THE BYSTANDER

I can not remember when I first saw him! May be in early 90s; when at our main branch in Dalhousie area used to hold lot of indoor games competitions like Carom, Bridge and Table tennis ; I found him playing cards. I remember his head was covered with a white towel cap. This made me curious! I heard of him earlier, that one alike me from Air Force, joined our Bank in one of our North Calcutta's branch. He was playing cards with deep concentration and some time howling with triumphal joy as usual in any competitive card games here. The man was heavily built with muscular body and emitting a masculine spirit in all his gesture. With a voluminous voice and typical accent of 'Bangladesh'; he sounded warm and humorous. That was the first sight of him I had. Back in office I enquired about his 'towel cap' in sultry summer evening. To my utter surprise came to know the man was fighting cancer! It was his nose , that was affected. I tried to visualized the man I saw, f...

In this month of August; it's raining at last. I better say drizzling to be exact. In Kolkata, for the past few days the climate was so humid; it became unbearable. Take your towel; run for a quick bath, before the first drop from shower drops on your head; you are wet with sweat! And so again immediately after bath . The cloudy sky, sometime gray other time black keeps you toying with hope of rain. But that did not happen for past few days. The weathermen tore their hair forecasting rain. So were the rain gamblers; sources say there were lot of transaction during past few days. You know this city dreads rain as it inundate the roads every year. People here say they hate rains. This year God seem to be determined to make them realize that better get deluged than remain wet in sweat! 

“ Marriages are made in heaven”- the old adage still holds sense some believe. Though the phenomenal rise of broken marriages; puts me in doubt. Do God approve broken marriage! Perhaps not; so no more marriages are made in heaven; I infer. Marriages are initiated either by love ( mostly calculated) or by arrangement in this part of our planet. When a marriage takes place as result of love between the bride and groom; well their parents have hardly any role to play. Except arranging and witnessing the marriage and of course wishing the bride would fit in groom's there after. This is true specially for nuclear family and they are parents of groom. Parents of bride enjoys more freedom, as some believe, as for their case it's almost like a take-over. They get their daughter married and get a son in term of son-in-law. Given to the fact when the daughter is economically independent; either earning by herself or has earning from other sources. Her parent expects or sometime covert...

As you know I am an Ex- Airman; means who served in Air Force. Of course leaving Air Force offered us an experience what is most similar to 'fish out of water'. But later we got together, thanks to internet and Sam Pitdra; and we have adjusted with the shore (!). From one of our community we pray for the people of Japan, distressed by Tsunami. My friend Jagtar, sent me this; here it goes.................. Let us Pray for the people in Japan. thousands of people are dead. Tsunami waves sweep along Iwanuma in northern Japan on Friday. The earthquake slammed Japan's eastern coast and unleashed  a 13-foot tsunami that swept boats, cars, buildings and tons of debris miles inland. Lord, at times such as this, when we realize that the ground beneath our feet is not as solid as we had imagined, we plead for your mercy.   As the things we have built crumble about us, we know too well how small we truly are on this ever-changing, ever-moving, fragile planet we call ho...

'Whenever  God Closes One Door He Always Opens Another, Even Though Sometimes It's  Hell in the Hallway.' I would  rather have one rose and a kind word  from a friend  while I'm here  than a whole truck load when I'm gone.    Happiness keeps You Sweet ,   Trials keep You Strong,  Sorrows  keep You Human,  Failures keeps You Humble,    Success keeps You Glowing,  But Only   God keeps You Going

I often come across parents complaining about their teen aged kids who are unruly. Amongst my colleagues, friends, neighbors; every third parent is complaining about his or her teen aged child going delinquent. What I gather from them find some things common. Either their kids are born quite late after their marriage; both the parents are working or very indulgent. The effects of delinquent children may be varied in nature; some may be addicts, some just wayward or others just not serious about anything in life. They think as they have got everything they wanted from their parents; so life would offer them what they want! Now, they parents find it difficult to convince their ward that the rule of the world is different; it is something like “first deserve and then desire” as because they have never bothered to educate their kids that way for their own comforts. So the outcome is problem child. These days the common complaints are, kids are glued to their cellular phones, or chat sites ...

Way back in the year 2004 I first took internet connection thorough my residential land line phone. The download speed was too slow, the service was costly and disruptive but still I was delighted with the thought that I am connected with all over the world. I use to imagine sometime I may come across some Eskimo while chatting; would ask how the life is for him there and what he thinks about us far away from his icy world! Unfortunately that never happened though I met many unknowns online and sometime some long forgotten known. Really it is amazing; meeting one or his son or daughter after 20,30 or even more years whom I knew before decades and have impressions of them. In fact I can not remember which year I came to know about Orkut. One Sidhartha Banerjee wrote an article in my favorite news paper The Statesman. Google was offering to open gmail and orkut account on introduction; I logged in, mailed to the writer whose email address was given in that article. With his introductio...

Life without sweet or chocolates is unthinkable to many of us. Of course persons who are diabetics; are forced to quit sweet meats or chocolates, take coffee or tea without sugar. But they too can sweet when their sugar level is low in blood. Though it is established fact that sweet or sugar has nothing to do with diabetes mellitus for its initiation in our body. Once you get it, sugar aggravates it; so going very low with sugar or sweet is advised. But now recent news may encourage many to quit sweet voluntarily forever. The oldest lady of world ( so far known), Sakhan dosova born on 27 th March 1879 in Karaganda, Kazakhstan died due to slips in toilet of her flat which was gifted by authority considering her woeful living standard at the age of 130! This has been reported by Daily Mirror on 11th May 09. What is interesting to note that she never took pill for any ailment in her life and neither took sweet ever! In last march she is reported to have told this secret in an interview a...

Someone mailed me a poem, it is so assuring, I thought to share with you. In fact, gone are the days, full of leisurely hours, when we could visit a pub regularly or a point where friends met. The modern times ( having been drifted further from the way Chaplin portrayed in his famous film)hardly spare us to meet and seek assurance or share our joy and sorrow. Now, read the poem, I hope it is reassuring : You are never alone, I am always near, When your troubled, down or blue. All you have to do is call me, I am always here for you. It does not matter where I am at, It does not matter when. When you need someone to talk to, I am here to be your friend. If you need someone to hold your hand, or a hug to say I care. If you need a shoulder to cry on, for you I will be there. So never think you are a burden, when the weight gets to be to much. You might find if look hard enough, a good friend could be the right touch. You are never alone, I am always here, through the good times and the bad...

Here was a chat, arranged by WIPRO for its employees, with Dr.Devi Shetty, Narayana Hrudayalaya (Heart Specialist) Bangalore. The transcript of the chat is given below. Useful for everyone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Qn: What are the five thumb rules for a layman to take care of his heart? Ans: 1. Diet - Less of carbohydrate, more of protein, less oil 2. Exercise - Half an hour's walk, at least five days a week; avoid lifts and avoid sitting for a longtime 3. Quit smoking 4. Control weight 5. Control blood pressure and sugar Qn: Is eating non-veg food (fish) good for the heart? Ans: No Qn: It's still a grave shock to hear that some apparently healthy person gets a cardiac arrest. How do we understand it in perspective? Ans: This is called silent attack; that is why we recommend everyone past the age of 30 to undergo routine health checkups. Qn: Are heart diseases hereditary? Ans: Yes Qn: What are the ways in which the heart ...

Thursday last, 22nd May 2008 I went to attended a post marriage bride reception party call “ Bohubaht ” in Bengali, at Katwa a small sub-divisional town in the province of West Bengal, India. This is the first time ever I happen to visit this part of India or better say Bengal. Traveling by local train to cover the distance of little more than 100 kilometers in 4 hours is exhaustive. There is no provision of toilet in the railway coaches designed to ferry the local passenger. What transpired they never expected one to travel from the train`s starting to destination point! However, when you get out of your city, what has transformed itself in a concrete jungle, the greenery is bound to absorb your mind to forget the rest. In the month of May, the climate offered bit cool, since the sky was cloudy. So the journey was pleasant. More so , when I met my hosts there. The people in this big mega city, Kolkata, have become long ago , mechanical. They force laugh or greet mechanically and we a...

Some time, in idle hours, it crosses my mind, had Mr. Md Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, been a Hindu, then the post independence history of India must have been quite different. Such thought crossing my mind is not totally baseless. It was Jinnah’s grandfather who embraced Islam. Ironically, Gandhi and Jinnah both originally belonged to the same caste; Guajarati Baniah! It was truly tryst with destiny, as Pt. Nehru use to say while referring Indian freedom. Had Jinnah continued to be a Hindu, the very Pakistan would have been with in India. Off course till this 20 ::20 matches take off, we would have missed all these cricketers on the same field for quite some time. However, lots of other misery, like partisan, then couple of wars, between two cousins ( or brothers !) could be avoided. And to the envy of the developed world , India would have excelled long ago economically. All these I write, because as I use to think such change in the course of history, and happenings thereaft...

Fingerprints and physical appearance in general are part of an individual’s phenotype, which arises from the interaction of the individual’s genes and the developmental environment in the uterus. In the case of fingerprints, the genes determine the general characteristics of the patterns that are used for fingerprint classification. As the skin on the fingertip differentiates, it expresses these general characteristics. However, as a surface tissue, it is also in contact with the amniotic fluid in the uterus. The fingertips are also in contact with other parts of the fetus and the uterus, and their position in relation to uterus and the fetal body changes as the fetus moves on its own and in response to positional changes of the mother. Thus the microenvironment of the growing cells on the fingertip is in flux, and is always slightly different from hand to hand and finger to finger. It is this microenvironment that determines the fine detail of the fingerprint structure. While the diff...

There was a rich King who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best. He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another. He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confidante and was always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a problem, he could confide in her to help him get through the difficult times. The King's 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her. One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his luxurious life and pondered, "I now have 4 wives with me, but when I die, I'll ...

CHANDRATARA VYUH GYANAM. Bibhutipaad , shutra 28. Meditate with moon can give knowledge about the stars, without the help of planetorium , only meditate with moon and knew all bout the stars. DHRUVE TADGATIGYANAM. Bibhutipaad , shutra 29. Meditate with 'Dhruvtara'and knew the motion path of stars. here space telescope is useless? what is this? Lets talk about the another type of hypothecation in Yoga NABHICHAKRA KAYAVYUH GYANAM. Bibhutipaad , shutra 30. Consentration on 'Nabhi'( a place on stomach) can give knowledge about the body. There is no need to study medical science. All the information about human body can be received through consentration on 'Nabhichakar' KANTHKUPE KSUTPIPAS NIVRITI. Bibhutipaad , shutra 31. Means consentration on Kanth(a place on neck) can give the power to live without meal. Is it possible? Any a man also whom called them Yogi can live without mea? Is Patanjali himself were lived without meal? He were eat or no? But it is also as tr...

let us look on the another shutra ASTEYPRATISTHAYAM SARVARATNOPSTHANAM Sadhaanpaad , Shutra -37. There is another type of hypothecation and a kind of grid has been offered by Yoga. In this shutra it is stated that ones who lives with ASTEY can get any kind of wealth. Here we have to know about ASTEY, it means nothing receive by anyone. And in Yogshutra it is stated that the 'asteyi' can get everything. Means one who is not ready to receive can get. If this is not a hyothecation then what is this? I am not understand that what yoga says. One who is not ready to receive can get every thing. And if it happened then what kind of cansumption he can made? And there is another major question - Is there a man of this kind? Ones who called Yogi are of this nature. This is an antiprogressive statement and according to thses kind of statements there will be says thatthe Yoga is against the progess of science. Lets talk to another shutra - here Patanjali(author of Yogshastra) says that we...

adverse and advance talking in the "Yogshastra". And like all other releigious books there are several hypothecatic topicks init. here are some examples- First of all lets talk about the first and begning of "Yogshutra ". for your kind information let me tell that the Yogshastra has been written on "shutra" form. Shutra is a little and meaningful pharse in Sanskrit language. All the words of the shutra hsa bears a number of meanings, and there is controvercy arises. Through these controvercies it is very difficult to find any deceision. And only because of this weakness there were a lots of hypothecations and myths (an unreal story) arises. These myths develops a new superstition and superstition also produce another myths and vice-versa. Lets talk bout the forst and origin shutra of Yoga. YOGASCHITTAAVRITI NIRODHA. Yogshutra,samadhipaad, shutra-2. Chitta and vrities are the two aspects of humankind. But Yoga calls us to kill the vrities and live only with...

There was blind girl who always say to her boyfriend that i will marry u if i could see u suddenly one day someone donated eyes to that girl when she saw her boyfriend she was shocked to see that he was also blind . Boyfriend asked will you marry me now? She refused. Boyfriend smile n went away saying 'just take care of my eyes"

We all , who are sitting before computer, obviously do have our eyes intact. In fact, people like us can never feel how born blind persons feel, in their day to day life without the precious eye sights. Closing our eyes for a short time to comprehend their feelings never helps. A ray of hope is ushering for the blinds with experimental operations being undertaken in different parts of the world. International trial of new technique with the aim to restore a basic level of vision so that blind people can"see" spots of light and distinguish light and dark shapes. The experts feel that like deaf can listen with the cochlear implants, surgically implanted in their skull; the blind patients were fitted with a pair of glasses with a tiny camera and transmitter that sends a signal to an ultra-thin electronic receiver, inserted into the back of eyes. The images sensed by the camera transmitted to the receiver stimulate the remaining healthy nerves of retina . The signal is sent ...