From the veil of culture

It all started in the year 2008 when a sudden announcement by the Bimal Gurung led Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) created faux pas among certain residents of the Darjeeling Hills. The announcement to wear traditional attires by each and every community was a part of the era long agitation for the creation of the state of Gorkhaland.

Gorkhaland comprising Darjeeling district, Dooars and the Terrai region was traditionally and culturally different from the rest of Bengal was a point to be settled by this part of agitation. Not only Nepalis and Lepchas but the region is home for almost all religion, caste and culture that flourish throughout the vast India.

One thing that was to be common to all the community was the Nepali Topi, but it was abjured by some hill residents especially the Lepchas as their attire had its own traditional headgear. Although the particular agitation program was run and thrown down the gauntlet it finally got underway during the Dussera festival of 2008.

This agitation program was paralleled with a series of cultural program during the one month where all community of the hills participated. Each community or group was assigned a date, when they brought their dance, play or whatsoever program to the audience. The whole attire and cultural program thing was to stay for a month ending just before Deepawali. Despite some earlier hiccups it was some success.

It was indeed very pleasing to the eye to see people, men and women with children clad in their respective traditional dress. The Nepalis’ Daura suraal, for men and daka sari with chaubandi cholo for women was the most common; others sported kurta payjama bhaku churidars etc as per their culture. The programs were wonderful as well some day it was a Nepali dance, the other a Rajasthani Kutputli dance. A Bhojpuri song today and a Bengali program tomorrow.

Very colorful indeed! It showed India’s diversity; people from different caste, religion, ethnicity, true to anyone visiting the place during this period.

Photographs with videos take, talks being made with the locals, eyes glued to the color and variety of fashion of different people, by the foreigners, something I guess they have never seen, so many different people at the same time in the same place conversing and living like nail and skin.

This agitation program was adjured only in the hill region of the agitated area, and did meet its motive but only partially. Partially because such diversity in religion and culture is everywhere in India, in its aim to actually show the culture different from Bengal what came forward was it to be no different the idea of India. Every people in India are everywhere.

What was worthy to be seen was the enthusiasm and excitement of the foreign and domestic tourists coming to Darjeeling at the time when the air was full with the aroma of culture; it seemed to travel you through the time when Indian culture was at its peek. It was a pleasant surprise for them, a kind of added benefit from the travel and tour operators. The place was alluring, although it did make the tourists feel a bit alien at times. Their excitement was however visible in the way they enquired about the clothing and the cultural program schedule.

May not be possible for big cities but if some towns bring similar concepts into play can really foster tourism. The thing not being done for a month can work for a week or ten days.

As this was part of the agitation, it could be carried out successfully may be a point, but at small places it should not be that hazardous a task.

The same was carried out again in 2009 with the same purpose during the same time, at time when it is the biggest festival of the Nepalis, but with very little success.

It is true to carry such attires to all work places may be difficult but not herculean. A little discomfort for an economic upsurge can be a deal worth bargaining for.

What the particular agitation program brought into focus pronto to me was an idea to coagulate the deteriorating tourism in Darjeeling hills and it to be swarming very much with the idea of India’s diversity.

Did, do, will do?

What did we  do?
even cow has a reason to moo.
A cup of tea and paper free,
I speak what they feed me.

Walk on the asphalt ever,
illuminated flex, posts never.
In oblivion still is the bench,
how can ever our thirst quench?

The high tower and skyscraper,
higher is the height of lover.
The lost words of an unsaid sentence,
do we have anything hence?

Night clubs and pubs solitude heal,
being with own-self is more real.
 Fall to soil fly however long,
what kinship do we belong?

Meeting

He came again.

He spoke to me again and I recognized the unkempt hair and tired eyes, I recognized him beyond this.

He had an adventure to relate or was it just a complaint in disguise.

I heard him speak, I could not listen, he seemed too hard on ears...

being MAD

 Light the blown off candles,
     wear broken sandals.

Laugh at 'un-laughable' talks,
     pray God for bad lucks.

Dive in empty swimming pool,
     bang your head on a tool.

Stare at a blank page,
     free rats from cage.

Party when you fail,
     search for monkeys without a tail.

Look for Sun at night,
     strike off the right.

Seek stars at noon,
     try to die soon.

Fly kites during rain,
     push the walls in vain.

Show your paintings to a blind,
     never try to be kind.

Ask beggars for alms,
     sleep at night on open wild farms.

Smile at events that are sad,
     and surely people will call you mad.
     

being happy!

GRUDGE IS DEAD- a book review of Christopher Sandford's Kurt Cobain

There is a picture in this book, ‘Kurt Cobain’, where Nirvana’s Lead man Kurt Cobain is seen sporting a T-shirt with a caption “Grunge Is Dead”, because the “Father of Grunge” had it on before his inevitable death, Christopher Sandford, the author, says it was premature(like his child he is holding in the picture). I think it was Kurt Cobain’s presentiment, or was it?

I had an intuition about it like the one Kurt had after so much of drugs, sex, violence and Grunge and grudge in his life and therefore in the book.

The grudge he had against everything and everyone, against friends and enemies and his own self died with him.

‘Nevermind’ to remind you this and all of Kurt’s exploits, habits, self reverence and self torture and Punk there remain his songs and this book, ‘Kurt Cobain’, a biography of the book’s namesake written by Christopher Sandford.

Christopher Sandford relies on first hand interviews and myriad anecdotes of people associated with Kurt to build his story.

‘Kurt Cobain’ is a dark fairy tale of a self proclaimed Rock star, Nirvana’s vocalist and guitarist, who changed the masses and the path of masses by being one of them yet not connecting with. It surprises, astonishes and shocks you from the very beginning and you know you are reading a gray story.

Mr. Sandford at times treats the revered ‘Punk star’ with contempt and hence biases the coin. May be Christopher did not interview the protagonist’s fans extensively or did not have the energy to do so.

‘Kurt Cobain’ is a good book as one sided story of the paranoid musician. Written nicely with treatment of satires at places it is a good one time read.

Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain’s music is good and for his life study keep another book ready at hand after reading this.

Without any presentiment or intuition and totally after reading ‘Kurt Cobain’ I title my review “Grudge is Dead”.

My rating 2.5/5.

straight from no-where

My thoughts' blue-ribbon, until I discovered the device for thoughts cadency cannot be invented.

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Only a weight helps you lift it.

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The easiest work to do is that of others.

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Towel and talk, how similar are they, both wipes dry water.

One on the head and the other in the head.

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When you lose all you are invincible.

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Fell in Love

Love was so much in the rain,
broke from cloud not in vain,
to meet its eve down it came.

Heartfelt was so much even the leaf,
so the tree it had to leave,
to meet its origin did it heave.

Fondness was so much in the stone,
left the mountain and was lone,
to meet its love rolled in tone.

Unaware was so much of the ultimate roar,
gave all, now came on shoulders four,
to meet its meaning in the shore.