Saturday 22 November 2014

Never good at good bye...

There's a saying called kupamanduk or kuo-r bang in Bengali that means 'frog in a well.' Being born and brought up in one of the most charming cities in the entire world meant becoming a frog in a well in some sense or the other.I never left the city till a certain age and all my favourites started and ended in the city-my favourite phuchka or dosa or rolls or mishti or noodles or tandoori chicken, my favourite corner to read or think or take a long walk, my favourite place for second hand books, mojris, sarees, dress materials, thrifted stuff, accessories and what not. My city has always provided me with everything I have ever wanted(and more) and therefore, I never felt the need to leave this city.
     But life has a way of throwing us off the turf. During my orientation programme, I was required to travel to various locations and among the three locations that I had visited, if there was one place that I hated with a passion, it was Indore. The very vibe of the city depressed me, I hated the food, I had difficulties understanding their dialect, the work culture in the Indore office irritated me to no end and the list goes on. But ironically, I was chosen to operate out of the Indore office for two years by the Management. Given that the fellow Management Trainees were going to places like Haldia, Gandhidham, Mangalore and Patalganga, I was in pretty much the best possible location though. Besides, I don't like coming across as an inflexible person at work. So, there I was- packing my bags and leaving within three days of being back from Haldia.
                                                                                         The hardest part about leaving is having to say good bye. I'm bad at it. My tear glands betray me and no matter how much I swear not to cry, my voice chokes. I'm not a much-loved person but the few people I care for mean the world to me and vice versa. So, this time also, no matter where it took place, I could barely speak, my eyes welled up and before long, I knew I was getting ugly. But it didn't matter because the moment itself was beautiful and this beauty was beyond words. And then it ended. I left the city that meant everything to me and arrived in a new city where I knew no one. Pleasantries were exchanged, strangers were befriended and life moved on.

Sheer maxi skirt, crop top, ring- B.K.Market, cuff- New Market, neckpiece- Lindsay Street, gladiators- Shreeram Arcade lipstick- Orange Punch by Colorbar, nail paints- Pink Champagne by Maybelline



Sunday 2 November 2014

Saree Saga '14- Part-III

And finally, with the festivities over and the damp, cold emptiness taking over all us Calcuttans(even though I'm not going to be one for long), all we are left with are memories. Happy memories, crazy memories, blurry memories...memories are aplenty. And it feels like this annoying hangover that doesn't encompass all your senses but stops you from focusing on anything else. Every time you look at a picture from those few days, you are filled with this bitter feeling of disappointment. You're mad that it got over so soon(but that's a complaint that Calcuttans always have, don't they?) and you're mad that you can't move on. The city is preparing itself for another set of festivities but by then, I'd be sitting in a distant city near Malwa plateau- missing the nip in the air in my favourite city, the monkey caps, the lazy sun, the family picnics, the lights in Park Street and the indomitable spirit of the city that just never, never dies.
                                                     Anyway, the Saree series comes to an end with this post. I'll leave you with the pictures while I prepare myself for the journey towards uncertainty.

Saree- mom's,blouse- bought from local shop due to emergency, cuff- New Market, chappal- Shreeram Arcade, earring-B.K.Market, bindi- local shop, lipstick- MAT4 Bold Matte by Maybelline 

Picture Courtesy - Pooja

Saree, blouse- Howrah Bridge, earring, ring- New Market, bindi- local shop, chappal(not seen in the picture)- B.K.Market, lipstick- Orange Punch by Colorbar