much more than all us brainy individuals c...

Consider these recent happenings: 1. A film by a leading actor is called out on social media to be boycotted, because of what he said years back. And also because of his role in a previous film. 2. An impoverished individual seeking his ration of food grains is asked to first buy the a tricolour for adorning his home as per independence day celebration drive. He has to fork out Rs.20 from his meagre earnings for buying a replica of the flag to show his patriotism. 3. A qualified, experienced, competent professor of an university loses her job for her private Instagram picture that showed her posing in swimwear. A student was caught ogling at it by his father who was apparently "outraged by the immodesty" of a respected academic. The university immediately dismissed her from service, and demands an obscene fine for "damage to its reputation". What do these incidents have in common? Are these happening in a dictatorial state? Or in a backward, fundamentalist country? ...

Bhupinder Singh passed on recently, leaving behind a stark void in the Indian music scene. Who else could evoke that kind of nostalgia, that kind of yearning? When that husky, slightly-warbled voice sang out, you were compelled to stop in your tracks. The routine business of living gave way to a world of memories and longing. It was like a koel had called out in the still night. The sound of raindrops on parched earth. The laughter of a baby in a crowd of people. It came from another sphere, a dream-like world of love, affection, bonding, warmth and oneness.  Can anyone remain unaffected when Bhupi's songs are played? You remember lost loves, childhood days, missed opportunities, the death of your parents, forgotten houses and cities, lost friends, and much more when you hear that rich, sad voice singing in perfect melody.    Here are some of my soul-songs: Zindagi, zindagi, mere ghar aana...aana zindagi This is one of his happier songs. Bhupinder Singh's husky voice entr...

Any great work of art must comprise an immersive experience, a stirring of the soul, something that uplifts the spirits. Cinema is the ultimate form of artistic expression, with its multi-dimensional ability to move the viewer. The Indian, in particular, the Hindi film industry is one of the oldest ones in the world, one that has contributed gems that have stood the test of time. While the classics have been much discussed and feted at festivals and the like, mainstream (read commercial) films are usually given a miss, due to the sentimental overkill, blatant romanticism and chest thumping jingoism.  However, there are exceptions. This is a listicle of ten recent Hindi films (released in the past twenty years) that tread the fine line between art and commerce, delivering moving experiences that linger long after leaving the cinema hall. And yes, usher in change too! Films that Evoke Love for our Land Rang De Basanti (2006) is a wake-up call to all Indians. A group of youngsters be...

Getting sick of running the rat race? What a struggle it is - the daily commute, regular bickering with the boss, same work everyday, delayed incentives, squabbling colleagues, office politics, the rigmarole! As if you signed up for a prison sentence! The workplace can be a very dog-eat-dog world. Everyone is out to outshine each other and get ahead of competition. You can't trust anybody, and the daily grind ruins your peace of mind and health after a time. Things you do day in and day put begin to look meaningless, your pay is inadequate, work-life balance - what is that? In short, your life sucks. Before you fall into the trap of self-blame, hopelessness or guilt, check out these strategies to cope with work stress. 5 Fail-proof Ways to Deal with  Work Stress v Learn to identify your stressors and journal your thoughts and anxieties. Try to verbalize your anxieties and negativities. What is troubling you exactly? There is no shame in feeling left out or belittled or hurt....

This can't be happening!  US, which was the frontrunner of democratic rights once upon a time, has snatched the rights of women to abort! Women don't have a say in their reproductive rights in this day and age. Bowing down to electoral compulsions and pressures of dogmatic, narrow-minded chauvinists, America has dealt the cruel blow on all its female citizens. Women's Right to Their Own Bodies is Not Negotiable! One of the most fundamental of rights we all have is the right to our own body . Birthing is a collateral of that right.  If only men knew what childbirth  and subsequent child rearing really meant and involved. Sitting at the periphery, its easy to pass moral judgments on character and forbid abortion . No woman, however independent or practical or hard-hearted, takes the decision to abort happily. Can you imagine cutting off your finger willingly? That's how it hurts, when you part with your flesh and blood.  When she goes ahead with one of the toughes...

This write up of mine on Bangla movies has been published in the She Saga magazine. It analyses the present state of Bengali movies, and detects some optimistic developments.  #aparajito #belashuru #banglacinema #newmovies #bengalimovies #bengalifilmdirectors Published article on Bangla cinema

Since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan last year, snippets of numbing news have been coming in almost every month: ·       Women have been forbidden from venturing out alone without a male accompanying her. ·       The heads of female mannequins have been wrenched off by Taliban representatives. As these supposedly represent vulgarity. ·     Women have to cover up if they wish to work outside home, either with clothes or even with a blanket if required. They can only take up teaching and medical professions. Somehow, these seem like a chilling reminder of the Afghanistan of the nineties, that has been portrayed so touchingly by Khaled Hosseini in A Thousand Splendid Suns . The story of war-ravaged Afghanistan, it illustrates the devastating consequences of prolonged conflict on the lives of ordinary folk. The novel traces the journey of two women from two generations - brought together by extraordinary circum...