The coolest revolution ever

Isn’t it cool to know that Airtel is coming up with a revolution in the field of Internet? Yes, for the first time we shall be introduced with 4G- something we had been waiting for over the past few years. And the best thing is that it is going to be available at 3G prices itself- a bonus surprise for me. Well, by now you must have got the idea that whatever happens, I am going to be among the earliest customers of Airtel 4G. With the unbelievable and superfast speed, I will get for myself lots of goodies! And it is not just me, it is also you who can get your share of goodies if you just go and grab your share of Airtel 4G SIM.

Softwares of huge memory had always been a headache for me. I neither have time nor patience to sit in front of the desktop screen or stare at the mobile screen for hours checking what percentage of the stuff has been downloaded. Instead, I looked for friends or cyber café owners if they had an extra copy of those softwares. Well, with Airtel 4G, I look forward to bid goodbye to the old process. Now I need not wait. My favourite softwares will be with me within seconds, anytime I want!

Checking YouTube videos also had been very disturbing for me. I generally look for videos that help me in my studies. There are several videos that help me clear concepts of many things. In that case, when I try to concentrate on a video, and the video suddenly stops with that text ‘buffering’, it irritates like hell! Earlier I simply could not see the videos fully as a five- minute video took half-an-hour to finish. With the emergence of 3G, things became more comfortable, but some loopholes remained. With 4G, I would be able to see the videos as if they are not from YouTube, rather stored in my system itself. I can watch with fullest concentration without even the fear of it getting paused midway.

Well, talking about videos, how can I ignore the movies? Of all the things I love to keep in my system, movies carry most of the memory. For this reason, till date, downloading movies from torrent had always been a future-dream to me. I never could imagine of downloading anything whose memory is in gigabytes. Well, with Airtel 4G, I feel my awaited ‘future’ has come. It always brings a ‘yeppie!’ moment whenever I think of the fact that now I can download my favourite movies from the internet in a very very short time!

Apart from these, I know many goodies would be waiting for me when I explore the internet with my Airtel 4G. Oops! The goodies would not be just for me. For you people as well!

Time to guess the new league

Our all-time favourite Kapil Dev- the retired Cricketer- is bringing with himself something he calls ‘Ek Nayi League’. About this thing, which literally means ‘A new League’, he has only revealed that this is such a league where the player is sure to get a hit-wicket if they play with their heart. Now what he means by it, is still a suspense. The only thing certain abut it is ‘cricket’ as the term ‘hit wicket’ is related only with this game.

Before our favourite once-upon-a-time cricketer breaks the suspense, why not make some guesses on what it must be. Let’s begin this way- when is it advised to people not to use their hearts or sentiments while doing their tasks? As far as I remember, it is said to surgeons. It is said that if they have any emotional feeling for the patient, they cannot perform their operation properly and may end up killing the poor patient. But will this apply here? No. We are not going to do any operation or post-mortem of the cricket ball. We are just going to play a game.

Okay, if we think of games, we see that it is actually advised to the players to play with all their heart in order to win. As far as I can think, I find only one game where I personally feel this thing is not much applicable. That’s the slow cycle race. Here if you put your heart in the race, you would ride faster. But here the person who wins is the one who is the slowest. But we don’t find wickets in slow-cycle race. Nor do we play cricket on cycles. So this guess also needs a goodbye!

Now, if we talk keeping just ‘cricket’ in the centre, we can think of only one time when it is advised to the players not to use their hearts. It is the time when the opponent team members try to abuse or attack the sentiments of the cricketers. At that moment if the cricketer takes things to heart, he cannot concentrate on the game. So does it mean this league is such where abusing an opponent cricketer would actually be allowed? Or will there be people around who would be appointed just to make the players mentally weak??? To be honest, I find a small possibility.

But then, one more thing comes in my mind. Will, in this league, the rules be somewhat like that of the slow cycle race? Just as in the race, you need to cycle the slowest without your feet touching the ground, similarly, will the rule in this game be that you need to score the lowest but actually need to hit the ball and make a few runs?? It’s a ‘new league’ after all. Anything can happen. But still, I can’t convince myself much.

At the end of the day, all I can conclude is my third guess will find a possibility. There will be people trying to make the game tough for the players by weakening them mentally.

And I can conclude one more thing as well- If Kapil Dev sir is reading this post right now, he is sure to laugh his heart out! (So will I myself, when I shall read it back once the original secret is disclosed).

Pertaining to the modern era

It felt really great to know that ASUS- a home to computer hardwares and accessories- has now come up with an advanced range of smartphones. But in order to choose the best of bests, one definitely needs to do a bit of research. And once my research was complete (which took me a little more than an hour), I indeed came up with the smartphone that not only proved the best not only among other other smartphones, but also proved itself something more than just ‘smartphone’ owing to its super-versatile features and super-extended battery life- fully pertaining to the demand of the modern era. Here are the five best reasons I have chalked out (from among many that I found) which proves why ASUS Zenfone 2- the best among the bests- is indeed going to rekindle your smartphone experience-

1.      

          1.  A smartphone should be no less than a PC in your pocket! It often happens that you are busy playing your favourite game when suddenly you cannot move ahead and miss your target score just because your phone suddenly slows down. But now, this problem has come to an end. With its super 4 GB RAM- that is seldom found in any other smartphone- Zenfone 2 gives you an awesome smartphone experience- be it in terms of gaming, internet-browsing or any other activity.

2.     2.   It often happens that you are busy chatting with your loved one sitting on a train, when suddenly a ‘low battery’ message pops up on the phone. You have to immediately end the chat and keep the phone on stand-by lest you can’t attend to emergency calls. You keep wondering what percentage of battery charge it carried when you had plugged out the charger for the last time. Well, with Zenfone 2, this problem won’t trouble you as it comes with a battery life extended to a great extent. And the best thing is that you do not have to hold your patience for long when your phone is set to charging, as the speed charging of the phone can charge the battery to as much as 60% in a mere 39 minutes. So with this phone, you can get a long lasting battery life with very little patience.

3.    3.    Want to send a selfie of yourself to your loved one? Or want to capture some rare scene? A poor quality camera in your smartphone spoils the moment. Zenfone 2 is here to solve your problem in this regard as well. With its Pixel Master Camera, the device helps you capture high resolution, stunning pictures at any hour. Here, you do not need a flash while capturing low-light scenes as the device helps capture photos upto 400% brighter at night. The camera has a giant resolution of 13 MP where as the secondary camera is of 5 MP.

4.    4.    Right from apps to MP3 to movies, you may be tired of storing things in your smartphone- but the device won’t. With its internal memory upto 64 GB (and memory card support of 64 GB), you can store a large number of things in your phone. The huge storage coupled with the 4 GB RAM is indeed going to make your smartphone a PC in your pocket.

5.     5.   Last but certainly not the least, the device has a super IPS capacitive screen with 16M colours, with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels. Its v5.0 (lollipop) Android OS comes as a cherry on the cake.

At the end of the day, I really feel awesome being a proud owner of this brand new version of ASUS Smartphone.

Meeting The Dreams

I always feel amazed when I look at my past. I compare my life today with my life then. And what I can see around is an air of optimism. An optimism that helps me dream my future. My present also is nothing but the future I dreamt of in my past.Today, thankfully, my dreams- that seemed bit futile then, have met the goal of reality. And that's why, my dreams for future no more seem futile.
Ten years back, in some big school present in a small town, a small boy could be seen crying in front of his senior- pleading him to allow him in the elocution competition. He was rejected. He waited for the 'next time'. And next year when the time came again, his pleadings began. This time he was told he would be informed. And just the next day, the boy found the list of selected students on the notice board. The boy was not even allowed the audition. He was unfit in the eyes of the captains for he had never participated in elocution earlier- and they felt his performance would lead their house to defeat.
The boy was broke. He waited for a ray of light. He ultimately found it a few years later, when he reached class 9- when a teacher praised him for his English. For the first time, the boy felt he got something he needed very much. His hidden shelf was getting transparent. His dark within found a tiny lamp of optimism.
That year, as usual, he was not allowed audition for elocution. But something awaited him- that he didn't know right then. On the day of the competition, once the main programme was over, the Principal invited students from the audience if they wanted to say something on any one of the given topics. The boy came to know it was meant for him. He rushed to the stage.
The audience chuckled and some even laughed when the boy came in front of the microphone. They must have wondered he would only make a fool of himself as he was not one of those regular orators. But by the time the boy ended his speech there was an applause from the same audience. He was recognised.
And then there was no turning back. By the time the boy left school, things changed to such an extent that when speech or writing-based item took place, his name was present there by default. The boy never denied any chance. He, however, never took part in extempore.
Time flowed. The boy completed his HS and joined college- in an entirely new place. Every face was new to him. But he knew he had to be a known face to those unknowns. And one day, he got the chance to kick-start his mission- when the teacher asked the students to present a seminar speech on a simple topic from the syllabus. The boy had no idea about seminar. But he still raised his hand. He was called. He faced his classmates and just said whatever he knew and personally felt about the topic. He was now a known face among his classmates. But his reach had to be widened.
He fell in the eyes of the college seniors and union members when he presented a speech in the teachers' day. A few days later, somebody from the college union phoned him and asked him to come to the college the next day, as a bunch of competitions was scheduled by the union that day.
Next day when the boy went to college, he was shown the list of competitions. He took part in essay writing.
When the programme began, one of the organisers asked him to take part in extempore as well. The boy denied straight away as he had never taken part in it, and secondly, he feared he could be given any topic based on that particular city, which he was yet to know properly. But the organisers said topics would be as simple as train or minibus or house. In order to keep their request, the boy said 'okay'.
And finally, the extempore competition began. The boy's turn came. He was asked topic a folded chit from the plate. He picked one. Unfolded it. He expected 'train' or'minibus' or 'house' to be written there. And the topic read-
"She is mine, but I am not hers."

The boy looked at the waiting audience and the bench of judges. He then went in front of the microphone. Taking a deep breath, he began. He told about a boy who loved a girl a lot, yet could not get her acceptance as she ran after a richer guy. He spoke with emotions as far as possible. And towards the end, he found an applauding audience and judges. When the results were announced, he was declared first in the competition.
And then, the ball came in his court. He was known for his speech and also his writing. In his final year he became the publishing secretary of the college.
Today, as the boy- that's me- is writing this blog-post, he still is looking back at the time that he feels has blown like a gust of wind.

My dream is getting fulfilled. Slowly but steadily, I know I can make it. For in order to pave the way to my goal, there is the presence of optimism- in abundance.

The First Meet

It is said that a thing of beauty is a joy for ever. Today, in our vast life, if we are able to find some time for our dear ones, it becomes one of the most happy moments. The moments may be temporary, but the memories are permanent. The happiness returns every time we remember the moments. The momens may be planned,may be unplanned. The joy remains constant. The joy comes when we suddenly meet some school-day friend in a train. It comes when some relative pays a surprise visit. When there is a reunion in our alma mater. And the joy comeswhen we are alone in our cosy bed, recalling those times. My life has also lived those joys. The memories stillremain tomake me happy during sad hours. One of those most special memories is of the time when I had met Nidhi for time.
Nidhi had become my friend on Facebook sometime in the beginning of the year 2014. I do not quite remember how exactly we peoplecame in contact. Her facebook profile resembles that of some army officer and that is the reason I initially had presumed it was me who had sent her the request as those days I was looking for someone who could help meclear some queries regarding army life owing to one of my stories. However, Nidhi later told me the request was from her part as those days she was looking for a suitable bride for one of her relatives and sent friend-requests to any young boy she found on Facebook (but in my case, she found the'groom' to be too young who was not even a graduate right then).
Anyways, with the flow of time, I and Nidhi came closer. From friends, we turned best friends. From Facebook, we expanded our conversation level to phone-calls and Whatsapp. Chatting became a daily routine where we shared our deepest secrets with each other. I became quite desparate to meet her in person. Then one day, she said she was coming to Durgapur- my place- for a couple of days.
I was overjoyed to hear this. The next few chats saw us make plans of how and when to meet. Then one day I informed Nidhi that I had filled the form for CDS exam. She became bit excited and asked me not to purchase any book as she herself would give me one.
And then, on the scheduled day, I went to Junction Mall, the placewhere we were supposed to meet. I went to crossword bookstore and surfed the books as I waited for her. Just then, my phone rang. Nidhi was waiting for me downstairs.
I immediately went down the escalator to find Nidhi stand near the giant gate of Junction Mall. It felt great to see her for the first time. I presented her the friendship band I had brought for her. And then she said with a smile, 'There is something for you as well.' So saying, she took out a couple of gift-wrapped items from her handbad. On her persuasion I unpacked them then and there. One was a set of Ferraro Rocher chocolates and the other one was a beautiful key-chain with Lord Krishna and Radha carved on a gold plate. I simply was delighted seeing them!
We then went to Crossword Bookstore where I got a chocolate set for her. From there we went to the third floor of the mall. There, we gossiped like anything! We laughed and joked so much that the people stared at us. We also had serious moments. We chatted for two full hours. And then, we took photographs. The, as we came out of the mall, Niwi gave me the CDS reference book and a few old question papers which indeed were a cherry on the cake. And then, as we waved goodbye, I felt my heart bit heavy.
That was my first and only proper meet with Nidhi. We met again months later as my CDS exam was over and I had to return the book to her. But this meet was a temporary five-minute one. Chatting continued and still continues- though less as compared to earlier ones. But since I have left Durgapur now, and am in a place where she hardly can have a reason to come, I do not know if I ever will be able to meet her again. But the hope is alive.
The time we had spent together that day has become an everlasting memory today. The key-chain she had presented is still with me, safe in my locker. I take it out of the locker whenever I recall her. I kiss the carving of Radha and Krishna, put the key-chain back in the case, and place the thing back in the locker.

A Friend Who Never Forgets

Optimism, for me, is a way of life- a way that is greatly influenced by the surroundings. A few cool drops of rain in the scorching summer heat carries optimism. The first leaf in a new born plant carries optimism. The first sign of improvement in one’s pathetic health condition carries optimism.

Optimism, in a nutshell, is when one looks at the brighter side of life. It is something backed by hope. So, whenever there is a ray of hope- be it anywhere, there is presence of optimism.

To me, optimism is that friend who doesn’t come every day, but also doesn’t forget visiting forever. According to a proverb in Hindi, God may delay your fortune/ wish, but won’t keep you deprived of it as well. I have seen this proverb work on me to a great extent, and whenever I found a ray of hope sitting in the dark room of despair, I found optimism. When I was very young, a comment like ‘good’ brought me optimism. When I solved a sum from the hardest chapter in Maths, and made it correct, I found optimism. When I found my first paper go very well in my exam, it brought me a lot of optimism which helped me in the other papers to a great extent. I have been knocking the doors of publishing houses for considering my debut book for quite a long time. There was a time when I just lost hope and felt I never would supposedly be published. And then, an offer from a publisher to give my story a place in his anthology came as a big amount of optimism for me. My dead hopes seemed to take a rebirth. Today, all I can say is the day is not far when my book shall be found in print.

Since my birth, I had been living on rent. We never had a house of our own and I was quite sick of following the rules and regulations fixed by the landlords. Three years back, we had been visiting a large number of apartments in search of a suitable flat at a reasonable price. But everywhere, we found some or other issue. And then one day, my dad phoned me informing that he had found an awesome flat at Raiganj at a comparatively low price. There was an air of optimism. We went forward with it without giving a second thought. Today, we own that flat. We don’t have to count monthly rent anymore.

I have found optimism in several things. But my favourite story of optimism is hidden in the town where I have spent my entire childhood. I remember the days when I used to study using oil lamps and lanterns. I was sick of the unmetalled roads and cart-tracks. We used to spend days without electricity in case there was a fault in the transformer or some electric pole (which was very frequent in stormy or windy days). The break-and-fall of the wires of electric poles has taken so many lives. And then, one fine day we found developments tale place. It began with the roads turn metalled. With each lane’s road turning metalled, everyone around was filled with optimism. ‘Our lane also shall be the same one day,’ was the common thought. After the roads developed, came the turn of electricity. The power-cuts became shorter and the necessary wires were replaced with new and quality ones. Apart from this, the construction of park has given a room for recreation as well as employment opportunities to many. Development has been seen in other fields as well. Today, my town carries the aim to stand parallel to any other fully developed town. Optimism is the key that is keeping its determination alive and constant.

Unknown Hands

While leaving the town Sahibganj forever in order to start my new journey, I was subjugated by a lot of fear. It felt as if I was to die a life and take birth to another one. ‘What will happen next?’ was the inevitable question. How life in a big town is, or how is the lifestyle of the people living there- I simply had no idea. Sahibganj is a small yet beautiful town- with the Rajmahal hills on one side and River Ganga on the other. There are neither wide roads nor modernised super bazaars, and needless to say, no multiplexes or malls.

It would, however, be wrong to say that I never had visited any big city earlier. I often had visited places like Durgapur or Kolkata during holidays. But during those days, things were different. I was a minor, and whenever I went out of house, a hand always held me. A hand that I knew- I trusted upon. Now, things were different. I neither was a minor, nor was going to just visit there. I was going to live there.

But at that time, what did not come in my mind was that in Durgapur also, I was going to stay with people of flesh and blood itself. Be they however, they are human beings.

I put my feet on the new place. My new life had begun. Things didn’t seem that complicated as I had thought of. The town with its vast area covered by the steel plant, the huge constructions, modernized markets, etc- had people no different to us. As time passed, I gathered new experiences. In Durgapur, cycle-rickshaws were not that common. The most common means of transport was the ‘minibus’. In Sahibganj, buses could be seen once in a year or so- mostly owing to some marriage ceremony. So, the experience of travelling regularly in this vehicle felt awesome! Apart from this, I got many new experiences- each experience backed by a new lesson. I learnt to get lost. I mistakenly chose wrong paths. And when I realized it, I then looked around and asked the people there for help. They guided me and I ultimately reached my home. Every time I lost my route, I discovered a new one. And then I realized that now I didn’t need any known hand to guide me. There were several hands. Unknown hands.

I joined college. I was again afraid as I recalled what I had heard about college. Warnings like ‘Be careful, your seniors will rag you’, ‘they may force you to smoke and drink’, and so on, coupled with the fact that I would have no mate from my past and everybody would be new- made me nervous. But as I went inside the college, I found the atmosphere very different. I was welcomed with a rose by a senior. While I stared around at the campus building, somebody asked, ‘what is your name?’ I replied, ‘Souvik Mukherjee.’ ‘Wow! You are Souvik Mukherjee, and I am Souvik Aich,’ he smiled and extended his hand. Within moments the unknown hand became a known one, which stayed with me till my last day at college.

I had presumed, things would be different. But what I saw was that things were the same. Only the dialect was different. The building was same, just the paint was different. I rarely found titles like ‘Verma’, ‘Paswan’ and ‘Gupta’, where as discovered some new ones like ‘Aich’, ‘Gorai’ and ‘Hati’. I missed the hills and the Ganges, but discovered multiplexes and plazas.

The main thing that I learned in this new life is that others are no different to us. Their hands may be unknown, but once we extend outs, they immediately will extend theirs. As we are looking for more and more friendly hands, they themselves also are looking for the same.