Straight from the Heart

It had been a delightful dinner, A hearty meal topped with some interesting conversations Leaving one satiated. After all isn’t that what friends are for? You spend time with them To be left with happiness, lingering like an aftertaste for many days thereafter.   It was time for desserts. We had just returned back From the buffet counter with our choice of desserts, When my cell phone beeped and attracted my attention. The message received, left me shocked. “Friends,” I said addressing the other two. “Shraman has had a sudden cardiac arrest And is battling for his life in the hospital.” Our dear old friend, barely in his forties, Had been hospitalised and battling for survival Was news that was difficult to digest. It left us with a sense of helplessness! Far away from the hospital, The three of us On the spur of the moment decided, To pray for our friend In our own special way.   So we lit a candle and stuck it on the cup cake That we had picked up from the buffet coun...

Colour?  It's turned a madcap today.  Following my footsteps all the way. Jumps on to someone's shoulder. Like a woman's veil, in the breeze aflutter. Colour floats up  aiming for the sky.  The wind is it's chariot,  driving it high.  At the bend of the lane or below the flats,  Colour is a boy with his youthful burst.  Colours,  that lie inside a maiden's heart,  Bursts forth on her face  in a joyous splash.  The little girl's joy knows no bounds.  On her frock today  an array of colours abound.  The spring is eager to break into a dance. Melody is born today  out of the flowers' blossom. 

Zomato The place has everything that can  fool you for an instant to believe that you are not in Kolkata but have stepped into some place in South East Asia. The lady at the entrance, her appearance right down to the length of slit of her Oriental dress, the flight of stairs going up with the dining room  situated in steps along the length of the staircase gives an impression of an oriental eating house in the land of the orient! Fungshway has been really successful in doing a makeover that is near perfect! The erstwhile China Bowl, which used to be a dimly lit, depressing place has been converted into a bright, colourful place that's certain to lift one's spirit a notch or two as soon as one enters and climbs the steps. Those coming to Fungshway should better come with a fixed notion of which type of cuisine they wish to savour. Such is the range and variety offered by the restaurant that unless one is very sure, one would probably take a lot of time to go through the menu...

A stray cloud, Youthful, brash, bold, Impetuous, Adventurous, Laden with energy, Separates from his breathen and sets forth! The hillock on the horizon, Rising high above the ground, It's head, firm and jutting out As if in defiance, Was the stray cloud's target. It's abode to rest. Like the foster mother's nest. Amongst the crevices And the ledges, The hillock's flat grassy patches And the trees, There the cloud stayed And played, All day long!

307. Fariyas The signboard to Fariyas can be seen from the highway itself but the last mile approach road is a little tricky, making its way over a tiny stream that seems to start from the clump of trees on the right and then losing itself into the clump of trees on the left. This stream and the narrow bridge evokes an immediate sense of peace and makes me want to let go of my muscles, taut from  passing through a congested Mumbai-Pune highway! A few twists and turns of the road following the sign boards and then you are there at your destination! There's something about Fariyas, the resort, that seems to grip you the moment you step into the spacious lobby. The spacious lobby appears even more spacious because it steps down into the main eating area, the buffet hall. The aroma of the food and the hustle bustle of people moving around in that area, chatting and laughing while they tuck into their food should definitely bring a sense of happiness into hearts of even the staunches...

C'mon! Everyone is entitled to a bad day. A day when nothing goes right and try as you might,    everything seems to be like it had just come under the impact of a tornado. Saturday probably was one such day for Abar Baithak and that was the day we decided to pay a visit to this place. Ever seen a marriage hall reserved for the bridegroom's kins to stay? The bridegroom's party is always larger than estimated, making any place reserved by the bride's parents look cramped. Abar Baithak looked, to us, just like such a place. There were people outside the house, young ones mainly, as if they had gathered outside for a smoke, away from the prying eyes of elders  ensconced inside the house. At an arm's length away from the band of these youngsters and sitting on chairs lining the walkway, were a few people, just like the workmen of decorators or lighting contractor who happen to sit down for an unscheduled break from decoration work, their feet stretched out and bodies...