Sunday, March 15, 2026

Sipra's Diary : ...." Foot -Print of memoir.'"...[ IQ,memory, mind]

  IQ , memory ,mind ...

  I learnt from my mom and later from book that  origin of human IQ is from 9 months to 9 years .  So the popular adage  runs if  those who lack intelligence at the age of 9, they lack it  even at 90.  Human IQ is closely related to brain .  A child can learn poem quickly than an adult or senior person  as the power of brain , and the power to memorize  is strong in early age than that of late age. 

But memory is different from IQ. [= intelligence Quotient].  I am well-known as  forgetful, careless person .  But I wonder when I retrospect then  some events of my very early childhood I can memorize,  even when I was less than 2years only!.....................

The age difference between me and my brother is only 2 years .The incident I remember...............

" .....We came back  at night [perhaps]  from my father's native village ......it was summer .......I woke up at midnight due to pang of hunger ;I came to  know perhaps for the first time kick of fasting  stomach ....I  was surprised to notice that all doors were unusually opened wide  at   night ....  it was moonlit night ;......I was able to see well through the opened door  outside the attached veranda and backyard.........

I called  again and again ,"ma ,ma!  

Sleepy mom  replied, 'umm'.....

" I am hungry; give me some food "........ 

 I went on repeating ....getting the 'same' response from mom.

 At last mom murmured,   'please wait until morning comes up'.........

My younger brother started to suck breast -milk  making sound "chuck,chuk'............

I felt I was  thirsty  also!

Again I called mom to say that & no response . 

Then somehow I managed to get down from the cot and came to the veranda where  I saw two earthen pots of water  kept in the corner ;   I tried first with the smaller one which  did not have any water ;   then   I inserted my hand with glass into the big pot and collected little sedimentary water after trying two three times...... I came back to room .after drinking  that much.......insufficient 

........ suddenly a crow called 'caw caw'.....

With the high hope  that  'desired morning 'has come ....I called my mom again gleefully ,  

"ma,  ma ,  wake up !  crow calls, 'wake up'... it is morning ,.......I'am hungry, wake up!  give me food "

Sleepy  mom replied    "morning  is yet to approach later ,........come here and lie down .".........

.....I heard only one crow called once ....then silent ....[ was it also  cry  due to hunger?], .....looking back I saw  the  moonlit backyard under  the clear blue   sky!...............

  Perhaps I was convinced that I need  to lie down and wait  for the morning to come .........

I tried to  get up on the cot to lie beside mom.......but it was too hard to get up ........it was too  high for me  to get up ...  I don't know howI got down ......I tried and tried.......


. ......the rest was  lost ......

  I didn't remember  what happened after................

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Humiliation

Another event  : My father was transferred in Modhupur, Bihar.; he got his accommodation  in a neighborhood  known as ' Saheb-Bunglow. most of our neighbors were white British people .  The Indians in the neighborhood also imitate British lifestyle. I had a sharp feeling that the place was different from the previous town we lived  .

I used to go to a friend named Babli's house every afternoon;  some other  girls used to come  to play in their  garden. Babli treated me as my  boss as I was much junior than her . She loved me as her vassal. Babli was the only daughter.  She had two unmarried sisters and a cousin sister . They all loved me. 

One afternoon as I went to play ,  Babli with her family members was going out  . She caught my hand and asked her mother to accompany me with them . First I objected ; but it was just upstairs their house; she pulled my hand .  They were invited for birthday party  of their daughter; perhaps there were some more guests . Babli's  family  were greeted warmly by the host family .All the guests were chatting , laughing in festive mood ;

I was sensitive ;I was feeling  I was not welcomed there ;  I should not come as I saw nobody of my family! But Babli caught my hand as soon as I was trying to slip  away.   Then the host served fancy dishes  full of snacks to guests  except me ; I felt to run out of the room ;  Just then an old lady casting  shocked look at me asked her daughter-in-law " O Bouma,  please give this cute baby, sitting here  with dry face; Aha-ha  poor girl!

A  disgusted  woman gave me  unwillingly only  rice-porridge in a metal bowl with spoon.  I felt  extremely humiliated.  I was  unwanted guest. A sense of  'guilty' to join as  uninvited  was also  hurting me! 

Babli was busy to unfurl the packets and look to the gifts.  So were the other guests also! I slipped away from the place to my home without  anybody's notice!  I did not disclosed the event to none at home!

So many years passed over me ; still  I carry the feeling  as I am writing ! 

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INSULT

 I was then in grade  four in  Giridih.  My father stayed here two and half years,....comparatively long time .  My childhood memory centering  Giridih  was quite rich in diversity and interesting to me.  I learnt many things here ! From  8 to 10 and half years were most glorious period of my childhood!

I was a student  of grade four in  Girls High School which was the number second schooling's my life .The school building and the surrounding  compound was larger than that of the # first school.

 .Grade four and five were free , no fees but  monthly one  'Quarter'. was charged for each student . My two brothers  had to give fees as they were in higher class . My mom used to give my brothers and me the "quarter"on the 16 th. of each month  as my father had his salary on the 15th of the month. Due to my sister's marriage  and festivals perhaps my mom forgot to give me that quarter.

One day after roll call the teacher announced :  

"following students are requested to meet the clark in the office as they are defaulters" ;  3girls including me in our  class went to the office where I saw some more [2/3 ] girls around the table of the clark.The clark was asking each one to clear the dues. When he turned to me I answered, "Sir I cannot give tomorrow but after the 15 th of the month. He turned his face  to me annoyedly , "Why?"

I answered  innocently,  "Because I can give after my father gets his salary."

"Huh!" "Can't give a quarter  in  time and coming to school  to study!"

  I  was not ready  at all for such thunder!

 It was summer ; the passing sun rays of early morning made his  ear pink ; he was very fair, tall , short  hairstyle like defense soldier ! Other girls  turned head towards me and  grinned. I wanted to run out of the office  but I couldn't. As if my feet was stuck  to floor  to become statue, in sheer insult!.....I came to class from the office . 

The clark's disdain voice  echoed  throughout the way while coming back to home;   .....I noticed my mom while she served me food... .At least 4/5 items, might be more in the plate .......I  told nothing to anybody ...... I played in  the afternoon ......but that disrespecting voice

ran on ...........

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Saturday, March 14, 2026

Sipra's Diary: Tapestry of memoir and memory.

 

TAPESTRY OF MEMOIR AND MEMORY

Seniors seem  to be autumn -plant 

 Even with soft   sentimental touch 

 Fall apart , fragments of memory

 Like   dry but tinted   leaves .


Where  flies the glamour or flavor of life?

If variety is the spice of life 

Why not memory be?

why laughter romance fun

vaporize  through strainer in memoir;

Leaving in arid desert only warm sigh and  tear?

Let sprinkle of laughter and humor

be    added   to  serve  as dessert !!

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    Memoir or autobiography is written on the basis of one's    "ABILITY'   to collect  memories ; one need to retain the past  events and images. 

 We passed through variety of experiences and emotions in life; Joys sorrows , love ,  loss  , gain ,laughter , fun festivals bitterness sufferings ,reward , insult and what not : whole gamut of emotions. 

We  the seniors, share our stories with one another in memoir classes  last two years The seniors focus mostly the negative side of life ;Out of ten members elaborately  write and explain about disease.  (mostly cancer), painful delivery of baby or death of beloved near and. dear one ., survival of   holocaust , neglected and troubled   childhood , unhappy marriage ending in   divorce, racism or surviver as  victim of rape  ; I feel   these are  no doubt painful events to forget ;But is n't life something more?

I always think why nobody writes   much about   stupidity   fun and humor  in every day life to make the readers' laugh. instead  of impressing their mind with tragedy ?   

Charlie Chaplin said" A day without laughter is a day wasted;Laughter is the tonic, the relief from pain."

Really,Life is a tragedy when  seen in close up, but become  comedy in long shot ; so   better to look life through  not microscope  but telescope .   Memoir is  a psychotherapy, a catharsis . Even the sad events loose  the edginess  as it becomes metamorphosis  through  the long gap of time ! 

I am noticing last 10/15  years the trend of literature is   turning to  add to  the  heap  of cook-book   storage and personal   memoir/ autobiography .  

Is it the future of  our  literature?

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                                                   Sipra Roy


Friday, March 13, 2026

Sipra's Diary : Covid-19... [Part of Fiction]

 As Ronjoy turned his head , he saw Kunal  is busy in counting  the bunch  of toilet papers seriously , as if solving  some mathematical problem ! 

Looking to  Ronjoy watching him , Kunal  said with glowing face ,”We have no problem of toilet papers at least for two weeks ! 

 

Ronjoy replied irritatingly, 

 

”Damn it; tissue or toilet papers should never be our problems till there is tap water; We have other  healthier alternatives ! Now the westerns  will  learn some good habit  and might follow us. Our problem is now ‘food’!

 

 Hamid giggled from the kitchen .  Looking to eyes of  Ronjoy , he replied promptly

‘ egg curry is done; only ten minutes more to finish rice,” just  like a doting mother pacifying her child. 

 

  'It’s fine; let us help you ;  Ronjoy started to clean the kitchen counter ;Kunal also  joined to make the plates ready C

 

 

“Hi guys! With a coffee mug Rachael,  [ their front door neighbor] entered and opening  the refrigerator   poured  some milk  in her mug  from the can without any formalities   and replaced the can in right place before closing the door. 

Rachael: I  need hot milk- coffee to drink, for I had a headache and cough.

 

Ronjoy jumped backwards from Rachael.

“So cough and headache! Any other symptom like throat-soar or fever ?.

 

Rachael: No, Mr. Corona-specialist!  She made distorted faces by showing tongue and shaking heads.  

 As She turned towards the door with her mug , Ronjoy rushed to her,


"Listen Rachael, can you lend me  one of  your ‘bra’ ? Rachael throws a stunt look to the eyes of Ronjoy directly  with slightly opened mouth in awe !

 Being embarrassed Ronjoy ,  stepped little backwards from Rachael;    he began to stammer in trembling voice

“ I m-mean , I m-m-for mmusk , pointing his nose covering with palm; fluttering his  palms helplessly he added ,n-no stock in Amazon.com ! 

 

By the time Emily, Rachael’s room-mate appeared   impatiently opening  the door “Coffee is brewing and I’m tired of waiting for milk”; She  snatched the mug from Rachael and the two women disappeared quickly.

                                                                        

Kunal  : You are really  crazy! Lucky  enough not to have a slap from her.........

"Come, dinner is waiting” said Hamid .


The three hungry boys finished  the plates in such a way that plates  looked   as clean  as washed ! 

Kunal:      Really, how did you learn to cook  so tasty meal, Hamid? 

Hamid:     Simply watching my Mom . 

 

‘Well, How long Sally  will take to come back from the Airport?  ‘Hamid asked .

                                                                                    

Ronjoy :  Not before 2 AM .I have told Sally to arrange some hotel for his Uncle who is coming directly from Hongkong .  He should not mind  that we can’t take risk of our life at this present situation! Let us put our utensils in dishwasher and celebrate  the Friday night with some comedy movie. 

 

The three took seat on the couch , each with a comforter so that they can sleep there, If needed .

The door-bell rang. ………….

 

With wide panicky eyes the three  boys uttered   simultaneously ,

”May be Sally with uncle!”

 

Disapproving their assumption, Rachael and Emily peeped with notorious smile from the half-opened door and threw two balls of cloth which struck to Ronjoy,s nose.

 “For your masks, you fertiled–brained Bong brats !”

With laughing comment they disappeared.

 

  Ronjoy quickly unfurled the balls and his face became bright with excitement as  he was  counting, 

“one, two, three bras” Ronjoy exclaimed ‘Hurray .’! Let us make masks for  us all. But we need needle and scissors. “

 

Hamid and Kunal rushed to their room to fetch those materials. Ronjoy put each cup

On his nose  before   distributing. He threw the big one to Hamid saying, “This one  will match to your big face.

  

Kunal   googled the image of mask in his  laptop .

They cut each bra in two pieces. Like expert tailors they  finished home -made mask.

within an hour; In front of mirror they put on for trial. 

 

Hamid with printed brown color  bra(m)-ask looked funny .

“You look like big cat ,“     kunal joked.

 

Removing the mask said  Hamid ,

 

”the pad is so thick that I have to die in suffocation , not in Corona. 

 

Ronjoy:    But we must admit that we can use it at least in case of emergency. I am really worried of Sally’s uncle from Hongkong ;  hope Sally won’t bring him here…….

Anyway our neighbor  is so helpful!

 

   As Sally called them to inform that   he will not return at night,

They switched off the TV and went  to sleep peacefully. *

 

 

Thursday, March 5, 2026

Sipra's Diary: ....AWFUL-. WEDDING".......

                                   Awful    Wedding 

 I went  Savanna in the wedding ceremony

 Of the children of my friends who invited  me.

It was April 2021, spring has just opened the screen

After suffocating in the prolonged quarantine !

All the pending proposals for bonding romantic love

To a stronger legal knot: 

Golden chain, flowery bed, dreamy land!


Savanna church is traditionally famous for

Arranging 'Community wedding' with prior

Appointment .My grand daughter of five years 

Accompanied me to be  bride's 'flower girl' .

 She experienced to get 'gifts'  as flower girl.


I went straight to the Church from the airport

And was greeted by my friends and David the groom,

With  wedding suit-boot -bow-tie and a gift-box

Containing a gaudy golden dress with hairband

For Lily, my grand-daughter who conveyed 

"Thanks' but asked impatiently  'where is the bride'?

Introducing Mike,David replied,'here is my bride '

But both  of us  share you  as flower girl,  sweetie!"

Lily gazed at  well dressed  Mike with suspicion--

"You are merely friend , how can  bride be  any man!"


With the Church  bell the priest announced the ceremony

Nine pairs of couple entered the church holding hand in hand

As per to their ticket number . Cheerful invitees in chat

Along  with  romantic  music erupting the background .

When turn for David and Mike came, Lily fell asleep

Too deeply to wake up ; perhaps in  utter despair  !

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Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Sipra's.Diary: "Sivaratri &Grandma's death " [Old Post].

    Today is "SIVARATRI". A religious  day  in India spent by many devotees in fasting wholeday, spending  the night awake with singing dancing , story-telling, fun-making  etc!

My daughter announced that she would  celebrate Sivratri on Wednesday with restricted diet instead of fasting !

I asked with surprise ," how do you come to know about it, when  I even didn't remember!' 

" O messages from my Indian friends are constantly coming from last two days!' 

As a psycho-naut  I sailed in memory lane and remember that my grandmother passed away on this day.  Her age  was 88. Last three months she was suffering in senility. Doctor used to visit her everyday and predicted that her life-span to be maximum ten days. But she was alive about 29 days more after the prediction.

On the day my father told my grandma ,

"  those who  die on this auspicious day of Sivaratri, they will go to heaven directly.I will be reading whole night  'Chondi' for you. to listen at the interval of each quarter of night ."

Grandma: 

" Really, my son, would  I go to heaven directly?

She glanced at father with her bright face  and  large eyes. 

 ....She was very much afraid of 'death'.

Just two days ago of sivaratri I was giving her foot -massage. As the evening sets in,  there was power cuts, room was semi-dark . I was about to leave her for bringing  a lamp. But she hold my palm tightly and said harshly,

"you shouldn't leave me alone now! Stay here embracing me !" 

--" I am going just to bring a lamp for this room."..........

  "No, you can't go leaving me alone;  then  she glanced frightfully all around the room raising her head from the pillow and gazing towards the glass-window whispered me panicked, 

"Open all the windows and door;  death is coming, [gasping] death is coming to take me ........pressing my hand more and more tightly.........

For a moment  I was terrified to think if she stopped living with my hands locked in her palm!...

 I wished to run  away.....

right at that moment  room was lighted simultaneously with chattering voice of my mom and  aunt!....

.....I felt so relieved ! 

....But for that  day  I found no shadow of death at all on her as she looked so fresh  with neatly combed hair in donut and milky-white dhoti.

My father called grandma at every quarter of night for her reciprocal response before chanting "chandi". 

But in last quarter of night she didn't respond . She remained silent!

My father gave call to the doctor .  The doctor checked her pulse and confirmed   that  She passed away.   All uncle-aunts and family members  staying in the same compound  crowded in our house within 10/15 minutes.

I was there to supply hot tea everyone. I noticed  grandma's peaceful face looking brighter compared to other day; Her body was still warm & soft like others !

Her death ceremony was celebrated with grandeur ...almost like wedding ceremony !

It happened more than 55 years  ago.

Long after,  it often came in my mind what was the image of 'Death' in the mind of my grandma !

....Was it  something like demon with large teeth and sharp nails? Why I didn't ask her about her  idea of Death when she asked me to stay with her because Death was coming to take her !   

 Why  was she afraid of staying or confronting death alone ? 

Did she think that she needed to fight with Death who is much stronger than her? Did she think me to join in fighting  with Death?

or,  it wouldn't enter when somebody would be seen with her ?

She suffered a lot with the fear of death; 

She looked divine when she  actually died . I think she had her last breathe peacefully  listening  hymns together with strong belief of going to heaven !

Grandma was married at the age of only 7.Her parent's house was  in the same neighborhood of the village . She was loved and adored by the villagers as she was the last person living of  her generation. So everyday senior visitors used to throng our house to entertain her with memoir and also her favorite snacks which were restricted by doctor.

 After her cremation on that  day of  Shivaratri, uncles villagers came back home in the evening . They were sitting scattered in the  back yard lobby and ruminating  anecdotes from  memory.

 One uncle commented with a sigh, 'her death marked the end of One Generation of this village!

             Some queer incident happened at that night !

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Sipra's Diary. Poem>. "SPIRIT OF LOVE".

 

      SPIIRIt Of LOVE  

What is love ?

The four syllables  spin the universe eternally  like a top ! 

Is love pain in pleasure, or pleasure in pain? Or both.

 In specific  segment of age , is  it a hormonal disease!

Teasing , itching , pulling between two extremes :

Sorrow and joy!


Art, music poetry would  never be born without love !

Tragedy in literature throughout ages  impress us deeper.

Love adds  the fragrance, beauty and color of  Flower

In any relationship  it is the invisible bond of power !

It can crack the rocky heart or melt the snow  .

Without love life on earth is  arid desert , an inferno!

Love is  followed  by hate, jealousy,  and  physical lust, 

Causing  conflict  between romantic couple to break up!  

Love remains fresh unless nobody tries to own or possess

 If  force  comes  to overpower , spirit of  love evaporates ;

Theme of all epics spins around   love, heroism and betray

Tragedy impress us deeper in literature, but in reality

It torn life  apart;  'Our sweetest memory tells the saddest story' 

Enjoyable in movie and theater ,  nor in reality! 

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Thursday, February 19, 2026

Sipra's Diary : Poem> Literary Citizenship

  Literary Citizenship.


How   long   I  will be a refugee

 Roaming around the periphery

  Of  literary garden   for  entry !

Seeking  asylum under some  shady tree;

Or a corner to join   similar souls like me!

Is there any hope to be welcomed by elite  angel

Or to get shower of blessing from Athena !

Surely 'nope nope, nope'  is the only answer. 

i

With electronic crown  adorned  in AI  devices 

 Athena replies with sigh "I am no more goddess!''

Pointing to her crown,  "IT  is your New  goddess!

 Online Whole-sale market is  getting ready to bless 

Whoever  will afford this crown on their  heads.

The new Digital village will be founded with lava 

On  the   archaic cemetery of  creative  sepulture.

                                                                     Sipra Roy

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