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The Mind Gamer...telling stories that make you think....again !
Friday, February 22, 2013
Monday, June 6, 2011
Why Did I Dream?
I hail from the well-known Chakravorty family in Guwahati, a family that has been known over the years for it’s contribution to the world of Arts, ranging from poetry, short-stories, drama, recitation, music and fine arts, this family has done it all, at different levels. However, there wasn’t one member of this family who did it for his/her living.
Also, over the years, I had made friends with a lot of musicians, a lot of bands, all of whom had similar stories, barring a few. They all switched their priority from music to something else. They joined the corporates. For their living, they did stuff that they never wanted to. Music was in their blood, but never did they ever bleed !
When I joined the Corporate world for the first time, in 2008, I used to wonder if ever there would be a possibility of musicians walking out of their homes to come to offices, like the IT Parks, to make music. I wondered if ever there could be such a demand for music. I wondered, but never came up with an answer, until one day, during a Guest Lecture in college, in July 2010,an Idea struck !
The idea was to create a market, a market for ‘Personalised Music’. I wrote down a brief plan about it in my note book. A friend called Richin was seated next to me. He read it. ‘It’s nice’, he said. Next, I showed it to Prof. Ray Titus. He said that the idea rocks, and cited two reasons for it. One, that the investment would be rock bottom. Two, that no one had done anything like this before. I was inspired.
I worked on this idea for a couple of weeks more and then I spoke about it to my first cousin and band-mate, Buddha. He loved it and made it his own. Since then, we quit looking back.
...more to come...of course !!!....
Also, over the years, I had made friends with a lot of musicians, a lot of bands, all of whom had similar stories, barring a few. They all switched their priority from music to something else. They joined the corporates. For their living, they did stuff that they never wanted to. Music was in their blood, but never did they ever bleed !
When I joined the Corporate world for the first time, in 2008, I used to wonder if ever there would be a possibility of musicians walking out of their homes to come to offices, like the IT Parks, to make music. I wondered if ever there could be such a demand for music. I wondered, but never came up with an answer, until one day, during a Guest Lecture in college, in July 2010,an Idea struck !
The idea was to create a market, a market for ‘Personalised Music’. I wrote down a brief plan about it in my note book. A friend called Richin was seated next to me. He read it. ‘It’s nice’, he said. Next, I showed it to Prof. Ray Titus. He said that the idea rocks, and cited two reasons for it. One, that the investment would be rock bottom. Two, that no one had done anything like this before. I was inspired.
I worked on this idea for a couple of weeks more and then I spoke about it to my first cousin and band-mate, Buddha. He loved it and made it his own. Since then, we quit looking back.
...more to come...of course !!!....
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
FATE (All 5 episodes together)
My next book 'Split Second' is based on this short story. Hence, the game of hide and seek.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Chance...(Episode 2 of 2)
(((((Please read Episode 1 before you start off with this....)))))
I woke up happier next morning. Got a text from Shrini...
"You meet Dadlani's assistant at 9 tonight at my studio. He liked your patches".
I jumped in the hotel bed! Shrini's the head of Blue Frog Sound Labs, the best studio in India. He was just an acquaintance not too long ago, but was now the reason why I was here. He had even arranged for my stay in some place, 2 kays from his studio.
I shifted to my new home in the afternoon; and by 5, I was ready for the 9 o’clock meet. I missed ‘Inner Space’ like hell that evening. We had disbanded about a year ago, after Benzee shifted to New Zealand. What voice !
Me and my Ibanez were on the way to Blue Frog by 7. The cab driver was interesting. Spoke like hell. He would teach me everything about Mumbai in that one trip it seemed, especially because he was delighted that I could speak Hindi !
The studio was better than how it looked when I googled. You enter that place and you know it belongs to your kind. Kickass ! I met Shrini and thanked him for all his efforts.
“That’s my business dude. I don’t give you ‘breaks’ or anything. No.... That’s all bullshit. There’s nothing called a ‘break’. It’s just a divine law that the greatest of talents can’t go a waste...that’s it”
These words were really inspiring for me. Soon, it was 9. I was all pumped up for the meet. At 9:40 odd, I was asked to play a solo. I played something similar to ‘Past Heaven’, one of our originals. I liked the look on his (Vishal Dadlani’s assistant’s) face. He was impressed and he didn’t hide it.
I was on my way. Between that day and June 2010, my solos got used by the best in the business. I was earning, I was happy; but August was just a couple of months away.
I started getting more calls from home. They wanted me to get back to Shillong. They also talked about coming to meet me in Mumbai. I had problems with both the ideas. Mom would cry every time she spoke.
Later in June, I had to fly home. Mom was hospitalised. She had a ‘stroke’.
Uncle explained that it was because she was tensed about me and my disease. She wanted me to see other docs, but I would never listen.
That night I cried. I was ashamed of myself, of my obsession, and of the lie. I realised that my friends and I shouldn’t have threatened Dr.Sharma for the false report of Cancer.
That lie had got me closer to my dream. In fact, it had made me live my dream as well. But, I was probably travelling too fast....so fast that I had left my family far behind. Shame !
I wanted to tell my mom that I wouldn’t die, if only she would wake up to hear. I prayed. I promised God that I would never play the guitar unless mom asks me to.
God listened. Mom regained sense. She could hear me. I spoke my heart out that day. Dad was shocked and angry. Uncle saved me.
Mom recovered completely after a few days. I cried again. I loved her more than ever it seemed. I didn’t want to go back to Mumbai; but by now, I had proved my potential in music even to my Dad. It was decided that I would fly back to Mumbai on August 21.
...and I lived to be 25 !!!
..................End of the story...................
P.S. : I got a second chance...naaa....not just to play the guitar....but to get the love of my mom. Everyone probably wouldn’t be as lucky. So, my dear dreamers , dream....but please keep in mind that there are two people on earth who live just for you. Try not to disappoint them just for the sake of your aspirations. Coz after all, it pains more when the heart breaks than when dreams do. Love your parents.
I woke up happier next morning. Got a text from Shrini...
"You meet Dadlani's assistant at 9 tonight at my studio. He liked your patches".
I jumped in the hotel bed! Shrini's the head of Blue Frog Sound Labs, the best studio in India. He was just an acquaintance not too long ago, but was now the reason why I was here. He had even arranged for my stay in some place, 2 kays from his studio.
I shifted to my new home in the afternoon; and by 5, I was ready for the 9 o’clock meet. I missed ‘Inner Space’ like hell that evening. We had disbanded about a year ago, after Benzee shifted to New Zealand. What voice !
Me and my Ibanez were on the way to Blue Frog by 7. The cab driver was interesting. Spoke like hell. He would teach me everything about Mumbai in that one trip it seemed, especially because he was delighted that I could speak Hindi !
The studio was better than how it looked when I googled. You enter that place and you know it belongs to your kind. Kickass ! I met Shrini and thanked him for all his efforts.
“That’s my business dude. I don’t give you ‘breaks’ or anything. No.... That’s all bullshit. There’s nothing called a ‘break’. It’s just a divine law that the greatest of talents can’t go a waste...that’s it”
These words were really inspiring for me. Soon, it was 9. I was all pumped up for the meet. At 9:40 odd, I was asked to play a solo. I played something similar to ‘Past Heaven’, one of our originals. I liked the look on his (Vishal Dadlani’s assistant’s) face. He was impressed and he didn’t hide it.
I was on my way. Between that day and June 2010, my solos got used by the best in the business. I was earning, I was happy; but August was just a couple of months away.
I started getting more calls from home. They wanted me to get back to Shillong. They also talked about coming to meet me in Mumbai. I had problems with both the ideas. Mom would cry every time she spoke.
Later in June, I had to fly home. Mom was hospitalised. She had a ‘stroke’.
Uncle explained that it was because she was tensed about me and my disease. She wanted me to see other docs, but I would never listen.
That night I cried. I was ashamed of myself, of my obsession, and of the lie. I realised that my friends and I shouldn’t have threatened Dr.Sharma for the false report of Cancer.
That lie had got me closer to my dream. In fact, it had made me live my dream as well. But, I was probably travelling too fast....so fast that I had left my family far behind. Shame !
I wanted to tell my mom that I wouldn’t die, if only she would wake up to hear. I prayed. I promised God that I would never play the guitar unless mom asks me to.
God listened. Mom regained sense. She could hear me. I spoke my heart out that day. Dad was shocked and angry. Uncle saved me.
Mom recovered completely after a few days. I cried again. I loved her more than ever it seemed. I didn’t want to go back to Mumbai; but by now, I had proved my potential in music even to my Dad. It was decided that I would fly back to Mumbai on August 21.
...and I lived to be 25 !!!
..................End of the story...................
P.S. : I got a second chance...naaa....not just to play the guitar....but to get the love of my mom. Everyone probably wouldn’t be as lucky. So, my dear dreamers , dream....but please keep in mind that there are two people on earth who live just for you. Try not to disappoint them just for the sake of your aspirations. Coz after all, it pains more when the heart breaks than when dreams do. Love your parents.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Chance...(Episode 1)
"Sure", I said and ended the call.
The appointment was fixed at 8pm. I chose to take the car out as it was raining heavily that evening.
I didn't want any second thoughts to haunt me. Radio One was of great help for some time, until it started to irritate. Tylor's voice was the remedy. 'I don't wanna miss a thing' was half way through when I reached the parking lot. I didn't want to leave the song half way. Two minutes later, I banged the door behind me.
It was 7:50.
Dr.Sharma looked at me in the eye and explained every bit of it. I got the prescription in hand before I left. Telling mom n dad was the tough part of it. They cried like hell. They couldn't believe that they were going to lose their only child in another one year from the day.
It was November 2009. The doc had said August 2010.
Had a long talk with dad a couple of days later. Mom kept crying and informing the relatives, while dad listened. I told my plan. Dad agreed. Couldn't believe that he did. Similar proposals had been made to him in the past, only to get a good scolding.
Things had changed...or rather... 'a thing' had changed.
Mom wanted me to talk to all the aunts on earth. I refused. One of them reminded mom that my birthday falls on August 20; and that made mom cry even more, wondering if I would live to be 25.
The next day, I quit my job. The 3 year experience letter, they said, would reach my residence soon.
I met a lot of people over the next few days. Partied almost everyday and drank like always. Many of our relatives had come as well. I heard them cry during the days and listened to rock till late night. This life existed for close to ten days...and then it was time to leave my two hometowns...Shillong and Guwahati.
On November 19, 2009, I landed in Mumbai. I had enough money and acquaintances to take care of myself.
...and I had that one thing which I loved the most...the one thing that defined me....the one thing that I trusted....the one thing that had got me to Mumbai to live my dream...that one magical thing called 'guitar'.
...and that's how 'Chao Kon Chang Rengma Borgohain' (aka Kon Chang) kick-started a new life.
The appointment was fixed at 8pm. I chose to take the car out as it was raining heavily that evening.
I didn't want any second thoughts to haunt me. Radio One was of great help for some time, until it started to irritate. Tylor's voice was the remedy. 'I don't wanna miss a thing' was half way through when I reached the parking lot. I didn't want to leave the song half way. Two minutes later, I banged the door behind me.
It was 7:50.
Dr.Sharma looked at me in the eye and explained every bit of it. I got the prescription in hand before I left. Telling mom n dad was the tough part of it. They cried like hell. They couldn't believe that they were going to lose their only child in another one year from the day.
It was November 2009. The doc had said August 2010.
Had a long talk with dad a couple of days later. Mom kept crying and informing the relatives, while dad listened. I told my plan. Dad agreed. Couldn't believe that he did. Similar proposals had been made to him in the past, only to get a good scolding.
Things had changed...or rather... 'a thing' had changed.
Mom wanted me to talk to all the aunts on earth. I refused. One of them reminded mom that my birthday falls on August 20; and that made mom cry even more, wondering if I would live to be 25.
The next day, I quit my job. The 3 year experience letter, they said, would reach my residence soon.
I met a lot of people over the next few days. Partied almost everyday and drank like always. Many of our relatives had come as well. I heard them cry during the days and listened to rock till late night. This life existed for close to ten days...and then it was time to leave my two hometowns...Shillong and Guwahati.
On November 19, 2009, I landed in Mumbai. I had enough money and acquaintances to take care of myself.
...and I had that one thing which I loved the most...the one thing that defined me....the one thing that I trusted....the one thing that had got me to Mumbai to live my dream...that one magical thing called 'guitar'.
...and that's how 'Chao Kon Chang Rengma Borgohain' (aka Kon Chang) kick-started a new life.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
The Moonwalk
Episode 1:
Tears rolled down her eyes. She wanted to move out of that closed room. She wasn't being able to take this any more. Perhaps I had crossed the line. She stood there and sobbed for a couple of minutes, before she chose to leave.
She was contestant No.23. I didn't even know her name. I was supposed to take a stress interview of the freshers, as a part of a personality contest. I was doing a good job until this girl cried. I could hardly interview the next two contestants. As No.26 walked in, I moved out.
I wanted to meet that girl. My friend Aditi helped me find her. She was seated with another girl at the staircase. I found this a bit tough to handle. Aditi helped me.
"Sorry Mam", the other girl said. "She is a bit...."
I moved a couple of steps closer to the ladies. "I am Sorry...I really didn't want to hurt you the way I did..."
"Its okay sir...."
"Don't call me 'sir'....I am Niel..."
"Ya...Niel...I shouldn't have taken part in this...these kind of contests are not for me...."
"Hey....you are making me feel guilty now...."
"No...everyone had warned me. They said it's impossible to impress you....that it's impossible to see the lighter side of you during the contest...."
"Okay...", I said as Aditi passed a naughty smile, just the way she always does when a girl says something nice about me.
"...and I took the challenge...perhaps I shouldn't have..."
"No...girl...I mean...what's your name...?"
"Ayesha..."
"Ok...Ayesha....never be afraid to take a challenge....who knows...you might just end up winning..."
"You are right dude......I did the right thing....the challenge was to trap you with tears....and I won....howwzzat...Mr.Niladri Bhowmik...???"
I was taken for a bad bad ride....and now I didn't know where to hide. Aditi's mouth was wide open....
"So....Mr. Supersmart Niel...? Any form of counter-attack playing in your head...or would you like to surrender...?"
I was speechless...I was outsmarted....and I knew I had to live with this for the last six months of MBA.
"You probably don't deserve gentlemen anyway....bloody freak !!!", I said it in a most pissed-off tone and walked out of there...
...and that's how I met this girl, with no idea whatsoever that she would become my first love...
...........................................................
Episode 2:
For the next couple of days, I did some brainstorming !....tried to figure out what would have been the best lines to say to Ayesha at that moment. Nothing really came to mind...
In the mean time, my roomie had made sure that everyone knows how my case was screwed. He posted on Facebook..."Breaking News: SOMEBODY has shown Niel what he is and has been able to keep him in stress for hours after the stress interview....SOMEBODY..!!??!!". 17 likes and 63 comments followed in the next 24 hours...
I felt like killing Nakul !
With the Friday Night fever still reading 104F, I entered a new day....a new week...a Monday. We had to announce the list of shortlisted candidates for the contest. 5 girls and 5 guys. Ayesha obviously didn't make it, cause we don't take girls who cry!!!...
I could see a naughty smile on her face...and suddenly I got a line...but didn't know whether to go and say that. What if she has a kickass reply up her sleeve...??...I was beginning to doubt my balls...What a shame !!
Finally...this is what came out..."You could have made it to the finals girl...if only...if only you were smarter..."
"I made it into your mind dude....and lets not talk 'bout who's smarter...I don't want you to loose the rest of it..."
"You are good at lines....but shed this attitude girl....and do it on your own....I don't wanna waste time doing that for you..."
"Ow...revenge?"
"What...??"...
"Ya...play the game. Your serve...", she offered.
"Oooo....you came to field pretty early...good. I'll give you a taste of the game soon..."
Just then, I got a call....
"C ya girl...."
"Will C ya for sure..."
Now, I hardly had anything else in mind except Ayesha. I could hardly realise that in the process of thinking how to outsmart her, I was thinking of her. Somehow, there was a wannabe inside me that was coming out.
I wanted to talk to her...Getting her number wasn't a big deal for me...and after an hour of thinking with the same thoughts repeating themselves, I probably made a lame move.
I called her...
..........................................................
Episode 3:
"Hi...we had left the talk half way..."
"Who's this....?", the voice said, in a way as if she wouldn't bother even it were Brad Pitt...
"You have a short term memory it seems...."
"She's bathing mister...you can flirt a bit later..."
"Ow...I am sorry...I mean..I thought it's her..."
"I am sure you have no messages either....so can I...?"
"Ya sure..."
Holy Crap...!!! I didn't know how to get back...
Everything seemed to be changing...for the worse..
I sat back and did some thinking for a while...tried recalling my past relations. I thought of how I always wanted to love someone truly; but never found someone worth more than a month; except Rhea, who lasted for over six months...
I figured out a relation...a statistical relation...a curve...that the number of days a girl stayed as mine was proportional to her smartness....Eureka!!!
...and this gave me some hope :)
I 'wanted to' fall in love again...but...
That was when the message beeped...
"Dude...I am in class :(
Couldn't call you back coz I was in a bit of a hurry...
Lets meet up at 5...what say...Niel..?"
She was being too nice...I was sure she had some plans to screw me further...but I knew that I was going to meet her....
"Sure...will call you at 5...", I typed, following the textbook rule that the reply to a girl's sms should be shorter than her message...
We met.
She didn't make me wait either. We went to a cafe nearby. Talked.
"Alright Ayesha....lets face it...you are smarter than me...what next...?"
"Thanks Niel...I know I am...you need to be a smart girl to keep wannabes at bay..."
"Was that for me...?"
"No...I don't date wannabes..."
"Date...? you call it a date...?"
"Ya...big deal !!! We've come out to know each other better..."
...and we talked on. We talked for more than a couple of hours...out of all the talk, only two sentences mattered...
One..."I've never been in a relationship before..."
Two..."Chill dude...its no crime for a guy to try and test girls..."
...and ya...she laughed her ass off when I said,"...but I wanted to love some of them...truly..."
The bottomline was pretty clear. We liked each other and the dates would happen everyday now...
With three days left for the weekend, I began to plan.
'Inception' was our first movie together...and thankfully 'the girl's best friend' wasn't around to spoil the fun...!!!
The next weekend was much more special...
....................................................
Episode 4:
We planned up for a trip to Wonder-la, a water park in the city. But, this time we weren't alone...and I didn't mind that either ! We booked a cab for 6 - three couples...'if you know what I mean... :)'. Piyush and Aditi had watched Inception just a day ago; and that called for a discussion, more so because Kumud and Nakul wanted to hear the story...
Thankfully, I had understood this movie, which was overhyped as one that is 'difficult to understand'. May be it was. But there are rules that don't apply to engineers ! Ayesha looked impressed with my narration.It was fun going there...especially cause it was a journey with a purpose.
Ten long days after acquaintance, I was about to propose this girl. "Better late than never", I thought, counting my previous average. The stage was set...and this time I had planned to make it a bit more romantic than before. 'Water' was the theme.
We were all drenched, with half our bodies in water.It was 3:43pm by my water-resistant watch. The 'Close your eyes' ritual followed; and the fact that girls can't say no to 'diamonds' got proved just one more time. The ring looked amazing in her fair, wet finger. It was at that moment when I realised that she was the prettiest girl I ever dated. She looked amazing and I wanted to kiss her. Love was where I had fallen in....correction....*we...had fallen in...
We kissed on Monday. Venue: Terrace, Learning Centre, Alliance. She'd never been there before. I sang my favourite 'Tum Ho To...' and gifted her a rose.It was a wonderful time. She loved every bit of it.
That night at 3, after having talked to her o'er the phone, I realised that girls; no matter how smart they are; no matter how they carry themselves...they have an 'angel' side as well, which comes out when someone loves them honestly. I realised that there's one place where you can touch a woman to make her go crazy; and that place is her heart :)
Facebook said: "Niladri Bhowmik is in a relationship with Ayesha Nanda". 126 comments. 203 likes.
Freshers' followed in 5 days...and in no time 'Farewell' was coming up.
We spent as much time with each other as we possibly could. LG hired me on the 24th of November, 2010. I flew out of Bangalore on the Feb 15, 2011. Throughout the flight, I kept looking at my new watch...my first Valentines' Day gift. It seemed I had fallen in love with love itself.
I had changed in the past 6 months....but... in the next 2 months, somebody else did.
.............................................................
Episode 5:
'Niladri Bhowmik changed his present city to Noida'
The corporate world looked like a dream-come-true. I had never been discouraged by seniors complaining about it, cause I trusted my inner-voice. I knew I would rock the corporate world as well, and I wasn't wrong. I started making impressions from week one itself. I was happy.
The 'you no longer have time for me' phase had begun, and I had no clue how to fix this. I tried being better to her, but somehow, she had started noting a 'half-heartedness' in my attitude. She asked me to visit Bangalore for a week, seemingly to prove that I love her. I don't know whether I didn't or simply 'couldn't' In two months, she had lost interest in me. 'Time' was playing the villain in my love story. Two reasons. One: I wasn't being able to find time for her. Two: Six months isn't enough 'time' to understand each other so well.
I kept trying to keep the relation for the next ten months or so. I visited her twice and sent several gifts. Now, I had started finding an indifference in her behavior.
In February 2012, she was an MBA. The next month, her parents found her a 'good guy'. I never thought 25 was a good age to marry.
A few days later, I received a mail. Parts of it were like...
"...I am getting engaged Niel. His name is Vikaas...son of my dad's business partner...works for Infy in the US. I know him personally...I don't want to hurt my parents. They brought me up so well, took all the decisions for me, gave me everything I ever wanted. I want to see smiles on their faces..."
I visited her once again, this time in her home town,Darjeeling. I failed.
She got engaged in April and got married in July 2012. I even received an invitation for the ocassion, which appeared more like a 'slap on my face' than anything else. I didn't want to create a scene out there. Bollywood stuff doesn't work in real life any way. I chose not to attend her wedding.
I thought I wouldn't cry cause I am a strong guy. I was wrong.
I got a salary-hike next month, and booked a Volkswagen Polo.
On the 23rd of November 2012, I updated 'Niladri Bhowmik is Married'. 14 likes. 3 comments. :)
................................End of the story...................................
P.S. : The moonwalk is a dance technique that presents the illusion of the dancer being pulled backwards while attempting to walk forward; much like what happened to me !.
I thought I was making the right moves, going ahead in life with Ayesha. As it turned out, I was just living another unsuccessful attempt to find true love. In most stories, we find the girl making a 'i late luv storys' kind of a guy believe in love. In my case though, it happened the other way round.Now, I am of the opinion that 'Blind Love' is no more than a bloody oxymoron; and I wonder if my wife,Ambika can change my perception. Fingers crossed !!!
DEAR READERS.........COMMENTS PLZ.......... :)
Tears rolled down her eyes. She wanted to move out of that closed room. She wasn't being able to take this any more. Perhaps I had crossed the line. She stood there and sobbed for a couple of minutes, before she chose to leave.
She was contestant No.23. I didn't even know her name. I was supposed to take a stress interview of the freshers, as a part of a personality contest. I was doing a good job until this girl cried. I could hardly interview the next two contestants. As No.26 walked in, I moved out.
I wanted to meet that girl. My friend Aditi helped me find her. She was seated with another girl at the staircase. I found this a bit tough to handle. Aditi helped me.
"Sorry Mam", the other girl said. "She is a bit...."
I moved a couple of steps closer to the ladies. "I am Sorry...I really didn't want to hurt you the way I did..."
"Its okay sir...."
"Don't call me 'sir'....I am Niel..."
"Ya...Niel...I shouldn't have taken part in this...these kind of contests are not for me...."
"Hey....you are making me feel guilty now...."
"No...everyone had warned me. They said it's impossible to impress you....that it's impossible to see the lighter side of you during the contest...."
"Okay...", I said as Aditi passed a naughty smile, just the way she always does when a girl says something nice about me.
"...and I took the challenge...perhaps I shouldn't have..."
"No...girl...I mean...what's your name...?"
"Ayesha..."
"Ok...Ayesha....never be afraid to take a challenge....who knows...you might just end up winning..."
"You are right dude......I did the right thing....the challenge was to trap you with tears....and I won....howwzzat...Mr.Niladri Bhowmik...???"
I was taken for a bad bad ride....and now I didn't know where to hide. Aditi's mouth was wide open....
"So....Mr. Supersmart Niel...? Any form of counter-attack playing in your head...or would you like to surrender...?"
I was speechless...I was outsmarted....and I knew I had to live with this for the last six months of MBA.
"You probably don't deserve gentlemen anyway....bloody freak !!!", I said it in a most pissed-off tone and walked out of there...
...and that's how I met this girl, with no idea whatsoever that she would become my first love...
...........................................................
Episode 2:
For the next couple of days, I did some brainstorming !....tried to figure out what would have been the best lines to say to Ayesha at that moment. Nothing really came to mind...
In the mean time, my roomie had made sure that everyone knows how my case was screwed. He posted on Facebook..."Breaking News: SOMEBODY has shown Niel what he is and has been able to keep him in stress for hours after the stress interview....SOMEBODY..!!??!!". 17 likes and 63 comments followed in the next 24 hours...
I felt like killing Nakul !
With the Friday Night fever still reading 104F, I entered a new day....a new week...a Monday. We had to announce the list of shortlisted candidates for the contest. 5 girls and 5 guys. Ayesha obviously didn't make it, cause we don't take girls who cry!!!...
I could see a naughty smile on her face...and suddenly I got a line...but didn't know whether to go and say that. What if she has a kickass reply up her sleeve...??...I was beginning to doubt my balls...What a shame !!
Finally...this is what came out..."You could have made it to the finals girl...if only...if only you were smarter..."
"I made it into your mind dude....and lets not talk 'bout who's smarter...I don't want you to loose the rest of it..."
"You are good at lines....but shed this attitude girl....and do it on your own....I don't wanna waste time doing that for you..."
"Ow...revenge?"
"What...??"...
"Ya...play the game. Your serve...", she offered.
"Oooo....you came to field pretty early...good. I'll give you a taste of the game soon..."
Just then, I got a call....
"C ya girl...."
"Will C ya for sure..."
Now, I hardly had anything else in mind except Ayesha. I could hardly realise that in the process of thinking how to outsmart her, I was thinking of her. Somehow, there was a wannabe inside me that was coming out.
I wanted to talk to her...Getting her number wasn't a big deal for me...and after an hour of thinking with the same thoughts repeating themselves, I probably made a lame move.
I called her...
..........................................................
Episode 3:
"Hi...we had left the talk half way..."
"Who's this....?", the voice said, in a way as if she wouldn't bother even it were Brad Pitt...
"You have a short term memory it seems...."
"She's bathing mister...you can flirt a bit later..."
"Ow...I am sorry...I mean..I thought it's her..."
"I am sure you have no messages either....so can I...?"
"Ya sure..."
Holy Crap...!!! I didn't know how to get back...
Everything seemed to be changing...for the worse..
I sat back and did some thinking for a while...tried recalling my past relations. I thought of how I always wanted to love someone truly; but never found someone worth more than a month; except Rhea, who lasted for over six months...
I figured out a relation...a statistical relation...a curve...that the number of days a girl stayed as mine was proportional to her smartness....Eureka!!!
...and this gave me some hope :)
I 'wanted to' fall in love again...but...
That was when the message beeped...
"Dude...I am in class :(
Couldn't call you back coz I was in a bit of a hurry...
Lets meet up at 5...what say...Niel..?"
She was being too nice...I was sure she had some plans to screw me further...but I knew that I was going to meet her....
"Sure...will call you at 5...", I typed, following the textbook rule that the reply to a girl's sms should be shorter than her message...
We met.
She didn't make me wait either. We went to a cafe nearby. Talked.
"Alright Ayesha....lets face it...you are smarter than me...what next...?"
"Thanks Niel...I know I am...you need to be a smart girl to keep wannabes at bay..."
"Was that for me...?"
"No...I don't date wannabes..."
"Date...? you call it a date...?"
"Ya...big deal !!! We've come out to know each other better..."
...and we talked on. We talked for more than a couple of hours...out of all the talk, only two sentences mattered...
One..."I've never been in a relationship before..."
Two..."Chill dude...its no crime for a guy to try and test girls..."
...and ya...she laughed her ass off when I said,"...but I wanted to love some of them...truly..."
The bottomline was pretty clear. We liked each other and the dates would happen everyday now...
With three days left for the weekend, I began to plan.
'Inception' was our first movie together...and thankfully 'the girl's best friend' wasn't around to spoil the fun...!!!
The next weekend was much more special...
....................................................
Episode 4:
We planned up for a trip to Wonder-la, a water park in the city. But, this time we weren't alone...and I didn't mind that either ! We booked a cab for 6 - three couples...'if you know what I mean... :)'. Piyush and Aditi had watched Inception just a day ago; and that called for a discussion, more so because Kumud and Nakul wanted to hear the story...
Thankfully, I had understood this movie, which was overhyped as one that is 'difficult to understand'. May be it was. But there are rules that don't apply to engineers ! Ayesha looked impressed with my narration.It was fun going there...especially cause it was a journey with a purpose.
Ten long days after acquaintance, I was about to propose this girl. "Better late than never", I thought, counting my previous average. The stage was set...and this time I had planned to make it a bit more romantic than before. 'Water' was the theme.
We were all drenched, with half our bodies in water.It was 3:43pm by my water-resistant watch. The 'Close your eyes' ritual followed; and the fact that girls can't say no to 'diamonds' got proved just one more time. The ring looked amazing in her fair, wet finger. It was at that moment when I realised that she was the prettiest girl I ever dated. She looked amazing and I wanted to kiss her. Love was where I had fallen in....correction....*we...had fallen in...
We kissed on Monday. Venue: Terrace, Learning Centre, Alliance. She'd never been there before. I sang my favourite 'Tum Ho To...' and gifted her a rose.It was a wonderful time. She loved every bit of it.
That night at 3, after having talked to her o'er the phone, I realised that girls; no matter how smart they are; no matter how they carry themselves...they have an 'angel' side as well, which comes out when someone loves them honestly. I realised that there's one place where you can touch a woman to make her go crazy; and that place is her heart :)
Facebook said: "Niladri Bhowmik is in a relationship with Ayesha Nanda". 126 comments. 203 likes.
Freshers' followed in 5 days...and in no time 'Farewell' was coming up.
We spent as much time with each other as we possibly could. LG hired me on the 24th of November, 2010. I flew out of Bangalore on the Feb 15, 2011. Throughout the flight, I kept looking at my new watch...my first Valentines' Day gift. It seemed I had fallen in love with love itself.
I had changed in the past 6 months....but... in the next 2 months, somebody else did.
.............................................................
Episode 5:
'Niladri Bhowmik changed his present city to Noida'
The corporate world looked like a dream-come-true. I had never been discouraged by seniors complaining about it, cause I trusted my inner-voice. I knew I would rock the corporate world as well, and I wasn't wrong. I started making impressions from week one itself. I was happy.
The 'you no longer have time for me' phase had begun, and I had no clue how to fix this. I tried being better to her, but somehow, she had started noting a 'half-heartedness' in my attitude. She asked me to visit Bangalore for a week, seemingly to prove that I love her. I don't know whether I didn't or simply 'couldn't' In two months, she had lost interest in me. 'Time' was playing the villain in my love story. Two reasons. One: I wasn't being able to find time for her. Two: Six months isn't enough 'time' to understand each other so well.
I kept trying to keep the relation for the next ten months or so. I visited her twice and sent several gifts. Now, I had started finding an indifference in her behavior.
In February 2012, she was an MBA. The next month, her parents found her a 'good guy'. I never thought 25 was a good age to marry.
A few days later, I received a mail. Parts of it were like...
"...I am getting engaged Niel. His name is Vikaas...son of my dad's business partner...works for Infy in the US. I know him personally...I don't want to hurt my parents. They brought me up so well, took all the decisions for me, gave me everything I ever wanted. I want to see smiles on their faces..."
I visited her once again, this time in her home town,Darjeeling. I failed.
She got engaged in April and got married in July 2012. I even received an invitation for the ocassion, which appeared more like a 'slap on my face' than anything else. I didn't want to create a scene out there. Bollywood stuff doesn't work in real life any way. I chose not to attend her wedding.
I thought I wouldn't cry cause I am a strong guy. I was wrong.
I got a salary-hike next month, and booked a Volkswagen Polo.
On the 23rd of November 2012, I updated 'Niladri Bhowmik is Married'. 14 likes. 3 comments. :)
................................End of the story...................................
P.S. : The moonwalk is a dance technique that presents the illusion of the dancer being pulled backwards while attempting to walk forward; much like what happened to me !.
I thought I was making the right moves, going ahead in life with Ayesha. As it turned out, I was just living another unsuccessful attempt to find true love. In most stories, we find the girl making a 'i late luv storys' kind of a guy believe in love. In my case though, it happened the other way round.Now, I am of the opinion that 'Blind Love' is no more than a bloody oxymoron; and I wonder if my wife,Ambika can change my perception. Fingers crossed !!!
DEAR READERS.........COMMENTS PLZ.......... :)
Monday, August 23, 2010
The Moonwalk.....(Episode 5 of 5)
((((( Eligibility: The Moonwalk....Episodes 1 to 4 ))))))
'Niladri Bhowmik changed his present city to Noida'
The corporate world looked like a dream-come-true. I had never been discouraged by seniors complaining about it, cause I trusted my inner-voice. I knew I would rock the corporate world as well, and I wasn't wrong. I started making impressions from week one itself. I was happy.
The 'you no longer have time for me' phase had begun, and I had no clue how to fix this. I tried being better to her, but somehow, she had started noting a 'half-heartedness' in my attitude. She asked me to visit Bangalore for a week, seemingly to prove that I love her. I don't know whether I didn't or simply 'couldn't' In two months, she had lost interest in me. 'Time' was playing the villain in my love story. Two reasons. One: I wasn't being able to find time for her. Two: Six months isn't enough 'time' to understand each other so well.
I kept trying to keep the relation for the next ten months or so. I visited her twice and sent several gifts. Now, I had started finding an indifference in her behavior.
In February 2012, she was an MBA. The next month, her parents found her a 'good guy'. I never thought 25 was a good age to marry.
A few days later, I received a mail. Parts of it were like...
"...I am getting engaged Niel. His name is Vikaas...son of my dad's business partner...works for Infy in the US. I know him personally...I don't want to hurt my parents. They brought me up so well, took all the decisions for me, gave me everything I ever wanted. I want to see smiles on their faces..."
I visited her once again, this time in her home town,Darjeeling. I failed.
She got engaged in April and got married in July 2012. I even received an invitation for the ocassion, which appeared more like a 'slap on my face' than anything else. I didn't want to create a scene out there. Bollywood stuff doesn't work in real life any way. I chose not to attend her wedding.
I thought I wouldn't cry cause I am a strong guy. I was wrong.
I got a salary-hike next month, and booked a Volkswagen Polo.
On the 23rd of November 2012, I updated 'Niladri Bhowmik is Married'. 14 likes. 3 comments. :)
................................End of the story...................................
P.S. : The moonwalk is a dance technique that presents the illusion of the dancer being pulled backwards while attempting to walk forward; much like what happened to me !.
I thought I was making the right moves, going ahead in life with Ayesha. As it turned out, I was just living another unsuccessful attempt to find true love. In most stories, we find the girl making a 'i late luv storys' kind of a guy believe in love. In my case though, it happened the other way round.Now, I am of the opinion that 'Blind Love' is no more than a bloody oxymoron; and I wonder if my wife,Ambika can change my perception. Fingers crossed !!!
'Niladri Bhowmik changed his present city to Noida'
The corporate world looked like a dream-come-true. I had never been discouraged by seniors complaining about it, cause I trusted my inner-voice. I knew I would rock the corporate world as well, and I wasn't wrong. I started making impressions from week one itself. I was happy.
The 'you no longer have time for me' phase had begun, and I had no clue how to fix this. I tried being better to her, but somehow, she had started noting a 'half-heartedness' in my attitude. She asked me to visit Bangalore for a week, seemingly to prove that I love her. I don't know whether I didn't or simply 'couldn't' In two months, she had lost interest in me. 'Time' was playing the villain in my love story. Two reasons. One: I wasn't being able to find time for her. Two: Six months isn't enough 'time' to understand each other so well.
I kept trying to keep the relation for the next ten months or so. I visited her twice and sent several gifts. Now, I had started finding an indifference in her behavior.
In February 2012, she was an MBA. The next month, her parents found her a 'good guy'. I never thought 25 was a good age to marry.
A few days later, I received a mail. Parts of it were like...
"...I am getting engaged Niel. His name is Vikaas...son of my dad's business partner...works for Infy in the US. I know him personally...I don't want to hurt my parents. They brought me up so well, took all the decisions for me, gave me everything I ever wanted. I want to see smiles on their faces..."
I visited her once again, this time in her home town,Darjeeling. I failed.
She got engaged in April and got married in July 2012. I even received an invitation for the ocassion, which appeared more like a 'slap on my face' than anything else. I didn't want to create a scene out there. Bollywood stuff doesn't work in real life any way. I chose not to attend her wedding.
I thought I wouldn't cry cause I am a strong guy. I was wrong.
I got a salary-hike next month, and booked a Volkswagen Polo.
On the 23rd of November 2012, I updated 'Niladri Bhowmik is Married'. 14 likes. 3 comments. :)
................................End of the story...................................
P.S. : The moonwalk is a dance technique that presents the illusion of the dancer being pulled backwards while attempting to walk forward; much like what happened to me !.
I thought I was making the right moves, going ahead in life with Ayesha. As it turned out, I was just living another unsuccessful attempt to find true love. In most stories, we find the girl making a 'i late luv storys' kind of a guy believe in love. In my case though, it happened the other way round.Now, I am of the opinion that 'Blind Love' is no more than a bloody oxymoron; and I wonder if my wife,Ambika can change my perception. Fingers crossed !!!
The Moonwalk.....(Episode 4)
We planned up for a trip to Wonder-la, a water park in the city. But, this time we weren't alone...and I didn't mind that either ! We booked a cab for 6 - three couples...'if you know what I mean... :)'. Piyush and Aditi had watched Inception just a day ago; and that called for a discussion, more so because Kumud and Nakul wanted to hear the story...
Thankfully, I had understood this movie, which was overhyped as one that is 'difficult to understand'. May be it was. But there are rules that don't apply to engineers ! Ayesha looked impressed with my narration.It was fun going there...especially cause it was a journey with a purpose.
Ten long days after acquaintance, I was about to propose this girl. "Better late than never", I thought, counting my previous average. The stage was set...and this time I had planned to make it a bit more romantic than before. 'Water' was the theme.
We were all drenched, with half our bodies in water.It was 3:43pm by my water-resistant watch. The 'Close your eyes' ritual followed; and the fact that girls can't say no to 'diamonds' got proved just one more time. The ring looked amazing in her fair, wet finger. It was at that moment when I realised that she was the prettiest girl I ever dated. She looked amazing and I wanted to kiss her. Love was where I had fallen in....correction....*we...had fallen in...
We kissed on Monday. Venue: Terrace, Learning Centre, Alliance. She'd never been there before. I sang my favourite 'Tum Ho To...' and gifted her a rose.It was a wonderful time. She loved every bit of it.
That night at 3, after having talked to her o'er the phone, I realised that girls; no matter how smart they are; no matter how they carry themselves...they have an 'angel' side as well, which comes out when someone loves them honestly. I realised that there's one place where you can touch a woman to make her go crazy; and that place is her heart :)
Facebook said: "Niladri Bhowmik is in a relationship with Ayesha Nanda". 126 comments. 203 likes.
Freshers' followed in 5 days...and in no time 'Farewell' was coming up.
We spent as much time with each other as we possibly could. LG hired me on the 24th of November, 2010. I flew out of Bangalore on the Feb 15, 2011. Throughout the flight, I kept looking at my new watch...my first Valentines' Day gift. It seemed I had fallen in love with love itself.
I had changed in the past 6 months....but... in the next 2 months, somebody else did.
.......to know what happened next, read the 5th and final episode, that's coming soon......
Thankfully, I had understood this movie, which was overhyped as one that is 'difficult to understand'. May be it was. But there are rules that don't apply to engineers ! Ayesha looked impressed with my narration.It was fun going there...especially cause it was a journey with a purpose.
Ten long days after acquaintance, I was about to propose this girl. "Better late than never", I thought, counting my previous average. The stage was set...and this time I had planned to make it a bit more romantic than before. 'Water' was the theme.
We were all drenched, with half our bodies in water.It was 3:43pm by my water-resistant watch. The 'Close your eyes' ritual followed; and the fact that girls can't say no to 'diamonds' got proved just one more time. The ring looked amazing in her fair, wet finger. It was at that moment when I realised that she was the prettiest girl I ever dated. She looked amazing and I wanted to kiss her. Love was where I had fallen in....correction....*we...had fallen in...
We kissed on Monday. Venue: Terrace, Learning Centre, Alliance. She'd never been there before. I sang my favourite 'Tum Ho To...' and gifted her a rose.It was a wonderful time. She loved every bit of it.
That night at 3, after having talked to her o'er the phone, I realised that girls; no matter how smart they are; no matter how they carry themselves...they have an 'angel' side as well, which comes out when someone loves them honestly. I realised that there's one place where you can touch a woman to make her go crazy; and that place is her heart :)
Facebook said: "Niladri Bhowmik is in a relationship with Ayesha Nanda". 126 comments. 203 likes.
Freshers' followed in 5 days...and in no time 'Farewell' was coming up.
We spent as much time with each other as we possibly could. LG hired me on the 24th of November, 2010. I flew out of Bangalore on the Feb 15, 2011. Throughout the flight, I kept looking at my new watch...my first Valentines' Day gift. It seemed I had fallen in love with love itself.
I had changed in the past 6 months....but... in the next 2 months, somebody else did.
.......to know what happened next, read the 5th and final episode, that's coming soon......
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The Moonwalk.....(Episode 2)
For the next couple of days, I did some brainstorming !....tried to figure out what would have been the best lines to say to Ayesha at that moment. Nothing really came to mind...
In the mean time, my roomie had made sure that everyone knows how my case was screwed. He posted on Facebook..."Breaking News: SOMEBODY has shown Niel what he is and has been able to keep him in stress for hours after the stress interview....SOMEBODY..!!??!!". 17 likes and 63 comments followed in the next 24 hours...
I felt like killing Nakul !
With the Friday Night fever still reading 104F, I entered a new day....a new week...a Monday. We had to announce the list of shortlisted candidates for the contest. 5 girls and 5 guys. Ayesha obviously didn't make it, cause we don't take girls who cry!!!...
I could see a naughty smile on her face...and suddenly I got a line...but didn't know whether to go and say that. What if she has a kickass reply up her sleeve...??...I was beginning to doubt my balls...What a shame !!
Finally...this is what came out..."You could have made it to the finals girl...if only...if only you were smarter..."
"I made it into your mind dude....and lets not talk 'bout who's smarter...I don't want you to loose the rest of it..."
"You are good at lines....but shed this attitude girl....and do it on your own....I don't wanna waste time doing that for you..."
"Ow...revenge?"
"What...??"...
"Ya...play the game. Your serve...", she offered.
"Oooo....you came to field pretty early...good. I'll give you a taste of the game soon..."
Just then, I got a call....
"C ya girl...."
"Will C ya for sure..."
Now, I hardly had anything else in mind except Ayesha. I could hardly realise that in the process of thinking how to outsmart her, I was thinking of her. Somehow, there was a wannabe inside me that was coming out.
I wanted to talk to her...Getting her number wasn't a big deal for me...and after an hour of thinking with the same thoughts repeating themselves, I probably made a lame move.
I called her...
In the mean time, my roomie had made sure that everyone knows how my case was screwed. He posted on Facebook..."Breaking News: SOMEBODY has shown Niel what he is and has been able to keep him in stress for hours after the stress interview....SOMEBODY..!!??!!". 17 likes and 63 comments followed in the next 24 hours...
I felt like killing Nakul !
With the Friday Night fever still reading 104F, I entered a new day....a new week...a Monday. We had to announce the list of shortlisted candidates for the contest. 5 girls and 5 guys. Ayesha obviously didn't make it, cause we don't take girls who cry!!!...
I could see a naughty smile on her face...and suddenly I got a line...but didn't know whether to go and say that. What if she has a kickass reply up her sleeve...??...I was beginning to doubt my balls...What a shame !!
Finally...this is what came out..."You could have made it to the finals girl...if only...if only you were smarter..."
"I made it into your mind dude....and lets not talk 'bout who's smarter...I don't want you to loose the rest of it..."
"You are good at lines....but shed this attitude girl....and do it on your own....I don't wanna waste time doing that for you..."
"Ow...revenge?"
"What...??"...
"Ya...play the game. Your serve...", she offered.
"Oooo....you came to field pretty early...good. I'll give you a taste of the game soon..."
Just then, I got a call....
"C ya girl...."
"Will C ya for sure..."
Now, I hardly had anything else in mind except Ayesha. I could hardly realise that in the process of thinking how to outsmart her, I was thinking of her. Somehow, there was a wannabe inside me that was coming out.
I wanted to talk to her...Getting her number wasn't a big deal for me...and after an hour of thinking with the same thoughts repeating themselves, I probably made a lame move.
I called her...
Friday, August 6, 2010
The Moonwalk.....(Episode 1)
Tears rolled down her eyes. She wanted to move out of that closed room. She wasn't being able to take this any more. Perhaps I had crossed the line. She stood there and sobbed for a couple of minutes, before she chose to leave.
She was contestant No.23. I didn't even know her name. I was supposed to take a stress interview of the freshers, as a part of a personality contest. I was doing a good job until this girl cried. I could hardly interview the next two contestants. As No.26 walked in, I moved out.
I wanted to meet that girl. My friend Aditi helped me find her. She was seated with another girl at the staircase. I found this a bit tough to handle. Aditi helped me.
"Sorry Mam", the other girl said. "She is a bit...."
I moved a couple of steps closer to the ladies. "I am Sorry...I really didn't want to hurt you the way I did..."
"Its okay sir...."
"Don't call me 'sir'....I am Niel..."
"Ya...Niel...I shouldn't have taken part in this...these kind of contests are not for me...."
"Hey....you are making me feel guilty now...."
"No...everyone had warned me. They said it's impossible to impress you....that it's impossible to see the lighter side of you during the contest...."
"Okay...", I said as Aditi passed a naughty smile, just the way she always does when a girl says something nice about me.
"...and I took the challenge...perhaps I shouldn't have..."
"No...girl...I mean...what's your name...?"
"Ayesha..."
"Ok...Ayesha....never be afraid to take a challenge....who knows...you might just end up winning..."
"You are right dude......I did the right thing....the challenge was to trap you with tears....and I won....howwzzat...Mr.Niladri Bhowmik...???"
I was taken for a bad bad ride....and now I didn't know where to hide. Aditi's mouth was wide open....
"So....Mr. Supersmart Niel...? Any form of counter-attack playing in your head...or would you like to surrender...?"
I was speechless...I was outsmarted....and I knew I had to live with this for the last six months of MBA.
"You probably don't deserve gentlemen anyway....bloody freak !!!", I said it in a most pissed-off tone and walked out of there...
...and that's how I met this girl, with no idea whatsoever that she would become my first love...
She was contestant No.23. I didn't even know her name. I was supposed to take a stress interview of the freshers, as a part of a personality contest. I was doing a good job until this girl cried. I could hardly interview the next two contestants. As No.26 walked in, I moved out.
I wanted to meet that girl. My friend Aditi helped me find her. She was seated with another girl at the staircase. I found this a bit tough to handle. Aditi helped me.
"Sorry Mam", the other girl said. "She is a bit...."
I moved a couple of steps closer to the ladies. "I am Sorry...I really didn't want to hurt you the way I did..."
"Its okay sir...."
"Don't call me 'sir'....I am Niel..."
"Ya...Niel...I shouldn't have taken part in this...these kind of contests are not for me...."
"Hey....you are making me feel guilty now...."
"No...everyone had warned me. They said it's impossible to impress you....that it's impossible to see the lighter side of you during the contest...."
"Okay...", I said as Aditi passed a naughty smile, just the way she always does when a girl says something nice about me.
"...and I took the challenge...perhaps I shouldn't have..."
"No...girl...I mean...what's your name...?"
"Ayesha..."
"Ok...Ayesha....never be afraid to take a challenge....who knows...you might just end up winning..."
"You are right dude......I did the right thing....the challenge was to trap you with tears....and I won....howwzzat...Mr.Niladri Bhowmik...???"
I was taken for a bad bad ride....and now I didn't know where to hide. Aditi's mouth was wide open....
"So....Mr. Supersmart Niel...? Any form of counter-attack playing in your head...or would you like to surrender...?"
I was speechless...I was outsmarted....and I knew I had to live with this for the last six months of MBA.
"You probably don't deserve gentlemen anyway....bloody freak !!!", I said it in a most pissed-off tone and walked out of there...
...and that's how I met this girl, with no idea whatsoever that she would become my first love...
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
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