Baahubali Appreciation Post

Finally got to see Baahubali 2. Not so difficult when you are in Mumbai where there has been 20+ shows in each multiplex over the weekend, for a 'dubbed South Indian' movie. A major achievement for any movie as such. Just for that I'd bow to SS Rajamouli and his team. You have achieved something that not even anyone in Bollywood has ever achieved.

Coming to the movie itself, I think I am correct in saying this on behalf of anyone who had seen Baahubali - The Beginning, this was the most anticipated movie of this year with the question on everyone's mind - why did Kattappa kill Baahubali. And it just serves nearly as a perfect sequel to the first movie. Even though the story line is pretty much predictable (even the most mysterious question can be answered within an hour of the movie), the screenplay is just out of this world. The background music, the war sequences, the storytelling, all the efforts put in by the actors and the crew, is totally magnificent. You just won't be bored (except for the songs, which you wish weren't there at all).

All in all, thank you once again, SSR and team for this amazing amazing magnum opus. I don't think anyone is going to forget Baahubali, Bhallaladeva, Sivagami, Kattappa, Devasena anytime soon. Thank you for proving that we too can make movies on par with or even better than the epics made by Hollywood.

Jai Mahishmati 🙏🙏🙏

Thank you Captain Cool

24th September 2007 - He trusted a relatively unknown Joginder Sharma in the last over of the Inaugural T20 WC final. Despite getting whacked in the first 2 balls, he calms down Joginder and next ball becomes the winner for India.

2nd April 2011 - In front of the cricket frenzy Wankhede crowd, with India still needing 161 runs to win the ICC Cricket World Cup after 28 years, he comes to bat ahead of in form Yuvraj Singh and seals the victory with a six that will forever be remembered as one of the best moments of Indian Cricket.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni. A Captain who lead from the front. Stood in front when India lost, took the blame upon himself; stood at a corner whenever India won any tournament, letting the team bask in the glory of the win. A Leader who took it upon himself to win games for India single-handedly. A Legend who never backed away from any fight. Till the very end.

I knew this day would come but it would come so suddenly, I didn't expect that. None of us did. He came into the field silently, he let his game speak do the talking, he now leaves silently. I really hoped that he would make an exit after winning another big tournament for India; selfless that he is he paves way for Virat Kohli to take over the reigns and prepare a strong team to mount the challenge for the 2019 World Cup.

Now I hope he will play long enough to let us have glimpse of the original MSD that we have come to love. More of the helicopter shot. More of those blitzkrieg stumpings. More of those raw power hits.

Take a bow Mahi. Your selfless dedication for the team, your calmness under high pressure situations, your humble nature despite reaching the top of everything that could be achieved, your hard work, your perseverance will always serve as lessons of inspiration for generations to come.

Thank you for taking India to the top of everything that is to be played for in the world of cricket. Thank you for inspiring me and many others from my generation. I can proudly say to my children and grandchildren that I have lived in the time of a legend known as Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The best captain ever of an Indian Cricket Team. Even the God of Cricket has acknowledged this. Never can there be another MSD.

O Captain!!! My Captain!!!

Being Single

Well Valentine's day came and went once again and people celebrated love every where. But some of us are still roaming on this earth, seemingly uninterested about this particular day. Not that we wouldn't have celebrated it ourselves, had we been just like the others. We are a particular breed of species. Wanderers, aloofs, hopeless, hipsters, creators of our own destiny, mindful of our own business. The Banjare. More commonly known as Forever Alone.

We are what we are, thanks to choices. Sometimes it's our’s, sometimes it's other's . But we have gotten used to this feeling of freedom. The singlehood way of life. It's free. Of commitments, responsibilities (at least certain of them), complicated relationships. You are not answerable to anyone except maybe your parents and that too sometimes. You don't depend up on anyone for anything. You enjoy doing things on your own. In fact the idea of being with someone actually confuses you. Not that you don't want to be someone, but you are so comfortable after being single for so long that you don't want to come out of that comfort zone. The world sees us in a wrong light, perceives that something is definitely not right with this person because he/she is single. They want you to get married asap. Or what will the society say. What if the right age crosses. Who will marry an "old" person.
The fact is that the current society still contains a lot of people of the "old school" mentality. The people who think it's mandatory to  score 90% + in your boards else you are ruined. You have to do engineering or medical for survival in this crazy world. You have to get an MBA degree because your uncle's sister's brother in law's son is an IIM pass out and is now working in a MNC with a multi million package. Once you have done that you find someone of your stature, caste, sub caste, pay package, etc etc and etc and get married before you are 30, bring in a kid asap and repeat their cycle of life once again.

Gone are those days. Today's generation wants to be and is much more independent thanks to the ever developing technology. We enjoy our freedom and we live by our own rules. We would rather stay single than be with some one who is not right for us. Life is not just about finding someone and getting married and raising kids and working  and retiring and eventually dieing. One life we have got, one life we should enjoy, one life to experience life itself. Hope people will realize this fact as early as possible in their lives unlike certain people (pointing to myself) who realized it pretty late. Coz YOLO.

Coming back to the topic of singlehood. Yes it exists. And those choices. Yes they too. Some people, by nature, are introverts. They find it difficult to interact freely with others. But make no mistake, they fall in love too. One sided love. Not being able to express it is the biggest regret of their lives. They are single, by their own choice, for sometime till coming under the parental/relatives pressure they decide to get married and enter the cycle of life. Then there are others. They too fall in love. Maybe once. Maybe twice. Maybe often. They express it. Sometimes in the best way possible, sometimes in a way that you’d feel sorry to be in their place, at that time, ever. But all they get is rejected.  Every single time. No matter what, they just can't seem to find any luck in love. And are consoled by saying that “there are other fishes in the pond”, “you will get someone better than me”, “you deserve better”. The sad fact is that no one respects your choice. You fell in love with someone, because of some reason you found them perfect for you. But you are never given an opportunity to express it completely. Just a hint of your approach and bam you are friendzoned. A term that has become a norm for so many people of this generation. And once you are friendzoned, it's pretty darn hard to come out of it. It dents your confidence. It makes you feel no matter what you do, you gonna end up at the same place whenever you approach someone. In such cases, a doubt arises in your mind every time you develop feelings for someone. To say or not to say, is the question. Sometimes you do say it out loud and end up getting friendzoned once more. Sometimes you just dig a deep hole in your heart and bury those feelings. End up being single unfortunately and that too not because of their choice. And it doesn't help when people keep asking why you are still single when you are so nice. The only way to answer that question is to give a smile and shrug it off. Every time. Till people understand that you yourself haven't figured out that question till now.

But it is fine. We have not been sent out here in this world to be a robot. To live in a particular way and die. We are not ashamed of being single at an age when everyone else is getting married and settling in life. We are, maybe, destined for greater things in life. We don't have to do things in a rush. We can enjoy every moment of life in as many different ways as we want. We can explore the world, save money, experience the best of best. It's not the end of the world if we are not in a relationship. We are not wrong. We are just different. We are independent. And we can be whatever we want to be. A positive way of life. Peace. ✌

Gujarat Adventures

So 2016 has just begun and January has already flown away faster than the combined running speed of The Flash and The Reverse Flash. Well half of it was spent in holidays by me so can't complain much. As they say, time runs faster when you are having fun. And boy I had some awesome fun!!!

It all started when a crazy idea of a solo trip entered my super big head. Thanks to the Chennai floods,I had to fly to Mumbai for work and my leaves were postponed to January 2016 instead of end of December 2015. Well it kind of turned to be an advantage for me as I avoided the holiday season. And hence was able to get tickets to wherever I was going in a much easier and cheaper way. And the state I chose to backpack - Gujarat.

Gujarat is the state that grew up for the initial 12 years of my life. As a kid I hardly got to roam the state. Though I did remember going to a couple of places - the Ukai dam and the Pavagadh Hill station. But I was too small a kid to enjoy the beauty that were these places. So this time I started out as an avid traveller. Out to explore Incredible India. One state at a time. 😊

Well I started the journey by flying to Ahmedabad from Mumbai on the evening of 6th Jan subsequent to which I took an overnight train from Ahmedabad junction to Veraval. On reaching Veraval, the next morning, I stayed at a friend's place and roamed around on his scooter the whole day. Somnath, one of the Holy places for the Hindu mythology, is just 7kms from Veraval. And that is where I was roaming, visiting the Somnath temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. One of the 12 Lingas in India is situated here. Apart from that, Somnath is also the place from where Lord Krishna departed to his heavenly abode. So many temples have been built and dedicated to Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva. And the best part is that the whole place is situated next to the sea. Somnath is like the southern tip of Gujarat.

Somnath Temple at the southern tip of Gujarat 

That night I left for the city of Junagadh. It is like a 2 hour trip from Veraval. Reached there around 11 in the night. My plan was to go to Girnar Mountain range, which is like just next to Junagadh. And the Girnar mountain is a pilgrimage trip for the Hindu and Jain community of India. It consists of climbing 9,999 steps up the mountain to reach the top, on which is located the temple of Lord Dattatreya, a Hindu saint. And that was my plan for that day. To trek atop Mount Girnar. I started at 6:30am in the morning, all before the sunrise. It was pleasantly chilly yet once I started the ascend, I started to profusely. Within an hour, the sun was coming slowly up and  I was already feeling pains in my legs. I took small breaks but kept on walking till around 9am I reached the top of the first peak. 

The first peak. 

A lot of people stop here and various Hindu and Jain temples and go back down. This is where you complete 7,000 steps. And the final peak is located a further 3,000 steps. It is said that only 10-15% trekkers go beyond this and till the end. I wanted to be in that elite list and yes I did it that day. Till the end point. The Temple of Lord Dattatreya.

The final point of Mount Girnar

I don't know what went on in my head that day. But the feeling of satisfaction that I felt after reaching the top most point was incomparable. Climbing 10,000 steps atop a mountain is no easy task. It takes 4-5 hours for a fit person to reach the top. I may not be fit. It took me around 4.5 hours. All thanks to my will power that never gave up on me. And a special friend I made on the way up the mountain. Mr. Lakshmikant Khatri. Previously Mumbaikar, now a resident of Bhuj. Mr. Kharti came today to climb Mount Girnar for the first time at an age of 67 years. We met while climbing the second peak and he stayed with me till we came down from the mountain. It was truly inspiring to listen to him, his life experiences, his snippets. Not for once did he complain about the climb. For a man of his age to do this trek was an incredible thing. As he himself said, " Post 60 who thinks of doing such things, unless he has confidence. I have the confidence, I have the will. I do not fear anything now. If you fear, you will never go ahead. I have enjoyed my life to the fullest and I have no regrets. Do what you enjoy. And do not have regrets." Always will be thankful to him for being the constant companion on that difficult trek.

Once I came down it was time to go the next destination. Dwarka. The ancient kingdom of Lord Krishna. I boarded the train from Junagadh junction that night and reached Dwarka early next morning. Located almost at the western tip to south Gujarat, Dwarka is a small town. Filled with many temples, most of them dedicated to Lord Krishna, it truly is a holy town. Once I got a room at a local hotel and freshened up, I went to see the biggest temple that was there to see.

Lord Dwarkadheesh Temple 

The temple of Lord Dwarkadheesh. Another name for Lord Krishna. Oh and I was accompanied by a local guy whom I met on the train. Jaykishan Dave. A truly wonderful fellow. Took me around almost to every place there was to see in Dwarka. Was my friend and guide for the day. And I am extremely happy that I met him that day. It  have been a difficult day had he not been there. We got a pretty good darshan of the idol in the temple, went to the ghat by the temple, ate nice Gujarati breakfast of poha and khaman-dhokla. Post which we left to see other famous places around Dwarka. Two of them were the Temple of Lady Rukmani, wife of Lord Krishna and the Temple of Lord Nageshwar. Another name for Lord Shiva. And the 2nd Linga of the 12 Lingas dedicated to Lord Shiva. Next to the temple the statues of Lord Shiva in a meditation pose. Quite tall but not as tall as the statue in Murdeshwar. 

Lord Nageshwar 

Post that we went to the end point of South Gujarat - Okha Port. We were supposed to go to a small island called Bhet Dwarka, another temple of Lord Krishna to explore. But unfortunately our timing got a bit messed up and we were told that the temple would not be open for another 2 hours. So we had to turn back. On the way back we saw an advertisement at the port of a new sea travel being started between South and North Gujarat across the Gulf of Kutch. From Okha Port to Mandvi Port in just 2 hours. It was a stroke of luck for me as my plan was to go to Bhuj from Dwarka and only way I had was to take the road using the Bus service for 11 long hours. Till now. I enquired about the boat and they told that the next one was leaving at 9 in the morning, the next day.

So I came back to Dwarka and spent the whole evening and night sleeping and while up early next morning and went back to the port and bought a ticket to travel on the speed boat. It came a bit late for my patience but once I boarded, it felt the most wonderful thing to be on in the middle of the vast sea. There were another 50 odd passengers with me and once the boat started,everyone became busy taking pictures with the boat,of the boat and of course selfies. The feeling of the cool sea breeze hitting your face in the midday is something inexplicable. I met a couple of, fellow Mumbaikars - Ganesh Mane and Harshal Nikale. Two wonderful guys keen on adventure and photography. They too had come to Gujarat on vacation. We had a nice catch up on the boat and then when we got down at Mandriva, we caught  a bus together to Bhuj. It took us an hour to reach there and once we got to the City of Bhuj, we went our separate ways. I checked into a hotel nearby and asked them for cab service to the  Rann of Kutch. They arranged one for me and I left within half hour for my next destination in order to witness the epic sunset that I had read about the place. 80 kms and 1.5hrs later I was standing in Rann of Kutch. Miles and miles of white salt spread out like sea. It was truly a picturesque view with the Sun shining brightly in the background. 

Sunset at Rann of Kutch. 

And when the Sun started to go down the horizon, people started getting excited. And finally when it went down completely, in the most dramatic manner, there was a loud cheer across the desert from everyone present there. It truly was a magnificent feeling to have been present there at that moment. Post sunset, the sky bore so many different colors that can't the be described here easily. You gotta be there and experience the marvel of nature by yourselves.

Amazing colors in the sky post sunset

But you should not go there to experience these things alone like I did. You must take your family or friends or someone special. Only when you share such  moments with someone, will the pleasure of the experience be more. My only mistake this time was that I did  not check the schedule of the moon and ended up at the Rann on a New Moon night.  I couldn't witness the  white desert in the full moon moon light, which has is said to be one of the best sights ever. Though I did witness countless stars in the night sky that one hardly sees amongst the city lights.

I went back to my hotel in Bhuj and spent the night sleeping heavily after a whole day of hectic travel. The next day I spent roaming around Bhuj. Visited some historic palaces and lakes. Also took some time out to watch my first  movie of the year - Wazir. Quite stellar performances by Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar. In the evening I boarded a train from Bhuj Station to Ahmedabad that I had booked earlier that morning. Ahmedabad. My last leg of the travel. I reached the city at 4 in the morning and booked an Ola cab to one of my  classmates house. Crashed there for the morning. Later in the noon one of my father's old friend came over to pick me up and took me to his place. And showed me around the city -  Sabarmati Riverfront, Bhadrakali temple, Sabarmati Ashram. It was quite an experience to go to the Ashram and witnessing  the  place where Mahatma Gandhi spent so much of his time during the struggle for Independence. 

Sabarmati Ashram

His quotes, his personal artifacts, his pictures were an inspiration.

In the evening uncle took me to meet his brothers and their families. Quite an awesome bunch of people they were. Very nice and courteous. Especially his mother. An octogenarian who knew my grandparents very well. It was indeed a memorable time talking to  her and getting to know of more about the old times. Post dinner, uncle's son took me on a night drive in his car to show Ahmedabad in the  night and boy it was something. The night was chilly to the core and the drive was just as cool.  We stopped by a street cafe near IIM Ahmedabad and had a “Bournvita Coffee”. One of its kind. Delicious as hell. 😍

Sabarmati Riverfront 

Bournvita Coffee 

The  following morning I bid goodbye to all and flew back to Mumbai. And just like that an amazing trip came to an end. An impromptu trip. No plans whatsoever. No companions. Just me and my backpack. Roaming all over Gujarat for 7 days. Each day a new place. Each place offering a new adventure. From walking across the beaches to climbing the highest peak of the state to crossing the sea on a speed boat to enjoying Sunset on the white desert, I did it all. A total of  approximately 2,270kms was covered via air, road, rail and sea. It was my first ever solo trip and it taught me one thing for sure - if you have the will, you will surely find a way to achieve your dreams. Hoping for many more such trips in the coming days. 

The Year That Was 2015

The fact that I am having a feeling of satisfaction while penning down this entry itself is a reminder of how well the year 2015 has gone. And that feeling can only be attributed to the one thing that I loved doing throughout the year - travelling. Over the course of the two and half years I have been staying in Chennai, I have found out what I truly love the most. Travelling. Far and wide. As many places as possible.

A quote on travelling that I came across recently…..

 

Speechless, I was. Every time I visited a new city in this amazing country. So much to see, so much to learn, so much to enjoy, so many memories to create. Chennai, Bangalore, Trichy, Bellary, Hampi, Hyderabad, Mahabalipuram, Mumbai, Pune, Mangalore, Kolkata, Delhi. Far and Wide, yes. Across all the four directions. Be it meeting people, attending weddings, running marathons, witnessing festivals or just the amazing nature, it truly was a magical experience at each of these places. I am glad that 2015 offered me a chance to live my life to the fullest wherever I was.

Apart from travelling, the other major thing that I did was watch movies. A lot of them. For the first time I completed 100 movies in a calendar year. 2015. I would have done it in 2014 itself but due to my ill health towards the end of the year, I wasn’t able to do so. I stopped at 98. It was disappointing. But nonetheless, 100 was achieved this year with the 100th movie being Star Wars: The Force Awakens. As they say, some special things are always reserved for the special moments. It was truly one of the best movies of 2015, especially after I finished the earlier 6 movies of the franchise in a movie marathon in the week preceding its release. Apart from Star Wars, some of the other must watch Hollywood movies that released in 2015 were; Avengers - Age of Ultron, Fast and Furious 7, Mad Max, MI5-Rogue Nation,  The Walk, The Martian, Inside Out, Spectre, The Good Dinosaur. Closer home, in Bollywood, one should have watched Baby, Badlapur, Dum Laga ke Haisha, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Bahubali, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Masaan, Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2, Titli, Tamasha and Bajirao Mastani, if one truly is a movie buff. And for my tamil friends, if you guys missed, Yennai Arindhaal, Ennakul Oruvan, O Kadhal Kanmani, Kaaka Muttai, Orange Mittai, Thani Oruvan, Maya and Nanum Rowdythaan, you have missed out on some really good stuff. And by the list that I have seen of the movies that are going to release in 2016, I can safely say that 2016 is truly going to be epic. Excited, I am. (Still reeling in Master Yoda dialogue hangover)

Travelling and Movies. 90% of my weekends were spent in these two activities. And glad, I am to have spent them on these. But yes I did other things like normal people too, like meeting up friends. Every place I went to, I had some or the other friend, who gladly accepted to meet up and spend some time too. During my mid year visit to Mumbai, I met 22 friends within a week, which is something truly crazy that I have done this year. But the memories that were created during each and every meet are priceless.

The year was not always as rosey as I have put it till now. There were low points too. Times when I wondered what I was doing with my life, why I was doing whatever I was doing/ not doing, why I did somethings that were downright hurtful to others. It was quite tough on the professional front, yet I kept a smile on my face and went about doing the things that I was doing the best. You cannot avoid the bad times but if you sail through them with your head held high, you can reach the good times with a smile on your face.

I ran 5 running events across 3 cities, attended weddings of close friends and family, witnessed the Durga Puja in Kolkata (one of the best experiences ever - read my previous blog entry), worked out from the Mumbai office of my company, which truly was an awesome experience, attended the Bangalore, Hyderabad and the Mumbai Comic Cons (missed out on the Delhi yet again :( ), had some great times in Bangalore ( one city that I visited almost every month starting April :P ), enjoyed Chelsea’s Premier League Victory in May( subsequently went into depression every week since the new season slump began and the sacking of the Special One - Jose Mourinho as our Manager - don’t even ask :’(  ), survived the Chennai Floods - which was a truly dreadful experience, hoping never to have another of those ever and bonded even more with some of my closest buddies.

But no matter what I did, I enjoyed. I enjoyed each moment of life that I lived in 2015. It was truly one of the most topsy-turvy years of my life but I have come out of it with a satisfied heart and a smile on my face, looking towards the new year with many more dreams and aspirations. 2016 will be a great year too. I believe.

Kolkata Ekati Yatra

Sometimes the trips that are not planned turn out to be the best experiences in your life. A couple of months ago not even in my wildest thoughts had I thought about going to Kolkata this year. But as luck would have it, the one plan that was being made to go to the West Coast of the country got shelved and I ended up travelling all the way up the East Coast. Guess as they say whatever happens, happens for good.

Whenever you visit a city, you look into various options that can possibly be explored while you are there. You check if the weather at that time of the year is good or not, you check the availability of your friends (in case they are put up in that city), the various modes of transport you may have to use to commute within or around the city, places you can visit, eat, have a good time etc. But for me the only thing that mattered was the Puja. Durga Puja in Kolkata. I guess you would hardly find many festivals around the world being celebrated with such passion as the Bengalis celebrate Durga Puja.

Some built Taj Mahal....

Some tractors.....

And others built Effiel Tower.

A celebration of Good over Evil, as portrayed in the Hindu Mythology, Durga Puja epitomizes the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura. A festival celebrated over 6 days namely Mahalaya, Shashti, Saptami, Ashtami, Nabami and Vijayadashami. Pandals, which are basically stages built to keep the idols, are set up by various communities or groups in almost every street in Kolkata and people throng in huge numbers during these six days to visit these pandals. The idols that are kept in these pandals and worshipped are always in the same order as these pictures depict. In the center is Goddess Durga on her vahana (vehicle), the Lion. On her right is Goddess Lakshmi on her Owl. On the farthest right is the Lord of the People – Lord Ganesha on his vahana, the Mouse. On the Left of Goddess Durga is Goddess Sarasvati on her Swan. And on the farthest left is Lord Kartik on his Peacock. And the person being attacked by Durga is Mahishasura, the Demon on his Buffalo.

Goddess Durga with her companions

So here I was, all packed up in Chennai, with 5 days of new experience to look forward to. The onward journey was highly uneventful till I landed in the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Airport in Kolkata. The first thing I noticed was the time of landing and the atmosphere outside. Just 5:30pm in the evening and it was already nearly dark out there. A fact that will be more than surprising for any person who has stayed in the Western part of India where the Sun sets only after 6-6:30pm and it doesn’t get dark till it’s 7-7:30pm.

Anyways it was an hour long journey from the airport in North Kolkata to my friend’s place in South Kolkata. A brief meeting with his parents and we were off for “pandal hopping” by 7:30pm. Starting with Bhowanipore , we visited various pandals in Bhowanipore and Hazra on the way to Maddox Square. Maddox Square, as put by my friend is one huge open park in the Ballygunge area which is uneventful for most part of the year except when it is Durga Puja. One of the most jam packed and biggest pandals in Kolkata is set up in Maddox Square. Not just a pandal with the idols but also another stage is set up for various performances by famous local personalities. And not just that but also stalls with games and eatables, giving you the feel of an exhibition being held there. The sight of crowds ageing from two year old toddlers to seventy year old granddads & grandmoms enjoying everything with such enthusiasm was truly endearing.

Maddox Square Puja, one of the biggest.

From Maddox Square, we moved on to Gariahat and then to Rash Behari Avenue and Kalighat covering almost 15 pandals in all between the three places. One of them was the pandal at Deshapriya Park where the tallest idol of Goddess Durga was kept. Standing at 88 feet high, one could see the idol from the road itself. Unfortunately it was closed out for public viewing thanks to an unfortunate event of stampede that had many people injured on the first day of Puja itself. Despite that the atmosphere all around was really electrifying even at 1 am in the night. People thronging to various pandals and waiting patiently in long queues without showing signs of much exhaustion just to view the Durga idol was truly an amazing sight. The colored lights even in the smallest of the alleys, the various shops of delicious eateries all around and the sound of dhak and gong in the night truly makes it a magnificent experience.

The Crowd.

The whole of the above roaming around on the first night in Kolkata nearly lasted for 6 hours in which almost 15 kms were covered on foot. So exhausting yet so exhilarating. Naturally it was hard to wake up early next day, so it was only by evening when we started our next round of pandal hopping in traditional Bengali attire of Kurta-Pyjama. There are so many pandals in each part of the city that it was extremely impossible to visit each within the short span of time that I was there for. So my friend decided that I should see some of the famous areas where there are lots of pandals within walkable distance and easier to navigate with huge crowds present. We first took the underground metro to Tollygunge where we met an old friend and had a good chat with him. After visiting a nearby pandal in Tollygunge, we took the tram to Mudiali. Mudiali is quite a well-known region in Kolkata and there were at least 15 pandals in just that one area. Each one more unique than the other. Such amazing themes that included Chota Bheem to Angels and Demons to Lord Shiva and many others. So much passion and effort is put in each pandal that you just keep staring at each in amazement.

The "Lord Shiva" themed Pandal

Post Mudiali we left for New Alipore where my friend’s friend had a special VIP pass for the Suruchi Sangha, which is known for creating pandals with one different state as its theme and as luck would have it for me, this year it was Tamil Nadu. Well the VIP pass can only avoid you the extremely long queue to reach the pandal but once you reach the pandal, all crowds are mixed up and one can just imagine what a dreadful experience it can get especially when a popular Bengali cine actress comes visiting the pandal at the same time you have reached there. It was extremely difficult to get a proper view of the idols and more difficult to even stand there for a couple of seconds. Somehow managed to get out of the pandal in one piece with all my belongings on me. Phew !!!!!

The one good picture of the idol of Goddess Durga from Suruchi Sangha Pandal. Taken with much difficulty.

But no matter how much exhausted I got, how huge the crowd was at every turn, every corner, every street, how humid it got at every step even in the night, my decision to visit Kolkata during the During Puja has been one of the best that I have taken this year. The two days of roaming across various pandals was truly an overwhelming experience. I guess the best way to enjoy the pandals even with the large crowd all around you is to just go with the flow. And of course while doing that, keep a hand on your belongings, you never know when they might get ‘nicked’ off you. :D

A couple of things that I missed were to witness the traditional Puja dance to the rhythms of the dhak – a traditional drum in Bengal and the elaborate immersion of the idols into water post the Puja. 

Nevertheless it was truly an experience of a lifetime.  

Six-Nil !!!

The stage was set. It was supposed to be a memorable occasion for the Premier League’s current longest serving manager – Arsène Wenger managing his 1000^th game for Arsenal having taken the helm in 1996. But then our Special One - José Mourinho and his Boys in Blue decided to gate crash Wenger’s party and boy some party they had. Something the Gunners will remember for a long long time. You do not call yourselves title contenders when you lose the big games 6-3, 5-1, 6-0. And you know by now who did.

Game Set and Match - Straight Sets !!!

It was one of those days where one team completely dominated the other in each and every department of the game. And the goals flowed like water. The demolition was started by none other than our “senior citizen”, one Mr. Samuel Eto’o scoring within 5 minutes with his weaker left foot. But soon he sustained a thigh injury and was replaced by Fernando Torres after the second goal by Andre Schurrle in the 7^th minute, a brilliant low drive through Koscielny’s legs and past Szczesny at the far post.

Then came the blunder of a life time. At the 15^th minute of the game Santi Cazorla gave away the possession to Chelsea forwards Torres and Eden Hazard, who did a 1-2 before Hazard, tried a curl towards the far post. The ball was going wide, yet Alex Oxlade Chamberlain who was defending behind the keeper, reached out with his left hand and deflected the shot. Referee Andre Marriner promptly gave the Blues a spot kick and sent off Kieran Gibbs. Each one of us was surprised and laughing our ass out at what seemed to be an out of the blue blunder by an experienced Premier League referee. Perhaps the referee went by the similar hairstyles of the players – a thought which is even more hilarious.

Eden Hazard stepped up for the penalty and calmly scored Chelsea’s 3^rd goal. The Arsenal supporters present at our screening were completely numb at the score line that showed their team 0-3 down within 20 minutes in to the game and some of them left the screening immediately. Though the game was far from over. 2 minutes before the half time, Torres was given a nice pass from David Luiz in the midfield, who passed it Oscar, right at the middle of the final third, netting the fourth for the Blues. Oscar doubled his tally in the 66^th minute, while his replacement in the next minute, Mohammed Salah, netted his debut goal for the Blues with a cool finish in the 71^st minute. This was the heaviest ever defeat for the Gunners at the Bridge and will probably be the hardest to digest for any Gunners fan.

The "Egyptian Messi" has a good future at the Bridge.

This win kept Chelsea on the top of the Premier League table with 69 points and 7 games to go while Liverpool and Manchester City thrashed their opponents later in the day to keep the title race very much alive. Moreover both teams have games in hand that will be played later this week. Which means the gap at the top can narrow down to a bare minimum. Gear up guys, a nail biting race to the end has begun. 

Its claustrophobic at the top as well as the bottom.

The Fantasy Premier League is an online game in which the participants assemble an imaginary team based on real players and score points as per the players statistical performance over a Gameweek. It was a double gameweek over the weekend i.e. few of the teams are playing twice in one gameweek. It has been a pure goal fest till now which has just brought pure joy to each manager. Points are being earned like they are leaves falling off a tree during autumn. A lot of thought and consultation with many people has been put into forming this double gameweek's team. Anybody who is unable to hit the 3 figure mark in this gameweek will purely regret his team selection. With 10 teams having a double gameweek, Liverpool and Manchester City among them, each manager will be licking his lips with the amount of points he has scored till now. Luis Suarez and Yaya Toure’s hat trick, Oscar and Rooney’s brace (the latter scoring a 54-yard Beckham-ish goal against the Hammers at the Upton Park – Goal of the Season maybe?), this gameweek should surely shatter some of the records in the world of fantasy football. I personally have 10 players playing once again in the gameweek. Keeping my fingers crossed to cross my own personal high score which was 112, a couple of seasons ago.

Best Gameweek Ever :D ??

It was yet another successful screening for the Official Chelsea India Supporters Club members of Chennai. This time the screening was held at the Stress Busters Sports Bar at Greams Road in Thousand Lights. It was the biggest screening that I have attended in this city with an approximate turn out of around 50-60 that included a few Gunners too. The match was projected on a big screen with Chelsea songs being played before, during HT and after the match. Each goal was cheered with a thunderous applause and celebrated madly by the passionate Blues supporters (I included – making a racket of a noise like none other :P ). It has been a remarkable crowd during every screening that I have attended till now and hope we increase the numbers more and more in the future screenings.

Blue is the Color, Football is the game, Chelsea is Our Name !!!

Till then Keep The Blue Flag Flying High !!!!!

Cheers !!!