Need

... And good things just happen when needed the most! Somehow, everything sort of aligns itself and it happens, however improbable it may have seemed.

Kahaani

Poster Design: Marching Ants

One of the best films where a city lends itself wholly to a film. Kolkata/ Calcutta comes alive in Kahaani (Review link). It provides the necessary backdrop in this Suspense Thriller with a woman in the lead. The people, their quirks, the buzz, madness, festivity and the undeniable  deep soul of the city enrich the interesting plot of this film.

It is engaging and backed by some really good performances. And even though the mesh of sequences could get confusing, the best part about Kahaani is that it never gets too far fetched or questionable. In the end, things comfortably and rather powerfully fall in place.

Just wonder if the explanation post the visually powerful last scene about the Durga reference was just to make it abundantly clear to anyone who may not have already understood. But nevertheless, its a well woven film and the metaphor is quite well adapted and portrayed.

...And of course it is a film that will make anyone miss Kolkata and go and explore every charming alley this truly unique city houses. 

Naive Yesterday: 9/03

After a commendable long fight, Flury the Goldfish finally gave up. So the day did not really have a very happy start.

However, what I'd thought impossible to ever witness in Bombay was a shooting star. But I did! And soon after there was a Dove flying across the sea (not that doves are as rare as shooting stars here). However decided to just be naive and assume these were all special mini-events. 

Restaurant Design

Source: frameweb.com via Bryce on Pinterest

An good link to some restaurants with interesting Design

Also, the Starbucks Fukuoka, Tokyo looks very interesting with it's Detailed Wooden Interlace

Source: inthralld.com via Maithili on Pinterest

Holi in Bombay

Spent this Holi with an assorted mix of people, mostly friends and their acquaintances. At an unusual for me non-veg lunch on Holi, someone in the group of 10 exclaimed how I was the only one from West India. And I went on to think how infact I was the only one in a group of 10 from Bombay. I'm sure this isn't even close to the actual ratio in the city. 

But anyways, it's the way things are anywhere. Most of the Educated Middle class of Bombay from my generation has moved on to other places, just like those who have come here from elsewhere. This was just a thought, any analysis and judgement on this is quite unfair I guess.

Connect

I really and absolutely envy people who proudly boast of having like a hundred real friends. I'm not sure if I can call this a drawback or a natural trait that I'm not one of these. I always have just a handful of real friends to talk of. Of course, there are so many wonderful people I know and I do have close friends beyond the handful as well.

However, I am now assured that it is true for me that that natural effortless connect is only with a few. Where time, geography lapses do not matter, a few rude words also dissolve into understanding with time and when a reconnect is seamless. Such connections just happen, and they cannot be manually achieved as much as I may want to with other people. 

Clams & Other Shell Fish...

Had a quick weekend trip to my Native place near Malwan and tried to stuff in as much as possible- Food & otherwise...

Rock Oysters at the Pier

They grow everywhere!

Rock Oysters (Kaalwa) are found aplenty across the Malwan coastline and I was almost on a quest to have them the local style ( had them some years ago and remember how creamy they are!) Finally did manage to grab more than a few bites and they were as good. They are available in Bombay too, but cooking them right is the trick!

Cooked in the local style

Also, managed to squeeze out some time to visit a nearby beach, which had really clear water. So much so that, when a wave brought in a lot of clams , handpicked a few of them quickly as they were getting buried in the sand.

Live baby clams

Since they were tiny, quickly threw them back into the sea. However did have full grown ones later, accompanied by the Sol Kadi- a staple in the region 

Clams cooked (Teesrya Masala)

One of my favourite images. Picture of a truly Idyllic time!

Fetching clams 

Miracles

Just once in a while you wonder if they really do happen? 

Well, not the really big kinds, but guess the ones you do think are possible (somewhere in the corner of your mind) do! Sometimes they just happen back to back in a moment!

A moment ago, my goldfish was lying still breathing horizontally. In vain hope, I pressed her stomach and in a few minutes she was back to swimming upright (hope she has no relapse).

Then I get a call from my Jewellery institute (Im learning techniques and methods), apologizing for unnecessarily bothering me about lost tools. Was quite touched that they actually called, when they could've even let me know tomorrow- very Sweet! And not to forget the other bengali faculty who since yesterday has been personally searching everywhere for the lost tools, when he easily could not have been bothered- Thank you! 

More on him to come soon- the tales of Old Bombay in 1960's !

Thought for everyday

                                                           Source: glitterglueandfireflies.blogspot.com via Maithili on Pinterest

Well the aim for everyday. Somedays are easy, breezy and some days get too exhausting at times with too much effort. You either let go off those and give in or luckily they just turn worth it as well!

The Power of Introverts: TED talk

An introvert has to really break open her own shell to come out. There are very few people who think of giving introverts a chance, especially in early years. In most groups, institutes, organizations extroverts easily rule because they make themselves obviously heard. But then luckily a point comes... (for me it was NID) where people didn't give a damn about introvert-extrovert and all were treated as equals and there was a uniform chance and platform for all.

An interesting TEDtalk about the power of Introverts

Honest Reaction

Last week while traveling on an Over-night train, a rather talkative 5 year old and his parents happened to be our co-travelers. Post telling his dad at least 20 times that he is now going to sleep and thereafter singing a series of patriotic songs for reasons inexplicable, the child finally dozed off to sleep.

Only to be awake much earlier than others, and again as habit would have it, went on talking and exhibiting his extreme inquisitiveness with amusing small questions addressed to his Dad. After keeping him occupied with his high octane cell phone very briefly, the Dad was back at answering questions. A while later, having tried many methods to keep his child occupied silently, the Dad finally told him very excitedly, " Look Mountains!" The child looked up from his noisy cell phone and just shrieked dismissively "Chee!"

It was a rather amusing reaction! But the Western Ghats in a distance are really anything but inspiring, especially to a distracted active mind of a 5 year old.