Farewell Sachin

It’s an amazing feeling today..Peculiar, weird..Seeing Sachin play for so many years, didn't realize how time flew and i grew up from a little kid..the kid i once used to be, watching sachin play, in a black and white TV, sitting on my grandfather's side..his brilliant innovative as well as text book shots..his centuries, his sixes, his fours, we cherished every bit of 'em..we mourned when he lost his wickets, we rose when he rose his bat, he practically became a part of our life..in india, cricket is the most glamorous game and cricketers are as popular as movie stars, even more perhaps..credit for that goes entirely to Sachin..even before exams, children told their mom "lemme see the match as long as sachin plays, then I'll study" and moms didn't protest..that era ends in the present test match..cant believe it's his last match..cant believe the young kid playing amidst seniors like azhar, siddhu, etc, scoring runs after runs, finally called it a day..the little master retires..he retires after breaking all records possible..he retires after setting such new records which god knows when anyone can ever touch or break..my friend Mayur Tailor aptly says: "Somewhere between the Debut and Retirement of Sachin Tendulkar, We all grew up"..
indeed..thank you Sachin for making us all so proud of you..thankyou for everything..

Gravity & Captain Phillips

Amazing Sunday, well spent with friends..

It was 6 O' Clock in the morning when the alarm sounded. I was irritated since it was Sunday and only because of my friends' coaxing had I made a plan to take a trip to Kolkata for watching two movies back to back. I did not know then that it was going to be so much worth it.

The 1st movie was Gravity. I won't call it a movie. It was rather an experience. It felt like literally being present in the hollow space with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. Their acting was amazing, so was the direction, 3D, cinematography, sound editing and the concept of the film is beyond my praises. I remember the last time when i got so much hang of a movie after seeing it in a theater. It was the Dark Knight Rises. Felt similar kick after watching this one. Took me literally several minutes to realize I'm back to the real world after the movie..Amazing..simply amazing..Every word spoken by George Clooney literally had such impact..

Not only me, even my friends thought it's enough. Gravity was so awesome that the next movie won't be able to match the kick of gravity. We were all so wrong. Captain Phillips is what we saw next. Tom Hanks proved yet again that aging doesn't depreciate the value of gold..He reminded me again of his genius in Forest Gump, Philadelphia, Cast Away, etc. The man is a gem and so is the movie. Amazing screenplay, direction, all round exceptional performances from every one, and legendary performance from Tom Hanks. The entire movie was awesome, but last half an hour proves, no one but Tom Hanks could have played this role of Captain Phillips..We were speechless seeing him. The hangover of gravity was not only removed totally by Captain Phillips, but was rather replaced by its own kicks and highs..

I am going to remember this Sunday forever, because may be several times before I saw back to back movies in multiplexes, but it's the 1st time that both turned out to be such extraordinary films..I can't still believe my luck today..Thank you buddies..

Bhaskar Sharma & Syamantak Dhar..

Maayer Puja

(Poetry in Bengali)

-Tamal Ghosal

Mahalayar shokal bela, chayer peyala haathe,

Radio er switch on kori, 4ter samay prate.

Birendra Krishna Bhadrer shlok, janaay maayer agomoni,

Aschhen Maa aabar bhunye, niye ulu dhwani.

Debi pakkher prothom 5 din, protikkhay kaate,

Anondo, asha buke niye, mon khushir pothe haante.

Kono kaaje mon lage na, oi bujhi maa elo,

1 bochhorer niraash mon, abar asha pelo.

Shoshti er din maa ke aani, kori taar bodhan,

Pujar prostuti shuru kori, kore moner shodhan.

Astra, shastra, gahona, bastra – diye shajai maa ke,

Mone jaage ullas anek, haashi thonter faanke.

Saptami te puja shuru, shobai notun beshe,

Maa eshe puja nilen, pitri grihe sheshe.

Paaray paaray ghure ghure thakur dekhar pala,

Mandope mandope shobha paaye, maayer pujar dala.

Ashtami er shokale ditei hobe, maa ke pushpanjali,

Durga Pujar Mahamantra dhwani, chhoray ali gali.

Dupure maayer anya bhog, mile mishe kheye moja,

Dhaaker baddyi, dhunuchi naach, raate sandhi puja.

Nabami er shokal shokal, beriye pora chai,

Pujor ei to shesh din, aar je samay naai.

Thakur dekha, khawa dawa, chootiye aadda maara,

Anondo uttejanay shobai, maatay sara para.

Dekhte dekhte dashami, maayer bidaay nebar bela,

Maayer samne meyera taar dekhay sindur khela.

Bisarjan yatray mon kandiye, maa nen biday.

Aschhe bochhor abar hobe, roilam protikkhay.

FIRST RAIN

All is well, so beautiful around,

Everything looks so new.

The thunder roars, the first rain falls,

Makes me remember you.

My love for you, as soothing as rain,

That washes away the summer heat.

I used to pray we live, laugh and love,

As long as our hearts beat.

The smile of yours, those wet dark hairs,

Tell me how not to crave.

The love for you, the pain for your love,

I’ll take with me to my grave.

The breezy wind, so cool so moist,

Like the flying scarf of yours.

That voice you had, was even sweeter

Than the melody of rain pours.

When you were near, so good was all,

Life was so full of boon.

Summers, winters were jealous of us,

There was eternal monsoon.

I still feel those days by me,

As I see the rain.

The romance of the downpour

So overwhelms my brain.

Emotions though beat intellect by miles,

And I listen to just my heart.

The first rain of the season still

Makes me wish we were not apart.

But oh nostalgia, it makes me cry,

Makes my heart so sore.

I put down my pen in the pain of love,

As the nimbus clouds roar.

- Tamal Ghosal

LOOKING BACK

– Composed by Tamal Ghosal.

In my heart, I don’t know why, I hate to look back,

When all I see are obvious facts, no matter how I ransack.

The year that came a year ago, was only an infant fry,

And now I see it’s a year old, about to say goodbye.

Summer was hot; monsoon wet; the winter was bitterly cold,

The year was full of extremes, we saw, we felt, we told.

And now that the infant has grown old, and about to be our past,

A million memories flock my brain, I now look back at last.

The cup of life, India won, made us all so proud,

Tsunami sabotaged Japan, consequences were loud.

Laden killed, Gaddafi slayed, Kishenji the Maoist shot,

In memory of our dear Steve Jobs, iphone 4S we got.

F1 in India, oh what news! Made all our minds so keen!

34 years old red flag at last in West Bengal, made way for tender green.

2G scandal was one nuisance; nothing else in TV was then to be seen,

Tennis star Novak Djokovic, ate grass at Wimbledon’s win.

Shammi jee, Dev Anand sahab, you’ll always be missed,

Temptations of Jagjit jee’s songs we still wont resist.

Bhimsen, Chaurasia, Hazarika’s melody, always plucked the right chord,

SRK learnt from RA-One, Don 2, he isn’t no more the reigning LORD!

Mumbai blast, oh what tyranny! The doers deserve to burn in hell,

The fire that burnt AMRI, very few lived to tell the tale.

Sehwag breaking Sachin’s twin ton, a big news at last.

Anna still in hunger mode, to change the world with fast.

Prince William and Kate tie the knot, happily ever after to live,

Captain of India Pataudi, finally was held by death captive.

Peepli live, India sent to Oscars, which the academy drops,

Ash’s girl would call BigB grandpa, and Abhishek as pops.

13 hours debate in Parliament, Lokpal bill not passed.

Market swinging up and down, investors Aghast!

 Kolaveri di, the nation hummed, no language barrier music knows!

Egyptian protestors shed their blood, as their voices rose.

Baba Ramdev, scandals, uproar, so needless all was,

Earth quake in India, was no boon, the loss was enormous.

Petrol price rising high, Sachin’s 100^th ton yet to come.

Let’s see who makes century first, hope wait be less tiresome.

For all those who think 2011 was so full of loss,

I love to say I enjoyed one loss, at the transfer of my Hitler boss.

Celebrated all festivals with fun, nothing could subdue the joy hike,

Only to add a master’s finish stroke, “yes! I got myself a bike”.

No grief can stop us on our way; no blow can tear us all apart!

No calamity can conquer us, or reduce the love in our heart.

So looking back was far too long, but it taught me nothing is to fear.

I say, all keep 2011 in your heart, and wish you a “HAPPY NEW YEAR”.

An Experience Worth Sharing

A very reputed market name, HDFC. Or so was I told. A stupid looking thin and simple man named Prasenjit Dhar once told me. He was an agent of HDFC credit card division. I was very much in need of credit card those days since I was eager to buy few stuffs online from amazon.com which required me to have visa card. So I took the offer from Mr. Dhar and got myself a platinum visa card.

Frankly speaking, it was an amazing few months with the visa card. Life was much smoother. The card was universally accepted everywhere and there was hardly any need to carry more than few hundred cash with me. However, too much greed is bad. Little did I know what future awaited me then.

It was may 2011 last week. Prasenjit Dhar gave me a phone call in the afternoon saying my credit limit has been revised and upgraded. I’ll now be given a new visa world signature card. For that all I needed to do was send a photograph of the front side of my card and a scanned copy of self attested previous credit card statement. I did the same. However, few weeks passed by but I go no new card from HDFC. I almost forgot about this whole issue. When all of a sudden on June 17^th 2011 I got an SMS from HDFC thanking me for using my card for a transaction worth Rs. 34, 960 /- to TATA AIG Life insurance Co. I was taken by surprise. I was then on my way to Vadodra on an office tour so was not in a position to send a disute statement immediately. So I waited for 5 days till I came back to Haldia and then filed a transaction dispute statement immediately for that transaction. I had blocked the card from Vadodra itself. However, this was just the beginning of the harassment.

Every alternate days I called up HDFC customer care for this dispute. They told, investigation is in progress. However, on September mid week I got a letter from HDFC that the payment has already been released and no dispute can be entertained now. That the sum has been utilized to open a Life Insurance policy at TATA AIG. The company policy has certain features for reputed companies like TATA AIG etc that transactions using HDFC card may be made in these banks without even requiring o produce pin code or even CVV number. I was told that the policy payment has been authorized by my signature and card number. Then I remembered I gave my self attested card statement and card front photograph (bearing just card number) to Prasenjit Dhar for card upgradation. I then called him up. To my utter surprise, he denied even knowing anything about card upgradation and that he never gave any such offer to me. It took me no more time to do 2+2=4.

I went to the nearest police station to lodge a diary or FIR against Prasenjit Dhar. I even managed to find his residential address and handed it over to the police. Police took 2 weeks just to file the diary, and about action, I got none whatsoever. Every alternate days I visited the police station only to listen to lame excuses like they are busy, or they forgot to look out for that man etc. In the meantime I also had filed a progressive dispute form with HDFC declining to own any responsibility of the transaction whatsoever since, on the day the policy was signed in Kolkata, I was in Haldia. However, they replied negative once again. It was then October. They declined to dispute the transaction and asked me repeatedly to make the payment. They also disclosed the policy number opened with my card in TATA AIG.

I cut my credit card into two and sent it to HDFC. In the mean time, I enquired directly with TATA AIG about my problem. They showed me the policy details. I learnt that somebody had used fake photos and sign forgery to get the policy done. TATA people, however, were most cooperative. They readily registered my complaint and within 3 weeks, refunded my Rs. 34,960/-

All this time, HDFC guys kept calling me everyday asking for the money back. I had lost mental peace due to this incessant harassment. I didn’t know how to react. The amount had summed up to Rs. 40,959 /- by the mounting interest of 4 months. I paid the original sum of Rs. 34,960/- as soon as I got the refund from TATA AIG. But HDFC people were not going to spare me so easily. For the balance Rs. 6,000 /- interest, they gathered my home phone number and began to threat my parents for the money. For a mere Rs. 6,000 /- , a reputed name like HDFC could go so low, was beyond my imagination. I had fought with the bank, insurance company, police, thug, everyone so long since it was I who was involved. Now I couldnot risk my family’s peace. So I paid the interest as well and closed the chapter finally on Nov 1^st week.

I had no need to share this silly experience of mine over here, but just to prevent others from ever falling into a similar trap I did. I wont go into the moral of the story. It is for you to infer and learn from whichever part of the story that has appealed to you most.

Thanks for reading till this point.