Cup of Nostalgia!

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She sits by the window

With an old letter

And a cup of nostalgia;

As she savors them,

Voices and laughter become audible

The addictive smell of cologne, prominent.

She closes her eyes

To feel the softness of roses

And the enticing warmth of his breath.

Once she revels in the cup of nostalgia,

Nothing seems subtle and distant

Every smell, sound and touch

Is vivid and pronounced.

She has done this every year

On their anniversary

It has been a decade now

She has learned to find

His esoteric presence in his absence.

The cup of nostalgia slowly engulfs her

As she gazes at his last letter,

She can feel his soul

Caressing her and holding her frail hand.

She hums their favorite song

To celebrate their togetherness;

Time stays, people go

Soulmates are never apart

Be it death or worldly separation.

-Purba Chakraborty

(31.01.2016)

Linking this poem with Prompt Nights – A Cup of Nostalgia [4] and Poetry Pantry #287

She finally got a lifetime friend!

She started sobbing as her mother asked her how her day at school was.

“I won’t go to school from tomorrow, Mom.” Pari said between her sobs.

Her mom took her in her lap and cajoled her to say what’s troubling her. She was afraid that some teacher must have punished Pari.

“Puja is not talking to me. Ever since our class teacher changed our seating arrangement, she has stopped talking to me. Now, she talks with Seema the whole day. She doesn’t even bother to share her tiffin with me. She was my best friend, but now I think Seema is her best friend.” Pari explained with glistening eyes that made her innocent face clammy.

Her mom listened to the whole incident with empathy. Although she had to manage so many difficult problems in life, Pari’s simple problem started bothering her.

For a ten year old, this is not a simple thing. Their minds are so tender that things like this have a huge impact on them.

“Puja shouldn’t have behaved like this. But why do you want to stop going to school, my dear?” Her mom asked, wiping her tears.

“I feel lonely, Mom. I don’t have any other good friend other than Puja and now she is also not talking to me. Everyone has their own groups and I belong to nowhere. I have to eat my tiffin alone.” Pari continued.

“What if I introduce you to a new friend today who will always be there for you?” Her mom said.

“Really? That will be great.” Pari said with a twinkle in her eye.

Her mom told her to close her eyes for a minute. She felt some object in her lap and instantly opened her eyes.

“What’s this? You told you will introduce me to a new friend.” Pari said, feeling dejected on seeing a book. It was written on the cover Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

“This is the friend I was talking about. It will never leave you. It will never start preferring someone else. And It will always give you company.” Her mom said with a smile. Pari however, looked more disappointed than ever.

“I don’t want to read it. A mute book can never be my friend.” Pari said, keeping the book beside her.

“Alright. Let me put it this way. Once you start reading this book, you will meet a lovely friend who will enchant you with his adventures. In fact, he will take you along with him to the land of his adventures. Just give him a chance to do so.” Her mom continued with a smile. 

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Pari never thought that her mom’s words were so true. Of course, she was so right. Not only one, but she got 3 wonderful friends inside the book: Harry, Ron and Hermione. She never feels bad now when Puja doesn’t talk to her. She has her book to give her company.

Books and the characters in the books had a tremendous impact on young Pari’s mind. They made her a wiser and a calmer person. She never felt desperate to grab someone’s attention because she always had a friend by her side. 

As Pari grew older, she often questioned her. Who is a better friend: Books or the characters inside the books?

Now, she knows the answer to her question. Books are friends for a lifetime. They are not only reliable, but they also introduce you to many more friends i.e. the characters living inside them.

She knew she would never feel lonely in life as long as she has a book with her. She is lucky to have a friend for lifetime. 

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Open up a free shop on ezebee.com!

Did you ever wish to have a free online shop where you can sell your products and services? Is there an entrepreneur concealed inside you who keeps nagging you to start your business? Do you want to make quick money online?

If your answers to the above three questions is yes, then ezebee.com is the ideal destination for you. It is the perfect place that will allow you to sell anything to people around the globe. It is a great network and a free online marketplace for people who want to promote their small business.

Your showroom on ezebee.com

The best thing about ezebee.com is that its basic version is free. You can open as many showrooms as you want and add innumerable products in them. Ezebee.com does not charge any commission for transactions. Therefore, you can be assured that all the profits will go directly to you. 

A showroom on ezebee.com is like your personal website that would contain your shop, blog and other contact details. You can easily display your services and products in your showroom and sell them worldwide.

Facebook Shop

You must get the cool Facebook Shop App if you desire to attract more customers. Your showroom can get more exposure with a free Facebook shop. Your fans and customers can buy from Facebook directly which would be much easier for them. It would only take a few seconds to add the app.

Similarly, you can also add the blog shop app to obtain more exposure for your ezebee showroom. It is also absolutely free and will let the visitors of your blog, buy directly from your website.

Products that you can offer

You can sell anything and everything in ezebee.com as long as it is legal. It can include professional services, individual travel offers, restaurants, fashion, furniture and handmade products. You can add unlimited products in your showroom. The payment can be made by bank transfers, PayPal or EZBs. 

Anyone can sell online now with the help of ezebee.com. If you are an entrepreneur owning a small business, you can share your products globally. If you are a freelancer, you can offer your freelancing services to the huge community in ezebee.com. You don’t need to be an entrepreneur or a freelancer to make money online. You can also sell your used items in the classified ads section of ezebee.com. 

So, what are you waiting for? Create an online shop on ezebee.com and sell online. Opening a free online shop has never been easier than this. 

Kolkata Literary Meet: The impact of today’s Hindi film heroes!

Yesterday, I attended an amazing literary session in Kolkata Literary Meet at the Victoria Memorial. In the session, two filmmakers, Imtiaz Ali and Aditya Vikram Sengupta discussed why the Hindi film hero of today talks more and fights less. It was an extensive discussion on the impact that today’s Hindi film heroes make on the audience.

In the earlier days, the Bollywood hero always had a larger than life character, which the audience aspired to become, but could hardly relate to. On the other hand, now with movies such as Wake up Sid and Tamasha, the audience connects to the hero on an emotional level because the things that are shown in the movies happen in our lives too.

Therefore, when we see Hindi film heroes on the big screen today, it is more like seeing ourselves. We see the hero fighting demons that we also fight on a regular basis. Earlier, when we used to see a hero beating up ten goons alone to save his lady love, it was something that we loved watching, but could never connect to. On the other hand, now when we watch our heroes fighting their inner demons and turmoil, we can relate to them instantly.

Now about the question why the heroes of today fight less and talk more, Imtiaz Ali asks the host, Devapriya Roy when was the last time she had hit someone out of rage. He states that in any crisis or in any turmoil, we try to speak out, instead of hitting someone. Therefore, the heroes of today talk more to make sense out of a situation.

Moreover, in today’s day, when we are always busy, a long, meaningful conversation with someone helps us to sort our conflicts and issues in a systematic manner. Unlike the earlier days, when the hero had to fight with the world in large, nowadays the fight is often within.

Therefore, the impact that today’s Hindi film heroes have on the audience is large. It is not confined to the three hours of watching the movie, but the impact lingers long after the movie has ended. The Hindi film hero is much more human today, with his vulnerabilities and weakness. 

It was a sheer treat to hear Imtiaz Ali speak and answer the questions asked by the audience with patience. He is not only eloquent and intelligent with a charismatic personality, but is also very humble. His humility and amiability makes him so charming. When asked by someone from the audience how he writes and directs his movies that they always manage to have the Sufi touch, he smiles and says “I honestly don’t know.”

I feel privileged to have attended this session and see the impact that today’s Hindi film heroes make on the audience in a new light. And yes, I feel super lucky that I could take a selfie with my favorite director, Imtiaz Ali.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

My Peppy, Crazy and Amazing Best Friend!

We all need a person in our lives who can make us laugh even when we are feeling to break down, someone who can bring a spark of happiness even during the most pallid hours of our life. I am too lucky to have such a person in my life who is not only my best friend, but is also my lifeline and soul sister.

I call her my lifeline because whenever I feel burdened with the weight of the world and feel that life is not going my way, she brings it back on track by her motivating words that are coated with a killer sense of humor.

I broke my leg on her birthday in 2013, which was a terrible year for me. I looked at her with moist eyes and said “Pri, I think it’s a fracture.”

Instead of shedding tears or offering me any amount of sympathy, she started giggling and hugged me tightly. I was confused by her behavior and looked at her without a word.

“This proves we are soul sisters, my love. Last year, I also broke my leg and had a fracture in the exact same place. Cheers to our friendship and our unbreakable bond, Purba. Let’s celebrate!” This was my peppy bestie, Priyam’s reply which instantly lightened my mood. I started laughing and the fracture didn’t seem too big an issue anymore.

With her by my side, even the most difficult problems seem easy. It feels that when we are together, all the problems seem to bow down before us. If anyone or anything spoils my mood, I just need to dial her number and she would ensure that I laugh so much that tears trickle down my eyes.

The thing that makes this girl so unique and peppy is her quirky nature. I have come across so many different people, but no one is as quirky and as crazy as her. She gets sudden desires of exhibiting her craziness to the world. We were in CCD one day, chatting about our respective lives. Suddenly, I saw a twinkle in her eyes and instantly, I knew that she is up to some mischief.

When the waiter came with the bill of three hundred, she decided to give him two hundred rupee notes and coins amounting to one hundred rupees. The poor fellow looked at us as if we are some aliens and the other people in CCD looked at us as if we are some lunatic clowns. I felt embarrassed to the core, but Priyam looked like she has achieved something great.

“See, I made so many people smile today. If there is no craziness in life, there is no life at all.” She said and started laughing as we came out of the CCD.

This peppy girl is definitely one of the best things that have happened in my life. Right now, I am thinking about her crazy reaction when she will read this post.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Fantastico Piku and endearing Bengalis

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“Piku is fantastico. Therefore, it’s winning so many awards in the award ceremonies. A film on Bengalis and Kolkata is sure to be a hit.” Mr. Banerjee said with pride.  

“Indeed! Last time, Bidya (read: Vidya) took all the accolades for Kahaani and this time, it’s Deepika grabbing all the award and limelight for Piku. Bollywood needs more movies like this.”  Mr. Sen said sipping tea.

“And look at our children! They have opted to settle in other cities. They have thousands of complaints against Kolkata. And my son uses Hindi words even while talking to me in phone.”Mr. Chatterjee said with disgust.

“Still better. My daughter keeps shouting that Bengalis are lazy and that we are so eccentric.”

“This generation has gone crazy. They are too foolish to know that where there is eccentricity, there is genius lurking in its lap. And we are not lazy…we just love the finest things of life like food, music, literature, theatre, adda, football and naps.”

As a writer, I have this compulsive habit of eavesdropping. And this conversation at Coffee House between these three middle aged friends didn’t fail to delight me at all.

People of Kolkata have an uncanny sense of humor. Many times, they themselves don’t understand how funny their conversations sound. But this city has a lot of warmth and soul. They feel proud of Sourav Ganguly in a way as if they are all related to him. No wonder why he is the universal Dada.

And no matter whether the Bengalis get irked by our CM, Mamata Banerjee or feel proud of her, she is still called Didi by all. Now, this kind of warmth you can expect only in Kolkata. After seeing Deepika Padukone as Piku, my entire family seems to have developed a huge fondness for her. The reason is she played the role of a typical Bengali girl who got annoyed with a guy just because he hadn't watched any Satyajit Ray movie till date. There is surely one Piku in most Bengali families.

That’s the reason why I can find so much happiness around me when Deepika Padukone is announced the best female actor in all the award ceremonies, including Filmfare and Star Screen. In fact, my grandmother identifies Deepika Padukone as Piku. What love!

The people of Kolkata are really endearing. Once they find a connection with someone, they can’t help showering their love for them. Just a connection is all they need…a Bong connection, a Kolkata connection, a food connection, a music connection…just any possible connection!

So Piku is the movie that gave them a lot of connections. Almost all Bengalis have at least one relative who lives in C.R Park in Delhi. Secondly, they consider Amitabh Bachchan as Bengal’s son-in-law after he got married to Jaya Bachchan. So he was the ideal Bhaskor for them with all the eccentricities.

I remember I was watching Piku in the theatre and there was a scene where Amitabh Bachchan dances funnily on an old popular Bengali song after coming back from a party, drunk. The people around me were clapping and hooting as if it is the best scene they have ever seen.

As I told, Bengalis just need a connection to love something or someone. And this time, it is the Fantastico Piku that seemed to have won all of their hearts, along with the awards, of course.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

The Music Teacher

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Riya sipped her coffee and gazed at the beautiful handmade card with reverence, that her student, Rahul has gifted her on the occasion of Teacher’s Day. Rahul is an average music student and a very shy child. He struggles a lot while playing the synthesizer, but Riya never loses her patience. May be he is gifted in playing some other instrument!

“All your students love you a lot.” Her reverie broke as her husband, Samar uttered these words.

“May be, because I love all of them too. I am never harshly partial.” She replied with a smile.

“This thing amazes me the most. You don’t only love the students who are the most talented, but also the students who don’t perform so well.”

“A teacher can create a magnificent impact in a student’s life. A teacher should enlighten her students and fill them with a zest for life. A teacher is the candle that kindles and rekindles the potential of her student from time to time. Every single child is gifted and has some talent concealed within him. The duty of a teacher is to help her student find his talent and true potential.” Riya said.

“However, all teachers don’t walk in the same line as you do, Riya. They are only concerned with seeing which student is performing well in their subjects or which student is obedient to them.” Samar replied.

“I know that. Some people employed as teachers also dampen the spirit of a young mind with their harsh and unruly words. They never have an idea what a tumultuous impact they are making in a child’s mind” Riya said with a choked voice.

Samar looked at her, waiting for her to speak.

“There was a girl who had to change her school in class eight after her mother passed away. She was so psychologically affected by the loss of her mother and the change of place that she started living in a cocoon. She never talked much in class. She was a shy and introvert person. She was average in studies and she never got the courage to participate in extra-curricular activities in her new school, despite having learned music since the age of five.

However, one day, she thought to participate in the annual concert. She mustered some courage and gave her name to her class teacher. The teacher scanned her from top to bottom and said, “You? Please, don’t even try doing such a thing. You should better sit in the audience and clap for the other participants.”

Her eyes welled up and she looked at her class teacher with embarrassment. Without any sense of guilt, she continued, this time with a sarcastic smirk, “You’re such a cry baby. And you plan to sing in front of an audience? Just go sit and don’t waste my time, ever.”

This incident shattered all her confidence and made her feel worthless. She lost her self-esteem for a really long time, until she decided to be her own teacher and guardian. 

She motivated herself, fought her demons and came out from the shadow, victorious. Today, she has her own music academy and she is standing in front of you, Samar. However, her scars have not evaporated totally. Therefore, she loves all her students and tries to encourage and motivate each one of them. This is her path to happiness and solace.”

Without saying a word, Samar embraced Riya and whispered in her ear, “I am so proud of you and the positive impact you are making in the life of all your students.”

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Special Letter

Clouds visit mountain

With a rare, special letter

From his old pal, sea;

As mountain beams and writes back,

Clouds form drizzles to meet sea.

-Purba Chakraborty

20.01.2016

Tanka is a classic form of Japanese poetry related to the haiku with five unrhymed lines of five, seven, five, seven, and seven syllables. (5, 7, 5, 7, 7)

Linking this poem to Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Mountain

An Invisible Thread!

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Her heart was laced

With fog and mist;

He wiped it clean 

With his amorous touch

And showed her 

The sparkling dreams

That languished there

Since years.

The gesture didn't demand

Ounces of intricate words;

It all happened in the

Canopy of a magical silence

With an assuring look

And an invisible thread

That bind their souls together

Since ages.

-Purba Chakraborty

14.01.2016

Linking this poem with Prompt Nights – On Popular Demand [1] and Poetry Pantry #285

Price for Spontaneity

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I go to bed

Sharp at 11

Hectic deadlines awaiting

The next day.

A long day it's going to be,

My weary body needs sleep.

10...9...8...

I reason with my mind

Yes! Sleep is the best thing for you.

7...6...5...

I open my eyes

Pull my laptop 

Start typing a story

That was languishing somewhere

In my subconscious mind.

After 3 hours, I feel content and exhilarated.

I switch on the music

Soak in the moments

Feeling life is a beautiful party.

The tweeting of birds

Brutally break my reverie.

Biting my lower lip, 

I crash on my bed

I've to rush back to sleep.

Only four hours

For the strict alarm to ring

Well, that's the price

I've to pay for spontaneity.

-Purba Chakraborty

(12.01.2016)

I am a very spontaneous person. Though I try my best to follow a routine life and do things in a planned way, I end up being spontaneous. Most of the times, it helps me and some other times, it lands me in crazy situations. 

Linking my poem on Spontaneity with Prompt Nights – Spontaneous or Not [2]

The Hapless Woman and the Magical RJ

On some rare days, when I manage to wake up by 6am, I listen to a programme on Radio known as "Life and Healing". I have been listening to the programme since over two years. The words of the RJ who is known by Zen (it's not his real name) always bring a smile on my face, even in the most grey and ashen days of my life. They always motivate me.

Since I am listening to the programme for quite some time, I know that the RJ is a cerebral palsy patient. Despite being a victim of cerebral palsy and having a huge physical disadvantage, he chose to be a dauntless and cheerful person. Having struggled with life all his thirty years, he motivates people to live life with love. 

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For those of you who don't know, cerebral palsy is a condition that is marked by spastic paralysis or impaired muscle coordination. People who suffer from cerebral palsy have stiff or weak muscles that affect their posture, movement, balance, communication and everyday tasks. Their life is a constant struggle. 

I have once seen Zen when I went to the radio station to collect a prize. He was sitting in a wheel chair and was constantly cracking jokes with the fellow RJs. I wished to take his autograph, but by the time I went there, he has gone inside the studio. 

Anyways, this is not my story. This is the story of Bhoomi who lives in my locality. It was a Monday of 2015 as far as I can remember. I woke up early and switched on the radio. Monday was the day when Zen talked to his listeners LIVE and discussed their problems. 

"Flying a kite is so similar to living life. Ever wondered how? When a person flies a kite, the kite is far from his reach. What he has in his hands is the tuft of strings through which he controls his kite. He should know well when to pull the string towards him and when to let go of some of the string to make the kite fly better. If he can manage the balance, his kite won't be cut by another kite." I listened to Zen's words with rapturous attention. He continued speaking.

"Now, look at our life. Our life is like that kite. We can only control it by strings. These are strings of intelligence and wisdom. You must know what and when we should let go. You must also know what and when we should pull to ourselves in order to let our life sail well in the vast sky of time." I nodded in agreement and contemplated about the philosophy, when Zen received a call from a listener. 

When she introduced herself and mentioned the name of her locality, I could identify Bhoomi. However, she did not sound soft and fragile as she always sounds.

"I have listened to your programme for the last three days. Can you tell me that what is the use of an hour of tranquility when people like me have to spend the entire day full of mental maladies and never-ending agonies?" Bhoomi said in a harsh tone.

As far as I knew about her life, I knew that she got married at a very early age. It was a love marriage which her parents did not support. Her husband died after three years of their marriage and her in-laws pushed her away from their house with her one year old daughter, calling her an evil curse to their son. She stays with her parents who are grumpy all the time. She also attempted suicide a few times. 

"I can understand that you are a victim of some unfortunate incident, dear." Zen said calmly.

"No, you cannot understand. Unless you are in the shoes of the person suffering, you can never understand. Reading aloud some lines from a self-help book or a motivational blog is very easy." Bhoomi snapped.

"Dear, life is not as bad as we perceive it to be. There is always a reason to live. Search that reason and you will be happy. Your antagonistic thoughts are inflicting you with pain, not your life." Zen said in the same calm manner.

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"You don't have any idea about my pathetic life. Quit this show of hypocrisy. You will surely earn money by hosting another show that has more entertainment and less hypocrisy." Bhoomi's words angered me as she was indirectly blaming a person like Zen for her own misery.

Without getting jolted, Zen told Bhoomi on air about his health condition and the struggles he had faced with it since his birth. Bhoomi was out of words after hearing the truth. The loud woman who was snapping at Zen retreated back into her shell. 

"You are the lucky caller and you have won a goody bag. Collect it from our station within a week." Zen declared before ending the show on that day. 

***

I met Bhoomi after a month in the nearby grocery shop. She looked happy and greeted me warmly, unlike other days when she seems lost. Her three year old daughter was too busy choosing candies.

"I heard you on the radio, few days back." I blurted.

"On Zen's show?" She asked and I nodded, telling her I am a huge fan of that show.

"Zen is a magical human being. I was so rude that day, but when I met him in person, I was filled with admiration for him. He told me to love life because my daughter is my reason for living. He motivated me to start doing some work that will give me contentment. I am not much educated, but I thought to start a music and art class very soon." Bhoomi said with enthusiasm.

"That's amazing. I know you can sing and paint well." I said with a smile.

"I just thought when a person like Zen who has such a huge physical deformity can continue living his life beautifully by doing something he loves, why can't I? I don't have any physical problems. After meeting and talking to Zen, I started valuing my life and understood that my negative thoughts were responsible for my suffering ." Bhoomi said and I encouraged her to pursue her dream.

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***

Today, Bhoomi has her own music and art class. She teaches music and art to students of all ages. She has found the purpose of her life. She values her life and never looks at it with pity. I feel great to see her doing well, but the thing that makes me immensely happy is how a meeting with Zen changed her life.

In this selfish and brutal world, there are some people who are angels on this earth. They have so much light in them that once you come in touch with them, you are enlightened. 

People who can value life, even after going through a lot of storms are the real champions. 

This world needs more champions like Zen who can enlighten the weak and tormented souls and spread positive vibes all around.

#SpreadTheVibe because all the good in the world needs to be talked about. Read more at http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/

Note: This is a real story. However, some names have been changed to protect privacy.

A Roller Coaster Ride called 2015!

“I’m sharing my #TalesOf2015 with BlogAdda.”

As I contemplate about 2015, I feel that it was a thrilling roller coaster ride that I managed to survive. The year was full of highs and lows in equal proportions. And it flew by so quickly, not giving me enough time to contemplate and introspect. It was truly a roller coaster ride. 

In the professional front, the year was quite good. I was busy the entire year juggling with various projects. However, in the mental or emotional front, the year was like a tempest in which I was trapped. Everyday was like a battle that I had to fight with myself. I almost fell into the abyss of depression and was under antidepressants for a month. 

Despite all the turbulence, I kept on working as I believed that without my work, I will lose everything. So I did not let my personal life interfere with my professional life. And today, I feel like embracing myself for being my own best friend and savior in 2015.

On this roller coaster ride, there are 5 important things or lessons that I learned:

1. "A true friend never abuses or blames you. A true friend understands, forgives and gives you the right advice, if you move towards the wrong direction ."

2015 made me realize who my true friends are. You won't believe, but due to the emotional ordeal, I was going, I fought and quarreled with almost all my close friends. There have been some really ugly fights this year, when I thought I have lost so many of my dear ones. But as I said a true friend understands and forgives. 2015 has been a great eye-opener for me.


2. "Hard work has no substitute. If you continue doing the hard work, you will surely be rewarded."

I give full credit to my moments of happiness of 2015 to the hard work that I did, despite the conflicts and turbulence in my life. My poetries and short stories got selected to be published in a total of 7 anthologies in 2015, 4 of which are scheduled to release in early 2016. I also completed penning down my 3rd novel. I won 6 blogging contests. Overall, it was a rewarding year.

3. "Take risks, once in a while. Without a little adventure, life would lose its meaning. You need to listen to your heart beats closely to admire life. And that is not possible unless you dive into an adventure."

When I went to Kalimpong in the summer vacation of 2015, I was not sure I would go for Paragliding. Just before the takeoff, when I was looking skeptical about my decision, the pilot told me that only when I take risks, I can discover the beauty in life and living. And he was so right. The ten minutes when I was flying in the sky amid the hills and trees, I fell in love with life all over again.

4. "It's not possible to undo a tragedy like death. Acceptance is the key, but you can keep the person alive in your heart for as long as you are alive."

I lost my cousin sister in 2015. She was two years younger to me and we both shared the same sun sign, Gemini. We had a lot of similarities and there was a deep bond between us, though we never met on a regular basis. When I learned that she succumbed to depression and had a tragic death, I could not come to terms with it. It shattered something within me. However, as months passed by, I accepted the reality and made peace with the fact that I will keep her alive in my heart always.

5. "There are some people who bring out the best in us and make us better human beings. There are some people who bring out the worst in us and we become a person we can't identify properly in the mirror. It is always wise to surround ourselves with people who make us a positive and a better human being."

Energies of two human beings don't match always and it is not really anyone's fault. Our energy diminishes in front of some people and enhances in front of some people. I feel that our duty as human beings is to evolve and become better with every passing year. So, 2015 taught me to surround myself with those people who can bring out the best in me and help me evolve. 

With the lessons learned in 2015, I am sure I have become a wiser and a stronger person. In 2016, I wish to do the things that will make my soul feel good. These few lines from a poem I had written long back will be my motto for 2016:

Let love be the lyrics

Let kindness be the music

Let your heart sing forever!

The Music Euphoria

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That feeling of euphoria

Planted by music

Oh! So divine.

That extraordinary music

Where rhythm weds melody

In the heart of the universe

Abundance of harmony

Lurks in its mellifluous lap;

Not only my feet,

But my soul sways

To the rhythm of the music

Not only my lips, 

But my spirit hums

The melody of the song.

That feeling of euphoria

Submerged in music

Oh! So joyous.

-Purba Chakraborty

06.01.2016

Linking this poem to the first Midweek Motif of the Year : Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Joy