......On this Spl. day....!!!

....9th Nov.1962 Morn.....as the ClockTower ticked feverishly in a busy Baidyanathdham Devghar four square.....my Ma, was having tough time negotiating with the labour pain & complications for my deliverance : her fourth child, in the nearby Civil Hospital.My elder brother nd two elder sister were at home having been taken care of my Pishima(Aunt frm Calcutta).....Dr Mrs Konar was pressing & working hard for a difficult situation enough to trigger the panic button of my father who loved his wife immensely....there in the hospital corridor our local Panda(Priest frm the BabaDham temple) comforted him with mantras of well being nd commitment frm my father for one maund of Rice,one Gold nd Silver Trishul each of 10gms in the name of Lord Shankar,the presiding deity in the famous temple ,stones throw frm the Hospital....my father prayed hard with the commitment chants of our fmly priest....as the clock tower Hr hand reached 9 nd the minute hand at 32 ...Lord Shankar...Baba Baidyanath heard his prayers....nd I was born healthy with minimal damage to my Ma....instantaneously I was christened as Shankar.....much to the joy of the fmly....nd tumultuous times it was with Indo China war of 1962 in progress with Ladakh nd NEFA(NorthEastFrontier Agency),now Arunachal under severe attack....a fledgling newly gained freedom under strain.....amidst this constraint there was a ripple of happiness.....my elder brother 5 1/2 yrs of age marched in with a stylish cap nd a customized coat nd pant, shook hands with the 'Lal Bhai' as my sisters called me but was not too amused for the uninterrupted attention he used to get, got divided nd his child like brain could quickly sense tht....he hving born in native place in our haveli nd being a son born was celebrated immeasurably by my Grand parents nd community....nd here I was born in tumultuous times in a civil hospital.....yet the attention frm my sisters peeved him....it took a long time for him to realise tht he was not the only one for whom Bapi nd ma wud get things.....even til date my obeisance to him is highly guarded nd his suzerainty still I accept....my early nascent years in the temple town with the Clock Tower, the narrow alleys,the fragrance of the peda shops the bel patri(wood apple leaves :3 leaves in one stalk)nd marigold scent in the sanctum sanctorum of the Lord,the rituals  engraved in my soul....the sublime clime of the Santhal parganas, my parents unflinching devotion to the fmly ,grew me well ....I salute nd Re salute thm for whtever I recd. in this Birth.....!!!!!!

......festival of lite nd hope....!!!!

As the year in its terminal stage, there is definitely a thaw, .....moments of recollection & evaluation......the system crash at home gets resurrected.....nd purposefully delayed , to hv a taste of having have to lose something so vital & important.....now tht we r in the know of importance of things ,we intend to appreciate nd utilise further nd not take anything for granted.....the remote land has taught us this.....!!....even the half chilly got saluted this brkfast nd not disposed....for 7yrs ago we learnt in Laam Fonadhoo...... far south....near Equator......how imp. it was..... for want of it....!!.....our appreciation of Gurgaon & Bangalore gets augmented year after year on annual leaves..... nd our unflinching love towards Homeland 1 remains intact, though ,Male', the Capital has no dearth of any thing nd u don't miss anything.....including Fish frm Riverine Bangladesh....Jamir wud call me aft the arrival of fresh consignment & diligently will I fetch for the fmly....Doel is wary of the fish bones, but Arnav is a cat....!!....the year has been fabulous with rain God's still showering....driving back home in the rains aft a long long day....with Kishore da in ful cry of his rendition "......RimJhim Girey Sawaan...Sulagh Sulagh Jaye Mann....Bhige aj is mausam mey ....laage kaise yeh agann....!!!!...."....the inexplicable balm over the tired self....!!!!....Archana arranged a fabulous Diwali for us with her Hand made Diyas nd Rangoli nd typical Bihari Diwali fud made us feel at home......we take this opportunity to wish fmly nd frnds a very prosperous Happy Diwali...!!!!!