Unbeknownst to You, I am a reluctant Blogger who is just trying to celebrate the Symphony inside the Cacophony of the Chaos from the Classroom to the Cosmos...
Today I had my life's first Starbucks Coffee at South City Mall. Since my childhood days, I have heard and seen so much about Starbucks in American movies (especially 'You’ve Got Mail') and TV shows (especially 'Sex & The City') that it seemed that it was the best Coffee in the World. Its nice to finally have Starbucks in Calcutta. The Coffee was good though it was nothing extraordinary. Today at South City Mall, as I was sipping on my first Starbucks Coffee and checking out all the beautiful women around, I was remembering Tom Hanks' dialogue from 'You’ve Got Mail' :
"The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self : Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino.”
Immediately it reminded me of Anjan Dutt's song 'Chyapta Golap'. Here are the lyrics : school er gate er bairey dariye meye ta chhele ta dourey dourey eshey hnapay school er bus ta horn diye jaay teen bar meye ta dourey dourey chole jaay school er bag ta kandhey tuley niye chhele ta hnapatey hnapatey abar hata dey bus er bhetor janlar kachey jhapsa meye tar abar kanna paay aaro duto chhele meyer boyesh berey jabey aaro duto diner oboshan amar chhelemanushi ta aankre dhore rekhey likhbo aami bhalobashar gaan chhele tar nei bari ferar tara meye taro nei baritey telephone dujoner e nei niyom bhangar boyosh tobu dujoner e achey niyom bhangar mon chhele tar achey buk pocket ey chithi prothom prem er banan bhool meye tar achey jotno korey rakha khatar bhetor chyapta golap phool aaro duto chhele meyer boyesh berey jabey aaro duto diner oboshan amar chhelemanushi ta aankre dhore rekhey gaibo aami bhalobashar gaan chhele tar nei bhobishyoter bhavna meye taro nei dabi dawa kono dampottyer shokto mane taa tara dujonei janena ekhono sudhu ektibarer jonnye ektu dekha chhuti hoye gele dujoner ishkool nei je tader aar kono chawa pawa sudhu khatar bhetor chyapta golap phool aaro koto chhele meyer boyosh berey jabey aaro koto diner oboshan amar chhelemanushi mon aankre dhore rekhey aaro ekta bhalobashar gaan...
The video reminded me of my teenage years when I used to go to almost all the fests in the girls' schools of Calcutta and hoped to meet my soulmate. I always hoped that some girl would fall in love with me at first sight. Those first eye contacts were magical. Those second eye contacts were heavenly. Those third eye contacts were simply out of this world. A lot was said and exchanged in those ethereal eye contacts. Some eye contacts lasted for a nano second, others lasted for an eternity. Life altering decisions were made in those eye contacts. I remember this one time when I had gone to a girls' school for their fest. It was in the year 2000 and I was then studying in Class XI at St. Xavier's. It was winter and I was wearing a black blazer and had my hair back brushed with brylcreem hair gel. There was this very pretty girl who was standing in the auditorium with her friends wearing her school uniform. At that moment she looked like the most beautiful woman in this universe. I looked at her and after a few seconds she also looked at me and I immediately removed my eyes from her face and looked towards the stage. Then after some time I looked at her again and she again looked at me. Our eyes stared at each other for a few seconds. Then I gathered all the courage I had and smiled at her. She also smiled back. Her friends were noticing everything that was happening between us. Her smile gave me confidence so I walked up to her and introduced myself. She also introduced herself. It was love at first sight. There was a tea and coffee stall outside the auditorium. I asked her for coffee and she agreed. We both came outside the auditorium and went to the coffee stall. We started chatting there and exchanged our landline phone numbers. Then after some time another girl came up to her and told her that she was needed for some fest related work and her friends were waiting for her. So she had to leave me and go inside again. But before leaving she gave me the sweetest smile in this universe. That day I came back home with a sweet smile on my lips too. I was the happiest boy in this world. The next evening I called her on her landline number. She picked it up. It was as if she was waiting for my call. We spoke for more than an hour. We both felt that we had found the person we were searching for. We both felt that we had found our soulmates. This is 2018. The above video clip reminded me of her. I am hundred percent sure that if she sees the above video clip then she will also remember me. Today we are no longer in touch and she is now married to someone else. I wish her a very happy married life. There was really something magical in that winter evening of 2000. That evening will always have a special place in my heart. I will never be able to forget that evening... Anyways here is the full song :
--- The first girl in my life who frankly talked to me about periods was my first girlfriend in the year 2001. We were both in Class XI then. In those days we did not have mobile phones and we used to chat for hours on our landline phones. She used to tell me every time she had her periods. I used to be extra-caring and extra-loving during those 4/5 days. Sometimes she used to have tremendous menstrual cramps. I used to feel really sorry for her. I wish I knew a way to make her pain go away. I used to feel really helpless during those 4/5 days. I wish I knew some magic to free her from the pain of her menstrual cramps. Whenever we used to meet during her periods, I used to give her chocolates to cheer up her mood. Seventeen years have passed. Now she is married to someone else and has become the mother of a cute little boy. I wish her a very happy married life. I usually do not follow Facebook trends. But this latest 'Padman' trend has really touched my heart. Therefore today for the first time in my life I bought a packet of Stayfree for Rs. 28. I entered a medicine shop and asked for pads. The shopkeeper looked at me and paused for a moment. Then he hurriedly bought a packet of Stayfree and quickly put it inside a black plastic bag and gave it to me. I do not understand why these pads are put inside black plastic packets. Is it a crime or sin to buy sanitary napkins? Anyways I came back home, opened the packet and clicked some selfies with a pad. Tomorrow 'Padman' is releasing in theatres. I would request everybody to go and watch this film only in cinema halls. Salute to R. Balki for making a film on such an unique subject. We all must support this kind of cinema. Thank You...
Anyways I loved the film. This film glorifies the Rajputs and demonises Alauddin Khilji. This film is all about Rajput pride, valour, bravery and honour. The film is all about the Rajputs who will stick on to their principles even in the face of death. Chocolate boy Shahid Kapoor looks too short in height to be a Rajput. He was a wrong choice for the role of a Rajput warrior-king. And he had almost the same expression on his face throughout the film. Though he tried his best to give a stellar performance, yet something somewhere was always missing. The role of Padmavati belongs to Aishwarya Rai. Several Bollywood websites mention that SLB wanted to make this film years back with Aishwarya Rai as the heroine. However unfortunately that project did not take off. Deepika Padukone has given a fantastic performance. The trio of Deepika-SLB-Ranveer are proving to be an awesome combination. I am hoping for more such gems from this trio in the near future. There is absolutely no chemistry between Shahid Kapoor and Deepika Padukone throughout the film. I was hoping for that kind of chemistry which was there between Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai in Jodha-Akbar, but sadly there was none. Gabbar - Mogambo - Khilji... Ranveer Singh owns this film. He has set a new benchmark as a villain in Bollywood. Hollywood has Heath Ledger's Joker. Bollywood has Ranveer Singh's Khilji. After the end of the film, someone from the audience commented, "Iss Picture Ka Naam Khilji Hona Chahiye Tha". If everything goes fine then Ranveer Singh has the potential to be the next Amitabh Bachchan of Bollywood! Jim Sarbh really draws one's attention towards himself. There is something mysterious in his eyes throughout the film. I did not like Anupriya Goenka's performance. There was something missing in the way she delivered her lines. SLB always paints pictures on a grand canvas. His brush strokes roam freely on a lavish scale. He loves larger than life things. Salute to SLB for making this film. Only he could have done this. The music is however ordinary. The songs are simply not that great. Only 'Ghoomar' and 'Binte Dil' are something to take home. The other songs are below average. I miss the SLB-Ismail Darbar collaborations of 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' and 'Devdas'. SLB is a great director but a very average music director. The choreography of 'Ghoomar' and 'Khaalibali' must be appreciated. Here is the link for Episode 26 of 'Bharat Ek Khoj' which used to air in Doordarshan years back. Apparently SLB was an assistant editor in the Delhi Sultanate and Padmavat episode...
