Resurgence

As I came out of the plane, a sudden chill in the air welcomed me to the capital of the country. I enjoyed this reception by the weather – here in Calcutta (as I maintain I still prefer it over Kolkata) the weather does not allow one to indulge with the winter. It was still January and I was expecting this encounter with ‘cold’. The mobile phone had finally succeeded in reestablishing the communication with one of the leading telecom networks in India. I dialed the number – ‘The flight has arrived. Where shall I meet you?’ ‘I know, I know. First catch hold of your friend and then tell me your location. I will be there within no time.’ I was in Delhi for the wedding of a very dear friend. Many of the college friends were supposed to attend the wedding – it was meant to be a small get together for us. One of them was scheduled to arrive just before me and I had asked him to wait for me – we met outside the terminal. He had not changed at all in th...

My eyes darted back to the pages which detailed an adventure of Feluda. Virat Kohli had just been removed out of the equation by a superb catch from Dilshan. I cursed myself – ‘Why did I have to watch the match so intently again?’.   I had switched my Totka (Believe me, I really do not know the English term for this word) after the fall of the master’s wicket – I would not concentrate on game but would read Feluda instead. In between my eyes darted to the screen every time a ball was bowled but would withdraw to the book otherwise. It was working fine until I decided to throw caution to the air and started watching the match with intense passion – it was only 5 minutes and Kohli was made to leave the field. Needless to say I sacrificed much of the excitement for the sake of India (I hope someone would document this sacrifice when the history books are written).Simultaneously, I was involved in another interesting Totka – My friend would me...

I have shared my grievances on the current state of the public transport in a previous article यातायात और हम . I believe I had raised a few pertinent questions in that article. In this article I would like to highlight another important concern for any commuter – safety (and no I am not referring to the usual law and order angle). This is important especially in the context of the reemergence of Patna as a potential growth city. As a keen follower of news related to my native place, I have noticed an upward trend in road accidents / road rages in last few years. However, what coaxed me into writing this was a post in the Patna Community on Orkut where a member had narrated about a road accident. The incident took place near Boring Road crossing in which a couple of school kids on a bike hit a pedestrian and ran away – the man was critically injured. She then went on to describe the apathy of police and the indifference of common people towards the...

Gift Authorspeak: I first started writing it in 2003. I distinctly remember the cover page of the notebook in which this idea first found its foothold. However, I could not complete it. Some of my friends who had read the draft wanted it to be completed though – Sougata can now be a happy man (if he remembers this story). I have tried several times in last 7 years to complete it but none of those efforts could take it to its culmination. Finally when I have completed this story, I do not feel jubilant – I only feel relieved. I still believe that I could have shaped it much better if I had completed it in my first effort. Though it belongs to the category of short story – it has become long for a blog post (4004 words to be precise). Thus, I am splitting it in 3 subparts for the convenience of blog readers. I would still like it to be read in one go but I think it is too much to ask for. Gift – Part 1 I looked at my watch in resignation. The tra...