Sunday, June 19, 2005

Blank Page Syndrome

Written 2nd May 2005

This is one thing writers are very used to. You sit down with the aim

of writing something with a blank piece of paper before you (or

nowadays, a blank Wordpad screen). And then, for hours on end, you

cannot decide what the starting line should be. You think up various

options in your mind. As they come to your mind, you reject some

immediately. And you like one or two options but cannot decide which

one is better. This tussle goes on for quite some time and hence the

name, "Blank Page Syndrome".


The stage of my life in which I presently am, presents to me a

strikingly similar situation. In a week or so, the coursework at IIT is

going to end. ----- then job after 2 months---- like blank page ----- last

few months, busy with project & studies ---- now that no more ---- so

many options in these 2 months ----- career building ------ holiday with friends & family

---- hang out with friends in cal ---- urge to do sth productive ------

going home early ------- phew! eager to choose & write the 1st line....


****

19th June 2005

The 2-month vacation mentioned in the above scribble is now going on.

Half of it is over. And phew! The first line has been written.


The vacation started with my project guide asking me to stay back and

write a paper. Paper! - such glory, such hoo-haa'ness. How could I say

no. Thus the first line of my two-month long blank-page was literally

'written'.


The paper-writing episode continued for a good two weeks with a home

trip sprinkled in between. The writing had to be temporarily suspended

as the home front was threatening me with dire consequences if I did

not return within the month of May. My parents were convinced that

their son, who was showing no inclination of coming home, was up to some

dushtumi. If only they knew what a good boy their son was being at that

time!!


Anyway, circumstances were such that I found myself in Kolkata during

the last week of May. I had officially left Kgp. At least my parents

thought so. But some work was left for the project and that was a

good-enough excuse to come back again. However I could not breathe a

bit of this to my parents, because, as you well might understand, one's

life is precious to oneself.


A trip to Bangalore to visit my school friends who were completing

college there, had been long due. Also due was a relaxing getaway with

my parents. Punching these two, we decided to go to Bangalore for a ten

day trip.


This was my fourth visit to Bangalore. People found two things about our

trip difficult to digest. One - that we were not going anywhere apart

from Bangalore. For most Bengalis going so far South and not doing the

typical Ooty-kodaikanal-Mysore-etc-etc '2 nights-3 days' package is

sacrilege. And two, Bangalore being the preferred city of

employment that it is, that I was going there for relaxation instead of looking for

better job prospects.


The weather of Bangalore was just too good for scorched Calcutta’s like

us. We did not go to too many places. Our hotel, Pai Vihar, where we

had stayed earlier too, was just too good. Nevertheless, thanks to

Nilay and Soumallya and also Bhomesh and Fonta, we got to see quite a

few places - IISc Bangalore, Soumallya's college, Forum Mall, Bhomesh's

office. Finally we topped this with a trip to Tirupati and returned home

refreshed and blessed to face the onslaught in Kolkata.


There's one more month to go before I join my job. A string of

nemontonno's (invitations) has come up. I am struggling with all

earnest, in the departments of travel and gastronomical affairs, to do

justice to these invitations. Being of the opinion that such social

do-s prevent more enjoyable ways of whiling away time, I compare them

with similar social do-s that popped up ever so often in Kgp.