Darjeeling Trip 2015

Photograph - Anirban Saha | www.anirbansaha.com

It has been quite some time since I visited the hills, the last destination being Gangtok and adjoining areas of Sikkim. So when Anirban da asked me to join him on a short Darjeeling trip, I was thrilled. Twenty seven gruelling hours on a super-late bus to Siliguri, earthquakes, reports of landslides and a three hour drive later, I had actual reason to be thrilled.

The atmosphere at Darjeeling was magical. The mist, the gentle rain, the wind all combined to engulf us in a welcoming envelope of happiness. Taking a break from the sultry climate of Kolkata, it was exhilarating to feel the cold breeze brushing across my face. The scenery, of course, was breathtaking, with the hills at a distance partly shrouded in fog, and the sun occasionally breaking through the clouds.

NASSCOM Product Conclave, Kolkata 2015

NASSCOM Product Conclave

The National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) is a trade association of Indian Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing industry. NASSCOM conducts an annual event called the Product Conclave. The NASSCOM Product Conclave (NPC) is an annual gathering of product and associated service entrepreneurs, technological start-ups, angel investors, academicians, CIOs and analysts. A large part of the existing product companies are represented at the NPC.

International Day Of Yoga 2015

International Day of Yoga commemoration at Victoria Memorial, Kolkata. Photograph - Anirban Saha | www.anirbansaha.com

On the occasion of the very first International Day of Yoga celebrated across the world on 21st June, Healthy Billions organized an event focusing on the benefits of yoga and nuances of corporate yoga, at the Taj Bengal, last evening. Among the dignitaries present, mostly from the corporate field, Anirban Saha and I were invited to the event as bloggers.

Fankaari Fossils - An Art Exhibition

Anirban Saha (left) and Arjyak Bhattacharya at Fankaari Fossils art exhibition.

“The aim of art is not to represent the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” – Aristotle.

“Fankaari Fossils” is one such endeavour to represent art as a reflection of inner understanding. The artist, Rajesh Yadav, is a recipient of numerous awards and his latest works were displayed at the World Fine Art Gallery, New York and The Nehru Centre, London.

Solving the College Dilemma

It’s that time of the year again!

With the board examinations having concluded, and the results just about pouring in from state and national boards alike, the one question on the mind of everybody who took these examinations is invariably about which college he or she should choose, and what streams he or she should continue further studies on.

Having been a victim of this dilemma only a year back, I can fully understand what all these fresh school passouts must be going through. To help ease the process, I asked quite a few college students across various disciplines, what they kept in mind when they selected their colleges. I also asked a few school students what subjects they would choose in college, which colleges they would prefer and why. Some of the students I asked are still in school, and some have just passed their boards this year, a mix which helped me to gauge which way they were generally leaning.

I hope the little experience I have, and what I’ve gotten to know from interacting with others who have also gone through the college dilemma, comes in handy.

Which Subject Should I Choose for Higher Studies?

Brute Force

Scenes from Nepal after the earthquake. Source - www.apherald.com

Quake. Fire. Rain. The past week or so has been tumultuous, to say the least. The City of Joy plummeted into a time of unfortunate mishaps, all in a day or two, but it was our neighbours in Nepal that took the hit worse than imaginable. There was torrential rain throughout the eastern and northern regions of the country, coupled with the fire at Citimart, New Market. But understandably, it was the devastating earthquake that caught most of the attention.

The Fallacy of Women's Day

Image source - www.wallpaperup.com

We’ll be celebrating Women’s Day tomorrow. Women’s Day. But not Night, because we all know that a decent Indian woman must not have any existence to the outside world after 6:30.

It is downright disgusting to note how supposedly educated men throw up the words “Indian Culture” as if it were an impenetrable curtain that must be accepted without objection or clarification. Whilst our leaders talk of progress and development, their mindsets are still stuck in the medieval age. The scariest part of this is that these men who run the country actually believe what they say – that it is up to a girl to ensure her own safety, that men are allowed a little mischief every once in a while, that provocation justifies assault.