Serendipity

Have you ever experienced a moment when you listen to the strains of a particular piece of music for the first time and you are bound to it forever? The melody is then no longer restricted to merely the auditory senses, but transcends to culminate into a joyous experience for the soul. The heart is gladdened, the spirit soars, a warm, rosy glow envelops the senses and there pervades an inexplicable lightness of being. That is what I feel and experience when I listen to the theme music from the Chariots of Fire. A feeling of emancipation and elevation, of ecstasy and exhilaration, as if I have wings to soar high and touch the skies. Though I had heard about the movie quite a bit, I had never watched it or even listened to the theme. And then it was the dazzling opening ceremony of the London Olympics 2012 and at the grandest sporting spectacle of all, they played into the night. It was then I realized what a singularly breathtaking piece of music this was and how lucky I was to...

When I first arrived in Stockholm at the end of October last year, winter was about to set in. It was actually quite a late onset when compared to the bitter winters of the past couple of years. Rather than the cold, what was most disturbing was the absence of daylight. The sun used to be out for rarely four to five precious hours of the day. You start for office in the morning, it is dark, you get out of office at evening, it is dark again. Having lived all my life in a country bathed in sunlight all through the year, it was quite difficult to cope with. It was actually quite depressing. However, help was never far away. Lend your ear and you would most certainly hear a summer story. Summer - the magic time in the lives of the Swedes. Glorious sunshine, crystal clear skies, budding leaves and blossoming flowers, long, balmy evenings, the all-pervasive white of the snow giving way to a vibgyor-like, spectacular burst of colors. It was almost as if the Swedes would live through the...

                                        The high point of my trip to Amsterdam - The 'Achterhuis' (meaning 'back house' in Dutch) or The Secret Annexe - now The Anne Frank House. On that balmy summer evening, when I stood by the Prisengracht canal, I almost felt I was taking a journey back in time. In fact, that was the overwhelming feeling when I entered the Anne Frank house. Within those walls, time stands frozen and Anne is still a beautiful young girl with dreams in her deep,dark eyes. My first introduction to Anne Frank when I was probably in the fifth or sixth standard, through a Bengali children's magazine. Then,later on, I read the the annal in its entirety and the moving foreword by Eleanor Roosevelt. Life, seemingly ,turned a full circle for me on 22nd June 2012,when holding the entrance pass (picture above) in my hand I stood at the entrance to the Anne Frank ...

It's been over eight months here in Stockholm, at H&M. Learning a lot of new things, unlearning some old stuff, gathering valuable experience and, most importantly for me, forging bonds that leave an impression on people's minds. Build not only a professional relationship but ties that surpass it. It has been a pleasure interacting with the people here, everyone has been extremely cordial, helpful and supporting. And I have tried to reciprocate their candor with the genuine warmth that I have felt for them. Maybe I am a bit too emotional by nature  and I accept that as a folly. I tend to get too affected at times by the circumstances. Today was one such day for me. It was very difficult to say the least. Two of the nicest persons I have met here left the project today. It is an integral part, a way of life at any workplace, of all professions - people coming and leaving. But I will take a bit of time to adjust to it. It is because they were more than just colleagues, I ...

31st March : I still aspire to be a globetrotter. As a kid, my favorite reply to the question 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' was 'A vagabond'. I don't remember clearly but it might have been inspired to some extent from the celebrated poem by Sir Robert Louis Stevenson of the same name. Childhood fantasies die hard. I am trying my hand at travel writing now. Someday when I shall apply for such a job, all this stuff would go into that CV! Anyway, there I was at Riga, Latvia, tucked away on the shores of the Baltic sea, with that particular feature that enthralls me foremost about any place - a quaint old-world charm. We had about five hours to roam about Riga before getting back to the ship for the return sail. I had done a bit of homework and armed with maps picked up from the reception desk of the ship (the helpful guy even marking some of the tourist spots), was all set to take a walking tour. And as in Stockholm, the Old Town was the focal point...

 Hmmm, the title threatens to grow longer than the post itself! Well, just wanted to stick to the 'My Sweden Story' theme, have got into a little flow, so to speak. 30th March -Setting sail! A cruise across the Baltic, aboard a luxury liner called the M/S Romantika, with a Spanish Fiesta theme, to a city with a moniker of  'Little Paris' - it was fabuloso to say the very least! The cruise to Riga was a spur-of-the-moment impulsive decision, (the kind I am always afraid to make by worrying too much about the consequences), then I almost backed out at the last moment (which is actually more like me) scared by gloomy skies, threatening weather forecasts, and the frightening memories of sea-sickness from the last time. And then, it was back to being spontaneous and impulsive! Wow, I was really surprising myself. On way to the Frihamnen port, as the metro passed by Gamla Stan, it was blue skies and white clouds suddenly, and with it the lifting of spirits. Reac...

People and places ~ the essence of a new life experience. "Each of us has a story of our own. When we meet different people at the various turns of  life, their stories become entwined to ours and they become a part of our stories too.", a rough representation of the dialogues in some movie that I had once watched. Stockholm has been such a wonderful experience in that regard. There will be lots of memories that I will carry in my heart always. Solitary walks by the buildings of the Old Town, through the narrow cobble stoned streets, watching the radiant colors of the skies, sitting on the benches by the waters as the lights of the city twinkled all around, feeling the wind on my face while listening to the cries of the seagulls...I could go on and on. These rendezvous make me feel strangely calm from within, its an indescribable feeling, I find myself smiling for no apparent season other than the fact that I feel truly alive and happy, rid of all negativity. There are ...