A Letter To God

Dear Mr. God,

Hope you are in good spirits. Or shall I say hope you are 'with good spirits'. You have never asked still for the courtesy’s sake I should let you know I am doing….well… well I think so! Anyways moving to the point, oh ya Happy New Year to you! I don’t know whether it is apt for you or not but may all your dreams come true and God bless you! Isn’t it so easy for you to bless yourself? I mean if that power is given to us humans no one would be in a state of misery.

Now talking of misery reminds me of mine. This time please pardon me for being selfish as I am going to ask you only for MYSELF! Everytime I see my bank statement it makes me wonder, where am I heading to? Or am I heading to anywhere? So this financial year please do some magic so that my boss loses his mind and grants me increment. Please increase the number of zeros in my bank balance and for your own sake ahem I mean for God’s sake, please don’t erase the one before the zeros like that stupid M Seal AD!

And that’s not all. I have more wishes lined up too. You know being human means being greedy. Anyways that’s how you made us all. It’s now a manufacturing defect and you can’t blame us for it (better you accept your fault). Ok now after money its health. Do some wonder so that all the calories go to the one who stares at my plate and not me! Why don’t you start manufacturing everyone in same shapes and sizes? I think it’s a great idea and you must consider it. You will thank me for this later I bet! As it will save your energy and its a great cost cutting tool.


Keep all my loved ones happy! And please please don’t make me repeat my last year’s mistakes this year again. As i don't know what were those. But few things certainly got screwed up. I can't exactly figure out which ones were good and which ones were not so good. Here i request you to please rewind and have a look, and please rectify the errors. And yes, please help me become more practical…gimme some brains so that I can keep my heart quiet while taking decisions this year. Well the list is huge but I think as of now this will do. Will give you more task once you are done with this one.


Ok now you must be taking it as an act of stupidity for someone to post you a letter online. Well many others might also think on the same lines but I know my letter will reach you through each heart reading this. My words will resonate in your ears through each and every single soul reading my post. But don’t get influenced by their minds. Use your own and please grant my wishes soon. Please please please!


Thanking you.


Yours favourite,
Tanushri Guchhait :)

Once Upon A Time…My Home!

Everything was same yet there was a feeling of unfamiliarity around. Yesterday I went to my old house to collect some of my stuff remaining there and bid a final good bye to once upon a time my home. My association with these beams and walls has lasted for the past 3 years and though I should get used to it by now, having spent last 24 years of my life (you know my age now…delete from your memory ASAP!) doing the same, still everytime I had to leave a place or move to a new house it hurts somewhere. Strange it is how we get attached to things, both living and the one belonging to the inanimate world.

I looked around. This house has spent 1095 days and nights with me. It has seen me grow from a student to a professional. But today it is no more mine. The study table at the corner is no more mine. No more will I get to relish my mom’s food on this dining table standing in the empty hall, all alone. The shelves once stuffed with my things, both important and trivial, are now all vacant and free. The walls of this room that was once my room still bears my signs in the poster marks that were once stuck on them. This chair that once witnessed many small and big discussions is no more mine. The dressing table which still has my two bindis stuck on the sides of its mirror is no more mine. These concrete steps will no more lead to My Home. Till yesterday it was a part of my identity and today this house is no more mine. Still it is an integral part my life. Always has been, always will be.

When I first stepped on you

I didn’t feel any happiness

My heart didn’t feel know to love you

Today again I am taking a step

This time, the one that goes out

I cried when I first saw you

And today, my eyes are moist again

But the difference lies in my heart

As I bid you a good bye

I can feel the love inside

Yes I am in love with you

Yes I am going to miss you!

Random Thoughts

                                      FAKEo Magar Dhaayan Se!

A handbag with the brand 'Apple' written on it

A closer look

Ever since the original brands have come into existence, the cheap duplicates of these brands have flooded the market as well. Considering the ridiculously high price of most of these high end products, many of us knowingly opt for the fake alternatives. So what if it is a fake? As long as it is cheap, no one is complaining!  Sometimes these fake ones come with so much of sophistication, minus the durability, that it’s really difficult to make out the difference between the fake and the original at one glance. And sometimes these fake ones make such a blunder that you can’t help but laugh at them! Like in the pic above where a girl was carrying a handbag which says ‘Apple’ on it. No prizes for guessing that it is a fake one but then ‘why apple?’. An electronics company logo in a handbag?!!!  Just doesn’t go well together! I mean if it was a Gucci or a Hidesign then its fine but Apple? Imagine a pen that says Maggi and a shirt that says Harpic! Funny isn’t it? Of course unless these merchandise are endorsed by the company itself.  At least the brand name inscribed on a fake item should go well with the product category.

Well, all you dudes doing this business of fake brands wake up time guys!!! Use some common sense before faking it up!!!

                           Munching On The Move

Ok now since all of you people know the kind of freak that I am who keeps clicking n posting crap all the time, here is one more story i clicked in the train. Kya karoon, sometimes I just can’t help! He he…thanks to the one who invented mobile camera. This dude is really awesome. I mean nothing can replace it, not even the damn expensive every professional photographer’s pet- SLR! Coz when you want to click without being caught, mobile camera simply rocks!!!

If you happen to travel in a local train in the evening time post office hours, this is exactly how it would look like (Refer the pic above). All hungry souls munching on anything served on their way turning the compartment into a mini market, well quite literally! Fruits, snacks, veggies…You name it and you get it. At a pocket friendly price, munching on the move is not a bad idea. So that makes tummy bhi khush aur pocket bhi! 

P.S   Please be a responsible Muncher and don’t litter while travelling. Happy munching! :)

Ladies Compartment

After facing some not so good experiences while traveling in buses I finally decided to take the train route from my office to home. And to tell you the truth, my journeys in train have been quite eventful, not that the bus journeys weren’t. Just the thing is, the train ones are lot more interesting than irritating unlike the bus journeys. Thanks to the ‘ladies compartment’ (yes one more post on that).


Today was my second day of travel via the Beach-Tambaram local train and I witnessed a small but interesting incident on the way, which I would like to share with you people here. So here I go.


The trains at Fort station are usually empty and you get enough space to comfortably park yourself in one of those not so comfortable wooden seats provided by the government and take out a story book to kill the next 45 minutes of your journey. I opened the zip (of my purse :P) and slipped my hand inside to reach ‘The Lost Symbol’ (Dan Brown). The train started moving away from the station slowly accelerating its speed and as usual leaving many people running behind it making an effort to catch the running train. Dhum dhum dhum…I heard some heavy footsteps as a guy ran behind the train, managing to catch hold of the steel pole near the door, and got inside our compartment. A usual scene I thought and ignored him while opening my novel. But wait! It is not the usual affair. A guy in a ladies compartment?!! Yes he ran so fast that he didn’t even realise that the one he is landing into is the ladies compartment! :P


I have seen many men at the stations, who feel elated after seeing one empty compartment sandwiched in the middle of compartments full of humans. But as they come close to hop inside, their smiles vanish away realising it as the ‘Ladies Compartment’. Disappointed they run to the immediate next and fit themselves to an already overflowing boogie. Ok let’s come back to our poor ‘macho man’ caught inside the Ladies Compartment now. As I looked at him I could see awkwardness and unease fill his face. I know it wasn’t his fault but I found it funny at the same time was feeling sorry for his state as well. ‘Paavam’ I thought.

 His expressions were of ‘what to do…what not to do’ types. I don’t know why but he came up to me and asked something that made the whole situation even more funny (yes just for me though).

 “Is this a ladies compartment” He asked.


‘Bingo! You got that right! Fool, can’t you get it by the look of it?’ I though.


“Yes” I told.


“Can I sit here” He asked.


“Stupid question!” I thought.


“I don’t think so” I said.


“What should I do now?” He asked.


‘Again a silly question!’ I thought.


“You can get down at the next station and get inside a general compartment” I said.


“Ya…thanks!” He said.


“Its ok…it happens” I told.


Yes it happens sometimes. But if it doesn’t happen with you, it leaves a good laugh for you behind. :D

On A Rainy Day In Office

It’s drizzling, it’s pouring, it’s raining
Cool gentle breeze so charming
Drenched are the buildings; drenched are the roads
Don’t feel to come out of the warmth of my abode

But here I am at work
Stuck in an office with all jerks
No fun here; only work around
Performing a duty that I am bound

Freak why it rains when I am out?
Wanna hit the walls with a clout
To come out of the four wall
Experience the beauty made to enthrall

But you don’t always get what you want
Loads of work to make me daunt
So here I agree to keep up the good work
Back to my desk and a face with a smirk :)

School Sucks!!!

Today while coming to office I saw some kids in my neighborhood walking back home from school. Morning is not the time for schools to get over so a curious me (more because of the happy expression on their faces than them taking a different route) asked them the reason. As they broke the ‘Happy’ news to me their faces brighten up with joy. “School declared a holiday because of the rain!!!”, a kid responded to me with happiness. “That’s cool. Have fun then!!!”, I said giving them an equally elated smile back as if my office had also declared a leave for me. I remember how me and my friends would pray for our school to declare a holiday before the tough exam we wouldn’t have prepared for. Sometimes we would go so crazy with our prayers that we would not mind a disaster or a calamity to strike for the exam dates to get postpone or pray for our teacher to fall sick. It’s only now that I realize how stupid we were. Most of the time our prayers remained unanswered, except for a few instances when the teacher actually fell sick. :D Anyways passing across these kids did make me feel a little jealous of their luck. Wait did I say luck? Well yes today might be a lucky day for them but it doesn’t happen everyday. In all other days I see them carrying bags double their size and feel sorry for them. And yes also celebrate the fact that I am no more in school!!! I hate my school life. The over-sized bags, bulky notebooks, never ending classes, strict discipline, monotones morning prayers, boring uniform, out of fashion ugly ponytails that made me look even more ugly and always make me late while plating them, scary surprise tests, my daily encounter with the most boring subject in the world Maths and more than that my psycho maths teacher, ufff the list is endless when it comes to things I hate about being in school. And given a chance I would never like to go back ever, I know life wouldn’t give me the chance again but am more than happy not to receive it. I hate studies and especially when you have to study a subject that your dad chose for you. Thank God I escaped the Maths Monster in college and opted for Bio. But cockroach dissection was another nightmare ( One more post for that). I never liked my school life after 10th. Reason? Well cause before 10th I used to study science because I loved the subject. After that it was more about scoring ranks in boards than enjoying the logic of science behind a thing of amaze in nature. Science was no more fun as it was replaced by heavy out of this world concepts and formulas. I know I can never say these things to my kids while sending them to a school. I should also give a rosy picture like all other parents about school life before I push them to twelve years of unofficial imprisonment. But before that stage comes I am free to speak my mind.For me school wasn't much of fun the discipline part made it suck in my case, i started enjoying life only once i jumped the confines of school and went to college.


I walked a few more steps and found some kids eating puffs and samosas at a bakery shop near the road side. The school had declared a holiday, a reason good enough to celebrate i guess. This reminded me of my canteen time with friends in school. Bunking classes or just being late for one, so that you get to relish on some extra samosas in the canteen. Eating out in canteen with friends was always fun. No matter how much good cook your mother is, no one can match the canteen food. Yes all that yummy junk and the reason behind the extra kilos. But when pressure is high and there is too much to study food comes as a close companion of comfort. Especially if you are the studious type who doesn’t care how many guys turn their heads everytime you pass the corridor. All that matters to you is to score decent marks to keep your parents happy. Have good time with friends to keep yourself happy. And yes food does play a major role here.

 Some of my best friends are the ones whom I have met during my school life and are still with me, not physically though. Our combined studies before exams. Our joint prayers before exams, after exams and during the distribution of answer sheets and then comparing them with each others. Birthday celebrations and collecting money to buy presents. Loads of after school activities and fun. Working together on projects. Doing each other’s homework and solving maths problems. Creating problems and then again solving them. Sharing secrets and keeping them. Fighting, sulking and cajoling.  When I rewind my school life in my mind, I see lot of ugly fat books with many ugly fat and lean teachers and some interesting collection of books with equally interesting friends and equally friendly and knowledgeable teachers. Deleting the ugly files while refreshing the good ones. School life is not that bad. Especially if you have the company of some good friends, some good teachers and yes once in a while out of the blue holiday on such rainy days!

Just For Fun :)

After having come across various kinds of weird and humorous sign boards i finally managed to find this one and no this is not the funniest or craziest of them all. There are many more to leave this one far behind but this one has found its place here coz i managed to get the pic :P

Ok now can you please help me understand what exactly they are trying to say here? Plug the flower?? whats that?!!! I promise i wont 'Plug' the flower...really i wont...kasam se. Coz i don't know how to!!! Will anyone pls teach me?!! :)

Reel To Real

Today I saw the real life version of the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Checking out the view made up of concrete buildings outside the window, an old familiar song from a Hindi movie resonated into my ears. The train accelerated its trust on the tracks as I turned around to see where the song is coming from. In a land where Hindi is scarcely spoken, every time I hear a single syllable of the language it brings me a familiar feel. Though meduva meduva this familiarity is lapping Tamil too into its boundaries.



The song was ‘pardesi jana nahi’ from the movie Raja Hindustani and it wasn’t the rhythm of the music but rather the quirky voice made my head turn. A boy aged around 13 or so with an old harmonium hanging around his neck was trying hard to give his best shot to match the high notes of this song. Accompanied by two more kids, a girl around 5 year old and a boy of almost 10 year with one leg missing walking with the crutches and collecting alms from the passengers. The three reminded me of the kids from Slumdog Millionaire, Jamal, Salim and Latika. I don’t know what their story is but I am sure the desperation and abjection is not far from the storyline of the reel one.


When the innocence gets lost in the dust of the empty streets, living a life on the edges makes you street smart and that was clearly visible on their faces. As I looked into their faces many questions were aroused in my mind. Not that I was feeling pity for them, my encounter with such faces everyday have left me indifferent towards them, but today I was feeling a sense of anger. Anger on all of us for being just a silent spectator. Anger for those who make use of innocence for their benefit. And anger towards everyone who helps them achieve this by giving them alms. Was lost in the thoughts when the next stop came and the kids got down getting into another train. And before I could take out my mobile camera to capture a glimpse of them, they vanished in the crowd, leaving behind many questions unanswered. What am I doing for them? How can we tackle this menace? What if tomorrow our children are kidnapped and forced to live a life like this? Why don’t we understand that the real solution doesn’t lie in giving them some share from our change? Many laws and acts have been formed but all in vain. So what can be an effective solution for protecting the innocence being murdered on the streets? Do you have an answer? Do let me know.

Work Is Work

Being women has its own pros and cons. Leaving the cons aside (as a lot has already been spoken about them), the small little privileges that come our way from the government like the reserved seats in buses and trains are few things that we girls just love to take advantage of.  And yes I know all you men out there are jealous about it. :P Well in one hand we talk about equality in status while on the other we demand such kinda reservations too. I know not fair naa?!!…but then life is not always fair you see! :P

But what if you are not a woman yet you are given a share in these advantages which are especially reserved for the women. Have you ever thought how the entire experience would be to travel in a ladies compartment with you being the only guy around? Sounds embarrassing? May be for some but for most of the men I believe it would be a mixed reaction placed somewhere in the middle of excitement and embarrassment. Yaar just imagine… you would be “THE MAN” amidst a compartment full of hot chicks….eh I mean girls!!! Ahem…ahem...stop imagining now! :P Ask this policeMAN (in the pic extreme left) who was on duty for ‘our protection’ in the ladies compartment where I was travelling and you would know the answer. I wonder what would have been going through his mind while he was performing his job with a ‘watchful eye’. A little embarrassed or excited or just being indifferent and taking it as any other place of duty? Well whatever be the environment around, work is work…right?!!!

The Sword Of Cedilla

The Mighty Sword

The close-up

This is a sword. Yeah I know you can see that. But it is not just any ordinary sword. Cocooned inside a rusted scabbard at a corner in our office, especially bought from an antique shop in Thailand, the weapon belongs to Charlemagne (Charles the Great), the famed Medieval king of the Franks and first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. And you reading this blog believe it is true?!!! :P Well the owner (one of our colleagues) believed so or something similar to this while purchasing it. But it didn’t take him long to realize that he was being thugged. Arrey he could not make out the difference between the ordinary junk and the precious one (antique)! :P

Ever since this realization of reality was made by him, the sword has found its new home in our office. And is now an essential part of our team Cedilla, giving our office a touch of royalty. Shifting from one hand to the other this sword is our stress buster at times of pressure clubbed with fun. If I say, holding a sword and faking your power is an experience out of the world then it would be an overstatement. But it certainly makes you feel powerful (momentarily though) once you get your hold on it. Perhaps that’s the reason why our boss likes to display his power by walking along with this sword at times. And when he takes his hands off it, it is we who do the honors! :)