My Superstar ....the Real Hero: My Tribute

       

Selfie with the Star

       He's done it all in real life that actors in films portray on screen and collect accolades from the global audience ! Yet, he remains behind the curtains all the time, continuing doing things nonchalantly,  always armed with a with a joke or two !! It's high time that I bring this person to the forefront , and showcase him as the iron-man behind all the success es that me, Dr. Titas Kar, have achieved ....and yes, I'm talking here of my role model, my Dad, Dr. Tarun Kanti Kar , an ENT surgeon based in Kolkata !! 

Dad, the surgeon ( right) before starting his work

Dad has been a pillar of strength , shaping my career! He has been the beacon, who has guided the radar-less ship of my life through stormy nights , directing it to safer shores! When I lost the plot in my Higher secondary classes, for my weakness in Biology, he was there to cheer me up with words that could encourage me all the time, infusing me with positive vibe, that people can conquer much more difficult hurdles in life....so I just needed a little bit of extra effort to scale the peak of Biology! Indeed, it was his never-say-die approach to a problem that emboldened me & enabled me to finally master Biology, cracking my state Joint entrance examinations , and here I am today, as a Doctor in one of Kolkata's Governement hospitals.

One of the best qualities of Dad is his ability to keep promises, and the earliest episode that I can remember was when I was about 3-4 years old, and had been ill for a few days. Dad had promised me one day,that after coming back from the hospital that day, he'd take me to the zoo! Unfortunately , he got stuck up at his hospital that day, but desperate to keep his word, he overcame all of that, and took me to the zoo that day itself, rushing back from the hospital! 

Dad has been the sports enthusiast always, who has fought off 'vicious' challenges from Mom , as to why he was staying up late at night with me and my kid brother for World Cup cricket and football matches, thus signalling the ruining of our studies!! As Mom continued with her indignant comments, Dad coolly continued explaining the 'Offside' rule , or Front Foot No-ball to us, maintaining to Mom, that 'all work and no play would make my sons dull boys' !

                                                                       

Not to be left behind when he saw us practicing or playing on the ground, he was always the one to walk up to the batsman, 
and demand a bat , and urge the bowler to bowl fast! Even though his ugly hoicks resulted in missing the ball quite often , he'd look around for some appreciation the moment he connected sweetly !! On one such occasion, I was bowling slowly to him and he was continuously taunting me over the lack of speed in my ball! Flustered by his sledging, I unleashed one venomous bouncer , getting high on Adrenaline! It struck dad hard behind the ear, his specs fell off, and blood started oozing out ! Alarmed , we rushed forward, ashamed that I had given in to his taunts ....but the white haired guy on the wrong side of Fifty years, simply picked up the specs , wiped off the blood , commented "Well Bowled" , and took stance for the next ball, leaving us speechless! That's the courage of a man who has never learnt to give up on challenges! Even though he's not the fittest person going around, he often challenges his own abilities , and does successful Head Stands (something that I can't even think of doing) , prompting Mom to pray away !! 

The Head Stand

Dad is a protestor by default and it's not in his habit to accept wrongdoings , without speaking up about it! He had told us one story , when he was examining patients in the OPD of his hospital , and there was a huge queue outside, when a man jumped the queue, introduced himself as the Local MLA , and asked to be examined earlier ! As the other patients stood , looking on dejectedly , but couldn't speak up to a political leader, Dad folded his hands, and curtly told him," you're the People's Representative here....would it be nice of you to deprive your own people , and take advantage of your position?" The leader had to swallow the humble pie, and shamefully went back to his position !! This shows the apt sense of humour, that Dad could deliver with the right dosage of sarcasm!! 

One can never aim to become a better nature lover than Dad!! While being an asthmatic forbids him from keeping pets, he has always cuddled puppies and kittens on the road, feeding them bits and pieces of food! Keeping in mind the scorching heat in Kolkata, he maintains a large bowl of water at the corner of our balcony , so that thirsty birds never fail to have a drink! It amazes me as to how he never forgets putting fresh water in the bowl regularly, even if he's in the middle of a busy schedule!!

                           

    

This bird was struggling to see with an eye infection, and got stuck in our balcony, but Dad helped him get back to his healthy self with Eye drops, before letting him fly away next day!!

             

      I have never seen a person with a better aptitude in Mathematics, than Dad ! Although being a Doctor had lead to him severing ties with Maths long back, he was the one who built my foundation in the subject , breezing through calculations mentally faster than I could ever imagine! Despite his proficiency in the subject, he had one major grief, that he had never managed to score a 100 in maths , and he rued it always, begging of me , to gift him a 100 at least once in my career! When I finally did it after a number of near misses in the 90s, he was over the moon with joy! This reflected the intense love that he had for the subject, and that he could fight off his inner demons , through my scoring of 100!! 

When I was a kid, I never understood what kind of work he did in hospital, and for me , being a doctor was a very easy job! Now that I work at a government hospital myself, I come to realise the troubles that one has to fight off at work everyday , and managing to keep a joke ready every moment even after that is no mean job!
    Dad has been prolific with his intricate handicraft on the human skin, once suturing up the gash on my finger that I had mistakenly got with a blade, while still being in his Badminton attire, from where he had been called up in the middle of the game to attend to my bleeding finger! 
          But,the height of his skill was witnessed a few years ago, when I had passed out in front of the bathroom , due to severe illness,collapsed to the floor unconscious, and had a gash in my forehead! Dad had sat in his pyjamas on the floor, taken my head in his lap, and stitched me up , there itself in front of the bathroom, after reviving the unconscious me , as Mom looked on aghast !! So much for the skills , and nerve of the man , who didn't flinch at the sight of his son lying in a pool of blood ....or even if he did, he was excellent in controlling his emotions! 

The Singer On The Stage

Dad has never had any formal training in singing, but at every event involving our family members, or his medical college reunions, he's a star when it comes to belting out one hit number after another, in Hindi and Bengali ! I'm a trained singer myself, but I do get stage frights, when I'm asked to perform, but the word probably doesn't exist in Dad's dictionary! I know not how he remembers so many lyrics, but they come out fluently at all times, sending his peers into a tizzy!

The voice that spells magic

When I was a kid, I was taken by dad to visit the famous Puja Pandals around Kolkata , where thousands thronged to see the idols! At the famous College Square , Mohammder Ali parks in Kolkata , it was almost impossible for the tiny me to look up at the decorations around, so he made it a point to carry me on his shoulders all around Kolkata, teaching me how to admire Bengal's real heritage , and pieces of art! When in my Higher classes, I got to become a Student Judge of these Pujas ,(a rather prestigious post , considering the honour that was associated with it), I realised that it was my Dad's efforts to make me understand Bengal's beautiful Durga Puja even through huge crowds , that had culminated in me cracking a tough interview , and earning a coveted post as a Judge!! 

Even though Dad has many many qualities, he has always insisted in pointing out his own mistakes, and telling me not to imbibe them! He confesses that he is short tempered , and he has always maintained that I should not lose my temper like he did at times, and I have tried following his advice to this date! 

When I was a small kid, once during a power cut in Kolkata, I was looking up at the starry night sky! Dad saw it , and showed me the Orion constellation, telling me that there existed many other shapes and structures in the sky, and if I could start seeking them, I would develop a very good hobby! This turned out to be an excellent idea, and I got hooked onto Astronomy and Sky watching ! I enrolled myself for astronomy classes in my spare time, and Dad also joined me in them , with full enthusiasm after his hospital duties! However , in many of the classes, he failed to cope up with the lectures, and dozed off, but never failed to attend them! Also, he attended all astronomy camps with me , desperately trying to learn the handling of Telescopes, but getting stuck at the basics for years! At the post-camp speeches, he was candid enough to confess that he's the worst student in the camp , but he was the most sincere one, always turning up for the next camps!!

This goes the story of my Dad, a man of inner steel, who has put his family before material gains, all his life! He is a self made man, hailing from a very poor family, making it big in life via his proficiency in studies, but for him, family matters took precedence in every case! He has lead by example, and stood through testing times with his head held high!! A multi-faceted genius in his own rights, he is an exception amongst Doctors, being interested in all things around him!! Proud to have him as my role model, the real superstar in my life! 

The active participant at all family meets , here, he serves the food

My Hero, My Star,.......and yeah,My Role Model : a Video Blog

Here's a short video blog on the stories of the life of my role model, my Dad. Do have a watch !!

The Crazy Kannas: who can't Keep Calm during IPL !!

We the Crazy KKR fans at the Eden Gardens , kolkata

"A treat at the Golden gate restaurant, in exchange of doing my evening shift in Medicine, on Saturday?? ", I was trying to lure Aritra into an agreement for giving my replacement in a scheduled duty during my internship.

"One treat ?? ONE???? ", Aritra sneered! "Huh, one won't do!"

"OK... Another one next month!" , I was pleading, out of desperation!!

Aritra looked satisfied,"Fine! But remember, no going back on your promises!"

And there was me, the hapless soul,left poorer by a couple of thousand bucks ,courtesy my promise of treating my co-internee at the costliest restaurant near our medical college. All this, because the Kolkata Knight Riders had a crucial match slated against RCB on the Saturday evening, and as luck would have it, it coincided with my duty hours at the hospital!! Aritra knew fully well , that he could arm twist me into promising two treats at the restaurant , considering my fanaticism for KKR's matches, and he utilised his opportunity ! The cricket freak in me had willingly volunteered to part with a substantial percentage of the meagre monthly stipend that a desi medical intern is entitled to, since he couldn't afford to miss the tie played at the Eden gardens, whose tickets he had managed to procure somehow!!

This sort of sums up my addiction for IPL, which has become the yearly bonanza for us cricket fans !! The fact that a team , representing the city you live in, is striving out every time to fight on a national level to uphold the city's pride, in front of a global television audience , makes the adrenaline go bonkers , that is reflected in our enthusiasm in cheering for every single home run !!

In the locality I live in,there's a community of die hard KKR fans,who've stuck with the team through thick and thin, right from the time of inception of KKR!!

We've organised Pujas and a few other rituals to ensure victory for the knights !! 
We have put curfew hours around the TV on match days .....marking the calendar beside the TV set in bold RED ink to notify match dates! 

We've made the KKR flag a part of our room decor !! Srinjoy was smart enough to drape his dad's new car's seats in the KKR flag!!

                             

                                      

There's this Facebook community that my friends have set up that details the heroics of KKR !! 

We've made multiple appearances in the Kolkata newspapers , courtesy our antics for KKR , that range from struggling through a thunderstorm to reach the ground despite no chance of play, to celebrating vigorously when KKR won the IPL !!

                             


                             

On the days of big matches, we take command of the community hall of our housing , and sit together in huge batches , crouched in front of a small TV , with superstitions flying left , right and centre! People aren't usually around to swap places if the team is doing well!!

I personally have sneaked in my mobile phone into the pages of my study books , if I happened to have my exams during IPL , refreshing the live scores pages every five minutes or so....when I wasn't allowed to watch the TV.

I've jostled with strangers on the road , to vie for my share of the view of the TVs inside electronics stores , to see a particularly riveting sequence of an IPLmatch ....of any team!! 

Here's a sneak peak into how my KKRAZY ( crazy for KKR) pals spent some of the past few seasons , believing in the team's abilities:

                                             

we even managed to get access to meet the Knights in person in our city!!

                                                                                                                                                          

   

That's us, Meeting the Knights in person ...........

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Nowadays ....I often miss out on viewing the matches live on TV because of the hours I put in the hospital where I'm employed , but www.starsports.com has become a messiah ,aiding me in keeping myself up to date with the happenings on the ground ! 

Zip Clips on my phone 

                                                                                                                                                       I really adore the ZIP CLIPS section , that helps me actually see the best bits of a match in real short clips, that are suited for the mobile phone, and it has become a personal favourite , when i'm out of home !  The Zip Clips act as a rejuvenator at all times, when the duty hours get dreary, and I'm slogging it out , all alone in the wards , or am seated in the doctors' room for a breather !  Well done , Kanna Star Sports !!

     

Sorry Kanna....but when it's the IPL , we just cannot keep calm....we go Crazy!!!!

Of Distant Lands and Closer Souls

 Being in a relationship from the first year of college life, P and me have been the proverbial campus lovebirds from the onset , and stayed together through thick & thin for years. We've gone on raucous excursions together with loads of batch mates, attended movies in huge groups, and went out to dine , with large table bookings being the norm. They've been fun, gifting us precious memories to savour, as our friends' circle has been filled with a myriad of human personalities who make crazy antics a part of their daily activities. 

  But despite not grumbling or complaining, as the college life drew to a close, I often felt , that me & P were left with very few hours that we had spent together, just the two of us, away from public scrutiny . We still go for the odd movie, or dinner , managing time out from our work, but those moments seem to fly away ever so quickly, compared to the hours that we labour at work. I wonder, whether there's a sabbatical somewhere , where our walks holding hands & having her rest her head on my shoulders , would not get over in a jiffy ?? Where we get to know each other better?? Perhaps, delve into each other's souls, to catch a closer glimpse at the people whom we actually fell for?? Perhaps not act according to how the society wants us to, and just be ourselves ??

In a busy city like Kolkata, that seems a distant possibility, since our friends' & relatives' numbers are enormous, and the spots of tourist interest around the city are likely to cause us to bump into one or more known faces.....thereby seriously jeopardising the quest to get closer! 

But what if we truly were love'Birds' ?? We could affectionately feed each other, cuddle a little, or tease playfully, without prying eyes & scornful words disrupting the genuinely lovely moments. 

What if we could fly away to the land of dreams where our souls wanted to go??

We could escape the urban melee for some days, and simply feed off each others' goodwill , like the migratory birds that fly thousands of miles during seasonal changes?? Wait, they escape the harsh winters in their homeland. But we would be happy to fly to a snow covered nation in winter, above the Arctic circle.....to Greenland perhaps. Life as an Eskimo couple would be at a languid pace, unlike the turbocharged lives in our metro! We'd build an igloo, and sit through months of winter nights , with no sun to look forward to but only ourselves to generate and share the warmth . There would be no multiplexes for movies, but the dark sky would turn out to be a gigantic plex screen , with the Northern Lights   (Aurora Borealis) playing periodically, being our source of entertainment . Eskimos do live , don't they?? They love too , don't they?? So, there's my counter argument to any family member trying to state that life is impossible at the polar region during winter.

Did we try to isolate ourselves from the world?? Are we not too social?? I'm afraid, we can mingle with the multitude of crowds and bond together as well. Me & P cherish dreams of visiting the spectacular Rio Carnival in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro someday . There would be no formal dress code of our professional lives, and we'd be the happy-go-lucky couple , dressed in colourful attires , basking in the fun, frolic and fanfare, with nobody complaining at the "outrageousness" of the psychedelic attire of two doctors . We'd just be ourselves, dancing on the streets , thousands of miles away from our own country , without a care in the world, or without a family member to explain our actions too! We'd attend beach parties, spend a holiday on the beach , and capture loads of photos of us letting our hair down . But of course, we'd love to put our smartphones on "offline" mode most of the time as well! 

Closer home , there is this very famous place in India, which is one of the spectacular landmarks of the world, but we'd approach it in a different way to spend some very private time. Yes, I'm talking about the Taj Mahal, the epitome of love , that draws millions of tourists every year. But me & P would row up the river Yamuna, on the reverse side of the Taj , on a full moon night . We would sit together, gazing at the glistening edifice in the pristine moonlight , while the Yamuna's waters , gently swaying the boat , would churn our inner feelings for each other. Words would be meaningless at such an hour, as our souls would be engaged in a tight embrace , wanting to hold on to every second that passes. A night to remember , it would seem.....farther away from the city life , and closer to nature.

All these are genuine wishes, and I'm ready to take the plunge with P to turn these dreams into exhilarating reality . Then , we could proudly proclaim, that we indeed went far, to get closer .....and closer .....and some more closer to each other! 

Rohan and the Heaven Sentry

"So they diagnosed you with Obsessive Compulsive shopper syndrome,eh mortal??", the sentry at the gateway of heaven was cross checking his records!

"yeah....blah...", sarcasm was written in large alphabets across Rohan's face. He had just died from an exacerbation of his withdrawal symptoms after being put into rehab for internet de-addiction and was seeking an access to heaven's interiors.

The sentry looked around ,found that he had no more new entrants to attend to for the time being,and called him a little closer,"just between the two of us......heard you've a stock of hundreds of online deals & coupons with you?? "

Rohan remained impassive,but his eyes narrowed!

The sentry went on,"don't tell anyone,i've managed to hitch an internet access,here on heaven....the last net addict who arrived,struck a bargain with me, that i would allow him his laptop into heaven, but in exchange  , he'd share his wifi network with me!!"

Rohan was flabbergasted!! The sentry had turned out to be quite a techno freak!
"you guys in heaven are supposed to know everything that happens in the universe and get everything that you desire! Then,why are you so attracted to the internet??",he enquired.

"ah....but you dont have online stores here in heaven. Ever since that guy gave me the access to internet, I've surfed through the sites and I'm dying to buy some goodies from your online megastores! The same old shops here sell standard outdated stuff , which are laughable!! The Lord hasn't thought of upgrading from the old Heaven Cheap Store , that stocks ancient items, whereas you earthlings, His creations , have surged ahead in business!!"

" But how'd you expect them to be shipped to you?? The online stores don't have Heaven's pincodes, I'm afraid!! " , Rohan was apprehensive.

The sentry replied, " you don't worry 'bout that! I'll fix it so that one of the people due to arrive here, will bring them along ! You can ensure that the items are shipped to his place. I'll see the rest!"

Rohan was amused, he asked, " Cheeky,eh?? Smuggling things into Heaven right under God's nose! No doubt these people down on earth are so corrupt, when his own Sentry is duping him! The Lord is taking some time off from his duties these days, right??"

The sentry frowned, " Shut up, will you??"

"Ok,ok", Rohan said," So, what do you need from me ??!!"

"i need some info on the coupons and discount vouchers. I need some of yours....i'm struggling to understand the concept!! I might overlook some of your sins, for which you were to serve a few sessions at Hell...... I'd try to make sure that your sentences are reduced ! "

Rohan: "oh....let me see!! you are asking for bribes!!"

Sentry: "ok....go ahead, with your Hell time..."

Rohan: "wait , wait....i'll not grumble...."

The sentry looked satisfied, "Good, then start with this one .....i need to buy this special shoe i had seen at one of the sites, and this turban ...and also this Kurta ....but I'm confused how to order them together and get some discount . Here's my card,buy them for me!"

Rohan was waiting for this, the sentry was playing right into his hands.....
he logged into Gopaisa .

"what are you doing??", sentry asked.

Rohan:"buying your apparel, mister!! "

Sentry: " but this is not where I saw them!"

Rohan: " now , you keep quiet and let me do my job!"

He completed the procedures, ordered them to be shipped to the person's address the sentry had mentioned and stood there...satisfied. The order was to be delivered in 2-3 days!

"Ok, I'll fix his dying time accordingly" , the Sentry was happy. " you may go now. I've cancelled your time to be spent at Hell ! But I want to know,what exactly did you do there?? You had logged on into another website !"

Rohan smirked. " oh, i was just ensuring my service charges! I let you use my discount coupons , helped you buy the stuff .....couldn't just do it for free right??"

The sentry was taken aback!

"But you worry not", Rohan continued, " just creamed a little cashback off you!! GoPaisa was indeed giving mega cashback on your chosen sites!"

"the WHAAAT??", it was obvious the Sentry hadn't ever heard of it!

"Ah, cashback....you bought the stuff, i earned a few bucks !! But it's too difficult to explain all of it! You just understand this, that a fraction of your spending have been siphoned off , and ensured that I get the commission I deserved for myself! You see, God gave us monetary transactions, but we humans created the Cashback! Fair deal!"....Rohan signed off, and walked away laughing ,into the Garden of Heaven!

P.S: The sentry and Rohan regularly order stuff online, and get them delivered to them by their "new entrant piggyback venture" ! The sentry has an account in GoPaisa himself, but he doesn't irritate Rohan much, lest he missed out on any new systems that came in vogue on the internet, which Rohan is always up-to-date with!

Cashback: the new Bargaining coupons !!

        Not long ago, winning a bargain in the markets of Kolkata , especially near the Esplanade area meant , quoting a price, that ranged approximately 40-45% of what the hawker had claimed for a goodie that you yearned for, and managing to nail it at your price,with a permissible margin of +5% to your 'final price'!! There was no concept of a cashback, and whatever we managed to save via our aggressive tug-of-war with the vendor, was perceived as a lot of money earned!! That a shopkeeper would actually give you back some amount as credit , as a goodwill, that you could expend at some other shop , was a stuff of fairy tales !
                       Cut to circa 2013-14, and now , probably the kiddies in the kindergartens can explain what a cashback is. Thanks to the flourishing of online stores , offering you deals and coupons , to order your preferred items, you are now inundated with choices! Sifting through hoardes of such promotional emails , and advertisements on the web can be tedious, and the average consumer might find it difficult to get a grip on the scheme of things, but there's no denying the fact that every netizen, has a longing somewhere in his mind, to buy online. The cashback adds to the perks on offer, and sure intrigues the customer, as to how he can accumulate a fair amount of credits, by indulging in 'sin' , ie, shopping ....an action that would have actually drawn criticism from parents, but now, acts as an overwhelming impetus to buy some more, so that a fraction of his hard earned cash, makes its way back to him , even if in virtual currency !! 

Ah, the pleasures of the good life that today's citizens can afford!! 

Negotiating Smelly Skunks

        Attending college at 8 AM was a sort of punishment that only the harshest of individuals can mete out to an undergraduate . If Gen Y had set the standard timings for education, I can well assume that a convenient timing would be a college that starts at 2 PM , enabling the student ample time to wake up at 11 AM  after sleeping off the internet hangover from the previous night, amble through his combined breakfast+lunch , take a bath & finally reach college at a little past 2PM , when the eyes are drowsy no more. It's not sacrilege these days to flout the age-old proverb , " Early to Bed & Early to rise, makes a man Healthy wealthy & wise!" The young guns today have increasingly turned to becoming nocturnal.......but that's not a scenario the college authorities would approve, so the professors would bestow upon the student this cruel ordeal of having to stutter all the way to college , feeling groggy , with the body's biological clock protesting vehemently against it being massacred this way. Almost as if on cue, the ritual that got neglected the most was bathing , and sure enough , I had people smelling somewhere between stale pieces of vegetables to an unclean garbage vat in the morning classes. Most people coming from the hostel, clutching a notebook in one hand , and trying to flatten the hair standing awkwardly on their head by the other , fell in this category. If it was winter , some of them made bathing a monthly event , so for us day scholars , bypassing them was a-trick-a-minute event. 

One of the sacrifices i had to make in this regard was to let go of my inhibitions of sitting on the front benches. Attending college had made this a custom for us to be Backbenchers-by-default , and we were deterred by no amount of coaxing, cajoling or warning by the professors to come to the front of the class. But magically enough , we realised the only way to avoid the smelly hostelites early morning was to block the front benches . Sure enough, to the extreme surprise of the professors, we were there , sitting at the very front of the class, trying to look attentive as he taught , while our focus was fixed on not breathing in that polluted air ! The window seats were of high demand for this reason too, as it provided the seat occupant with the oxygen cylinder, that could replenish his severely depleted stock of fresh air from time to time, as he was forced to turn his nostrils outside.

    

SKUNK: an especially bad smelling mammal
(Image source: google)

   


 Selective breathing too was quite helpful , as I chose not to respire much , when an unavoidablel interaction happened with some of these smelly skunks. Doing deep breathing exercises helped , as I could build up my respiratory muscles to hold on to my breath for a longer period of time , as I ticked off the seconds spent talking to him, before rushing off for an imaginary assignment , that would help me take a deep breath of fresh air again. 






Sometimes, I wondered , whether the poor souls themselves didn't feel punished by having to smell so bad, and I had once ventured to ask one of them, a friend , as to when he had bathed last ! 
"Why?", he was rather surprised I had asked this.
" Because , to be very frank, you smell like you've been fermented!" , I was candid.
The friend was incredulous," WHAT? I have put on the best deo in the market ......I can myself smell it!" 
I was in no mood to explain that what he was smelling as deo was just a figment of his imagination, as, even the costliest deodorants would never claim to suppress the odour emanating from a putrefied corpse, and skipping bathing made my friend smell no less! 

I felt for these folks from the hostel..... Simply having an instant water heater would set this malpractice of theirs straight , but nobody cared less, while they stayed on , spreading Smell Pollution , and getting stigmatised !