TURQUOISE CHILL

After spending most of the day out, we weren’t quite sure if we really wanted to go to the club, but then we thought we might as well go and grab a bite there and if this Tribute to Queen concert which was scheduled there was any good, it would come as a bonus. As we got to the club around 6.30pm, it started to pour and we wondered if the show would happen as it was all set up to start at 7.00pm on the main lawn. Anyway we got about our business and as we downed a couple of beers along with some fried Jumbo Prawns and Steak Kebab, the rain seemed to stop. Knowing Tolly Club and their spirit, the show must go on and so it did. We headed to the main lawns, and though a bit slushy after the downpour, it was already filling up. As we got a place nearer to the stage, it was lights, action and music. For a second there it seemed like Freddy Mercury himself had come on stage. Rhapsody kicked off their gig with a bang and soon people were in high spirits; music and alcohol induced. Thes...

Ok this might seem a bit nutty to some people, but this is how I draw inspiration to keep doing what I do. My wife was in splits when she saw me updating my blog with three of my new acquisitions sitting there on our laptop while I was updating this blog. Well call me nutty, but its truly fun being nutty like this.

Watched a cute Rom-rom at Fame South City called “The Back Up Plan”. Jennifer Lopez did a splendid job at going through the dilemma of finding the right man, single motherhood as a last resort and finding true love. A cute movie worth it for those who want to watch a light-hearted uplifting flick.

When we first saw the advertisement in the newspaper a week or so ago, we thought it was too good to be true. Could such a slick place exist as the ad portrayed? Anyway we decided to head there for lunch and as we got to the building, we got our first reassurance that this was going to be a decent restaurant. Once inside, though building work was still in progress, we were impressed by the full glass lift and the white finish of the interior. Up two floors and as we stepped out of the lift, things just got better. The lobby was impeccable and the glass façade to the restaurant gave us a view inside and to say the least, we were floored. We could see the buffet table with a lovely plant décor as a backdrop at the end and the wooden floor and wood furniture against a white backdrop was something a little out of a fairytale. We were greeted, shown to a table and handed out a menu each. I loved the way they had each table laid out, with a lovely long stemmed white flower on each table a...

After hearing so much about this movie, it was just a matter of time before we were going to watch Dabangg. We got tickets for Hall No.4 at Fame South City which has the biggest Screen. After some lukkhagiri and KFC for dinner, we finally were seated in the Auditorium. Well once the movie started I expected it to be Salman doing "dishum dishum" from scene one, but it took a little time before he set the screen on flame with his histrionics. But once he did, the movie went by in a breeze; Entertainment Unlimited. Well what else would you expect from a movie that has the hero named "Inspector Julbul Pandey"? Worth a mention is Sonu Sood who plays the villian. He definitely gave Salman something to think about in the "Six Pack" department. Debutant Sonakshi Sinha got a great platform as a launch film playing Salman's love interest in the film. All in all, this film is worth every rupee spent.

Last evening I sat through yet another two and a half hour tear jerker from the K-JO stable. We Are Family has a brilliant cast of the very talented Kajol, the reigning Bollywood Queen Kareena and Greek God Hunk & Stud, Arjun Rampal. The performances by all three and the three kids, leaves no doubt in our mind about their acting prowess, but if you have a 45 odd minute end which is sadder than sad, even Spielberg with all his brilliant special effects wouldn’t be able to save the film. Based on the best selling novel and highly successful Bollywood flick “STEP MOM” this Bollywood flick is well made with shooting in exotic locale of New South Wales in Australia, except for the last 45 minutes. Till a certain point one gets totally in with the characters and can feel their pain and anxiety and frustrations and love and I guess all the emotions that K-Jo was trying to make us feel, till he probably felt he hadn’t made us feel enough and just dragged the tragic end till we jus...

I saw this old man with his Knife Sharpening Machine as I got out of the car in China Town this morning. I just had to photograph him as he went about his business because the last time I had probably seen one of these guys was maybe soem 20 years ago. I didn't realise that they still existed.

Man I gotta say, this Great Wall of Education is really going off the charts. I got there this evening and the count on the wall was 82,000+ books with nearly another 22,000+ books received through donations that hadn't gone on the wall. Last eveings closing count was 58,100. I wonder what today's count will end at. As I was getting ready to leave, Roopa Ganguly arrived with a couple of books in her hand. She flew all the way from Mumbai when she heard of the cause. I am really glad that celebrities are lending their support for this cause. This is really inspiring common people of Kolkata to come forward and contribute to this noble cause. Roopa Ganguly with RJ Radhica from 91.9 Friends FM Roopa Ganguly also signed each of those books she donated. Those will fetch a hefty sum.

This morning as I pulled out of my colony gate on my way to office, I was stuck behind these cyclists. Well I finally did overtake them and waited for them to come around the bend at the market where I clicked a picture. I just had to document this. Two guys on cycles, Electricians I figured because one of them was carrying a whole lot of tube lights which were tied to his cycle and the other had some tools which looked like those used by electricians. I just figured that had this been in the US, they’d probably qualify for “America’s Got Talent”. Two guys cycling through crowded streets balancing a 10-15 foot ladder on their shoulders. Amazing! This can only happen in Kolkata. I guess “Kolkata’s got Talent”!

Last evening I got to be part of an initiative undertaken by Aviva, The Telegraph, 91.9 Friends FM, City Center and Emami Starmark among others for a noble cause: Education for All , the lack of which plagues our Great Country. The concept is to get citizens to donate their old/new books and create The Great Wall of Education and these books will be given to underprivileged children. I got there in time to witness Raima Sen at the event to propagate her support for the cause. It was heartwarming to even see young kids come out and do their bit. In a country as immensely populated as ours, education is a burning issue, especially for those that can’t even afford two wholesome meals a day. And only education can bridge the gap. I am cheering for the people who’ve started this initiative and hope to see The Great Wall of Education grow to towering lengths, widths and heights and hope all Kolkatans to support this cause. All you need to do is go to City Center, Salt Lake ...