water...water...nowhere...not even a drop to drink....

Half a glass of water once every week.........mineral tissues to wipe oneself clean.............the color green only in old paintings......minimum temperatures 50 degree celcious...............earthquakes...acid rain........volcanoes errupting every 2hours in a day...........circa 2070!

This will be the scenario for our progenies...........while we laugh.......party.........and Destroy!

Humans are supposed to be the most intelligent living beings on this earth...........are you sure? If so, why do we destroy ourselves, our environment, our future? Will supercomputers, robots, organic food save us from the bleak future? Are we superior to mother nature - can we stop earthquakes, volcanoes, acid rains, global warming? Interestingly we are the catalyst of our sufference - cutting trees and destroying natural environment, killing animals and dis-balancing the food chain, nuclear tests, pollution,wasting water.......all in the name of CIVILISATION!!

Lets learn from our intelligent couterparts - animals. They donot kill or destroy for pleasure. They can sense dangers much ahead of us.............

Is it too late? Arise, awake....till its too late...........and we reach 2070!

GOOD OLD KOLKATA...............

Dusty roads, potholed streets, pollution, crowded footpaths, bandhs, rosogollas, warm hearted people, cultural sphere, adaptible people......that's Good Old Kolkata.

Once the capital city of India, today it ranks among the last few in terms of its growth and glory. No wonder why Kolkatans still fall back to its rich heritage and glory of the past - the city has somehow frozen in time - the time of the Raj.

The city still holds the cultural scene in the form of classical performances, theatres but what has happened to the industry - jute, manufacturing? The Manchester of India is a graveyard. Economy is in shambles, trade unionism rules, IT industry is a hogwash with big infrastructures with not enough good work, polittical parties donot work together for growth rather fight over their own egoisms at the cost of industrial growths. The créme of Bengal - the talented, qualified youth have mostly left in despair - Kolkata is ruled by few hard-core Marwaris with very less sense of the future or attachment to the city.

As Kolkatans dont we have a duty to give back to our beautiful old city by being more conscious of keeping the surrounding clean and beautiful? Being more politically active by revolting against the wrongs of bandhs and strikes which parallises growth? To get unified and be back to our roots and work for a better future for Bengal - a region with the biggest wealth - its heritage, 'golden' soil, river? What more can you ask for to develop a state? We only need some positive, aggresive, rooted Bengalis to turn the wind to its positive direction.

Are their any out there?

Truly the 'RAJ'

The name of this post might sound either historical to some or coming from a person still under the 'chaprusi' style of British influence but a visit to our past 'RAJ' gave me a very candid view of the United Kingdom.

I have a firm believe that any country rooted in its distant past and with a strong affinity for its heritage which dates back to many centuries( as we have all read British History) has a strong sense of binding and belonging among its people and for people visiting from other lands that sense gets evident in each nook and corner.

Walking past the majestic and grand theatres, museums made me feel like a historical character straight out of the books. It was like reliving the past as a victorian lady walking the Green park, being part of Robin Hood gang on the way past Nottingham Forest or being part of the romantic genre' looking and soaking the beauty in front of Da Vinci, Michealangelo, Raffael or being impressionist standing in front of Van Gough's 'Sunflowers'.

In all the well maintained majestic glory - the modern buildings are seamingly layed out but in a way to give more importance to the old and magnificient.

As with the contour, the people are a good mixture of Britishers and Europeans and Asians. The Asian presence reminds of India's days of Raj reversed. But as the saying goes ' when you are in Rome be a Roman' all bask in the British glory. A bunch of reserved and cordial people, very soft and gentle in their nature - a perfect gel with the serene contour. People who live up to their rich heritage and past. The only modern element in their character would be the absence of snobishness or racism that was prominent years ago.

Contrary to the popular fable - 'London Bridge has truly risen in all its might and power'.