Distinctiveness - Travel and Lifestyle Blog

  I recently completed 15 years on Blogger. 15 years ago, one fine morning, I suddenly had a brainwave. I wanted to have a blog of my own. I have no idea how such a thought corrupted my mind, or maybe, I do. The world was a different place then. We were young, still coming to terms with the immense potential of the World Wide Web. I had been stringing together words to form sentences of value for a while, but the audience was a limited few. When you create something, no matter how miniscule, no matter how insignificant it might be to the cause of the society, you often tend to be overprotective of it. So was I, writing in last pages of notebooks or on small diaries with black covers that were shielded from prying eyes. Verses, mostly, and occasional stories that usually ended up in crumpled papers in the dustbin at the corner of the room. 15 years ago, I shed my inhibitions and decided to open up to a wider audience. I forayed into blogging on a whim, simply to unleash my voice...

This picture tells me impossible is nothing   Ah, December. Glorious December. What a beautiful month, right? There’s a chill in the air. The sun’s in a jovial mood, warm and cozy. After an excruciating year, everyone’s slowing down, taking a breather, reflecting on the past 11 months. What’s not to like about December? Yet, Lionel Messi just had to go and make it better. “Trust this team,” he promised, “we will not let you down.” And he embarked on a life-altering journey, immortalizing this last month of the year for millions of us across the globe. A year ago, today, Lionel Messi conquered the world and sparked off days of frenzied celebrations, from Buenos Aries to Mangaldoi. Tears. Cheers. Joy. We painted the world Albiceleste blue. And Peter Drury immortalized the moment with his iconic words: “But as he falls in love with the object in the world  that his heart most desired,  it is hard to escape the supposition  that he has rendered himself toda...

  Lionel Messi created history three months ago on this day Is it three months already, Lionel? Seems just like yesterday, that my heart felt full And my life, complete. When we shed happy tears You and Me and millions of us And the night had no end.   I have lived that day over and over and over again. I am sure you have too The excitement, the tension stifling the air Agonies and ecstasies intertwined The elation of that final kick The realization of a lifelong dream.   I have lived that day from three months ago over and over again Well aware of the glorious end. And I have revelled in that excitement, that watershed moment. When the world bowed to your genius. I have bathed in that pure joy just like it was yesterday.   Is it three months already, Lionel? Perhaps Or perhaps I haven't aged a day, still living each moment, in fond remembrance, Of the greatest night of my life. Our lives.

Two Friends united by their love for Argentina, Manchester United and East Bengal This is a story of friendship and football. Or football and friendship. Or perhaps it's not a story at all. On the occasion of two months of Argentina's historic triumph at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, I ask you to accompany me for a trip down the memory lane, to an entirely different era.  The year is 1998. Argentina are preparing to run riot at the World Cup in France. We have Roberto 'El Raton' Ayala in defense. Ariel Ortega is the new Diego Maradona. Juan Sebastian Veron is pulling the strings in midfield. What could go wrong? Well, everything, it turns out.  The dream crashes against the Dutch in the quarterfinals. Ortega receives his marching order after head butting Edwin van der Saar. Dennis Bergkamp toys with Ayala and scores a typical worldie in the 90th minute.  Following the defeat, thousands of miles away, two Ninth Standard boys sit dejected at the Caesar School Assembly Hall. Tw...

My Five-Year-Old Proudly flaunts our jersey collection on the eve of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Have you ever been so happy that you began crying? So content that you sensed a hollow deep inside your chest? That you couldn't differentiate between sadness and joy? A month ago, I experienced such bliss, sitting in front of the TV. It was the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Argentina were battling France for the Holy Grail of Football at the Lusail Stadium. Millions of miles away, I was living every second as if my last All of a sudden there was a big void inside my chest. I could no longer feel the ground beneath me. Gonzalo Montiel had just converted his penalty kick. Argentina had won the game. Lionel Messi. World Cup. My head was spinning. I was struggling to breathe. It was as if I was dropping down an exceptionally deep gorge. Clad in the sky-blue and white stripes, I couldn't hold back my emotions. It had been a draining game, with Messi and Kylian Mbappe taking us all for a...

Of the many experiences that I have gathered in this lifetime, perhaps the most humbling one happened just a couple of days back. It all started with the agitation over the Citizenship Amendment Bill, the latest bouncer inflicted on us Indians. The protest grew from strength to strength with each passing day but it was at its strongest at Assam, where people took to the streets to express their dissent. One thing led to another and soon life came to a standstill. While the agitation continued outside, we stayed careful, avoiding the National Highways and rationing our supplies prudently. Shops remained closed, markets were deserted and people did not venture outside unless absolutely necessary. Thankfully, there were no violent incidents in and around the small municipal town I currently reside in, with residents maintaining peace and religious harmony despite the many provocations. However, the protests continue to rise and threatened to gather pace. The authorities struggled...

For past 10 months, a lot of people have been asking me how I have been. And I’ve always maintained that I’m fine. But I guess it’s time I brush aside those fake one-liners and honestly ask myself, “ How am I doing, actually?” I thought I would give up blogging after Baba passed away. Yet here I am, remembering Him, and trying to make a comeback of sorts. I remember how He always encouraged me to write, saying that it was important to have different aspects of one’s life, and not just work till you drop. How do you cope with life after losing that pillar of your world? How do you get a grip on yourself and try to fix your messed up life? How do you take that step ahead, knowing that now there’s no one to fall back to if you make a mistake? Simple, You don’t. There’s no written protocol, no Standard Operating Procedure. Like they say, life simply doesn’t come with an instruction manual. I remember I used to have a decent life, not a care in life, no worries. I had my pare...