For the restless spirit!

I have moved....to a new nest...a new home.  I am ready for the new year. Only 5 more days to go. I am all set for a new beginning, once more.... The word "new" has almost a distinctive flavor, a smell, a feel  ....of newness ,if you know what I mean? And once the word "new" is attached to something, that taste or flavor or feel attaches itself to that "something" and makes it laden with immense possibilities.... It gives us yet another chance ...to get it right. To help me settle into my new home, I have painstakingly taken the time to "do it up", hoping to enjoy the new settings for a reasonable period of time. I look forward to many cups of coffee, sitting in my new balcony. I look forward to watching many a sun rise from my bedroom recliner over my morning cuppas. I look forward to the wafts of my aromatic candles that will exude warmth and welcome for many days. I look forward to holding on to the newness of the sheets...

Dec 19, 2013 7:46 pm As I take in the view for the last time .... I sigh a little.... Moving homes is not very easy. Moving away from what grows on you is always tough.... As has this evening view of the Marina!!! I will miss it. I sit amidst packed cartons tonight ... This place has been good for me for the last few years ... But maybe there's better in store... In my new home, in my new surroundings.  As a close friend reminded me recently, it's all about change and accepting it, right? When did that ever bother you ?? That is true...  However, bonded I am to the fond memories of the past, I am an ardent believer of change for progress and improvement .... I welcome the opportunities that change brings with it. And I believe if approached with enthusiasm and positivity, it can only work for our betterment.  So, while I struggle with the chaos of today and tomorrow.... I assure myself.... It's only a matter of time... Before the excitement of a new surroundings, the newn...

Dec 12, 2013  I watched a cinematic adaptation of Tagore's famous work, "Shesher Kobita" as part of the Dubai International Film Festival.  Unlike most Bongs, I have unfortunately not read the original piece and hence was oblivious of the story line....I did however know that it was extremely popular with the Bengali intellectuals and the eternal poets within most Bong souls!I also knew it was about "Love" ....apart from politics, Bengalis usually have most to talk about this topic!! However, the title always baffled me with its negative tone - "shesh" or "last" means an end, right? And "true" love was never meant to end, so how did this work? Watching the movie unfold, I got my answer ....and am now reading the novel too, for better understanding. The answer is very simple, actually....something a lot of us never understand, or struggle with....it is that "True love is boundless". Period. It does not have to ...

Suddenly, December seems to have sneaked in .....and soon we will have a new year ahead. This always triggers introspection.... a search within to see how did I start the year, what all did I achieve, what did I lose, how closer am I to my dreams or goals? So, it's that time of the year again......to look inwards....and to look forward... Coming from the HR (human resources, for those who still belong to the dinosaur ages!!!) fraternity and project managing most of the time, I think its important to set objectives at the beginning of each year .... not just resolutions that tend to break soon! Over the coming few weeks, I will do the following .....and I encourage you to do the same... Look back at the year gone past....take stock....make a list of what I will carry forward with me, what will I lay peacefully to rest Revisit my life's goals and see if there has been any movement towards them - am I closer? Have I gone off the track? Have I moved away? That is importa...

Dec 1, 2013  11 months of 2013 gone....only 31 more days before we end yet another year. The end is definitely in sight! As I look back, this year has had its fair share of ups and downs - for me , atleast. But we human beings usually focus more on the not-so-good rather than the better times, so my initial thoughts were - its been a bad one, let it end soon! But then I remembered other things that were actually good and changed the flow of my thoughts, forcefully.... Today, as we enter the last month of this year, I take a few moments to reflect on all that has happened throughout the year - some things broke my heart, some things made me feel truly blessed, some things I gathered with joy, some I let go with pleasure and some with pain... but it's all gone now and what I chose to do with all those memories is up to me. I chose to remember and focus on all those times when I have lived, laughed and loved.... I do not forget the rest, I just learn from them - to be stronge...

Its a very liberating feeling..... When you are able to love, with no strings attached. Its really not as easy as that may sound - you possibly know - and I have learnt recently.  Love, attachment, affection - all sublime feelings, but cause humans to expect ....nothing wrong with that too. Its natural. I expect those close to me to love me back, show me that I am important to them as they are to me, that I matter ......but I have also realized 2 things: You can't always expect - you shouldn't ...even the most prudent investment may not give you dividends and love should never be an investment in the first place.  You can't always measure what you will get in return - it may not match up to your expectations, but may be the most the other person is either capable or willing to give to you..... So, when you are able to bring yourself to love, unconditionally....with no strings attached.... you move to a higher plane. It's a very powerful feeling...you conti...

For me, that's most important these days....... to have peace of mind....it's no longer about winning, about who's right or wrong, about getting all the answers ....it's simply about being at peace with myself.  And I have realized now that being "at peace with yourself" is actually a decision, a personal choice.  Maybe it's to do with my advancing years....maybe it's to do with my running out of steam, little by little.....but it doesn't really bother me, I don't need to know. What I do know is that I am focussed more and more only on matters that lie within my sphere of control, I pick and chose my battles wisely these days and I try and keep my world simple .... Friends often wonder how I am still at ease though I have so much still going wrong in my life, so much that could improve, so much that is vague, uncertain. ....all of this should cause me stress, right?  But I have made a choice - that I will chose Peace. And that helps me...

Recently, a dear friend sent me a video where a "crazy" dream of a young bride this friend of mine knew personally, was made to come true unexpectedly.....naturally, her joy knew no bounds ... for me, this was yet another proof that you never know when your dreams could come true, however crazy they may be! Those who know me well, know how much of a dreamer I am....infact, I dream so much that I sometimes think I could be heading towards schizophrenia!!!!  But to me, to dream is an natural as breathing....and it keeps me going, through thick and thin. I dream of how it will be when I am in certain places, with certain people, doing things I aspire to, wish for ....I feel happy seeing myself there and get energized to work towards getting there .....it keeps me moving, it keeps me positive. Do I always get there? Are all my dreams achievable?  No. I don't always get there... many a time, I stumble, I fall, I look up to realize that what I was looking for was...

Life always likes to throw "googlies" at you - I have come to understand that; it's like a little game Life wants to keep playing with you....And its your choice to play ball - go on the front foot, get defensive or refuse to bat ..in other words, go into denial! I recently read an interesting post by an extended member of my family - who has incidentally denounced the material world and moved beyond - about human attachment and how it is but natural.....struck a chord somewhere.... I have always believed that we need to manage our expectations and that is the route to happiness and being at peace.....but is that always possible? Is it also desirable? Are we not going against human nature to lower expectations? But if we expect, we open ourselves to disappointment and hurt and that's never good, is it? This recent post triggered a thought process ......one has always heard through the ages that beyond a point in one's life, one should start to detach ....fr...

Back in Dubai today after a short trip to Kolkata.... Those who know me, also know my passion for the city I was born in and grew up.....the love that remains unscathed, irrespective of all that has changed in my life and in Kolkata! Leaving the city and my many loved ones there is always difficult (my friends must be tired of my wails and tears ) - but as I have always said - life is all about choices and I have made mine. My adopted land here in the desert is where I need to be now and when I accept that, it becomes easier .... to come back and adjust to a completely different lifestyle. Life compels us, nudges us, to sometimes make choices that we don't want - sometimes we'd rather be somewhere else, doing something else, with someone else....but lucky are those few fortunate ones, who manage to have everything they ever wanted. Most, like me, have to accept at times, make choices not always very pleasant and adjust.... Whenever I have had to make a choice that I w...

I came across this quote by Socrates this evening while surfing .....and thought it is so relevant even today, possibly more relevant now than ever before...... Being busy is a fad; today,  most of us get fidgety if we are not busy doing something or the other...and technology does not actually help the situation....if there's nothing to do, there's always your smart device to the rescue! Why do we feel this way? Why do we not have time to smell the coffee, smell the roses - forget smell, sometimes, we don't even notice the roses? Why do we always have to be perceived to be "active"- doing something? And do we ever stop to think about what it is that we are doing - what are we running after? I doubt it.....sometimes, we get so busy in our lives, it becomes a habit - something seems wrong if we are not busy; it stops to matter what we are busy with. There will always be things to do, mountains to climbs, places to travel to, tasks to be completed, goals to b...

Yes, the countdown has begun.....in 3 days time, I board the flight and yes, I am coming home! Some are surprised that after almost 8 years in my current adopted desert land, I still call Kolkata "home"........but those who know me better, understand. Restless as my spirit is.....despite its love for the unknown....its wanderlust...."home" for me, will always be "where the heart is" and my heart is definitely in Kolkata. Many of my NRI friends try and convince me that this is my sheer romanticism, that when faced with the realities of life back home, my feelings will change....I doubt it very much. I don't think any other place in the world will ever feel the same.  And I have been blessed to travel a lot, from a very early age - seen many different countries, cultures, communities - but yet, my feelings remain unchanged. And I believe it will always be this way. I firmly believe one must know and acknowledge one's roots - its very impor...

Its been very long since I last managed to sit down and blog .... something I actually look forward to.... and I wondered why?  Did I have nothing to say all these days? That's impossible, I am so damn opinionated :) ....those who know me will know where I am coming from!  I was just preoccupied - first with fun and happiness, courtesy our Durga Pujo and then the horrible part, being ill, so ill that I honestly just couldn't think of anything - good or bad.  And my blog waited - bored maybe, but like a dear, old, trusted friend - knowing I had things on my mind but possibly hoping I got over whatever it was, so that I would be back...with my thoughts, my dreams, my pains....to share.  And I realized my blog was truly a good friend - it does not question my flow of thoughts, it listens and gives me a patient ear and outlet every time I reach out. It's there ....always! I guess that's whats most important for me, these days.....having an inner circl...

Yesterday I read an interesting article on my way back from work and have been thinking about it all of today.....The article was about "Work-Life Strategies that really mattered"....1 line struck a chord : "Life is a marathon, not a sprint."  Yes, life is long - mostly.  Sometimes, in our daily rush we tend to forget this and we allow momentary successes and failures to get to us. Life has taught me that both are not right. As they say, just as good times don't last, so do bad times.....  I remember friends and acquaintances from my childhood that did brilliantly in either academics or sports - they were role models then, much adored, but ultimately did not achieve much success in their careers or personal lives....I remember people from work who seemed to rule the corporates I have worked with but then somehow, slid down the ranks eventually and fell from grace....we see it all around us, don't we?  "Success" is very transient - even the...

Yaa Devi sarva bhutheshu shakti rupena samsthithaa| Namastasyie namastasyie namastasyie namoo namah..... Translated, I guess this means : Salutations again and again to the Devi (Goddess) who resides in all beings in the form of Shakti (creative power) Early this morning, on Mahalaya - at the onset of Debi-pokkho - these words drifted through most Bong households .....through the voice of Birendra Kishore Bhadra .... We are almost ready for "Okaal Bodhon" - an untimely but popular festival for Bengalis across the globe - Durgotsav - the worship of Goddess Durga, as she comes for her short "Annual Leave" from her heavenly abode to her maternal home, with her 4 kids.  Today we begin the worship of Shakti in the form of Devi Durga ( Mahishashur Mardini - the vanquisher of buffalo headed Demon )  The Devi is .... a furious warrior for the cause of Truth and Righteousness a loving, devoted and beautiful wife a doting mother to her 4 kids - a safe haven for ...