Facebook Dump I
A collection of some of my FB posts over the years.
I was recently locked out of my Facebook profile, without rhyme or reason. I have since been able to restore my account (after sharing a scanned copy of my passport no less). In the days between, a friend of mine asked me about a past write-up, which I could not produce at that point. Now, I have always used FB for work purposes. It has connected me with many quizzers, who could connect with me for hosting events or could see if I shared deets of an upcoming quiz. In many ways, it has literally helped me earn money. I harbour no ill will against the networking site, except now I figured out the need to be platform independent. Why not start with Facebook itself?
Here are a selected bunch, posted on FB all these years.
15/08/2022
An American diplomat was confident that the new country carved out by stitching various diverse provinces together would soon break up. He was merely echoing Winston Churchill's thoughts. Ayub Khan declared the same in his visit to the US. That idea was carried out on the shoulder of the superiority complex of a superpower, a saviour complex originating from racial denigration and plain old cross-border enmity.
And yet, here we are. Truth be told, as a nation, we have always walked on embers. For someone in their mid-seventies, it's high time they keep a tab of their health insurance. For a nation, being a septuagenarian is merely its salad days. Yet, it is important that we take care of her health. It's a nation built on the idea of unity and harmony. Compromising on that very thought will merely prove the hypothesis of the gentlemen mentioned above, that they so dearly wanted in their lifetime.
So, on the 75th anniversary of this glorious homeland, let these three words be the guiding light of every battle we wage henceforth: peace, land, and rice.
Happy Independence Day!
P.S- This lapel was recently given by a little girl in a quiz. She ensured that it remained on the quizmaster's shirt. It has stayed with the QM.
27/07/2022
Thank you, everyone, for your kind wishes. They mean a lot to me. I turned 26 today. Apt to the occasion, sharing this poem by one of my favourite wordsmiths. That number is a placeholder. You can replace that with yours and it would still make sense.
18/07/2022
Bhupinder Singh passed away a while ago. I was reminded of an abiding memory. It's pretty laughable but I can not help sharing it.
A few years back, I participated in a popular game show in this part of the world. The day before shooting, I was hosting a quiz at Chakdaha (the same otherwise nondescript place is the hometown of Jhulan Goswami). So I had to travel all the way to Joka, which was easily more than 100 km away. That is where the shooting was to happen the next day.
It was such a long day that I finished my dinner quickly and went to bed. I put on my earphones and started listening to some Bollywood songs. Bhupinder Singh featured amply in the playlist and I dozed off in no time.
The next day during the shooting, I was continuously humming "Ek akela is shaher mein" in my mind. At one point, they played "Tujhse naraz zindagi..." and asked the film and the singer. I buzzed and blurted out Masoom and Bhupinder Singh and understood I have screwed up big time in barely a couple of seconds. By the time I figured out it was Anup Ghoshal, the damage had already been done. To further sprinkle some salt on my wound a la Saltbae, this song was a staple in many suburban quizzes and I myself answered it multiple times.
Anyway, I got out from there, booked a Uber, put on my earphones and played the earworm that plagued me a few moments ago. Let me further heighten my embarrassment by admitting that for a considerable period of my adolescence, I used to hear 'aab-o-daana' as 'sabudana'. I hope wherever Bhupinder Singh is, he forgives an imprudent listener of his.
30/06/2022
Abanindranath Tagore's garden house in Konnagar originally belonged to Prince Dwarkanath Tagore. It was passed on to the patriarch's son Girindranath and then to the latter's son Gunendranath. Aban Thakur was Gunendra's son. In his memoir "Jorasankor Dhaare", the artist reminisced how in his childhood, the family used to come here in the summer months as a short trip away from home. This is where he learnt how to draw a hut.
The location was particularly significant as bang opposite the other side of the river is the more famous "Penetir Baganbari", the garden house at Panihati. Rabindranath Tagore, Abanindranath's uncle, came here multiple times, once to be quarantined after a bout of dengue.
In 2007, the Konnagar garden house was declared a heritage property. Subsequently, it was renovated and opened to the public, but not without tussles with promoters, as it generally happens with such sprawling spaces in this part of the world. However, a lot remains to be done. The main building can be turned into a mini-museum of sorts, with a few artefacts from the Tagore household as exhibits.
At barely an hour's drive from the city, it can be a decent weekend getaway from Calcutta, particularly in winter.
