The impossible story

Hope is quite strange indeed. Often it is like that nagging piece of dirt that keeps sticking around, no matter how hard you try to clean it. What is more remarkable is the perennial affair hope has, with heartbreak. Isn't it astounding to see how much they complement each other, much like two lovers, never meant to be together? It is like falling in love with someone impossible to have, over and over again, only to be heartbroken and reassuring the impossibility of the love!

Falling apart and putting up back together is perhaps what is called the cycle of life. Hope can come from so many things the everyday life has to offer, from a smile from a stranger to the smell of rain waiting to drench us with a longing for what could have been but never was, putting ourselves back together is only a momentary stop, before destiny, or the illusion of which, tears us apart, once again!

Captured By: Soumabha Basu, Location: Seven Islands, Krabi, Thailand

As we come across myriads of souls in our journey, invariably losing ourselves in the labyrinth of emotions, soon we would realize that there are only two constants. The first is heartbreak, that tears us apart, and second is hope, which puts us back together. They continue to outplay each other, love and hate one another, as the story goes on.

Durga Pujo

The Bengali connection with Pujo has been an everlasting story of everything life is about. A perennial affair of smiles and tears, of longing and letting go, of life and living! Pujo is inter-weaved with every Bengali household, and by being Bengali, you break the boundaries of religion, caste and every petty man-made barrier. It is the sudden burst of emotion, the love for art and all that touches the heart, the outright disdain for everything superficial, passion for football, maach and adda over a sip of hot tea, preferably, in a clay cup, is what defines a Bengali!

Captured By: Soumabha Basu, Location: Calcutta

I doubt if there is any second festivity in the world, where an entire culture, separated both geographically and economically, get together and celebrate, not just the triumph of good over bad, but life itself. It is kind of tough to frame Pujo within a definition, but then i realized, why define it in the first place! Let us sit back and relax, much like the Bengali prefers to, and let Pujo be, the way it is.

Captured By: Soumabha Basu, Location: Mumbai

Till every echo of Asche Bochor Abar Hobe, may the Mother give strength for the long wait as the year comes around.

The dark side of the moon

Quietly, beneath the waves of our conscious mind

Mindless thoughts of randomness swim by,

At times ebbing, and intensifying in the others,

Leaving behind shells of imaginary madness in the shores.

The world is a theater, they said, and we the actors,

Essaying countless roles of the societal face,

The inner soul, though, shares the same stage,

Only in the backdrop, devoid of the lights and the noise.

Captured By: Soumabha Basu, Location: Planet Earth

In its tranquil days and solitary nights, the soul cries out

Dialogues heard by none, but repeated manifold,

Eclipsed by the mask of glitter and glam,

Sneaking a meek look, from the dark side of the moon.

The world inside too, has all the bustle and chaos,

Of a constant poise between duty and desire,

Awaiting its turn to perform under the sun.

Till then, the waves crash, as messengers of the other world.

The Journey

Sometime, sooner or later, we all start our journey. The endless walk to a place beyond our boundaries of sight, but visioned by destiny, often commences without the chaos and bustle. The quiet start, brimful of the fear of the unknown, takes us long beyond our conscious judgment can.

Captured By: Soumabha Basu, Location: Gorai Beach, Mumbai

 Till then, keep walking. For the journey is long and you have got smiles to keep as the miles go by!

Mind It

Our minds are a myriad of thoughts and untold stories, engaged in a constant battle between desire and realism. There always seems to be a bit of entropy separating pragmatism with our figment of imagination. 

Indeed, there is a parallel world breathing, pumping and running within our minds. This ethereal place houses our deepest secrets, our darkest fears and a longing for both, what could have been and what never was. A constant poise between the conscious and the sub-conscious drives our days into nights.

Captured By: Soumabha Basu, Location: Carter Road, Mumbai

Torn between two worlds, it turns out to be a diurnal struggle of both, the good and the better, and the bad and the worse. This uncertainty though, keeps us awake, and reminds us, of the eternal battle , within.

Of hope and the endless wait

The wait never seems to end. We wait for things we love, for happiness and for homecoming. It is the possibility of a promising tomorrow that keeps us walking the miles in our pursuit of peace and prosperity.

Captured By: Soumabha Basu, Location: Matheran Hills, Maharashtra

The wait is never easy and heartbreaks more painful. And it is hope that keeps the wait alive!

The Strange Companion

Time is a strange companion. It always seems to trickle through our fingers, despite our earnest attempts of holding on. Life is invariably a story of letting go. We let go our love, life and everything in between! Carelessly, today's moments become tomorrow's memories.

Captured By: Soumabha Basu, Location: Airoli, Navi Mumbai

In a world too full of itself, irrelevance is often torn between the light of yesterday and the gloom of the today. In the end, what's left behind is a longing for what could have been and memories of what never was!

What I could not capture!

They say that there are some things that money can't buy. For everything else there's Mastercard. Beyond our wallet too, the story is no different. There are moments that are left un-reasoned . We leave it there, untold and left in its pristine state.

What I could not capture in this photograph was the ecstasy in their eyes when they saw this photograph.

Captured By: Soumabha Basu, Location: Calcutta

I guess there is a reason why there are some things that money can't buy. They are called priceless!

Two Minds

We are all torn between two minds, aren't we? From hope to illusion, from anticipation to despair, a sense of ambivalence is all pervading. Our world inside seems to be engaged in a perpetual dance of light and shadows. While at times, the fear of the unknown conspires against our longing, it is often our past that haunts the mind. A lingering fear of deja vu engenders uncertainty.

Captured By: Soumabha Basu, Location: Versova Beach, Mumbai

This apprehension isn't all bad, after all. In our quest for happiness, be it our indomitable spirit or pretentious heroism, a poised mind and a fearful heart fits the puzzle. Perhaps it is God's way of re-kindling our waning fire, time and again!

Maidan - The playground of Calcutta

Calcutta has never been in too much hurry. The city has always had time for a cup of 'chai' or a game of football. Amidst its heart is the Maidan, which closely translates to playground in English. Maidan in Calcutta is indeed the playground, of perennial romanticism.

The long stretches of a farrago of green and yellow is the amphitheater of a leisurely stroll, the incessant hubbub of the ever passionate Bengali and the budding footballers who are invariably divided between the red-and-yellow of East Bengal to the green-and-maroon of its rival Mohunbagan. This battle is actually beyond the boundaries of a football match and into the food plates too, with half of Bengal torn between 'shorshe ilish' and 'golda chingri'. Its quite a neck-to-neck competition, I must say!

The proud Bengali has religiously satisfied its taste-buds, with 'Jhal Muri' being an all-time favorite. A delicate miscellany of puffed rice, onions, tomatoes and 'chanachur', topped with masalas, it never fails to strike a chord with the delicate taste of Calcutta and its inhabitants. The 'puchkas' too have had a special place in our hearts too, and have bore witness to innumerable sweet love stories, many of which have faded with time. Calcutta's love for food, though, hasn't!

Bicycles, a rare sight in a world run by fast cars and faster people. Maidan, though, has kept itself ignorant of the speed of the world and lives life in its own pace. The bicycles horns are still heard in plethora in this part of the city.

Being adjacent to the iconic Victoria Memorial, Maidan has a charm of its own. Its pristine beauty and laid back days have stories to tell. They say that the sun never sets in the big cities. At Maidan though, the sun sets every dusk and rises in the other part of the world, to tell the marvelous tales, long lost in the cacophony of urbanization.

Growing Up Can Wait

It is not that we become busy growing up. Childhood was busy too. But we were constantly searching for happiness in the smaller facets of our world. The little raindrops, the pets running randomly, the puppets smiling in the colored shops. Our eyes captured it all.

Perhaps then, growing up is not so much about becoming busy, but losing a part of ourselves to our childhood.

Captured By: Soumabha Basu, Location: Versova Beach, Mumbai

Slow down, and watch the sun set and the waves kiss your feet. Hold your breath and let it go. Growing up can wait!