The games of our childhood and other times

Bagadulli - This was gifted to us my our maternal uncle and it should still be lying in some corner of our house. I am not sure this generation has ever seen it, forget playing.

Other than this Ludo used to be a constant entertainer and so was carrom during the endless winter afternoons. Recently my dad bought a Ludo for my niece and we all sat down to play the same like re-living those pats days.

There are other games which remind me of several things and these are Mario and Gobman. of which Gobman was my personal favourite. I would even dream of it. Then there was those troubles times for project hunting during the final year of my post graduation and me and my roomie would endlessly play Road Rash. Then pin bowling during my job hunting days and recently Bubble Shooter during the project hunting days at work.

These games are etched in memory like nothing else and seeing one play or trying to play myself brings the memories back in no time.

Is this me?

And all these...do they matter anymore?
May be they do, may be they don't....
But why shouldn't they if I care to ask
Has my priorities changed?
But is it just one thing that I can take care of?
May be I am missing, may be I am being missed....
Or may be I should...I should be the same
May be I should be just what I am..........

Trying to understand...

What is it with men and free drinks? Why do they go out of all control and why do they think it's their birth right??? Someone help me understand this please!

The Joys of Reading

This one won be a prize at the Book Lovers contest at my work place.

Reading itself is a joy! At times it transports you to a world where you have never been before; you can visit a new city, live in a house by the sea, bathe in the warm afternoon sun even while you are sipping your cup of tea or while you are traveling. You lose your sense of the presence and jump with joy when the book's lead character has found his/her dream person or you can play a detective and see a murder mystery unfold.

Books show you life and times you would otherwise never know! You could travel back to the Victorian era and learn about the intricacies of dressing or you could travel to the future and live on capsules instead of food. Books help you overcome fear by reading about people who have captured all obstacles and made their mark in human history, books tell you how wars started over petty matters, books show you how some mothers have sacrificed for the sake of their children and books tell you how many a cruel heart has been purified by a little gesture of love.

Books are your friends on whom you can rely any day, they can fit into your smallest of bags and they give you company where others have failed. No matter what stress or tension in life you are going through, you just need to open the right book and your answers will come to you and your tensions will cease. Books as they say, are indeed treasure we need to keep!

Friend once...

Shocked and surprised! So what If I have not been in touch with Paromita since Class X; that's many many years now! But the news of her death has brought back all those memories alive of how we came back from school together, how we spent many winter afternoons gobbling oranges at the backyard of her house or mine, how we spent the Durga Puja days and many more.It has been many many years now and life's other business did not give me much time to remember all these very often and partly because she and her family moved to Guwahati just after our 10th I guess and she never said a formal goodbye before leaving. We both walked on different paths and I don't know if ever she remembered me and felt the need to talk but whatever has been her life like in these years, I wish her peace now.Never once did I try to search her on FB but now that I have heard of the unfortunate end I want to go and look for her and see how she looked like now but there is no point, just no point.Again wondering at the uncertainities of life...in some pain and sadness...

Baba

If mom's been love, dad's been tough
If mom's been angry, dad brought laughter
Holding hands, he led us to school
Riding us on his back, he led us to play
He is the summer sun of my life, he has been the winter's cool
He stays and listens to all my tales
He laughs and jokes when I act silly
He takes pride when I win
He loves seeing me smile
He silently weeps when I am sad
He is the bright star of my life
He is the sun of my mom's life
He's strict on days, he's lenient at heart
He is my doctor, he is my friend
He is my guide
He's my direction

There is a bit of pride in me
There is a bit of pride that i need
Tell me fair when I cross  the line and I shall see from where you stand
I shall erase any bit of ego
But I can't be you, for I am I
What am I if I have to be you?