Intelligence gets connected through RELIANCE JIO

Time is too much a factor in Mumbai and when at times you realise that, you start feeling restless. A similar feeling of inhibitedness has cast its grip on me since sometime. Words refuse to come out like pearls and even if they do, they fail to make a beauteous piece. I feel nauseated, I feel asphyxiated and hence whenever, even if it is for sometime, words appear deliciously in my gray-matter, I strive to capture them through my narratives. However I firmly affirm that this is not a writer's block. This is just stress. My chemical engineering is taking a bit too much of me these days, wherein the engineer in me feels excited but the narrator in me feels dejected. Well that is my saga of existence. And I am proud of it, after all my profession got me to work with a world class organisation like Reliance and fetched me a chance to witness the extravagant Jio Launch. Since I returned from that event I was pleading my creative juices to flow, such that I could write something apt for the grandeur I just witnessed.

Me and Avishek at the Venue

It was a star-studded night. No really! I mean literally it was. A colder night compared to Mumbai standards of winter, clear sky with twinkling stars and a smiling almost full moon. 27th December 2015, a day before the 83rd Birth Anniversary of Founder Chairman of Reliance, Late. Shri Dhirubhai Ambani will always be remembered so, as in, a star-studded night, this time I say so metaphorically though. 

Manish Paul entertains

Reliance Industries Limited, a name known to everyone across the globe, a brand and brand ambassador alike, of and for India on the global platform. The company being pioneers of the Oil and Gas, Refining and Petrochemical sectors, have had remarkable business in Retail, Life-sciences and many more. However with the world entering a new and unique era of digitisation, RIL, has come up with something apt to keep the organisation and the nation as a whole at par the global Scenario. On the 27th of this Month Reliance launched the most awaited hi-speed digital network "JIO" through possibly one the largest corporate events in the country ever. 

Dazzling isn't it?

Dances representing different states of India

Colorful, as Life

The entire strength of the Mumbai Corporate Park, Reliance Corporate Park (aka RCP) was invited to witness the launch along with their families. An incredible strength of 35000 people had gathered to celebrate Jio in a temporary stadium custom made for the event. It is worth mentioning, that right from sitting arrangement to refreshments during the event was taken care off and well execution will be an understatement. 

35000 lamps lit

A.R. Rahman mesmerizes

Musical continues

SRK with in & out beautiful Smt. Nita Ambani

The show started with famous standup comedian and actor Manish Paul's fun act, till the third generation leadership took the stage in the form of Akash and Isha Ambani. Who did complete justice to their legacy. While 35000 odd lamps were lit to grandly launch JIO, the entire Ambani family came together for the lamp-lighting ceremony. A sight worth beholding. Soon Shah Rukh Khan entered the venue ceremoniously and heroically on a Harley Davidson, and took the audiences by his wit, presence, dances and candidness. He is truly a great onboard. And off course, honey awaited our ears in the form of music maestro A.R.Rahman and other famous singers, who created pure magic through soulful music accompanied by dance performances by renowned choreographers like Salman Yusuff Khan. Each song and dance combo promised uniqueness and romance, that flowed past those thousands of people eagerly watching them. Ranbir Kapoor, Tina and Anil Ambani, Raju Hirani were a few of the famous personalities that graced the occasion.

However the best part was off course Chairman and Managing Director of RIL group, Shri. Mukesh Ambani's speech, which aroused pride in organisation and a zeal to think big, because big and unattainable is actually attainable. 

Excitement almost tangible

And see today I write about the extravagant, excellent and grandiloquent event that my organisation gifted me and my family, after a long day of chemical engineering at office, my cook's unplanned leave and tired health, because nothing is impossible.

After the vote of thanks the sky was lit with numerous crackers

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

The SOCKS are never EMPTY

Let the sun shine on my shoulder

Let the pains sublime

The jingle bells are ringing already

For sure it is celebration time

Your secret Santa has gifts for you

Gifts gay and bright

It lays on you to fetch that glee

So run to merriment upright

Let work take a back seat

Let haters put to mute

Its the time to rub shoulders with joy

Because twinkling eyes are cute

If your socks are empty

Kitchen devoid of the aroma of bake

Look around for inspiration

There is something for all to take

Life I believe is worth a spark

It is worth a stunning lead

A Festival is just a chance

To let endearment knead..

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

ARITRA CHAKRABARTY SENGUPTA

Feeling Winters

The fog weighs heavy on the dew at dawn

The fallen leaves make a yellow carpet on the green lawn

Trees suddenly have shed all shame

It trembles to the fiendish wind like the hands of a dame...

Suddenly the blanket has gained importance

The smell of coffee beans is beyond resistence

Smiling marigold and other flowers around

Metamorphosed the air to gaeity profound...

It's time to unfold the glory of winter

With a glass of wine just complete surrender

As the aroma of cake escape your kitchen

It's the beauty of the season that gets you richen...

Let bells jingle and the sledge be pulled

Reindeers run around in our neighbourhood

Winter has invited Santa in town

Just hang your socks, not the time to frown...

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

Team builds in THE LAKE VIEW CAFE- RENAISSANCE

"All work and no play makes me a dull girl"

If the above statement holds good for you too, you would appreciate the importance of work life balance and peer congeniality. Office is a place where we spend most part of our day and hence it is of utmost importance to have a good work environment. There should be healthy relationships between colleagues and then only we are able to work to the best of our abilities. 

Recently, our group had visited "Lake View Cafe, Renaissance" for a team building dinner. Frankly our small group of simulation and modelling nerds as we call it , is a well-coherent and balanced group. Insecurities, politics etc could never pop in their covetous heads, to disrupt the friendly work-oriented environment within the group. So dinner time, could hardly build our team, as it was already well built, but it served as a breeding ground for frank conversations and gay time spent with people, we mostly discuss work with.

Now coming to "Lake View Cafe", it's not the first time I had been there and definitely not the last time either. Implying, most definitely that we liked the place. The physical location, is one very positive aspect of the cafe and that is the exotic view of the Powai Lake. Day and night serve different eye catching views, while the sun- light is on, you can cherish the ripples and as darkness descends you can revere the city lights forming savoury discord of lights on the black waters of the lake. We chose the night beauty. And enjoyed the soft lake breeze caressing us to peace and more so as some of us, had reached early and had ample time before taking the plunge.

The food was great too, there was an elaborate dinner spread ranging from Indian to Thai to Chinese but the best was the desert extravagance. While the gulab jamuns were casting a magic spell, some of us couldn't get enough of the oreo delight...and there many, many more too.

The sweet delight

Selfie time

Our lovely group

Smoking hot..well dinner!!! :-)

The lovely ambience, great food and hospitality made our dinner, a joy ride. Team, implies togetherness and no team can exist with inherent differences. So it very important to build a conglomerated team of discrete personalities and activities like this serve as ice breakers. And we recommend "Lake View cafe" to all intending to do so.

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

Dilwale - Failed to capture my Dil

Movies across the world, have always given iconic moments, iconic dialogues. Whether it is "the Titanic pose" or "Mogambo Khush hua", good narrations and intellectual creations have always led to remember worthy characters, situations, songs or even jodis (meaning: leading pair). And at least in India, when we speak of Iconic Jodi...it is no rocket science to guess, the names that top the radar is "Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol". Charming chemistry, ease of togetherness and candid appearance, had made them the most drolled after leading pair, inspite of not being the most good-looking one. But off-course they have managed to look that adorable, desirable pair on screen, always and forever. Yes, believe me, even in the most recent of Rohit Shetty's cinematic disasters called "Dilwale." Yeah, it's true that Shetty has entertained us with his Golmaal series and more. His colorful creations, car explosions, exotic locales are definitely visual treats, but what about the content? Don't they say, that with great success comes great responsibilities. In a country like India, not every one has crores of rupees laying egg in their bank accounts. Yet, we pay to see cinema, only in the hope of entertainment. So is it fair, to lure audiences only in the name of their icons and serve them crap? I know, if "Happy New Year" was a hit, then "Dilwale" will also be so. But where is morality and responsibility towards the millions who waited to see their hero "Shah Rukh Khan"  with his best pairing ever "Kajol"? Only God knows!

Now coming to the movie, my readers already know I did not like it. But believe me I tried to, inspite of hearing only negative comments, I dared seeing it, because I wanted to witness my dream shatter in front of my eyes, but there was some hidden hope as well. May be over expectation led to the negative reviews, is what my heart wanted to believe. But No...Rohit Shetty, completely messes up everything (nothing original though) and makes the most cliche scenes, dialogues and story possible. A bit of "Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam" and other movies, takes "Dilwale"  from being the most awaited to the most unwanted movie of the season. There is nothing that you have not seen already in the story, so I won't waste time writing about it. But there were some high points, great car-show, very colourful picturisation, wonderful songs which were like relief valves, making breathing space after a period of torture and off-course "Shah-Rukh and Kajol" who manage to shine though vulnerable depiction of passionate love and good acting even in that hopeless desert of nonsense. For Varun and Kriti, I believe they were misused and miscast, the plot required infants for that kind of IQ.

At the end, I just want to say that if this movie had a moving storyline, we could have had another "DDLJ" but alas no one cares to give the audience the share of good show, which they deserve in return of their love for the stars.

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

Anniversary celebrations with Blue Frog

Celebrations are a frame of mind and a good venue is essential to nurture those thoughts and make a special day worth remembering. It was our anniversary this Friday, 5th year of togetherness and bliss. Though we did not arrange any party as such, but we wanted to party ourselves. And so we scanned for a destination that was apt for our requirement. Now Mumbai is a city for awesome night-life, so options were many. We just happened to choose Blue Frog, a famous pub of South Mumbai.

The Blue Frog Club

Blue Frog is a very popular destination for people looking forward to have a chilled out evening, amidst music, food, dance and euphoria. We decided to go early, as Friday night is generally a time, when the crowd is at its peak of number and spirits both. But fortunately when we reached, it was less crowded and people were just starting to come in. We got a lovely, couch towards the corner, where we could spend some nice moments together. The ambience of the place is really awesome, electrifying. The colourful dazzling light and shadow and the enjoyable music, made the place a great one to hang out.

The electrifying Ambience

We at the venue

About the food, I am really impressed. The chicken wings with blue cheese sauce and continental chicken portion were simply delectable. We reached during Happy Hours, so obviously Avishek, my hubby was very happy! While my tropical Mojito gradually made me feel euphoric, his old choice, old monk, kept him gay.

The ambience gradually geared up as the DJ started to play some great stuff. Ritesh, the guy who served us, was really decent and nice. 

All said and done, I think Blue Frog is a great place to have a fun filled evening with friends or an erotic evening with your partner. Thank you for our share of fun.

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

Years pass by celebrating Life

As the clock ticked its way to 12 in the night

We knew it was time to start celebrations upright

Spending five years in the wedding lock

Oops! we did it, together we rock.

The cake appeared nutty and chocolaty

Bit like our equation, sometimes cool sometimes catty

Mid night celebrations were joyous so

I am your lady and you are my beau.

The morning next, office awaited

Unwilling I had to work on a day that is to be celebrated

But every dark cloud has a silver lining

The evening dawned with promise unfolding.

Book, greeting cards and goodies I love

Awaited my return impatiently kind of

The starry Friday night had a romantic tale to tell

A story of what we for each other felt.

They say some love stories are never to end

The goods and bads of life cannot make it bend
I hope our equation stays as strong
As the essence of living is felt life long!!!

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

FIVE WAYS TO BE A RESPONSIBLE TOURIST

INCREDIBLE INDIA

“Teak, Cedar and Fir waved their pretty heads,

The resultant cacophony was delicious.

I rose to this beautiful land of snow

It is was nothing less than living a dream”

In a Bengali Movie, called “Uro Chithi” there is a dialogue that has remained with me through time. The Dialogue is as follows “What is the difference between a tourist and a traveller” asked the girl, “What?” the man asked in astonishment…. “A tourist goes to a destination only to return back home, but a traveller makes the destination his home” replied the girl.

If you think deeply there is bigger implication to this statement. But before going to explore those realms, I want to ask you a question “Are you a tourist or a traveller?” Think before you answer. If you ask me the same, I would say, I have always considered myself an aspiring traveller, as I have travelled very less and desire to travel more and more and till oblivion. Sorry, I have no idea why the idea of travelling evokes that dormant poet in me…..please bear with me…

On a different note, our home is the most cherished corner in the world to us. We preserve it with utmost care and love. It is that corner that sees us the way we are, without and iota of pretentiousness. Our thoughts, beliefs and beings make our homes the way they are. Homes are reflections of our tastes and arts. Hence, we can conclude that if a tourist acquire a traveller heart, he will preserve the destinations he visits just like his home in the core of his heart and also be responsible towards them in every way.

In this era of growing tourism, each part of our vibrant Nation wants to attract tourism enthusiasts and beckon their nomad hearts towards them. And I absolutely support this gesture. After-all the people of these parts, which are sometimes substantially remote, gets scopes of employment and better life and living, with tourism boom. Yet there are points to be thought about. Are we doing anything to combat the increasing carbon footprints that is embarrassing the nascent beauty of these virgin lands? And what about littering, are we providing enough dispose facility? And the list is long. However as much as the Governance  is responsible, so are we for responsible touristing.

To me travelling is like living life. I love to feel the lands I visit and be a part of its existence and culture. Hence there is a sense of belonging and ownership delectably mixed inside me. And it is from that sense that I have made the following list of actions for RESPONSIBLE TOURISTING.

1. Before you select a vehicle, which is going to be the partner for your trip, examine its condition. Never compromise with a dilapidated and ill-maintained one for money. Otherwise you will end up tainting your lungs and tiring your ears, along with blemishing the touched lands of nature. BE RESPONSIBLE TO YOURSELF AND TO MOTHER NATURE.

2. I know, when we are on vacations, we give a damn for dieting. But please remember our empty chips and biscuit packets are not allowed to flaw the fir lined stretches and never-ending sands. DO NOT LITTER, DO NOT LET LITTER.

3. Laziness is not a good partner to enjoy vacation with. So shed the inhibited self of yours and live boundless. Prefer walking on green grass and catching butterflies by the stream. DO NOT TAKE YOUR VEHICLE TO THOSE VIRGIN LOCATIONS, WHERE LIFE IS AS PURE AS DEW DROP. Get as close as possible, then walk stealthily without disturbing the chirping birds or blooming flowers.

4. Have you heard of the saying "PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN SWORD?" I am sure you have. Live the saying by spreading words about those beautiful locales and get responsible tourism to them. Let the light of education, good sanitation facility and livable life be affordable to them too. (READ MY POST TO PROMOTE BENGAL TOURISM, which I feel is heavily neglected : SUBLIME BENGAL)

5. Car pooling is a part of city life. Don't forget about it while on a vacation. Always try to move about in groups, and REDUCE CARBON FOOTPRINT.

Responsibility comes from the feeling of ownership. Own your vacation and win attractive moments to cherish. Don't be a tourist be a TRAVELLER and make the destination your home. 
I will end with my own poem, because I believe my vacations inspire me to blog.

“ Where dainty fairies fly with their wings wide open,

Where lush greenery has no end, where all rules are broken!

Where cows loiter around, with bells around their neck,

Where phoenix of imagination, rises from a wreck!

That’s the land, where my story belong,

Where the essence of living is felt lifelong”

Pangong Lake, Ladakh

 “I am blogging for #ResponsibleTourism activity by Outlook Traveller in association with BlogAdda”

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

The good Dinosaur - A movie review

The innocence in the eyes of a smiling infant, is something that always melts our heart. Because, though our adult hearts are poisoned with many a conjectures yet we all have a child hidden in us. And that child craves for a vent of innocence. And that same child, hidden in our core sometimes wants to enjoy the way children do. Uninhibited laughter, eyes full of tangible astonishment.

This weekend, we wanted to catch a movie. But unfortunately were not able to decide on which to choose. I surprised myself when I agreed to watch "The Good Dinosaur". No, it is not that I don't like animation, but it's just that I was more in the mood of watching the hard hitting social cause types...ummm...as they say, that man proposes and God disposes and so be it..

It was a Sunday morning show in a multiplex near our house and given to the laidbackness that weighs heavy on weekends, we could just make it before the movie started to roll!! My hubby Avishek keeps mocking, saying, that I have only grown physically, mentally I resemble an infant. Well, well!! The feeling is absolutely mutual. So we two grown up infants, were seated with huge caramel popcorn baskets and coke (zero, huh!) in our hands, watching "The Good Dinosaur".

If I am asked to rate the movie, I will rate it 4.5/5 without any apparent reason to cut that 0.5, besides the thought that nothing is perfect. Yes it is a fairy tale, set in an era when dinosaurs were not extinct and is a story of a quintessential family like your or mine. Just that it is not human family, though the good dinos are much more humane. It is exemplary for good parenting, wherein a father and a mother impart and cultivate virtues in their three kids, who are essentially different from each other.

The protagonist of the story is Arlo, the youngest of the three kids. A weak, timid and coward kind of a kid, in contradiction to the other two siblings. The story is his learning life from hardships, when he is separated from his family. In his eventful and scary journey he meets a kid, Spot, and they together overcome the hurdles and emerge friends, without any lingual connect.

The movie is a visual treat, with great 3D effect and detailed animation of even the depicted emotions. And I would say it is must watch for kids in the age of imbibing the goods of their surroundings. However it is a treat for adults too, who will get a rare opportunity of treating themselves with childlike emotions and reliving their past age of living fairy tales.

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

KOLKATA DIARIES

I VOTE FOR THE EAST ZONE

I am writing for KOLKATA

 A video that explicitly portrays the beauty of Kolkata

Cuddled under the quilt, I half opened my eyes

As I rose to a delectable coldness in the air

The loud calls of the street mongers reached my ears

The noise of the rickshaw horns also had their share.

Instantly I knew even in partial consciousness

That I was in a space most dear to me

Tea in clay cups, music and family

It was Kolkata, the city that appears in the dreams I see.

The Herculean horses by the race course

Or the early morning beauty of the Victoria memorial

The crimson setting sun by Babughat

Or the evening bells in St. Paul's Cathedral.

I love every hue of my City of Joy

From the narrow lanes to modern Broadways

A city that houses art and culture

To the rhythm of which, an artist mind sways.

The city is a flavor in itself

Like the aroma of coffee in Coffee House

A signature that is never too old

The colors of tradition that never fade, like feathers of a grouse.....

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

When I was kid I lived in a beautiful fairy-tale township. Green, clean and effervescent. At that time I hated city life. The packed buses and trains, the jammed roads and crowded markets were nothing but turn offs to me. But fate brought me to Kolkata and soon my life and living started to be getting habituated with hustle and bustle. Without my knowledge, the so called city of joy, started to intimidate me. 

So when I came across this zonal war on Indiblogger, I thought this was one way I could pay back to the city that has given me loads of memories, jingles, verses and colors. Truly Kolkata is eccentric, inspite of all the political turmoil and other social issues, it continues to overawe. It continues to evoke art, it continues to evoke poetry in me. Hence my favorite city, in my colorful Nation India, will most definitely be Kolkata, "The City of Joy".

Probably the beauty of the city is in its bemusing mixture of the old and the new. While the narrow lanes of North Kolkata, takes you to the 70' s era, as in, "Ala Kolkata", and speaks many a stories, South Kolkata is different. It is contemporary. The Malls, the culture is like in any other big city, like Mumbai, Delhi. So this city gives the luxury of time to time commemoration of the past and drown in nostalgia and also lead a hep city life. The city roads are frankly not as wide like in cities like Mumbai, yet traffic pressure is manageable. Hence driving is not as big a pain as in many other cities in the country. One praise worthy aspect of my city, would most definitely be the strict traffic policing, you can hardly spot anyone without a helmet on a two-wheeler. And the wondrous traffic management of the humongous crowd during Durga Puja, is commendable.

This city is an intricate portrayal of art, culture and heritage. It symbolises literature, in a delectable dough of ancient and modern. It is designed to perfection to evoke the story teller, the poet and nature lover in you. True, it lags when compared to most modern cities, given to its laid back development. Yet it is designed to be one of the most liveable cities of the country, by providing liveability to people of varying economic status. The standard of living of Kolkata is much lower than the other big cities of the nation, however it also provides a wide range of choices for the upper economic class as well.

For any big city to grow, its connectivity with other parts of the country and abroad has to be great. This once capital of British India, is one of the four metropolitan cities of India, with an International Airport. The connectivity via road and rail is adequately developed, for my city to be called well connected. However I believe the east and west should be connected a little better.

It may not be the best, but it is my city. A city which has ample scope of development and modernisation. Its geographical location naturally connects it well to the rest of the world. And its colourful, literary atmosphere makes me the blogger I am and connects me to it, heart to heart. I thank Indiblogger and Tata Motors for this made of great zonal war and letting me write for Kolkata. To know more about it click on the following:MADE OF GREAT

The video that I have shared in my post is one of my favourites on the city. Hope you enjoy…

As the song goes, I sing for Kolkata

“Tomae Hrid Majare rakhbo….Chere debo na”

(Meaning: I will keep you in the middle of my heart and won’t let you go)

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta