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COVID Caught Up With Us – Two Survivors’ Tale
It has now been a month and a half since my first symptom. I remember the day before vividly. It was a regular working day. I had wrapped up work by 9 pm or so, dinner by 11, watched a little TV and then went to sleep by 12:00 am. Everything was fine till then. The next thing I know was waking up at around 7:00 am next morning with body ache and a throat irritation. I sprung up on bed with a déjà vu of my dengue experience last November. As my sleepy self tried to find its bearings, a number of things started running through my foggy brain.…
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A Family Picnic by the River
Sorry I’ve been AWOL here for some time now. There has been a lot going on the last couple of weeks. Pending bank work, family medical troubles, delayed appointments and so on. You know the drill. Outstanding responsibilities, anyone? I’ve been feeling all sorts of burnouts from that. Mental exhaustion is a bugger, guys. While that’s no excuse for my absence here, I decided to temporarily switch off my low priority engagements to keep my sanity intact. Now that things are beginning to fall into place, I found this short pocket of time to write a long-pending blog post. Many of you who follow me on Instagram or Facebook know…
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Durga Pujo 2020 – In Pictures
Have you all had a chance to breathe lately? Between sanitizing hands and disinfecting food, the leaves turned yellow. The coronavirus has claimed 2020 as its own. The lucky ones have been confined to our homes since what seems like forever, watching the roaring virus wreak havoc in the lives of our less lucky counterparts. Since when did staying home and doing nothing become heroic? And where did the last seven months go? But thankfully, amidst the pandemic pandemonium and swelling COVID cases, October came in like a breath of fresh air and brought with it the autumnal festival that we, Bengalis live for – Durga pujo! The life of…
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Birthday Gift Ideas for Your Gooner Friend/Spouse/Sibling/Parent/Child
Who is a Gooner? A Gooner is someone who supports the Arsenal football club. And more. A Gooner is someone who has dedicated his/her being to the club and its principles. So a true Gooner is for life. A Gooner’s loyalty lies more in the club’s defeats than in its wins. It takes an admirable amount of faith to be an Arsenal fan. But a Gooner shows up no matter what. In a match. And in life. I read a line somewhere that sums up a true football club supporter best – You can change your wife but you can never change your football club. It’s not a joke. They…
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Post-Wedding Depression – My Experiences of Leaving Home & How I’m Coping
It was well after midnight when our wedding ceremony was finally complete. Most of the guests had left by then. The wedding venue was silent and almost empty. That’s when it hit me. I’m never going to have all the people I love in one room like this ever again. I felt heartbroken. I was a bit surprised to be honest because I didn’t expect to feel that way. Especially not on my wedding day. It’s supposed to be all excitement and happiness, right? But there I was, in the middle of two contradictory feelings. Happiness. And heartbreak. I felt it again the next day when I was leaving for…
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Online Family Cultural Event – The Exclusive BTS | Lockdown Sanity Booster
I married into a really large family where it feels like a party every time we get together. In all the gatherings I have attended since my wedding, there has always been at least one evening reserved for performances. Song, Dance, Recitation. Impromptu jigs. Everyone eagerly waits for this performance night. Probably a tad more than the occasion. Sometimes the occasion is extended to accommodate this night. Sometimes there is no occasion at all. Only the night. See how important it is? There is an eager scuttle on the morning of the performance night. A soft energy wave. People quietly try to select the songs that will be played, arrange…
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Sailing Beyond the “Honeymoon Phase” – 5 Intentional Practices We Follow in Our Marriage
When I wrote about the 7 lessons on our first anniversary, I was starting out with marriage. I was learning a lot. Picking up traits. Exploring. Another year into it and I found myself awed at its realness. With each passing day, the fundamentals of marriage were being laid bare in front of me. In the largest of events. In the tiniest of moments. With love. And I couldn’t help but feel amazed. I’ll give it to you upfront. Marriage isn’t a fairy tale. Because that would make it fictitious. Marriage is hard work. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to scare you away from it. Truth is,…
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An Ode to Winter: A Season in the Life
Winter is almost over. Every week a woollen layer is peeled, washed, folded and placed inside the wardrobe. It wouldn’t see the sun in the next 10 months. And here I am, holding on to the almost non-existent remains of the temperature dips. I’m a winter person to the core. Not a good choice for seasons given its short-lived nature in my city. But I shouldn’t have reasons to complain this year because winter had surprisingly (or not) extended her stay. It’s time for her to leave now. And the least I could do is pay a tribute. So this blog will take you through what this winter has been…
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What do The Arsenal and I Have in Common? Tathagata.
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don’t like that attitude. I can assure them that it is much more serious than that.” Honestly, doesn’t this Bill Shankly quote sound a bit too stretched to you? It sure did to me when I was introduced to it and the fanaticism of ‘The Beautiful Game’ in 2017. Until then, football used to be nothing more than 22 people chasing a goal across the field for 90 minutes. It was only another sport. And then I met Tathagata. Anyone who has spent time with a true football fan has heard the phrases, “We won!”, “We lost the…
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10 Things I Want to Remember About Darjeeling
While growing up, every year when Baba brought home the new calendar from office, a set routine was followed. The calendar used to enter the house before Baba, who stood laughing at the doorway at my enthusiasm. I used to hurriedly unroll the calendar with my cold fingers – the smell of freshly printed oily paper hitting my nostrils, the rush of excitement coursing through my veins, the glee of a to-be discovery shinning in my eyes. Paper cuts were ignored because two very, very important things needed to be checked in the calendar, so important that the fate of my entire tiny but mighty world depended on it. 1.…
