Life and Lies of M R Maiti

The dimly lit open space is filled with cheering and clapping. Before long, the first chord is struck. It echoes across the open space. A small halo of light appears at the centre, growing bigger. The applause intensifies.  He's there. He's not. All at the same time. Away from the light, he waits for his compatriot to finish his verse. Then he steps into the light. His overpowering voice fills the open space while continuing his magic with the six strings for the thousandth time.  The lights change. The words vanish. Left behind is a silhouette of a man. And his guitar, of which every note echoes across the open space that is now flooded with dancing green lines. And there holding his heart in his hand, floating amidst a cloud of effervescence, he strums away. Excuse me, Sir! I am scared out of my chair. It's the office boy. He's taken aback too, I notice. I immediately look at my watch. It's 8 PM. The office is empty. Only a few lights remain. Not

It's 3 AM. I can't find any sleep. I lock my 1BHK flat and call the lift. It's an old-style one. I am worried that the beeping sound it's making would awaken the inmates. Quickly, I shut the doors. The elevator takes me four floors down to the ground floor. Again, I shut the door, quickly. The night is a bit chilly. The prevailing silence in the compound is only interrupted by some dogs occasionally barking in the distance. My footsteps must have awakened the night guard for he shakes away his awkward sleeping posture. I don't recognize him. Must be new, I think. I move closer and enquire.  It's his first night in this enclave. He's filling in for someone just for today. Employed by some agency that manages guards from one place to another, he is usually stationed at some resort in Phulbari, Siliguri. There, he works his shift from 8 AM to 4 PM and stays with three other people in a single room. His salary is 6000/- per month. The rent I'm paying

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris My rating: 4 of 5 stars Arbeit Macht Frei - reads the sign at the entrance of Auschwitz. It translates to 'work sets you free' in English which is kind of ironical since, in a place such as Auschwitz where names are reduced to numbers tattoed on arms, only death can set you free. In such a place, a tattoowierer struggles to survive and somehow finds the love of his life. Wars leave only ashes and survivors. This is a story of two names Ludwig Eisenberg/Lale/Lale Sokolov and Gita Furman/Gita/Gita Sokolov reduced to numbers 32407 and 34902 struggle to survive in a concentration camp. Their love for each other propels them forward every day surrounded by death and tyranny. And even after the war is over, they never leave each other's side. One thing I appreciate about the author is that she didn't intrude the essence of a true story with her own imagination. She clearly wrote everything the way narrated to her and that seem

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson My rating: 4 of 5 stars I may have enjoyed this book more than others because they were many methods/way of life elaborated in the book that I was already following. That way the book became more relatable. For instance: "With responsibility comes great power." I have been unknowingly doing this all my life, taking responsibility for my actions, worrying about what I did wrong than shifting blames on others. Another relatable thing was: all of us see our friends performing on stage, nailing their band performance and visualize ourselves doing the same. I do, too. But I also am aware of the fact that I'm never going to put any effort in mastering an instrument, forming a band and practising for hours. I am honest about it to myself. Same goes for our professional life. I observe my classmates in awe of my friend who landed an investment banking job. At that moment, all

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel My rating: 5 of 5 stars It's an amazing book. It's not necessarily a book for start-up enthusiasts. I'm not one and I enjoyed reading this book. The book was never boring. Yeah, sometimes the author exaggerated to make his point, being a Contrarion and all. But going through every page, either I was learning something new or delving deeper into what I already knew. A must read if you are interested in Tech-history. View all my reviews

पहाड़ों के बीच एक रेंगती सड़क और उस्से गुजरती एक पुश बैक सीट्स वाली बस मचलती हुई तीखे मोरो से होकर एक गर्म चाय के लिए किसी ढाबे पे ठहरती इसकी हमें आदत सी हो गई है। ग्रीष्म की गर्मी में बारिश की रिमझिम मे यह अपनी धुन में दौड़ती रात की अंधियारी को चीरती हुई यह खोजती अपनी राहें कभी कड़कती ठंड के कोहरे में अब तो आदत सी हो गई है। माँ की बनाई रोटी हाथ में लिए खिड़की खोले बैठे हम उन गुजरते रास्तों को देखते कर चुके ये सफ़र हम न जाने कितनी बार एक अपनापन है इन नजारों में पल भर में ये भी ओझल हो जाते हैं आँखों से पर हमें तो आदत सी हो गई है। वही नजारे वही पुराने रस्ते और वही सुहानी हवा मेरा माथा सहलाकर कुछ लोरी सा सुनाती और नींद के सागर में हम डूब जाते ऐसी हमें आदत सी हो गई है।। ©mr.maiti

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka My rating: 3 of 5 stars Strange and weird! At one point of time, I wondered if the idea behind the metamorphosis was to make each member of the family self dependent, who were all a burden on Gregor Samsa. Or the entire story was a sarcastic comment on the ignorant nature of the family members. Still, I feel like I missed something there. Is there more to the story? Was there some hidden meaning that I couldn't comprehend? View all my reviews

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde My rating: 5 of 5 stars Taken in literal sense, the story is about two gentlemen who become the love interest of two ladies because of their made up names: Earnest And contrary to the title, the book is filled with wit and humour of Jack and Algernon as they take a sarcastic approach to societal norms and obligations. Apart from that, it's also a tale of coincidences. View all my reviews

Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh My rating: 4 of 5 stars I picked up this book because one of my friends recommended it as 'one of the most humorous books of all time'. And I am glad that I did. The author takes you along on a journey of her own life where she devises various coping mechanisms to deal with procrastination, motivation, depression, shame and fear. And all the while, you'll feel like you're reading your own version. She makes everything relatable in her own humorous way be it dealing with your pet, your parents, your past life or the conundrums of your daily life. I loved the concluding part. It lay emphasis on the fact that trying matters. No matter how negatively opined you are about yourself, the important thing is to focus on acting like a better person. It's important to acknowledge your shitty parts but that doesn't mean you can't be a good per

Procrastination delays reality Denial helps forget But inevitability strikes In the distance, approaching the horizon The Sun of my childhood I see, it's bound to set New beginnings beckon Strange and unknown Accompanied by the whispers of goodbyes I journey headlong into the night  Towards a sweet morning Towards my own sunrise My Childhood Sun, now gone In my heart, I treasure That last fading sunset A summary of the twilights gone by That nostalgic sunset Reminiscent of the times gone by!

Matilda by Roald Dahl My rating: 5 of 5 stars I regret not having read this book earlier. This is my first book of Roald Dahl. Will surely try to get my hands on other of his books. View all my reviews

The corridors are empty The lights are dull Over a sea so vast Fell a saddening lull As I look back in the rear-view mirror Memories do shine The rush that heralded the day Every morning in C9 Omar, Kangla and I boarded an auto in a hurry Desperate times, desperate measures, not a luxury Sheets unbalanced, forced STP An hour into the lecture, the doors bang open Then entered TP Slides transited, words flew around The battle for AC was fought in the background The warriors of Section A An enthusiastic Hermione Granger against a sadistic Severus Snape Sameer’s doubt, Never understood what it was about Weaving magic with her words, the girl in the blue scarf Joined the class only after the first half The story of this section You’ll hit a member of Mad House if you Hurl a stone in any random direction A Bong marketer found his love for trade "Now Soumojit will answer", when someone said I sensed a movement behi

Date:  Sunday, January 21, 2018 11:24 PM        Venue: NH 109 “Kiyeeeennnnn” A sudden screech reverberated across the room. “Cut it, Jon,” a whisper of voices, containing an undertone of warning, immediately followed. Jon retreated, back to his shell, waiting for his chance to pounce on them again. It was the dead of night. The entire hostel was engulfed in darkness. The students, breathing behind shut doors, were deep asleep. At least most of them were. In a room on the third floor - the first one on the right of the staircase and on the other side of the hallway - the fellows were not dead yet. A laptop, along with a borrowed 2.1 speakers sat on top of a double-bed, shedding its luminescence on the four figures: Maiti, Prez, Divy and Jon (in that order), their shadows thrown at the wall. “Oh, f***,” Prez crooned and hid his head under the blanket. “Kitni fattti h be teri,” Maiti mocked a subdued Prez. Nobody knew that Maiti himself had kept his eyes open only a small amou

Phobjikha valley in Bhutan, also known as Gangteng Valley is named after the impressive Gangteng Monastery of the Nyingma sect in central Bhutan. At an average altitude of 3,000 metres, the valley is the most significant wintering ground of the rare and endangered Black‐necked cranes in Bhutan who migrate from the Tibetan Plateau to visit the valley during the winter season to roost. Original pic  of a blacked-necked crane sheltered at Crane Observatory, Phobjikha undergoing recovery.  Date taken:  June 16, 2017   The Black-neckedCrane (Grus nigricollis) is a medium-sized crane in Asia that breeds on the Tibetan Plateau and winters mainly in remote parts of India and Bhutan. The valley has been protected since time immemorial by the local people’s traditional respect for all living beings. As a result, over 300 cranes migrate to Bhutan to spend their winter months in this valley. There is a Crane Observatory overlooking

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman My rating: 5 of 5 stars Loved it! Such a nice fantasy book after a long time. Gaiman didn't disappoint. Writing a novel based on memories of your childhood days and a great job at that. After a long time I felt so engrossed in a book that I finished it in a single go. View all my reviews