Wednesday 14 January 2015

Relocating Quikr to Bangalore

                   Relocating to a new city always gives us the headache over what to expect when staying alone , far away from the comforts of home! With a new home, comes new duties, and new responsibilities. There's the added concern about having to save enough , so the need to manage resources well is of utmost importance . Many of my friends have shifted to Bangalore for their jobs, and it is not at all a surprise, considering the economic boom in the city . But what I've heard from them is , it is really costly for anyone to stay there , and a newcomer would initially find it very difficult to manage the expenses . This led me to think whether I myself would be able to handle the pressures of managing a new base at Bangalore well enough , if the need arises . But surfing through the pages of Quikr Bangalore made it really easy for me to decide what I would want in my new home in the city , in case I had to make the move there from my current posting in Kolkata .   
        The primary concern for any newbie at a new place is to look for an accommodation . For a person like me who would be staying alone , or with a friend if possible , a 1-BHK flat on rent is good enough , but I need to be sure that the location of my residence is in a proper place , which will not make it inconvenient for me in any way. So , here comes Quikr with the solution : verified numbers make it possible for me to shortlist prospective flats ,at places according to my choice . The rates available around Rs 7500 a month are reasonable enough for me . Sitting far away from home, I'm able to fix up a place to rest , without having to haggle through numerous websites offering real estate choices. I also find, there's the option of selecting Paying Guests too ! Wow ! If a rented flat is not quite convenient for me , a list of PG choices is always there on Quikr to come to my aid! 
            I'm awful with household chores , and washing clothes is a dreaded proposition for me . Thus, a washing machine is something that I would crave to have in my flat . But splurging on a new appliance right after relocating to a new place doesn't appear to be the best option for me . Thanks to Quikr, a host of washing machine choices , under Rs 6000 , is available to me , and I am able to assure myself that at least, I'd be able to wear fresh clothes to work ! 
           Next comes the problem of food storage , and once again I go through Quikr's huge range of refrigerators on sale. Thankfully, yet again , I have the liberty to choose from verified numbers , offering 190 litres refrigerators at around Rs 5000 ! At this price , that's a steal ! 
   The last item that I need is a transport option to make a quick getaway to the outskirts of the city on weekends, or to move around the city on my own to know the surroundings ! Going for a four wheeler would be too costly at the moment , so I opt for a motorbike , and once again I look through Quikr Bangalore's pages. Thankfully , there are bikes at around Rs 45,000  and I'm able to breathe easy ! This will be the best mode of transport for riding around the city!

 Thus , after a thorough raid through Quikr Bangalore , and selecting items of my choice,I'm happy........ I realise , that even in a city as costly as Bangalore, Quikr would help me not go broke with my investments  ! 
         



Sunday 11 January 2015

The other side of the Bengal football Derby


She stayed just two blocks away from me , but somehow , she was my sworn enemy . 
I didn't provoke her, I didn't cause her any harm......neither did I call her names. 
It was just that I was an East Bengal football club supporter , whilst her family were staunch backers of Mohun Bagan ! 
It was not in my DNA to taunt people just over their allegiance to a sporting club , but somehow , she never failed to insult me in our social gatherings over my fandom. 
There was always that veiled reference to the migration of my forefathers from the eastern side of the Bengal border , and a suggestion that we , as immigrants , had encroached upon their rightful territory . The mockery of me often let me red faced , but I didn't retaliate .
 I couldn't . Deep down , I liked her . But arch rivals never unite , they're meant to quarrel, don't they ?
Then the fateful Derby day on 9th December , 2012 , arrived , when on a winter Sunday afternoon, a missile from the stands injured Mohun Bagan's Rahim Nabi . Soon , the gallery was violent . In the ensuing missile rain, I found someone who got hit by a stone on the back of the head, clutched his head , and fell down on the concrete gallery . It was her elder brother . Another person tripped on him , and fell over his shoulder ! 
     I ran upto him , took out my handkerchief to press onto his wound, and gave him some water . Making sure he was alright, I escorted him out from the violence all around , and took him to a nearby hospital where he was stitched up. 
       Today, there's no more enmity between her and me . 
She no longer makes fun of me; she doesn't even taunt me for my migration history . 
She doesn't believe that being from the red-and-gold camp can actually make a worse human being , while the green-and-maroon supporters are all saints . 
We're in a relationship for sometime now. 


If East Bengal wins now, then I treat her , while she extends the courtesy when Mohan Bagan prevails!





This is a work of fiction , and resemblance to any living person is purely coincidental .