It's Raining Pineapples in Northeast India!

One of My All Time Favourite Poems "সাগৰ দেখিছা ?"

সাগৰ দেখিছা ?

– দেৱকান্ত বৰুৱা

সাগৰ দেখিছা? দেখা নাই কেতিয়াও? ময়ো দেখা নাই,
              শুনিছোঁ তথাপি,
নীলিম সলিলৰাশি বাধাহীন উৰ্ম্মিমালা আছে দূৰ
              দিগন্ত বিয়াপি |
মোৰ ই অন্তৰ খনি সাগৰৰ দৰে নীলা, বেদনাৰে –
              দেখা নাই তুমি ?
উঠিছে মৰিছে য’ত বাসনাৰ লক্ষ ঢউ তোমাৰেই
              স্মৃতি – সীমা চুমি |
শুনা নাই? মোৰ সাগৰত তুমি শুনা নাই ধুমুহাৰ
              উতলা সঙ্গীত ?
বুজা নাই? অনুভৱো কৰা নাই ফুলনিত বসন্তৰ
              কোমল ইঙ্গিত?
দেখিছাতো ৰামধেনু? বাৰিষাৰ ডাৱৰত পোহৰৰ
              মোহন গৌৰৱ;
প্ৰেমৰ পোহৰ-দীপ্ত মোৰ হিয়া আকাশত দেখিছানে
              ৰঙৰ উছৱ ?
মাজনিশা সাৰ পাই শুনিছানে কেতিয়াবা কেতেকীৰ
              হিয়া ভগা মাত?
ভাবিছানে এটিবাৰো পখীৰ ডিঙিত কান্দে মানুহৰ
              বুকুৰ সম্বাদ!
মই জানো, তুমি কিটো জানা, হেৰা মোৰ হিয়াহীনা প্ৰিয়া!
              তুমি জানা মাথোঁ
তুমি তুমি, মই মই| তুমিতো নাজানা-হায়, কিয় বাৰু
              কিয় আমি গাথোঁ
জঁই পৰা মালতীৰে জয়ৰ গৌৰৱ মালা? মিলনৰ
              কাৰেঙ সোনালী
সাজোঁ কিয় পৃথিৱীৰ দুখৰ বোকাৰে আমি? হৃদয়ৰ
              ৰঙা তেজ ঢালি
প্ৰতিমাৰ পখালোঁ চৰণ কিয়? তুমি নুবুজিবা সখি!
              কিনো বেদনাত
ষষ্ঠীত প্ৰতিষ্ঠা কৰা দেৱীক বিসৰ্জো আমি বিজয়াৰ
              বিফল সন্ধ্যাত!
সন্ধিয়া আহিছে নামি? থক হেৰা নেলাগে জ্বলাব চাকি;
              দুটি নয়নৰ
সহজ প্ৰভাৰে আজি নাশিবা তিমিৰ তুমি অন্ধকাৰ
              মোৰ জগতৰ|

Oh So Kolkata!

These models looked so real, I had to share it with you all. See: 

A Rickshaw Puller and His Rickshaw

A Horse Man!

Law of Attraction

Many a times, I have read, in churches and especially in Christian literatures that if you seek, you will get. However, it was a mere statement for me until I read the book The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.
 

I have read about the power of thoughts and how the frequencies of our thoughts attract what we are thinking about. I was amazed by the book The Secret and wanted to experiment with the “Law of Attraction” that it talks about. 

While discussing the book with my online friends one day, a lot of them suggested that I should watch the movie of the same book. They were so convinced that the movie is much better than the book and I must try it asap. I tried to buy the movie in video stores, online stores and so on. But unfortunately couldn’t get it anywhere. I tried my last hope and tried to get it on hire from BigFlix.com. BigFlix informed that the DVD of The Secret is not available in India. The online stores had no option of delivering it in India and in most cases the shipping cost was higher than the DVD of the movie itself. I so badly wanted to watch the movie that I kept thinking of ways to get it delivered from abroad through some friends who might be travelling to India soon....and guess what? The law of attraction worked. Of course it took some time, but it did work. A very dear friend of mine gave me a link on the internet where I could watch the movie. Suddenly I had the “aha-moment” of my life! Yes, the law of attraction works.

This, many of my readers may find silly. I do not complain if you do. But again, it’s all about believing honestly. I do believe in the law of attraction.

I started to think about more such instances that had happened in my life, which could be linked with the “Law of Attraction”. I found many. On and off, I am going to share my experiences here on my blog about these experiences where I strongly believe that the “Law of Attraction” worked.

One of the most recent experiences where I think the “Law of Attraction” worked is when I was almost slipping into depressing loneliness. I have always been a people person. Love people around me and I had loads of friends during my college days. But life moved on and for work related transfers, I could hardly make new friends with whom I could hang out for long. In the course of transfers, I had to come to Kolkata. I joined PwC immediately after the transfer. It was one of the most boring workplaces I’ve ever worked in. Being a non-Bengali, I had no friends except my immediate colleagues. I felt terribly lonely. A year and half passed and I assumed, perhaps, I have become incapable of making friends. But the feeling of loneliness was so annoying. I badly wanted to have friends to go out with, hang out with and have fun with.

One fortunate day, while coming back from office, I saw one glow sign where it was written in Bengali “Haat Barhalei Bondhutta” (Meaning: If you just stretch out your hand, there's friendship)! That was another of my “aha-moments”. It felt as if it’s a sign from the almighty above! I was woken up from my slumber. Realised, yes, I actually didn’t even try to make friends. I didn’t seek, I just complained to myself of being lonely. That changed my lonely life in Kolkata. I started to open up, meet people, and decided to revive my old friendships outside Kolkata as well. I am pleasantly surprised to see the “Law of Attraction” working here. I changed the pattern of my thoughts from “not having friends, lonely” to “wish I had loads of friends” and this really worked. I have many great friends now who are like minded and great fun to be with. “Law of Attraction” rocks! Just believe!

Sorry, Missed it!

Yesterday, I missed it. I missed a day of blogging. I was tied up with work. No, wait, I actually started three blogs, but couldn’t finish any during the whole of yesterday. I've got seriously busy. I know this cannot be an excuse to break a promise. Hence, as a punishment to myself, I am going to make myself post two blogs today. If I could really do that I would be happy and less guilty. So, wait up and read. Thank you reader! Oh, can this be counted as one of the two blogs for today? ;) Just wondering!

Bhojan Thela - Functionality of Chilli

Today I am having writer's block. Not able to think anything interesting to write about. Actually I am overworked. So, to keep my promise to myself, that I would blog every single day for the rest of my life, I am here to share a blog I have written long back. It's about the magical power of chillies when taken with food. Click here or on the link below and enjoy reading.

http://manashree.bihu.in/620/Bhujan+Thelaa.html

Thank you Zynga for FarmVille

Social networking has never been so fun! It’s getting better. Today I am going to thank my favourite Facebook application Zynga. This is not because I am hooked to their applications on facebook, but because it has given peace of mind, contentment and a diversion from the mundane, boring and stressful lives of so many people around the world. Zynga, though has many games on facebook, but I am here to talk about their most popular game FarmVille.

I remember the day when Puloshka called me from Delhi. Puloshka Dowerah, my college class-mate and a friend who is just like my twin sister, told me that since I am so fond of gardening, I must try FarmVille on facebook. As a good friend, I did and I got instantly hooked. It was so fun! You plough, sow and harvest different beautiful animated plants and earn coins and grow through experiences. It was an instant wow! I thanked her. But my work schedule kept me on my toes and eventually I became less regular in the game. However, I do sit to do my farming on weekends and holidays for few hours.

One of the best examples of how FarmVille is helping people to be happy and content is my MIL. During one of our visits to Tatanagar, Jamshedpur, my MIL was complaining about her routine life and how badly she wanted to have a diversion that she enjoyed. My MIL generally likes whatever I do. In so many ways, my best fan!  She is one of the friendliest and less complicated ladies I have ever met. So, I thought, may be she would enjoy this game and this could be her diversion from the routine. Hence, I opened the application on her laptop and taught her the game, rules, how tos etc. Initially she was slow, but boy, did she get deep into it or what! Now, very often, I get calls from her and she thanks me for introducing her to this game. She calls me and tells me what’s new in FarmVille and what I must try. I am happy that she is happy. I thank Zynga for FarmVille. My MIL is now a content lady who after finishing her chores and attending to her hubby, plays this game and gets involved in this beautiful world of insect free, mud free farming.

In this process of farming, my MIL has also got a social life now, online. She has many friends regardless of geographical boundaries. These friends have similar interests and are neighbours, yes, in their virtual farm. Happy, helping, cordial, gift giving neighbours who can interact on facebook chat whenever they feel like and what’s better than sharing similar interests with good friends? Bliss.

PS: The photographs here are of my farm :)

“Anger is only one letter short of danger”

Today I am here to write about my anger. Yes, it is perhaps the worst thing a person can have /develop/inherit or whatever. I generally get angry when something doesn’t go my way or a person is behaving in an unexpected manner. I get agitated when things are not organised and/or the house is untidy or the clothes are not folded and so on. I have always been told by my mother that anger is not a good emotion to have. However, I have seen her as the angriest person in our family. So, I somehow got confused, obviously! 

The worst part of my anger is - if I am angry at reason A, I can/may take out that anger at reason Z or person X. I know this is dangerous and real bad for me. However, I used to do that until recently.

A day before “that” day, I reached home from a trip outside. The house was a mess and I had overnight house guest with me.  Next day, I slogged like a donkey to clean the house. (I have this cleanliness OCD). I was tired and angry at my partner for not helping me in the cleaning process. The same day, my maid and cook, both didn’t show up. Yes, reasons enough for me to be at the peak of my anger. Then this friend of mine with whom I wanted to talk to wasn’t responding to my messages. And when this unfortunate friend did contact me back...he got the taste of all my accumulated anger. I feel sorry for myself for getting so angry. I realised that I was being unfair by misbehaving with this dear friend of mine, who ironically keeps telling me that anger is not a good thing, it’s equal to a devil. (In Assamese, it is said that “Khong namei Chandaal”). This friend, after being misbehaved with so much for none of his fault, suddenly became quiet. I realised my mistake. I thought I have lost this friend forever, for my own mistake. But thank God we are still the best of friends.

I also remembered my partner saying, “You may lose your loved ones for your anger.” I didn’t want to lose any of those who really love me. In my process of realisation of my mistake, I remembered the character of the movie, Julie & Julia. Julia Child, played by Meryl Streep, never got angry; she never got agitated even though she also had to face a lot of ups and downs in her life. She took things as they came. She was receptive of all the happenings and events in her life. Though she always pursued what she wanted to. That inspired me. That day, I promised to myself to keep my anger under control and to take it easy. I am sure I’ll be successful. Touch wood!

Twitter Killed the Blogger Star

It’s been really long that I have written anything on my blog. But this is not my fault. Trust me. Actually I have been blogging, not on Reflections of course! But, I have been micro-blogging on twitter.com. Believe me, it’s an addiction. And whenever I sulk for not being regular on my real blog, I hum the song... "Video killed the radio star" song with my own lyrics, which is “twitter killed the blogger star!”

Well, enough of excuses already. Day before, I’ve watched the movie Julie & Julia and oh boy, did I get inspired or what! So, Like the young Julie, I have also made a promise to myself to blog every single day of the year. It shouldn't matter what I write and how long it is. I am going to write every single day of my life now.

I always wanted to be a writer. I actually did become one. But I have always been writing for my employers. However, I did get my by-line when I wrote for the Asian Age, especially when I had to write filler features on special events or occasions or festivals. Yet, the hunger to write is not over yet...I write so many things in my head, but it never reaches a solid ground. But from today, I have decided to write on my blog every single day of the rest of my life and today is the first day of the rest of my life.

So, dear reader, be with me, encourage me, ask me questions and boo me if I don’t stick to my promise. Thank you :)