Christmas at 90's and Now

Sunday, 27th December 2009 - 12:46 AM
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It has been long time since I was, well "small".

Whenever I think of Christmas, I get back memories of very old times. The memories are all from the 90's, the times when I was still quite a small schoolboy. Things used to be so colorful at Christmas. I used to decorate our room in colorful ribbons, balloons, and other sparkling and glittering things from stars to balls, to whatever I had. I even had a little christmas tree, and decorated it with more things than it could withstand. The little colorful bells, that hung from the branches always seemed so cute. The only thing missing in them were the sounds of jingling. Later on I had shifted to decorating Dada's room instead of ours. Now that I remember about the shifting, why that ever took place I can't seem to remember. Anyway, all seemed so well at this time of the year then. Infact to me it seemed the best time of the year. The cold, the colors of christmas, the vacation at school, the anticipation of coming of a new year, the way santa dresses, (in whatever illustrations I had seen), the christmas themed cartoons at Cartoon Network, the english movies with something "christmas" based in it, the home alone series, all seemed so fascinating. It was normally at that those time that someone from Jethu's family used to visit Calcutta, and it only added to even more excitement. The different types of cakes and pastries, and oranges all were so Christmas like...

All these little and small things kept me so much lively, and happy. Something worth waiting for one more year, to come again. Those were the days, when I used to think, a year is such a long time, and good things like this shouldn't have to wait for so long. Now, I guess I know why all those waiting was for...

And coming back to where I'm today... this is the same old Christmas time... But today, I'm least bothered of something so called. I don't know whether I myself have chosen this or not. Or is it something which I could have changed or not. But here its no use thinking what I could have done, and perhaps been in some other point in some other parallel time-line. Time doesn't seem to wait, and the only thing I could think of is, how to get back somewhere as close to where I once was.

The only thing worth remembering from this year's Christmas is my first chat with Shruti. I don't know whether it is simple attraction, crush, love or whatever. All I know is that, if someone asks me to think of anyone, it would be her. If I'm going somewhere, and wish someone was with me there, it would be her. If I'm feeling bored and try to think of something different, she would be first thing to come to my mind. If I'm going to bed, she would be last thing I would remember. Whenever I lookup at my G-talk, I hope to see her there, even if I know I ain't even going to say a single thing. Whenever I get happy, I wish she could be the first one to know it. Sometimes when I've my eyes closed, and when I open them I hope to see her there. Whenever I eat something, she would be there to share. Whenever I feel like saying something, or even at times when I don't feel like saying anything, she would be there to understand it. I don't want her to be perfect or even anywhere near perfection in anything. Its only the intention that'll ever matter. Some efforts might be lazy or too weak to be called an effort itself, but still the intention is all that matters. It has been quite a long time now since I saw her the first time. I still remember the days at my first semester, when a mere glimpse or her, before the exams made me feel that even a bad days' exam can't make me feel dull. Even the worst thing didn't ever dampen my spirits, if I had even seen her somewhere.

I meet so many people everyday. Even there are ones whom I meet often. And there are so many whom I meet or get to see as less frequently as her. Of so many people its only her, that keeps coming back to my mind. Even now, when she is thousands of miles away from here, my mind seems to still lost looking for her.

First week @ Delhi and Srijan

Saturday, 12th December 2009 - 3:42 PM
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It has been exactly one week that I've been in Delhi.

Last Sunday, the 6th, the Howrah-New Delhi, Rajdhani Express arrived at the New Delhi station at 10AM. I had two bags and one backpack with me. These were the same two luggages I had taken to Pune, last year. Out of these, one was the suitcase I had lost last week. My mind was going back in time, when I first came to Pune. Some things were so similar about that time and now. But some were so different. The exact reason for being their at that place were so different now.

With the help of a coolie, I took my luggages and went to the auto-stand. From there I boarded an auto-rickshaw and went for my destination, Kingsway Camp, the Metro station in front of it. Later I came to know that this Metro Station was actually called GTB Nagar. I had got off the auto-rickshaw, and was waiting for Ashish to arrive there. While waiting for him, I took out my cell-phone, and was checking out my mailboxes for any new mails. I have already started believing in one thing. Good things only happen to you when you least expect them. Using the word 'good' is or isn't exactly appropriate, I don't know. But I can certainly call it 'unexpected'. hee hee... :D
I had got a reply of the mail I had sent earlier. Some small things like these can make people like me so happy...

At the first day of our office, all three us, me, Ashish and Chhavi were expecting to get assigned to some Drupal projects. But we were offered three different techologies to choose from ourselves. After doing some research on each of those things, we finally announced what we were going for at the end of the day to Vivek. I myself went for the Python based on-the-rise open-source web development framework Django. Ashish went for the Php based Typo3 CMS, which was my second preference at that moment. And Chhavi went for the Php based Drupal CMS. We were introduced to each of our Team Leaders, and mine was Gora.

I've been studying Python and the Django framework since then. My TL even gave me a previously unfinished project to work on and develop my knowledge, as I go through it. Thats what I have been doing now-a-days, learning things as I go by it.

I like the office pretty much. Its not like a large and huge company one dreams to get to. But it is small company where one would love to stay for a long time.
The whole environment, the people, and way things work all seems so nice and friendly.

Overall, it has been a pretty different kind of week in my life. But that was something quite expected. Lets see what comes up next...

I'm going to Delhi

Thursday, 3rd December 2009 - 2:24 AM
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Until today, I still had the slightest chance of getting a job in Calcutta itself. But I finally decided to stick to what I already have.

I don't know whether I took the right decision or not. But I won't have anyone to blame atleast. Not even myself. I did what my heart told me do.

Perhaps this was my final chance to get a job in Kolkata, but I decided to go for Srijan, Delhi. I just hope that I did the right thing.

I choose a path for myself. I don't know where it will take me in the end, but I know in which direction to walk none the less. It's gonna decide more than just one thing in my life...

Days, too much eventful

Monday, 30th November 2009 - 4:14 AM
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For the past few days too much is happening.

Firstly, my dissertation was over on 27th. It was pretty good. And I think Acharya Sir wasn't to displeased with it either.
It also meant that my third semester was officially over, and I was free to leave the college for the time being.

Secondly, now that I'm talking about leaving Pune, this turned out to be really interesting and too much of 'eventful' to say the least.
It all started with me buying out a wrong flight ticket for the 3rd time in a row, in the last 1 and 1/2 months. This time it was really a bigger blunder. I wanted to buy ticket for 29th November, but instead I bought for 29th December! What a mess!! :( And not to mention the embarrassment!!
Then, I thought about getting railway ticket for 29th Nov. I had the option of buying it through a travel agent, but no, I had to buy it myself. I had to buy it 2 days before my actual date of journey, as per the tatkal rules nowadays. Now, I don't know when these stupid people will finally fix their traffic problem at irctc site. I had to wait atleast 20 minutes before I could properly login on to their website. Gosh, it was as too late as suspected! I ended up getting a Waiting List 9 ticket. :(
Upto the evening of 27th, the ticket status was 7 WL. Mani-Bapi wanted me to take the next day's flight and come back to Calcutta as soon as possible. And I too wasn't too sure whether that tatkal ticket would be confirmed or not. Finally has to shell out another whooping 8k to get a ticket for next day's flight. This time Bapi had bought the ticket. This meant he made sure that I couldn't make one more mistake for the 4th time in the row, atleast for the time being!

Finally, it was 28th. And I took the boring Jet Airways flight via Mumbai to finally reach Kolkata. This flight normally offers 25kg for check-in luggage. I had 37kg of it. They allowed it anyway. After reaching Calcutta airport, I had to wait 20 minutes at the long queue to get a pre-paid taxi slip. Finally when I had it, I took my two luggages and the backpack handbag with me, and boarded the taxi. It was almost 10:40 PM then. The taxi finally reached in front of our flat gate at about 11PM. I took my backpack with me, and went outside the door to get the rest of my luggages from the back of the back of the car. But the driver had something else in his mind. When I had only went a single step out toward the back of the car, the driver sped off. He simply decided to flee. The taxi door wasn't even closed and he was speeding away. I shouted back, but only in vain. Then I thought about chasing the taxi. But I couldn't find much of some transport at that hour to chase him at that moment. So, I began to run after it. It didn't help much, coz soon after, I realized that it was already too far away to be caught by foot alone. By this time, I had already made it to the front of Amherst Street Police Station. I ran straight inside and told them what had happened. As I should have known, but forgetting at that moment of instance, they were simple too lazy and reluctant to do anything useful. They did take an official FIR, but didn't seem to do nothing about it. As it was a pre-paid taxi, I had the customer's copy of the taxi slip. Even with the number of the taxi present on it, they talked and walked lazily around this whole incident. I had called up Bapi by then, and he was there. I had also called up Arnab and told him about the whole incident. He had talked with his father, and told me to also call 100 let them know about this incident. The call to 100 and then subsequently to the number referred to by them was totally useless. I wonder why they even keep such helpline, even when they are least interested to help. I finally returned to my home at 12 midnight, and of course without my luggage. I only had my hand luggage with me. Hadn't I put my important things like laptop, hard disk, and all my original documents in it, I would have been doomed. I was feeling very bad, having lost my luggage to that stupid taxi driver. The next day, i.e. 29th morning, Bapi finally got one call through to pre-paid taxi association. He told them the entire drama which had taken place last night. They promised to call as soon as they will find something. By this time, what we came to know from the Police Station was that, the actual owner of the car had already sold the car to some unknown person, and they were still trying to figure out who it was. And they didn't even seem to have any documentation about this new owner. To me, it was useless information. I really wonder whether this entire information was even true or not. Anyway, the taxi-association had finally called up themselves after some time, and told us to come to the airport as soon as possible. So, I and my father finally went there. We had forgot to take the key for my suitcase, in the hurry. Finally, when we went there, we found both of my bag with them. They already had their story ready for us, about how the driver had forgot about the luggage, and dropping them off with them the very last night. I didn't believe it anyway. Just when we were about to load the luggage back in the back of our car, I realized that the official security check seal of the airport securities in one of the luggages were already broken. Finally, we forced open the luggage with some other key. I found that some of the items of the luggage were clearly misplaced. I ran a quick check for a few items, and found that they were not stolen. Someone had opened the luggage, but perhaps he didn't like the contents of it, so had probably placed them back there. Atleast, I got my luggages back.

Too much action is happening for the last few days. I hope that they stop being so eventful for now. Atleast the bad things.

Even as these eventful things kept happening, I realized that sometimes some good things can make you feel so right up. Things as simple as a simple scrap can be so good sometimes. :)

Result for Internship at Srijan Technologies

Thursday, 12th November 2009 - 7:40 AM
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The list of students selected for Srijan Technologies, Delhi, finally came yesterday. As expected, I finally got selected for it. :)

The interviews were taken on 31st October at the venue of Drupal Sprint 2009, Bhaskaracharya Pratishthan, Pune. And that is where Ashish had found them.

Initially they were expected to take 2-3 people. But, after taking the interviews, the Project Manager wanted to take more students. That made him talk with his MD, and thus this delay in declaring the results.

Finally, 3 students were selected.
We are offered a stipend of Rs. 11000/= per month for the 6 months of internship period.
After that we may get recruitment by them only, based on our performance and their business requirements.

As far as I know, all three of us have accepted this offer. So, I guess this makes us "Not Eligible" to sit for further placement activities provided by the college! :(

Diwali Trip to Calcutta Coming to an End

Wednesday, 21rd October 2009 - 12:26 AM
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This trip is turning out be very different than the rest. This time, I met with most of my friends, except only a few who couldn't turn up, or didn't get the time to meet. Staying in this new rented flat of ours, in itself is quite a different experience. And the feeling that this is not my home makes thing even worse. It's like "being at home, without feeling the same".

Till now, I had only a single chance to see my old home, 27 RNC, and that too from quite a distance. At first it seemed like, "how come the house behind, came forward in place of our home!".

This year, I had my second visit to Mamdadu-r Bari to witness Kali Pujo. Last year I had missed it, as I was in Pune then.

Infact, this year's Bhai Phonta was also pretty different. I witnessed it in a totally different environment, and the old memories of this event kept on creeping in.

The funniest part. The most prestigious Kali Pujo's of Calcutta was now at out door's step. But, I couldn't even make up my mind, whether I like it or not! Something funny is happening currently!

Diwali Vacation 2009

Wednesday, 15rd October 2009 - 1:11 AM
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Reached Calcutta a little more than 27 hours ago.

This little visit wasn't actually planned in advance. On 12th noon I suddenly felt like going to Calcutta for the Diwali vacations. I just bought a flight ticket on 12th for the 13th and here I was in Calcutta. Actually, I wanted to come down to Calcutta the very moment I thought of it. I was so much into the "hurry-hurry-hurry" mode that time, that I hadn't even realized the present date and bought the ticket for the next day, instead of the actually intended one.
Mah god, what a blunder it was!!! It was so embarassing, because it was only after trvelling 10 mins towards airport, I had realized what I had done.

I wanted to come to Calcutta so badly. Exactly why I wanted to come so badly, I don't even know it myself, but perhaps the boredom was getting into me. I was so happy to even think of getting back to Calcutta, even if it was only for a week. The delay caused due to my mistake of getting ticket for the wrong date was simply too "boring". And the time spent sitting on plane seat was really tooooo long. And specially when the plane was crawling though the runways at Mumbai airport, I wondered whether this was largest the airport in the world or not!

Finally I got to Calcutta. I took my huge red trolly and had to stand in the long queue to get the pre-paid taxi, to get to my "new home". I was so happy until then. I was there back in Calcutta. But now that I was there, I felt like I have left something in Pune. I never felt like, I will miss anything from Pune. But now I really missed Pune. I really missed her. I never liked anything much about Pune. Suddenly I was starting to like Pune. I knocked my head twice with my hand, and said to myself "I am stupid, I am crazy!!".

The Sweetest Dream

Wednesday, 23rd September 2009 - 8:44 AM
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Today, I had one of the sweetest dream of my life.

I normally have a very bad experience when it comes to remembering things, and specially even worse when it comes to the very word 'dream'.

But, today's was something special. I knew it the first moment I realized it. If I ask myself, "How do I know it?", then I would say, "It was the very warmth of happiness which seemed to fill my heart and make it feel lighter than ever.". In short I can say that it made me feel special from the inside, and I just knew that it really was.

Initially after I woke up, all I found myself doing was trying to go back to where I just came from. I didn't seem to know anything else at that moment of time.

The Dream Itself:

(I can't remember how it started, or how it ended. This consists of only bits and pieces of what I can remember.)

She had come to my home. From what it seemed, it was the first time that she was there. The only faces I remember from the dream are: Mani, Bapi, Hers, and Myself (I'm not too sure whether I saw the dream as a first-person or a third-person's point of view. But most proabably the prior one.)

We were talking to each other, and we yes we had talked. I don't remember what language we were talking in, but I do remember that a few times when I talked in Bengali, and she had really understood some of the words from them, and I was really impressed!
Our conversation must have been pretty much like one daily has, because I can't seem to remember a single one of them.

I remember one single incident, and it involved fighting over choosing which chappal to give her to wear. It wasn't really any sort of fight, but yes, choosing the chappal was really difficult!
It was Dada's chappal which was finally chosen for her.
[Now that I remember this, I wonder how her tiny little feet would have managed in those loosly-fitted chappals]

There was one thing about her that I saw, which she doesn't really have. I can clearly remember that she had very long hair, almost half the way down to her knees from the waist. Now that I remember, I myself do realize that even I had paused for a moment then, seeing that oddity.

We had talk with each other in the all time famous and most popular place in the world, our good old Barandah. The only other place I remember from the dream is Thamma's room, where too we were chatting on. If I am not much mistaken, then I think, it was that room in our home, where she was supposed to stay, because I think I may have seen her luggages and belongings there.

She was really a sweety to chat with, and she never let me feel any whatsoever discomfort while talking with each other. She was just as if a person so close that you can ever ask for. She was like, family.



Now that I am fully awake and still trying to recollect and reconstruct the things I could remember, I realize one more thing. She was there at my home at 27 RNC. I have my spent almost 21 years of my life there, and it has got so many things in my life attached to it, that I can heardly believe that it won't be there when I'll return.
Its like, believing that perhaps its still there, and when I return it will again come back for me, as if it was never gone.

I wish, some wishes and dreams could come true!

Coming Soon

This is going to be my proper blog.