Dreamz fulfilled - back to the "present"......

25.1.2010
Dreamz fulfilled – back to the “present”…….
Finally, it’s time to “return”, move on again, to boot up for the race……..…
After an extremely nostalgic experience of past seven daysin Kolkata, its time to climb up again and merge into the stark realities of the present. The stay of a week in Kolkata, brought back wonderful memories of the gone times and I feel fortunate & obliged to be able to claim the share of my space with the “History”.
Its correctly depicted, that,
“If you passionately apply your energy in the pursuit to fulfill your innermost desires & dreams, the entire universe conspires against you, to enable you to reach & attain your destiny”.
This stands & applies so true to my current experience of Kolkata visit. Few months back and may be since very long in my heart & mind, I carried a dream to re-live few moments of my past, in an exact manner, the way it used to be in those times - quarter of a century back. And I have always believed that if you want to flip back “those pages” of your life, its just not going to be enough to date back your watch and try to revise in-within your mind.
If it’s a “re-visit”, it has to be a “re-living” of those moments all over again.
“Sarswati Puja” – worshipping the Goddess of Knowledge & wisdom – was one of those consistent practice during my school & college days in Kolkata. It still is a very important calendar event as well as the event of extreme belief and significance for the people here. The performing of this Puja, holds a special place in the heart of all our friends in Kolkata. And if you ever got a chance to closely study & understand the people from Kolkata, would agree that they are highly sensitive, sentimental & are deeply enrooted by values in their respective cultures and traditions. Myself, being one, connected strongly to these roots, nurtured a dream to again celebrate this festival & perform the puja in all its virtue, holiness & importance. The visit to Kolkata was purely going to be wholly influenced by this reason. But, destiny had some other plans designed for me. For some practical & un-manageable reasons & circumstances, we friends, couldn’t perform the puja & it surely was a griefing realization for me. But as earlier mentioned, the energy which was being imparted and directed towards the pursuit of this dream got transformed into much bigger opportunity and cause.
The official launch of “MITRA” – a concept, a cause, a project; which was being parallely envisioned by few of us school batch mates of the year 1987., got its final shape & meaning and consequently was decided to floor its launch on very much the same day of “Sarswati Puja” ; the 20th of Jan’2010.

The main idea , motto & principle behind its launch, being, providing all important education to the students from the families facing financial constraints. It’s designed to give equal opportunity to those students & enable them to represent the common platform of action, along with other more privileged students.
After a very successful launch, I feel obliged, privileged & proud, being given an opportunity to share & express my vision and thoughts in my words in front of my ex-teachers, ex-students & batch mates. I strongly feel that the energy which I could impart & provide to enhance the momentum of this project would surely work its way into effective output.
We have a wonderful able team which is strongly committed to direct, guide & sustain the vision of this cause in Kolkata. I hope & pray, that together, may we be able to create a miracle out of this small but significant application for a big cause.
I deeply feel that my dream of performing the puja, gave me a real chance, in real sense to worship and share the knowledge & wisdom gathered through, over the years.
I, now feel my presence in Kolkata fully justified and my dream fulfilled.

Journey to Kolkata......16th & 17th January'2010

17.1.2010

Journey to Kolkata….

16th & 17th January’2010….

Kolkata, the name, the place, the people, the living, the reveries has always been and remains an integral part of my world., my life., my existence.

This time, purposely, I wanted to take my own time to travel & approach, this city, my original home, close to my heart.
Honestly, when I booked my “Duronto” train tickets, I had all the possible options to travel by air, the fares almost equal to my travel of 27hrs. journey by train.
But, in fact, I wanted to relish the experience of traveling, through this newly launched, #Duronto, for its own valid reasons. The fastest non-stop train between Kolkata & Mumbai.

The journey is being relayed from the train itself, while it just passed Kharagpur station at 5.1.5 pm on Sunday(17th Jan). It’s a further 100 minutes journey to Howrah station from here.
From the very first hour of boarding Duronto on 16th-Jan at 5.15 pm. from Mumbai CST, I was impressed by the look, the cleanliness & the service all throughout.
Timely meals, polite & prompt services and fantastic ear pleasing instrumentals varying in different degrees from classical to Hindi oldies…

One of the other, in fact more pronounced reason of travelling by road, is that, my interaction with Kolkata was going to be after a long gap of almost 25 months; more than two years.
I wanted to take my own sweet time to get myself soaked into the process of getting merged with my city, before I actually, physically step on to its roads.
The journey, in its entirety, gave me complete feel of what’s in store for me for the next 8 days of my stay in Kolkata (Calcutta of my times).
Made good acquaintances with a couple of co-travellers within the train, with whom I relished few of my past memories of Kolkata; talked about schooling, friends, small simple experiences, as if the clock was back-set for me by almost 20 years.
This is the beauty of a train journey piercing through the distance between two cities on the land.

The journey gave me enough time for myself, to be with a couple of my favourite books allowing me to do complete justice to the author’s intentions.
I, always felt that, when we travel from one place to another by the fastest means, by air, its like watching a film on fast-forward track. Its like you have a time bound job to complete a movie and nothing better than but to watch it under fast-forward to save as much as the time as possible.
The journey of plus 2000kms by train, allowed me to absorb and & savour the glimpses, the feel of every passing small village, towns/cities, green fields, barren lands, and most importantly, the people living in these places.
Actually, few of the visual passing instances gave me the sweet opportunity to live in those few moments of their lives with them, by merely getting into aware-ful staring, the way they went about with their day, their work.
Saw young boys playing cricket on the fields, could see them diving into the small village side pond for their afternoon bath, few elders gathered under a tree for their Sunday afternoon meetings, few of the women busy taking care of their daily chores of washing clothes close to the ponds, carrying vessels, chatting through from one place to other, and so on....

Besides above, the thoughts of few important events which I was supposed to catch up with, in the next 8 days, kept me occupied.

I could re-wined the biological & historical clock in me and could count the steps climbed at different stages to reach to this height (which I personally feel is one of the most convenient times of my life).
It’s been a good volume of “receiving” from all, be it from the family, the school, the friends, the teachers, the colleagues.
Its certainly, I felt, was a time to “give back” and “contribute” my bit for the well beings of the people, the community and the society in general, which touched my life at every step by some means or the other and played a major role in my journey of life, all through out.

“Sarswati Puja”, in Kolkata was, and is still is, one of the events of great importance in my life.
We, friends, did organized Maa Saraswati Puja for almost 7 to 8 years in the 1980's.
I owe my ability with words, speech & communication solely to the heartfelt prayers done during this Puja.
The super excitement is, that on 20th of January, Wednesday, during my current stay in Kolkata, we friends are trying our best to re-organize & conduct this Holy Puja, at very much the same place and in very much the same way. Though we have some technical hindrances, but I am hopefully looking forward to pull this through.
This being one of my most important reasons for being in Kolkata this time.

Secondly, and in fact quite fortunately, our “Gyan Prabodhini” project.
Initiated by us – “Class of 1987 batch – J J Ajmera High School” is being launched on the same auspicious day of Sarswati Puja.
Under this scheme of things we are going to support few students/families, who are financially not competent enough to carry the studies and education within their existing income slabs. These students would be supported and allowed complete education with equal opportunities along with the rest.
At the same time under this project, we are also looking for the few promising students at High School levels and to create space for themselves to pursue higher technical studies. They would be given extra coaching and training (if having financial constraints) and allowed to get merged into main stream of competitive environment with equal opportunities.
Now, as fortunate as I could get, we have a project launching on 20th which would give me full chance and opportunity to be in the thick of the things. Wow!! Couldn’t have asked for more.

Besides above, meeting old friends at your own old base, is like a fresh feeling of coming back home to the roots. Thanks to my all friends here at Kol, who boosted me up to anyhow plan this trip and have lined up a good meet-up in the form of an overnight outing. I can hardly wait to get submerged into the warmth of my earlier days.

The first twenty two years of my life in Kolkata surely helped & prepared me to face the best and worst of the life to come.
Though few of such things always came in unintentional, unplanned, surprised packages; but could unravel its importance in my scheme of things with each passing year of my life, away from Kolkata.
I can't help to resist myself, thanking and acknowledging each of the stepping stones which came across me during my earlier days of Kolkata. And undoubtedly, these stepping stones were highly instrumental in helping me to convert them into mile stones in my personal & professional life of the next 18 years in Mumbai, till date.

The only regret of the trip till now is the absence of “Rupa”. I would have felt a sense of completeness, if she could have had managed to join this trip with me, which is more of a journey full of nostalgia for me. Unfortunately for me & her too, she had her own valid reasons, preferences and prior commitments to be not able to join this trip. She too, certainly has a deep regret for not being able to make up. But she is going to be around (in my thoughts) in all my moments of great experience in Kolkata.