For the restless spirit!

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 ...