Moving on

I have been pondering over my next blog article for quite some time now. My emotional instability during this period vetoed me from concentrating on my blog. But I needed to take a break from all that and return to my passion despite the fact that a lot was changing in my life. Summing up all courage remotely available within me, I decided to emphasize on what a part of my life felt like, as I was finally walking alone.

Moving on is strange. You are always hoping that with each day, things will get easier, but there’s like a small cloud of sorrow over your head all the time and it’s always raining tears. And then, suddenly you get tired of the rain and long for a little sunshine. For the first time in days, you want to move forward and leave the pains behind. So you think all’s done and dusted and you are ready to start a new life. What is behind has been left behind and you are all ready to look ahead with renewed vigor and enthusiasm. The laughter and fun seem to be back, again, with old friends and new. You have moved on; or so you think.

The lengthy forgetting process seems suddenly over, abruptly, and the mind seems to be recuperating. All of a sudden, after days of brooding over, reading old mails and letters, filling draft folders with unsent messages and emails, suddenly the desire is gone. The number’s still in the back of your mind all the time, but the yearning to call is lessening by the day. You decide to take the next step ahead and delete all the photographic memories and even that process doesn’t hurt much. You feel fresh, you feel… Awesome…

Everything is fine, until again, emotions keep mounding up with time. It generally starts with an old piece of memory, a song, a movie, almost anything that reminds us of what we left behind. Somehow, unknowingly, we are again walking down the memory lane. And all of a sudden, it’s too much to hold back. Neither boozing nor fagging helps then. One fine morning you get up and realize it’s been days since you heard that sweet voice, held those heavenly hands and the emptiness is back again. You are back to square one and the process starts again. When this vicious circle ends is something I’m yet to know.

Like most of my posts, there’s always a musical reference… Some of my favorite English songs (there are plenty of Hindi/Bengali ones we all know of) which could make one realize that he is yet to recover are:

• ·         Christmases when you were mine – Taylor Swift
• ·         Back to December – Taylor Swift
• ·         Put a record on – Unkle Bob
• ·         Teardrops on my guitar – Taylor Swift
• ·         Here without you – 3 Doors Down
• ·         Don’t know you anymore – Savage Garden
• ·         Heaven Unplugged – Bryan Adams
• ·         Forgiveness - Eagles
• ·         Second chance – James Blunt
• ·         The reason – Hoobastank
• ·         Fifteen –Taylor Swift
• ·         What If – Kate Winslet
• ·         Tonight I wanna cry – Keith Urban

These songs are beautiful, but at times I wish and wish I had never come across them. Sometimes it’s out of your hands to make things right. You can just sit back, lie on your bed the whole day. Sometimes hope is not an option and then you are staying alive, arbitrary and lonely. It’s then you realize that life is too unpredictable; there might be a fun in not knowing what comes next, but there’s no pleasure in not knowing what to do to be okay.

Thankfully, for all the unpredictability in the world, there’s always a friend with a direction sign. Even though their novel recuperating ideas don’t always work, in some silly and warm way, they constantly manage to touch your heart and do stuffs to make you feel normal for a split second. And you realize there’s only way to move on. It’s by holding hands of your true friends. This write up is dedicated to all my good buddies who helped me stay intact and nullified any disintegration process arising within me. Thanks for being by my side when I needed you all the most yet couldn’t summon up the courage to say so. And thanks for helping me return to blogging.

Doggy Love

For those who know what it feels like to have a dog to call one’s own, there is nothing better than walking through the front door after a day’s work and seeing a furiously wagging tail and barks of love. Just drop the bag and get showed in licks of love as you are pounded by a ball of warmth.

I love Dogs. There is no doubt that they are my most favourite mammals in the world! I have been fortunate enough to have grown up in the company of great friends, many of them dogs (pun intended!). When I look back at childhood, there was Kitty at my ancestral place in Coochbehar. She’d drink tea, love to go to walks with us kids, she just loved all of us. I have so many beautiful memories with her.

Jespa arrived from Nepal when I was in class 8. My life changed instantaneously, ‘coz here was someone who needed to be cared for and loved and attended to and who’d give back so much more. Jespa was a gem, from saving my bicycle from being stolen to irritating people I loathed, She always knew what the situation demanded. But it was 2 years later when I really felt a divine connection between man and canine.

 When I first held little scamper in my palms (she’d fit into my palms, she was so small then!), I had only hoped that life would be a dream, growing up with her. 10 years on, life has been a dream with her by my side. On the very first day, I took her to our school ground and she took to the name “ball”. Running around like crazy, barking at the crows, little Scamper brought big smiles on my little face. In the chilly winter of North Bengal, She’d sleep with Mom, tangled within her hair, fast asleep. Jespa loved her like a big sister and Scamper in return was jealous of Jespa! My life was perfect.

Scamper had a dislike for cats from childhood, one “meow” and She’d turn into the angry hulk. Jespa on the other hand, showed examples of compassion worth speaking of; we’d often find her sharing her meal with the same cat, eating together from the same plate. She’d rest on Jespa’s tummy and Jespa would pet her and care for her. Scamper was furious with all these and resorted to letting everyone know how she felt. We had developed a unique understanding of our two furred friend; when Scamper barked, it was obviously some animal hanging around where as Jespa’s bark was more serious, it had to be someone mysterious at the gate.

When I joined college after school, I would only come home at the weekends. Scamper and Jespa would go crazy and I had to spend quality time with them both before I was even allowed entrance to my room. Unless both had licked my face pale and I was full of dog saliva, I would never be spared. After that of course, I couldn’t enter my room either, the washroom had to come first!

But nothing perfect lasts forever and so, suddenly Jespa was no more. I was heartbroken. As I would be sitting lonely, Scamper would come and sit with me, with her head on my lap, occasionally licking me to let me know that she was sad too. She had already helped me recover from the first loss of a kin when she was months old and years later, Scamper helped me get over the sorrows of losing Jespa.

Scamper has grown old and is weak now, She misses me a whole lot more than I miss her. Ever since I left home, first for Bhutan and now so far away in Guwahati, She has aged with time. Missing her has been something I could not get accustomed to yet. It’s frustrating how I cannot communicate with her when I’m out of sight. I know that she is sitting outside, with her eyes on the front gate, waiting patiently to see my familiar face. Every day I know she waits for me and I wish to run to her, hold her in my arms, but life has made me helpless. I can only wait for the day when I run back home and be with her.

I feel I have left the best times behind, golden moments which are forever memories now. I cannot go back to the time, but thankfully I have a lot of wonderful reminiscences to last this lifetime. Sometimes when I close my eyes I can see the bright sunny afternoons of my childhood, brighter than usual with Scamper and Jespa by my side. Someday we shall meet again, the 3 of us shall be together, for wherever my afterlife takes me, it has to be with them.

I wish to take this space to remember all of my friends, Dolly, Puchu, Tommy, Kalu, Jacky, JoJo, Beauty. It might look like I’m making a list of funny names for the lay man, but for me and many of my human friends, they are a part of a very special childhood, a time which would have been so much different without them.

Music and Emotions

What are emotions? Scientifically these are hormones gone wild, technically they are all about bodily senses and bodily sensors, signal and receiver, all biological. But what about what we feel? I have been through strange emotional turmoil in the process of growing up for the obvious reason – Love! Everyone should fall in love I feel, just to experience these feelings of strangeness. How depression can make you skip dinner or get you drenched in rain without you even feeling it. But why do we feel sad? Why do we cry? How can we love and hate the same person the most in the world? I wish I knew.

I am a very emotional person, I cry while watching every other movie. I feel emptiness in my stomach every time something bad happens. Something as little as missing home brings tears to my eyes. Right now all I can do is write in my blog about it, but I might have to visit a psychiatrist soon!

Music triggers my emotion like very few people can. Sadness means listening to depressing numbers, when I’m happy I listen to high (James Blunt!) numbers. And when I’m feeling like crap, I think of the capped bugger and how I’d rather feel like crap than listen to his nasal music!

No matter what people say, there’s a pleasure in sadness. There is a certain unexplained satisfaction somewhere inside when we are low; in fact, when it comes to being in love, we tend to enjoy the feelings of depression. I feel sadness is the best emotion one can feel. The feeling when your gut seems empty, tear ducts are working overtime, your eyes are wet and finally, the first drop of tear floats down your cheeks, is, in one word, heavenly. Someone who has never felt this has been deprived of the best feeling in the word.

It is hard to cry. For someone like me, motivation is prerequisite. Usually it’s a song that brings back wonderful memories or a really touchy movie that makes my day. Sometimes it so happens that I am engulfed in misery and yet tears won’t come. That is the worst part, you want to cry, but the tears won’t come (Rod Steward!). It happens to me, I feel drenched in pain and yet my eyes are dry. Emergency! Instantly Windows Media Player starts. I probably start with James Blunt – Second Chance, or maybe Kitni Baatein (sung by Hariharan and Sadhna Sargam, OST – Lakshya) or Akhri Alvida by Strings (OST – Shootout At Lokhandwala). There’s always Cry by James Blunt, which is so smooth and enticing (If you want to, talk about what will be, come and sit with me, Cry - on my shoulder, I’m a friend). Here’s a list of few lesser known lacrimal gland inducers of my choice:

1. ·         Second Chance – James Blunt (OST – P.S. I Love You)
2. ·         Kitni Baatein – Hariharan & Sadhna (OST – Lakshya)
3. ·         Akhri Alvida – Strings (OST – Shootout At Lokhandwala)
4. ·         Goodbye My Lover – James Blunt
5. ·         Ab Naa Jaa – Euphoria
6. ·         Apitaf – Aurthohin
7. ·         Melt the Snow – Shane Ward
8. ·         Heaven (Unplugged) – Bryan Adams
9. ·         Whisky Lullaby – Brad Praisley
10. ·         Forgiveness – Eagles
11. ·         The Girl from Yesterday – Eagles
12. ·         Bholajaina – Nochiketa (OST – Jackpot)

It’s not just about the music of these songs; it’s mostly about their lyrics. They churn your feelings if you try to realise.

But time is the best eraser, like they all say. With time we forget everything, every pain, every distress. There was a time when you might not be able to imagine life without that special person in your life, but with time, you learn to accept their absence, you take the pain for so long that it hurts no more; instead you smile with your pains. And one fine day, it’s all gone, like they never existed. Instead they come back to us at varied frequencies, suddenly after months we feel their absence once, and after maybe an hour or hardly a day of remembrance, they are gone again. This is because, sadness maybe sweet, but it is a temporary emotion, and happiness prevails. We are not meant to be sad, this world will stop if everyone holds on to their losses and ceases to be happy.

Beautiful dawn - You're just blowing my mind again.
Thought I was born to endless night, until you shine.
High; running wild among all the stars above..... High by James Blunt (Listen to the song....)

Smitten By Swift

Sometimes a song can lift you when you are down. A certain tune can bring back sweet memories or make you think of a wonderful time that lies ahead. Sometimes more than the lyrics, it’s the notes that make a first impression in your heart. The best way to feel good is to keep such a tune as your ringtone. As you get a call in the middle of a busy schedule, suddenly you feel divine, the tension is gone and you are lost and alone in midst of everyone.

When I first heart “Love Story” by Taylor Swift, I was experimenting with fresh country songs. The song struck me as a sweet love song, everyone has a love story and it was destined to remind me of mine. But as the initial phase passed out, I realised it’s the intro music which had caught my heart. The moment I heard the cute D progression, something nice happened inside. The lyrics are touching, as it’s always nice to hear a girl tell a boy “You are everything to me, I’m begging you, please don’t go....” The song starts with a sweet little rift which touches your heart and the lyrics are beautiful “We were both young when I first saw you, I close my eyes and the flashback starts, I’m standing there....” This will take everyone back to the moment when we first saw that special person in our life, because no matter whether we are in love or if we have love and lost, there are some ecstatic moments where the eye met the eye that we can never forget for the rest of our lives. The song is what it sounds, a love story, which might make you forget your present and plunge into the past if you are the romantic sorts.

“You Belong with Me” was the first Taylor Swift song I heard. A fast paced song with nice beats, this has a fresh lively feeling about it. It’s all about being so accustomed to having someone in your life that sometimes you do not understand her worth. How does she feel? Taylor Swift matches heartfelt lyrics with catchy tune and voila! You are obsessed! “I’m the one who makes you laugh, when you know you got to cry...”

And then I heard “White Horse”. Getting over someone is hard and the feelings that fall out of this song are priceless. Once your heart breaks, you are divided into two. One part of you wants back the life you had, because obviously that was divine, perfect. Losing someone could be sad, but looking back at millions of beautiful memories of togetherness makes the ordeal of life worthwhile. Moving on is harder when you cannot let go, you hold on to the many little precious moments and refuse to believe that things will be better. You forget the many times you have been let down, you just dismiss them. The other part is optimistic, looking forward towards a stronger self and a better life than what was. There is realisation of the truth... “I’m not a princess; this ain’t a fairy tale... I was a dreamer before you and you let me down; Now it’s too late for you and your white horse to come around...”White Horse is a really great song, in the way it makes you feel if you are going through the trauma or if you have a sane life, you can be moved by the sadness felt by the lady.

In the end I am completely smitten by Taylor Swift. Sweet voice, wonderful lyrics and heavenly tune! What more could a music lover want, I ask?

The Rhino Horn - Assam takes a Stand!

Ever since I shifted to Assam, it had been a hard time. Almost every other week there is news of a rhino being killed by poachers. Till date, already 5 Rhinos have fallen prey to poachers, 3 of them killed when they had strayed out in search of food or to avoid in-fighting. Last year, 14 Rhinos were killed by the poachers. Although rhinos are of large size and have a reputation of being tough, they are actually very easily poached. Because it visits water holes daily, the rhinoceros is easily killed while taking a drink. The sight of the Rhino carcass, with the horn missing is very demoralising.
But I was delighted to read a special report on the Telegraph dated 23.02.2010. Assam had finally taken a stand. Poachers mainly kill rhinos because of the vague medicinal value of their horns. These horns can easily fetch a few lakhs. Unfortunately even though human beings are supposedly superior to the rhinos in the stages of development, Rhinos know a basic truth which is a myth to the human fraternity. The horn is just a body part, a little different from our nails, but blessed with as much magical powers as them. But spiritual vandalism is the integral part of the human nature and thus, the horn becomes a keeper of magical powers, which can cure many dreaded illness and do great unexplained things! For the fanatic human belief, the Rhino has to pay. Its beauty is definitely its greatest enemy.
According to the report, nearly 1500 rhino horns, lying in different treasuries, will be burnt next month, possibly in the presence of members of international conservation agencies. This should provide a strong message to poachers and insane believers alike that the horn is, with the pun intended, price-less. The horn is not worth anything and neither does it have any magical powers. The Rhino horn is quite different from that of a sheep or antelope because unlike these creatures, the horn is not attached to the skull. It lacks the bony core that is characteristic of bovine animals. In other animals, the horn is composed of a bony core, covered by a thin sheath of keratin. Rhino horn is made entirely of compressed keratin fibres, the same material that is found in fingernails and hair! This study was carried out by Scientists at the Ohio University and they found that the horn contained dense mineral deposits made of calcium and melanin in the middle. According to the study, the calcium deposits make the horn core harder and stronger, and the melanin protects the core from breakdown by the sun’s UV rays. The softer outer portion of the horn weakens with sun exposure and is worn into its distinctive shape through horn clashing and by being rubbed on the ground and vegetation. The structure of the rhino horns is similar to a pencil’s tough lead core and weaker wood periphery, which allows the horns to be honed to a sharp point.
So it is irrational that the rhinoceros horn in powdered form is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, prescribed for fevers and convulsions. Doctors who practice Traditional Chinese Medicine mistakenly see rhinoceros horn as a life-saving medicine. Patients have no idea where these horns come from or what happens to the Rhino which loses its horn. Sadly, all of them die.
To prevent poaching, in certain areas, rhinos have been tranquilized and their horns removed, but this is not the answer to the problem. If this kind of practice is the only solution, very soon leopards will be skin-less, and elephants will have no tusks. Ironically, realisation of the larger section of the human race regarding the wild life is scarce. Humans are not at all compassionate towards the animal race. We sit back, expecting the Forest Department to act and when they fail, we cry treachery! Unfortunately, only the wild life personnel alone cannot save the world’s fauna, we all need to understand our roles here. Unless all the people act as one, the Rhino and its horn are going extinct, separately.
The Rhino horn is precious, and its beauty and genuine value lies where it truly belongs. Just like the Rhino is most beautiful in the wild, its horn is majestic when left intact. I wish to salute the Assam Forest Department for taking a stand and paving the correct path to sanctity. Hopefully, the common man shall follow soon.

Courtesy: The Telegraphy and the World Wide Web.

Chinese "Last" Year of the Tiger

The Chinese Year of the Tiger began on 14^th February 2010. According to the Chinese zodiac sign, the year 2010 is the year of the tiger, which extends from 14^th February 2010 to 2^nd February 2011. The previous years of the tiger are 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, and 1998. In the circle of the “Heavenly Branches”, the year of the tiger is the third year, also known as “Yin”. 2010 is the “Ji-Chou” year. Jji is the sixth of the Ten Celestial Stems and yin is the third of the Twelve Terrestrial Branches and marks the Year of the Tiger.

Of all the worlds that this Year of Tiger will affect, perhaps the most threatened is that of the tigers that still roam in the world’s fast declining forest lands. It is thought that there are only 20 tigers left in the wild in China, and in India, poachers are working doubly hard to make good use of the world’s largest tiger population. It is now officially estimated that there are only 1411 tigers left in India, which is a half of the amount that was present a decade ago and only a fraction of the approximate total of 1,00,000 tigers that once roamed the Indian subcontinent in the early 20^th Century. In India, however, the laws against poaching are not strict enough.

If an offence is committed against the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, there is a maximum sentence of three years imprisonment or a fine which may extend to Rs. 25,000 or both. For an offence against a Schedule I or Schedule II (part 2) animal, or for an offence committed within a sanctuary or natural park, there is a mandatory prison term of three years, which may extend to seven years. There is also a mandatory fine of at least Rs. 10,000. For a subsequent offence, the mandatory prison remains same, while the mandatory fine is at least Rs.25, 000. For an offence committed inside the core area of a Tiger Reserve, there is a mandatory prison term of three years, extendable to seven years and a fine of Rs. 50,000 extendable to Rs. 2 lakhs. In case of a subsequent conviction, there is an imprisonment of at least seven years and a fine of Rs. 5 lakhs which may extend to Rs. 50 lakhs. Despite these penalties, the laws are difficult to enforce and to date, in spite of hundreds of cases; only 16 people have ever been convicted of killing a tiger.

Most poachers in India have international links, who supply them with the necessary equipments and exposure to carry out the heinous act. Poachers use one of the following methods to kill a wild tiger:

1. Poison – This is usually placed in the carcasses of domestic buffaloes and cows. During the dry, hot summer months small forest pools are also poisoned by poachers, or depressions dug and filled with water for this purpose. There is a sophisticated and well organised supply route operated by the major traders, to distribute poison and collect tiger bones from the remotest villages. .

2. Steel Traps – These are made by nomadic blacksmiths. These traps are immensely strong. In a tiger poaching case near Raipur in 1994, it took six adult men to open a trap. In one area in central India, investigators found that so many steel traps had been set that the villagers were fearful of going into the forest. People have received dreadful injuries from these traps.

3. Firearms –These are used where hunting can be carried out with little hindrance.

4. Electrocution –This is carried out by tapping 230 volts -11KV overhead electrical wires and laying a live wire on animal tracts.

While shrinking habitats remain the major problem, the biggest threat to Indian Tigers is probably the Chinese hunger for tiger parts. “All of the demand for tiger parts is coming from China,” said Belinda Wright, executive director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India. “Unless the Chinese change their attitude, the tiger has no future on this earth.”

China has banned the trade of tiger parts since 1993, but there is still a huge market for tiger bones, traditionally priced for their healing and tiger skins, which has become a symbol of aristocracy among the Chinese elite. The value of a dead tiger is sky high, giving poachers all the many more reasons to make the kill. In 2009 according to the government census, 88 tigers were found dead, double the amount in 2008. For the calculation, either dead tigers found in the national reserves or tiger parts seized at border crossings are used. Hence the actual number could be even more.

Surprisingly, China bans the use of tiger parts in traditional medicine but overlooks the sale of alcohol-based health tonics steeped in tiger bone. It is a grey area that has been exploited by Chinese tiger farms, which raise thousands of animals with assembly-line efficiency. If there is any mystery about what happens to the big cats at Xiongsen Tiger and Bear Mountain Village in Guilin, it is partly explained in the gift shop, where fuzz coated bottles in the shape of a tiger are filled with “bone strengthening” wine. The liquor, which costs $132 for a 6 year old brew, is sold openly across the surrounding Guangxi region and beyond. “This stuff works wonders”, said Zhang Hanchu, the owner of a spirits shop Guilin. A daily shot glass of the rice-based alcohol, he said, can reduce joint stiffness and a lot of other clinically critical illness. With the year of the tiger nearing, demand has been soaring, he said.

The Xiongsen Bear and Tiger Village is located about 25minutes from the city centre just off the Guilin Airport expressway. It's located right by the highway ticket booth, where one has to pay the toll to enter the expressway. The zoo extents over 300,000 square meters, and is one of the largest tiger and bear zoos. There is supposed to be 1100 tigers, 300 lions, and 300 bears. It also has various other types of animals such as monkeys, snakes, crocodiles, and many other species. As claimed by the zoo to "maintain the wild nature of the beasts", they hold daily training performances, which are more ridiculous than appealing! Tigers perform like dogs, giving displays of obedience, patience and un-tigerly skills, much to the amusement of some spectators and the dismay of the wild-life enthusiasts. And if there are enough people watching, they’ll put a tiger and cattle in the same cage, in a ridiculous re-emanation of the jungle experience. Opened in 1993 with financing from the State Forestry Administration, Xiongsen is china’s largest tiger-breeding operation. Some of its 1100 tigers roam treeless, fenced-in areas, while many others are packed in small cages where they pace agitatedly. The park is a fairly dispiriting place. In addition to the tigers, there are hundreds of capuchin monkeys rattling in cages, awaiting their fate as fodder for medicinal elixirs or medical experiments. Beside these the 300 Asian Brown Bears are used for their bile, which is supposed to improve eye-sight! Even two years ago, Xiongsen sold tiger steaks in its restaurant, with the name “Big King Meat”. After a press intervention two years ago, the names have changed now. Even in the wine bottles the word tiger has been replaced with “rare animal bones”, but the retailers proudly confirm that the key ingredient is indeed, tiger bones. Government official and small fry alike, the wine is a huge hit among every Chinese. Chinese government, in a way, might be turning a blind eye to the felonies of these farms, due to their politically powerful owners. Ironically, inside the Xiongsen bear and Tiger Village hangs a large sign, “Protecting Wild Animals is the bounden duty of every citizen”

But despite these captive tigers being bred for the demands of their bones and carcass, poached tigers actually fetch far more money, because the Chinese somehow believe that the healing properties of a wild tiger is far more than those brought up in captivity. These farms, incidentally, provide cover for the poached tigers.

This Chinese year could be a rare opportunity to actually uphold the case of the fast vanishing tiger to the world. The awareness in the world is increasing by the day and this might lead in the intervention of top world bodies and authorities in what could be the last effort to save the tiger. But even with optimism, there are nightmares. The last tiger year was 1998. James Compton, Asia program director for TRAFFIC, which monitors the global wildlife trade, recalls similar efforts that were carried out last time around to upload the case of the tiger. He has a vivid memory of a poster used for that occasion – SAVE THE LAST 5,000 TIGERS

In a way this Chinese year could well be the last year of the Tiger in the wild, or might as well pave the path for the majestic beast’s road to extinction. But this could also be the year we all realised the true worth of the Tiger in the Wild. It’s neither the balance of the ecosystem nor the equilibrium of nature that gets lost with the tiger. It is, in fact, the human nature, the only thing that separates and makes us civilized, that gets lost with them. We go back in history to being the dominant animal which wiped out the recessive species, for fun, entertainment and luxury.

Courtesy – Andrew Jacobs of The New York Times & Google Search

Dil To Bachcha Hai Ji

Sometimes in life, you listen to a number and wonder if you are ever gonna listen to another good song. This is a fear most music lovers have deep within themselves, that maybe, one fine day, all the good music will be gone and we shall be left with only the nasal craps! Thankfully, our fears can never win over our faith and faith delivers yet again. Dil to Bahccha hai Ji is a sweet romantic melody about falling in love and it is so wonderfully composed that one can actually feel the emotions that make love so special. Rahet Fateh Ali Khan sings this wonderful number in “Ishqiya”.

This song takes me back to that wonderful year in school, mid 2001 to early 2002, when as a class 12 student, I experienced that special feeling. The walks through the basketball court, with my eyes on the class 11 veranda in the second floor.. “Aisi uljhi nazar unse hatti nehin...” Love is magical when it happens to you. The many sleepless nights, the effortless smile from inside just at the sight of Eden, my increasing heartbeats, my numb legs, this song makes me remember them all like I’m living that life again. The desire to face and the fears of being disposed, the moments of yearning and the evenings of pondering in the dark of what would become. The dream of a life together and the harshness of a reality apart, of realisation and yet the heart and mind seldom listen to reasoning! Of the lonely evenings spent in silence, of the many words not said, and the feeling deep inside that could not be expressed, this song takes me to a time so close to my heart.

This song is of the thousand poems written and then destroyed later. And about the final three still left, which provided agony and then ecstasy!

Thank you, Mr Gulzar (Lyricist), Mr. Vishal Bhardwaj (Composer) and Mr. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. You made my day. I would do anything to go back to that time of my life.......

1411

1411 mean a lot of different things to different people. The year 1411 was a common year starting on a Thursday of the Julian Calendar. The University of St. Andrews was founded. Under the Yongle Emperor of Ming China, work began to reinstate the ancient Grand Canal of China. The First Peace of Thorn was signed in Thorn, Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights. To the average uninterested Indian, 1411 will hardly ring a historic bell.

To every wildlife lover in India, however, 1411 means panic. There are just 1411 Tigers left in India. We knew this would happen. Naturalists all over India were warning about this for decades and yet, the average Indian hardly gives a damn.

Tigers are territorial and often require large adjoining areas of habitat that support their prey demands. They are also home to the most densely populated areas of India. This has caused significant conflicts with humans. Of the nine subspecies of modern tiger, three are extinct and the remaining six are classified as endangered, some critically so. The primary direct causes are habitat destruction and hunting. Their historical range once stretched from Mesopotamia and the Caucasus through most of South and East Asia. Today it has been drastically reduced. While all surviving species are under formal protection, poaching, habitat destruction and inbreeding depression continue to threaten the species.

The word "tiger" is taken from the Greek word "tigris", which is possibly derived from a Persian source meaning "arrow", a reference to the animal's speed and also the origin for the name of the Tigris River. Out of the nine sub species of tigers, the 3 extinct are:

1. 1. The Bali Tiger – Smallest of all the tiger subspecies, they were limited to the Island of Bali. The last of them, an Adult female, was thought to have been killed at Sumbar Kima, West Bali, on 27^th September, 1937.
2. 2. The Javan Tiger – They were limited to the Indonesian island of Java. They were probably wiped out in the 1980s, due to hunting and habitat destruction. Their extinction was threatened in the 1950s when there was supposedly only 25 tigers left in the wild.
3. 3. Caspian Tigers – Also known as the Perusian Tiger or the Turanian Tiger, they were once found from Iran to Uzbekistan, until 1950s.

The other 6 critically endangered sub species of tigers are:

1. 1. The Royal Bengal Tiger – Found in India and Bangladesh, they are the most common subspecies of tigers. The most recent survey has brought out the population to just 1411, a drop of 60% in the past decade. In 1972, Project Tiger was launched to protect these magnificent creatures. But despite all efforts, the number has been steadily declining. Poaching is rampant and sadly Sariska Tiger Reserve has lost all its tiger population to poaching.
2. 2. The Indo-Chinese Tiger – Populations vary from 1200 to 1800, with only a few 100s estimated to be left in the wild. Most of the tigers killed in Vietnam provide for Chinese medicine.
3. 3. The Malayan Tiger – Found in the southern part of the Malay Peninsula, only 600-800 of them are left.
4. 4. The Sumatran Tiger – Found exclusively in the Indonesian Island of Sumatra, the wild population is estimated to be around 400 to 500 only. Unique genetic markers found in them indicate that they might develop into a separate species, if they do not go extinct. Around 66 tigers were recorded to have been shot and killed between 1998 and 2000, around 20% of the total population then.
5. 5. The Siberian Tiger – Confined to far eastern Siberia, around 450 to 500 of them are left, which are protected. They are the largest sub species of tigers in size.
6. 6. The South China Tiger – They are the most critically endangered sub species and from 1983 till date, no tiger has been spotted in the wild, with fears that they might already be extinct.

Why is the tiger close to extinction today? Tigers are territorial and the size of their territory generally depends on the abundance of their prey and also to their access to females. A tigress may have a territory of 20 square kilometres or so, but a male tiger requires even more area spanning to about 60 to 100 square kilometres. In India the average territory of a tiger is far less, causing them to sometimes enter human settlements adjacent to the forests. I was once watching a video footage on a private news channel of the incident when a tigress entered a settlement near the Sundarbans in West Bengal. Terrified people starting hitting out the even more terrified being when the tigress had fallen into a ditch, with wildlife officials desperately trying to save the poor creature. Finally the tiger was sedated and rescued with minor injuries. We cannot blame the tiger for wandering out in search of food for its young!

A young male tiger will seek out its territory in an area devoid of males, or will be living transiently in another male’s area until it is old enough to challenge the male for the honour. The highest mortality rate (30-35%) occurs in young tigers who have left their niche to find a territory of their own. Sometimes, if a male admits submission, it is allowed to stay in the territory of the dominant male, but of course it shall have to maintain its distance. In such situations, dispute over mating rights also cause death of a tiger, though such incidents are rare.

Even though mating can occur all year long, it is generally more common between November and April. A litter of 3-4 cubs are born, blind and helpless. Generally, the mother brings them up, with the male playing no part. Sometimes wandering males kill these cubs to mate with the female. The mortality rate in the cubs is very high; approximately half of them do not survive to be 2 years old.

Tiger killing took place in a large scale in the early 19^th and 20^th centuries, which drastically reduced the number of the creatures left in the wild. Several man eating tigers are reported in the Sundarbans, these are however not old and toothless as generally man eaters are, but adults who prey on humans as a loss of habitat.

Poaching and habitat destruction has been the main cause behind the reduction of the tiger population. Following the results of the 1411 census, the government has supposedly flooded the Tiger Project with funds, set up a Tiger Protection Force to combat poachers and also funded the relocation of around 2 lakhs villagers to minimise human-animal conflicts. A project has also been started to reintroduce tigers into the Sariska Tiger Reserve. But all these efforts will be worthless unless we the people realise what is at stake here.

I remember a tiger conservation advertisement which cut a huge mark in my mind as a child. The protagonist started lighting candles and said words which still ring in my heart,” Are you wondering why I am lighting candles? You see, soon there will be no tigers left in the wild. With no tigers, people will cut down trees and remove forests as the king is gone. Soon there shall be no forests and with that there will be no electricity. So it’s better that we start practicing life with only candles, isn’t it?”

What more reason do we need? When will we realise? In a poll conducted by Animal Planet, Tiger (21%) was judged as the world’s favourite animal, narrowly beating the Dog (20%). Perhaps this is an indication that we are in fact on a road to realisation. If it’s not today, it shall be too late.

“When a man wants to murder a tiger, he calls it sport; when the tiger wants to murder him, he calls it ferocity. The distinction between crime and justice is no greater.” - George Bernard Shaw

Source - Wikipedia

2441139

“Hello, 2441139, Can you hear me, Bela Bose?”

Anjan Dutta sang this song a decade back. And yet, to some people like me, it still rings a bell deep inside. Although the original song is quite pacy, Mr. Dutta performed an acoustic version sometime back, with his son, Neel, which really melts the heart.

This song has a special memory of my childhood. As a child, we always look at things at a different perspective. We seldom realise the intensity of the moment. “2441139” was a fun song for me and my cousins in Coochbehar. We play the song until the last part, where Anjan Dutt repeated sings “Hello, 2441139; Hello, 2441139....” We would dial 2-4-4-1-1 (back those days, telephone number used to be of 5 digits). An old lady would pick up the phone and we would bring the receiver close to the speaker of the stereo and Anjan Dutt would do the rest. “Hello 2441139, Hello 2441139...”

Then it was growing up and stages of infatuations, understanding love and finally, falling in love. Unless one falls in love, the stages of depression are hard to understand. Those stages of depression are spent listening to morose numbers in dimly lit rooms. There was “2441139” then too.

As we mature, things look clearer. Anjan Dutta tells of a sad love story so simply. The boy calls up his beloved, who is about to be betrothed to someone else, informing her that finally he has managed to get a meagre job, which could sustain their togetherness. She could now tell her mother that she is not marrying. That is the simple message of the phone call. Somehow, Bela is quiet. In her quietness he recalls the good old days together, and his dreams for their future - a small house, a small family together. But Bela never answers.

Why Bela doesn’t answer is unknown. Or maybe, it’s too obvious. Human beings are after all, well, human. Who doesn’t want a secured life? Bela is a symbol of that want of security, which sometimes surpasses the goody goods of love, compassion, sacrifice. Bela is that desire that defies definition; that might seem selfish and yet be practical too!

Most music loving people, who have been in love, will be able to relate to the song at some point of their life. Though we all hope that every story ends happily, some heart-breaking stories like Bela Bose do exist. No one really knows what happens in the end. How does this story end? The last stanza of the song is terrific – “Are you weeping silently, Bela? I really got the job! The days of sorrow and tears have some to an end... can you hear me?”

In her silent tears, Bela is probably consoling herself and slowly trying to realise the bare truth. Truth that shatters dreams and changes lives.

Truth is everyone knows Bela Bose now, but that lonely boy, standing in a public booth, trying his best to live up to his promise, to hold on to his most prized possession, has got lost somewhere in the pace of life.

Guitar Chords for Give Me Some Sunshine – 3 Idiots

Everyone is humming this tune. Every guitarist wants to play this number! These are the complete chords I deduced for the song. It’s originally from C, but I play it from G, as it helps me when I sing! (Yes, I do occasionally try to scare the mosquitoes away!)

Intro

G5 - -àC5 x 3

G5 - -àD x 1

Verse1:

G5 D

Saari Umr Hum

G5 D

Mar mar k jeeliye

G5 D

Ek pal to ab hume

C5 D

Jeene do, Jeene do

G5 C5

Naa na na na x 3

G5 D

Na Na Na na naaa

Chorus:

G5 D

Give me some sunshine

G5 D

Give me some rain

G5 D

Give me another chance

C5 D

I wanna grow up once again

Verse 2: (chords same as previous verse)

Bachpan to gaya

Jawani bhi gaye

Ek pal to ab hume

Jeene do, jeene do

Rest of the song is the same as the first verse is repeated. Alternatively, you can also play G and C instead of G5 and C5. Just make sure the E string (top E, bass) is free when you are playing C and C5. Happy Strumming! And kindly feel free to comment on improvement opportunities and how it sounds!

3 Idiots to 100 crore Idiots!

Next time someone calls me an Idiot, I’ll be glad!
This exactly was my reaction after watching “3 Idiots”. The movie brings in different kinds of realisation into you. What I realised are:
• We all need good friends to survive and stay alive. Friendship is more than having fun and hanging out, it’s standing up for one another. This movie makes me realise how lucky I am to have people who are always there for me, but more than that, it makes me sit back and wonder, am I that good a friend? That question, unfortunately is for someone else to answer!
• Amir Khan is the best, simply the best performer there is! Be it is Bhuvan from Lagaan, ASP Rathod from Sarfarosh, Akash from Dil Chahta Hain, Nikumbh Sir from Taare Zameen Par or Rancho from 3 Idiots, He has done it all. Playing a college student when he’s 44, that’s a “Chamatkar” (couldn’t refer to the * word from 3 Idiots, this is a family blog!). I was a Amir Khan fan for as long as I remember and in 3 Idiots, he made me so glad and won me over a thousand times again.
• I have to visit Ladakh sometime in this lifetime! I don’t know when. It’s strange that Indian film makers go for foreign locations when we have such exquisite places in India itself!
I was amazed by the movie. Fresh story and wonderfully, it’s one in which romance takes a back seat, while other values of life take the front row! Friendship, compassion, sacrifice, these are some of the values of life we learn about during growing up, but sadly when we do grow, they are left behind in the pages of the moral science text book. I see school students around, competing for that extra mark, while sadly the school play ground remains vacant during the afternoons. This was an issue I put up during a recent discussion with one of my teachers, and I remember what Sir said – “You were lucky then!” I remember my school days. We had a big school ground and a small ground adjacent to it, within the school compound. I remember that we never got chance to play soccer in the bigger ground as a kid. It was always filled with seniors with soccer boots on. We had a part of the smaller ground to ourselves, where we’d play. Studies were never the problem then, seniors with better soccer senses and skills were! But the desire was common among all of us friends, and we went on to the bigger ground too. Later on, even during my college and university days, never was my passion for the beautiful game jeopardised for studies.
If there was a competition to reach the ground then, there’s a competition now too. Then it was testing your ability and making yourself deserving; now it’s competing against the burden of studies and career. Thankfully we succeeded then, but unfortunately now, career and studies have the last laugh. Yes Sir, we were lucky!
The world has changed now, everything is fast. Take a breather and the world moves ahead and you spend the rest of your life playing catch up. It’s about time we gave ourselves a reason to stay alive, instead of following the trend. For me, my passion for soccer and music is what keeps me alive and helps me when the going gets tough!
Kudos 3 Idiots team, you have taken a step towards a better world. I look forward to the day when India will have 100 crore such Idiots to accompany the 4 ( yes, kindly count me in!)!