Never good at good bye...

There's a saying called kupamanduk or kuo-r bang in Bengali that means 'frog in a well.' Being born and brought up in one of the most charming cities in the entire world meant becoming a frog in a well in some sense or the other.I never left the city till a certain age and all my favourites started and ended in the city-my favourite phuchka or dosa or rolls or mishti or noodles or tandoori chicken, my favourite corner to read or think or take a long walk, my favourite place for second hand books, mojris, sarees, dress materials, thrifted stuff, accessories and what not. My city has always provided me with everything I have ever wanted(and more) and therefore, I never felt the need to leave this city.
     But life has a way of throwing us off the turf. During my orientation programme, I was required to travel to various locations and among the three locations that I had visited, if there was one place that I hated with a passion, it was Indore. The very vibe of the city depressed me, I hated the food, I had difficulties understanding their dialect, the work culture in the Indore office irritated me to no end and the list goes on. But ironically, I was chosen to operate out of the Indore office for two years by the Management. Given that the fellow Management Trainees were going to places like Haldia, Gandhidham, Mangalore and Patalganga, I was in pretty much the best possible location though. Besides, I don't like coming across as an inflexible person at work. So, there I was- packing my bags and leaving within three days of being back from Haldia.
                                                                                         The hardest part about leaving is having to say good bye. I'm bad at it. My tear glands betray me and no matter how much I swear not to cry, my voice chokes. I'm not a much-loved person but the few people I care for mean the world to me and vice versa. So, this time also, no matter where it took place, I could barely speak, my eyes welled up and before long, I knew I was getting ugly. But it didn't matter because the moment itself was beautiful and this beauty was beyond words. And then it ended. I left the city that meant everything to me and arrived in a new city where I knew no one. Pleasantries were exchanged, strangers were befriended and life moved on.

Sheer maxi skirt, crop top, ring- B.K.Market, cuff- New Market, neckpiece- Lindsay Street, gladiators- Shreeram Arcade lipstick- Orange Punch by Colorbar, nail paints- Pink Champagne by Maybelline

Saree Saga '14- Part-III

And finally, with the festivities over and the damp, cold emptiness taking over all us Calcuttans(even though I'm not going to be one for long), all we are left with are memories. Happy memories, crazy memories, blurry memories...memories are aplenty. And it feels like this annoying hangover that doesn't encompass all your senses but stops you from focusing on anything else. Every time you look at a picture from those few days, you are filled with this bitter feeling of disappointment. You're mad that it got over so soon(but that's a complaint that Calcuttans always have, don't they?) and you're mad that you can't move on. The city is preparing itself for another set of festivities but by then, I'd be sitting in a distant city near Malwa plateau- missing the nip in the air in my favourite city, the monkey caps, the lazy sun, the family picnics, the lights in Park Street and the indomitable spirit of the city that just never, never dies.
                                                     Anyway, the Saree series comes to an end with this post. I'll leave you with the pictures while I prepare myself for the journey towards uncertainty.

Saree- mom's,blouse- bought from local shop due to emergency, cuff- New Market, chappal- Shreeram Arcade, earring-B.K.Market, bindi- local shop, lipstick- MAT4 Bold Matte by Maybelline 

Picture Courtesy - Pooja

Saree, blouse- Howrah Bridge, earring, ring- New Market, bindi- local shop, chappal(not seen in the picture)- B.K.Market, lipstick- Orange Punch by Colorbar

Saree Saga '14- Part-II

The number of hits on the first saree post of this Pujo was motivation enough to write down the second post so soon. Since I'm done lecturing(and boring) you on the hollow side of our Pujo celebration these days(I'm pretty sure I pissed off quite a few in the process), I decided to make it up to those angry souls in this post and talk about the not-so-shallow side of those very means of celebration.
                 First comes the attire. Yes, no one would penalize you for roaming around in your pajamas during Pujo but draping the beautiful nine yard puts you in the right mood like nothing else. Like they say, one has to look the part before trying to act it. Besides, it's one of the best ways to get to know the rich heritage of our country. There are so many beautiful varieties hiding in quaint little villages in every state and the story behind each Fulia taant or Murshidabad silk saree is fascinating, to say the least!
       And then comes the food. Kolkata is a city well known for its roadside delicacies but the frenzy over every jhaal muri-bhelpuri-phuchka-egg roll-biryani-candy floss stall during these four days is unbelievable! And from Ichaapur to Italy, nothing brings a family together like sharing good food. I never watch what I eat during Pujo but if you are even more health-conscious than I'm, worry not. There's something or the other for everyone in the grand Pujo feast. There are a lot of healthy options too like ghugni, bhelpuri, the Ashtami bhog khichudi and labra, to name a few.
                                                                                                                            And now the famous pandal hopping that we Kolkatans can't seem to imagine life without and people from other cities find difficult to understand. It's beyond the understanding of all my friends from other cities what pleasure one can get out of walking for miles and sweating while wearing heavy make-up and gaudy clothes. Well, for starters, it burns at least half of the extra calories that you have gained, thanks to all the eating! And Kolkata is the only city where you get to see everyone from a CEO to a domestic help dressing up in their best attire and walking down the same street to visit the same pandals. Ever seen a more natural example of equality?

Panchami
Saree- mom's, blouse- bought from local shop due to emergency, earring- B.K.Market, bindi- local shop, lipstick- MAT4 Bold Matte by Maybelline

Saptami

Saree- mom's, blouse-Howrah Bridge, rings- New Market, chappal- Shreeram Arcade, earring- B.K.Market, bindi- local shop, lipstick- MAT4 Bold Matte by Maybelline

Coming to the outfits, since I had no time to shop this Pujo, I had to wear mostly my mom's sarees. I'm not much of a taant person and find it difficult to manage but surprisingly, I was very comfortable wearing them this year. Guess age is catching up after all. Also,  if you drape it well, it's pretty flattering for almost all body types.
    One more saree post and then I'd move on to the most eventful trip of my entire life! Till then, take care and keep it stylish.

Saree Saga '14- Part-I

Whoever said that celebration cannot overshadow the cause behind it should come and spend Durga Pujo in our city of joy. What must have started out as a solemn week of celebrating the victory of the Good over the Evil has turned out to be the ugliest form of commercialization these days. For most of my non-Bengali friends, this festival is synonymous to wearing sarees, visiting themed pandals, gorging on luchi-kosha mangsho-egg rolls-phuchka and junk of every other kind and of course, the customary bird-watching at Maddox Square. To be honest, my Pujo schedule doesn't deviate much from what I just stated but at times, I kind of miss those innocent days when Durga Pujo used to be about looking out of the windows of our classroom and getting lost into the 'shiuli' and 'kaash' flowers outside or squinting while trying to size up the clouds that looked like dispersed cotton balls. Growing up in a middle class family meant counting every hundred bucks and still running short of accessories to go with my new clothes. Themed pandals were very much in existence but I was lucky enough to experience the charm of traditional Pujos with 'ek chaala thhakur' and the beats of 'dhaak' during my childhood. But with 'shaarod shomman' s and packaged Pujo tours ending at Shobhabazaar Raaj-baari, we didn't even realize when the pure spirit of Pujo got lost in the midst of the glamorization.

                     But then, lamenting over the past would bring us nothing and I personally believe in moving on with the changing times. So, here I am- giving a tribute to our good ol' saree in my own way! I was supposed to be the proud owner of this saree by Howrah Bridge long back but somehow, it got delayed. But, as they say, better late than never! I've never felt sexier in a saree! And that's why I thought THE saree deserves to be the opening batsman in the saree series I've planned to do on ze blog. Enjoy the pictures while I go back to gorging on the bijoya sweets.

Saree, blouse- Howrah Bridge, earrings- New Market, ring, jeggings- B.K.Market, shoes- Metro Plaza, bindi- local shop, lipstick- MAT4 Bold Matte by Maybelline

Picture Credits-Debi( who has also been sweet enough to feature me on her blog; click on the link and read the post if you haven't already!)

P.S. This was my Navami/Dashami outfit. Stay tuned for more Pujo outfits and details of an awesome hill trip coming up! Till then, shubho bijoya to all of you and like I always say, keep it stylish.