tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201306842024-03-07T23:37:41.624+05:30Brainbit: In other words "Piece of my mind"Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.comBlogger218125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-34824038343921781582019-08-02T13:41:00.000+05:302019-08-02T13:41:25.081+05:30Bananas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Wondering when is Mr. Rahul Bose visiting a multiplex and tweeting about the copious amount of pop corn that one is forced to buy due to lack of small packs. Same goes for carbonated drinks. Leave alone the dent to the pocket, I wonder who are those people who manages to finish these huge tubs of pop corn and tank of cold drinks in the two hours or so, and still manage to walk out of the movie hall!<br />
<br />
At least Mr. Bose had the liberty to buy bananas from outside for Rs. 10 and have it in his hotel room. The multiplexes don't even allow outside food!</div>
Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-73442888336919134422019-05-27T18:32:00.000+05:302019-05-27T18:32:19.935+05:30Mimi Meme<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Post the Loksabha election results of 2019, there seems to be a lot of uproar over the win of Ms. Mimi Chakraborty, an young actress over Mr. Bikash Bhattacharya, a lawyer and a veteran politician. I am myself not a big fan of Actors / Actresses / Celebrities being pushed in to active politics; however, there is no denying that this has been a trend in Indian politics. Many leaders in our southern states have been actor turned politicians, namely Jayalalitha, NTR, MGR. And why just South, Amitabh Bachhan, Shatrughan Sinha, Jaya Prada, Jaya Bachhan, Sunil Dutt and many more stars had also joined politics in the past and continue to do so.<br />
<br />
However, Mimi seems to be particularly getting targeted, even though, in the same elections, her friend and another movie star, Nusrat Jahan also won. Somehow, it is ok for the so called intellectuals to accept Babul Supriyo as a member of parliament, but not Mimi. Some even argued with me that Babul is a seasoned politician, but they were unable to answer what Babul's credentials were before he was made a candidate in last Loksabha elections in 2014. People also seem to forget that Deepak Adhikary or Dev as he is popularly known as was also a first time politician in 2014. Locket Chatterjee won in another constituency, and people doesn't seem to mind that she is an actress too! Sunny Deol is fine, Gautam Gambhir is OK, but poor Mimi is not!<br />
<br />
There is another constituency in West Bengal, where the winner is a known strongman, and he beat the sitting MP, who did his post graduate studies in the US, known as an honest person, and was a very capable Union Minister! So, my request to people - don't judge a book by it's covers; maybe she will work, maybe she won't - but give her equal chance at least.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-3044357764799952222019-05-02T15:03:00.002+05:302019-05-02T15:03:20.083+05:30It's getting complicated up here<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Scamander, Grindelwald, Merlin, Albus Dumbledore, Potter, Black Widow, Hulk, Nick Fury, Shields, Thanos, Wakanda, Bane, Jor El, Westeros, Arya, Sansa, Night King, Snow, Magneto, Wolverine, Storm, Professor X...<br />
<br />
Too many characters! Too many plots and subplots! I am all confused.</div>
Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-2112324564021541752019-02-04T16:26:00.001+05:302019-02-04T16:26:04.330+05:30Ramsar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Just yesterday, I had gone for a picnic to a corner of Sundarban, and today got to know Sundarban Wetland has been designated as a Ramsar site just three days ago! To add Co-Incidence to co-incidence, day before was celebrated as World Wetlands Day! To celebrate, I give you a brief lecture!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Ramsar Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Convention’s mission is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”. As on today, there are 2341 sites globally and 27 sites in India.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 762px;">
<colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 1682; mso-width-source: userset; width: 35pt;" width="46"></col>
<col style="mso-width-alt: 11117; mso-width-source: userset; width: 228pt;" width="243"></col>
<col style="mso-width-alt: 8886; mso-width-source: userset; width: 182pt;" width="263"></col>
<col style="mso-width-alt: 2816; mso-width-source: userset; width: 58pt;" width="243"></col>
<col style="mso-width-alt: 3364; mso-width-source: userset; width: 69pt;" width="92"></col>
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt; width: 35pt;" width="46"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Sl</b></span></div>
</td>
<td class="xl66" style="border-left: none; width: 228pt;" width="243"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Name</b></span></div>
</td>
<td class="xl66" style="border-left: none; width: 182pt;" width="263"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Location</b></span></div>
</td>
<td class="xl66" style="border-left: none; width: 58pt;" width="243"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Designated</b></span></div>
</td>
<td class="xl66" style="border-left: none; width: 69pt;" width="92"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span align="center" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Area (km<span class="font6"><sup style="line-height: 1;">2</sup></span><span class="font5">)</span></b></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Ashtamudi Wetland</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Kerala</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">19-Aug-02</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">614</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Bhitarkanika Mangroves</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Odisha</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">19-Aug-02</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">650</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">3</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Bhoj Wetland</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Madhya Pradesh</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">19-Aug-02</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">32</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">4</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Chandra Taal</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Himachal Pradesh</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">8-Nov-05</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">0.49</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">5</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Chilika Lake</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Odisha</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1-Oct-81</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1165</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">6</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Deepor Beel</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Assam</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">19-Aug-02</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">40</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">7</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">East Kolkata Wetlands</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">West Bengal</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">19-Aug-02</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">125</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">8</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Harike Wetland</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Punjab</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">23-Mar-90</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">41</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">9</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Hokera Wetland</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Jammu and Kashmir</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">8-Nov-05</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">13.75</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">10</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Kanjli Wetland</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Punjab</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">22-Jan-02</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1.83</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">11</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Keoladeo National Park</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Rajasthan</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1-Oct-81</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">28.73</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">12</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Kolleru Lake</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Andhra Pradesh</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">19-Aug-02</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">901</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">13</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Loktak Lake</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Manipur</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">23-Mar-90</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">266</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">14</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Gujarat</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">24-Sep-12</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">123</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">15</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Tamil Nadu</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">19-Aug-02</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">385</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">16</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Pong Dam Lake</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Himachal Pradesh</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">19-Aug-02</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">156.62</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">17</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Renuka Lake</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Himachal Pradesh</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">8-Nov-05</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">0.2</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">18</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Ropar Wetland</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Punjab</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">22-Jan-02</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">13.65</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">19</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Rudrasagar Lake</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Tripura</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">8-Nov-05</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2.4</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">20</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sambhar Lake</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Rajasthan</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">23-Mar-90</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">240</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">21</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sasthamkotta Lake</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Kerala</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">19-Aug-02</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">3.73</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">22</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Surinsar-Mansar Lakes</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Jammu and Kashmir</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">8-Nov-05</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">3.5</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">23</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Tsomoriri</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Jammu and Kashmir</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">19-Aug-02</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">120</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">24</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Upper Ganga River (Brijghat to Narora Stretch)</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Uttar Pradesh</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">8-Nov-05</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">265.9</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">25</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Vembanad-Kol Wetland</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Kerala</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">19-Aug-02</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1512.5</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">26</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Wular Lake</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Jammu and Kashmir</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">23-Mar-90</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">189</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">27</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sundarban Wetland</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">West Bengal</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1-Feb-19</span></td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: .2em; padding-top: .2em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">4260</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-44733814746879701202019-01-14T14:55:00.004+05:302019-01-14T14:55:36.296+05:30Sunset<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgINSvSKjd4aUcsgGnGir7gnBss5BrriVfXaLKUKz1tYzy2PYyK5z2rOzH_B1zgvHsSCnmn0VNHk-nu8YrE6ZrILj2zlUq3_jJwLrgWc27E7QvUQLyxv3BJUxWP-3nMsa_lAM3I/s1600/IMG_7808.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgINSvSKjd4aUcsgGnGir7gnBss5BrriVfXaLKUKz1tYzy2PYyK5z2rOzH_B1zgvHsSCnmn0VNHk-nu8YrE6ZrILj2zlUq3_jJwLrgWc27E7QvUQLyxv3BJUxWP-3nMsa_lAM3I/s640/IMG_7808.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption"></td><td class="tr-caption"></td><td class="tr-caption"></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
when it's time for dusk,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
not west, but east I face</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and think of places </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the sun is about to grace!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
translated from a Bengali song by Kabir Sumon</div>
</div>
Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-75675108321091181332018-12-31T13:14:00.000+05:302018-12-31T13:14:04.669+05:30Good Bye 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I don't even know if it is appropriate to write "Good Bye" to a year which I would mostly remember for painful memories than good memories.<br />
<br />
Losses - the elderly in the family, though close, that's still easy to deal with; but when one of your friend in your age group leaves you, you don't know what to say! Then the untimely deaths of grown up children of friends and extended family, I just didn't know what to tell them! And there were two such incidents this year! Perhaps even painful was the death of friendship, where the friends are there but we will never ever cherish the good times that we had again! Then, the cracks in relationship within the family, that will be perhaps be sealed, but will never have the same strength!<br />
<br />
Maybe should just say "Good Riddance" and look forward to a brand new year!</div>
Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-13445248084859357582018-11-08T13:59:00.000+05:302018-11-08T13:59:31.321+05:30Biggest issues in our country (if we go by news)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The biggest statue in the world is built in India. Full page govt paid ads compares it to other statues in the world (by height). Wonder how we compare with those countries on key factors like infrastructure, corruption, healthcare system, education system, etc.<br />
<br />
Whether ladies of child bearing age can enter a temple or not! I would rather have ladies of all ages (child bearing or not) get education and security, both social and physical!<br />
<br />
Over 300,000 earthern lamps were floated in a river one evening to create a world record! To create an even bigger statue in the same riverbanks.<br />
<br />
<i>Wonder if these are so since elections are next year! I am even predicting escalation with our neighboring countries in the months ahead.</i></div>
Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-42618052435758418102018-07-06T13:38:00.002+05:302018-07-06T17:24:53.747+05:30Just another trek post<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My first
blog post was a travelogue – I started writing blogs because there was so
little information on the web on these places where I visited. This post is a
throwback to those posts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;">Anyone who
knows me, knows how I love the mountains. And how I like a little physical outdoor
activity like trekking. Since our marriage, I have taken Smita to two treks –
the first one resulted in us returning in two days from the hills of Dzongri /
Goecha la. The second, to Sandakphu and was a grand success. Since then, due to
our daughter being very young, we have not planned treks at all, although it
was always my wish to do a proper trek alone, since Smita doesn’t really enjoy
them. </span>After planning and pondering for over two years, finally booked a trek to
Hampta pass, a popular trek near Manali, Himachal Pradesh. The trek takes one
from the green Kullu valley to the dry Spiti valley.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4w59r6oIu1y6B5egO5Qs790Ikd1YAxTQfivyydYDcLnvBAGi3t1qaeXbYjFSc8x1tsfQM7JMO5wHq7qd0uvdOcLbxnb6xsWAAniZdpDOUm3ixH0GfwYExLAXU4hNk_LgytE7l/s1600/IMG_9347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4w59r6oIu1y6B5egO5Qs790Ikd1YAxTQfivyydYDcLnvBAGi3t1qaeXbYjFSc8x1tsfQM7JMO5wHq7qd0uvdOcLbxnb6xsWAAniZdpDOUm3ixH0GfwYExLAXU4hNk_LgytE7l/s640/IMG_9347.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Took a
flight to Delhi on 15<sup>th</sup> June and an overnight bus to Manali the same
day. Checked in to a backpacker’s hostel (my first time) in Old Manali and
roamed around the city a bit. The next morning, started the trek from Prini, a
village nearby where we met our fellow trekkers. The first part of the journey
was a ride to Jobra from Prini, negotiating 40 odd hairpin bends on the road.
From Jobra, the trek to Chikha campsite was an easy one, and covered in about
three hours with at least 6 – 7 breaks! The Chikha campsite was in a valley,
right next to the Jobri river. The evening was spent roaming around the
campsite, crossing over the river for a stroll, and generally getting to know
our fellow trekkers better.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next day
was slightly longer with the hike taking us about 6-7 hours. The highlight of
the day was crossing of the river near Jwara just before lunch, and the pretty
site where we had our packed lunch. The campsite at Balu ka Ghera was once
again in a valley and next to the river. The evening was a blast thanks to all
the singing and games we played before an early dinner.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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started early as there was a long way to Hampta Pass and cross over to Spiti
valley onward to the next camp site at Shea Goru. The trek was slightly tougher
than the other days, with a lot of boulders to negotiate. There were few
patches of snow which we had to cross too. The final approach up to Hampta Pass
was also covered with snow and it slowed the entire group down. Once we reached
Hampta Pass, it started to rain with ice crystals. We had our lunch of Veg
Biryani in the rain and started the steep descent towards Shea Goru. The first
segment was slippery with a lot of mud and slush, and then there was a section
where a steep slope full of snow was traversed with sliding on the snow. The last
section was a gradual slope down the hill and on to the valley where the camp
was set. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hampta Pass</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The next
day started with crossing of the river – and this was some cold water. The
fingers instantly went numb, and even after several minutes, could not feel the
feet. The walk thereafter was through gradual slopes and ridges, and with the
sun shining bright, was an easy walk, especially compared to the previous day.
We reached the campsite at Chhatru, and soon took the waiting cars for a drive
to Chandrataal, a high altitude lake about 50 km away.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chandrataal</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next day,
the same cars took us back to Manali via Rohtang Pass. Enjoyed Manali through
the day and just roamed about leisurely. The old trees in this city simply
makes a great sight and makes one realize how mountains are meant to be. Wrapped
the trip by meeting few friends in Delhi, which is always a joy for me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His Majesty, @Chhatru</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;">Manali
(2000m) - Jobra (2707m) - Chikha (3000m) - Balu - Ka - Gheera (3600m) - Hampta
Pass (4270m) - Shea Gahru (3700m)</span><span lang="EN-IN"> </span><span lang="EN-IN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;">- Chatru (3300m) - Chandratal
(4250m) - Chatru (3300m) - Manali (2000m)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hidimba Mandir, Manali</td></tr>
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Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-35574391780430089402017-04-12T14:40:00.000+05:302017-04-12T14:40:05.496+05:30Mission Better Drivers (in India)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Driving in the narrow chaotic roads of Kolkata, there are many situations each day where I get the urge to get off the car and beat the hell out of some drivers. Fortunately, the urge is only for a split second and I continue driving on after a shake of head / a few choice words. My top picks with those situations, and proposed solutions to them:<br />
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The "horny" driver: Get a meter attached to the horn and make it mandatory. After a specified amount of honking, measured in minutes, the owner of the car has to purchase additional minutes.<br />
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The lane changer: Without indicators in rush traffic that is! Get the surveillance cameras in use, and make it mandatory for the drivers to attend driving lessons. Special classes on lane driving can also be arranged which repeats and reinforces the same concept to the point of death by boredom. Much like the 300 lines of "I will not cause pandemonium in class" that I had to write in std 7.<br />
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The line crosser: Same as the lane changer. Particularly annoying, since some of them think that's the right thing to do! On a fine Sunday morning, when the roads were empty, I stopped at a signal. A taxi came in a few seconds later, in a very cool way stopped right before the zebra crossing, and signaled me to come ahead - as if I had done a mistake!!! Fines are apparently not deterring these guys, so, why not ask for their time in terms of attending classes?<br />
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The Valentino Rossi: Bikers and their fascination of crossing cars (from both sides) and coming in front of the car! Some with helmets, some with two passengers! In some areas of Kolkata, almost all without helmet and most with one or two passengers, all without helmet! Stop them, thrash them, burn their bikes - I can't think of any other solution!<br />
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*Deep breath*<br />
*Peace out*</div>
Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-53974146540552572892017-03-17T16:12:00.000+05:302017-03-17T16:12:02.105+05:30The last of the ...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been more than four months since the evening a pop up came through the Times of India app on my mobile, informing me that all old 500 and 1000 rupees currency notes are banned. The next couple of days were enough to convert the notes that I had. We could also take out enough cash from Banks / ATMs to suffice our upcoming family travel planned just four days later. During the travel, I did not even try to take out cash, but did not face any crunch whatsoever. The biggest challenge proved to be December, when the ATMs and Banks had limits / long queues / lacked cash to disburse.<br />
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Now, all this while, I had an apprehension that I might have kept a note or two somewhere stashed as a rainy day fund - well, not really a raining rainy day, but one of those days when you have ordered for food and you don't have enough cash and feeling too lazy to go out. This is something I keep in all my wallets / passport holders / card holders. Imagine my state of mind when just yesterday, while searching for a passport sized photograph, peeped out a bright and crisp 1000 rupee note!<br />
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Wonder if I should go to RBI and get it changed before 31st March 2017 or just keep it as a souvenir.</div>
Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-25446002745257811542017-03-08T15:13:00.000+05:302017-03-08T15:13:19.270+05:30Happy International Women's Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am not a big fan of celebrating these "days"... Mother's Day, Father's Day, Brother's Day... these are relationships which should not need a special day a year to celebrate and rather be celebrated every day. Similarly, on a similar note, Women should not need a "Women's Day" to celebrate in an ideal world.<br />
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Having said that, it is not an ideal world, and though we have progressed a lot in terms of gender equality and rights, there is still a lot of progress to be made. So here's to all the wonderful ladies out there, following your dreams, breaking the so called glass barrier, making the world a better place to live in, achieving success.<br />
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Here's also to all the struggling ladies, working hard to make ends meet, fighting to earn respect and dignity, and staying strong even after hurdles after hurdles - because this celebration is of you, and to a better future where you don't have to struggle so much, you don't have to think about safety every time you step out, and you get to choose what to wear and what to do</div>
Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-81502778258183063142017-02-07T11:40:00.002+05:302017-02-07T11:40:22.849+05:30The Che(s) closer home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Every now and then, I come across the rebel minded, wearing t-shirts with the famous photograph of Ernesto "Che" Guevara. I am not sure if the popularity of Che is due to his legendary motorcycle journey (and the book), or is it because of his contribution to the revolution in Cuba. In any case, the fascination of the young with Che even today forces me to think if we tend to forget legends closer home and look for inspiration elsewhere?<br />
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I am no expert on this subject but I am listing down a few names I have come across who lead extraordinary lives not too dissimilar to Che's. Some of them, I am sure, you were not aware of!<br />
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Sarat Chandra Das (1849 - 1917): This dude was both an explorer and a scholar. He explored Tibet extensively sometimes posing as a Lama, and documented his journeys and the culture of Tibet in his books from late 1800s. He spied for the British and fed them with information on the region. He also published the first Tibetan-English dictionary. If you interested to read more, I have his book "Journey to Lhasa and Central Tibet" which I can lend.<br />
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Manabendra Nath Roy (1887 - 1954): Trivia question: where was the first Communist Party established outside Russia? Mexico. Who established this? This guy! He plotted armed revolution against the British, escaped from India, and while the British were hunting for him, he managed to travel sometimes with false passport and as stowaway aboard a ship across the world and finally reached USA. After establishing the Communist Party in Mexico, he was invited to Moscow, where he met Lenin and Stalin. On his return to India after 16 years abroad with so many accomplishments, he was immediately arrested and jailed without a proper trial.<br />
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Lt. Col. Suresh Biswas (1861 - 1905): Spurred by adventure, he traveled to Britain and worked several jobs including as an animal trainer in a circus. He traveled to Brazil and enlisted in the army there - was later promoted as a Captain in the Brazilian army. His name is referred in one of Satyajit Ray's fiction - "Chinnomastar Abhishap".<br />
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I am not mentioning the already well documented extra-ordinary life of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on purpose. I am sure there are plenty more who should have been glorified more. I hope we find them and their work and celebrate them as well.</div>
Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-27614910465849716592016-12-23T13:10:00.002+05:302016-12-23T13:10:22.051+05:30Highlights of 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<li>Celebrated my daughter’s first birthday. The joy that she brings to our family cannot be explained in words.<br /></li>
<li>Bought a bicycle. With gears (which my bicycle from 90s
lacked). Biggest apprehension was that it will be relegated to becoming a very
expensive clothesline; fortunately that has not happened yet. I manage about 4-5 rides of 10 km average per week. Been to work 12.5 kms away a few times riding on the cycle.<br /></li>
<li>Reconciled with a close family member. We didn’t speak for
years – this year we both matured and started conversing: this has not only
released the tension between us; others around us are also much happy.<br /></li>
<li>Took my Mom for a vacation for the first time in 11 years.
The long gap is primarily due to the care that my Aunt needs at home – one of
us need to be there for her. Fortunately, my niece has grown up and she took
care of everything brilliantly allowing my Mom and me to travel without any
hassles.<br /></li>
<li>Ran a 10K. I am not a runner at all, but still enrolled for
the 10K. Despite the lack of practice and stamina, finished in 1 hr 18 minutes.<br /></li>
<li>Finally, I am pretending as if I never stopped writing on this blog. I am pretty sure, no one is going to read this, but still felt the urge to write after all these years.</li>
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Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-68134429371725990812010-11-21T11:26:00.002+05:302010-11-21T11:34:06.082+05:30Since gaining those inches...Worked really crazy at work.<br />Met old friends - and enjoyed their company immensely.<br />Went to new places to eat and enjoyed most of them.<br />Saw wonderful movies - "Julie and Julia" and Harry Potter 7.1 being amongst them.<br /><br />Oh yes, forgot to mention - though not in record breaking time, but still reduced those inches!Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-28984398374124004902010-10-18T13:55:00.002+05:302010-10-18T14:03:49.230+05:30Reduce 2 inches in 4 days!Having you ever seen advertisement from gyms / slimming centers like that? Well, having gained at least 2 inches in the last 4 days, I need their contact details!<br /><br />Over the last few days, we were celebrating Durga Puja here. And each of those days, I gorged on food in a manner that would suggest Winter is coming and I need to go on hybernation soon! One night, after unsuccessfully visiting several restaurants willing to waive off the usual waiting period of over one hour, we even ate our dinner at 2 a.m. Breakfasts were the only healthy meal of those days.<br /><br />I hereby swear, that I would eat healthy food, and nothing but healthy food, for the next few days.Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-67895349747439275812010-10-09T11:13:00.001+05:302010-10-09T11:21:08.328+05:30Quizzing, revisitedThese days, my mom and I enjoy a fun Bangla Quiz show hosted by Saurav Ganguly called "Dadagiri". I had been an avid quizzer in my school and college, even winning a few local quizes. I would also watch Quiz shows like "Bournevita Quiz Contest" regularly. But slowly, over a period of time, my quizzing reflexes have gone down. I realized this a few years ago, when I represented my office in a quiz, and most of the questions were buzzerred (and answered) by other teams before I could remember / work out the answer. It was a horrible feeling!<br /><br />Thanks to this relatively easy quiz hosted by a very smart Saurav Ganguly, I can sit back and answer quiz questions again. Between my mom and me, we are able to answer most of the questions. She sometimes amazes me by her knowledge about things that I would not expect her to know - like the other day, from a visual clue, she correctly identified a dance form as "B-boying", where I could only guess it was "Hip-hop". She said, "There are benefits of watching dance reality shows, after all". That's the beauty of Quizzing - you never know where you get the knowledge from.Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-50952126918234904732010-10-06T10:23:00.003+05:302010-10-06T10:36:03.393+05:30Commonwealth Opening Ceremony<p>Contradicting my negative comments about organising of the Commonwealth Games in my last post, the opening ceremony was indeed a nice, professional show. I was watching it live at an eatery, and everyone there felt proud that such a beautiful show has been put up by India for the world to see. Hope the events are as <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">professionally</span> managed as well.</p>Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-18747102970130460132010-09-21T21:01:00.002+05:302010-09-21T21:11:14.540+05:30India is the third most powerful country in the worldYet, on one hand we are dealing with Kashmir and making a mess of it, hardly dealing with the Maoists and getting in to a bloody mess. Millions in our country are still below poverty line. Corruption is rampant. We can't even organise a Commonwealth games properly, although the expenditures would suggest this is the best games ever! I could go on and on, but what's the point - we all know what the issues are, don't we?<br /><br />In three days from now, the entire country would be in total chaos once again, because some politicians felt, and still feel, that fighting over a small piece of land and structure is much more important than all the other issues that we have in our country today.<br /><br />Incredible India, indeed!<br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><div><div style="border: medium none ; overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >India is the third most powerful country in the world: As per "Global Governance 2025" jointly issued by the National Intelligence Council (NIC) of the US and the European Union's Institute for Security Studies (EUISS)</span><span><br /></span></div></div>Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-50548635659133083902010-09-04T10:13:00.003+05:302010-09-04T10:23:10.224+05:30Need a reason to join a gym?Aro: I need to go back and join a gym.<br />Me: You? Gym!?!<br />Aro: Yeahhh... I need to...<br />Me: Why???<br />Aro: I have to buy new trousers otherwise. The neighborhood gym is offering two months package at Rs. 500/- If I buy trousers, they will cost me more... so that's why I am joining a gym!<br />Me: Makes sense.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Part of the conversation between Aro and me, when he was in town recently. One evening full of non-sense conversations like the one above makes me believe my last post.</span><br /><br />P.S: If I know Aro, he has either not joined the Gym or has already quit. Make hay, trouser makers!Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-21852478024853189042010-08-25T11:21:00.002+05:302010-08-25T12:44:50.775+05:30The pursuit to break the shackles of busynessThere are many friends, who I would like to keep in touch, and I believe, they want to keep in touch too. However, inspite of all the social networking sites and cell phones, we fail to do so. This Saturday, I left a status message saying I am connecting with friends and asked my friends to leave me messages. I received several replies, including some from friends with whom I was connecting after several years. The same afternoon, I was accompanying a friend to a bank, and while stepping out of the car, a voice called my school nickname from across the road. It was a friend from school, and we met after a couple of years. Makes me believe that if your intentions are right, life throws pleasant surprises at you.<br /><br />My sister, and I have been working in the same part of the city for over a year now. Her office building is a mere 400 odd metres away from my office building. In fact, my office has a branch at her office building too. In this one year plus, I have met her a couple of times while passing by. Strange, but true, that we have never had lunch (or even coffee) together. Sad, but that's how busy we are! We only meet at home when she visits us (since her marriage). However, yesterday, on the occassion of Rakhi, we decided to meet up and have lunch together. She tied the Rakhi and we ate heartily, despite both of us being on a diet.<br /><br />As part of the re-connecting phase, I am hoping there would be some old fellow bloggers who would leave a comment, or send me an email after reading this post.Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-36893783294487943912010-08-09T15:53:00.002+05:302010-08-25T10:19:19.917+05:30Loan for Finance MinisterLast week, India's Finance Minister was in the Parliament attending a meeting with leader's of our country, when his cell phone rang. He took the call, and supposedly said, "No, no, not now, I am in a meeting". It was a telemarketing call, offering Mr. Mukherjee a loan. Since then, people are having a good laugh about it. But, it has also made the Telecom Ministry to sit up and take steps to stop unsolicited telemarketing calls. Now, that's the good thing about top ministers facing the common man's problem. They face one problem, and the concerned ministry takes steps. Maybe it's time to revoke some of the priviledges they receive - like the police clearing the road for their motorcade to pass. Let them face traffic congestion for a few days, maybe they would think of something that would benefit the common man.<br /><br />Coming back to the telemarketing calls, there is a easy way to reduce those calls. There is a National Do Not Call (NDNC) registry where you can register. To register to the National Do Not Call Registry, please dial 1909, or SMS "START DND" to 1909.More details are here: <a href="http://ndncregistry.gov.in/">http://ndncregistry.gov.in/</a>Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-27752246648337422752010-08-02T18:34:00.003+05:302010-08-02T18:39:10.603+05:30Of Chinese Monkeys and Russian Witches<p>I was born and brought up in a state run by a left front government. One of the few advantages of that was that in the days of the cold war, a lot of Indi-Chini and Indo-Soviet cultural activities used to happen here. I used to read Chinese and Russian fairy tales (translated in Bangla / English), and watch Chinese movies. One of the movies that I immensely enjoyed was "Bubbling Spring". I still have comic books about a Chinese Monkey King, Sun Wukong and his compatriots' adventorous journey to India. Russian fairy tales of Bogatyrs (Knights), and Baba Yaga (a witch) were regular holiday staple. There was also this series on a young boy named Anatoly (I may be wrong about the name). </p><p><br />These stories not only fueled my fantasies, they also gave me great insight about the countries where they were set. I think it's a very good idea for children to be exposed to multiple cultures at a young age. </p><p><br />I wonder if these books (or similar) books are available for children these days. I also wonder if other children of my generation from other parts of the country read the books / saw similar movies that I mentioned here.</p>Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-83077310949409146702010-07-05T22:16:00.006+05:302010-07-05T22:42:04.831+05:30The Real "Gyan"Real reason for Asamoah Gyan's penalty miss against Uruguay in the last minute of extra time:<br /><br />You see an Indian tricolor just behind the Uruguay goal! Asamoah Gyan must have been confused (or inspired) by that!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZEEgapvOlLc4zAwTrnlFVURqUYcj5trT9GQq9EqCq4j7JqocyRIAFYVKrAY8vHDuHjLkjQEudHKfNK9fWosfujUhlXYxfL-XBtaoUhL9MhKnyYds1dYSbAdFiJL3p0mJ6PME/s1600/gyan_miss.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZEEgapvOlLc4zAwTrnlFVURqUYcj5trT9GQq9EqCq4j7JqocyRIAFYVKrAY8vHDuHjLkjQEudHKfNK9fWosfujUhlXYxfL-XBtaoUhL9MhKnyYds1dYSbAdFiJL3p0mJ6PME/s400/gyan_miss.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490469808023814210" border="0" /></a><br />This photo is a screenshot taken from a <a href="http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/highlights/video/video=1266453/index.html">Fifa.com video</a> (1min 52 sec in the video).Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-65360471090947760372010-06-28T18:23:00.000+05:302010-06-28T18:24:16.986+05:30Two things that FIFA should immediately do1. Make sure the match balls to be used at the World Cup are the same as that used in the previous year's Confederations Cup and all international tournaments in between. The outer print / design can be different, but why should a completely new ball manufactured with new material / technology be used for the first time in a World Cup?<br /><br />2. Introduce video referal system. When we have someone watching the match on high definition television with super slow-mo reviews from different angles, and we have the referee / assistant referees on the field, running and judging with thousands of vuvuzelas buzzing around them, you know who will get the decisions right!<br />2a. In all cases where the players are sure the referee has got a decision wrong, they should get a chance to challenge that. It is there in Tennis, Cricket, etc and there is no reason why it can't be there in Football. There is no reason for a player wrongly given a red card to sit out one / two matches, just because the referee got the decision wrong. In a tournament like World Cup, that incidence can be a differentiator.Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20130684.post-8307398143065089102010-06-20T11:04:00.005+05:302010-06-20T11:12:16.034+05:30Value of lifeThere is a huge uproar going on in Kolkata over the suicide of a 13 year old school boy. The suicide happened after the boy was caned by his teachers at school. Everyone is after the school administration for practicing corporal punishments.<br /><br />Call me insensitive, but, I would like to look at this incidence from a different angle. It is not corporal punishment which bothers me. Don't get me wrong, I am not a fan of this practice as I don't think it creates a positive learning environment. All I am saying is that it is not a deal big enough to die for.<br /><br />I know it is a punishment that has been practiced for decades. The first paragraph of "Swami and Friends" by R. K. Narayan mentions the headmaster with his cane! When we were in school only few years ago, we have been caned at school. I know a friend who took transfer of school because of caning. But never would anyone of us think about taking our own lives for things like these!<br /><br />What has changed that had not changed from R. K. Narayan's time through our time in school that has suddenly changed for the kids today? Are the kids these days too soft? Kids commit suicide because they flunked their exams. As a nation, are we raising our kids too pampered? Have we stopped teaching our kids to appreciate the value of their lives? If people can attempt suicide because of such trivial issues, then I am sorry to say, they probably deserve to die. And as a nation we would continue to be physical and mental weaklings.Subhadiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283468219928728416noreply@blogger.com8