Quotidian Tales

I read about humanity and wanted to share it with you T oday, walking by the road, I saw a white note in a plastic bag. It was hanging from the lamppost. I went by the lamppost and read the words. It said, "I have lost a 50 dollar bill around somewhere here. If you find it, please can you return it to me." And then below it was an address. I went to that address and found a very old and feeble lady resting on the front porch. Hearing my rustle, she called out, "who is there?" I quickly went forward and told her I came to return her 50-dollar bill that I found by the lamppost. She instantly burst into tears and said that at least twenty other people had come to give her back the money and even so when she hadn't written the note on the lamppost. I insisted that she keep the $50 bill from me. She genuinely thanked me and brought me a glass of water from inside. When I was about to leave, she, in turn, requested that I tear up the note on the lamppo

I was born and brought up in central Calcutta, schooled in central Calcutta, but then grew up to become the core Bengali who had an American childhood! W e Bengalis know the characteristics etched in someone from central Calcutta. Her strings are pulled from both ends. She owns the traits of the more settled in old North Calcutta while desirous for the contemporary South Kolkata (Eastern Kolkata wasn't so prominent then.) We still lived in our hundred-year-old rented homes with 20-inch deep walls and cut-glass floors. But, we went to the top schools in the city. We religiously fed the street dogs, cats, and cows but reluctantly swapped our indoor plants for lack of water. Though I have been a Central Calcuttan all my childhood, I was never pulled by either of these strings. I held on to an American fiber that tugged me on and off! My mom's best neighborhood pal was an American lady! Well, I know you could expect someone of British descent at that location and era

A place where they (the elderly) too can be as preoccupied as their children and grandchildren and a time where they too are alive and not merely living. “Y ou do not know what it is like to be lonely until you spend time alone wishing for companionship.” These words uttered by one of my most favourite changemakers, Ratan Tata , in the recent past finally stimulated me to serve up those thoughts that had been simmering in my mind for long. A stalwart supporter of meaningful societal change, Ratan Tata made this statement when his investment in ‘Good Fellows’, a one-of-a-kind start-up in India, was announced and made public a few weeks back. Ideated by the feisty 28-year-old, Shantanu Naidu, who apart from being Ratan Tata’s assistant also shares a beautiful bond with the 84-year-old tycoon, ‘Good Fellows’ is an aspiration towards a more compassionate living. It aims at forging intergenerational friendships between senior citizens who are lonely, and felicitous young graduates,

With a content heart and peaceful mind. E nding your day on a positive note is the secret to a happy and healthy life. When you end your day right, the next morning is automatically off to a good start. You may feel stressed and worn out at the end of your work shift, but you still have a couple of hours to turn things around. You may have encountered your fair share of challenges and grievances, but all is to be forgotten by sunset. The final target of the day should be to retire to bed with a content heart and peaceful mind. Here’s a list of things you can do to retire for the day in the best way possible 1. Take a Walk An evening walk serves as a light form of exercise and helps the muscles relax. You can walk alone and reminisce in special moments of the day or have someone accompany you to exchange thoughts; if you have a pet dog, let them tag along. Walk outdoors on a quiet street or at a park nearby to savor the freshness of green landscapes. 2. Wr

So find out what drives you and maybe at a crossroad, you too could get lucky like Kamran and meet yourself!… But beware in this inward quest, you will incessantly face the fundamental fact: “ Why am I here? ” and the sway between delirium and deliverance. A t a time when each one of us is seeking for some sort of inspiration to be able to connect with her inner self, ‘Kamran on Bike’ surely drops the penny in the precise spot. Now who is Kamran? Last weekend, casually, my friend had chanced upon him through a Facebook page and, intrigued by his vision, wanted me to dwell upon it. Some minutes into the page and I knew that I was delving into a man who perhaps emphatically embodied the words of Louis XIV. “ There is little that can withstand a man who can conquer himself. ” And indeed here is a man who literally does everything on his bike, a borrowed one to start with. He travels, unbridled, conquering not only the terrain without but also the territory within, and every

As you constantly relive memories that fill you up with remorse or pain. What does it mean to Brood on Yesterday? It means that you keep thinking about a regretful past. In your mind, you repeatedly experience an event or situation that upset you, which can be injurious to your mental health. You might pity yourself for making poor choices or think about how you could have done things differently. Some people think that brooding is a form of self-reflection that helps acknowledge previous mistakes and learn from them. However, brooding is like worrying and grueling oneself over errors of the past; hence, it is not in any way useful or healthy. What happens when you Brood on Yesterday? There is nothing wrong with recalling an episode of the past for insight and finding a solution to a recurring problem. You understand that you didn’t do your best before and that there is always room for improvement. When you brood, you let a former incident overwhelm you by

It will seem bizarre for many, but sure enough, I wanted to put it down in writing! S everal of my acquaintances work on a laptop or use a keypad. Being a software professional, I also spend a large part of the day on my computer. One thing that I wanted to pursue was to type my programming code fast, and I presume many other people strive to do the same too. I did not do it early in my job, so five years back, during a long career break, I started using Ratatype (a website that teaches you touch-typing). I dedicated one hour of my everyday life to the quest of achieving speed and multitasking agility. And while at that pace, I didn't even look around! Not to discourage anyone who still wants to learn touch typing. It is a one-of-a-kind of skill, and Ratatype is an excellent trainer. But, I figured out more cons than benefits towards attaining this skill. Instead of speedily typing, I was speedily marrying those drawbacks to my brain, and soon enough, I gave up R

Travelling makes us fall in love with life. As we travel, we are born again, and it gives us new purposes and motives. We begin to appreciate life. W hen the confines of our homes make life monotonous and dull, travel provides the adventure and thrill we need. It excites us. It's the saying 'What gives value to travel is FEAR' by the great writer Albert Camus. Yes, it's the fear of the unknown, uncertainty, getting lost. Everything becomes unpredictable when you hit the road, and you don't know what's next awaiting you. It enriches our knowledge of ourselves while we explore the recesses of our minds and understand our moods. It makes us overcome fear and show us our capability! It is not only about the fancy attire or a colourful photograph posted on the social platform. But, it's also about making memories, gathering stories, appreciating the beauty of a place and finally to become a storyteller for the rest of your life, cherishing t

Sometimes that means stepping away from it all and spending some time on your own. B eing alone is when you stop absorbing other people's ideas for a time. We often don't realise how much other people influence us. By spending some time alone, we get to hear what the heart says and how the brain reacts to it, get to know the true side of ourselves. Spending time alone is not just for introverts. Whether you are an introvert or extrovert, work from home or office, have a family or not, we all benefit from having some time for ourselves. In our society, we value the hyperactive person, the one who has too much to do and does not have enough time. We even call people who spend a lot of time by themselves 'weird' or self-centric, which is not appropriate. In a world where we are taught to want more and acquire more, sometimes it feels overwhelming. We start feeling anxious or end up with too many thoughts in our minds. One of the best things to do i