Sunday, May 25, 2008

Wedding in Kolkata

Time flies and i came to realise the import of this truism when i left delhi on 20th may to attend the wedding of my friend since class 7,Anirban.It seems not like yesterday but not too distant also when he had joined the school.He was good in three important disciplines namely,studies(parents happy);cricket(friends happy);and girls(made him very happy).
I had last visited Kolkata in 2000 and i was pretty excited to visit the city of joy after a gap of eight years.I landed at Netazi Subhash International Airport at around 8 pm (no relation to the liquor advt.)and the airport seemed familiar despite the many changes.Anirban had come to receive me and off we went to saltlake where i was to stay for the night.The same night another of our school friend arrived from Bengaluru.Next day i shifted to a place near his home in Beleghata and met uncle,aunty and didi for the first time after 1999 and could notice hardly any change in their appearance,they looked just the way i had seen them in Itanagar.Though the same was not true of me as they told me that i looked much thinner than what they expected based on my schooltime plumpness.
Watching a traditional bengali wedding from up close was a wonderful experience ,and the groom was smiling all d time (one doesnt expect this normally)
and hardly paying much attention to d rituals going on ....the bride looked stunning to say the least and for once our goodluking friend was overshadowed and rightly so.
During my stay i got to eat amazing bengali food ....fish-fry and mishti doi(sweet curd) being two outstanding delicacies and mind you i hardly eat fish and curd otherwise ,so one can well imagine the tastiness of the food items...
I wud like to wish nabamita and anirban the best of everything that life has to offer ...
The day after the wedding ,myself and romel(bangalore friend)went for 'kolkata darshan'.We started at the college street which is famous for the range of books available and at heavy discount.We had coffee at the historical "Coffee House" which once was frequented by intellectuals and is now struggling to remain afloat in the times of Barista and Cafe Coffeeday.

Friday, May 16, 2008

How i feel ...

I feel down ,the results finally came today at 7:30 pm and my name was not there.I wanted to be in the list like all the other 1892 aspirants but then it was not to be.Maybe someone has to lose for others to win.It is more disappointing because it was my third attempt,i have been trying to crack the IAS nut without any sucess since october 2004 and this was the closest i got.Now i have prelims on sunday,ie 18th may .This is going to be my fourth and final attempt ,and i plan to give it simultaneously while working.I know it wont be easy but then one has to move on in life.It is a exam where relative performances matter ,and i tried my best but i guess my best was not good enough.Now is going to be the real test of character for me ,how well and quickly i can pull myself up and get going.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Pink City !!!

The last few days have been nightmarish for a variety of reasons.Two days back there was serial blast in Jaipur.Over sixty innocent people lost their lives and hundreds got injured and we have the politicians blaming everyone under the sun but their flawed policies and misplaced priorities.Terrorism is a hydra headed monster and we all need to play our part in fighting against it.One more thing which is so troubling is that the left parties which create a ruckus every time Indo-US nuclear deal threatens to move forward have hardly anything strong to say on the subject of terrorism.It is high time that citizens become more vigilant especially in crowded public places.But at the same time we should not fall prey to the fear psychosis that the perpetrators want to spread.
Coming to IPL ,Delhi Daredevils after starting so well in the tournament have lost last four matches ,and the sad part is that in all those matches they had the upper hand.Especially the defeat to Kolkata Knightriders was unpalatable.Shoaib Akhtar bowled well but Delhi team could have handled him much better.Rajasthan Royals looks to be the best team in the fray and it has the best captain on display ,Shane Warne.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

What if .....

Finally the judgment day is approaching when the UPSC will decide the fate of 1892 candidates who have appeared for the interview this time.This will bring down the curtain on civil services 2007 exam which began with the notification issued sometimes in December 2006.The process is as long drawn as it can be and the eighteen months or so which it takes to complete the process have its fair share of highs and lows.
Around 450-500 candidates are expected to make the grade in the final merit list and the rest are going to be disappointed."It works on the"all or nothing "principle ,though the difference between those making it and those who are left behind is going to be marginal.
There are only two possibilities to put it plainly ,being on the list and not being on the list.While the first case is preferable ,the second case is also a distinct possibility.The final selection depends on 'Mains'(out of 2000) score plus the Interview score(out of 300).All kinds of permutations and combinations are possible.
Hoping for the best and keeping fingers crossed !!!

Monday, May 5, 2008

IPL : Ecstasy and Agony !!!

On 29th april ,i got hold of VVIP passes for the Delhi Daredevils versus Bangalore Royal Challengers.Being a long time 'arm chair' cricket fanatic,getting the passes to watch a match live was an exciting proposition and plus the thought of getting VVIP treatment made me delirious.But as always never judge a book by its cover ,and in my case never go by the VVIP tag,you can be in for a nasty surprise.
So finally this evening(30th april)at around 6:30 pm i started for Ferozeshah Kotla where the match was to be played.Normally ,it is a 30 minute drive from my place ,but i had not bargained for the BRT(Bus Rapid Transit)nightmare.I got stuck in the traffic jam and had to witness the fireworks from inside the car itself.Around 8:10 i reached the VVIP gate and was confronted by a crowd of fellow VVIP's and after lot of jostling and pushing made my way into the cool environs of the VVIP lounge.My eyes searched in vain for a seat that would give me a panoramic view of the proceedings.I resigned myself to watching the match from a seat which gave me the best view of the sightscreen and for the first time in my cricket viewing life i felt a tinge of sympathy for all those idiots who disturb the batsmen by moving around the sightscreen as i was one of them now.
The match went on predictable lines and Delhi Daredevils knocked down the Bangalore Royal Challengers in style.But the real fight as it turned out was to get the complimentary dinner.People jostled with each other for the delicacies and it was just one step removed from a full fledged stampede.The global food shortage made sense at that moment to me and after trying for about ten minutes i realised the futility as in those ten minutes i was not able to move even an inch closer to the food.I (un)smartly thought that let the more hungry people eat first and later on i can have my dinner in more relaxed environment,but when i returned after 15 minutes of sight-seeing ,there were hardly any people in the dining hall(no problem) and there was no food either(big problem).
As i watched most of the match from the media box,i managed to see Sunil Gavaskar,Greg Chappell,Aamir Sohail and last but not the least Ranjit Fernando(arguably the worst commentator in world cricket).Though the experience of watching the match was enjoyable but being more of a self-styled cricket expert i would prefer watching the match on TV anyday with replays and statistics et al.(Denial of food has got nothing to do with it !)