tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211379432011-07-07T19:00:41.107-07:00"Everything has been figured out, except how to live." -- Jean-Paul SartreSayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.comBlogger1351100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-25361548269097767862009-12-12T10:33:00.000-08:002009-12-12T10:33:12.336-08:00

When I was a teenager, I never thought I would want to be teacher. I didn't see the charm in doing the same thing day after day, year after year. But after coming to America and starting to teach, it began to grow on me. And although I am not sure I want to teach for the rest of my life, I know I want to be associated with it in some form or other for as long as possible. I love the thrill of

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com53tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-66525897862927245442009-10-19T10:12:00.000-07:002009-10-19T10:12:28.098-07:00

Teachers are always Ma’am(s) and Sir(s) Teachers addressed by name Text books with lengthy paragraphs Text books with pictures, back to being twelve Multimedia teaching is a rarity Multimedia teaching is a way of life, god bless youtube High propensity to cheat Even higher potential of academic honesty Good grades should be announced to all, Pappu pass ho gaya Grades are a private matter

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-86641765672249094282009-09-20T16:14:00.000-07:002009-09-20T16:14:17.105-07:00

The first time I moved out of my parents' home to start living independently was when I got a job in Chandigarh. As far as I was concerned, this was a big step. I had just quit working as an editor in a publishing house that believed in paying peanuts but producing close to 65 books a month. Compare it to most other publishing houses in India, this number is about 13 times the normal, industry

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-67902265500635819202009-09-13T19:49:00.000-07:002009-09-13T19:49:02.476-07:00

I am currently reading the first of the four books that the Bangladeshi feminist author, Taslima Nasreen, wrote about her life. The title of the book is Aamar Meyebela or My Girlhood. It's interesting that Bengali, my mother tongue, and also Nasreen's, has no actual word to denote girlhood. The word for childhood is chhelebela, or boyhood. So no matter whether you are a girl or a boy, your

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-24671941220597557982009-09-05T13:09:00.000-07:002009-09-05T13:09:08.265-07:00

And so, I am back. I guess I love words and the freedom to jot them down online too much to stay away for too long. But there is something that happened to trigger me into resuscitating this blog this morning. What was going to be another regular trip to the farmers market today turned out to be a little more than that. There I was strolling around, taking in the sights and smells of yet

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-50212045437477847252008-10-09T09:16:00.002-07:002008-10-09T09:24:11.323-07:00

Long ago, I learned to say, to anyone who bothered to listen, "When people say they are too busy or they don't have the time for something they are just being polite. It's the easiest way to say, may be even apologetically, 'Sorry, but I am not interested.'"This is the 136th post on this blog. And although the blog itself was created in a time and space that seem far far away, it's been a good

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-75972714979474744452008-10-01T09:26:00.003-07:002008-10-01T09:40:27.023-07:00

Dear Mr. Rishi KapoorHello Sir! How are you doing? Long time no see. Or am I to really count your appearance on Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic? Where you yourself looked extremely uncomfortable as God. But then again not as uncomfortable as Mr. Bachchan in God Tussi Great Ho. Coming back to TPTM, just one question sir, what the hell were you thinking? Playing mentor to Rani Mukherji's less than

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-69192747143472571932008-09-11T21:38:00.002-07:002008-09-11T21:48:38.475-07:00

While poking around some remnants of the past, I chanced upon my first assignment here at the University. It had to be a short story within 700 words or less and on any of the seven deadly sins. According to the Bible, these are: pride, sloth, envy, greed, gluttony, lust, and anger.A lot has happened since that assignment. I have completed two years in the program and most importantly changed my

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-72463483642935325162008-08-31T02:22:00.003-07:002008-08-31T02:26:52.027-07:00

I have sometimes been accused of having more tolerance for movies than for people. I think my justification, at least to myself, has been that a trashy movie can be shelved and forgotten but the impact of a trashy person can last a lifetime. However, I sincerely believe that viewers like me, who will watch almost anything that comes out of Hollywood in the name of entertainment, and everything

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-41981423369558109332008-08-28T02:28:00.010-07:002008-08-28T03:47:34.350-07:00

It's been a month of travels. Of new sights, friendships, and relationships. Of new writing, note-taking, and solitude. Of full circles and new memories. Home-->Sandpoint-->Port Townsend-->Seattle-->Calcutta-->Chittagong-->Calcutta-->Seattle-->home.And of revisiting those that matter the most.SANDPOINTAt Lake Pend Oreille With old friends, Scott and MikePORT TOWNSENDAt the Castle in Fort

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-19673408821572001842008-06-09T09:03:00.005-07:002008-06-09T11:00:41.030-07:00

Wanted to update the blog but without much effort. So, a tag this time. Thanks, Skeety!Name three most valuable assets.Laptop, debit-credit card, cellphone. These must be on everyone's list I assume with a plus or minus. One truth in your life that haunts you every day?It’s also the only “episode of regret” but over time, I have coached myself to suppress it with distractions, however less than

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-90124024055762968572008-06-06T08:39:00.001-07:002008-06-06T08:40:45.726-07:00

The closer I am getting towards my thirtieth birthday, which is a little over a year away, I am becoming more and more like my parents when they were in their thirties. Those days we had just arrived in New Delhi from Calcutta, their hometown, and my homesick parents were determined to surround themselves with as much Bengali-ness as possible. Right from the location my father chose for our house

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-35619433515526951632008-06-02T07:25:00.002-07:002008-06-02T07:29:43.270-07:00

Sometimes, the best lessons in life are short, so short in fact that they can be wrapped up in less than five minutes. A few days ago, I was in the local bus and coming back home from the campus. The bus was being driven by, shall we say, Fred. Amiable, friendly, and in his fifties, my favorite part about him is his distinguished silver mustache and the easy laugh lines all over his face. That

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-6553566376436302392008-05-19T16:50:00.003-07:002008-05-19T17:02:45.840-07:00

My Orkut account has been hacked in the most unusual manner. I cannot glean any untoward activity that has been performed through my account, but the hacker has as of now, made me a member of two Brittney Spears' fan clubs, and one of Amrita Arora, Shakira, Mandy Moore, Angelina Jolie, Hermione Granger, and Hansika Motwani, the latter being the one with the exciting privilege of starring across

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-33466213934916122592008-05-07T21:45:00.001-07:002008-05-07T21:49:40.450-07:00

I am just back from seeing the finest movie of my life. It’s called Iron Man. No, please don’t dismiss the movie based on its name. Read the review at least. Please, I insist. Iron Man is originally a Marvel comic hero and his real name, that is when he steps out of his red and gold platinum-something glitzy costume, is Tony Stark.The movie unfolds like this: Stark is a multimillionaire because

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-19225362004661947392008-05-05T07:57:00.004-07:002008-05-05T08:05:18.685-07:00

Two almost back-to-back posts! I must have rediscovered my blog!Today's post is about two poems of Vikram Seth that I particularly like. This semester I had taken a poetry workshop, as a result, not only did I have to write twelve poems of my own, I had to read a similar number of poems of my classmates, plus nearly a hundred others. These two have been particularly interesting, mostly because of

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-11919244780475343912008-05-03T18:02:00.004-07:002008-05-03T18:10:20.821-07:00

Yesterday was one of the most rewarding days of my life. Initially, I had constructed the sentence as “one of the most rewarding days of my professional life.” But that didn’t say much, whereas I wanted to say it all... As a five-year-old, all that I wanted to do upon growing up was become a teacher. There was nothing particularly remarkable about that dream because almost every other

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-57723469820686265392008-03-30T17:33:00.002-07:002008-03-30T17:43:24.132-07:00

I would like to share this link with all of you today. Please take some time to explore this website, and see how as a nation we have perfected plagiarism. We have bestowed on these plagiarists awards, honors, respect, and pot loads of money. Let me know your reactions as many dearly loved icons from your memories come crashing down.

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-47262905053443077942008-03-02T16:57:00.003-08:002008-03-02T17:15:55.737-08:00

In another hour, I would have spent seven uninterrupted hours in this cafe. I did the same yesterday as well. Today, my laptop-engaged fingers are tired already, I am hungry, I have digested the turkey sandwich I had four hours ago, I have had three potent shots of caffeine since the time I came, yet, there is still an armload of writing to finish. I teach both my classes tomorrow (and also on

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-12839363053792117512008-02-09T12:54:00.000-08:002008-02-09T13:26:36.620-08:00

My dearest dude Rohit tagged me. I am supposed to list six random things about myself, and they all have to be unimportant. But, I am going to take this a little step forward, and list ten things instead: 1. I hate taking baths on Sundays. (Only in winters though!)2. I need to be part of a world where clothes can wash themselves.Every single time. 3. Reading horror calms me down. 4. I am

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-19899621998963726692008-01-19T13:17:00.000-08:002008-01-19T13:32:34.323-08:00

I fear I am growing (online) anti-social. I am disinterested in blogging, I rarely update and my finger has hovered over the delete button quite a few times in the last month. I am barely there on my Orkut and Facebook accounts, again I am thinking of deleting both. Part of me wants a fresh start, a clean slate, or at best some motivation that will make me jump back at these previously loved and

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-56879745911113733122007-12-30T09:27:00.000-08:002007-12-30T09:43:40.477-08:00

Was showing the following photos to my folks today. These are of my neighborhood back in Moscow, the tiny university town in the state of Idaho. Let me know what you think.

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-23658525035522029742007-12-08T13:15:00.000-08:002007-12-08T13:18:31.423-08:00

After spending nearly five hundred days out of India, I am back for a month. To mislead my parents, I had told them that my date of arrival was going to be December 14. Instead, thanks to the immense cooperation from my sibling, numerous friends, and all my students, teachers, colleagues and supervisors, I was able to leave the US one week before semester actually got over and arrive in New Delhi

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-7312143660503646652007-11-07T06:29:00.000-08:002007-11-07T06:34:27.441-08:00

So, I decided to get rid of my offensive "About Me" on Orkut, the one where I said that people with moronic selves and spellings should not get in touch with me. This was two days ago. I promptly got rewarded for my efforts last night when Dharmesh requested for my friendship. This is his introductory message, "Hi, I am from Kanpur India, like to have conversation with u on any topic,u like.in

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-32708586605360639602007-10-22T16:25:00.000-07:002007-10-22T16:39:01.202-07:00

It’s been three days and I am still haunted by him. On Friday night, some of my friends took me to see Into the Wild. Based on Jon Krakauer’s book by the same name, the film traces the last two years of the life of Chris McCandless, an intense and smart young man who decided to give up a cushiony life and comfortable future for living it out in Alaska. All by himself and by the dint of what he

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-4607618087938369812007-09-20T21:21:00.000-07:002007-09-20T21:26:27.264-07:00

So Deepti tagged me, and it is a very long tag. I am going to customize it to a length preferable to me, of course, after apologizing profusely to Deepti for not following the instructions completely. The reason I am doing this is because I don’t want to say predictable things that most people would guess or know any way about me. Such as if I were a tool, I would be a writing instrument. Or, if

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-31959110025174380532007-09-02T18:48:00.001-07:002007-09-02T18:55:31.720-07:00

I am (finally) convinced that differences between man and man do not exist, in fact, these differences are myths. The world should not be divided between man and man, instead it should be divided in two equal halves one with men and the other with women.Seriously, if one more man tells me that “He wants to lead a simple life and not complicate things”, I will throw up. And I mean it. Sample the

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-7677881253510639942007-08-27T14:22:00.001-07:002007-08-27T18:16:52.632-07:00

Time is a rare commodity you say? And I am supposed to believe you? Come on!In spite of the following two items I read on Times of India.com today?First, the council of ministers in Uttar Pradesh is going to run a probe on Orkut because some communities and individuals have been disrespectful towards the chief minister. Second, the eight constables who shook hands with Sanjay Dutt outside the

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-51210421391908440782007-08-26T09:39:00.000-07:002007-08-26T09:41:39.836-07:00

Dear Mr. BellThank you for your contribution in my life. After a gap of one year, I have recently become the proud owner of one of your inventions. It’s serving me very well. Making plans, keeping commitments, and maintaining relationships is so much easier now. Thank you! Hope afterlife is treating you well. Best regards, Sayantani

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-28337750485630414252007-08-09T00:46:00.000-07:002007-08-09T01:16:33.191-07:00

Try as I might, I cannot be a poet. That kind of grace and rhythm doesn't come to me. I have tried, especially today. But to no avail. That effortless style and pace will never be mine. Why the need of a poem suddenly? Why today? Because it's been exactly a year since I left home, since I left Delhi. And what a year it has been, well,if not a poem, at least I can try making a list:From journeying

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-46746019597963850602007-08-03T10:15:00.000-07:002007-08-04T11:40:05.660-07:00

Yes, I know you have already read several Harry Potter reviews. But you haven't read anything that traces his growth, transformation, etc. etc. In other words, you haven't read THIS!However, I am quite unhappy with the editing and the page lay-outing of the piece. But then again, one doesn't get published everyday. So, YOOOO HOOOO! And needless to say, lots of thanks to Praveen, my "literary

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-8548979121816004142007-07-25T00:37:00.001-07:002007-07-25T00:41:20.410-07:00

It’s a badly concealed secret that I go semi-hysterical every year on the days leading up to July 19. I know that the world and its grandmother hope that some day I will finally get that doze of maturity which will prevent the following accidents from happening every year without fail:1. Friends being reminded from a month in advance that my “happy birthday to me” is coming and so they should

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-76714942555601576952007-07-11T11:37:00.000-07:002007-07-11T18:30:52.574-07:00

That’s it. I have had it up to my existence for the next several lives. I am frustrated, angry, embittered. And needless to say, I am ashamed of myself. Because I have a face and a profile that attracts by the dozens the most unique on the social networking site called Orkut. Sample the first paragraph of my current “About Me”. It is nasty, rude, aggressive, and meant to put-off. It was written

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-90466514352571850802007-07-05T09:33:00.000-07:002007-07-05T19:29:28.832-07:00

On America’s Independence Day, among other decorations, streets are lined with their national flags. I find the American flag very beautiful (and not just because it has red!) but my friends here have admitted that learning to draw it as a child was an uphill task. Let us thank the powers that be for the Tricolor, shall we? Putting together saffron, white and green with a blue circle was one of

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-39094918181266130562007-06-28T23:57:00.000-07:002007-06-29T00:18:30.466-07:00

For everyone’s information, I am writing this under duress as he sits in our house waiting for midnight to strike. He has just fed us dinner: hamburgers, fries, hotdogs, pork ribs, carrot cake. Post dinner, he has been demanding post after post since it is his birthday. To celebrate the grand occasion, Manasi, Parul, and I are teaching him Hindi. So far he has perfected “Kshama kijiye”, “Janemann

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-90609084566214153142007-06-18T19:29:00.000-07:002007-06-18T19:45:14.077-07:00

By most standards, my brother, who is eight years younger than me, has led a most brutalized and traumatized childhood. His arm still has a shadow of scars inflicted by me, his tooth was once knocked out because I was tutoring him and thought his handwriting that day was particularly bad, he was made to dress like a girl until the age of four every time I wanted us to play something dramatic, he

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-24239079462033780992007-06-02T15:25:00.000-07:002007-06-02T23:30:12.379-07:00

Everyone! I am officially super excited! I had submitted ten photos on the CNN website at their "Road Trips" section. Seven of my photos got accepted and here is the link. Keep clicking on the "next" button for the photos. (They have been weirdly edited though, which is sad. I think my original work looked better.) Now, they only need to publish some of my writings to really make me fall in love

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-7059111901524449472007-05-31T14:33:00.000-07:002007-05-31T14:37:49.033-07:00

I came across this wonderful website/tool through my friend Manu's blog. His blog is linked to mine and I would recommend a visit there in order to learn about cool Internet things that he chances upon every now and then. I am sure some of you will be tempted to try this out on your own blogs. Happy exploring!

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-82074368297011391502007-05-26T14:00:00.000-07:002007-05-26T14:10:30.596-07:00

I am sitting in a café I have just discovered in Moscow. It’s called Sisters’ Brew. The walls are red, orange and black. The floor is tiled and carpeted alternately. There are comfortable couches, cane chairs, and straight backed chairs with desks. There are Van Gogh-ish paintings on the walls, and focused as well as dim lighting around me. And there is a gigantic bookshelf packed with books. The

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-79121798896764400582007-05-19T00:05:00.000-07:002007-05-19T00:09:27.417-07:00

Picked up a tag from Richa’s blog. There were twenty questions, I skipped five to bring it down to fifteen. As with tags I have done before, answer at least one question here too. All the best!1.Pick out a scar you have, and explain how you got it?A spot on my right cheek thanks to chicken pox at the age of twelve. 2. What is on the walls in your room?Posters of concerts and readings I have

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-25059726739115696902007-05-16T10:01:00.000-07:002007-05-16T10:02:40.376-07:00

It’s been a month long hiatus and now I am back.Was it an interesting month? One that I should tell everyone about?Not particularly, but it was undoubtedly the busiest. There were these mountain loads of assignments to finish; a few cartloads of grading work to submit; last minute books to read, analyze and ponder over; some stuff to edit and proofread since the student council that I am a member

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-54067762256175877492007-04-16T09:57:00.000-07:002007-04-16T19:43:33.935-07:00

There are days when my patriotism threatens to overwhelm me. I am just so proud of being an Indian that I want to scream from the rooftops in America, “Hello everyone! Do you know the glorious country I come from?” Case in point, today. When I woke up in the morning, made some coffee, sat down with the laptop, started going through news websites one after the other, and came across the detailed

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-29862885380152709182007-04-08T19:21:00.000-07:002007-04-09T23:06:35.042-07:00

Five hours of non-stop work has given KirrinIsland a new look that has replaced her ghastly pink and white robe. She has been trimmed down, her face cleansed, and then re-made up. She is out to face the world with a more confident stride, or so her creator believes.Moving on.Can you please tell me the worst movie you have ever seen? No, seriously. I am doing some research on this topic right now.

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-9126054565620754082007-03-28T12:33:00.000-07:002007-04-09T23:09:07.870-07:00

Rabbi Shergill, one of my most favorite contemporary musicians has sung a song on my most favorite city in the world.Jaagegi raat bharAur bhagegi saath parrKar dalegi belagam khayalon koPoochhegi yeh sawalAur mangegi yeh hisaabNa sunegi tere jawabon koYahan hain ek nadiAur wahan ek lal qilaPar kahan hain is shahar ka falsafaI am keen to know who wrote the lyrics. Only someone who loves Delhi

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com46tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-42778883358840952652007-03-26T08:45:00.000-07:002007-04-09T23:07:31.323-07:00

For seven glorious years of my life, I lived in Narmada Apartments, Alaknanda, New Delhi. That home of ours saw me graduate from school, college, university, experiment with summer and part time jobs -- all to earn some extra pocket money, then eventually it saw me get my first “proper” job. Several other good things of life happened during my stay in that house, which is why I will always

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-43872159201396210282007-03-18T19:26:00.000-07:002007-04-09T23:06:35.043-07:00

I saw the movie 300 last night. Based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel by the same name, the film is a visual delight provided larger than life, computer graphics are your cup of tea. And they better be, because this is it. This is the only selling point of the movie. Maybe by some stretch of generosity, even the music can be called interesting, since unconventional it certainly is. But then, that

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-56137162348285456902007-03-17T09:14:00.000-07:002007-03-17T11:42:03.713-07:00

And look at it hereThere's a photosketch there, which the artist made after mutilating my photograph, and the resulting sketch makes me look neither 27 nor human...very sad indeed. So in case you cannot recognize me from that sketch, you shall be forgiven, and I shall live with that.And by the way, according to the article, I am taking "a course in Creative Writing". Bah! I AM getting myself a

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-88846018543706517752007-03-11T15:55:00.000-07:002007-04-09T23:05:32.715-07:00

Life is nothing more than a series of conversations, isn’t it? We go from one conversation to another, having retained what we had to and then moving on from there. Conversing is one of the few things that my mother says I do quite well. I certainly have shown tremendous appetite for it for several years of my life, except maybe for times such as when I was in class 3, when in my annual report

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-57188914292821606422007-02-28T21:12:00.000-08:002007-04-09T23:11:58.493-07:00

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-77391334332333039562007-02-25T23:35:00.000-08:002007-04-09T23:15:40.023-07:00

Ever eaten a grasshopper?I just ate two during dinner, thanks to a Mexican friend -- Andres, who brought a whole bagful of them over to my house this evening. How do I describe the taste? Umm...salty, crunchy, the after taste is somewhat like amla, or Indian gooseberry.This is what Wikipedia says about chapulines or the kind of grasshoppers we ate tonight:Chapulines are considered a delicacy by

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-84056509073260704792007-02-22T20:25:00.000-08:002007-04-09T23:09:07.871-07:00

When I first landed in the US, the first month saw me thinking to myself at least a dozen times every day, “Wow! This is blog material. Let me make a mental note, I am going to write about this as soon as possible.”Nearly seven months later, I can sense that drive decreasing. I hope that that is only because I have never been more busy in my life than I am at present: I have never had to read

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-56440660146335666192007-02-14T09:35:00.000-08:002007-04-09T23:09:07.872-07:00

On February 13, 2002, an angry article of mine got published in The Pioneer, New Delhi edition. In it I ripped apart everyone who ever celebrated Valentine’s Day. I called it nearly everything that Shiv Sena/VHP etc call it but with a difference. I insisted that I don’t need a day to tell someone I love that I love him. I will do it even without Archie’s and Hallmark breathing down my neck and

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-36192154006945160112007-02-08T15:53:00.000-08:002007-04-09T23:20:19.753-07:00

The view from the balcony adjoining my room Grandparents, my brother Aritro, and our cousin Sinjini My parents on July 19, 2006

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-14265371786075181792007-01-24T23:42:00.000-08:002007-04-09T23:09:07.873-07:00

My favorite self analysis exercise over several years now has been to ask myself two questions at least once every day. The first one is, “Who was the first person I thought of when I woke up this morning, and what does that mean?’ More than anything else, what this exercise achieves is that it unclutters my brain. It tells me exactly that in the ever widening sea of people I get to know, who are

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-32909880800171937052007-01-20T23:35:00.000-08:002007-01-21T00:13:44.341-08:00

So Shilpa Shetty gets paid an obscene amount of money for appearing in a foreign reality tv show and immediately her stock rises. Suddenly Indians in India and the rest of the world sit up and take notice of someone, who in all fairness hasn’t really been the most successful or commercially viable actress Bollywood has ever had. And what’s the game show all about? Nothing much really… just a

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-80922355630720327932007-01-17T22:21:00.000-08:002007-01-17T22:51:08.799-08:00

Happy birthday baby!You are one-year-old today, and I am excited.Let’s party! As promised I will adhere to all the suggestions made about the birthday post. Right fromManasi’s which said that I should write about her and how my life has changed after meeting her, to D who wants me to acknowledge the person who made me shift from yahoo 360 and come to Blogger, to Minerva who asked me to list

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-72489220164692382172007-01-15T13:37:00.000-08:002007-01-15T14:06:48.795-08:00

KirrinIsland will turn one on January 18. It's been a good friendship, one that I hope will continue.It's been my private studio, it's been the only place in the world where I have been my most honest self every single time, and the one where I have laughed, loved, confessed, critiqued, hated, celebrated, de-stressed and also run away. It's been me.Any suggestions on how to celebrate the birthday

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1168409699592431602007-01-09T22:05:00.000-08:002007-04-09T23:07:31.324-07:00

My friend Brittney Carman decided to throw a party for her daughter Stella today, for Stella turned four. Stella couldn't wait to tear open her gifts, she couldn't stop telling all of us, "I turned four!" and she couldn't stop hugging whoever she felt gave her the best gift.Moving towards my sixth month of residence in USA, and now having lived in both big city and small town America, I can

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1167601165779918982006-12-31T13:25:00.000-08:002007-04-09T23:09:07.874-07:00

Those of you who know Rohit, well, good for you. Those of you who don’t, please “go and f#$% a pole” to use his own words. Although why either you or anyone in this world would want to do that to the pole or yourself is beyond my understanding. But then that’s Rohit. However, why this introduction about him? Is this post a testimonial to his wonderful wit, or warmth? Naah! Although he is all

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1166507753465100432006-12-18T21:44:00.000-08:002007-04-09T23:05:58.710-07:00

On popular demand (I have very kind and indulgent friends), I have uploaded some of the photos that tell quite a few of the stories I have wanted to share from America. So a whole set of links have been created on the right sidebar. Please go through them as and when time or inclination permit. And do let me know what you think of my worldview. Not so much in terms of photographic accuracy or

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1166321069630171822006-12-16T17:57:00.000-08:002007-04-09T23:05:32.716-07:00

“You want to take the train? Do you know that only weird people take trains in the US?”“Are you telling me that you are going to travel a distance of thousands of miles via train! You haven’t done that kind of continuous train traveling even in your own country by your own admission!”“It’s not even one continuous journey. You will have to embark and disembark at so many places! Really, you’re

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1165863816137699842006-12-11T10:59:00.000-08:002007-04-09T23:09:07.875-07:00

In my perfect world:• Clothes would wash and dry themselves• The rupee would be the most powerful currency• The University of Idaho would be relocated to somewhere near Delhi• There would be no snow on the sidewalks• Delhi roads would be safe for women no matter what time of the day• There would be no bananas• Child molesters would get the death penalty• Chocolates, icecreams, Bloody Mary, rum

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1165547715006258582006-12-07T19:08:00.000-08:002006-12-20T05:53:29.346-08:00

I am unsure of how to write this post. This is my third draft in as many as five days. You would think that I am about to reveal the plot of my first book! Sadly, it is nothing that remarkable. It’s not something I am remotely proud of. But dramatic it is. A friend has let me down. I invest a lot in my relationships, whatever be their nature. I am one of those people who need to be convinced a

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1164742615634318582006-11-28T11:36:00.000-08:002007-04-09T23:16:31.228-07:00

Questions I have been asked and answers I have wanted to give.“Do you have letter boxes in India?”No, we use pigeons. “Do you know what an icecream is? Have you ever had one?”An icecream? Not sure what it is. Is it a kind of moisturizer?“Do you have things like emails in India?”No, we really really use pigeons. “Indian huh? So you are kinda related to Pocahontas?”Yes. She was my grandmother.

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1164668695565882312006-11-27T14:54:00.000-08:002007-04-09T23:13:07.095-07:00

When you wake up on consecutive mornings and see snow on every available surface outside your window it is a beautiful sight.When there is snow on distant mountains and it reminds you of rolling vats of vanilla icecream, it looks deliciously soft.When the sun peeps in every now and then, and bathes the snow in golden pools of light, it is gorgeous to say the least.When you are cupping a steaming

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1164476648856594032006-11-25T09:27:00.000-08:002007-04-09T23:13:34.805-07:00

I love James Bond. The man in his entirety, the books, the movies, Fleming himself...basically the whole package. On Wednesday evening, my interest sufficient piqued by Subhadip's post as well as by reviews on NY Times and other sundry newspapers, Parul and I went to watch Daniel Craig in Casino Royale. Every time that Craig walked, ran, swam, smiled, bared even an inch of his shoulders, Parul

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1164069011970696712006-11-20T16:24:00.000-08:002007-04-09T23:07:31.325-07:00

1. She loves rum, silver, and dark chocolate. 2. She has a pierced nose too. 3. She sings while she cooks. (Actually we both do. And when we sing and cook together, it’s incredible fun. Our theme-based Sundays are right royal enviable. We pick a theme for the day, say, Juhi Chawla movies, or movies with the cheapest songs, or with the most annoying star couple, and sing the songs from that movie

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1163635529048636312006-11-15T15:59:00.000-08:002007-04-09T23:19:57.979-07:00

Dear MaI very rarely, if ever, talk about you on my blog. In spite of the fact that you are the most important person in my life. Is it because we are not a demonstrative family as such? We don’t tell each other how much the other one means to us--it’s just one of the many things that Dasguptas and most other Bengalis don’t do--we don’t demonstrate our love, instead we intellectualize it. I wish

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1163382245658481672006-11-12T17:27:00.000-08:002006-11-12T21:50:59.406-08:00

Since this tag is fresh and in everyone's current circulation, here's my version of it. Deepti, my take on your maha long tag has me NOT answering all the questions... simply because a blog is not the place for ALL confessions, and also because agar sab yahan likh diya to autobiography mein kya likhoongi? :-) Also the red font, asterisk font, asterisk preceded by a - had me all confused. So from

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1162943401950987312006-11-07T14:28:00.000-08:002007-04-09T23:21:31.498-07:00

One of my most favorite persons in America gave me a huge basket of apples last week. She is my teacher. Yet another favorite person gave me the recipe for a traditional apple pie. She is my colleague. A third favorite person helped me make it. He is my friend Dan.Those in India reading this, please say hello to Dan. He is one of the funniest, wittiest, nicest people this side of the Atlantic

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1162592374024382112006-11-03T14:16:00.000-08:002006-11-03T14:25:21.810-08:00

The day had begun on a good note. When I stepped out of the house, the cold wind knocked me out for moment, but as I started walking, it began to feel good. The day was going to be good, I just knew it in my bones. Reached office but it was a light load so it was a relatively free day. Met some friends online and the conversations were rocking. When suddenly, one conversation backfired. It ended

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1162318144448789492006-10-31T09:43:00.000-08:002007-04-09T23:24:56.557-07:00

If they ARE unmentionable, why am I mentioning them? Because Richa tagged me to do so. I have to now disclose to the world ten things that very few people/ no one knows about me.With trembling heart and shivering fingers...here I go:1. From class 6 to 8, if I thought a particular homework was beneath my acceptable levels of intelligence, I didn't do it. No matter what the punishment. 2. If I

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1162247311718202202006-10-30T14:15:00.000-08:002007-04-09T23:24:56.559-07:00

The tagger is Kanu. Interesting questions all of them. Readers, answer one of these questions atleast. 1. When I look at stars...I want to believe in magic.2. Rains...musical.3. Happiness is...the voices of my loved ones.4. Books...friend, employer, enemy, passion.5. Men/Women(Whichever applicable)...both, for different reasons.6. Love is...the best kind of intoxication.7. God...my faith in

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1162002538901903512006-10-27T19:23:00.000-07:002007-04-09T23:21:31.499-07:00

Ramlal has gone back to his home. His mistress came and took him a couple of days ago. I am heartbroken. Have been quite inconsolable since then because I am missing that moron so much. I should never have gotten this attached to him knowing that he was going to go away in three weeks' time. Attachments are strange, powerful things. They tie you up too tightly. I tried to talk his mistress out of

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1161647951701369012006-10-23T16:38:00.000-07:002007-04-09T23:21:31.499-07:00

This weekend was eventful. Details and photographs of the same will be uploaded soon. But one of the few things that made it interesting was a whole new series of experiences with Ramlal.I cleaned Ramlal's tub. Plucking him out for this was an adventure in itself. If only he knew the meaning of "Stay still, you moron!" Nevertheless, the cleaning was achieved without much trouble, and in utter joy

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1161373573354882862006-10-20T12:43:00.000-07:002007-04-09T23:21:31.500-07:00

A few days ago I reached a profound conclusion. That it would indeed be devastatingly boring if one were to born as a turtle. This insight was brought by my close association over the past two weeks with a turtle that’s been living at our house. To start from the beginning, a friend of Manasi’s left her pet turtle with us a fortnight ago because she had to rush to India on a family emergency.

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1161110593374865402006-10-17T11:26:00.000-07:002007-04-09T23:24:56.560-07:00

I've been tagged again! And this time by Leslie on email. But I will reproduce it here. A) FOUR OTHER JOBS I HAVE HAD IN MY LIFE:1. HR trainee at Aithent Technologies2. Content writer for two educational websites3. Consultant for Center for Personal and Professional Excellence4. Research assistant for Manana library B) FOUR MOVIES I CAN WATCH OVER AND OVER AND OVER:1. You've Got Mail2.

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1160942306686209622006-10-15T12:56:00.000-07:002006-10-15T21:22:20.000-07:00

It’s a beautiful Sunday morning. It’s rained in the night and early morning. It’s wet, cloudy and breezy. Not to forget brr-ingly cold. But not the mind numbing kinds. Instead it's the kinds that would make you want to breathe in lungfuls of the cold air, the kind that makes your nose go all tingly, the kind that makes you want to eat an icecream to enhance the sensation, the kind that makes you

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1160543256142788882006-10-10T22:01:00.000-07:002007-04-09T23:21:31.500-07:00

"I am 60 days old in America today.And today I am horribly horribly homesick, Delhisick, sick of the fact that I have to hold on to something for 12 hours before any of my people are awake enough for me to be able to talk to them.This post will go in the bin tomorrow, just as I will be perfectly alright tomorrow. I just needed someone to yell at right now, and my blog was the only thing alive and

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1160095786267928522006-10-05T17:30:00.001-07:002006-10-05T19:03:44.993-07:00

Yes, Kirrin Island has a new look. It's fresh, it's gray and at some places it's even an unmentionable pink. Why is pink unmentionable? Because I rarely, if ever, buy anything in pink, let alone wear it. But on the whole I think, here it goes quite well with the page. I had been grumbling for some time now about my blog's template and its static, stoic, no-change situation. Finally, today morning

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1159839163185646722006-10-02T18:27:00.000-07:002007-04-09T23:21:04.069-07:00

“But only in their dreams can men be truly free. Twas always thus, and always thus will be.” – John KeatingAnyone who hasn’t seen Dead Poets Society or has seen it so long ago that they can barely remember it, needs to drop whatever it is they are doing — be it attending college, working hard, or earning money — and rent the movie and watch it. And I mean NOW, I mean ASAP.I am, quite

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1159407882693582852006-09-27T18:42:00.000-07:002006-09-27T18:51:23.193-07:00

Students onrollerskatesskateboardsfootbikes (cycles)bikes (as we understand them)and in cars.Students withtattoos - on ankles, around ankles, hands, arms, shoulders, back, hips, legs, chest piercings - on eyebrows, forehead, space between the eyebrows, lips, tongues, ears, cartilage, chin, nosedreadlocks – in monochrome, multichrome, well-textured, rough, long, short hair – black, yellow, brown,

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1158631943224924532006-09-18T19:04:00.000-07:002006-09-19T09:49:46.640-07:00

“The Grizzly Bear, sometimes called the Silvertip Bear, is a powerful brownish-yellow bear that lives in the uplands of western North America. They reach weights of 180–680 kg (400–1,500 lb); the male is on average 1.8 times as heavy as the female. The Grizzly has a large hump over the shoulders which is a muscle mass used to power the forelimbs in digging. The head is large and round with a

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1157843210314223332006-09-09T15:31:00.000-07:002006-09-09T20:00:01.190-07:00

Homesickness hits you at the oddest of times:# When you have just woken up and are still in bed, and you can hear the neighbours talking to each other outside. And it's not in Hindi. # When it's a loved one's birthday...a close friend's or your sibling's. And this is the first time that you cannot yell "Happy Birthday" to them several times in a day. Or generally make a huge ruckus at their

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1157573271946107882006-09-06T13:02:00.000-07:002006-09-06T13:07:51.980-07:00

Yesterday evening, during class we were dissecting a story where the main character was afflicted with a fatal disease. The story was as much about him as his best friend. In the midst of the discussion, the teacher asked us -- as a means of getting into the skin of the character -- , "If you knew that you had only one month to live, what would be your story? What story of your life would you

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1157366358171880262006-09-04T03:32:00.000-07:002006-09-04T03:50:07.850-07:00

Insomnia strikes again. It’s 3:30 am on Monday September 4, and I am up doing the second best thing I do when I can’t sleep. Blog. At the same time I am listening to Yahoo’s online radio, checking Orkut and pacifying Sas on YM every now and then that all is well with my life and nothing is not the way it’s not supposed to be. We are also testing each other’s knowledge of Anand’s dialogues.This is

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1156527635324067842006-08-25T10:32:00.000-07:002007-04-09T23:23:37.458-07:00

A snapshot of my life here. These are some of the pictures of my first weekend when my friends, Parul (wearing white), Amit (in green) and Manasi (in black) took me along with them to Hell's Canyon, a national park a few hours' drive from Moscow. Manasi very sweetly let me use her camera, and I think I clicked everything that caught my fancy. Will sort and post the link later...have to run for a

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1156446787066775012006-08-24T12:03:00.000-07:002006-08-24T12:13:56.773-07:00

Just wanted to write a quickie before dashing off to yet another class. 1. My apartment is made of wood. 2. Indians can be prejudiced and racist too. And usually very very unfairly so. 3. Americans love desserts and conversations as much as we do. 4. We treat our teachers with a lot more respect usually. 5. I have always disliked my name. It was a burden to carry around even in Delhi. I was

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1156212773136892322006-08-21T18:37:00.000-07:002006-08-21T19:12:53.303-07:00

50th post on Kirrin Island, yippee. OG, my ex-boss would kill me if she were to see me start a sentence with digits as I just did in the last sentence...but somehow I didn't want to use the word fifty...this digital 50 seemed more appropriate. So much for a completely useless and worthless introduction. Moving on.In my new life here, I am trying to pack in as many first-s as possible. And make

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1155926321352372692006-08-18T11:09:00.000-07:002007-04-09T23:23:37.459-07:00

Spanning the last ten days or so...ever since I left home to come to my new home...here are fifty random observations.1. The Indira Gandhi International Airport sucks. So much so that loo doors don't close. 2. The staff at the IGI Airport is cooperative and friendly. 3. I have had kinder-faced principals than the stern looking airhostesses that were aboard my flight from Delhi to Frankfurt. I was

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1155775923371290332006-08-16T17:35:00.000-07:002006-08-16T17:52:03.463-07:00

I apologize for the disappearing act. I apologize to everyone who read the last blog post on Calcutta and commented, and did not get an answering comment in return. I apologize to everyone (including my parents) who checked and rechecked my blog every day to see if I have updated it, and saw no change in status. I apologize to the writer in me that saw situations, and mentally wove words all the

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1154937662510194532006-08-07T00:45:00.000-07:002007-04-09T23:21:53.128-07:00

I had gone to Calcutta, my birthplace, a few weeks ago for a week-long vacation. One's place of birth is always special, especially when it has repositories of affection like grandparents and sundry other members of the family. Which is why every trip to Calcutta is worth its weight in gold. But if I were to look at it from an outsider’s point of view what would I see?Firstly, a city that is any

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1154376495695892062006-07-31T13:05:00.000-07:002006-07-31T13:08:15.740-07:00

The weekend was fabulous. Simply fabulous. Was with friends back to back the whole of Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s long lunch was with a bunch of seven odd friends, haven’t laughed that deliriously in a while now. Loved being with them. And the gang I met up with on Saturday night was united and wise in its acceptance of the fact that sleep is a waste of time, so we whiled away the night in

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1153990109608159072006-07-27T01:36:00.000-07:002006-07-27T01:51:29.333-07:00

And so I turned 27 on July 19, 2006. Legend has it that I was supposed to arrive on this planet on July 17, but at the last minute changed my mind. Stayed put, right where I was, and it was only in the evening of the 19 that I decided to finally arrive after putting several doctors through severe stress and keeping my yet-to-become family on tenterhooks. As Mum says, I wanted to create an

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1153115327198859362006-07-16T22:30:00.000-07:002006-07-16T22:54:10.203-07:00

So I am back from a week long vacation with my brother to Calcutta, where we went to visit our grandparents. It was raining, it was green, it was slushy, and there were tons of great food to do justice to the awesome weather. The post on Calcutta will be up and running soon, but before that, I chanced upon this amazing tag on books on Swetank’s blog, and given my new found love for tags...here

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1152235501522561152006-07-06T18:14:00.000-07:002006-07-06T18:45:26.903-07:00

My first ‘proper’ job was at Sage Publications. I joined them in October 2002, fresh out of JNU...armed with an M.A. Getting through Sage was tough, rightfully so, since it is one of the most well-known academic publishing houses in the world. There were a series of tests and finally the interview. I remember my first impression of Sage very well. Friendly. The people genuinely seemed to like

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1152164446768475192006-07-05T22:36:00.000-07:002006-07-05T23:19:35.206-07:00

The advantages of pubbing with an all male group are:1. No matter how fancy the place, you can do away with cutlery and eat with your hands. 2. No matter how much you eat or drink it will always be less than their portion. A guilt free conscience is the best kind to have. 3. Because of some warped sense of chivalry and “Come on Sayan, you ate so little!” you are not expected to pitch in with the

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1151870325330115912006-07-02T12:54:00.000-07:002006-07-02T13:04:16.526-07:00

A few years ago, when I was in College, I distinctly remember a conversation I had with this friend who had just come back from a trip to Europe. I will never forget how she said that everywhere she went she was treated and looked upon as an individual, and not an object. I am not sure I understood it very well back then, but today I know what she means. The easiest explanation for this is: I

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1151500018546907102006-06-28T05:53:00.000-07:002006-06-28T06:06:58.660-07:00

So I was tagged by Burf. I had to ask Rohit and Richa what tagging was to understand the whole concept. Once I understood, I figured it was going to be great fun. So here I am...tagged. Burf, I did not do the post you wanted me to (sorry dude) but picked another tag from your blog. And added more to it from one of Richa's earlier tags. It's a long list here...but one that was great fun to do. And

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137943.post-1150973477188875702006-06-22T03:38:00.000-07:002007-04-09T23:22:45.274-07:00

Since I didn't have anyone with me in Lucknow, taking photographs meant pointing and clicking at anything that looked photogenic to me. Now while I like to think that I know a good photograph when I see it -- since I have had the privilege of working closely with some very good photographers for professional reasons -- I am also down-to-earth enough to understand that there are a million things

Sayantanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00870537073752828309noreply@blogger.com15