Sipra's Diary: Birthday Celebration in BAHAMA. /

 

Ba, Bah, BAH-AMA!  

We were invited by my daughter's friend who celebrated her B-day. in Bahama  island.  It was a party of twenty .We spend there five gala days. First day for  the city tour by  fancy bus , second day  boat journey on the ocean; the young folk enjoyed  fun in snorkeling & playing  golf on  the beach & taking lunch in  a restaurant of island. I picked some shells which I left in the  balcony of the hotel by mistake .On the third day grand celebration of birthday party in an  Indian restaurent;  food along  with drinks-dance-music!was awesome.The added attraction for me was the event of my debut launching "EYEs Are Notorious"!

People of Bahama are  nice, warm -hearted and tourists-friendly. 

It seemed my room on the hotel was hanging on the ocean! I enjoyed ocean view all the time.Here color of the ocean is very different from others . Weather was nice.All the hotels were full of tourists who came on spring  break.There were two/three swimming  pools.We enjoyed the water glide on tube .Whole day the pools & beach were crowded with merry-making  people. 

I felt water still little cool for me . So I enjoyed from my balcony the  elaborate, ' massive bikini cum butt-show':  bony butt, fleshy butt,         big butt like tea-table of all ages:  

Butty-Bahama !

Most bikinis are made of more scanty cloth than they  used to be ;  Some bikinis are like dental  floss  between two variety of halves..............    

whereas the men folk were in normal swimming dress.Because the poor folks  haven't any extra flesh on chest or butt to compete! 

I wish the bikini 'designers' & their marketeers  to be guillotined by constitutional law!

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Sipra's Diary : JAN2, 2020,BACK TO New York.

 

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Sipra,s Diary: JAN 2, 2020,Back To New York

                                                    
                                                    Back to New York from Calcutta


It was Jan2nd Our flight touched the land of JFK, NewYork at dawn-,5:30 .After the security check

and  luggage-collection we took Uber at 6:A.M .....Outside was still dark .....

Each and every dawn and  evening  are always special  and auspicious to me; So,on the way to my

apartment the calm and quite morning  with the touch of the soft mild glow of the sun revealing the

sleeping city carefully  just like a doting mother to her beloved baby,  offered a visual buffet to me !

 This revealing of day from the dark appeals to me as the very  First  Dawn of the  Planet Earth with


 her magnificent beauty of Nature as well as man-made  sky scraper, high-rise half dark buildings

 with blinking windows, opening her  dreamy eyes to drink her own beauty and flushing red  in

romance like a new bride, as the rising sun, her first love openly embracing and kissing her ....
,
The cab was running parallel by the river Hudson; People of the city are still in slumber; Even the

 river Hudson was lying still under the quilt of fog .

I reached my apartment with the feeling of a wandering bird coming back with empty stomach in its

own nest. "

"Empty " stomach --- because I don't get any psychological nutrition of my expectation while

staying in India for last couple of years. I  made plan  to do something before going but most of them

remained unfulfilled. I wished to visit some  close aged relatives  staying scattered in the metro

city I was born and accomplished higher studies but I could not go alone..The city with new costume

is difficult for me to go here and there: Old roads with new names and new fly-overs hiding the

known roads banished me in confusion To my delight ,I saw some buses ,protecting their identity

still  run with  old numbers to old destination. Whether shabby-looking shops or buses with old  

 names, became animate to me: very much  vibrant ; they glanced at me ,  "hmm You !you look

somewhat familiar, are you-"?


  I remember-   T-2  International Airport in Mumbai is  really huge and a baroque piece of art and

grandiose. The executive lounge is more luxurious than the Persian Palace ..........Let  the caption

"India  is rising" float or swing and let me basking on that picture. It is true,the economic condition of

people as a whole has suddenly improved. We have to seek now poor people to donate our old

clothes or left over food.  Even up to 2007 this airport looked like a den :dirty, smelly and reigned by

mosquitoes.I could not sit in the lounge: I left as soon as my son with newly wedded wife entered the

for check -in- luggage  section..

..Our flight was at  12:45 AM from T-2 terminus. So after couple of

hours watching on the map root of our flight I fell asleep  almost twelve hours.


We reached  at 5;30  in JFK airport of New York ;I felt not only sad but shame for  the  unadorned            
basic  look of  the  New York airport which is  globally supposed to be the best.    JFK airport,

the most glorified  global place looked so ordinary compared to yesterday's T-2 airport of

Mumbai! As if, I landed from the  bright heaven to the  muddy earth . All around the crowd of

passengers were mostly Asians and miscellaneous . Had  this  dream -land of the  world  really

  turned into a  common place open for anyone to enter in?


I remembered the story of "Happy Prince " [[of Oscar Wilde]]  who was bereft of all royal grandeur

 with the help of a little swallow who took shelter under the feet of prince's' statue, gave away all his

jewels from his body, one by one, even the gem from his eyes, to remove  tear and poverty of all the  needy    people of his city.

What was the ultimate result?

 When  the city aldermen saw   the bare and ugly  iron statue of the Prince ,they ordered  the statue  

 to be   thrown  away from the lofty pedestal to replace by another new piece of art which would

glorify the city.

    Is it desirable  that the  fate of New York city -cum-United States of America to become   like

that of the fabled story of the HAPPY PRINCE ? I remembered couple of years ago President Trump

once lamented about the NY JFK airport that it seemed, as if, he landed in some third world country

compared to Beirut or Beijing airport. Trump as president might be novice ,and aberrant in speech

or  behavior; but as an  American, no doubt,   he loves the country deeply .  Otherwise , he

would not have felt that type of  pinch.  Only unflinching love can stir up  similar

feeling from the heart;though this type of love is considered as  narrow and selfish  from idealistic

point of view.

                             Did any president of US ever had such feeling or comment before? ....Might be

with Lincoln or Hamilton, or..

Sipra's Diary : (Re) Journalism &. Journalists!!

 

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Urmila's Letter :: Tadpole or Chameleon

          





The position of journalism in a democracy is almost as powerful as a nuclear bomb; but not so....  for the journalists. Their position is precarious. After all, it is a job, a career for them; they wish to marry and maintain family-like other and not to be martyrs like freedom fighters.
But they need to act like that of a 'vocal hero' with a digital pen which is mightier than the sword' throughout the career- life: double role! A double-coloured balloon pumped with (questionable!) patriotism. In one hand they project themselves as a supporter of social welfare to cajole and coax the public sentiment. Because people are the King-maker in democracy; so the axis of journalists is tilted towards the mass . And Government also holds silent support to the social media to fuel the people's sentiment by criticizing government's act at random so that people,s steam of anger is vaporized by them through the 'rights' to express free opinions. Freedom to criticize the ruling party is a great catharsis for the people to keep the political atmosphere cool down. So media acts as a cooling conductor between the public and the ruling party to protect the government from unwanted rebel and fury of the mass.

 So the status of journalists in a democratic state is to remain either as chameleons or tadpoles in water but near the land; tadpoles look like a school of small fish or baby snake; journalists need to please both: the public and government..Like tadpoles sometimes need to kiss the frog or snake or dive underwater like fish, depending on the situation. They need public support for their sustenance but for the survival?.. They need the favour of the ruling party; they encourage the thief to steal in one hand and warn the householder to be alert on the other hand. But never forget to maintain an under-current connection with the ruling power, the oxygen supplier.
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Sipra's Diary:[ Repo ]Avocado-the Green Gold.

 

 

At the end of my everyday morning walk from two years back up to now, I used to enter Morton-William as finishing touch to pick up some bread or vegetable. I noticed avocado,  banana, and zucchini are very cheap compared to other items.3/4 and sometimes 5 avocados for $1.I did not like avocado until I tasted a sandwich with avocado spread with a pinch of salt and pepper in some Jewish Party.  It is popular as "butter fruit" in  Mexican locality It is also the backbone of the local economy known as "green-gold" in Mexico to fetch money by exporting in a foreign land, especially in the US. I learnt that it is good for health. Since then I used to buy it; good for breakfast, both as a spread on bread instead of butter or as smoothy.
I was surprised to notice the sudden rise in price: $3 for one avocado. I told my daughter, "see,  just as we started liking zucchini and avocado, their  price goes up."
I learnt avocados come mostly from Mexico and Colombia.  It had been cultivated in Mexico about 9000 years ago. Food magazines have made these items popular by propagating their food value so high that it became the fruit of global trade... As the demand goes up,price naturally rises...
But the story is something more. Avocados grow mainly in the volcanic rich soil of Michoacan state in Mexico. The high global demand for avocado has created a mafia group who plundered all avocados from the land of the farmers at night time. The farmers have to buy insurance to protect against the robberies which caused the prices to go up. Thus the mafia group now control the avocado business....
"Avocados are Nafta's(North American Free Trade Agreement) shining stars," said some economist.
... So the behavioural-psychology-cum-geo- economics etc. have been more complicated by the influence of the criminal bugs; high price is not due to a simple matter of the previously known theory of the demand-supply relationship of the see-saw.
  Every time I toss the idea whether should I buy or not as I  look at the price-tag of an avocado: a dark green, pear-shaped fruit, simple(but ugly and repulsive to look),  too, trails a  stained history!  though it is neither gold nor diamond nor drug, still.......
                      ' et too, avocado!' 

You were fine so far,
In the lap of the volcanic father,
Throughout  more than a thousand years;
Sheltered  safely in shady leaves
And feeding the son of the soil.
Soon you will be invisible there,
As NAFTA blew your veil                                 
In the open global market
To fill a global appetite.

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Sipra's Diary: Oc-9th/2024Nostalgic feel in Durgapuja 2024

NOSTALGIC FEEL OF DURGPUJA .............. 2024. 

  Durga-Festival is the biggest festival of us, of BengaleseToday is "Sosthi".As I opend my eyes I saw  through window outside is bright. I checked the room , assuming that tuki. was asleep . 

No. 

Bed was empty. She went Office.I felt emptier than normal empty.Festival always pushes me in  chidhood .The sound of drum-beating[dhak]create waves of joy in mind..

Today's morning, bright golden sunlight created sad tune.:

.."What a morning is this!(2)

  As if  darker than no-moon  night!

But dusting off the negative feeling  I took shower with shampoo ,regular worship & pitch a bowl of water , incense-stick infant of goddess Durga, took cornflakes for breakfast.

 ...phone rang. My brother called me  from Calgary and continue one hour  chatting.  I felt refreshed.

Sipra's diary: ***. My. First time voting as US Citizen.-2024.

 

                                                     Me, the Early Voter    ..............WORDS=684

As I opened my eyes ,   I noticed the clock announcing the time as 7:45am. My daughter planned last night that we would go for early voting in the morning before the booth would become crowded.. So I took quick shower with regular morning rituals.As if , I am going temple for worshipping. .After getting ready we reached to John Jay College  by a cab. 

Full of excitement to have experience  physically of  First voting in America. I was ruminating the memory of  India in my subconscious mind . It was like festival to me in India;& carry the same feelings here also.

We reached the venue with 5/6 minutes. Number of volunteers ,(mostly seniors,)  were much more than that of  voters. We were greeted warmly from the entrance door to the counter all along  The volunteers were standing every 3 feet distance with smiling faces to guide us . The warm greeting reminded me wedding ceremony of India .

Any way coming to the #5 table  one of the volunteer gave the ballot paper & explained what to do.  After collecting the paper my daughter explained me second time . I knew the name of Trump as Republican and  Kamala  Harris as Democrat ; But there were names of more people [ i.e of state , of Supreme Court],of whom   I never heard.    There were some names  who were also without any of the rivals .   

Within ten minutes we  exploited  the highest civic power  of democracy in the greatest land  of the globe !

 'et Brutus too!'........

On my coming back home, I remembered Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" where Caesar commented about the  people as 'Roman mob' who were rejoicing then  Caesar's victory, but another time would act in the same way  to his enemy also, with the same enthusiasm    as they were not guided by reason, but  sheer Emotion.!        

I am not illiterate; still even after 400years I consider myself even  today a part of ancient Roman 'mob' while casting vote! 

Do I know exactly who  is the right man to guide & lead this land and its people to brighter  future with prospect?

Again the image of theatric shot  propped up in mind

                      'et Brutus too!'

 TRIUMPH  Of  TRUMP.[2024 ]

 Nov 5th/2024 was a very important day not only for this country, but for the whole world . This time election was full of speculation with excitement. The nation waited restlessly around the t.v. or  i-phone until they hear the  final result of election. 

Before 12'o clock night victory of the Republican was announced !        some  cheered the victory while some were sad with broken heart! Some expressed the victory of Trump against Harris as gender-victory! It appears to me little odd. But in the land of  LGBT the mass thought is naturally moves on  offtrack dump (b)-y way.

Democracy is the best administrative form in small country; but in large country  like America, practically  it is hard to follow!   90%voters are ,(whether literate or illiterate), ignorant of knowledge or wisdom about the true welfare of  country; they are mostly devoid of love for the land ; they know about their rights well but forget that duties for the country are also of same weight ! They lack national pride or feeling . 

Patriotic songs ignite & enhance the flame of lamp in mind .No schools follow national song.  National song should be included in school curriculum : from K-1. to 12grade.  Surprisingly, American Constitution  did not mention of any national language  for this country as it is a land of multiple nations. So far I know that  every  country has  own national flag, national language and national  coin.  

From early school life the kids should come under the canopy of the same  national song &learn the sacrifice of  the heroic  leaders & martyrs.  The first step of international citizen is to have clear concept of  becoming  national.  A child who never learns to love &. respect own mothers, is mostly  bereft of those basic emotions for anybody! The age-old proverb says 'charity begins at home'.

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Sipra's Diary:[Rep]> SANTACLAUS

 

LIVE SANTACLAUS IN NEWYORK

 I saw him on the pavement

Leaning against the iron railing

Of the Roosevelt building:

The morning sunshine

Reflected on his pink skin,

The white-beard face   with  such  grace 

 Resembling as Santa Claus without a red dress!

 Reached early to bless!

who is he?

The divine joy  and bliss  from  his  glowing face

Spilt over me like foaming milk!

It seemed an earthquake flood or storm

 Nothing can   him disturb or harm.

He was in his own mind,

 Looking  at nobody.

With grocery-bag in my hand 

I saw   him

He was in his own mind,

Looking at nobody! Was he blind?

He seemed to be  such an adorable man 

That I hesitate to release

 The coins from my left hand

Though I wished to do something for him!

Next time  as I saw the place was empty

So in honour of him,

With his thought in  my mind,

I made some offering 

In the nearest church. 

Before Thanks-Giving!

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