Kolkata: my homely project!!

Recently I had been asked to prepare a presentation as a College project. After hours of thinking i finally selected the topic suggested by my friend Nilakshi. According to her we should select topics close to our heart. So, I finally settled for the topic "Kolkata"...what better than my home sweet home...

Thank you Kolkata for being my Home and being the topic of my College project. Where would i be without you!!??

Ohk...here's a short summary of the project i finally made...

I called it "Kolkata: a City in transition...a journey from Kalikata to Calcutta...to Kolkata"

This project shows the changing face of the city over the years...right from the British Era to the present Metropolitan City.

Two major aspects of the city have been highlighted here:

• the identity of the City as the Cultural Capital of India.
• the socio-cultural life of the City

These two aspects have been focussed upon because:

• any change that creeps into a city so culturally rich is bound to get reflected in the culture of the City
• "a city is what its people make it..." so obviously the changes will be evident in the life of the citizens

hence the socio-cultural references.

This project is a tribute to the City that gave India her first martyr of the Struggle for Independence, Khudiram...its a tribute to the City that was home to the first Nobel Laureate of our country, Rabindranath Tagore...its the city of the first Modern Man of India, Raja Ram Mohan Roy...Netaji, Vidyasagar,Vivekananda, Mother Teresa....n so many others...

Excerpts from the project:

"It is believed that India as a whole did not witness Renaissance...but Bengal did, and Calcutta was the centre.  The growth of the Bengali Intelligentsia due to the introduction of Western Education in India under the initiative of men like Raja Rammohan Roy led to an intellectual awakening...popularly known as the Bengal Renaissance..."

"The existence of a distinct duality in the City is evident through the ages. Be it the Babu culture (a group of Bengali intellectuals who though Indian by blood were British in nature) or the Bongs (the globalised/westernised Bengalis)...be it the intellectuals or the modernists...a distinct duality persists."

"Penurious...prosperous...progressive...

a culmination of diversities...

a harmonious coexistence of deep rooted culture and modernisation...

that's the city for you...

Welcome to Kolkata" 

"Kolkata Kolkata dont worry Kolkata...amra tomari Kolkata..........tumi je naya Kolkata..." ~Usha Uthup

phir milenge chalte chalte...

hostel farewell '10 (23rd april), originally uploaded by SayaniMukherjee.

Hostel Farewell...Yaadein '10...the day was 23rd April...... it was a grand event...n we made sure that there were mostly smiles around...just a few tears... music, dance, masti, food...games...the Ms. KCGH competition...the early morning group photo sessions....

the party ended at around 6am the next morning...the seniors were all happy...there were smiles all around...
we, the pre-final years, were in tears... will miss them all....n will miss each other after one year. its our turn next...its our farewell next year...

Confessions of a Confused Mind

Life is so weird. I mean...look at it. It gives you immense joy and then suddenly threatens to take it all away. You win a match and then lose the very next...and all the bounty you had managed to collect...is gone in a jiffy!! Its a tiring game...too many obstacles, face offs, challenges and no cheat codes. Damn, am a pathetic player!!


The last few months were just too tiring for me...emotionally! For a person like me...emotions are a rare thing. But when they come...they flood the mind...unlock the gates of my self and break into my very system... Destroying my peace of mind...unsettling me temporarily, or so i thought. Certain feelings and emotions are very powerful. They are capable of unsettling minds permanently. And i'm afraid, i guess, that's the case with me.


Emotions that i had never known earlier...aliens emotions...invaded my mind...my heart...and my soul. These alien emotions kind of gave me a brand new identity. An identity that i could hardly relate to myself. I was happy...perhaps i am more or less still happy. The happiness is inexplicable...perhaps its bliss. But a certain sadness pervades... Why? How can profound happiness be accompanied by such pain. I do not understand. The pain is at times unbearable... All methods that a practical person may apply to control and check one's emotions have already failed me. Am I on the verge of insanity?  


Everything i had ever loved and cared for have now evaporated leaving behind nothing but residue of memories... I loved to write. But now expressions fail me. Music was my life...melody now evades me... But why?
I'm scared of losing everything that i have....all that i truly Love. I'm perhaps too possessive of my own Happiness...

I need to get back on my feet. I should stop expecting...Expectations hurt. I should stop waiting...I cannot wait for eternity... i should try to get back my bearings and start walking again...along a known path. I'm scared of walking alone...i don't want to lose myself in lonely deserted roads...its scary. I will follow the known path...will try to walk by myself again.