tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653188975343905818.post3171667222733037709..comments2024-03-23T15:12:26.734+05:30Comments on Reinventing memories: The first cold-wave death of the winter?Santanu Sinha Chaudhurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15062744470522359652noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653188975343905818.post-90981271347250316362008-11-20T09:45:00.000+05:302008-11-20T09:45:00.000+05:30Thursday, 20 November 2008Thank you all, for your ...Thursday, 20 November 2008<BR/><BR/>Thank you all, for your comments. Of late, since Suvro's endorsements, more people have started reading my blog and I feel enthused to post more often. <BR/><BR/>All these years, I had a small, captive readership consisting of my wife and a few close friends. And rare visitors like Manoshij, Anirban and Tulasi to my blog. I feel great if my humble memoirs and short stories are read by more people, and if my pieces manage to touch a few chords. <BR/><BR/>I am embarrassed and happy that my narrative style reminds Partha of Ruskin Bond, an author I greatly admire.<BR/><BR/>As regards Suvro’s comments, I often think what ordinary people like you and me, who don’t subscribe to the crass opportunism and selfishness that dominate the world around us, can do. As Suvro rightly says, we can live non-extravagant lives and give as much as we can to charities. My father used to quote (I think) an anonymous epitaph from an unmarked tomb: <BR/><BR/>“What I spent, I had. <BR/>What I saved, I lost. <BR/>What I gave, I have.”<BR/><BR/>But the fact is that we do little for the wretched of the earth. Perhaps we are capable of doing very little.<BR/><BR/>I was greatly impressed by Kurosawa’s film Ikiru, which in Japanese, means “to live”. You would recall, Kanji Watanbe was a middle-aged bureaucrat who lived a meaningless, monotonous life until he came to know he had stomach cancer and had less than a year to live. A widower, his relationship with his only son had been fractured. He wanted to tell his son about his problem, but decided against it when he found that his son and daughter-in-law were not interested. That brought him face to face with the reality of the hollowness that his life was. And he tried to find an alternative way to live “meaningfully”. He tried to find meaning in the nightlife of Tokyo, but after one night, realized it did not offer him an answer. <BR/><BR/>A chance meeting with a young woman former employee of his office offered him a new direction. The girl was vivacious, bursting with the joy of living. Watanbe told her that all he wanted was to live one day in the same carefree happy manner as she did. <BR/><BR/>Ultimately, Watanbe fought hard with the callous bureaucratic machinery, of which he was a part, to convert a garbage dump into a children’s park. On a cold winter night, he died, sitting in a swing in the same park, as snow fell from the sky. <BR/><BR/>Perhaps we can do something by doing well whatever we do.Santanu Sinha Chaudhurihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15062744470522359652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653188975343905818.post-4612920729450159532008-11-19T13:55:00.000+05:302008-11-19T13:55:00.000+05:30I came across your blog link in Suvro Sir's blog.T...I came across your blog link in Suvro Sir's blog.Truly speaking this story of yours has been one of the pleasant and memorable reads of recent times for me. Your style of narration reminds me of Ruskin Bond.I think I will enjoy reading here.<BR/>Best Wishes,<BR/>ParthaPartha Chatterjeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09138980656638329062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653188975343905818.post-79242249928879311032008-11-15T12:53:00.000+05:302008-11-15T12:53:00.000+05:30Read this,http://raghurame.sulekha.com/blog/post/2...Read this,<BR/>http://raghurame.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/10/what-can-india-afford.htm?utm_source=BoSMailer&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=W2_1211_blogs<BR/><BR/>ManoshijChanchalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05000818926880088096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653188975343905818.post-90035153288840954552008-11-14T19:10:00.000+05:302008-11-14T19:10:00.000+05:30Two-days late, and a chain of wonderful comments h...Two-days late, and a chain of wonderful comments have already flowed in! That is progress.<BR/><BR/>It's quite the same old story, but has been brought out differently and that is what is commendable. <BR/><BR/>Reminded me of Jefferey Archer's A Prisoner Of Birth, based on similar stuff.<BR/><BR/>Manoshij BanerjeeChanchalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05000818926880088096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653188975343905818.post-8944534726694300712008-11-14T12:02:00.000+05:302008-11-14T12:02:00.000+05:30This comment has been removed by the author.Suvro Chatterjeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027202980259279420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653188975343905818.post-7453564762143032152008-11-14T10:56:00.000+05:302008-11-14T10:56:00.000+05:30Thank You Sir for your comments at my blog. I have...Thank You Sir for your comments at my blog. I have corrected the error. It was such an awful mistake. <BR/><BR/>That frog came as a real surprise to me. I was studying when I noticed it on the window. It is one of my best shots. Since the frog was sleeping, I was able to get many shots. This one had clear focus and good placement of subject.<BR/><BR/>The essence of photography lies in how good you are at observing your ambience. A brilliant eye and a wonderful heart is all that photography needs. Then comes the camera. It is important to note that one does not need a very expensive camera for photography; like the Nikon D3, which costs around 2 lakhs. But one should also understand that one cannot pursue this art seriously if one has a low range camera, or a compact camera for that matter. The manual mode of a compact camera is of not much use. So a middle range DSLR like the D60 or D40 is very essential for all kinds of photography. Those who say that the need for a DSLR is 'bakwas' and that photography is 'only about the eye', I strongly disagree with them. Even all the amateur and professional photographers that you may encounter will say you the same thing. <BR/><BR/>You see I do not have a camera. A DSLR is too costly for me. I use a compact camera of a sister who is kind enough to lend me hers. I wish I have a camera soon. I often pray God to give me a well-paid job on January so that I can work till June (as my MBA will start from July)and save enough money to buy a D60, with 18 to 105 mm lens. I need at least Rs. 40,000. I hope I succeed.<BR/><BR/>Take care,<BR/><BR/>Regards,<BR/><BR/>Subhanjan.Subhanjanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13754980269154740990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653188975343905818.post-15503625242327293592008-11-13T12:22:00.000+05:302008-11-13T12:22:00.000+05:30What a wonderful story! Apart from the style and l...What a wonderful story! Apart from the style and language - which are undoutably brilliant - the point of view is truly laudable.Subhanjanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13754980269154740990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653188975343905818.post-55380339938945553342008-11-13T12:14:00.000+05:302008-11-13T12:14:00.000+05:30Dear Mr. Chaudhuri,I must say that you are going t...Dear Mr. Chaudhuri,<BR/><BR/>I must say that you are going to enjoy a lot with us at Suvro Sir's blog. We are one happy family, talking and discussing on many things. We share books and movies, have fun and talk on several issues at Sir's house. He is a real good man. We were so lucky to have him as our teacher. And I believe you are a wonderful person too. <BR/><BR/>I have been thinking for sometime whether I should be having a blog or not. All of you write so well. Who will read me? <BR/><BR/>But now I have finally decided to have a blog. I have made my blog in 'Blogger' itself. The name of my blog is - My Third Eye.<BR/><BR/>In recent times I have discovered a genuine fondness for photography. To me, photography is a brilliant medium to portray the world. It appeals to me more than videography. Capturing the world and its people in still images is a very difficult task. Probably even in my eighties I will have to tell myself that photography is not for me. But right now I am trying; training my eye everytime I go outside. I am serious about this hobby. And I will carry on with it for years to come. <BR/><BR/>In my blog I have posted a few pictures that I have taken in recent times. There are four categories. There is also another category which has my sketches. <BR/><BR/>The URL is: <BR/><BR/>http://clickmoments.blogspot.com/<BR/><BR/>I will be glad if you pay a visit to it and post your thoughts. I hope others will pour their thoughts in soon.<BR/><BR/>Regards,<BR/><BR/>Subhanjan.Subhanjanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13754980269154740990noreply@blogger.com