Koi

Pramila has lived long. Longer than her husband, who she thought was the genesis of her life. It wasn’t easy to handle the loss. Financially, emotionally, socially, she was exposed from all ends and life was meaningless for her. But what about her kids, you ask? Well, they were grown up, with a life of their own. The girl had a complicated relationship with her partner, too complicated in her opinion, to pull in her mother into it. She gave off hints of her boat in distress, not so subtly. The boy was abroad and distance was not just in kilometres, it was there at heart as well. A year or so Pramila hardly left her house. She was 70 and she thought who could have a renewed life now.


Life has a way of showing its purpose somehow. A school friend from ages ago bumped against her in the bazaar, one day. She looked 10 years younger than Pramila and still as sassy as she was when they had met 30 years back. Bani identified the wrinkled and mentally battered Pramila at a glance. She forced her to accompany her for a cup of tea in her house, nearby. 

Old friends can quickly get up to date about themselves, 30 years of gap closed down with 3 cups of Darjeeling’s first flush and 90 minutes by the clock.


Bani had one comment for Pramila, “Amader koi marcher pran.” Meaning, we females have the life of a carp.

Koi mach er pran? Are you aware this might be a saying used in a negative connotation, for women who outlived their husbands in the pre-independence era? Raja Ram Mohan Roy worked so much.... Bani put her hand up like she was about to surrender and cut Pramila short. You know I never read as much as you. For me this saying means just like koi mach can survive outside water, unlike any other fish; we women can adapt and live outside our comfort zones. Think about it from childhood we have been doing just that, adapting ourselves in our parent’s way of living then completely changing our way of living at our husbands’, then voluntarily jumping into motherhood to put our priorities in the back seat and the list goes on if you decide to stay with your adult children. 

I have to admit, Bani carried on in a single breath that I am a bit surprised to see you in this disorderly state. You were my hero, in life. 

Have you forgotten the Prami, before you became this domesticated self, before you became Mrs Bhanu Majumdar? I haven’t. 

Bani looked at her gold watch and sprang up like a 30 year old. For a split second Pramila wondered if this is her friend Bani or her younger ghost who had re-appeared to save her from her despair. For such tight friends you would expect their souls to visit each other in times of utter distress. 

Before Pramila could come out of her day dream, Bani had already gone in the inner sanctums of her house and returned back with an old yellowed paper. She quickly shoved it in Pramila’s handbag and made her pinky swear that she will see the object stashed inside her bag, once she is calmly settled in her house tonight. 

I can’t believe I have to leave for Siliguri by tonight of all days, added Bani. But I will be back in 10 days and then we will continue the Koi talk between us two shois (friends).

A few hours later Pramila settled in her study table after dinner and finally looked at the aged yellow paper in her bag. A 18-year old Prami smiled back at her with a twinkle in her eyes. It was the photograph taken on her 18th birthday, against her wishes. Against, because it was the photograph that was to be used for finding a suitable groom. All her friends were married and her parents were not willing to let her explore education or work outside their zamindar estate anymore. That smile on her face was for the evening’s event that she had carefully planned. It wasn’t a birthday party or a evening with friends and family. It was her celebration of adulthood and ability to take control of her life. The smile was glued through out that day on her lips because she knew she will be running away from home that day. Running away alone to join the Naxalbari uprising that was in its peak in her town of Siliguri. 

 

Book Review: Grow Up Messy - Middle Grade Book

I won't say I don't read children's books. If I chance upon a good children's fiction I dive right into it, simply because I find them richer in imagination.

Growing Up Messy is a heart warming story which reminded me parts of my childhood having born and brought up in a 2nd tier city of Bengal. Misry's escapades during afternoon hours truly made me connect with her. How many afternoons I must have spent doing the same! How much patience my mother would have shown to tolerate my disobedience.

Right from the character Misry to the descriptions of the world around her and the innocent naughty acts that Misry aka Messy got into reminded me of Tagore's short stories as well.

I think it fits a much wider range of readers apart from middle grade. It can be a good read for mothers because it captures psychology of children and I personally feel it also sets standards for the modern parent. Things like not over indulging your child, making your kid realise the difference between want and need. The very busy parents of today who have high purchasing ability sometimes forget that indulgence is not always the answer. A story like this can be a gentle reminder to them while they read it out as a bedtime story for the young ones.

Book Review: Raven Song (4/5 stars)

Time travel, magic, teleportation, super powers all mixed together in Ashcroft's book makes it an action packed novel. I was in a mind to give it a 3 because I was not sure if I liked the idea of so many strong elements being poured in one story but then I couldn't keep the book down so it defies the usual. (The usual for me is reading two to three books at the same time. The usual for me is to drop reading a book completely because the plot is not interesting). Yes! I am a plot lead reader and they have to be built up and concluded in an interesting way. Ashcroft is good at that.

What helped was the author's descriptive style of writing so the intense scenes almost pop up as visuals in my mind. Almost felt like I am reading a sci-fi movie script at times. Just when you think you understand how the story will now proceed an unpredictable situation happens.

It's a good one for readers looking to tease their brains with some out of the box imagination. Certainly a good read for scifi and magic lovers too. People who love to think and read of the impossible and unusual.

But there are too many questions unanswered, and too much curiosity to know what happens next. So I am definitely looking forward to the sequel. 

The Right side is so beautiful!

The creative side of our brain, the right side is so beautiful.

Gini's Beautiful World

Gini was scared of getting into the pond but her friends coaxed her to go on. The dragonflies buzzed around asking her to go for it, the duckling gave her tips to keep afloat and the little fish were waiting for her to take a dive. The frogs in the corner however were betting she won't jump into the water today. Will Gini go for it?

Book Review: In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri

This is my fastest read in a very long time. Every time I picked up this book in the last 3 days I couldn't set it down. I am now a bigger fan of Jhumpa Lahiri (JL) the non-fiction writer than Lahiri, the fiction writer. Its by chance that I came across this book just after my visit to Italy, when I was finding my sudden love for the art and life in that country a little bit ridiculous. How can one be in awe of Italian art and life when there was so much to take in within India. But thats another discussion. It just helps me believe I am not as insane as I sometimes believe myself to be. After all, Italy had the same impact on JL as me.

In Other Words is a must read for all. Its for the ones who are still trying to find themselves or better worded, still trying to find their best selves. The ones who are testing their limits, the ones who are struggling with their imperfections. JL has put a lot of restless doers to rest by saying, "Imperfection inspires invention, imagination, creativity." She is courageous beyond words to take on the challenge to learn a foreign language to the extent that she can write a book. She challenged herself to be in the state of a 2-3 year old kid again, forcing herself to learn how to communicate in Italian just like a kid starts reading and writing his mother tongue. She has embraced that the greatest lesson in life is the process of learning itself and that's why she hasn't stopped at her achievements in the English literature scene.

Challenging the status quo is the only definitive way of growing and In Other Words is Jhumpa Lahiri's way of showing how fearless you need to be to live up to your full potential.

Art-Blast

I am really bereft of time these days and hence switched from oil paintings to sketch pens and pencil colors to keep painting while still having a day job. Here's some of those that I have created in the last few months. Plan to make it a daily habit. Somehow I have managed to create one piece every week now I have to figure out a way to make twice a week, then one every alternate day and so on. Idea is to keep paining till I make it a every day habit and something awesome comes out of it. Here's to colours.