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The Happiness of Clicking...

March 21, 2015, 11:52 pm
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Oh well, I was having a heated up discussion with my colleague last Friday in judging the relative precedence of a promotion over good rating when the perspective called "Happiness" or "Euphoria" intruded into the frame. Such impingements are very common during the appraisal time when employees get to retrospect and resolve accordingly.
"I guess I should get promoted to a Senior Consultant this year...I have stretched myself quite a bit this year"-  My colleague asserted, he seemed to be very confident about the outcome of an extended call with the Partner.
"Hmm. But will that really make you happy? Think about it." - My instantaneous razor-sharp inquiry came in as a shocker. Well, really? For a person who aspires to be an entrepreneur five years down the line, the prospect of a consolation promotion shouldn't have been significant enough..perhaps at the end of the day, a short-term binge of happiness surfaces. I refuse to concur though...my definition of happiness is slightly distinctive. Happiness, to me is nothing but an uncurbed license of free-spirited expression. On these lines, let's look at Coca-Cola's revolutionary advertisement, the perennial advocate of unscripted happiness.


As a little kid, colourful frames have always appealed to me...those shades have literally plunged into my senses and revitalized them. Mom says that even as a toddler, all it needed was a generous dose of colourful pictures to pacify me...she has even preserved those colorful albums & magic painting books as memoirs of those kaleidoscopic salad days. Voila! Talking of inclination, nothing has changed over the last 26 years...in-fact the intensity has increased manifold. Now that I have a fantastic camera at my disposal to "frame those colors"...my word, it's an ecstatic feeling. I would rather say that the camera is quite a conjurer, it can extract worthy perspectives out of the most mundane frames and add life to it. I have been recently doing a lot of photo-walks in and around Calcutta under the supervision of "Calcutta Walks" and the level of knowledge I'm gaining in the process is insurmountable.  Knowledge as a pathway to enlightenment is always gratifying, especially the prospect of excavating so many uncovered secrets of your own city, is a fascinating prospect....and to add to that learning, you get a chance to quench your replenishing thirst of clicking graceful ingrained shades of the city. I've been a potential late-riser over the years but astonishingly on the "Photowalk" days, I tend to wake up before the alarm clock breaks it's inertia of rest and manages to respond. Addictive..!!

The Happiness Central: Colourful Snippets from one of my recent photo-walks in North Calcutta
"How do you manage to strike a balance between such a grilling work-life and your mad photography-assignments?" - Someone had asked me on Facebook.
"Because I'm happy"- My response was rather instinctive but I'm absolutely in sync with the mood reflected in Pharrell Williams' legendary number. You should always take out inspiration from the daily chores and I'm on my way of doing exactly that. Somewhere down the line, I plan to take up photography as a full-time profession because consulting, after a while, brings in the feeling of stagnation while the hunt for frames unveils newer avenues , unfurls newer angles with every passing day. The feeling of contentment in a perfectly timed shot is unrivaled. Yes, technically speaking a perfect low-light shot with decent composition charges me up...but then photography, in itself is salvation as far as I'm concerned. I won't cite multiple facets because I sincerely don't want to dilute the gravity of my "Top-most Happiness Driving Factor"...the mere prospect of an upcoming weekend turns me; that's when I get to spend time out in the streets of Calcutta and peep into the world through my lens. Click!

The Happiness Central: There's a lot of effervescent happiness in digging life out of mundane frames...
*Want to find out more about the Coca Cola International Day Of Happiness? Please visit the following link. All the pictures used in this blog-post are self-clicked and shouldn't be copied or represented in any form without my permission..!!
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The Essence of #CelebrateBlogging

September 13, 2015, 7:43 am
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I don't know why I am doing this, I'm not convinced whether I should write all this on my blog...whether I should defame myself in my orbit; perhaps people might just add the tag "frantic" to my name after reading this post...but I have made up my mind- I'll go for it. I know it's a rather suicidal attempt but I would take that risk because I believe that in the end it's the intent, the desire, the ambition that matters. You might be passing through rough patches, those patches might turn out to be barren islands that might drain out your verve, your zeal, your enthusiasm....but then you need to come back even stronger. Sounds lyrical alright, sounds philosophical as well....but I strongly believe that, I, to an extent have managed to wither the "storm". And blogging has been quite the driving force. Now, that blogadda has given me the platform to express my love for blogging through the prompt "Celebrate Blogging", I won't hold back. As a matter of fact, I have tried my best to rack up my thoughts and pen down such a post in the past as well...I failed in the process. This is perhaps my last chance. I'll try to be as precise and perspicuous as possible.

Well, I have been brought up in a middle class Bengali joint family with my grandparents and uncles (along with their families) living together under the same roof. Oh yes, as a reader, you must have gauged the sense of nonchalance in my opening statement already; but believe me, we, I and my parents, did our best to bridge the fundamental gap. Not to be, the venom had been injected deep into the roots...the noxious poison called "discrimination" that had created an impermeable layer of "inequality" in the family even before I was born. And I was absorbed into the "loop of death" right from the salad days...I was never allowed to be a part of family gatherings, family ceremonies like "Diwali" or "Bhai Phonta", always left out of indoor cricket matches, pujo gatherings, family outings, movie outings, dinner; in short secluded, quarantined...isolated. And as a little kid, it was difficult for me to grasp the ingrained pandemonium, but the serial insensitivity did put me into a shell...and I didn't know how to get out of it. Traditionally, we do respect our grand-parents a lot, I feel ashamed to say this, but perhaps that isn't true in my case....they could have at least tried to plug in those holes that might have been created inadvertently. I have tried to find out from them many-a-times; they have silently ignored my questions. Now, I know the reason and I don't even want to talk about it. Or perhaps I do, at a later stage in my life...and who knows, perhaps even sooner than that through a blogpost. It's hilarious to decipher that you have been shoved to one corner just because you and your parents are "more talented" (in every respect as "they" say) than the rest of your family members; I don't know whether my readers could extract 'sense' out of that venerated argument...if you haven't, don't even try. But then, yes, it did affect me a lot....it did create an agonizing dent, the scars of that excruciatingly painful  episode still remain. I have had a tough time in my life after that, it's never been a bed of roses for me anyway...but believe me, this chapter had literally gutted me from inside...I had almost stepped into a cocoon when I entered school, I was a quiet child...I hardly interacted with my classmates, hardly responded to the lessons being taught in class. I was a good student but I never had good friends; sadly, I was "overlooked" yet again, this time in a territory that was pretty much away from home....the cataclysmic impact of repudiation on a young mind. I secured second rank in my school at the Higher Secondary Level, much to "their" surprise and I greeted with the question- "How could even manage to achieve it? Did you adopt unfair means during the exam?"Sounds hilarious right? Yes it does...and believe me, it hurts even more when it comes from your own family members. Even at the University level, I had a tough time trying to cope up with the spasmodic change...my world was quickly evolving and I was still carrying the burden of the past. But then, in my third year of Engineering, my perspective changed. A lot of credit goes to the environment of Jadavpur University that taught me how to rise up and protest against the revered "convention"...to put forward a gutsy, fearless perspective. I was involved in a number of student protest movements at that point of time, though passively, but it changed my way of life. I started writing white-papers on transformation, transition, change....that was my only way of expression. I wrote of myself because that gave me a sense of liberation...a sense of independence, it gave me a "backbone". However, I soon realized that I might lose out on the hard-copies of my "creation", all my diaries, due to misplacement and wear & tear...and I couldn't have haved afforded the loss. My notes had turned into my source of oxygen, I now had a channel to not only vent out my anger, my indignation, my antipathy but share the things that I love to do with the world. Oh wait, nobody even read my notes. I perhaps didn't want people to read about my misery.
I would rather bless that random samaritan who had once posted about blogging on one of our Jadavpur University Orkut communities..I don't remember his name, but I'm absolutely indebted to him for fact that he introduced me to the medium of "Digital scribbles", the medium of unproctored content generation. Now, I knew how to create an online repository of content that I had previously created on white paper, that is free from expiry, wear and tear and would be restored forever. In addition to this, I soon realized that I had unintentionally entered into a domain of limitless possibilities where people would stumble upon your blog, read them and express their opinion on the topic of your post. It did wonders for me and my personality, I did realize that there are like-minded people around me..there are people who have faced impending challenges in life, lost in most them and have still persisted to have scripted legendary comebacks. Yes, their blogs, their accounts were inspiring enough for me to rise from the "Ashes" of abnegation; they inspired me to write more...to express more on the digital platform. And I have never looked back from there on...over the last couple of years, I have developed a keen interest towards photography and I publish them very frequently on my blog. I do try to create a judicious balance between pictures and text when I fabricate a blog-post; that is again a very interesting exercise. Now that I have completed 200 blog-posts, there's a sense of accomplishment...there's a sense of euphoria, a sense of completeness; I know that my work, however insignificant it might be, will remain perpetually.

Cheers to the spirit of creativity, to expression,
Let's come together and celebrate blogging...
How do I celebrate blogging? Well...I do it each and every day, I respect this "art" because it has given me the reason to survive and the fact that I have finally gather courage to write this blog-post, that's attributable to the spirit of blogging that keeps me going. I have written in a number of my prior blog-posts that I have been closely working in the rural sector of West Bengal in terms of their skill / motivation upgradation. I meet so many young, vibrant individuals each and every day...I try, in whatever possible way, to motivate people to take up blogging, if not full-time, as a weekly practise. Honestly speaking, we are pegged back by social inequalities, social injustice...and people at the grass-root level are direct beneficiaries, they have a lot of say in this direction; what they lack is a common channel of expression. At times, even the grievance redressal processes turn out to be rather time-taking....a simple blog-post could be a very effective tool in this direction. It is to be noted that at this point in time, bloggers in West Bengal are making effective use of the vernacular language (Bengali) even in the blogging arena...and the blogs are becoming increasingly popular with every passing day. We recently observed a mass student upheaval #hokkolorob in Bengal and there have been fantastic blog-posts written in this direction. Infact, I have also observed certain popular newspapers quoting references from a number of such blog-posts as a mark of allegiance to this powerful mode of expression. That is, my friend, in essence the spirit of "Celebrate Blogging"...when we talk about celebration, it's about the spirit of concord, the spirit of harmony, the spirit of integrity- and if we could successfully create such fantastic blogging collaborations, nothing like it. I have often collaborated with bloggers from various genres, trying to create a perfect amalgamation of thoughts and ideas...it has worked wonders for me. It has given me a newer direction, a newer zeal to survive. I have also realized that inconspicuously, blogging has become a part of my identity as well....I am proud to be a blogger, I am proud to have celebrated the spirit of blogging. It gives me immense pleasure when a random stranger finds my blog interesting and drops a comment, it's a sense of accomplishment. And the best part about blogging is that it's your personal space, you are free to express your views through the content...that's another essence of celebration- no restriction, no bounds, a free-spirited effort. This post is an ode to all our blog-readers who have stopped by, read our posts, analyzed them and presented their opinion; that completes the circle alright. That is indeed the essence of #CelebrateBlogging. Come join me in this celebration...let's join hands and take blogging to a whole new level altogether.

I did make an entry into Times of India last week and I have been introduced as a blogger!
Such a proud moment it was.
*I am writing for #WIN15– BlogAdda’s Blog Awards on how to #CelebrateBlogging! You should too! Incidentally I have also been nominated for the #WIN15 blogger awards under  the category "Photo and Video", if you like my blog, do vote for me by clicking on this link. Do drop in your feedback in the comments section, that's how we grow :)
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10 Take-aways from the #BergerXP Indiblogger Meet in Calcutta

September 14, 2015, 10:49 am
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Let me be honest with this...I don't want my blogpost to become a dull press-release, hence let me pour my heart out on my digital notepad. Also, I'm pretty much in congruity with Preeti Roychoudhury's rationale of "keeping it short and crisp"; hence this post. Well, I'm lying of course; the fact is, I'm running terribly short of time and I don't want to lose out on another opportunity to grab some rewards. Errr...okay, I can read those "grins" already, this logic does sound "workable" I'm sure. Anyway, that's not the point...the point is we are on the favorable edge of a learning curve, we might choose to take an upward leap or a downward slide; I'd rather be a floater. I would rather try and extract the meaningful aspects of life and "sand off" the extraneous elements, that's how I look at things....almost as if in sync with
Today is incidentally my 6th Blogiversary and I take immense pleasure in writing this post; a post that is dedicated towards a closely knit community that has helped me grow remarkably over the last few years of association. And the fact that they decided to come to our city (of unprecedented joy) and meet us in person, made it all the more special. You must have, by now, read about the detailed account of what happened at the Oberoi Grand, Kolkata on 12th September 2o15. Let me try and summarize 10 of my key takeaways from the event:-

1. Collaboration works wonders- We are pretty much aware of the blogger collaborations that happen frequently these days; this event done by Indiblogger in association with Berger Paints, re-emphasized the fact that when a group of esteemed bloggers (belonging to widely different domains) come together, they can create history. The painting task proved just that. Such amazing messages being depicted through paintings that were spawned through a collaborative effort. And of course, such legendary paintings were created within It was such a pleasant sight to see a food blogger hugging a fashion blogger in euphoria.
2. Reality often tastes better than fiction- Oh yes, this is indeed one of my most interesting findings of the meet...we have been following a lot of bloggers through various blogging channels, their identity to the readers has been primarily based on their style of writing/style of blog post fabrication and we have our list of favorites. We also tend to create a virtual image of the person whom you follow regularly on the digital space; this event came as a pleasant shocker. I'm glad to have connected to some of my favorite bloggers in this very meet; I'm extremely pleased to conclude that they are even better human beings in real life. Yes, blogging opens up many avenues...it does develop interpersonal relations too. Yes, reality tastes better than fiction at times.
3. Plagiarists are Ugly- Originality in content is the order of the day; we might have all started with accumulating facts and figures from popular online sites/sources, but at the end of the day, the bloggers must produce quality & authentic content. In case, there's a requirement to take references from external sources, a blogger must accord credits to the original content owner. Copy-pasting bluntly from external sources can never build readership; on the contrary it has a detrimental effect on the blogger's reputation.
4. "Sanding" process is extremely critical-  This principle absolutely goes in close concord with the revolutionary expeditious yet cogent "sanding" process introduced by Berger Paints, that in effect, removes the jaggedness off your wall before it's painted. Well, that absolutely holds good while fabricating a blog-post isn't it? You do have to "sand off" the roughness, eliminate the oddity and retain only the pertinent portion of your content before publishing blog-post from the "draft" stage. Yes, the finishing touches does create a lot of difference, a blog is your venerated bridge of communication with the otherwise alien world of readers. To ensure a polished, velvety ingress...you need to trim and smoothen the ingrained "roughness" of your draft.
5. It's always great to reminisce- Given a chance, you should always go back to the roots, to your first ever blog-post; the intensity, the zest, the ardor that you had while writing your first online account....and compare with the present. You would definitely discover an amazing evolution in your style of writing, presentation or ways of popularizing your posts. It's a huge learning in effect...it develops you immensely. Thankfully, I got a chance to recollect my early days of blogging at the indimeet...and I savored it.
6. Scheduling posts work wonders-This was another fantastic learning from the meet, that too from a very junior blogger. What he said, made a lot of sense. You should ideally publish your posts at a specific time of the day, that makes it easier for your audience to track your posts and relish them. The concept is pretty much like a popular television show that's telecast at a particular time of the day; the viewers would know when to turn change the channel and switch to their favorite television programme. This is suggestion very pragmatic and would love to implement.
7. Bloggers love to pout- Goodness gracious me. I had the impression that perhaps females  (read female beauty bloggers) have this intense affinity towards "pouting" in a photograph or selfie...REALITY Check! What I saw in the #BergerXP meet, completely changed my perspective. And I won't dare to elaborate on this. The inference however is interesting- "Bloggers (irrespective of their gender or genre) love to pout."
8. Bloggers can punch REAL hard- IDK whether I should proudly write this on my blog, but Renie, can we please request the bloggers to control their aggression during the group photo-shoot? :D I do understand that it is a tradition that indiblogger has followed over the years, but I could have lost my life in the process. I was a part of the ASUS Meet as well and thankfully survived...but this time it did hurt :P
9. A blogging event can create a buzz on twitter- Well, I'm not too comfortable with calling twitter as a micro-blogging platform but the kind of engagement that the #BergerXP hashtag created on the 140 character platform is remarkable. Berger Paints did organize a photography contest on twitter prior to the event (which I won, bwahaha) that unleashed amazing pictures of "Colourful Calcutta". I absolutely agree with my fellow blogger, Anindya-da (incidentally the runner up of the same contest) who has rightly pointed out, the hashtag results of #BergerXP is indeed a great repository of pictures from Calcutta. Infact, I would love to see these pictures being printed in form of a coffee table book real soon. Hats off to this concept. And I'm not even going into the digital impressions stats, I did get to know that the hashtag trended organically. That is amazing indeed.
10. Calcutta Bloggers, in general, are very colourful ;) - Ahem. That sums it up perfectly. Now you know the reason behind the grand success of the #BergerXP indimeet in Calcutta. Hope to see you guys real soon. Posting two of my favorite pictures from the event out here (Oh Hello! I'm a photo-blogger and I need time to process the images- 'quality content' your see ;))...you can find the official images on Indiblogger's Facebook Page (They are bloody fast...dude, what did you guys eat for breakfast? Anyway, whatever you did, make sure you don't miss out on those luscious rosogollas from K.C.Das before you leave. Jokes apart, thanks a ton for organizing a meet in Calcutta after 3 long years. Come back real soon guys....you were awesome.!)

Preeti Roychoudhury unleashes her best on the #BergerXP photobooth
She does this everyday isn't it? Feeling sorry for Anamitra.
Thankfully, I was safe...got a chance to pose with a fantastic teacher, blogger, photographer
.....and an even better person.
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PepperTap makes it easy....

October 14, 2015, 11:40 am
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“Hello!! Let’s not do this in a hurry. We should wait for primary information before  proceeding…that’s my suggestion”- Mom, the statistician, professed.

“Mom, I have already taken feedback from a number of users and they have certified that this is one of most effective online grocery stores ever launched in this country…and it has expanded it’s ‘reach’ in the last 9 months or so”- I defended my case.

“Oh, that’s interesting…so you mean to say, in case we run out of essential cooking ingredients and need it ASAP, these guys can take this up on priority? Sounds rather chimerical!!”- Mom sounded rather skeptical this time around. But honestly speaking, she was right on the money; when it came to timely procurement of ingredients like staples or spices … it goes without saying that their impromptu need might arise out of nowhere. In fact, very recently we faced such a sticky scenario when a bunch of uninvited guests turned up fortuitously on our house warming ceremony. Yeah, it’s imperative that you can’t send them back unattended. Err …Wait for it, here’s a live testimony of the revered doctrine “Man proposes, God disposes”…it turned out to be a Sunday, a virulent deadlock when it comes to shopping grocery from the nearby stores. Yes, you guessed it right ... None of them are open on a Sunday. 

“Mom, hear me out. I know your plight, that’s precisely the reason why I have ‘studied’ this app rather meticulously. I have deciphered that the PepperTap guys are entitled to deliver products within 2 hours of placing an order through the app, and that comes with an additional leverage of free home delivery service if you shop for more than INR 250 for a single order. That pretty much does the trick for me, mom, saves a lot of effort especially when you are tired like hell on a dizzy summer afternoon. And you don’t feel like going out”- I rushed through my words, yes it goes without saying that I am pretty much impressed with this app. The ‘good guys’ at PepperTap helped me immensely during my short and sweet stay in Bangalore last month; I had no clue about the physical location of the local markets neither was I acquainted with the local rates, let me confess …. I was super cynical about this, and when my colleague recommended PepperTap, I was eager to try it out. The prospect of delivering key products under the broad categories “Fruits and vegetables”, “Food and drink”, “Staples & Spices”, “Breakfast & Diary”, “Bath & Body”, “Home & Hygiene”, “Baby Needs” right up to your doorstep at a normalized rate is nothing but outlandish. I have been historically spending woefully long hours, standing in queues at the retail counters for considerable lengths of time on Fridays (that’s the only permissible day to shop for office goes, just before the weekend)…down in energy and spirit, I needed an inspiration from somewhere. Guess what, the inspiration was pretty much there…dangling right in my pocket, and I was completely unaware of this.

“What about the freshness of the products, specially the vegetables?”- Mom broke my trance with another very relevant query.

“Mom, these guys deliver fresh veggies … and I can guarantee that from my personal experience. Also, I haven’t seen any dearth in stock, at least in the ‘Fruits and vegetables’ segment so far. I think they offer the cheapest rates when it comes to the ‘dry fruits’ segment. Furthermore, PepperTap gives you the leverage of returning the items that you consider unacceptable at the time of delivery; this is a much needed functionality that adds to the ‘comfort factor’ and bridges the gap between a consumer and the service provider. Let’s try it out today … I reckon, you might just get a lucrative 20% discount for your first order through the app.”- I recited. 
There was pin drop silence in the room … hasn’t happened for a while this, the entire community is absolutely abreast with our customary heated debates. This was quite an exception my friend, yes I was convincing enough I see. In fact, I hardly had to expend a drop of my sweat or raise my voice even for a second… PepperTap had ticked all those boxes with laudable efficiency.
She quietly picked up her phone and tapped on the “Play Store” icon on her home screen; I knew that she was convinced.

“How is the app interface?”- She was just confirming.
“As smooth as a fine coat of butter on hot paranthas, mom. You can also pay through your  Paytm wallet; that makes it easier. Isn’t it?”- I smirked.
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Calcutta Instagrammers: An Insider's Account

November 18, 2015, 6:26 am
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Well, it’s funny how perspectives change over a period of time; so do the preferences. We often struggle to convince ourselves.
Of course, it’s important for us to cope up with the evolving social ecosystem…but that should come with the caveat that you shouldn’t deviate from your ‘originality’; I have seen people getting into the never ending loop of ‘metamorphosis” and eventually emerging out as a perplexed, perturbed soul. I think one of the major reasons for this change in behavioral pattern is the ingrained inimical trait; we hardly retrospect…digging out others’ faults eats up most of our time.
Anyway, this post is not supposed to be a rhapsody or a promotional post; it should rather be a crisp cogitation in line with what has been an eventful last couple of months. Lots and lots of updates, upgrades and refurbishments within a very short period of time; that takes a toll on you. However, the only positive aspect is that you eventually managed to respond to the changes, established something “concrete” and realized that perhaps it’s time for you to take “it” to a new level.
Well, talking about moving in steps and not in leaps, I think some of us have to realize that time is not on our side. With so many marauders around, an idea when it gets floated into the ‘cosmos’, gets ruthlessly replicated almost instantaneously. However, creativity….rather ingenuity, I believe has no expiry date. It’s a replenishing cycle…a visionary starts thinking right from where he left and goes beyond those inbred limits, he sets newer goals for himself and sets the tone for his consorts to take over. Relatable?
That's what we are talking about.
The largest Instagram Community of Calcutta, Calcutta Instagrammers
Let’s take a look at some of my key take-aways from a very eventful last couple of months. Lets try &  convince ourselves on these :-
1. Creating a closely knit community is a challenging task, on a personal ground, you tend to stretch yourself, and at times rather emphatically. You are constantly worried about the fluctuating numbers because you know that stats matter at the End of the Day.
2. People are often under the impression that once you are through with your creation, half of the job is done. I would beg to differ in this case, your real “job” starts right after you kick-start your treasured initiative. You simply can’t let your standards drop. Sustainability is the key.
3. Yes, you develop a new set of admirers and almost an equivalent number of haters…striking a balance between the two often becomes a challenge. It’s a ruthless tug-of-war, and the side that “holds on to its ground”, tastes glory. You guessed it right, this is nothing less than a battle.
4. You need to get the right guys in the right places. You might have started an initiative with a specific set of people in mind, but with time you might need to change the formation of your core team. Skills sets do matter and it’s important to put your emotions aside in this respect.
5. For a closely knit community, it’s important for the core team to ensure that each and every member is treated with equal importance. This is exactly what we mean by “hospitable harmony”; your audience is your Jehovah… there would be diversity in your assemblage, you need to handle them judiciously.
6. You should advertise yourself audaciously and leverage your strongest medium “of influence” in this very aspect. People often detest the idea of “shameless self-promotion”…yes there should be “restraint” but at the end of the day, what matters is the “footprints”- either in an offline or an online mode. If people are “talking about you”, you are heading in the right direction.
7. Once you start off with the endorsements on the digital platform, you are bound to attract “interest”, and this could be inform of collaboration offers and counter-offers. This is indeed a tricky scenario and you would need to ensure that you are not working for “Free”. Consortium, in effect, means sharing of credentials between the two entities and you should not be exploited in any way. But when it comes to credential building, at times you might need to do Pro bono work.
8. You should be open to ideas coming in from different layers of your target audience. These ideas might sound bizarre at the onset, but could turn out to be extremely relevant in the near future. Crowdsourcing has come a long way since its inception and should be a great ingrained asset for an evolving community.
9. Organic engagement is extremely critical for a newly developed community and there is absolutely no substitute to this. Once the gap (if it at all exists) between the mentors and the members is bridged, then we can talk of harmony, integrity and trust-building. The idea is to create a reciprocal environment.
10. Since investment is the key to any successful venture, at times, you might need to pay out of your own pocket. This is a policy every entrepreneur needs to follow, I reckon…and I’m not talking about lump sum investment. I firmly believe that you are creating a “bank of possibilities” in the process…the interest rates would work in your favor- a gamble that works wonders. Amen.
At an offline event organized by Calcutta Instagrammers and Streets of Calcutta- "Milestone Colloquy"
Straight from the Archives: An account of the Instameets organized by CI so far......
Some key information about Calcutta Instagrammers

# Set up just about 3 months back, Calcutta Instagrammers has turned out to be the first and biggest Instagram community of Calcutta. It's a platform where you can connect to like-minded people, of course, Instagram being the bridge. You can share your thoughts, ideas, tips, feedback and of course images in this group, no restriction what-so-ever.
# Calcutta Instagrammers is an integral part of the very popular photography community "Streets of Calcutta" led by eminent photographer Soumya Shankar Ghosal and popular food-blogger Indrajit Lahiri.
# Calcutta Instagrammers has been instrumental in conducting Insta-meets for Calcutta including the official Worldwide Instagram meets 11.0 and 12.0 (#WWIM11 and #WWIM12) and World-wide Indiapictures meet (#IP_Meet). CI has also been involved in promoting social awareness programmes like Fanushi (Sky Lantern festival to promote Green Diwali). Take a look at "On The Rox"'s steller coverage on Fanushi 3.0 out here.
# Sensitization has also been a key aspect that CI has been focusing upon; in this direction a interactive workshop "Milestone Colloquy" was organized on 14th November 2015 at the Oxford Bookstores, Calcutta that received phenomenal response.
# Calcutta Instagrammers is a free platform and anyone and everyone can register. With mere exceptions, almost all the events conducted by us are free of cost.
# Calcutta Instagrammers can be found on Facebook, Twitter and of course Instagram. We have a regular feature mechanism to highlight the best photos from across the city, clicked by talented photographers. We also have a dedicated set of admins for all the above mentioned platforms and all the posts are closely moderated.
# With a fantastic buzz and mind-blowing organic footprints on all the platforms, Calcutta Instagrammers is now open for brand-campaigns. So do get in touch if you are interested.
The official hashtag for instagram upload is #ig_calcutta that has already recorded a whooping 6,500+ uploads on Instagram till date.
# We have also been featured inTelegraphon account of our successful initiatives. You can read the article here. Cheers...!!!

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    The Lazarus....

    November 22, 2015, 6:53 am
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    Hey life,
    YOU have been a preceptor….
    YOU have been a paradigm…
    YOU have been a salvager….
    Because….
    Once I ran up the slope and stumbled…
    Once I dived into the surly brine…
    Once I stepped into the broiling inferno….
    I knew that I won’t survive.
    But then, YOU had other plans.
    “Follow me”- YOU reassured…
    And shepherded me along the edge….
    “HE” stood there at the end of the crooked brim…
    Waiting for me to cross-over…
    “HE” didn’t stretch out HIS arms to aid…
    HE stood there and smiled….
    And as I limped and slithered in the slime….
    “Rise from the ashes….and you will survive”- HE announced.
    The “hope” of survival was already inbred…
    Yes, I did ‘cling on’ and withered the storm….
    And with the first rays of the sun kissing my forehead…
    Let me divulge…
    Hey life,
    YOU have been quite a redeemer…
    ....Enough said!
    “Dada, aap please jaldi aa jao, lagta hai wo mil gaya” (Bro, come over real soon, I reckon we have hunted it down) - The exuberant voice from the other end whooped.
    I was yet another gloomy day in Calcutta and my mood was right back off; almost as if in sync with the forlorn weather….it was as if somebody was stitching the blue-print for a tenebrous conspiracy- if the beastly impact of an unanticipated disaster was appalling enough, the aftershock was as gruesome as ever.
    “Tu mazak to nahi kar raha hai na?” (You’re not kidding me, right?)- I desperately pumped, I was rather skeptical. The news was unbelievable, it was too good to be true. Human psychology, my word, is convoluted.
    “Dada, aap aiye to sahi…hum bilkul bhi mazak nahi kar rahe” (Bro come along and see for yourself, this is not a joke) - The adolescent voice from the other side reassured. Technically I should have been overjoyed at this unexpected ‘bulletin’, but strangely I didn’t know how to react. Perhaps the news was too good to be true; but then I had to respond to the “Divine memorandum”.

    On a rainy day in Calcutta, the city looks absolutely beautiful bathed in the holy rain.
    Photograph: Self Shot
    It had started raining like Godzilla's and King Kong’s by then….it was as if Mother Nature was conspiring against me and my ‘drive’ all over again. It generally impossible to get out of office before 7 PM, but then I decided to take the gamble and guess what, just before the appraisals. The “Call” meant so much to me….you know, at times people should “mute” their judicious bent of mind and take a few instinctive calls, it does assuage your imminent agony. I almost trying to convince myself that the “Caller” was actually bluffing; but then the confidence and the immaculateness in his voice was apparently credible enough. It was extremely difficult to get a transport on that particular day, but I knew that this was my very last chance. Sector V was bitterly water-logged as always, with almost zero traffic movement…and I decided to walk right up to Karunamoyee, I wasn’t even carrying an umbrella. I was literally drenched, my corporate jacket…my trousers were soaked in rain-water, I desperately needed a cover; I had a very important client meeting to attend on the following day and falling sick wasn’t even an option. The yellow taxis were pretty much in a “Refuse-By-Default” mode and the radio taxi services were flamboyantly running at a 4X price surge; I had no other option but to frantically wave at those slow-moving crammed “Shuttle-vans” – my last ray of hope. At last I did manage to get hold of one, and almost miraculously the cabbie agreed to drop me off at the North Port Police Station near the Howrah Bridge. It also meant that the dreadful prospect of walking down the Howrah Bridge, wading through the torrential rain was pretty much on the cards. I had no other option but to take this route, it was going to be very tough...but “hope” was pretty much the driving force in this battle….

    On the way to the Ramkrishnapur Ghat on a rainy day in Calcutta
    Photograph: Self Shot
    I had to tramp and ‘hike’ for almost 45 minutes in the rain; set off from the Mullick Ghat, across the Howrah Bridge, crossed the jam-packed Howrah Railway Station and the Railway Museum, through the muddy alleys of Howrah down to the mythical Ramkrishnapur Ghat- that’s where it all happened. I could see him waiting there in the shade….looking straight at me, with an invigorating smile on his face- he swiftly took out his umbrella and ran in to “greet” me. I could distinctly hear the holy chants and ‘divine euphony’ of ringing bells in the background…Ganga Aarti had just begun. I knew that "He" has been there all along........

    On a very gloomy day in Howrah, at the Ramkrishnapur Jetty, spells "doom" isn't it?
    Photograph: Self Shot
    “Dada, us din bhi sham ko aise hi baarish huwa tha…! Hum uss din dhoond nahi paye.” (Bro, it had rained so much that evening, we couldn’t carry out the search operation.) He explained…he didn’t need to. I was literally shivering in anticipation; half of his words weren’t even registering in my mind. I was frazzled but at the same time, I knew that the next few seconds could be as incisive as ever. He, however, looked as calm and composed as ever.
    “Dada, barish thora sa rukne dijiye…phir main lake deta hu. Waise bhi bohut der pani ke andar tha...humne koshish ki hai….” (Bro, will bring ‘it’ to you as soon as the rain stops. It was lying under-water for quite some time, we have tried our level best) - He recited; I was astonished by his placidity….for someone who had groped through the Ganges for the last 3 hours or so, in this rain, this was simply preposterous.
    “Chotu, mujhe dekhna hai…abhi” (Chotu, I want to see it right now) - I was getting impatient with every passing second. Oh dear.

    This is exactly the spot where my lens rolled down into the Ganges, that's Chotu beside me
    Photograph: Preeti Roychoudhury

    That's when we talked to Chotu and he explained how he risked his life, to recover the lens
    Photograph: Sujay Kumar Das
    “Achha dada aap idhar hi rukiye…hum leke aatein hai…” (Ok wait right here, let me bring it for you)- And he rushed out in the rain, I think he could sense the exact state of my mind, my concern, my wretchedness. Such maturity, such augmentation for an 18-year old! He returned in just about 5 minutes with a venerated cylindrical body wrapped carefully a polythene sheet and handed it over to me. I gently un-rolled the sheet; my heart-beats had attained the speed of light by then, I don’t know whether I was sweating or was the rain-water, my word, it was the most difficult 10 seconds of my life…this was “the moment”. Goodness me! This young chap wasn’t bluffing at all…he had, in-fact, quite impulsively pulled off something extraordinary. He was already a hero in my eyes. He had done something that perhaps nobody could have even dared to have attempted. UNBELIEVABLE.

    That's when we talked to Chotu and he explained how he risked his life, to recover the lens
    Photograph: Sujay Kumar Das
    Such a lovely young man, full of life...full of dreams..his smile made our day, salute
    Photograph: Sujay Kumar Das
    Okay. Before I get to the details, let me ask you this question….how often do you expect to recover something that has been accidentally dropped in to the Ganges that too during the high tide? I reckon the chances are as slim as 0.0001%? And I think I am still over-stating. But then miracles do happen...and when it does, all you can do is to thank the Almighty for being there and featuring you an integral part of the script. My experience was nothing less than a sensation; when you lose all your hope and something crops up out of no-where, you do take time to sink in….it’s a bewildering experience indeed. In case you haven’t guessed it already, the heavy cylindrical object that I was referring to in the last segment, was my beloved Canon 10-22 mm wide angle lens that I had dropped accidentally dropped in the Ganges while shooting at the Ramkrishnapur Ghat. If you have followed my blog, you would have known that I am a street photographer based out of Calcutta and I’m mostly out “on the field” during the weekends to capture the “moods of the city”. This Sunday was no exception, it had been raining since the last couple of days and we, the core team-members of Calcutta Instagrammers, decided to go out and photograph the “freshness” of Calcutta…bathed in the rain. The photo-hunt did begin quite well, with some inspiring frames being shot at the Esplanade in the first half and we decided to head over to “the other side” of the Ganges to get a clearer perspective of the brewing cloudscape….that’s when it all happened. I was almost through with my shoot at the Ramkrishnapur Ferry Ghat and was merely changing my lenses when I lost my grip and the prized lens rolled down into the Ganges. It was partly attributable to the mini quake caused by an arriving launch at the very instant when it drops its anchor to the ferry. I have been a trained swimmer and my instinctive call was to dive into the water, but thankfully I controlled the stimulus…it could have been a suicidal attempt during the high tide. I held on to my nerves, took a closer look and spotted some teens with athletic built resting at the Ghat…judging by experience, I deduced that they could be good swimmers; I decided to make an attempt.

    On an "Ascent"..at the Ramkrishnapur Jetty, in search of some mesmerizing frames....
    Photograph: Preeti Roychoudhury
    And I was right on the money; these teens have “braved” the Ganges on multiple occasions and one of them (the hero of our fable, Chotu) agreed to my request almost instantaneously. When he dived into the Ganges spontaneously without an inch of disquietude, I knew that he was my man. We all know how deep the Ganges could be and the lens had settled pretty much on the river bed…it was quite a challenging task to hold your breath for an extended period and also resist the flow. He frantically searched for an hour but in vain…the flow during high tide was too strong to cope with; I could see the disappointment on his face- this was perhaps the first time that he had failed in his attempt. We had, in the meanwhile, come to know that he has been a life-saver (he has saved almost 10 people from drowning), he has contributed a lot to the society already. He was a gifted swimmer and traverses the Ganges almost once every-day. I could sense the veracity in his ‘constitution’, his passion, his dedication and ‘candidness’…but I didn’t want to risk his life, it was quite an in executable task to track a tiny cylindrical object in this “ruthless flow”. I had requested him not to be go back again and rewarded him with a solitary hundred rupee note as a mark of appreciation for his gallant effort. I loved his spirit to the core & it was a mark of respect. He accepted it reluctantly.

    They absolutely make it look easy, they are extremely talented swimmers- true bravehearts
    Photograph: Sujay Kumar Das
    That's Chotu after his successful mission, he searched for over 3 hours under-water....
    Photograph: Sujay Kumar Das
    But somewhere down the line, I knew that the fighter in him won’t give up and I was perturbed; the exuberance of youth can be precarious at times. And he did exactly what I had expected and astonishingly came up with unexpected results. A couple of days later, he decided to take up the challenge once again and after a breath-taking 3 hour-long under-water ‘expedition’, managed to dig it out. It sounds all too simple I know, my word…it’s nothing less than phenomenal. The lens had settled right at the bottom of the Ganges and had been carried away considerably far in the flow; more than skills it needed the power of estimation, tenacity and determination to get it done. I’m so proud of you young man, you have left a permanent impression in my heart. And I am not overstating when I say that we need people like you to turn up and enliven the sinking future of the country. The fact that you refused to avail any monetary compensation strengthens this impression; you are amazing !!
    The State Bank of India is visible in the backdrop, yet limited funds for this brave chap....
    Photograph: Self Shot
    We decided to go back to the spot and shoot a small video testimonial (this video featuring my interview with Chotu was shot and edited by my friend Nabanil Sanyal) for this young man who aspires to join the Indian Army and serve the Nation. He is educated, can speak decent English and loves his family more than himself. Unfortunately, he has an ailing father to look after, and is genuinely running short of funds with every passing day. We have also decided to set-up a fund-raiser for Chotu to cover his education and family crisis, the work is in progress. If you would like to contribute, please do get in touch with me.
    *An update, the lens was lying on the river bed for over 2 days and the moisture did do substantial damage to the internal circuitry. However, the good news is after being repaired by the “Lens Doctor”, it’s working just fine. It’s perhaps not as “sharp” and “agile” as it used to be, but it has recovered incredibly well and is doing a great job. My friends keep saying that it has been “revived” by Maa Ganga; I would rather give it to the Young Turk who fought against the odds and “rescued” it. You are a brave-heart my friend. I have certainly met two#madeofgreat entities through this moving episode, an inspiring human being on one hand and my gutsy little wide-angle lens that survived this crusade- it has been aptly christened as “Lazarus” by Preeti Roychoudhury who was there with me right through this ensorcelled chapter. Thanks Sujoy for your continuous support.

    Oh yes, somebody's watching from somewhere I sure, blessing the #madeofgreat entities
    Photograph: Self Shot
    *Disclaimer: All the pictures used in this blogpost have been either self-clicked or clicked by my two friends Sujay Kumar Das and Preeti Roychoudhury and should not be copied/reproduced in any form without my prior approval.  
    * Contest Time:  What do you think of Tata Motors association with Lionel Messi? Answer in the comments below. Answer this simple question and the best response gets  shopping voucher worth INR 750/-. Want to know more about the #madeofgreat initiative by Tata Motors? Click here. 
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    The ZICAnalacious Rendezvous

    December 14, 2015, 4:36 am
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    Well, I'm writing this post with a very different mindset-
    1. Because I'm pretty much overshooting on the pre-defined deadlines set by my boss (and I haven't even started)
    2. Because I have a wedding shoot to cover in the evening and my 35 mm pancake hasn't even arrived from the cleanser yet.
    3. Because it was our official book-launch day yesterday, it's called the "SoulCity- Inside Stories from Calcutta", my first publication as an author and photographer...I'm too overwhelmed by the gravity of the moment.
    4. Because I have to start packing for my official tour to the North-East and
    5. Because one of my research papers on has gone into the reviewer's room for the second time and I am extremely anxious..!

     Scenes from the "Made of Great" Bloggers Meet in Goa: And he watches them sail along
    © Sammya Brata Photography
    Way too many excuses I see, but that's how it actually shaped up. I still remember that "dreadful call" on the eve of our Goa trip-"Sammya, I think we need your help in submitting a bid document tomorrow; you might need to travel to one of our neighboring states early in the morning on Saturday."
    Good Lord! This has happened so many times in the past, and this time it was quite a critical assignment...saying "NO" was perhaps not even an option. Umm...so I decided to resort to my all-time favorite excuse-
    "Dear Sir, you are pretty much aware of the fact that I am suffering from spondylosis for a while now; I've been also traveling incessantly due to work. Please excuse me for this outstation travel, it's not recommended by the doctors. Yours sincerely." ;)

    Scenes from the "Made of Great" Bloggers Meet in Goa: Umm something brewing in here ;)
    © Sammya Brata Photography
    And it worked. I do realize that I'm running into the risk of being tracked down and sued by my boss, who incidentally follows my blog...but then at least I'm 50% honest. I've been asked not to drive for a stretch of 6 months at least because of this poignant blight...it's a rather suffocating exercise, but then that's how it is. Anyway, to cut the long story short...with so many "ifs and buts" piling up before the "Big-Fat" bloggers meet in Goa organized by Indiblogger and Tata Motors, I knew that something "incredible", something rather "fantastic(o)" was being chiseled out...it sure promised to be one heck of a ride. My colleagues keep saying that "Goa is my second home"considering the number of times I've been there in the last couple of years...."I think you know Goa better than Calcutta now?" ; and guess what, they are pretty much on the money with this one. Yes, if Calcutta is my "SoulCity", Goa is definitely my muse...there are a hell lot of congruity between the two cities- the people, the heritage buildings, the "doors and windows", the ingrained colors and of course the sense "euphoria" and "freedom"- I have participated in a number of "photo-hunts" in Goa and the experiences have been memorable. I have also stayed in a number of 'exquisite' resorts in Goa and must mention that our stay at the Alila Diwa, was refreshingly different. It's a beautiful property indeed, flanked by a dash of greens.

    Scenes from the "Made of Great" Bloggers Meet in Goa: The 'gorgeous Alila Diwa' :)
    © Sammya Brata Photography
    5 Key Take-aways from the "Made of Great" Bloggers Meet in Goa

    1. Bloggers are fantastico collaborators:- Nah, I'm not even making an attempt to draft the 'minutes of the meeting' from our spontaneous "round-table" post-dinner discussion with accomplished bloggers like Arvind Sir, Anindya; I'm stressing on the very fact that bloggers with absolutely diverse genres coming together for such an unique event, is nothing less than sensational. Somebody had subtly raised this question in his/her registration form, and I would like to assert that it was quite a defining moment indeed.  It goes without saying that I'm really looking forward to the 'assorted' perspectives presented in the post-event blog-posts; could actually turn out to be a great case study. The fact that I have personally worked in a couple of recent blogger-and-author-collaborations, made it all the more interesting. It was great to learn that people have actually taken up blogging as a full-time profession and doing pretty well in that respect. I strongly feel that this event would form the basis of glorious blogger-collaborations in the near future.
    2. Bloggers are extremely jocular:- I won't take names here, because of the simple fact that I might get trolled by the others (LOL!). I don't know whether the others would agree on this, but from what I gathered, some of the bloggers are funnier in real life than their blogs. And that makes it all the more interesting, you have been following their posts...you have been sketching their imaginary 'portraits' in your mind; and when you get to meet them in person and they 'outstrip' your hypothesis...you are taken aback in ecstasy. Candid interactions are vitally important in such blogger engagements because it allows you to quickly get out of your shell and stitch long-lasting bonds. Bloggers can be talented "Cartoonists" too, we did get to see a glimpse of their talent while performing one of the tasks during the drive. The "Mata Ki Chowki" hosted by our beloved Vinita-ji at the Dabolim Airport was just outlandish, we were almost on the verge of being thrown out of the airport I presume? Anyway Vinita-ji, I'm still waiting for those "prized portraits"...before you decide to put them on Shaadi dot com. 
    3. Bloggers love their selfie-sticks:- This is something that I have been observing for long enough and the "Made of Great" bloggers meet in Goa was no exception. Yes, but the number of selfie sticks that we got to see this time around would perhaps break all the possible records registered so far. As a street photographer, I am more interested in capturing unprejudiced, guileless expressions and we got to see plenty of this under those "prized selfie sticks". To begin with, I was rather self-phobic...in-fact I had mentioned this specifically on my Instagram bio (that is pretty much a street-photography based handle); but then I slowly but surely realized that selfies are pretty handy, especially when the days of "self-timered" portraits are gone. Of course, being a huge fan of contemporary "self-portraits", I do feel that the art of taking selfies is evolving with every passing day...do take a look at some of the bus-fies, car-fies, room-fies and beech-fies shared by the fellow bloggers...there's a lot of learn for sure.
    4. Bloggers are amazing singers:- Goodness gracious me, this is what I call "endowment"; being a trained classical singer I do realize how difficult it is to stitch those floating notes together into a rather mellifluous track...that too without prior rehearsal. BOY! I have had butterflies in my stomach already...and then we had the company of uber-cool bloggers like Rahul, Maitreni, Vaisakhi, Vinita who literally blew us away with their crooning skills. Special mention goes to both Cyrus (our host for the evening) and Vinita (popularly known as "BlogwatiG") for their mind-blowing rap-rendition, that was an amazing partnership indeed...you might just grab a decent sponsorship from Indi-Music when in launches in 2050. Also, Mr. Pratap Bose, Head of Design, Tata Motors can easily appear for the Indian Idol auditions next year...there's some serious potential in there. BOY! So much to talk about out here...who would have thought that a blogger's meet could actually turn out to be a glorious rendezvous of thoughts, ideas, vivacity and "flair".
    5.  Bloggers are safe drivers:- Well, the fact that we returned home "without a scratch" is proof enough. The last time I drove at the BIC, I had clocked a whopping 240 Km/hr...and once you taste the "raw" charm of speed, it's very difficult to hold on to your horses. Thankfully Roshan (during our Zesty drive in Goa few months back) and Anindya (this time around) ensured that I never get a chance to grab the steering wheel. It's vitally important for the driver to adapt to a rather "alien" machine, and the fact that he has an additional responsibility of being the "carrier" makes it slightly challenging. Thankfully, all the team leads (who effectively turned out to be the chauffeurs- LOL) did a great job in negotiating the bends and loops of the picturesque Goan boulevard. The fact that we weren't fatigued after a 4 hour long drive proved that the driving was exceptionally proficient (and to take away a bit of "pride", the car was brilliant too). I also have this rather annoying trait of halting precipitously mid-way through the drive, just to jump out of the car and take a few street-snaps...and guess what, I precisely did the same this time around. Credit, of course, goes to my two team-mates Avantika and Anindya for bearing with me right through the course! The tasks/challenges that were thrown in by the bloggers from across the country on twitter made it all the more interesting and in turn, presented to me enough opportunities to click photographs- the replenishing appetite of a photo-blogger; always looking around for 'frames"!!


    5 Key Aspects of the Tata Zica (ZIppy CAr) that blew me away

    1. Looks like Tata had a Fashion Blogger in the Design team - Ermm, no..before you start assuming things, I DO NOT have a soft corner for beauty bloggers...it's just that I have shot for a number of them and I love the association. I think the Tata Zica is substantial level up with respect to it's "seniors" in the family tree; fresh memories from the "Zesty" ride flock in as I write this...ZICA has undoubtedly has the "WOW" factor ingrained in it. It's just the kind of a design that will immediately attract your attention...and as they call it a "young" ...rather a "fresh" variant, it has that alluring charm. As a photo-blogger, who roams around the Streets of Calcutta in search of colors, a generous dose of sunburst orange adds that newer dimension called a "Photogenic creation". The first glimpse of the Zica, when it emerged from the "Depths" of the Locker Room and I had made up my mind- "That's my model for the next fashion shoot". The unique tail-lamps and the horizontal grille add to the splendor; the accessories of a classy model. Now that Messi, the youth icon, is their brand ambassador, there's all the more reason to fall in love with it's "Exuberant design". Rating: 9/10 for the first impression it created on my mind...a photographer & car-enthusiast's unbiased POV.

    Scenes from the "Made of Great" Bloggers Meet in Goa: The 'ravishing' Tata Zica ;)
    © Sammya Brata Photography
    2. Looks like the Zica could be a virtuoso's paradise - Yo, my favorite ConnectNEXT, that's a Tata Signature, makes a glorious comeback in Zica with the bliss of Harman Kardon Infotainment system transforming your ride into a symphonic one. Studded with a series of 8 speakers and surround sound technology, I reckon, this could be the "ideal road-trip vehicle", stack up your play-list with riveting numbers and experience the spirit of on-road euphoria. A special mention goes to the inventive Juke-Car App that pretty much allows you to control the playlist even from the back-seat; this is indeed a boon because people sitting behind often complain that the driver or the person sitting beside has full liberty of choosing what song to play- that becomes quite a pain during long drives. Tada, why should "they" have all the fun? Through this app, one can create an assorted playlist simply using their mobile phones and there you go; the song navigation system is pretty user friendly too...and of course the audio-quality is MIND-BLOWING. We did the acid test by rolling the windows up and switching the audio volume right up-to it's maximum threshold- BOY!! That was breathtaking! The turn-by-turn voice navigation system is another great addition indeed, but at times, it does become a distraction since the music stops abruptly in the process. Rating: 8/10 because of it's impact on a music lover..!!

    Scenes from the "Made of Great" Bloggers Meet in Goa: The 'ravishing' Tata Zica;)
    © Sammya Brata Photography
    3. Every long-lasting relationship needs sufficient "space"- They say, "Do not judge a Facebook Profile only by the Display Picture", you should "step in" and see what's inside. And surprisingly for a relatively compact looking hatchback from the exterior, Zica is extremely spacious inside. There's enough of leg-room (especially for the back-row) in there...that's an extremely critical parameter while judging the overall "comfort" factor of an automobile and the seats are very comfortable indeed. The textile quality (that includes the seat covers) used and the ergonomic contour is indeed gratifying. The fact that Roshan could fit in there and drive for so long, is proof enough (:D). The boot-space (242 L to be precise) is pretty sizable too, now you know why I corona-ted Zica as a premium "the road-trip car". I won't risk dumping my camera accessories in there for sure, but it certainly has enough "space" hold an entire set of archived files stacked in a Government office. Not to forget the abundance of utility storage space (22 slots) inside the car where tea/coffee cups as well as bottles of soft-drinks can rest; they have actually displaced the hand-brake slightly to create this additional and much needed space. You have no clue what a fantastic addition this is. It is also equipped with the 9th generation ABS, for that extra bit of refuge. Rating: 8/10 for striking a balance between the interior & the exterior. Amen!!

    Scenes from the "Made of Great" Bloggers Meet in Goa: The 'ravishing' Tata Zica;)
    © Sammya Brata Photography
    4. Saves more so that you can opt for an extra scoop of ice-cream- For a diesel variant equipped with a 1.05 L Engine, clocking 19.6 Km/L right at the end is nothing less than phenomenal. That is quite a bit of saving considering the regular surge in fuel prices. And considering the fact that we drove at a moderate speed right through the journey, the experience was pleasant. The car is perhaps custom-made to suit the "Rush-hours" in city-life where would need a calm head and amicable patience in order to reach your destination. The car did ensure a smooth and cozy experience in-spite of the occasionally rangy terrain; however the acceleration quotient is perhaps "average" I would say. One thing is for sure, if you are straight out of the sets of "NFS Underground", this is not your type...I think it was a brilliant decision for me not to drive, no nitro-boosters in this one for sure. I'd say, I'm slightly disappointed with the fact that the petrol variants make relatively more sound than the counterparts while accelerating; something that the engineers might need to look at closely. Rating: 7/10 because of the fuel efficiency factor...!!

    Scenes from the "Made of Great" Bloggers Meet in Goa: The 'ravishing' Tata Zica;)
    © Sammya Brata Photography
    5. Looks like it's pretty much "within my range"- I've been good with predictive analysis in college and testing of hypothesis too. From what I deduce, Tata would hold on to their forte of creating splendid fuel-efficient and design-enriched vehicles that are pretty much affordable; analyzing from the point of view of middle-class families, Tata, historically has been their best bait. The car hasn't been launched officially (scheduled to happen in January 2016), neither have the "figures" been disclosed...but from the smile on Delna's face, it's pretty much evident that we are in for a surprise here as well. We have seen how Tata has effectively marketed their path-breaking creations - the Zest and the Bolt, no wonder Messi's entry into the scheme of this has added that extra bit of zing to their latest addition- The Zica. I reckon the Zica would pretty much fall in the < 5 L range; that considering the advanced features and upgrades, is an incredible "WIN" for all us out here- the car-enthusiasts. No rating - it is the benchmark.

    Scenes from the "Made of Great" Bloggers Meet in Goa: The 'ravishing' Tata Zica;)
    © Sammya Brata Photography
    Scenes from the "Made of Great" Bloggers Meet in Goa: The 'ravishing' Tata Zica;)
    © Sammya Brata Photography
    Scenes from the "Made of Great" Bloggers Meet in Goa: The 'ravishing' Tata Zica;)
    © Sammya Brata Photography
    Super thanks to the entire Indiblogger crew- Anoop, Vineet and Naveen (and of course Renie who's coaching Brett Lee in Australia right now ;)), the Tata Motors core team- Pratap Bose (Head of Design), Delna Avari (Head of Marketing and Communications), Anand Kulkarni (GM, Vehicle Integration) and our favorite host and dost Cyrus Sahukaar for making this happen. We should do this more often you know, helps immensely in bridging the gap between the brand and it's consumers.

    Scenes from the "Made of Great" Bloggers Meet in Goa: On the boulevard of reincarnated dreams
    © Anindya S Basu
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    The First Ever Instagram Exhibition in India: 5 Key Takeaways

    January 11, 2016, 3:56 am
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    Well, now that the press releases are out, I reckon this is the best time for me to document some of the key takeaways from the first ever Instagram official exhibition of the country that was organized in Calcutta between 7th and 9th January 2016 at the ICCR. Ummm, I have always been brutally honest with all my blog-posts and this would be no exception. Alright, let's go for it.....


    1. Collaboration works wonders: An universally proven fact that was validated yet again right through the various phases of this fantastic event; the short-listing, preparatory, authenticating and "freezing" phases happened efficiently and rather expeditiously because of the ingrained co-ordination between Team Facebook, Instagram, Scroll.in, Streets of Calcutta and Calcutta Instagrammers. Without being based, I firmly believe that collaborating with local photo-enthusiastic communities was a key master-stroke in the entire scheme of things. The regular sharing knowledge, expertise, "regional know-how" and cross-linking of the popularity quotient did cumulatively add up and scripted an epiphany; conceivably it did create a huge buzz. The exhibition displayed the work of 15 of our esteemed community Instagrammers in association with some brilliant snaps presented by Team Scroll.in. The fusion turned out to be very engaging indeed. Congratulations to Arpita Pramanick for being the only female Instagrammer from our community to be featured in this historic exhibition.

    2. Diversity has an ingrained order: I firmly believe that Instagram, as a platform, gives you enough opportunity to express your intrinsic multifariousness in content- this could be either in form of your genre of photography or in form of spirited representation, the Instagram audience does appreciate this variety. Umm, well yes, drawing a close congruity, the first ever official Instagram exhibition was a true manifestation indeed. I have been attending photo-exhibitions/meets across the country, and it's not an over-statement when I say that this was an exceptional medley of prodigious stills. I'm perhaps not qualified enough to judge the quality of the images displayed, but without a doubt the inner foundation was very strong indeed. Yes, my friend, amidst the peripheral cover of heterogeneity and divergence reflecting in the images on display, there was a strong backbone of visual concord - these were handpicked images from the depths of Bengal.

    3. Instagram is the other name for spontaneity: How often do you see a bunch of enthusiastic youngsters flocking in, clicking selfies, groufies, sharing a joke or two at presumably one of the most prestigious and celebrated venues of the city? I reckon, we all know the answer. This is what I love about Instagram and it's community in each and every part of the globe; it's the fun quotient...the exuberance factor that this platform brings on to the forum. I bet this was presumably the rowdiest of all events that have been ever organized at the ICCR, and I absolutely love this. Photography is something that people enjoy doing, and if an Instagram exhibition can bring in those like-minded people on a single platform, it's indeed a win-win situation. Congratulations to Team Facebook and Team Instagram for adding the "quotient of effervescence"; it's definitely a value-addition.

    4. Social media check-ins: I'd have to scroll through the official records to quote these stats, but from what I gather, I haven't seen so many social media check-ins at the ICCR, Calcutta in course of single event for all these years. Apparently, the highest count was recorded on the 9th January 2016 with around 27 Check-ins floating on my Facebook timeline alone in the span of 8 hours of the exhibition; also perhaps the most number of organic Geo-tags at ICCR, Calcutta on Instagram. These are staggering stats because this includes people of various age-groups; and of course people who do not even have an Instagram account. I was astonished to know that people knew me through my Instagram/Twitter handle, and that includes (yes, you read it right) our Chief Guest, ace quiz-master and hon. MP Mr. Derek O' Brien. It makes perfect sense when I use the term "bridge" to describe the 'impact' of this exhibition. 

    5. Mixed reaction from the photography community: Er-rm, this is indeed the most interesting aspect or rather aftermath of this memorable event. It's a critical aspect too because feedback is essential in terms of improvement, augmentation and enhancement- this is again, universally true. It goes without saying that I was very very keen in terms of gauging the reactions as a follow up of this event and as expected, it did actuate mixed reactions. As the brook of appreciation kept flowing at one end, I wasn't really surprised to decipher that a section of the photographers' community in this city still considers Instagram as a dedicated platform for sharing mobile photographs; I firmly believe that this platform and it's utility needs to be explored more....and it will happen eventually. In this very perspective, this exhibition would be the stepping stone indeed, this will set the benchmark. Let me rephrase Ravi Shastri's legendary words & predicate, in the end, the art of photography is the ultimate winner.

    The First Instagram Exhibition of the country: Derek O' Brein, during the inauguration
    Photo courtesy: Anubhav Chatterjee
    The First Instagram Exhibition of the country: Exhibits by Debarshi-da and Swaroop.
    Photo courtesy: Sourodip Ghosh
    The First Instagram Exhibition of the country: Team Social Bong!
    From the left Moi (@Deckle_Edge), Soumya da (@ssghosal), Indrajit da (@indrajit_lahiri)
    Photo courtesy: Sourodip Ghosh
    The First Instagram Exhibition of the country: Naam to suna hi hoga, photu bhi dekh lo ;)
    Photo courtesy: Sourodip Ghosh
    The First Instagram Exhibition of the country: Yo Yo Soumyadeep takes a selfie his exhibit
    Photo courtesy: Sourodip Ghosh
    * The media coverage has been superb for this event. If you want to find out more about this historic event, read these fantastic articles here:- Mashable , DNA India , Indian Express ,MaaMatiManushTv , Times of India, Social Samosa , Livemint etc. Do let me know your feedback in the comments section, that helps us grow. Cheers.
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    Humans of TISCON....

    February 28, 2016, 8:33 am
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    An Ode to the Humans of TISCON: The play of light and shadow...
    Shot taken inside the workshop.
    "Well done Sammya, you have been our best on-ground resource in this financial year...we are awarding you with a hike of....."- The otherwise ruthless creature sitting on the opposite side of the chair chanted. Frankly speaking, those words didn't "register", what did make an impact was the usage of this terminology "resource". Infact, I have been hearing this for long enough and I'm still unsure of the queer metaphor. Either a stock or a strategy, I reckon we have bridged the gap already. When it comes to responding to RFP's through competitive bidding, we do expend that extra bit of effort to finalize the "resourcing matrix"; there's always this intention of deploying the right resources in the right place. Of course..that's one side of the story alright. It's almost like the game of chess where the player decides the strategic moves, those 16 pieces being his "resources". It is however, important to note that in an industry these "pieces" rather the resources can regulate your "moves". The "people" aspect can turn out to be the strength of any organization; yes there would be machines, but you would need people to run them efficiently. Take a look at the image (above) closely, it is thought-provoking in many ways. There's a beautiful play of "light and shade" in this image and it depicts the congenital intent of moving from the "dim and dusk" to bright "daylight". There's hope in there. 
    Let's take a look at 5 of my key take-aways from our visit to the Jamshedpur plant of Tata TISCON from the people perspective.

    1. Workaholism is their religion: Goodness gracious me, I had the 'privilege' of interacting with two of the most workaholic entities inside the plant Mr. Sushil Patra and Mr. Gurcharan Singh who have been working with TISCON for the last 8 years or so and 'living' every day of their existence. But what's more important is their dedicated towards the assigned task; right through the informal discussion that we had, they kept looking at their wrist-watches rather anxiously...yes, they were getting late for work. 
    "When do you generally wake up in the morning and come to work?"- I had asked.
    "4:30 AM"-Gurcharan replied prompt-"We generally go for a quick-fire morning run and then head over to the workshop directly, that's our motivation!"Oh BOY! That's allegiance for you.
    "And at times, we prefer to stay back at the workshop at night after work. There's a lot more fun in sleeping right beside your welding machine. But 'Sir' doesn't give us permission."- Sushil grinned. There was an effulgent spark in his eyes as he talked about the life inside the premises of Tata TISCON in Jamshedpur.
    "There are times when you feel like coming to work on a Sunday, you know, the 'euphony' of gas-cutting resonates in my ears all night. It sounds funny I know, but I can't stay away from work for too long."- The zealous young man from Patna conveyed. This is amazing really.
    "Look at this fellow, he has a 2 week old baby at home and refuses to leave work before 8 PM"- He pointed towards a middle-aged "versed" resource at a distance who was literally rushing to the adjacent workshop.
    "We work for over 10-12 hours in a day and never feel fatigued"- Gurcharan continued-"We have a fantastic set of colleagues out here, mazaak mazaak me kaam kar lete hai!" - The manifestation of effervescent joy and euphoria at work, that's a rarity...!

    An Ode to the Humans of TISCON: Mr. Sushil Patra, Employee, TISCON
    Work Profile & responsibilities- Gas cutting and welding
    2. The legacy and association with TISCON: Well, one of the most common questions that I face regularly is "Are you satisfied with your job? Your profile? Are you loyal to the brand?" Honestly speaking, I do not have a concrete answer to this. It's almost like a routine, a sense of inclination that drives us to work every-day and it goes without saying that on majority of the occasions, the sense of belonging is missing. We might be great performers in the firm, but in effect, we are chasing our individual goals leading to individual development. Reality check! Meet Mr. Anup Kumar who has been a part of the 'scheme of things' over two decades now and is a flag bearer of what has been quite an esteemed legacy. We,as human beings, tend to draw inspiration from the related set of events and practices happening around us; we do carry forward those conspicuous components and blend them to form an intrinsic aspect of life. Tata TISCON has been a part of his life right from the salad days and he has abided by the "call". 
    "I would love to see my children work here as well"- He was buoyant right through this discussion-"Tata TISCON has given us so much, and it has a lot more to offer to the future generations."- He said.
    "I have colleagues who have spent over 30 years with this organization, they have a sense of belonging here and they have been with the management during the tough times. TISCON has been pretty much like an umbrella and we have taken our refuge" - He mentioned. Oh yes, he has been spot on in many ways, it's a two way channel; the responsibility lies with the future generation as well to carry this venerable legacy. It's a rich assortment of fresh talent and experience associated with this brand.

    An Ode to the Humans of TISCON: Rendezvous with Mr. Anup Kumar, Manager, TISCON
    3. The Banter Quotient: "I remember the day when there was a deadly accident inside the premises, there was this huge shaft that fortuitously fell on my colleagues arm. We thought he would not survive. But...."- Gurcharan narrated a nerve-wrecking story-"But he held on....on the way to the hospital, he was still smiling at us; trying to calm those frayed nerves." Such casualties are rare in this organization, but when it happens, the workers fight it out together.
    "This is how we work out here, sharing silly jokes, indulging in occasional leg-pulling to ease out the load"- Mr. Probal Chowdhury, their team-mate articulated. He has been associated with the firm for over 17 years now and has enjoyed this association thoroughly.
    Lunch time is the most "happening" time of the day when workers from the different units come together and share their day-long-stories. 
    I have been associated with the cluster development programme for the Micro, Small and Medium scale enterprises, Government of West Bengal for a while now and I reckon, the most impending issue is definitely in terms of collaborative effort and trust building. When people from different background, different skill-sets, different set of ideas come together towards a bigger goal, that's when history is created. Individual efforts and competitive rivalry can be an restraining force, thereby lowering the productive output and in turn, the profitability.
    "Though we have individual sector specific of expertise, there is no discrimination inside the plant and its premises; we know each other very well. Infact, it helps us to gel well and to share grouse and grievances in the long run. Most of us have become family friends now"- Mr. Probal asserted, they are 'building relationships' in the process. There's a strong sense of bonding that has brought these proficient employees with widely different backgrounds together, under a single roof. The fact that we spotted a bunch of Freshers rehearsing a skit for an upcoming competition inside the premises, reinforced that fact that the "fun-quotient" and the essence of alliance is implanted right at the onset. We also could sense the ingrained concord between the set of presenters who had traveled to Taiwan last year as brand ambassadors of Tata TISCON on a global platform. Proud moment...!

    An Ode to the Humans of TISCON: Mr. Sushil Patra, Employee, TISCON
    Work Profile & responsibilities- Gas cutting and welding
    4. Training and development: With the progress of technological development and automation, there has to be a well defined procedure for capacity building and change management; the "heads" at Tata TISCON has ensured that the employees are made aware of the recent developments. There have been regular workshops, demonstrations, sensitization sessions that have helped the employees immensely in coping up with the changing eco-system. There have been instances where semi-skilled labour, without much of background knowledge about this industry have been recruited and trained efficiently by the management to contribute in the production process.
    "The management is equally concerned about our safety and impregnability, in line with the customer needs who are served with the most durable of rebars to build their homes. The training programme on safety guidelines and the equipments provided are world-class. Accidents are rare inside the factory"- One of the senior-most employees, associated with the welding process revealed. This has been one of the key talking points across major industrial sectors across the globe, the employees would deliver to their potential provided they feel "shielded" and "sheltered" in their work-space. The workers share a very informal relationship with their managers as well, hence the process of knowledge sharing becomes all the more seamless.
    "There's also a mediclaim policy for us and our family members, that is very much appreciated."- Gurcharan articulated. Amen.

    An Ode to the Humans of TISCON: Mr. Gurcharan Singh, Employee, TISCON
    Work Profile & responsibilities- Flame Heating, Welding, Gouging etc.

    5. 'It's a different world altogether'-"Once I enter into the premises, it's a different world altogether, far away from the daily chores. The sound of cacophonous machines wakes me up and makes me realize that I'm at home"- Mr. Anup Kumar did sound poetic alright but it did make a hell lot of sense at least to me. I've been into the consulting domain for long time now and being an engineer I do miss this life; life has changed drastically over the years....I did my summer training at the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) and an exposure visit to their plant at Budge Budge was an enlivening experience. However, I didn't take up my initial job offer in the core sector; it was a circumstantial choice of course....but this visit did bring in those old memories, it refurbished the latent fervor. For all the aspiring engineers, I would certainly say that for a brand that houses & nurtures such talent and passion...there's a hell lot of potential of growth and excellence for sure. 

    The following photographs are an ode to the "Humans of TISCON", the ones who have been associated with the brand for long enough and are an inspiration to the future generations who are slowly dissociating themselves from the "core sectors of engineering & application". A coalition between the youth & experience can lead to development and this sector is no exception! Also special thanks to Team Blogadda and Tata TISCON for launching this #BuildingBlogsofJoy activity, an ode to the essence of "Joy of Building".

    An Ode to the Humans of TISCON: A female employee hailing from Patna, TISCON.....
    An Ode to the Humans of TISCON: The synchronized walk on the way to the LD Shop inside the premises...
    An Ode to the Humans of TISCON: The esteemed team of presenters...
    The Team represented TISCON on a global platform in Taiwan back in 2015
    An Ode to the Humans of TISCON: Mr. Probal Chowdhury, proud employee, Tata TISCON...
    Putting ourselves in their shoes: That's our fellow blogger, Tiger at the rebar manufacturing center, TISCON


    And of course, when there's love in the air, things become simpler. ;)
    Stay tuned for the "Humans of Jamshedpur" series!
    * This post is a part of the #BuildingBlogsOfJoy activity of TATA TISCONin association with BlogAdda.com. All the photographs used in this post are self-clicked and should not be used in any form without my consent.
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    Goodyear Safer Roads Safer You Initiative with IRTE is a change in itself....

    March 31, 2016, 10:53 am
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    I vividly remember the date; not for the right set of reasons though. Some of my friends have coined it as the "Red letter day", but again not for the right set of reasons at all.

    You have no clue how it feels like to occupy the window seat of a "monstrous transport" that had literally minced a yellow taxi just a couple of seconds back. I was almost in a trance back then; the dreaded pool of blood that had veiled the E.M. Bypass had no iota of poetry nested in it... it was nothing but an epitome of reverence, the plethora of death. I could see the faces of my co-passengers, they were literally stoned...sloshed with trauma. Nobody, in their wildest of dreams, would have expected to have 'brushed' past such an encounter; I could see "her" dangling forearm peeping out of the mangled window....I could spot that 'ring' as well, it was shining brightly in broad daylight, proliferating the flicker of hope...sigh, all in vain. Yes, the 'rescue' team did arrive; there was nothing much they could do...the lady had already turned pale by then, almost debilitated of her senses, her fading pulses orchestrated a shuddering debacle. 

    I couldn't sleep for a week after witnessing this appalling incident; those nightmares were eating me up from deep within, I kept visualizing myself sitting right there at the back-seat...hoping for a lucky escape, not to be. The shock was too difficult to handle, I had even stopped going to the University for a week or so; such calamities not only affect the families of the departed, but people like me, the ones who carry the burden of living with these abhorrent flashbacks. It's been over 8 years now, every-time I pass through this 'cursed' orbit, those disturbing scenes come back and haunt me all over again. Two innocent souls had lost their "reason to survive" on that fateful day, the scars would remain; the incident was portrayed as an outcome of heedlessness of the chauffeur...apparently, he wasn't aware of the basic axioms of road safety and regulations. It was derived that he was trying to take a shortcut (that was never there) by over-taking an ambulance and ironically, paid the penalty. 

    Well, it's easy to draw a denouement, it's easy to put the sword on someone else's shoulder and shrug off all the responsibility...but at the end of the day, we need to save these inculpable "souls". We all have our beloved ones waiting eagerly at the hut, to greet us with extended arms at the end of the day...that indeed completes the cycle. Talking from personal experience, I have lost my cousin brother in a terrible car-accident when he was just 19; propelled by the exuberance of youth and incognizant with the basic on-road safety guidelines; he broke the speed-barrier and drove 'us' into abysmal darkness. I don't know whether I could pen down my emotions through this post, but adversity like this shakes you right from the core. Even his soul-mate sitting right beside the driver's seat was shoved to death; she wasn't wearing her seatbelt either. You keep reading about road-accidents in the newspapers all day, infact due to the exponential increase in frequency of such updates, people tend to overlook them. But believe me, such alluvions etch deep within... somewhere, somewhere very deep.

    Going by the statistics, approximately 1274 road accidents occur in the country everyday on the streets with the "Gory 2014" recording around 16 deadly accidents per hour on an average. As per a recent study by the Times of India, the top five states - Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Rajasthan accounted for over 40% of the fatalities. UP topped the list with 16,284 deaths, but Tamil Nadu with over 15,000 lives lost was much worse given its relatively smaller size. During that period, road accident accounted for a death-toll count of 382 daily, that is in effect 350 percent more in comparison to that of terrorism. However it's alarming enough to note that the Indian road safety laws do not meet the best practice requirements for four out of five risk factors: enforcing speed limits, prevention of drunk driving, safety of children and use of helmets. The scenario in Bengal is however growing from bad to worse in terms of accidents caused due to rash driving of the yellow-taxis; the percentage of accidents caused as a result has gone up by 6-7% in the last couple of years. I had once overheard an elderly gentleman requesting an arrogant taxi driver to drive slow through the over-crowded Burrabazar area; his earnest appeals could be heard even from a distance, sadly it made no impact. Honestly speaking, I'm perturbed...and concerned as well; these days I'm very unsure of boarding a taxi or a rented car, you never know what waiting for you as the wheels kisses the boulevard.

    Well, as they say, no matter how complicated the problem is, the disclosure is pretty much round the corner- it was on such a "anxious" car-ride from Salt Lake Sector V to the New Secretariat that I came across a Kiran Bedi's tweet and it immediately changed my perspective. I wanted to know more about Goodyear's path-breaking initiative and to my utter astonishment, I did figure out that the hashtag #GoodyearSaferRoads was trending on twitter for the last 24 hours. Another prominent hashtag that caught my attention in this period was #SaferRoadsSaferYou. I quickly surfed through the content shared with the hashtag and what I deciphered was prodigious in true sense of the term. It's often said that whenever the problem statement seems formidable enough, go back to the roots....and this has been the backbone of this pragmatic initiative by Goodyear India. Their closely knit collaboration with the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) for formulating a unique road safety programme ‘Safer Roads, Safer You’, has been one of the key talking points of late. The initiative is aimed at offering complimentary training to selected taxi drivers in Delhi NCR and Mumbai. It goes without saying that the vision of this initiative i.e. to train 2,555 drivers in Delhi and Mumbai between December 2015 and March 2016 is a far-sighted one. A one-day workshop was conducted for groups of 20 taxi drivers to create awareness and cover critical aspects such as defensive driving, passenger comfort and safety, vehicle maintenance, personal management and incident management. Furthermore, a selected set of drivers were handed an incentive of Rs 500 and a complimentary accidental death insurance policy of Rs 2,00,000. Most importantly, a completion certificate was also handed over to all the participants of the workshop; that is an important record to keep as well. It pretty much meets the certification requirements as well. You can read more about the initiative here.

    Some inspiring words from Rajeev Anand, Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Goodyear India- “Goodyear India is committed to helping build and support collaborative programs that create positive outcomes for the people, communities and the world around us. Specifically, the company focuses on promoting safe mobility, helping to make the communities stronger & safer. With ‘Safer Roads, Safer You,’ we hope to create a culture of safe driving and passenger care in the taxi service industry to help increase ridership of the public transportation system, thereby benefiting the fleet owners, taxi drivers, police organizations & end-users”. This would certainly qualify as one of the most effective & efficacious initiatives undertaken by any Indian brand so far.

    Goodyear Safer Roads Safer You:
     Drivers Sensitization Session
    Source: Twitter
    “With our association with Goodyear India, we hope to improve the customer service standards and to control occurrences of traffic violations. This initiative will address these issues through its various workshops and will provide an opportunity to the State to regain the trust of people, especially tourists, in the taxi service and its public transportation system.”- Dr. Rohit Baluja, President, Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) aptly summed it up. This collaboration would certainly ensure proper sensitization of the vehicle owners and drivers, thereby ensuring a safer and impregnable driving experience on the busy Indian roads. We sincerely hope to see an exponential fall in the count of road-accidents in next 5 years or so; my sincere regards to Goodyear India for taking up the first step in this very respect. You, my friend, have led from the front and pretty much shown us the way! You can connect to GoodYear's official Twitter handle for more details about this path-breaking initiative.
    You can read more about this initiative by visiting the following links: Article 1, Article 2, Article 3, Article 4, Article 5, Article 6 .

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    Poila Boishakh: The Nostalgic Call....

    April 13, 2016, 10:24 pm
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    "The essence that articulates...
    The sapidity that insinuates...
    The wallop with a fling...
    That the treasured squint and the grin!

    And then the spark of artistry sets in...
    With the 'canvas' wide open...
    Time to unleash the resourceful 'ingenuity'....
    And create an impression to insist.

    "Pick up the fresh chunk"- As she says...
    Bargain as much as you wish...
    The otherwise-condemned stinkers that rule...
    Could 'contrive' a rubric grub!

    "Ogo shuncho! Padma-r hilsa enechi..."- He declares...
    And unlocks the euphoria,
    A grand Sunday lunch is in store...
    The 'weapons' are ready...ready to score.

    The Bong connection as they say...
    The culminating zesty blows to deal...
    The 'bait' would suit and the sparkling 'flute'...
    Time to add the luscious glow.

    With the cloak of turmeric...
    And the 'impulsive' chill's to spawn....
    The blend of mustard to stitch a doggerel...
    And the "maternal touch" to 'bridge the flow'.

    It's an ineffable 'novel' as they say....
    With strings of harmony dipped in every bite...
    The flocculent 'vibes' that allure,
    Ladies and gentlemen...it's a photogenic reprise.

    The cue is picked and the 'cohort' identified...
    The snow-white plateau of rice-envelope in sight...
    The touch of 'gondhoraj' as a 'uplifting crest'...
    The guilt-free delight on offer, it's an ornate 'fest'.

    It's a wicked blow for sure...
    The pragmatic attempt and divine in it's *glow*,
    It coats on the taste buds and melts in the flow...
    Hilsa's 'elite', Hilsa's adored, Hilsa's the 'cure'.

    "Whenever in doubt, go back to the roots"- They say. You know what, the journey called life might have drifted you far away from the origin, but then  with the slight waft of resurgence, you tend to retrace and revisit those salad days. Honestly speaking, people might put forward counter arguments when I say that over the years, our tradition, ethics and customs have retained the inner integrity; but then one thing is for sure...when it comes to Bongs and their folklore, there's an underlying fidelity for sure. I've been interacting with a number of Bongs who have settled abroad (termed as "Probashi Bangali") and believe me, their respect and enthusiasm in this very respect is remarkable. People often tend to draw a close synergy between the Bongs and their earnestness towards festivities; let's be honest with this, it is indeed our treasured endowment...every aspect of a Bong fiesta has it's idiosyncratic charm. And since I brought in the reference of "charm", let's quickly shift focus and talk about the tantalizing aspect of "charm on the platter"...ah I knew it. I could sense the glow in "your" eyes and the virtual lip-smacks as we dig deep into this intrinsic aspect of festivities errm "food" for thought.
    Well, this has been pretty much our story...we can't, in the wildest of dreams, plan a festivity without freezing on the "menu" on offer; oh yes...that pretty much multiplies the jubilance. Erm, since I have been talking about the "love for food", let me quickly draw reference to one of my recent conversations with a friend who has been living in Delhi for the last 15 years; I had called her up to convey my regards on Poila Baisakh. This is how it went:-
    Moi: "Hey whassup? Long time no see. What plans for Poila Baisakh?"
    Le Friend: "Hola. Yaar, nothing much. I miss my life back in Calcutta....Nobo-borsho was so much fun."
    Moi: "Yeah...I reckon no haal-khata ceremony(books of accounts) and stuff back in Delhi? Miss our competitive rivalry with the number of calendars and 'sweet packets' collected on this day. So much fun yaa."
    Le Friend: "For sure. And remember, those mouth-watering snacking options that were on offer at these stores. Not to forget, these packets contained quality sweets from renowned sweet-meat stores of the city....especially the ones that were 'procured' from the jewelry stores in our neighborhood. This was pretty much synonymous to the coveted Pujo Parikrama during Durga Puja; we would rather term it as Halkhata Parikrama. Haha." I could pretty much sense the chomp of nostalgia, the conversation was engaging enough.
    Moi: "Oh my, that was just about half the story my friend. Remember what used to wait for us back in hut? I'm like feeling so nostalgic at this moment."
    Le Friend: "Haha, glad you mentioned. Aunty used to cook some amazing food back at home, such a rich spread...rather an absolutely rich and enticing Bengali spread. Do you remember the names of all those delightful dishes? Sigh, we don't get such food here in Delhi. And the lovely family get-togethers that used to happen on this day...such adda, fun and pranks; sigh...I'm so missing all this being away from Calcutta." That last bit had poignancy written all over it. I didn't want to aggrandize her misery but then she had pretty much shoved into a luring flow.
    Moi: "Okay, since you brought up this topic....let me me do this. That's our Poila Baisakh menu for today. Jealous much?
    • Gondhoraj ghol
    • Aam porar shorbet, 
    • Ghee bhaat, 
    • Shakh bhaja, 
    • Narkel diye mochar ghonto,
    • Enchor chingri, 
    • Shona moong daal, 
    • Topshe maach bhaja, 
    • Bhetki macher paturi, 
    • Mutton kosha, 
    • Kancha aamer chutney, 
    • Sandesh,
    • Bhapa doi"
    Le Friend: "Argh!!! I'm gonna kill you for this. I'm warning you, DO NOT POST ANY IMAGE ON INSTAGRAM, I'm gonna simply die seeing all this from here....
    Hey wait...did you just say Enchor chingri?"
    Moi: "Err, yes I did. Don't you remember that last time you dined with us...."- I was halted mid-way through the sentence...I could sense the growing jitters on the other end of the call.
    Le Friend: "Dude, JUST GET ME THE RECIPE like RIGHT NOW. Listen, I never disclosed your secrets in front of your mom; this is your turn to return the favor. Please, please.....!"
    Moi (Err...okay, yes she did. She never disclosed those bits and pieces of classified information, ahem, in front of my parents and I reckon I could do this much): "Okay relax. Lemme ask mom and will email you the recipe in 30 mins time. And err....Subho Noboborsho!" 
    Le Friend: "Thank youuuuuu. Subho Noboborsho to you and 'pornaam' to kakima as well....will wait for the mail. Byeee!" And she hung up in a jiffy. Well, I did comply, here's the content of my email.

    Enchor Chingri:-

    Ingredients:
    • Enchor/jackfruit about 500-700gm, 
    • Pawns-300gm, 
    • Potatoes about 4-5 medium sized and diced,
    • Onion paste-250-300gm, 
    • Ginger paste 2 tablespoon, 
    • Garlic paste- 2 teaspoon,
    • Tomato-3-4 medium sized, 
    • Red Chilli Powder-- according to taste
    • Salt and sugar to taste, 
    • Mustard oil, 
    • Ghee.
    Procedure: At the very onset, cut the enchor (jackfruit), potatoes and tomatoes into diced pieces, then rinse well in water. Thereafter, apply some salt and turmeric powder in the enchor and cook it in a pressure cooker, applying around 1 or 2 "steams". In the meanwhile, mix salt and turmeric with the prawns (please ensure that the prawns are washed and cleaned properly before cooking) and fry them till they become soft and generate a light orange colour. Set them aside and fry the potatoes till they soften. Furthermore, add adequate amount of mustard oil in a deep bottom pan, heat and then start frying the onion paste at a low flame. In the mean-time, slowly add ginger, garlic paste, red chilli powder, sugar for giving colour to the recipe; the diced tomato needs to be added next. Continue frying in a low flame till it starts separating from the oil; then add the jackfruit, fried potatoes, prawns and salt to taste.  By the way, the key here is to mix the masala well with the enchor and chingri in bengali (termed as "koshano" in Bengali) to extract the best flavor out of the entire mix. Once this is done, add around 3-4 tablespoons of water as the penultimate step. Once this is done, you need to add some ghee to add to the delectable fragrance, put off the flame and cover it. You need to serve it "hot" to the guests so that they can indulge in the luscious charm of this essentially Bengali delight.

    Of course, this comes with the caveat that hygiene would be of prime concern when it comes to realizing the essence of healthy and food habits. Hence, the judicious application of a conventionally efficacious solution- Godrej Lal Hit pretty much comes into the scheme of things; it's almost intriguing that this has been pretty much the indisputable choice in all our households for over a considerable period of time. It's almost like a virtual shield that takes guard and restores "regimen" within the household and that my friend, in effect, multiplies to the festive euphoria. Now this, pretty much completes the cycle of geniality. শুভ নববর্ষ! :)

    Poila Baisakh: The Gastronomic Affair
    The assorted authentic Bengali thali, looks delectable isn't it?
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    Tata TISCON- The Glossary of Joy!

    April 18, 2016, 10:43 am
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    Well, honestly speaking I'm feeling a bit nostalgic while writing this post...not because of the fact that I had worked with a TATA firm during the initial days for my career but then, the connection is much much deeper. If I go back to the roots, I did spend quite a few days of my childhood back here in Jamshedpur; it's a beautiful city indeed. This, combined with the fact that my uncle has been a TATA loyalist for over a decade, does strike those "chords" alright. Furthermore my dad, being a production engineer by profession, has often been associated with TATA Steel for various crucial assignments; he keeps traveling to various plants across the country right through the year and most importantly comes back with a smiling face. Oh well, this has been pretty much the story. Drawing a close congruence with the experience of my batchmates from Jadavpur University who did their internship at Tata Steel, well, you pretty much guessed it right- the story is a captivating one. They say that during this enlivening tenure of 3 months at Jamshedpur, they pretty much lived their life and in the process, gathered some quality knowledge from hands on experience. No wonder they had an added advantage during the core-sector-specific evaluation process during the recruitments. 
    Ermm, since these are historical evidences, let me draw a quick reference with one of my recent visits to Jamshedpur for the #BuildingBlogsofJoy activity; oh well...I had to fight rather hard just to be there (for obvious reasons....damn, I got married 4 days ago) but knew that this would be one hell of an experience. And the build-up was quite fascinating as well. The furor to this memorable trip was galvanized by the exclusive access to the top most floor of the "coveted" Tata Center, the view from the top, as we all know it, is absolutely mesmerizing. You know what, as a photo-enthusiast, you crave for opportunities like these; as a matter of fact, I have been trying for almost a couple of years to get this endeared access and Tata did it for me in just about a couple of hours, such a "joyous" genesis. Perhaps this is what we call the spirit of "wondrous joy". We never looked back from there on. 

    That's how it all started.....arguably the best ever view of the City of "Joy"
    As we sauntered along, through the factory premises on a grueling day in the baking heat...it was almost as if by a celestial bliss that the ingrained euphoria enveloped us and pretty much "lead from the front". We could definitely sense the "immersion" alright but then they didn't forget to share a stray joke in between. The workers had their daily targets to fulfill; but that didn't stop them from exchanging happy smirks, the occasional chuckles and chortles did create a cheerful ecosystem. Yes, a recent study by World Bank concludes that "A congenial work environment can double up your efficiency"and it's absolutely fascinating to note that the charm of reciprocity and harmony is pretty much implanted in the "Tata" scheme of things. It was absolutely amazing to see the "managers" and their "sub-ordinates" hanging around in the premises, taking a quick tea-break in course of the day.
    "Once I enter into the premises, it's a different world altogether, far away from the daily chores. The sound of cacophonous machines wakes me up and makes me realize that I'm at home"- Mr. Anup Kumar, Head Product Application Group, mentioned...as we entered into the pivotal hub of Tata TISCON. Plenty of winsome surprises were pretty much in store for us ;)

    And a smiling blogger....the perfect way to end the #BuildingBlogsofJoy tour ;)
    "The best part about working here is how the new-comers gel up with the veterans. There's absolutely no demarcation at all; it's almost like a family out here. Infact so many of my Earned leaves are still pending...I don't feel like taking them!"- Mr. Prabhat Shankar, employee, gas cutting and welding shop sniggled.  Now, that is quite a remarkable statement ladies and gentlemen...drawing an alternation with corporate slaves like us who check their leave balances almost every alternate day, this proclamation is pretty much a game-changer in my opinion. And believe it or not, the vibe is pretty much the same when you step out of the premises...the interaction with tea vendors, rickshaw drivers, litti stall-walahs are so engaging indeed, everything in and around Tata TISCON is so "upbeat". The fervor pretty much extends up to the curator at the Tata Centre of Excellence who amalgamated humor with generous dose of information....that for me, pretty much sums up the "Joy" of building. Infact, our chauffeur who dropped us to the Jamshedpur railway station early in the morning, had a charming smile on his face. What an "joyous" experience indeed.
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    Restaurant Week India: The Conversation...

    September 16, 2016, 8:28 am
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    “Sir, can I take 5 minutes of your time?”- He catechized, splintering through the impervious layer of silence. Aha! That wasn’t too dramatic anyway.
    “(Arghh)…Ermm…okay….sure”- I responded laboriously; trance was broken for sure. Not the best state of affairs, but then that’s how life is; euphoria is fugacious. 5 minutes was a hell lot of time.
    “Sir, I heard that this Quest Mall has a host of fantastic eateries. Are they affordable?”- He investigated. Goodness gracious me, is he a mind-reader? Yes, he did pick me up from Quest Mall, but then, such pin point questions? Oh wait! Has he been stalking me all the while? Why didn’t he raise these questions in Sohini’s presence?
    “Umm…yes, there are. Why?”- I sounded rather skeptical with my response. Why was he asking such flaky questions in the first place?
    “Sir, girl-friend ko leke jana hai….aap madam se baat kar rahe the, to maine socha…..” (Sir, I wanted to take my girl-friend along, overheard your discussion and thought of asking) - He was interrupted midway by an imbecilic tippler crossing the road; he had to pull the brake real hard. Ah, you do expect these things to happen at this juncture; kinda scary when it happens on the E .M. Bypass of course…I checked my wristwatch, it read 10:52 PM.
    This brake (read- break) was a much needed one; the thrust “shook” me and in turn, gave me that extra bit of time to gather my thoughts. Yes, he has been following every bit of our conversation rather punctiliously and of course, waited for the right opportunity to shoot those questions. But then, are his intentions right?
    “Sir, it’s our anniversary next week and we wanted to celebrate in style. If you could kindly suggest…..”- Of course the interruption couldn’t stem the flow.
    Hmm…I was perhaps assuming way too much. But I decided to keep silent for the time being, I was waiting for more “information”.
    “Sir, she loves Spaghetti….but I can’t afford it most of the times. I heard you discussing this with madam and couldn’t resist myself from asking, I hope you didn’t mind.”- He said. And for the first time he turned around and looked into my eyes. He was a young man, perhaps of the same age-group…but he had bright and glossy eyes. I couldn’t make out his expression in the dark….but by now, I was rather sure that there was hope in there. He was referring to our conversation on our way back home from the Quest Mall, the conversation that was pretty much woven around the delightful cuisines that we tasted at the Smokehouse Deli as a part of exclusive preview of “The Restaurant Week 2016”, Calcutta leg. As a part of this preview, we, the bloggers were also given complimentary Ola Prime rides to and from the restaurant of our choice; the person in discussion was myOla Prime chauffeur on the way back home. We were pretty much on a “high” during the first half of the journey….savoring each and every moment of our dining experience at Smokehouse Deli; “we” as in me and my wifey, the aftermath of a delightfully piquant outing. The signature “Boss Style Spaghetti” (that was served right at the climax), pretty much dominated the discussion…it’s perhaps the best spaghetti that I’ve had in recent times. And very importantly, it wasn’t filling too. Of course, the Peri Peri Rubbed Grilled Chicken with Citrus Pimento did impress us too….I’ve always had a thing or two for Peri Peri chicken, remember having a great one at the DLF Cyber hub in Gurgaon, but this one was class apart. Sohini, by the way, loved the Spiced Coriander and with Lemongrass Chicken Skewers starter as well, I have always felt that the mere presence of coriander enhances the taste of a specific set of cuisines; this was no exception. Loved the tenderness in its texture, the way it coats on to the taste-buds and almost melts in your mouth, arghh…I’m almost getting carried away with the flow as I write it. The smoked chicken & onion pizza, with a thin delectable base was impressive because of the idiosyncratic flavor, I found the non-veg sliders slightly filling. Smokehouse Deli was kind enough to allow us to taste all the signature dishes despite the three-course-set-menu format of the Restaurant Week India initiative- and it goes without saying that we relished the experience to the core. Special mention for the Devil-led Roast Tenderloin served with Garlic Jam Bites that was luscious to the core; I'm generally not a beef fan, but then this one would perhaps change my perception...I reckon this would pair well with Red wine pretty nicely. The Moremelon was an interesting rendition for me, experimenting with fresh fruits has always been my thing- the revitalizing dose of Moremelon was much needed on an otherwise grueling weekday. Not to forget, the ambiance is beautiful and the hospitality amazing, never had a chance to dine at Smokehouse Deli before and it was quite a pleasant experience. Of course, in course of the Restaurant Week, you can actually try all of these at a flat rate of INR 900/- per diner, the signature appetizers being priced at an additional INR 100/- and signature main courses at an additional INR 200/- only; that for me does the trick. I firmly believe that Calcutta is the food central of country and a Pre-Pujo pocket-friendly solution makes this deal all the more lucrative. A mere INR 60/- as reservation tariff, is again an affordable proposition in my opinion; that completes the entire cycle..!!
    Smokehouse Deli Delights: The Refreshing Moremelon
    The excitement was slowly settling in…a palliative phase I would rather say…I was also enjoying the ride back home via the stretches of E.M. Bypass; aaaaand my trance was broken. Blame it on Sohini, who was over enthusiastic with her explication or our overall eloquent food-versation that tickled his dripping spirits. The tête-à-tête began just a while after Sohini got down at Dhakuria, ermm….it was a rather one sided interaction, but then, the damage was done. Rahim (Just about realized that his name did flash on the Ola App when I booked my Ola Prime) was desperate to take his girl-friend out for an affordable-dinner-date...!

    Smokehouse Deli Delights: The Luscious Devil-led Roast Tenderlon & Garlic Jam Bites
    Smokehouse Deli Delights: The Delightful Smoked Chicken & Onion Thin Crust Pizza

    Smokehouse Deli Delights: The Savory Peri Peri Rubbed Grilled Chicken with Citrus Pimento
    Smokehouse Deli Delights: The Signature Smokehouse Deli Non-Veg Sliders
    “Sir…can you suggest some budget dining options? Where did you have Spaghetti…? The Boss style Spaghetti?”-  Rahim poked again. He wanted me to speak up….at the same time, he sensed that I wasn’t willing to. And the mere realization that my drop location was approaching, literally freaked him out…I wasn’t a savior by any stretch of imagination. But his concern was genuine….fine dining is indeed a pricey affair these days…the concept of luxury-budget-dinner is pretty much non-existent these days; I quickly did a back-ground research on the internet using Ola Prime’s Free Wi Fi, I wanted to double check on the Restaurant Week India 2016 dates before floating the idea.
    “I am a Mechanical Engineer Sir….we were victims of the recession period; but then I have had a fascination for cars and bikes right through. Driving with Ola for the first time and loving it!”- I don’t know why he said this; perhaps that was his last resort…. but then, whatever he said made an impact. Yes, I’m not an overtly emotional person, but for somebody who’s doing series on the “Humans of Calcutta”, I reckon, this is indeed a moving account and a source of strong content.
    Well, my destination had arrived and I could sense his disgruntlement as I stepped out of the car.
    “Smokehouse Deli”- I whispered as he was about to leave, I could see his face lit up...”Try and avail the exclusive Restaurant Week India offers running from 16th-25th September 2016 at INR 900/-. I have your number, I’ll text you the details. Take care!!”
    Smokehouse Deli Delights: The Show-stopper alright....
    Boss Style Spaghetti (High Recommended)
    * About Restaurant Week India - OLA Prime presents Restaurant Week powered by John Jacobs is the largest and amongst the most popular pan-India culinary events, where the foodies and food-enthusiasts get an exclusive opportunity to dine at some of India’s finest restaurants at a fraction of the a la carte rates, that's a quality-pocket-friendly-solution. Restaurant Week India commenses from 16th September and continues till 25th September 2016 covering some of the premium fine dining hubs of Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune. Follow the hashtags to catch all the action from the preview -#RestaurantWeek #RWI #OlaPrime. As a part of the blogger's preview of #RWI, I decided to dine at Smokehouse Deli, Quest Mall, Kolkata and I found the food pretty good. Verdict: Highly recommended.
    * Tariff- Restaurant Week Kolkata features 14 participating restaurants that will offer a three-course prix fixe menu (with an option of vegetarian or non-vegetarian) at INR 900/- for lunch and INR 900/- for dinner per diner. The signature appetizers are priced at an additional INR 100/- & signature main courses at an additional INR 200/- only. A mere INR 60/- needs to be paid online to secure reservation beforehand; the offerings (and also the online reservation facilities) are listed down in the Restaurant Week India website. The price, per individual, is exclusive of applicable taxes, service charges and anything ordered outside of the special Restaurant Week menu. Ola Prime customers to get exclusive discounts as well.
    * List of participating restaurants: Calcutta Leg-This is indeed a fantastic list- 1. Bodega Cantina Y Bar, Park Street, 2. Gucchi, Hyatt Regency Kolkata, 3. La Cucina, Hyatt Regency Kolkata, 4. Pan Asian, ITC Sonar, 5. Peshawri, ITC Sonar, 6. Saffron, The Park Kolkata, 7. Smoke House Deli, Ballygunge, 8. Souk, Taj Bengal Kolkata, 9. Studio – The Pan Asian Galerie, Novotel Kolkata Hotel and Residences, 10. The Legacy Grill, The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata, 11. West View, ITC Sonar, 12. Yauatcha, Quest Mall, 13. Zen, The Park Kolkata, 14. Kalash, Hotel Hindustan International, Kolkata.
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    Pujo 2016 ~ An Emotional Roller-coaster

    October 25, 2016, 2:20 am
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    “Thanks Sam. I have fallen in love with the city already!”- She predicated.

    I was rather taken aback; yes Calcutta is indeed a photographer’s delight but then for someone who has arrived just a couple of days back, isn’t it a slightly expeditious call?  
    “I did manage to reach Daw Bari yesterday and I cover Chatu Babu, Latu Babu’s ancestral house on the way as well. I was mesmerized.”- She continued, I could sense the kinetic euphoria in her voice.
    Damn! That’s very impressive; new in town and hunting down those traditionally key focal points within a short span of time…
    “Oh and I must mention that the popular myth that Calcutta is over-crowded during Durga Pujo has been busted this time around. Laudable traffic control by the Kolkata Police”- She ratified over call.
    Goodness gracious me, I was rather startled at this….she is pretty much echoing my thoughts. I strongly believe that the “traffic scene” has been rather impressive this year; we have been covering almost all the major Pujos across North and South Calcutta, not too many road blocks or traffic congestion this time around. Yes, there have been times when Pandal hoppers have been asked to take a slightly longer course, but then that those calls have been taken rather strategically. Apart from the bizarre hike in Ola and Uber prices, this has been a pretty seamless affair.

    “Oh yes, I forgot to mention this….this would rather be the pivotal talking point of my trip”- She narrated, I was dying to listen to the rest of the story...”That boy helped me a lot! I don’t know why he did, but he was the one who made it possible.”
    “Who?”- My impulsive reaction followed. She had been with us right through the day at our friend’s “Bonedi Bari” and as far as I remember, she had left alone.
    “I don’t know his name, but I met him near Beadon Street. A young chap, he seemed very interested to see the photographs that I had clicked and in turn, agreed to take me to some of the famous Bonedi Bari’s of North Calcutta. He also wanted me to click a couple of his photographs; and I happily agreed. I could see the jubilance on his face; he never wanted money….”- She recited.

    #KurlotsavKaptures: Pujo 2016 ~ An Emotional Roller-coaster - Poto-chitro depicting "Chokkhu-Daan"
    #KurlotsavKaptures: Pujo 2016 ~ An Emotional Roller-coaster - Gearing up for the mega-event of the year 
    #KurlotsavKaptures: Pujo 2016 ~ An Emotional Roller-coaster - The stars are shining bright :)
    #KurlotsavKaptures: Pujo 2016 ~ An Emotional Roller-coaster - No refusal in this very case ;)
    Eureka. I have been shooting and compiling a series called “People of Pujo” this festive season and I reckon I have already got a lead. But mostly importantly, this cardinal segment of the conversation made my day…in-fact the rest of my otherwise grueling post-Pujo-week. I remember our Pre-Pujo telephonic conversation when she had expressed her concern in terms non-acquaintance with the local language or Hindi; but then Calcutta has been historically hospitable towards tourists…the City with a Soul as they aptly say. The guy was pretty much with her right through the evening, guiding her through the “famed” by-lanes of Calcutta and even assisting her in finalizing her Nabami and Dashami itineraries. This episode reminded me of a German friend (I had met him through Instagram) who had a similar experience in Calcutta during Durga Pujo 2014; he was pretty much track of directions in the soaring late night Behala crowd when a rickshaw-puller stepped into the scene and guided him back to his hotel. In-fact renowned Street photographers from across the world who have come to Calcutta to shoot, have praised her perennial conviviality and amiability. I distinctly remember an incident that had made it to the head-lines during Pujo 2013- a yellow-taxi driver drove all the way from Salt Lake, hunted down a British passenger’s guest-house in South Calcutta and returned his mis-placed DSLR; this is Calcutta for you. When in Calcutta, you are in for surprises...this city never fails to mesmerize her visitors...!
    #KurlotsavKaptures: Pujo 2016 ~ An Emotional Roller-coaster - And the stage is set for her magic!
    #KurlotsavKaptures: Pujo 2016 ~ An Emotional Roller-coaster - Blessings on offer for my blog readers :)
    #KurlotsavKaptures: Pujo 2016 ~ An Emotional Roller-coaster - The dazzle- she has almost arrived.... :)
    #KurlotsavKaptures: Pujo 2016 ~ An Emotional Roller-coaster - She is getting all decked for the carnival
    "Hey…are you there?”- She perturbed voice broke my trace. I haven’t been speaking for a while, it was a rather overwhelming feeling.
    “Yeah. Sorry. So when is flight back to Chennai? Joining work right away?”- I asked rather un-mindfully.
    “In just about 20 minutes…I thought I’d give you a call before leaving. It has been such a nice stay, all thanks to you and…..”- I stopped her mid-way, I did notice that she says “Thanks” way too many times. And I’m rather allergic to this, I wish I could have spent more time with her in this duration. I would have loved to have seen more angles and perspectives of my beloved city through her lens.
    “I saw some of your pictures on Facebook and on our group. Those are really nice. As a photographer if you had to pick two of your favorite Durga Pujo moments, what would those be?” – I asked analytically. It’s a very interesting study I believe; to gauge a photographer’s unique point of view.
    “Ummm…very difficult to pick, there were too many moments to my liking. However, I personally loved shooting Shondhya Aarti (evening prayer) at Kalighat and the holy Sindoor Khela (The Pre-Idol Immersion Vermilion ceremony) at Daw Bari, some beautiful frames in there. I would love to come back next year and shoot again.”- She asserted.
    “Have a safe flight, V. Subho Bijoya!”- Yes. I made a new friend, a new connection, this Pujo; this, my friend...is going to stay!
    #KurlotsavKaptures: Pujo 2016 ~ An Emotional Roller-coaster - And the coveted rituals would follow...
    #KurlotsavKaptures: Pujo 2016 ~ An Emotional Roller-coaster - This looks supernatural doesn't it?
    #KurlotsavKaptures: Pujo 2016 ~ An Emotional Roller-coaster - Final moments before she leaves.....
    #KurlotsavKaptures: Pujo 2016 ~ An Emotional Roller-coaster - The pre-immersion Sindoor Khela....
    Thanks to Kurlon for launching this very innovative #Kurlotsav campaign covering the major social networking platforms and creating a huge buzz on the digital space. I must say that your festive season offers are very lucrative; I personally loved the TVCsince it aptly portrays the essence of celebrations through vivid imagery and engaging clips.
    P.S.I know for sure that V, being a fantastic photographer, has sent in her entries for the #KurlotsavKaptures competition as well; I firmly believe that, is a critical success factor of this campaign which is pretty much in discussion in the photography circuit of the city. #KurlotsavKaptures has recorded over 2000 high quality entries across all the platforms combined; that is a remarkable feat indeed. I'm very sure of the fact that the entire photographers' community is eagerly waiting for the final results!
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    Epic 1 by InFocus ~ Challenging the biggies!

    October 27, 2016, 7:00 am
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    “Hello Sir. Please step aside. You’re disturbing us. This is the last warning”- The elderly looking man advocated. Yes, it was pretty evident that he was annoyed at this late-evening “onslaught”.
    “But dada, we are just clicking photos…..”- One of our young team-mates decided to take the onus of being the spokesperson...ermm, all in vain. He was abruptly stopped midway through the lines.
    “We simply don’t care. Thousands of photographers come to Kumortuli at this time of the year with their huge lenses and camera bags…it hampers our work to the core. It’s the business end of the year right before Durga Pujo, people should respect that.”- The grumpy old man delineated. Well, let me confess, he had a point.
    Historically, Kumortuli, the pottery hub of Calcutta, transforms into the favorite hunting ground of photographers right before Durga Pujo; yes as a photography enthusiast, this place serves as the perennial source of delightful frames - the lights, the colors, the textures and the charm of traditional artistic excellence reflects through the photographs. Having said that, the “crowd” of photo-hunters has increased exponentially over the years resulting in superfluous chaos; their sophisticated gear complicating the woes. I have even seen people struggling with their “towering” 70-200 mm, f/2.8L lenses in the narrow by-lanes of Kumortuli.
    “Sir. Why would you need such high-end cameras for clicking pictures within such a narrow space?”- I remember somebody had posted this question as a photo-comment on a reputed photographer’s profile and that in turn, turned out to be a very engaging activity. The thread fetched around 150+ responses but the focal point of discussion was revolving around- “Can a mobile phone camera effectively match up to the standards set by a DSLR?”
    To quote one of the best replies in thread- “I won’t mind investing in a high end phone that can click fabulous and sharp low light photographs. Who wants to carry heavy DSLR’s while shooting in tight spaces anyway?” – Oh well, very interesting take indeed. In-fact, he echoed many of our thoughts through these couple of subtle statements; here’s a couple of key deductions from the statement above:-
    1. It is pretty evident that NOT using a mobile phone in typical scenarios is, perhaps, not by choice but by compulsion,
    2. It has been well established in people’s minds that mobile phones could be a very convenient solution; that too for a value added functionality-primarily because of its light weight.
    And here lies the catch- now that we have assessed the As-Is scenario, it’s not very difficult to re-engineer and gauge the To-Be solution when it comes to mobile phone photography. Talking from experience, I have had the opportunity to glance through Padmanshree Raghu Rai’s mesmerizing mobile photography series that was displayed at the Delhi Photo Festival last year; it strongly establishes the fact that mobiles phones could actually challenge the output of modern day high end DSLRs…of course that comes with the caveat that you need to be more creative and patient while clicking through a mobile device. And of course, coming to the aspect of “sharpness” of an image, the primary parameter in question is whether the lens has a large aperture. A large aperture opens up the possibility of more light falling on to the sensor and thereby enhances the possibility of better focusing and better results in low-light conditions. Also, point to be noted is, the use of a faster shutter speed is eased out because of the larger aperture which also results in crisper images and less of vignetting. The larger aperture, in general, allows the leverage of a shallow Depth of Field that becomes extremely critical while shooting products or portraits – the shallow DOF blurs the background substantially and allows crispness to step in while focusing on a subject; it could be a very interesting exercise to test whether a mobile phone camera can generate precise results while shooting a Diwali Diya with multi-colored bokeh in the backdrop. Alright…before it gets too technical, let us explore whether the existing mobile phone brands are investing in R&D and putting their thoughts together in terms of developing such a handy solution.
    The answer is YES.
    Presenting the all new Epic 1, the premium variant of the new series of phones (Epic) brought to you by InFocus.
    Epic 1 offers to the customers, one of the best mobile phone front cameras available in the country; though personally speaking I’m more interested in exploring the 16 MP rear camera, with a large aperture of f/2.0 and most importantly the embedded hybrid AF that is ideally a combination of Phase and Contrast Detection. Any photography enthusiast would agree with the fact that having lens with a large aperture in itself is a big boon; the image quality is makes a “sharp” rise as a result. The fact that Epic 1 is offering you the leverage of f/2.0, I reckon you can now give your DSLR a much needed break. Also, ideally, if phase and contrast detection are assembled, you can in turn expect the best of auto-focusing functionality integrated with your device - that in turn, ensures speed of focusing and the crispness it generates on auto-focus lock. There’s another key aspect that I’d like to highlight here - I’ve been working on light trails since the last couple of months, in close concurrence with slow-shuttered images and I have been facing a hell lot of issues while focusing on the stagnant subjects in the same frame in the hand-held mode. The reason is pretty simple, if you have to operate at a shutter speed of 2 seconds, you need to hold your breath pretty tight to keep your hands steady; the issue is aggravated since the DSLR’s (with lenses on) would be pretty heavy. Now that Epic 1 promises to offer precise Object Tracking & Dynamic Auto Focus, this could turn out to be a revolutionary addition to the world of technology; I won’t be surprised if it generates decent output in while shooting moving objects in low light condition. I am presuming that we could control the ISO moderately to reduce grains in the image.
    By the way, when I say that Epic 1 offers one of the best front cameras ever, I am convinced that the 8 MP, f/1.8 aperture lens is going to be a legendary inclusion. My word, clicking selfies in low light conditions would now be a cake-walk. There has been a growing controversy based on the traditional definitions and concepts, whether “clicking selfies” qualify under the umbrella of “photography”; Epic 1, equipped with a fabulous front camera with a large aperture, might just put an end to all that. Leveraging the AIS Support, the processor can instantaneously combine four consecutively captured images into one final output, eliminating the unwanted blur generated due to camera shake. Although I personally prefer still photographs, but shooting 1/32nd super slow-motion videos on your mobile phone could be fun - I am planning to implement the same while covering the Diwali Sky Lantern festival covering the entire trajectory of the lantern once it’s released. It could serve a dual purpose –
    1. To test the “mettle” of the rear camera in terms of capturing low light images/motion pictures 
    2. “Smoothness” of the recorded video and to check whether the quality degrades if two or more videos are combined to form a short movie. I have also been told that the camera supports 4K Video recording that indeed adds to the quality and the richness in color & tone. 
    Having said that, I can’t wait to get a hands-on experience! Who knows, I might put my DSLR up for auction if I’m happy with the results! Perhaps the artists at Kumortuli can now breathe a sigh of relief. ;)
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    The Market Place - Watch out for "SHARAN"!

    December 7, 2016, 8:28 am
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    Suppose you’re clocking a Ferrari at about 200 Km/Hr in the Buddh International Circuit and suddenly a bump or a pothole comes in the middle of your path, the result is fatal. Right?
    So is smoking larger a bump or a deeper pothole in your journey called life. The contemporary lifestyle and our uncontrolled eating habits do pose a great threat to our lifeline. The condition is called “atherosclerosis”, the evil cholesterol (LDL) builds up layers on the inner lining of the arteries which ultimately result in increase in pressure when the blood flows, thus resulting in severe health conditions like hypertension and might even lead to stroke.

    According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one out of every four Indians above the age of thirty, runs a high risk of death caused due to lifestyle induced diseases.

    We all love food, don’t we? But still some lucky souls manage to stay lean and clean and some of us just get showered with fat. Don’t you get jealous while you see your friend stuffing in that sumptuous ‘cheese chicken parantha’ and you tend to gain weight with that ‘rosogolla’ you had the other day. Some people tend to be obese naturally, but some might gain it gradually with their food habits and lifestyle. But one can always fight it out to stay healthy and fit. A balanced diet and a bit of exercise is all you need to be in shape, and to be healthy.

    Beating obesity is no mere task, we who constitute the ‘league of extraordinarily hungry”, must know where to punctuate when it comes to food. Gorging only on the burger patty won’t do, you also need to chew and gulp down the lettuce too. A balanced diet is very essential for the well being of the body and mind, by a balanced diet, I mean the food that we take in everyday should have the right amount of nutrients as required by the body along with roughage and fibers. The water intake is also a very important aspect when we talk about ‘balanced diet’, our body which is made up of 70% water needs to kept hydrated so that the metabolism works efficiently.
    Western style breakfasts  has been my thing and I get head over heels when any  English breakfast is served. Tried out the innovative western style healthy tofu French toast and couldn’t get over it in no time. The delicious taste and aroma with the extremely healthy breakfast platter is one everyone should go for.
    Sanctuary for Health and Re-connection to Animals and Nature (SHARAN) is a non-profit organization with the goal of spreading awareness about holistic health and an ecologically sustainable compassionate lifestyle. With the amount of pollution and junk intake around us even a person who doesn't smoke can have bronchitis ,a person with a healthy eating habit will have gastroenteritis .Health is such a major issue nowadays and SHARAN has come out with exclusive ways of restricting the natural aura and living a healthy life. The mission is to help regain optimal quality of life by guiding you to engage actively with your own help. SHARAN empowers to make lifestyle changes that will make you healthy for the rest of your life. SHARAN consists of  group of doctors and professionals connected by the same vision and has impacted the lives of over 20000 people in India and abroad. Workshops are held all around the globe and it's a delight to have SHARAN coming here to the city of joy with their workshop and it's one of its kind. And of course, a host of informative events to go alongside....this sure is going to be quite a learning exercise I believe. 
    - Where? -The Market Place, Vedic Village Kolkata
    - When?- 10-11th December 2016. Are you coming?

    Keep watching this space for some exciting updates from "The Market Place"
    "From a Consultant's Notepad" is a Blogging Partner for this engaging event scheduled to happen this weekend.
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    Great Indian Restaurant Festival 2017- The Alfresco Tyrst

    February 4, 2017, 8:18 am
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    Before I begin, let me tell you that I've been dying to write this account...not just because I had a memorable dining experience at one of my favorite restaurants in the city, but I also wanted to share some instances on how a good meal can create (or at times recreate) certain indelible associations. I'm not sure whether there's an under-lying connection between the set of events but then every-time I visit the Alfresco, the Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata, I experience something very unique; it goes without saying that the experiences have been quite pleasant. I attended my first client meeting on behalf of Calcutta Instagrammers at Alfresco; we were just about a couple of months old and it needed something exceptionally special to convince a very reputed brand to get us on-board for prestigious project. Honestly speaking, the meeting could have turned out to be pretty ordinary had the discussion not diverted to "food", "good food", "great food" and "delightful Bengali food". Although we didn't manage to "win" that particular project but ended up building a great relationship with the brand....and of course worked with them for 3 subsequent campaigns. 
    On my second visit to Alfresco in the first half of 2016, I over-heard a lovely little conversation that marked a new beginning; "they" were on the verge of reviving "their" broken marriage over a 'divine' Bengali platter. What a lovely moment indeed. And of course, if you are a full-time working professional, the prospect of taking your family out for a brunch on a lazy Sunday afternoon is enticing enough. And the best part is, now, you can temporarily stop worrying about the PPQ (Pocket Pinching Quotient) since the Great Indian Restaurant Festival (GIRF) by Dine-out is here to blot out your perennial concerns. 
    "How much bonus are you expecting this year?"- Le Corporate 1 investigates.
    "How does that concern you?"- Le Corporate 2 snaps.
    "Yaar !! That would help in pre-booking your gala treat at an affordable eatery. We understand how costly it is these days...."- Now that made a lot of sense. Infact, I would compliment my colleague for being so considerate...and I guess, the idea of treating them at the Alfresco during Great Indian Restaurant Festival (GIRF) was a great idea. Availing an exclusive offer of 50% discount on Lunch buffet, that too on a weekend is indeed a pretty lucrative offer. When a Consultant certifies this, you gotta believe it :D

    GIRF 2017 Offers home-page- You can view the city-specific offers by visiting
    www.dineout.co.in/girf
    As a part of GIRF, you can avail 5 broad categories of discounts across multiple restaurants: 50% off Food, 50% off Buffets, Special Deals (specially curated menus), 50% off Alcoholic Beverages and 50% Off Valentine’s Day Packages. And of course, these are pre-paid deals and the customer doesn't need to pay any additional amount at the restaurant; this again has a two-fold advantage: i. You are not required to carry cash alongside (say "Bye" to the demonetization woes) ii. I have been experiencing issues even while resorting to Credit/Debit Card payments at restaurants because of frequent link failures. This could be a boon in such cases.

    GIRF 2017 Offers Deals Page- You can view the existing offers by navigate through the website
    www.dineout.co.in/girf

    GIRF 2017 Deals Confirmation Page- Reviewing the deal that I availed- Alfresco
    The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata
    Alright then, now that we have discussed about the possibilities, let's take a look at the illustrious spread on-offer at the Alfresco; I know that you guys have been waiting to see the photographs and of course, try and gauge the GQ (Gratification Quotient) in the process.
    I might sound biased, but I love the interiors of Lalit, Kolkata primarily because of unadulterated love for heritage; Lalit, however is a fantastic juxtaposition of the "Past" and the "Present". It's almost like a Vintage property (it is effectively, one of the very oldest hotels in the city) that has been revamped and "synthesized" to "symphonize" with the present. Also, very importantly, as a photographer, I love the light inside Alfresco- the bright white-walls in day-light helps food photography immensely.

    Alfresco, The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata- A sneak peak into the ambiance 
    Alfresco, The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata- A sneak peak into the ambiance 
    Full-marks to the food as always, I'm hereby presenting by favorite Starters served at Alfresco that I've tasted in course of frequent visits, they'd include Mochar chop, Aamada aloor chop, Murgir piayazi, Bhekti Patishapta- the idiosyncratic Bong selections, the classics with a contemporary touch.

    Alfresco, The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata- Oh damn, the fish looks absolutely luscious.
    Alfresco, The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata- The entire platter on offer, this is a delightful combination
    The main courses spread is of course very illustrious, let me pick up some mouth-watering ones. As a bong, I believe Parser Aam kasundi is the best thing that has happened to mankind, you must taste it to believe it. The Bhekti dhokar Dalna and Goalondo steamer mangsho jhol would be very gratifying as a Sunday meal after a week-long corporate grill. The Murshidabadi Morog biryani is also a personal favorite because of the twist in the signature recipe, this is a must try if you are visiting Lalit any time in the future...you'll realize how Calcutta made biryani can surprise you at times. Last but not the least, Nolengurer baked yoghurt and Narkel narur millefeuille made my day; I have always believed that you can judge any eatery on the quality of the desserts on offer- Boy oh boy! Alfresco passes the acid test with flying colors.

    Alfresco, The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata- I made someone pose with this delightful dish....
    It deserved some attention ;)
    By the way, before I forget, I just about figured out that during GIRF, you can actually end up earning a 100% cashback up to Rs 1000 in your Dineout Earnings on the app. Damn it! That's awesomeness redefined. So have you pre-booked your GRIF deal already? Hurry up because the Great Indian Restaurant Festival lasts only till 10th February 2017.

    Alfresco, The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata- Bangali and Mishti are intrinsically related to each other :D
    Alfresco, The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata- Bangali and Mishti are intrinsically related to each other :D
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    Kolkata Kaleidoscope- Kolkata Street Art Festival

    August 31, 2017, 8:30 am
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    Anecdote 1: May 2006
    Jadavpur University, Calcutta
    “I hope those pamphlets are ready?”- Let me confess, I was extremely nervous. It was perhaps one of our earliest attempts at creating something extraordinary, we had very few members in the team but there was no shortage in talent.
    “The printing press takes its own sweet time, mate”- Swaroop uttered- “We have reminded them almost thrice today, still no response.” This meant disaster.
    “The event is just a couple of days away my friend!!”- I shouted frantically- “If we do not get the posters and pamphlets on time, how do we spread the word in such a short period?”
    “WAIT! Let’s no panic. I have a better plan.”- Swaroop’s resounding assurance took us by surprise- “We have such talented artists in our team, why don’t we start painting on the walls? Without wasting resources, we can spread the word effectively.” Believe me, at that moment of crisis, these words were like gold dust. The canvas was rugged, approvals staggered, resources limited, but at the end of the day, the intent was right. A team of 5 students transformed one filthy, overlooked corner of the campus into their cherished canvas.

    Anecdote 2: May 2016
    Lodhi Art District, New Delhi
    “Sir, it’s been more than 6 hours. When will you be done?” – The grumpy auto-driver screeched impatiently.
    That broke my trance. I quickly checked my watch and realized that it was already 7 PM; Delhi, unlike Calcutta, experiences extended hours of sunshine and the visibility was decent. But then, that was merely the reason. Honestly speaking, I was absolutely blown-away by the fact that an entire colony has been transformed into a vivid gallery, an exhibition of artistry, adroitness and unmatched skill. Something very similar to what we had envisaged almost a decade ago; it was almost like a walk down memory lane…those hours spent in conceptualizing, rather dreaming of a day when our city would be sheathed in colors of hope.

    Walk down memory lane: Self portrait at the Lodhi Art District
    An unforgettable experience
    I stood for almost an hour in-front of the gigantic-bird-etched-murals; it was magical indeed. It was as if I was transported to those child-hood days, the yearning of being flown “around the world in eighty days” by this mighty bird. They have attached a technical terminology in line with this initiative called “city beautification”, but if you ask me, a drive as altruistic as this, could have multiple positive implications:
    • Inspiring creativity: Since the seeds of creativity are inbred right from the child-hood, a colony full of colorful wall-art and murals can inspire the younger generation. Not only would this motivate them to try out newer forms of art at home but inculcate the awareness that walls are not supposed to be littered.
    • Photographers’ paradise: Being a passionate photo enthusiast, I do realize the necessity of interesting backdrops that can, in effect, make or break a photograph. And the statement is genre-agnostic, a colorful, vibrant and meaningful back-drop is alluring for both fashion as well as street photographers.
    • Promotes underground artists: A properly outlined drive can actually create a lot of buzz across the various layers of the society and it can, in effect, bring the supremely talented underground artists out of their closet. I believe, every city has a huge pool of such ingenious “beings” who are gifted with the flair of transforming a Nation with their unique “mode of expression”, if they get the right platform. As a matter of fact, St+Art India who have been instrumental in “revving up” the Lodhi Colony, has involved a number of such artists. At the end of the day, a consortium of “skill” makes a huge impact.
    • Uplifts the face of your city:  Imagine hundreds of people clicking selfies with the wall in the backdrop and sharing on social media every day, imagine popular media channels covering such initiatives regularly, imagine the impact your Instagram post uploaded with popular hashtags like #graffiti or #wall art- the reach is uninhibited, we call it the “multiplier” effect. This, in effect, glorifies your own city and establishes the fact that it is indeed one of the artistic hubs of the country. The fact that these art-works represent the true essence of the city, makes them all the more magnetic.
    • Boosts the Tourism sector: I was recently having an animated conversation with one of my Instagram followers who resides in Belgium and loves documenting street art from across the globe. And since Calcutta, of late, has made a sparkling entry into the wall-art scene, she was extremely inquisitive about the kind of initiatives that are taken by the artists in collaboration with popular brands of the city. Mid-way through this conversation, I realized that the “City beautification” drive could actually lead to a boost in the tourism sector and of course, enhance footfall in those particular “hotspots”. The “quirk-factor” coupled with depiction of traditional art forms is the key growth driver.
    In this very context, let me take this opportunity to congratulate Berger Paints India for launching an absolutely phenomenal initiative “Kolkata Street Art Festival” (#KSAF) that not only ticks the 5 key pointers, but goes beyond that and emphasizes on the principle of “sustainable art”. Honestly speaking, purely from a photographer’s point of view, I was elated to receive an invitation from Berger Paints for a day-long-bloggers-city-tour because that not only gave me an opportunity to document some unique frames, but took me back to those nostalgic college days. As a part of this path-breaking initiative, Berger Paints intends to paint 10 walls, 3 metro stations and 2 trams in the first phase and extend the coverage there-after based on the response they get from the citizens; and we would love it if they cover major parts of North Calcutta as well. The best part is, the intention is to carry this “drive” to the other cities as well; that opens up the vision of this entire campaign for me.

    Kolkata Street Art Festival: The wonderful wall-art right outside the iconic Eden Gardens
    Kolkata Street Art Festival: The wonderful wall-art right outside the iconic Eden Gardens
    Absolutely indebted to Prof. Jogen Chowdhury, an eminent artist & Member of Parliament who has mentored this program and the team of 20 fantastic artists led by senior artist Mr Barun Saha and Mr Rintu Roy who have embarked on a journey that would probably change the face of Calcutta on the global landscape. Super thanks to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, concerned police stations and local clubs who extended their whole-hearted cooperation for successful execution of the project so far; it re-establishes that fact that a consorted effort leads to unbelievable results. We sincerely hope that with a joint pledge of preserving these art-works, we will be in a position to call it an “effort that is going to stay”, sustainable effort so to say.

    Kolkata Street Art Festival: The wall-art near Rabindra Sadan Metro Station, such intricate details
    Kolkata Street Art Festival: The wall-art near Rabindra Sadan Metro Station, such intricate details
    Kolkata Street Art Festival: There are two Owls in the picture ;)
    This combined with the fact that the artists braved unfavorable weather conditions and created an epiphany within a month’s time ratifies that a combination of skill, intent and the right choice of resources (application of the Berger Paints Weather coat to ward off the inherent moisture content) can do the impossible. On a number of occasions, the wall had to be suitably “treated” with plaster and putty before application of the paint.

    Anecdote 3: August 2017
    Gariahat Tram Depot:
    As I’m all set to strike a signature pose right beneath the “stair-case of enlightenment”, I reckon, I am freezing a moment of a lifetime; I can show this photograph to my grand-children saying that- “I was alive when the first organized Street-art drive was launched in Calcutta”.
    Yes my friend, Calcutta is climbing up the stairs real fast and this initiative by Berger Paints is likely propel the cause.

    Kolkata Street Art Festival: Posing outside Gariahat Tram Depot
    Kolkata Street Art Festival: Wall art outside the Gariahat Tram DepotWork in progress
    My Pick of KSAF:
    Having worked with a talented bunch of artists for a couple of recent projects, I know the kind of effort and energy it takes to create wonderful art-work on rugged walls. Hence, the murals located at Topsia have drawn my significant attention primarily because of the substantially low height of the “canvas”; it takes hell of an effort to sit in that posture and execute such intricate work within a limited time period. The subject of wall-art in this area is primarily focused towards drawing the attention of school-going children owing to the presence of a number of educational institutes in the locality. Hence, it is safe enough to infer that “relevance” and “congruence” are two major pillars of this bench-marking initiative.

    Kolkata Street Art Festival: Juxtaposition, a hint of street photography while shooting at Topsia
    Kolkata Street Art Festival: The wall-art near Topsia is quite colorful and engaging at the same time
    Kolkata Street Art Festival: The wall-art near Topsia is quite colorful and engaging at the same time
    Kolkata Street Art Festival: The wall-art near Topsia is quite colorful and engaging at the same time
    We hope to see more of such wall-art spread across the rest of the city in the near future; perhaps a “graffiti smash” involving multiple city-artists to create an interesting composite wall-art is also on the cards. :)
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