myriadhues

Out of Courtesy...

Wow! It sure has been ages since I last posted. I used to always think it's just been a few months. I now realize it has been over a year! Not good! Not good at all!
Needless to say, a lot must have happened over the past year, which unfortunately, I’ve been lax in recording down.
The freshest thing in my mind right now is the ongoing India trip.
Being in India with two friends, who have never been here before, has been quite an experience of sorts. There are tons of things that I could write about, but what has stayed uppermost in my mind is one specific incident.
While travelling from one place to another, very often we needed to ask for directions from people on the roads. Whether it be my dad who asked for directions or the taxi driver, there was usually no preamble and no acknowledgment. It was just direct questions and then a slight nod (if at all!) of the head before driving away.
One of the two friends travelling with me mentioned this when we reached our destination and I realized that I had been thinking the same thing. Have we as a nation forgotten our excuse me(s) and thank you(s)? Did we never really use them enough? Most foreigners, if not all, always thank the taxi drivers, rick drivers and other service people. Do we do that? Maybe sometimes we do, but surely not always. However, we must be doing it when we’re in other countries because it’s the norm! I can’t fathom why it isn’t the norm at home too.
I also think, what may be contrary to popular belief, that the younger generation does say a lot more please(s), thank you(s) and excuse me (s). Or does it have to do with the difference between mentalities in rural and urban areas?
The incident sure left me a little confused. I think most of us young Indians are cordial and polite enough when asking for directions, but maybe we should start acknowledging the people who drive us around too. We get angry when they refuse to take us someplace late in the evening; let’s also show our gratitude when they do take us!

In Retrospect...

I'm going to quickly and slyly sweep under the carpet, all the neglect that my poor blog has undergone over the last month or so. Instead, I leave you with a picture of the goddess that graced the Durga Puja celebrations in Frankfurt.

The celebrations that spanned over the customary period of five days brought back so many many wonderful memories for me. Having been a part of the Durga Puja celebrations in Calcutta all through my growing years and more, the festivities, the rituals, the ubiquitous joy in dressing up in the best traditional finery, and most importantly, the mouthwatering food, all proved to be the highpoint of my existence for those 5 days.

Many have tried and failed to aptly describe the atmosphere that builds up in the city of Calcutta before and during Durga Puja. I've since realized that it is one of those things that just have to be experienced to be understood. No amount of linguistic and literary ability can ever do it complete justice. Some people compare it to a handful of the other big celebrations that take over different parts of the country every year, but that only serves as a gross injustice. It'll suffice to say that you have to feel the pulse and heart of the city and its people to truly and fully comprehend the aura and allure of this festival, which by no means remains just another religious cacophony in our country, where aplenty of those abound.
It'll be nice to be back in Calcutta at least once more in this lifetime, just for the Pujas.

Punishment Begets Reward

I will not neglect my blog again...
I will not neglect my blog again...
I will not neglect my blog again...
...except till I'm back from Mallorca! :-D

See you Monday!

Of Negligence and Redemption

Sometimes, neglecting the blog becomes the easiest way to handle bad days and full plates! Tsk... tsk! That's enough self chiding for now...
In news, the full movie, the trailer of which I'd posted after a similar period of blog negligence, is out!
Catch it at any of these spaces:
http://www.vimeo.com/6343210
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/5847277
http://www.indee.tv/films/view/1130pm-camp-road-a-film-by-gopakumar/

11:30 PM, Camp Road

After the unexpected short hiatus that I took from my blog, as well as from others blogs, it gives me great pleasure and excitement to tell you about one of the things that I've been occupied with during this time:

After the stupendous success of his debut album, my friend, Gopu, is back with a new offering. Being in the form of a short film, this new venture of his is sure to garner many eyeballs!

Do hop on over to the movie's blog (http://lensmangops.wordpress.com/) and read all about the film there. The blog also includes a quick peek at the film itself, in the form of its trailer. You can also watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IVcg5NN3sg.

Repubblica Italiana

When people keep harping on how Rome wasn't built in a day, they really aren't kidding, are they!?! If it wasn't built in a day, can you even fathom how much of a miracle is required to be able to see it in a day!?! Well, we did pull off a tiny miracle of sorts, because unfortunately, that's all the time we had in that wonderful haven of a city! There is so much to see and imbibe in that place that it soaks you up and keeps you eternally in its clutches! Having landed quite early in the morning, we set off to explore this city of cities with eyes filled with awe and a spring in our step. We weren't the least bit disappointed.

Vatican City (a separate country within the city of Rome) is an absolute stunner. I'm now not surprised that it is one of the richest countries in the world. Not discounting the expansiveness of the "little" country, the sheer exuberance and architecture of the place left us all salivating for more. After having spent a good part of the morning and some of the afternoon in Vatican City, our hunger for all things beautiful had grown manifold. Rome satiated us beyond all measure. As we wound our way through the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Piazza Novona and many other such dreamy places, we understood the magnificence that is Rome!

With the Arno river ever faithfully by its side, Florence is a picturesque, little town, to state the obvious. Particularly known for being the abode of Michelangelo's David, Florence acted as the soothing balm to the thumping excitement of Rome. Needless to say, beautiful churches and cathedrals dot the whole landscape of Italy, and

Florence was no less fortunate. However, the river captivated me like no other. We spent a good amount of time on a couple of its lovely, old bridges and watched the sun bid us a cheery goodbye.

Pisa; quaint is the first word that comes to mind whenever I think of this curious, little town. Seeing the leaning tower peeking out from behind the famed baptistery, is a memory that has been etched into my mind forever more. The souvenir shops that line one side of the street/lawn leading up to the tower do brisk business and are themselves quite a delight to observe! Haggling over the prices, smiling, friendly faces, the continuous murmur of voices, all make up the wonder that is Pisa!

On my way to the hotel from the airport in Rome, the first thing that struck me is the glaring and apparent similarities between India and Italy. The houses were structured in a similar manner, the people were as friendly and forthcoming as we're used to back home and the reverberation of life and bonhomie in the air was truly reminiscent of dear, old homeland.

Not to mention, both countries are home to some amazing culinary delights!