LIFE AS IT IS

I was watching a film called The Joneses last week. I happened to bump into it on Netflix, and after reading the synopsis thought that it might be worth watching. At the end, I admitted that my time was not wasted, not at all. Starring David Duchovny and Demi Moore as Mr. and Mrs. Jones, this 2009 flick is on “stealth marketing,” a type of marketing where consumers are unaware of the fact that they are being marketed goods and services. Professional salespeople disguise themselves as normal people and show off their clothes, shoes, accessories, furniture, electronic devices, cars, phones, food and drink, in short, everything, so that the people around them feel an indomitable desire to buy them. The film also shows the tragic death of a man, who, after seeing that his credit card bill skyrocketed, commits suicide in his swimming pool. His spending spree to keep up with Mr. and Mrs. Jones, the undercover marketers, cost him his life. The film reminded me of a similar competition fo...

Nicknamed Sin City, Las Vegas is the most populous city of the U.S. state of Nevada. A major tourist destination, the city attracts millions of visitors from all over the world every year. Las Vegas is famous for its hotels, resorts and casinos - 15 of the world's largest hotels and resorts are located in this city. The architectural beauty of some of its luxurious hotels might leave you with your eyes and mouth wide open. The New York-New York Hotel; Casino, for instance, was built to bring to mind the famous New York City (NYC) skyline. From a distance, this hotel will give you the feeling of standing in the bustling New York City. The hotel's towers were built in likeness of NYC skyscrapers, for instance, the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building. A replica of the famous Brooklyn Bridge graces the front of the hotel; there is even a 150-foot-tall replica of the Statue of Liberty, the iconic symbol of freedom, right in front of this New York-New York Hotel. Ho...

Some of the things in life come sugarcoated and we love them. Close your eyes and try to remember the sweetest of things that ever happened to you, you will feel you are smiling. Memories are that special, they can make us smile even in some of the saddest hours of life. Now think of a relationship with a friend that went sour or a group discussion that turned so sour that you swore that you would never again express an opinion. The smile on your face will disappear as you think of something like that. Memories are that powerful, they can foil your effort to be happy. So, let's make an effort to put behind the hours of melancholy, for they seldom help us move forward. In order to keep our spirits soaring, let's make an effort to read some passages from life's diary, those specific passages on life's beautiful moments. Turn the pages of the diary at the end of a busy day, before going to sleep or while sipping a cup of tea on a quiet afternoon. I know watching a s...

I never went fishing in my life, not until May 2011. But for people who reside in the U.S. state of Minnesota, fishing is a favourite recreation. In a state where more than 10,000 lakes and the mighty Mississippi flow, it is only natural that people buy hooks and baits and drive to a lake or river to fish. We have been living in Minnesota for nearly three years now, so my husband and I thought it was perhaps time we too tried our luck in fishing. Our acquaintances also fuelled our interest by saying that few things are as delicious as pan-fried freshly caught fish. The first thing we needed was a fishing license, so we got one from the local Walmart store for $18. It is illegal to fish without a license! We purchased only one license, because I was not sure how much I would really enjoy fishing. I thought that I should perhaps begin with helping my husband as he angled. On one sunny afternoon of summer we went to the Mississippi River with our brand new fishing rod, white...

Riding a car when nature's wrath is taking its toll can be ominous - one may fall into debilitating injuries or lose one's life even. But it is an amazing scene to behold when a tornado hits a town. One can fully realise how powerless one is to nature's fury. One can do nothing, nothing at all. Our car was on an interstate highway in Albertville, Minnesota when nature hid us under a grey lid. It was a shade I never beheld before. One could sense the looming tornado's rage from it. A straight white line ran across the sky - it seemed the heaven was waiting to crack open on us. We took the next available exit and parked the car in the compounds of a convenience store that also offered self-service gasoline. It felt safe there, although the sky by then had put on a deeper hue of grey. The sunny afternoon transformed into a menacing moonless night. The downpour began in less than a minute. Stuck inside a car, I looked outside the window. The torrential rain made my sur...

“TACKY,” she thought. The foundation color is too light for her skin tone; it makes her look almost like a ghost. “Well, ghost is what I am now, for the mortal me died long, long ago,” Shujata said to herself. She still walks, eats, laughs, weeps and… sleeps with men, which is what she does for a living, but her soul leapt from her battered body 5 years ago. She rummages through her red plastic bag for a lipstick. She has four colours altogether-red, bright red, dark pink and deep magenta. People say that girls like Shujata can attract more men when they wear such garish colours. There had been many days when she wished to wear a light shade of brown, but she never had a chance. She does not have a place to go, a place where she can go and be herself, where she can breathe in fresh air and watch cuckoos fly in the blue sky. The pungent alleys, the filthy men with even filthier insides, the worn-out walls and the impoverished, hopeless women like her are all that she sees every day,...

We witnessed blatant rivalries among school friends in the months of June and July. No, they were not participating in any competition, rather their favorite teams were. It was the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which turned our friends into foes. It was one occasion when two close pals did not necessarily support the same team. Arch rivalry sparked among the Brazilian and Argentine supporters. An Argentine fan wrote on his college friend’s Facebook wall about the rage that engulfed him upon learning that his friend, who was once an Argentine fan, is now a die-hard Brazilian supporter. The Argentine fan clearly felt betrayed by his friend - this happens only in football. We witnessed taunting of friends. I remember a friend jeering an Argentine fan, saying “Could you properly digest the ek haali goal (or, the four goals)?” Another friend promised that he would donate money to the poor if his team made it to the finals. Statuses were updated even at the darkest hours of the night. The wor...

Imagine being brought up in the filthiest alleys of a red light district, where days begin with lurid screams from drunken men and women. Imagine a childhood where you toiled from dawn to dusk, filled buckets with water, scrubbed dirty pots and pans, and watched your family fight and curse at each other. On some days you carried booze bottles to your mother’s guests, on other days you clasped your ears to shun the sounds that came from a room next door. For most of us, who have lived a secure life, it is difficult to imagine a childhood smeared with obscenity, fear and a lot of anguish. The Daily Star link  July 13, 2010 But there are children out there whose first day into this world marks the beginning of a tormented life. “Born into Brothels” is a bold attempt to bring into light the lives of children growing up in the notorious Sonagachi brothel of Kolkata. Some of the shots are heart-breaking; some of the scenes make you contemplate what it would be like to grow up in an...

It’s a rainy day today. Here I am in a midsized city in Minnesota, sitting on my bed with a laptop, scribbling words to pour out many an emotion that the damp day has aroused. On the roads, cars are whooshing along, splashing the rainwater that collected in puddles. A lone red Chevrolet is standing in our apartment building's parking lot, its windshield dripping drops of the summer rain. The Southwest metro bus just left the street corner. A middle-aged lady is walking down the street - her one hand holding a bag of groceries, the other a yellow umbrella. Gloom is hanging over the whole city. It's a small city and the gloom makes it appear even smaller. Is there a connection between the apparent size of a city and its weather? I believe not. But then why does a city seem bigger and merrier on a sunny day? There is not much difference between the Dhaka skies and skies here in Minnesota. I can only see the differences when I gaze down - the differences become vivid in the mo...

The immense satisfaction associated with working for others has driven me to community service. I am not trying to beat my own drums but only sharing the reasons for spending hours behind something that does not have a monetary return. It was the year 1999 and I was in Grade 11. Among numerous student organizations in my high school, there was one called the Education Club. While my close friends chose to join the Debating Club and the Reading Club, I suddenly became eager to join the Education Club, which I heard worked toward educating underprivileged children of the neighborhood. Joining the Education Club was one of those decisions for which I would always thank myself later in my life. I can never forget the love and laughter of the small children I taught for some one-and-a-half years. Every Wednesday was like a pleasure day; almost every Wednesday I would get something from my little students. On many occasions I received flowers, guavas and green mangoes from my students, many ...

শিরোনাম দেখে অনেকেই হয়তো আগ্রহী হবেন জানতে লেখাটি কি নিয়ে। শিরোনামটি আমার নয়। এটি ২০০৪ সালে নির্মিত অস্কার বিজয়ী একটি প্রামান্য চিত্র। কোলকাতার কুখ্যাত রেড লাইট ডিস্ট্রিক্ট সোনাগাছিতে বেড়ে উঠা শিশুদের উপর নির্মিত এই চলচ্চিত্রটি দেখবার সুযোগ হয়েছিল গতকাল। অনেক দৃশ্যেই চোখের পানি আটকে রাখতে পারিনি। অনবদ্য এই প্রামান্য চিত্রটি তুলে ধরেছে নিষিদ্ধ জগতের বাসিন্দা এমন কিছু শিশুকে, যাদের জীবনের স্বপ্ন প্রতিনিয়ত ভেঙ্গে যায় তাদের জন্ম নেয়া সেই অপরাধ জগতের কষাঘাতে। নিজের শৈশবের কথা বারবার মনে পড়ে গেছে কচি, মানিক, সুচিত্রা, অভিজিৎ, পূজার জীবন কাহিনী দেখতে গিয়ে। মনে হয়েছে আমিও তো জন্মাতে পারতাম একজন সুচিত্রা হয়ে, আর তাহলে পরিচয়হীন শিশু হয়ে সবার কাছ থেকে ঘৃণা কুড়োতে কুড়োতে হয়তো পার করতাম এক জীবন। কিন্তু হায়, এই ঘৃণার পিছনের কাহিনী কয়জন খুঁজে বের করবার চেষ্টা করে? তারাতো খিস্তি করেই সারা। আমেরিকান আলোকচিত্রী জেনা ব্রিস্কি একদল শিশুকে আগ্রহী করে তুলে ফটোগ্রাফীতে। একটা সময় এইসব শিশুদের আলোকচিত্রের প্রদর্শনী হয় নিউ ইয়র্ক এবং কোলকাতায়। শিশুগুলো চলে আসে সংবাদমাধ্যমের শিরোনামে। এরই মাঝে অভিজিৎ সুযোগ পেয়ে য...