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...

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...

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...

United succumbed to a disappointing 1-3 defeat in the Manchester Derby. Photo Courtesy - goal.com Have you ever felt so happy that it felt like your lungs would burst out of your chest? Have you ever felt so sad that it's hard to even breathe? Well, we are practically family then! While a lot of things make me emotional, nothing gets me going like football. So it was only fair that I was heartbroken at Manchester United's defeat in the Manchester Derby at the weekend. I had been following the Red Devils for almost 2 decades now and while I have seen them (on the television ofcourse!) lift every trophy possible, each defeat still hurts deep inside. And the loss to Manchester City ruined my Sunday, my dinner and a good night's sleep. Which brings me to my current predicament - why are we like this? (I am ofcourse assuming that I am not the only one drowning in my own pool of tears!). You see, we could easily be content with the first sign of achievement, the first ...

I am hugely grateful to Garrett Hedlund, for his beautiful song – “ Timing is Everything ”, from Country Strong . Because, he told me – “ When you think true love is hard to find, that’s when love comes along, just in time” . He beautifully analyses how, had things been different, he would have never met her. How “ I could have been another minute late, you never would have crossed my path that day”. He sings about destiny and fate and above all, waiting for the right person and meeting her at the right time. Time is a funny, unpredictable bugger. Let’s go a year back, sometime in the middle of February last year (2013). Things were terrible then and there were more downs than ups in my life. I was beginning to feel Time’s playing games with me. But just when I was about to give up on him and all the notions about the good things in the world, he bestowed upon me, my miracle. My time, you see, had come. My savior, at last, was here. Right now, when I look back at things, I can alm...

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...