We...the people of India

We are the careless people of india,

We can’t take care, nana nah!!!

Loosing children at fairs,

Tripping down the stairs,

Giving away secret information,

Arriving late at the train - station,

We think after we act,

And that is a hard fact.

We are the brave people of india,
You can’t scare us my dear!!!
Crossing the closed railway track,
Pulling out things from topmost rack,
Walking on road, not footpath,
In winters, taking cold water bath
To any extreme we can go,
May the hot and cold blow

We are the talkative people of india,
Maintain silence? No way yaar!!!
Useless bargaining with veggie vendor,
Pointless banter with opposite gender
Predicting the outcome of a cricket game
Discussing daily soaps with energy same
We can go to any extent,
To avoid remaining silent.

We are the shameless people of India,

Chattering away blah blah blah….

Asking for extra sauce at KFC,

Mixing Chat masala in pepsi,

Not paying  parking fees,

Peeing behind the  trees,

We are one of our kind,

However we are, never mind,

We are the lazy people of India,
We’re never active, it’d appear,
Getting home delivery of meals,
Covering walking distance on wheels,
Outsourcing of sales,
Auto-reply of emails,
Rather than work, we’d take a nap
We’re in laziness’s vicious trap.

We’re the outspoken people of india,
No one can outspeak us ever…
Shouting slogans at political rally,
Winning world wars, just verbally,
Always getting our point across,
Showing others who’s the boss,
Our praise we ourselves sing,
In the shouting field, we are king.

We’re the corrupt people of India,
The vigilance commission we never fear
Scamming people and making money,
Mixing water and adulterating honey,
Building bridges that collapse a day later,
Using public money to make our wallets fatter
Every devious trick is up our sleeve,
That’s a fact you better believe

We are the religious people of India,
Actually god’s the only one we fear.
Keeping a fast, 8 days a week,
Everywhere divine intervention we seek,
Stomaching stale Prasad in god’s name
To get work done, it’s god’s wish we proclaim
Here even gods in court cases do fight
But also god’s name can get people to unite.

We are the couch potatoes of India,
When we watch TV, you better steer clear
Kalmadi gets arrested on NDTV,
What happened to Anandi?? Cries your biwi
You switch to ESPN to catch the score
But Cartoon is one which least does bore.
We are crazy television freaks,
We can keep watching on for weeks.

We are the foodies of India,
From food we get pleasure sheer.
Scrounging bread at ‘paranthagali’
Taking morsels the size of Great Khali
College girls who eat ‘oil-less’ fries
Devouring unhygienic food despite mom’s cries
Just eat pray and live…
Is the mantra that we believe

Tagore Mahotsav - Finals

Tagore: A Citizen of his Country and Universe

((This essay won me the first prize in KVS Tagore Mahotsav at National Level)

“Where the mind is without fear

and the head is held high

Where knowledge is free,

Where the world has not been broken…..”

These are not only lines from Tagore’s famous poem, but also probably his own vision of utopia. Tagore’s vision of his own universe. Yes, Tagore was not only a citizen of his own country but a citizen of the whole universe, wherein he had carved out a niche for himself. Not many people would argue if Rabindranath Tagore is called the epitome of world literature. Having spent the early years of my life in Kolkata, I have known Tagore right since when I have come to my senses. In Bengal, even if you fail to find the image of a popular deity at someone’s home, you are sure to find at least one image of Tagore in each and every home. Tagore is no less than the omnipresent god, “Rabindra-sangeet”is no less than a religion and “Rabindra-Jayanti” is as grand as any national festival. He is not just a legend, but a phenomenon worldwide.

Rabindranath Tagore belonged to a well-known cultural family of Kolkata, also known as “Thakurbari”. Many of his uncles, brothers and nephews were renowned painters, poets and writers. The great man who enthralled the world with his heart warming poems and novels had never got formal schooling himself. He had ventured into the world of writing at the very tender age of eight. At the age of 16, he first published his works under the pseudonym Bhanusimha¹. The fact that people thought Bhanusimha was a 17th century writer whose works had recently resurfaced, itself speaks volumes of the quality of writing of the teenage Tagore.

Unfortunately the world outside Bengal was in the dark regarding the jewels coming out from Tagore’s pen. Till 1912 Tagore had never ventured outside Bengali, and neither did he need to. The fame and popularity he was enjoying in Bengal itself was more than enough. By then he had already brought pioneering changes to Bengali literature. But it was in the year 1912 that he redefined literature for the world. Tagore translated some of his works which collectively came out as “Geetanjali”². The English poet Yeats, came across these translated works and was so overwhelmed by them that he brought it out in from of a book for which he himself wrote an introduction. It was a collection of only 103 verses, a tiny fraction of all works during his lifetime. And most of those had lost their rhyme and grace in the process of translation, and still the beautiful amalgamation of romance, spirituality, superpower, nature and the divine in his verses held the western readers spellbound – so much so that this collection of a meagre number of his works won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1914³, soon to be followed by Knighthood. Tagore also underwent schooling in England, though only for a short span of time but it sufficed to bring in elements of western culture into his life and his works. His works reflect of shades of English literature while staying rooted to the Bengali origins. Thus he succeeded in a converging the west with the east, and being probably the first to do it successfully by taking the best out of each realm. In his time, he soonemerged as the identifying figure of Eastern literature in the west. In fact he was the first non-westerner to be bestowed with the Nobel.

Tagore’s works are truly universal in the sense that they do not only bring together the west and the east but also try to embrace the modern without totally breaking free of the old tradition. Man and divine are also gracefully intertwined in his works. And most importantly, his works have been a sensation in the west and east alike. From Europe to Japan, USA to Bengal, his works have remained equally popular. Even his political views were never too rigid. Historians often find his political stand complex in nature. Though being a close friend of Mahatma Gandhi, he despised the “Satyagrah” methodand maintained distance from it because he believed more in education than in revolution. And yet, after the Jalianwalah massacre, he gave up his knighthood as a protest. Then again during the partition of Bengal, he organised a mass festival where Hindus and Muslims tied rakhis to each other as a symbolic gesture of brotherhood⁴. Thus his political views always tried to accommodate everyone. Rabindranath Tagore had very refreshing views on education as well.

Through his famous children’s story “The Parrots Training”, he slams the rote method of learning⁵. His zeal to set up idealistic education institutions led him to establish Vishva-Bharati at Shantiniketan. Now a Central University of the name VishwaBharati University, it has glorious names like Satyajit Ray, Indira Gandhi, Amartya Sen among its list of alumni. He co-founded other schools in the west too.

His works have true universal appeal in the sense that you will find a Tagore poem for almost any and every occasion. From devotional chants to patriotic war cries and even the amalgamation of man and divine, his works have all flavours. His short stories too encompass the lives of people from all strata of the society. Moreover, in his later life Tagore also dabbled in painting. But he shall be best remembered for the ground-breaking music he had composed for his own lyrics. “Rabindrasangeet” is unique in its own way and is an integral part of Bengali culture, or rather it might be said that Rabindrasangeetis a culture in itself.

Rabindranath’s rich legacy still stands tall in our world. His birthday, Rabindra-Jayanti, is celebrated in form of “Kabipranam” not only in India but even in places like Utah University, Illinois, USA⁶. His works, having been translated into English, Dutch, Swede, French, German and numerous other languages and shall be read and remembered for generations to come. Tagore is the greatest poet and the greatest literary figure ever produced by India, but he shall belong to the world at large. Just 100 poems of his held the world spellbound, and no one knows what might have had happened if the worldhad stumbled upon his lifetime collections. Maybe that is why the people of Bengal not only preserve Rabindranath’s works (RabindraRochonabli) as a religious relic but for them Tagore is as much a basic necessity as food, water and air. The poet who brought Indian literature to the west shall ever remain a citizen of this country and of the universe.

These lines perfectly sum up Tagore’s rich legacy -

Thou hast made me endless,

such is thy pleasure.

This frail vessel thou emptiest again and again,

andfillest it ever with fresh life.

     

By Arnav Gupta

Class XI B

KV Janakpuri

Photo courtesy – JaduSaikia (messageoftheday.blogspot.com)

Citations:

1.    Rabindranath as a poet (BhanuSingha) - RadhikaranjanSamadder

2.    Gitanjali: Selected Poems –Rabindranath Tagore, School of Wisdom

3.    List of Nobel laureates - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

4.    Rakhi Celebrations in Kolkata - www.rakhiindia.com

5.    The Parrot’s Training (English) – Rabindranath Tagore

6.    Rabindranath Tagore, Impact – Wikipedia

MUKESH AMBANI'S YACHT

The photos look "extremely fake" to me... but still, i got this one from someone so I'm forwarding to you all.

 

 

 

 

 

MUKESH AMBANI HAS JUST ORDERED THIS YACHT.......         COST 20 MILLION EUROS WILL BE PARKED AT BREACH CANDY, Mumbai .....   A famous French shipbuilder ship company and one from Monaco joined hands together to build this yacht with enormous dimensions... Its 58 meters long and 38 meters wide.   The yacht... with a floor area of 3400 M2 (36600 Sq. feet.)   with accommodation for 12 passengers and 20 crew members. This is a "green" yacht. It use green energy for 20-30% fuel savings and 40-50% electricity consumption on board.   Therefore it has 900M2 (9700 Sq. feet.) equipped with solar panels, producing a daily output of 500 kW. Three decks, a 25 meter pool, a spa, a heli-pad, a 100M2 (1080 Sq. feet.) sauna, gym and massage room, a promenade of 130M2 (1400 Sq. feet.), a music room, a dining room, a cinema, sun decks, suites, terraces and a lounge. The luxury is at the ultimate level. The decks are connected by stairs but there is also an elevator. The Owner's Suite..!!!! With an area of 200M2 (2150 Sq. feet.) it completely covers the third deck. This is the view of the bedroom and bathroom. The sea view is great and there is a private terrace of 25 meters length.  The yacht has the shape of a horseshoe and has a retracting glass solar panel roof... so everything is bathed in a sea of light The spacious lounge. On the lower deck are the common premises, such as lounge, piano bar and dining area. The Dining Room The dining room opens onto the sea view.   Suites for the guests For the guests.. 5 suites with sea views situated on the middle deck. There is also a reading room/lounge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Pin : Kolkata -- 700 060

+91 98300 41862

 

That day

I clearly remember that day,

When I had floundered my way

Or was it my baptism bath??

The day I found the correct path??

I was standing on my balcony

That looked over my colony

Below the cars kept on coming

My neighbour’s stereo kept humming

The distant dogs were barking

While I gazed the stars, sparkling

I lost track of time as it flew by,

I got lost in the empty sky

Out ahead, in front of me,

Darkness slushed in like the sea

Inside my home, behind me,

Switches were turned on with glee

Light after light came on

(which would stay lit till dawn)

I didn’t turn back, I stared ahead

Clouds came swirling in my head

In the dark outdoors I could feel a magic,

While the bright indoors looked so tragic

There was substance in the darkness

Something I wanted to harness

Back inside, there were lures aplenty

And yet that day it all looked so empty

Decorated, scented with perfumes,

Those brightly lit numerous rooms

Hold me back it could no more,

That world I could no longer adore

In the fog the light of the streetlamp,

Had got lost, and created a swamp

Back inside, the incandescent light

Was shining sharp, clear and bright

But the streetlight glow spread far and wide,

While the room’s walls stopped the incandescent’s stride

I could not see the moon anywhere,

But I knew, I felt, it was out there

The fog, the mist, thickened into a cocktail

in the sky outside, and inside my mind as well

Everything was blurred, it made no sense

Hard to make out real and pretence

I know I could have turned back

And get everything back on track

I could just have gone back into my room,

But I could not. It now looked like a tomb.

The darkness ahead was beckoning me,

I too, wanted to plunge into that sea

My mind, my soul, wanted to be free

I wanted to fly like a little birdie

One last time, I turned, looked back

It looked like a cage, not a shack.

That moment I made up my mind,

I was going to leave it all behind.

Everything around me started to burn,

I’d crossed the point of no return.

What I did I had no idea

How it happened? Oh my dear.

I still wonder if I lost my way,

Or was I born anew that very day.