A Date with a State Governor!

It was early winter phase of Orissa of 2005. Though Orissa  don't care  about the chilling affect of  windy breeze. I was deploying IT infrastructure equipments in IFFCO Paradwip. Our project
was to tie all the different sub-sections of plant like Boiler, Turbine, ESP, Ammonia plant etc. through wireless network.The project was mostly on closure, i.e. implementation done, testing phase started, suddenly I got a call from my Manager in a sleepy early morning, “Listen, Pls wrap your work by today, and move from there for sikkim by tomorrow”

“But why? Let me close it Boss”

“No No man. You need to go. customer referring your name!”

“My Name !!”

“Arey Yaar! Customer strictly told, only you should be there to

close that project as this is high security project & political heavy

weights will be impacted”. 

“what's that Boss? What's so serious!” 

“Governor of Sikkim's requirement. Governor house to be fully

equipped with wireless communication with High security. As you

already know Sikkim's infrastructure & closely worked with

Sikkim's IT ministry, Chairman of NIC, Mr. Tamang suggested

 your name only. Pls, manage IFFCO client and pack up by today!”

So, that night, I pushed myself in a extra-paid Reserved seat in

Train to North East. There was no seat to sleep, hence a sleep-less

night was obvious! Reaching to Sikkim, was always my comfort

level, even still now! Not only Sikkim, I am a man of Hills, Rocks.

I love Hill stations, its Chilling effect, the staircases connecting

roads, White fume of chilled morning tea, Cloudy sky sometimes &

simplistic people, beautiful greenery surrounded as wall.

Upon reaching Governor house I saw the house is packed with

Armed forces. Last time I came to Sikkim, this was a State Guest

house, But this new Governor is alloted this beautiful house as his

royal address. This place was beautiful like a teen-aged reddish

chick of a Nepali Beauty. Aloof from Gangtok's life, this house was

an island in Greenery of Hill. Director of NIC, came to me on

laughing, “Hey, Thanks. I could not trust any one other than you

for this”.

  “My pleasure sir” was the words from leaps but told from heart, I

wanted to say, I need to sleep due to sleepless night!

From Siliguri two Technicians also reached for this project. One

small room of that large house was assigned as inventory of

Infrastructure equipments. After initial planning our work  started.

Starting from structured cabling, Rack mounting to configuration,

frequency fixing of wireless  antennas. One man, hardly with 30

years of age, was shadowing me throughout my work. Tall, very

 bight complexioned, little rocky tummy. I was thinking, who is

his? Any new Govt officer? Tracking our project? I was irritated. I

like to work from my own. If someone always try to control, I cannot 

work in that atmosphere. But this intruder was not at all paying

attention to my inner words! In a peak irritating moment, I finally

asked “ By the way, who are you? Do you need any support from

me?”. He chuckled softly. "No Man, Carry on. I am elder son of

Mr. Rama Rao. I am settled in States & into engineering stuffs. Just

like to know, what all you guys are doing". 

My Goodness! This guy is Governor of Sikkim's Son! His highness Mr. V. Rama Rao's son!

But from then onwards a comfortable relationship started to mature

with him by the advent of time. In a Shining rare Morning , while I

was adjusting Antenna interference by bending from different

angle, Father & Son duo came to me. 

“Dad, he is from Tulip, doing IT stuffs there”.

The Old man smiled. “ok! So there will be no virus attack right?”. 

That time I didn't know Linux. No solaris even. I knew antivirus,

upon installation of its package on Windows platform our company

earned a pocketful of Gandhi-pressed-Papers! 

“ I hope so sir” I reverted back to him. He nodded his head & 

return back to house with big steps & poised posture, with his son.

After 3 days, while I was successful to convince Sikkim IT

officials, the network is secured & smooth, Suddenly I got

invitation from IT Director to attain a Governor Dinner in night! 

Really! A Date with a State Governor! 

In night, I came to the house, with the best matched white

Jacket with Black jeans! It was small party. Mostly Government

official. Few private stakeholders, working with IT department, I

was one of them. While I just cracked my tough teeth on a Chicken

leg-piece, I saw a ring coming from my manager. I picked up.

“Man, pls pack up your task from Sikkim. Tomorrow you need to

move  to Bihar. I have committed to customer my engineer

will reach by tomorrow. Pls Yaar” !!  

Cool! I felt amused. Life is rolling stone!

I started planning for another sleep-less night journey as I used to

spent those days!

The Old man & a young storyteller

Though it was Darjeeling, Still that day in mid-Summer was not pleasant at-all in “Darjeeling-mall” if we consider weather. Angry sun was pouring streams of hot rays throughout the day. I was tired after walking since more than one hour in the ups & downs of the winter-city, while reached  “mall” area, the Meeting, chatting & sharing point of Darjeeling. I placed my presence in a wooden-bench with a comfortable distance with a lady, aged about more than sixty may be, engrossed in caressing her bushy white dog. I called for a tea. Ah. Its Darjeeling Tea! May be that “ah” feeling, more came our from psychological believe than from my taste buds! But suddenly I heard a voice, “please give me a seat!”. I looked up. A Man, aged more than seventy may be with a mouthful of white cladding beard, unfashionable spectacles, is smiling with a eye-to-eye looks. He was wearing a white Dhoti, rapped with a Shawl  & the most attractive accessories was his big old-fashioned umbrella.

“Yes. Pls seat” I pushed off myself.

“Thank you my child. you are from?”

“Kolkata”

“You?”

“Benaras”.

And the communication started.

I came to know his life's brief from him. I felt, He is a remarkable man! Before 30 years, his only Son's accidental death made him utterly depressed & he was ready for suicide too, to close the chapter of this dark-tunneled phase! But suddenly he felt about the price-less value of this journey called 'life'  from a book & changed his mind. He got interest in spirituality & day after day became a spiritual man from a typical high aspirating business man! He mixed this spiritual  wisdom in his ornament business and thus  he got new insight with a new outlook. While he came to know, I write & love to write, & I have published stories & book, he threw me a question, “So you write “Kahani”?

“Everything in this world is “Kahani” sir. I just try to articulate” I chuckled.

“But don't you think, those 'kahani's are trash, where the story of cow climbs a tree! Have you seen the crap mega-serials! How silly & trash! I astonish how my semi-illiterate wife finds amusements in those daily operas!'

“Hold on sir. You are putting 'story' in a generic bucket. Its like putting all streams of science in a same bracket & say “science is curse to the civilization' !”

“But don't you think there is very little 'truth' in story?”

“Again a 'generic' comment sir”

“why? Prove me I am wrong!”

“No sir, I am not here to debate, but let me share my thought please”

“carry on young man”

“See, Story is a bunch of words, right? Which portrays few characters, few events mainly. Now it depends upon author, whether he will choose a logical truthful story to make the reader 'think' or  to share a fully 'entertaining' story like bollywood commercial movies to make the readers entertained”

“Ok, but can you deep-down more thoughts on this?”

“See, till Cinema, Television was not in pace in lifestyle,  most of the common readers used to go to a book, to be entertained, what they get from cinema or Television. So literature was a entertainment factor to a common people.  Even there was  & are series of writers who wrote "kahani"s on this  entertainment factor of readers only. Even, most of the script writers concentrates on viewers week-end enjoyment. Because finally there are commercial calculations. But...”

“But?”

“But, there were & are also series of writers, who were not writing for 'money' or 'popularity' only. Writing is their way to express their thoughts, philosophy, ethics, integrities, idealism. You can Consider Tagore, Premchand,Hemingway, kamu, kafka, Arundhati Roy, Mirza Galib, K.R.Narayanan and many many ... series of writer in queue. Even if you see, today's cinema trend, there are huge number of directors and script writers, who are on parallel movies. Those are not just on commercial viability, but a combination of commerce & arts. There is entertainment but at a core value, there is something bigger than just time pass entertainment. Even producers are putting money in this trend now a days. So writers/Director's passion is matching with a niche audience & this niche audiences are increasing in number, who love to brain storm”

“ok!... carry on”

“So there are plates of options, If a reader  wants entertainment only, writers are there! If a reader  wants motivation, philosophy , adventure ...whatever, writers are there! Even if a reader wants fiction, unique brain storming ideas, historical truths in fictional wrap... then also writers are there. Its only matter of words, expressing thougts, pouring creativity & motions '

“But Why Story needed then? I will read article! I donot believe superficial truths. I love core truths”

“Sir, you are right. there is not hard-n-fast rule to read  a story! Again, there is no pressure to see a movie. Movie is also a piece of literature, script writers are main engineers for any sensible movie"
"Then why fiction is important to you young man?"
" Because I am meant for that! See, to me 'fiction' is a way to help readers to enter into the deep level of thoughts. There are readers who love to think, brainstorm life's puzzles, philosophy of journey, But while reading the “Facts only” books, shared by philosophers, Historians, Social scientists... They get Bored! Here come the Writers. They Reap a plot, a story-line, create characters, tells a story and finally gives a jerk of sensibility or outstanding punchline what reader may not have been expected! But all these roads are only way to the treasure of truth!”

“ So Young man, what's your path? only Entertainment? Only Facts?  something meaningful?” The old man stroked me now! I stumbled & then continued,

“Actually Writing is a way to communicate with my soul, my existence, my real 'I'. There are lot of words which I cannot share with my friends, wife, child even parents, those words are only can be understood by me. And this is truth for everyone, right?”

“Yes, everyone have their own words, own thoughts and may be there are very few persons can be found, one can really share his inner feelings! Those words are unuttered, sometimes just wiped out in air in the advent of time!” The Old man expressed.

“Yes, absolutely sir. Writing is communicating those words to myself. May be the only way through which I feel relaxed, I release my frustrations, anxiety, I inhale positive energy, I feel connected to my soul”

“Really?”

“Yes sir.

A Dark evening covered Darjeeling during this time of conversation. The Hoarse-riders, who rent horse to the tourist, were in busy mood to take their horses in nearby stable. From the deep Dark Himalayas, twinkling of lights of little homes was looking like starry sky on the earth! I was feeling 'chilling' breeze. 

The Old man stood up, held the stick of umbrella & said, “bye young man, nice to have some quality time, now its time for me to chant, meditate. This is the way, I am  talking to myself. Its  like your writing”.

I smiled,”ok sir, phir milenge”.

The Old man walked few steps & disappeared in the darkness of Darjeeling. 

"Haider" - A Fabulous Chutzpa Experience !!

“Haider” has released in this week. All India know now, this movie has swapped serious cinema-lovers in first week and people has become just Chuthzpa after the screenplay-acting-camera-music & direction of this Vishal Bharadwaj Movie. All we also know, Shakespeare's most (may be) complex drama “Hamlet”'s adaptation in Kashmir's Burning issue like alleged domination of the Indian Army on Kashmiris. All we also know, most discussed dialog of world literature “to be or not to be, that is the question” is nicely crafted in the film as “hum hain, iya Hum nehi” as a dialog from Shahid Kapoor , many a times during the journey of the film.

While I was being carried away in the frames of the movie, a bunch of questions were popping up, without searching answers may be, randomly, like the bullets of Indian Army! Was it a story of a simple Revenge of a Son? Was it a conspiracy of an Uncle? Was it a untold story of an solitary woman? Was it a story of “missing person's diary”? Was is a story of brutal autocracy of Army against civilians?

My answer was , “No” !!

This story resembles the number of girls who are loosing their identity regularly in West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa , while they are trapped under the international rackets who are selling womans for prostitution. Everyday, those unfortunate ladies are loosing their identity in this country... with the same question... “hum Hain, Iya Haim nehi”.

A number of poor families are crossing Border from neighboring country, taking shelter in Border touching states & live their daily life without any identity! With the same question “Hum Hain, iya Hum Nehi”. While an Engineer or MBA is sacked from From a Top Notch Corporate, with saying “under-performer” without strong valid reason, then the same tune comes to the emplyee from that moment, “Hum Hain., iya Hum nehi”. Every Day, when we are facing troubles in family, job, social life, health... the same question trickels in our grey cell... “Hum Hain or Hum nehi? To be or not to be , that is the question”.

But was that enough?

No !!

In Last scene while Haider was bugged with the same question “To be or not to be” with a lot of questions to mind while taking “revenge” by killing his uncle. Finally, He gets the answer. Revenge is the supreme journey. We the audience got the answer may be. We got a symphony that, finally “revenge” will pour more oil to to fire to burn, but we have to be always spirited to the journey of struggle, protest, actions & solutions. Mentality of Revenge can create another country like Pakistan, is it our philosophy as Indians? No, We have taken birth with a more giant aspiration. Revenge is a irritating fire only, which burns the boats of our journey. But More we are into the depth of journey of life, more we can build our nation, our identity, our soul. And in every moment we have to search the answer of this questions, “Hum hain, or hum nehi”, “To be or not to be that is the question” !!

My Leader

I never believed wrapping with MBA degree, polished English communication, Show-of-Attitude, Master-Slave mentality towards subordinate finally gives birth of a real "Leader". To my life, truly I have seen a "Leader" fortunately from my college days.

...Our Leader was always with us in critical flood relief days as our mentor, and always with us in sleepless nights in flood-water-clad west-Bengal remote villages, with distressed villagers, while supplying food, clothes & medication.
...He has been always been with us with in all our odd queries, straight cut thoughts, transparent communications & gave us motivations to be true from soul.
...He has also been very rude sometimes, while we lacked our responsibility, delayed.
...He always shared us real life wisdom to accept fault & share the real truth boldly without finding escape route!
...He has shared endless love, late night group sessions & motivation to fight with life in any critical situation fearlessly.
We feel very lucky, that We came contact with this Ramakrishna Mission Monk, as our true 'Leader' early of my teenage & have spent so much quality time.

Happy Friendship Day

It was Late 2007 of Hyderabad, the Nizam's city. It was hectic yet excitement days of my perfect 'unmarried' lifestyle, as I was engaged in 2 projects simultaneously, one at day long & one at night sometimes !! The interfacing 'sleeping-time' was really challenging, yet I convinced myself to manage it as a part-n-parcel of growth & knowledge!

But Life is not all about deployment, integration, support & escalations !! Life is finally about relationships to me. I was missing quality friendship-time to which I can share my thoughts, to which I will lend my ear to know some insights, to few from which I will burst into laughter by some mischievous jokes. I was missing group of friends comments over my writing, to develop more. But Life has been carried away flow like a relay-race between Office-PG-Dinner-Sleep-Office ... all this permutation & combinations!

Suddenly I was introduced to the world of "Orkut"... "Communities" ... "comments"... "Scraps" !! A new horizon indeed. I started 'writing' again on the 'on line-communities' as writing was always my passion throughout. And I noticed "A Girl with 2 yellow flower" profile comes like an intruder to my page, makes critical comments, some times positive, most of the time fault finding & then disappeared. A mysterious girl indeed !!

We met finally in Orkut, as it was long distance relationship. We started chatting. & It goes on. We shared our personal limitations, challenges & dreams. Finally my days started being meaningful in the color of friendship too in the "Charminar City"!

After one year of chatting, not meeting physically at all, We took decision, Yes we want to be friend till the moment we will feel for!!
Next year, there was a formal announcement of our friendship, a celebration of typical Bengali public dinner, as well as few of the rituals too. Oh yes, a legal contract paper formalities too!
Yes we got married!!

5 years passed. Since last five years, this friendship had beard a lot of shades. Its not only sweet & dreamy like typical romantic Bengali/Hindi movies, rather a lot of arguments, dissimilarities, contrast but still committed, dedicated & transparent.

Yes I know, My odd hour office job, 24x7 commitments, my passions to literature & seating in writing table in off-hours, my commitments to Ramakrishna mission for some social activities, My addiction to travel in Jungle to Himalayas as well as new places to new people has snatched a more quality time to spend with her. Her 24x7 ownership with family responsibilities, quality time for our baby's education as well as upbringing, made her obvious distant too, with the passage of time.

But still we know, we are there, in our critical times to motivate each other, to discuss for a tough decision, to be open in communication to avoid any mistrust, unfriendliness or miscommunication.

Let's enjoy being with our committed friends... . Let's explore more committed friendship too, in life.

Happy Friendship day, to all my friends.

(Written on Friendship Day, 2014)

A Junglee Journey

I started walking through the less traveled path! It was just few more moments to touch Dusk. Darjeeling sky was about to rap a Dark shawl over deemed yellowish twilight. Sun was about to take retirement after a day's glamor. It was the time to open the window of Moon. The Moon-lit was about to spread over the Hill-station then.
There was only foggy vision, muddy path & wet greenery around. I came to know prior, Darjeeling jungles is famous for "Cheetah" !! So That option came closed to me in my mind, if... that jungle-terror comes to my path now, what's next? But I had no other options then, Till the dead end of the path, as I walked too far from the starting point!!

Suddenly I saw them !! 2 were coming !! Not Cheetah !! 2 guys, young chap, with the smell of strong cigar ! Is it Ganja? Or Charas? I could not detect them. They stared at me with awe eyes !! I speed-ed my legs instead of sharing more pause to them. They called me ... "hey man, Listen !!'
I had to stop as they came to me.
"who are you? why are you in this path in this time?"
"I am a traveler.I am going to Roy Villa. I am just exploring this path". They just measured me with their squeezed Nepali eyes. and said "Roy Villa? That Ramakrishna Mission? Are you staying there?"
"No I came here from Kolkata" .
"Oh Ok, I know that place, Roy Villa. my sister goes there for study. Listen man, this road is not good for you like outsider. No common man comes here this time. Anything can happen. Snatching, ransack even sudden attack from beast !! Just speed up & reach to Roy Villa, Its not Far more".

I thanked them... and increased my speed. The insects sound, sound of jungle-silence, Dark shadows of trees... made me run to Roy Villa. Yes, Finally I saw the building,my Destination & my One & half hour trekking ended here through this dark evening. After some time, I came to the Balcony of Roy-Villa, where Sister Nivedita, the great soul, used to spend during has life's las few days. I looked at Himalayas in front of me. It stood like age old mysterious Wall of Asia. It was clear Moon Lit night. It was Clear "Kanchenjunga" too. I felt, I am in heaven !!

I remembered my mothers saying in my teenage, "to reach to heaven, always we need to travel through Hell" !!
Yes, I understood this ... !!

Story of "SHANKAR"da

Now a days we see a lot of jargons of attitude. In a Tea-Buiscuit-projector-yawn packed meeting room, attitude is a very sweet word for HR trainner for new emplyees which turns the new-bees soft chin into hardening , A very fiery word for a motivational speaker who try to ignite psudo-denamite in sessions, a very masky & husky word for politicians who brags like a human-puppet!

I personally believe, attitude is one's soul possession, with which one jumps to this world from the zelly of mom's womb.

I also believe, Attitude can be made, for only those who genuinely 'want' to be hardened by the jacket of attitude.

Let me share a story of a man, who had a invisible wings of attitude.  

It was 2003. I was in my first job. Our organization was deploying VPN for backbone network. We were traveling through out the whole country with routers, switches, Radio modems etc etc. I was into projects. I really love interacting with people so always loved responsibilities where a lot of inter-personal communication was involved. In those days, we had to travel like a Honey-bee, without any notice. Like a while,  may be I am taking a nap in office after whole-night activity in Sikkim, next morning call will come from boss, "Yaar ghar aza. nehi , ghar nei, ghar ke paas" . And we got ticket for Bihar. Traveling was more into our daily life , may be more that regular bathroom-works! and I loved it! really!as I loved to travel to know more about new places, culture,people etc.  as well as I was exposed to  dynamic jobs. a lot of customer meeting, interactions which gave a real satisfaction to me.

Any way, let me come to the real protagonist now. In our project team one technician was there. He was very close to me in technicians team, so always I took him to all the projects I was having. He was installing antennas, made structure cabling, was doing some civil as well as electrical and mechanical jobs to.  His name was shankarda. A strong brahmin with a lot of superstitions! Why I liked the man? was a bribing me? was he pampering me ?

Never, I just love the guys who donot believes in pampering, but always loves those, who really 'works' not just 'brags'! 

Any way, I respected shankarda because he  had a unique story.
He came to kolkata for bread-n-butter with a very light moneybag & got a rented home in a minimum rent in "Sonagachi", the famous prostitute area. And he was addicted to an women of that area too for basic-instinct! But god has written something different for him. He was in love with that women, who was a prostitute with 10 yr kid ! It was a 'Odd' love! But That man made it "even" by marrying the woman & leaving his own family, as religious Brahmin's family never accepted this marriage!
But that woman started her own life as dignified "wife" of a social man, which was unimaginable for her.

In a breezy night, while me and Shankarda was boozing local Sikkim Red wine & he shared his love story. His eyes glittered.

We love and marry our girlfriend. But how many of us, leave our society and take the challenge of such level?

I really respect that man for his other human quality too. He was really simple man with a skyful of "astonishment" of machines. His eyes glittered while he saw syntaxes of routers  were vomiting black & while digits with a single 'enter' on  laptop screen. He told, how 'magical' the commands! You engineers are magicians!!

His only dream was, one day he will buy a "LAPTOP" for his own and he will train his son to become an engineer, so that he can make Magic !!

I have not met that man since 10 years as I left kolkata after the job. Times passed like turbulent tide. I have not his phone no, so I cannot contact him again. I don't know how he is now. Wheather he has bough his dream laptop! whether his son is on the way to become an engineers or not!
But I cannot forget that man, for his attitude to life.I cannot forget his "astonished" eyes to life!

Rally of Laughter

Now a days I have become an actor, for a peculiar reason! 

Hey ... Come'on, I have not left Ericsson and joined a Theater group in Kolkata !!

Listen ... what happened actually in my life...

Two days back, it was a jamming session with few of my friends , who are also penning down their random thoughts into letters of literature whenever they feel like me!!  

To be frank,  few of them have jumped into Rock-Music  also to prove their smell of Rhythm,  now a days !! 

And , let me share (pls don't pass it to them at all!) , Few others of them are into relieving smokes of cigars & sipping Red Wine to be apparent felt like relaxed or may be show-off pseudo intellectuals !! 

Any way, in a nutshell, I was chatting in a high five mood.

 ... Then, a call came from my wife. 

And the story began .... 

'when u r comming back to home?' a known Lady voice! (obviously of my wife)
'May be 11' , I had to reply.
'ok , listen, carefully..' She insisted.
'what?' I wondered.
'Oli has something to make u surprised' . By the way, oli, is my daughters pet name.
'what is that?' I asked mysteriously.
'come'on , not so easy' She started to increase her price-tag now! Poor Lady!
'hey tel me yaar' I was started to getting bore may be.
'your baby has put a Red balloon on the chair, you sit after coming to home, while put off your shoes'
'balloon? why ?' I astonished!
'what a poor sense of humor!  She expect, you will seat on that unknowingly, and it will burst into gigantic sound'
'o my god'
'yes...  now listen'
'I know, u are not that much careless, that, ll not notice that balloon'
'yaa thanks'
'So be careless, just avoid that u have seen the balloon, act as of u r seating unknowingly, so that balloon must burst'
'what?'
yes... that it is'


What a poor father I am, as well as poor hubby too. Rather all men are like that may be .
Returned to home. Rang the calling bell. My wife opened the door. Shut one-eye lead with a mischievous smile, what told, now i have to become an actor. I entered room. Seat.... and...

Dhrummmmmm

The balloon burst into cheap crackers sound!
My little baby jumped into laughter in joy and clapped like a butterfly. My 55 years mother, my consultant wife and my  just-awakened-by-the-sound-of-burst father also added themselves  in to laughter...
 

And what can i do,   Finall ... I also joined in the rally of laughter !!