A Song that inspired Pancham Da

Original Version:
"Sing" - by "Carpenters"

Sing, sing a song
Sing out loud
Sing out strong
Sing of good things, not bad
Sing of happy, not sad

Sing, sing a song
Make it simple
To last your whole life long
Don’t worry that it’s not good enough
For anyone else to hear
Just sing, sing a song

(La la la la la, la la la la la la
La la la la la la...)

(Sing, sing a song
Let the world sing along
Sing of love there could be
Sing for you and for me)

Sing, sing a song
Make it simple
To last your whole life long
Don't worry that it's not good enough
For anyone else to hear
Just sing, sing a song
(Just sing, sing a song)

Just sing, sing a song
(La la la la la, la la la la la la
La la la la la la...
La la la la la, la la la la la la
La la la la la la...
La la la la la, la la la la la la
La la la la la la...
La la la la la, la la la la la la
La la la la la la...
La la la la la, la la la la la la
La la la la la la...
La la la la la...)

RDBurman's Version:
"Phir Wohi Raat Hai" - from movie "Ghar"

phir wahi raat hain
hmm hmm hmm ....
phir wahi raat hain
phir wahi raat hain
khwaabo ki
raat bhar khwaab mein dekha karenge tumhe
phir wahi raat hain
phir wahi raat hain
phir wahi raat hain
khwaabo ki
raat bhar khwaab mein dekha karenge tumhe
phir wahi raat hain

masoom si neend mein jb koi sapna chale
humko bula lena tum palko ke parde tale
yeh raat hain khwaab ki khwaab ki raat hain
phir wahi raat hain

phir wahi raat hain
phir wahi raat hain
khwaabo ki

kaanch ke khwaab hain aankhon mein chubh jayenge
palko mein le na inhe aankho mein rut jayenge
yeh raat hain khwaab ki khwaab ki raat hain
phir wahi raat hain
phir wahi raat hain
phir wahi raat hain
khwaabo ki

raat bhar khwaab mein dekha karenge tumhe
phir wahi raat hain
raat hain, raat hain

Listen and get inspired !!!

Book Review: Call of the Wild by Jack London

I just finished the book "Call of the Wild" by Jack London". I had a recommendation on this book from Amit Da who is ardent reader and book lover.

I really liked the storyline, the characterization and overall presentation in the book. The tale is all about Buck, a 4yrs old shepherd dog, who is kidnapped from a judge's residence and later pass through the hands of multiple owners thereby being forced to face hard cruelty and struggle (for existence and survival) in real life.

The vivid descriptions and expressions used throughout in the book has brought out Buck as more of a lively person than a dog. One will feel very close to Buck's feeling out of all his experiences. Indeed a great work, or a portrait, by Jack London.

I really liked the following lines from the book (Chapter III. The Dominant Primordial Beast):
"There is an ecstasy that marks the summit of life, and beyond which life cannot rise. And such is the paradox of living, this ecstasy comes when one is most alive, and it comes as a complete forgetfulness that one is alive. This ecstasy, this forgetfulness of living, comes to the artist, caught up and out of himself in a sheet of flame; it comes to the soldier, war-mad on a stricken field and refusing quarter."

I won't spoil the fun by telling about the ending in the book. It is a must read for all story lovers.

I have plan to read the counterpart of this book by the same author - "White Fang"

Durga Puja in Bangalore 2008

Hello Everybody!


View Larger Map

In continuation to my earlier posts about Durga Puja in Bangalore(2007) , here I present the updated list of sites where Durga Puja Celebrations are going on. There have been some minor changes in the venue of Puja and some additions. So far, there have been 34 puja's been registered with the Ulsoor Bengali Association, but listed below are the puja's I am aware of.

Following are the places, that I came to know through various sources, where Durga Puja Celebration is happening all around Bangalore this year (04 October 2008 to 09 October 2008).

1. Ulsoor Bengali Association (Location: RBANMS Exhibition Ground near Commercial Steet,Shivajinagar)


2. Socio Cultural, Indiranagar, Cambridge Layout (Location: Defence Colony Park in 2nd/3rd Cross joining 80Ft Road and 100Ft Road in Indiranagar, HAL 2nd Stage. Direction: From 80Ft road take the road opposite to Spencer's)


3. Koramangala, Sarathi Socio-Cultural Trust (Location: Mangala Kalyan Mantapa, 80 ft Road, Koramangala 8th Block. [Opp. Ganesha Temple, next to Aangan Restaurant, near Forum Mall])


4. Koramangala, Sarathi Socio Cultural Forum (Location: Muni Reddy Kalayana Manthapa,6th Block, Koramangala,(Location: 80 Ft Road, Opp. BMP Park & Near Koramangala Post Office))


5. JP Nagar, South Bangalore Cultural Association (Location: N.R.Kalyana Mantapa, adjacent to Mandavi Motors Workshop,Bannerghatta Road, 2nd phase J P Nagar)


6. Jayamahal Sarbajanin Durga Puja (Location: Jayamahal Ladies Club Ground, Off Nandi Durga Road, Jayamahal)


7. R.T.Nagar Bihari Association (Location : Next to Cafe Cafe Day in R.T.Nagar)


8. Airforce Command Hospital (Location: Inside Command Hospital, Cambridge Layout, Indiranagar/Another approach is there from Airport Road Side on the way to MGRoad)


9. Jalahalli Airforce Base (East/West) (Location: Jalahalli Airforce Base)


10. K.R.Puram Durga Puja (Location: Sea College Campus, Near K.R.Puram Main Market after I.T.I - Off old madras road)


11. Brookfield Durga Puja, POORVA BANGALORE CULTURAL ASSOCIATION (Location: Opposite HLL, in marriage hall, close to Coffee Cafe Day)


12. Whitefield Durga Puja (Location: Inner Circle of Whitefield Village, close to Nilgiris in Whitefield)


13. Attibele Durga Puja, BANGALORE RURAL ASSOCIATION (Location: Near Attibele bus terminal circle, HosurRoad,3rd year)


14. Corporation Circle , Durga Puja (Location: Beside Hotel Geo near Hudson Circle and Bangalore Corporation)


15. AirForce Colony Murgeshpalya Durga Puja (Location: Murgeshpalya Army Base, Wind Tunnel Road, NearManipal hospital)
    
16. AirForce Campus Mekhri Circle Durga Puja (Location: Just after Mekhri Circle towards Hebbal on the left side of the Road)


17. Hosur, Durga Puja in Taluk office(Location: Near Balaji Theatre of Hosur City)


18. Marathahalli, Durga Puja near Marathahalli Bridge (Location: In Munnekolala, near to Marathahalli Railway Bridge on Varthur Main Rd)


19. Kaggadaspura Durga Puja (Second Year) (Location: 29 Cross, Janajeeva Nest, Near SCT College,Kaggadaspura, Bangalore.)


20. Malleshwaram (Location: Canara Bank Union Hall, Malleshwaram)


21. R. T.NAGAR SARBAJANIN DURGA PUJA SAMITI (Location: At Sai Baba Temple, Near R.T Nagar Bus Terminus)


22. BANSWADI BENGALI CULTURAL UNION - (Location: Sitarama Kalyana Mandap, Banaswadi main road, Bangalore-560 043 - Near Uttam Sagar Restaurant)


23. YELAHANKA, VIVEKANANDA CULTURAL ASSOCIATION (Location: Seshadripuram 1st Grade College Campus, opposite Railway Reservation Counter, New Town, Yelahanka)


24. SANJAY NAGAR PUJA, ANTARANGA BENGALI CULTURAL ASSOCIATION (Location: Ramana Maharishi Centre for Learning, Post Office Road, Sanjay Nagar)
25. Sai Samridhi , near Varthur-ITPL Road Signal on Varthur Main Road. They are organizing inside their apartment complex.
26. Nandini Layout, NORTH BANGALORE CULTURAL ASSOCIATION (Location: “Mandir”; 8A, FTI Colony, Nandini Layout, Near Nandini Layout Bus Terminus)

Puja Schedule & Timings:[PDF][Webpage]

I wish you all sharadiya greetings on the occasion of Durga Puja Festival. Pujo sobaar bhalo katuk!

Best Regards,

Sourav

P.S: Feel free to ask me for any directions. Please post your feedback in blog's comment section or email me souravbasugmailcom.

Funny Conversation

Below are collection of some funny cutouts in Bengali which I had received through forwarded email. And here goes the translation:

Conversations Before Marriage: (After marriage:)
Boy: So, you are ready at last! I was hardly able to wait for it.
Girl: Will you leave me?
Boy: No not at all. Don't ever think about it.
Girl: Do you love me?
Boy: Obviously, forever.
Girl: Will you ever cheat me?
Boy: No way, how could you ever think about that?
Girl: Will you ever play with my beautiful hair?
Boy: Yes, whenever I will get a chance I will.
Girl: Will you ever hurt me?
Boy: Are you mad? I am not that type of person.
Girl: Would I will be able to trust on you?
Boy: Yes
Girl: Oh my Darling !!

(For coversation after marriage, just read the above conversations in reverse order (i.e, from bottom to top)).

And here is one more on definitions in Bengali...this one is difficult to be translated

Another Nostalgic Song in Bengali - E Jeno Ajana Ek Poth

E Jeno Ajana Ek Poth

Ke jane kothaye hobe sesh

Sapno eki cheye je dekhi

e jeno achena ek desh !

Janina du chokhe mor

E alo choralo aaj ke?

Janina notun e gaan

E prane bhoralo aaj ke?

Phurale e gaan robe resh

Ohhhhhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhhhhh Ohhhhhhh....

E Jeno Ajana Ek Poth

Ke jane kothaye hobe sesh

Khushi holo mon akhas ke aaj dekhe

kaatbe amaar belaa shudhu-i chobi enke

janina kane kane ki katha batash koye jaye

janina e mon amar kanoje jharna hoye jaye

hariye jete lage re

Ohhh Ohhh Ohhh....

E Jeno Ajana Ek Poth Ke jane kothaye hobe sesh

Sapno eki cheye je dekhi e jeno achena ek desh !

Another nostalgic bengali song from the film "Rajkanya (1965)". Actor Uttam Kumar is looking stunning in this song. Shymal Mitra's composition and singing has added the eternal touch to the song doing justification to the flawless lyrics.

Cannibalism - Yuck ! Yuck ! Yuck !

Today as I was searching for something on the web, my attention caught on an article posted in "How Stuffs Work" ... it is on How Cannibalism Works.

The first thing that comes into our mind whenever we hear the word Cannibalism is eating human flesh. The dictionary explains it as "The practice of eating the flesh of your own kind".

Just for the sake of curiosity I read the first page of the article. It is so fascinating that it has been there from pre-historic days and someway or the other people have been following it - some by means of rituals and others are forced to do so for living.

The article talks about two kind of cannibalism (aka anthropophagy in science):

1. Customary anthropophagy - where people practise this out of their interest.
2. Survival anthropophagy - where people have no other option but to adapt, for survival.

It is so amazing to know how at different situations people have turned into Survival Anthropophagy just for survival. It reminds me of a movie which I saw sometime back where people survived a plane crash on the high top of mountain and could survive 70 days by forcing themselves to eat people who died in the crash. And also about another documentary in Discovery Channel where they were showing how to survive in extreme situations like if you are deserted in a sea or island.

It was interesting reading to know about lot more facts and history associated with this. If interested please visit : http://history.howstuffworks.com/historians/cannibalism.htm

Anyway, to make it short, what I feel that all these facts proves clearly that we human have a strong presence of animal characteristics within ourselves and we can go to any extent for the sake of self survival. In turn, it also proves Darwin's theory on existing of species - hence leading to the truth that "Man is the most intelligent species in this World".

Subha Mahalaya

You can listen to Mahalaya online here:

PART1

PART2

Wish you Subha Mahalaya and Advance Sharodiya-r preeti subhechha !!