Attachments~ A mirror of illusion

Linking this poem with POETRY PANTRY # 336

Kayaking becomes better with Madras Fun Tools

Kayaking is a water activity that is usually enjoyed by people when they are on a holiday. Some people also pursue kayaking as a hobby. It is a great water sport that can increase your flexibility, fitness and body strength. Kayak boats are used in kayaking to move gently across the water. The kayakers need to sit in the boat and paddle. Kayaking India can be done in lakes, rivers and seas.

The destination to buy kayaks

Kayaks are available in various designs. Some kayaks are suitable for racing and rough conditions, whereas some others are specifically designed for beginners. Madras Fun Tools is the only equipment store in India where you can find a large variety of kayaks. It is an eCommerce company that is dedicated to kayaking and stand-up paddling. 

Madras Fun Tools

You will find high quality stand-up paddle boards (SUP), recreational & whitewater kayaks and other various paddling equipment in Madras Fun Tools. Three dedicated kayakers have founded this company because of their love for the water sport. They want to see kayaking grow in India. You can find whitewater kayaking equipment of the highest quality. It is the ideal place to buy kayaks India. 

Benefits of kayaking

Kayaking is a great water sport for various reasons:

·        Kayaking for beginners doesn’t require a lot of training. You don’t need to take surfing and swimming lessons for it. You just need to know how to enter the kayak and exit it safely.

·        Kayaking is an easy sport. It is an activity that doesn’t require too much effort and can be done in a relaxed position. It can be enjoyed by everyone, including aged people and people suffering from heart ailments.

·        Kayaking is not scary unlike canoeing because all kayaks have a closed deck. Therefore, it is totally safe. Even if you are scared of water, you can try kayaking for fun.

·        Kayaking lets you bask in the beauty of nature. It is a relaxing activity where you can enjoy the nature. As you paddle through the water, your hands, legs and cardiac area also get enough exercise.

·        Kayaking is great for shedding excess weight. You will be able to burn calories as you paddle through the river or sea. The relaxing water, the soothing breeze and the beautiful sea will distract you from getting bored. It is a great form of exercise that will help you to stay in shape. 

You can buy SUP in India along with recreational kayaks from Madras Fun Tools. Kayaking becomes better and easier with Madras Fun Tools.

It is a great activity especially for people who love adventure. Have you ever tried Kayaking?

La La Land is for the crazy, dedicated dreamers!

“There are certain emotions in your body that not even your best friend can sympathize with, but you will find the right film and the right book, and it will understand you.”~ Bjork

That was exactly how I felt about the movie “La La Land.” There are some movies that draw you so deep within that you can’t come out of that hangover ever. I watched La La Land on 31^st December and even after one full week, I find myself thinking about the movie. 

La La Land is a movie about the crazy and dedicated dreamers, the people who don’t give up on their dreams, no matter how much they have to bear for it. It is about the scar of struggles that people have to undergo while fulfilling their dreams. It is about the power of love that can inspire you to make your dreams come true.

 It tells the story of Mia (played by Emma Stone) who is a struggling actress. She works in a café and goes every day from one harrowing audition to the other. It also tells the story of Sebastian (played by Ryan Gosling) who is a struggling jazz musician. He plays jingles in a restaurant and is not allowed to play jazz as the owner of the restaurant hates it. When he gets carried away and plays jazz one day, he is immediately fired.

 When Mia and Sebastian meet, it is pure magic. They listen and understand each other’s journey. They can empathize with the passion both of them have towards their chosen art form. They inspire each other to rise above the circumstances. Sebastian, who dreams of running his own club, suggests Mia to write a play and perform it. It was extremely heartening to see how these two individuals play such a significant role in each other’s life and lift each other higher. It was soulful to see how Mia and Sebastian’s dreams come true.

La La land is a romantic musical with exceptional cinematography. The music, the dance, the camera work…everything was pitch-perfect. Each and every frame of the movie was poetry in motion. I don’t remember the last time I watched a movie that impressed me so much.

The scars of struggles that were shown in the movie were so relatable, that I guess, anyone who is struggling to fulfill a dream will surely relate to it. There was one scene where Mia breaks down and tells Sebastian that she thinks that perhaps she is not good enough after going through a series of unsuccessful auditions. I could certainly recognize that emotion. I felt the same way when my manuscript got rejected so many times for a wide range of reasons. We all feel that way when we face repeated rejections and the life of every artist has its fair share of rejections.

La La Land also makes you believe in the magic of love. It makes you believe that dreams definitely come true if you don’t abandon them. 

Have you ever felt angry when someone has not shown respect to your favorite art form? 

Do you wake up every morning with the desire to work towards your dreams? 

Have you ever faced a breakdown moment at night due to repeated rejections/failures and yet did not abandon your dream? 

Do you feel there is perhaps someone like you in this world who can understand your journey?

If you have answered yes to even one of the questions, you must watch La La Land. It is cinema and storytelling at its best. 

When I saw myself in a parallel world

Sitting in lotus position,

I close my eyes

Let myself drown and then float gently

On the soothing meditation music

I slowly travel to a distant land

Where harmony and beatitude exist.

I see a carpet of verdant grass

Yellow and pink blooms

Whimsical butterflies dancing around

I notice a girl; wind in her hair

Her laughter uninhibited

As she followed the butterflies,

Chasing them until she is tired.

Holding her belly, she then lies down

On the lush green meadow.

Glowing with contentment and gratitude,

She gives me a radiant, genuine smile

I open my eyes with a smile

As I softly realize I saw myself

In a parallel world,

Brimming with inner peace and happiness.

-Purba Chakraborty

04.01.2017

Linking this poem with Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Vision

When I saw the prompt 'vision', so many things came in my mind. I definitely want to be a very successful writer and fulfill all my dreams. I want to travel a lot and do social work. And there are so many other things that I aspire to achieve. But first of all, I would want to be a person made of inner peace and inner happiness who can spread peace and happiness all around her.

One of my resolutions for 2017 is to do yoga and meditation regularly. This poem is inspired from my visions during meditation and the picture is from my trip to a spiritual destination of West Bengal, Mayapur in 2016. When I was in Mayapur for 2 days, I experienced a lot of inner peace. So, I thought this picture would be apt for the poem. 

A Little Blue Bird

A little blue bird

Greeted me this morning

I recognized him at once

My beautiful old friend,

My only source of solace

In the gloomy days of last year.

I smiled and said him a 'hello'

He studied me for a while

Then cooed blithely; his happiness palpable

"What makes you happy, little bird?"

"Your smile that is shining in your eyes

I see you've risen above pain, little human

Finally outgrown those who've hurt you."

We gazed at each other for a minute

Silently revering our bond

I blew a flying kiss

He cooed once again and flew away.

A little blue bird

Has a piece of my heart

Perhaps he is from some fairy tale

Carrying some pixie dust 

Meeting him on new year was pure joy.

-Purba Chakraborty

(01.01.2017)

Wish you all a very happy, prosperous and blessed new year!

Linking this poem with Poetry Pantry # 334

Image Source

Musings on Year end (Poetrython)

The word prompt in the last Twitter Poetrython of this year was Year/Saal. In Twitter Poetrython, every Tuesday, the poets are given a word prompt and they need to instantly write poems using that word within 9-10 pm. 

Here are some of my musings on Year end that I shared on today's Poetrython. 

Book of Short Stories

Collage of Memories

That secret place

Also check out: Poetry [Poetrython] Peace [Poetrython] | Mother [Poetrython] | Tradition [Poetrython] |Glimpse [Poetrython] | Difficult and Easy (Poetrython)

You can also participate in the Twitter Poetrython every Tuesday from 9-10 pm by following the account @KaafiyaPoetry and with the hashtag #KaafiyaMilaao

Waves, Rain and Wind chimes!

Music of sea waves

Can cease the chatter of mind

Ebb the anxiety;

Symphony that motivates

A soul weary of living.

Melody of rain

Can spray romance in a heart

Weave colorful dreams;

Nostalgic minutes

Bring back moments of  passion.

Image Source

Music of wind chimes

A euphoric harmony

Makes you laugh and dance;

You open your arms to life

With all your mind, heart and soul.

-Purba Chakraborty 

(14.12.2016)

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 with Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Music

Watching sunset from my window seat

Window seats have always been my favorite since childhood. Whenever I travel, I make sure to grab the window seat. Whether I am travelling in car, bus, train or taking a flight, I cannot give away my window seat to anyone. I remember so many innocuous fights with my cousins and friends just for the window seat.

Window seats give me wings to dream without any inhibitions and my imagination takes a flight. I feel liberated looking at the outside world from the window of a bus or a train. 

Also, the sheer pleasure of watching the changing landscapes thrills me. It makes me realize that there is beauty in change and uncertainty. I get totally drawn in and start weaving so many stories in my mind. Watching the quaint, little villages, the lush greenery, unknown people going on with their chores make me philosophical and teach me to live in the moment.

On my last trip, while I was returning home in an AC bus, I witnessed a beautiful sunset. Since it was an AC bus and there was a thick glass between me and the outside world, the pictures became a little hazy. 

As I spotted the setting sun from my window seat, I was overjoyed. I savored its beauty and then started clicking pictures from my phone. The guy who was sitting beside me was extremely curious to see if I could successfully click even one picture in the moving bus.

I have a travel playlist that I update every time I embark on a journey. While I was watching the sunset, the Journey Song of Piku was playing on my ear phones which made me beam with delight. 

Within a few minutes, dusk had set in. The sun magically disappeared behind the far away trees and I sighed. The most beautiful moments last only for a while, but if we are a positive seeker, we can find them again, perhaps in a different form in a slightly different setting. 

That's the beauty of window seats. They make you appreciate the world and also turn you into a little philosopher. 

Do you also have a soft corner for window seats when you travel?

Perfect on Paper

All our rosy, poetic conversations

All the moon-lit dreams we shared

The telepathy we felt

On the most mundane occasions

That converted a moment into a miracle;

All our unsolved riddles

All our love laden complaints

The connection of souls we felt

In the lap of ethereal silence

That echoes deep within even today;

I wonder why, but they are only

Perfect on paper

Incomprehensible out of it

Reality, perhaps doesn't have space

For something so deep and esoteric.

-Purba Chakraborty

04.12.2016

Linking this poem with Poetry Pantry #331

Keeping promises to myself : Winning NaNoWriMo 2016

In the last week of October, I decided to participate in NaNoWriMo 2016 and write an entire novel of 50 K words in the month of November. It was a difficult challenge, but from a very young age, I get attracted towards challenges. The thrill of overcoming a challenge excites me.

I sketched the plot in the last week of October and embarked on a new journey of writing the book titled "Is it me you're looking for?" on 1st November. I was full of energy on the 1st week of November and managed to write 18 K words within 7 days. 

However, it was the 2nd week when things became really tough as I faced an emotional crisis and was also overburdened with tight deadlines. The pace decreased as a result. 

In the 3rd week, I had many social commitments such as friend's wedding and family functions that also made it hard to continue writing the novel along with the regular workload. 

However, it was the 4th week when I pulled up my socks and decided that, come what may, I am going to finish the novel I am working on. And on 29th November just before the clock struck midnight, I hit the 50 K mark and completed the 1st draft of my novel.

I validated my work and was awarded this beautiful certificate by NaNoWriMo.

I was overwhelmed with emotions as I received the certificate and realized that I had finally kept a promise to myself. After a long time, I gifted myself something that I will always be grateful for. This one month of discipline, hard work and not giving up had shaped me both as a writer and as a human being.

Generally, I take 4-6 months to pen down the 1st draft of a novel. For the first time, I did it in one month. This itself is a huge motivation for me. Now I can't wait to go back to the novel after taking a week break and read what I have written so that I can edit it accordingly. 

Thanks to all you lovely people who wished me all the best when I shared on my blog that I am going to attempt NaNoWriMo this year. Blogging took a back seat last month due to this, but December will definitely be full of blogging. I have so much to write and share in my most favorite space.