TURQUOISE CHILL

Ok Out of sheer lack of anything exciting happening, I clicked a picture of the Building where I stay. So any of you guys coming from Delhi, Mumbai or anywahere else in the world, please take note. It is located right as soon as you come down the No.4 Bridge on New Park Street.

Last night while riding back home, I had seen it driving past and since I didn't have the time to click a picture of the vehicle I realised I'd get another opportunity soon enough. Soon enough??? The last thing you want in the morning as soon as you wake up is seeing competition branding right at your doorstep. I went to the balcony to have my morning cup of tea as usual and couldn't believe my eyes. Man I rubbed them a couple of times, then dashed for my mobile and my camera and clicked a couple of pics. Parked across the road was the van I had seen last night. Wonder what the van is going to be used for? Junior B is getting a lot of mileage and he's turning BIG now, be it with scissors, stop sign or headphones. AAAH. Just got news. They got three of them to ferry their staff to and from office.

Out of sheer boredom and desparation for work to start up here, we guys decided to head out for lunch. Peter cat was chosen and though we made a pit stop at our office which being constructed, it was worth it. There's nothing to beat the kebab platter - Chicken tikka, 2 sheek, some fried rice with butter, a fried egg, a couple of tomatoe and cucumber slices. After that we walked around the corner to the famous Flury's on Park Street and had a couple of pastries. The place lives up to it's reputation and deserves the MTV Lyra Style Award perched in the middle of the cafe. This was followed up with a visit to India's Hobby Center, weher we spent a good hour chatting with Rishi, with whom I have become quite friendly now due to a common interest in cars and flying.

“Don’t say but do.” Exactly my dad’s words yesterday. I’d been telling him how I was putting on too much weight and how I needed to start some sort of exercise. So today after I got back from office I decided to actually start putting some meaning to the very words I had been using to epitomise the state of Bengal. I had a cup of tea, got into my shorts, pulled on a t-shirt and my sneakers and headed out at 7.30pm, straight to the Park Circus Maidan. I spent the next hour circling the park, walking briskly. 4 rounds later I was quite exhausted yet elated. It takes about ten minutes once around the maidan. I also went to the gym in the maidan and enquired about their fees and timings. Yippie! it’s open till 10pm. I know what I’m going to be doing with my evenings now. I came back home quite kicked with myself and after dinner, spent half and hour with my guitar, learning some new songs. I’ve got a whole lot of Christmas carols too. So this Christmas I am going to be playing and singing ...

This morning while walking down the lane office, for the first time I felt the cold North Wind channeled down through the lane towards us. later on when i stepped out at a bit past noon to catch some sun, the Corporation guys came around to rid the streets of the killer "Dengue Mosquitoes". I guess that amount of smoke must be suffocating the tiny pests.

THE BIRTHDAY BOY-KEDAR Saturday night was something I was looking forward to. So after getting back home and began watching a movie - THE TRANSPORTER 2. Halfway through the movie, got a call from Kedar. We were meeting at Aqua. So got ready and headed there. Drove into The Park driveway and there was no valet. Yeah I figured out you only get service if you drive a big swanky car and not a battered old Maruti 800. So when I went to the back to park my car in the parking, the guard immediately recognised me from the night before and asked me if I had come on a Red Karizma. Sorry Parking full was the message I got there. So I drove out and fortunately I got a spot right outside opposite the drive-in of The Park. I headed up to Aqua and met with the Birthday Boy, Kedar and he was already there with some friends. Aqua was rocking with most of the crowd we had seen the night before. These must be the “usual suspects”. I realised this from my experience at partying. You visit a place often en...

Last evening was a blast. I was finally getting my groove back. After work, we guys headed out to Oasis on Park Street. Kedar joined us and I learnt that at the stroke of midnight the boy was going to turn a year older. So after a good drinking session at Oasis, where I must add that the service is excellent and the Fried Chicken and Fish Fingers are even better, Kedar and I decided that the night was too young to head back home. So while Amrit and Kartik headed home, we guys walked across the road and got on my bike just to ride into The Park about a hundred metres up the road. Kedar was quite kicked about the fact that he was sitting on a bike after ages. At the entrance the guard didn't allow us into the driveway, so we just went a bit further and took the back entrance (actually the exit, right next to Trincas) and parked my bike at the back entrance of Trincas. We headed straight for Some Place Else. Man the place was packed. Hip Pocket was at their musical best. Reela Banerje...

After over two months of writing this blog, today I went back to my first post and realised that my blog seems to have lost that breath of freshness that was there when I originally started out. I guess a bit of cynicism does creep in when reality bites. Kolkata I believe has so much to offer it’s citizens as it did in the days of glory past when a saying was common “What Bengal Thinks Today, The World Will Do Tomorrow”. I guess seeing the state of apathy, has made me me a bit bitter at the glorious heritage and legacy of this great state. Though there are winds of change which are evident. Yet it will take a lot more than just a dynamic statesman and visionary like Budadeb Bhattacharya to put Kolkata back on the Map. It requires the People of Kolkata to buy into his vision and rise in unison to live that vision. Here is the reality of the state we live in. Our driver with whom I was having a chat on the way back home on Saturday opened the the harsh realities that none of us sitting i...

I spent the entire weekend brooding I guess. And the best thing to do while booding is eat. So I treated myself to some fabulous food from Zeeshan - Chicken Biryani, Mutton Biryani, Paranthas, Chicken Rizala, Chicken Chaap, Malai Kofta and lots of Rosogollas. Ok that was Saturday Night. Well the reason for the brooding was I finally gave my bike for repairs. When I took it there, I realised that the damage both to my bike and my pocket was more than I had anticipated. My Karizma had been dropped on both sides and the whole front was going to be changed. Other parts that needed to be changed were the handlebar, the silence shield, the side stand and the brake pedal. Man that kid really had a field day with my bike it seems. Anyway the saving grace apart from the food was the music. I had downloaded a whole lot of stuff and I spent the weekend listening to them. First was Pink Floyd: 1. Wish You Were Here, 2. Dark Side of the Moon, and 3. The Wall. Apart from that The Band: 1. The Band, ...

Today, I commuted by Auto after a long time and as I was taking the usual route via Elliot Road and onto Free School Street, I came upon the KMC or was it the KMDA labourers having a go at the freshly laid asphalt. They had just done up this road about a month ago, and now these guys were tearing it apart with Power Drills. It's amazing what sense of co-ordination and planning the Civic Authorities have here. It's such a waste of Taxpapyers money. Am sure all hell is going to break loose on this street shortly and traffic is going to go into dizzying dissaray right upto Park Street. Anyway this is the 180 degree view right outside our office. Used this new software I got to put it together. Its called Panorama Composer .

Ok if you guys are wondering what place these weird images have on my blog, well on insistence from a friend of mine who has been following my blog and who also happens to be a recent immigrant to the city, I have put these up. Kedar has been clicking these weird Sleazy Movie posters around town. I'm seriously planning to hold a contest for the weirdest one that can be found pasted on the walls of buildings around Kolkata. The sight is not uncommon in other cities either, but the reason I wanted to put these up today is, an article I ready in the papers which talked about the West Bengal Government legalising wall paintings and posters. Ofcourse it did say this would apply to those of non commercial nature (read POLITICAL POSTERS) which could deface the walls of Kolkata's mighty buildings. Anyway coming back to the posters at hand, Kedar has offically been designated a syndicated photgrapher (Spiderman a.k.a Peter Parker started this way too) for my blog. Keep up the good work ...

This morning I was bored stiff and while I was waiting for Jaideep to pick me up, I indulged in some music. I realised how much fun Kunal Ganjawala's - Channa Vey sounds in the morning, add to that Bunty aur Bubbli, Bluffmaster and Saathiya, man I was all charged up to get to work and rock. Since I was all charged up and I had time on my hands, I decided to take some self potraits for this very blog. My own pictures seem to be the only thing lacking on this blog. I feel. Ok yes I have put on a few extra pounds, but then Kolkata as you'll have realised is a foodie's paradise. Well when I came down, I just had to click pictures of the little flags which had been put up on the railing of the central verge. I had noticed these guys putting them up since morning. Some political thing that some political party hass called on today. Yeah the schools are closed today. I say what a national waste. If these Political Parties had anything better to do, they'd get down to some real...

I was dying to party on Wednesday reminiscing my Turquoise days and as luck would have it, Dipankar called me and told me he was going to be in town in the evening. What a stroke of luck. So after office, drove down to ITC Sonar Bangla and picked him up. On arrival at The Park, I bumped into Kartik and his friends hanging out in the lobby. We decided to go to Some Place Else because Hip Pocket was playing there. But on reaching there, a slight reshuffling had been done and they were going to be playing on Thursday. Some other band was playing there tonight. So we decided to chill out at Roxy which was just on the opposite side of the lobby. I had been to Roxy earlier, but I didn't quite like it. Too boring for my taste. Maybe the company wasn't good that time. Roxy, though it wasn't packing a full house, was playing some fine music. Kind of transported me back in time. Old disco, pop and rock classics from the 70's, 80's and 90's. The drinks kept flowing at the ...

The day can't get worse than this, can it? The love of my life smashed. Well as it happens, I stayed home a bit later than usual waiting for the elusive courier guy who had come to the house during working hours yesterday to deliver my elusive ATM card and since I wasn't there he told me he'd come back this morning. Well I waited till a bit past 11 am and finally decided to head to office. Since I was running late, I thought I'd take my bike to office today. When I got down to the Garage and asked Mahendar (the chowkidar) to open the garage, he asked me with a look of surprise whether I was going to take my bike. Ya! Duh. That's why I'm carrying my helmet and gloves. His answer made me go dizzy. He told me that the bike was smashed and that's why he was asking me. Smashed what do you mean smashed? I remember parking it in there myself on Sunday and there was not a scratch on it. The Plot thickens. As he was opening the gate, he told me Rahul (my kid cousin) ...

Last Evening after a hard days work, what better to do but head out partying. So Amrit, Kedar who we picked up on our way, and myself headed to Saturday Club. After knocking back several at the club, we headed to Arsalan and feasted on some Biryani. Except for the Hostess at the counter, there was nothing really splendid about the place. I've had better Biryani. Anyway after that we guys headed to Some Place Else for Monday night Latino Music. Orient Express was there pelting out great latino music and shortly after we arrived the whole KOLKATA FILM FESTIVAL crowd descended on the place. Right in front of us were Aparna Sen, Rupa Ganguly and Anjan Dutta among a whole lot of expatriates, probably diplomat crowd. Monojit Datta & The Orient Express  Monojit Datta - Clarinet, Flute, Recorder, Congas, Bongo, Timbales, Guido, Drums Dwaipayan Saha - Bongo, Congas, Timbales, Guido, Drums Subhankar Ganguli - Guido, Clave, Congas, Bongo, Maracas Sourav Chatterjee - Guido, Clave,...