HOJOBOROLO

Yogoodness

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:32:44 GMT

"If you live intentionally that is a good thing" - quoting yoga instructor, he made me feel really good when he said that...

thoughts?

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:43:56 GMT

Should I get bangs?

In akhokein masti ke...

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:59:36 GMT

Ek tum hi nehi tanha
ulfat mei meri ruswa
ish saher mei tum jaise
diwana hazaro hei

Ish shamme faroza ko
andhi se darate ho
ish shamme faroza ke
parwane hazaro hai

in akhokein masti ke
mastane hazaron hai

Arnob in English?

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:15:52 GMT

And for you,
From that sky
I have brought a small piece of cloud
Now you - Make it into rain
Right now,
For me,
Right now
And with that rain we will make a roof
And on that roof we shall sleep
And then that roof will break
And that water will turn into air
And what will you do with that air?

So isn’t it better
That we find a piece of cloud
Right now
For us
Right now
And dive into it with our eyes shut
Right now
For us
Right now

For you
From that Sky…

Happy Birthday Baba

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:09:20 GMT

Today is Abbu's Birthday. He would have been 54. How am I celebrating it?
I don't know...it's hard to celebrate when all you feel is down inside. His death was so long ago now that it's become a part of me. And therefore his memories come and go casually most of the time without tears.

But there is this heaviness today, more than last year, more than last few years that creped up after I got to work. I had a dumb argument with one of the closest people to me which ended up with me hanging up the phone with an abrupt "this is not a good time to talk, bye." And then my eyes started pouring. I looked down and the tears started placing themselves all over my key board, warm tears, that lasted about 5 minutes...and then I called a friend a cried out loud...

After 20 minutes of conversation I was feeling better again...laughing and talking with a slightly broken voice. This friend of mine some how always has the power to heal...one day he will heal the whole world...I know it...or at least our Bangladesh or certain important parts of it.

So Baba is gone. I am celebrating him inside, with a heart full of tears, happy birthday Abbu, you have not changed...but I have...wish I got to know you better...

My piece on DNC on Forum

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:59:13 GMT

One of my DNC pieces was published today on Forum:

http://www.thedailystar.net/forum/2008/october/dnc.htm

where is youth?

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:47:56 GMT

Where exactly is he?

Revisiting Costa Rica

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 06:39:07 GMT

I found this piece that i wrote after coming back from Costa Rica in 2005, it really made me want to go back...

>...got to San Jose and rented our four wheeler, headed to the shitty down
>town of San Jose which such a sorry place, I guess it’s the Dhaka of
>Bangladesh, but Dhaka has some pretty spots…okay maybe not, but I guess I
>didn’t feel any connection with that city, I was happy to leave the next
>morning for Arenal, the live volcano that breathed out lava, and that’s
>when I saw paradise, on our way up the mountain with the narrow roads and
>the locals all around, living in fertile land with green, red and blue.
>Fire, earth and the ocean…they are so lucky, I think I know now what
>paradise must look like, I am impressed beyond imagination…
>
>We went Kayaking in the river next…saw bunch of monkeys, long nosed bats,
>lots and lots of beautiful birds and then a crocodile, it jumped in the
>water right when I was done taking a picture, boy did I paddle away fast
>out of that area…the rainforest was unbelievable…
>
>Next we went to Monte Verde, stayed at the most amazing place, it was up on
>the cloud forest with a view of the lake and volcano from the side which
>erupts continuously all night, the room had glass walls so all night when I
>would wake up I would see the volcano and the clouds which played with it.
>Went hiking as well, and bath in clouds that swam by…
>
>Next day went to do zip cables, a canopy tour, you basically hang on these
>zip cables hundreds of feet above ground, above the rainforest, I was
>amazed that I had that much guts, it was something else, it ended with a
>tarzan free fall thing, which I screamed through, but I was so proud of
>myself afterwards :)
>
>After Samara we headed south to Manuel Antonio, and there we stayed at
>Costa Verde with the most amazing view, the pictures look like post cards
>and I stayed up just to watch the ocean in all it’s phases and the sky in
>all it’s colors, it was soo out of the world, so out of the world, I know I
>keep saying this, but seriously, I have no words to describe it, and these
>pictures don’t do any justice. The orange Iguana stayed with us in the next
>tree, it scared the hell out of me as it was same size as me, but he was a
>lazy dude and stayed like that all day. And last but not least swam in the
>pacific and white water rafted at the orange river, which was took a lot of
>nerve from my end, as a first timer in a level 4 rafting it was a crazy, my
>whole face was pale, but our guide was awesome, and he saved me once from
>falling off and getting swept to the pacific.
>

always moving

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:38:15 GMT

I saw an old friend today after two years. Had a nice time catching up, it was flat but at the same time comforting. Someone who has seen me and I have seen him through a world of insanity and then self searching. He lives far away now, he is always moving. Someone even less "grounded" than i am, a life i could easily get use to. "There is a world out there" he said, "with so many different people, it's nice to get out." And I thought after how many times of the same conversation with different people does a place get old...

Arnob Concert Tickets

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:29:30 GMT

If you live in the DC, the DC metro area, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, come to the Arnob Concert we are organizing in DC October 18, 2008. Buy tickets at: https://arnobconcert-dc.ticketleap.com/

Baba

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:00:27 GMT

Just realized I have now lived half my life without a father...

Joy Gosami - Jara Bristi te bhijechilo

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 01:54:25 GMT

Palok e Palok lage
aj din aagun e katuk...

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:27:52 GMT

ghose meje debi saja...

Manna De

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:19:52 GMT

Jano naki akash nijei saadh kore chai
megh er kalo
Jate oy purono chad notun kore lage bhalo
obhiman emni korei onek besi
aro onek besi
barai mon er taan

eto raag noi go
eje obhiman

.......

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:58:03 GMT

I exist...

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:51:50 GMT

Sadma to hai mujhe bhi
ke tujse judah hu mei
lekin yeh sochta hu
ke ab tera keya hu mei

Sorrow lingers
in my heart too
that we are apart
And then I think
now who am I to you

Keya jane kis adah se liya
tuneh mera naam
duniya samaj rahe hai
ke saab kuch tera hu mei

Who knows how
you uttered my name
now the world thinks
I am everything to you

Tagore on my mind

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:00:06 GMT

IN THE DUSKY PATH OF A DREAM
by: Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

In the dusky path of a dream I went to seek the love who was mine in a former life.
Her house stood at the end of a desolate street.
In the evening breeze her pet peacock sat drowsing on its perch, and the pigeons were silent in their corner.
She set her lamp down by the portal and stood before me.
She raised her large eyes to my face and mutely asked, "Are you well, my friend?"
I tried to answer, but our language had been lost and forgotten.
I thought and thought; our names would not come to my mind.
Tears shone in her eyes. She held up her right hand to me. I took it and stood silent.
Our lamp had flickered in the evening breeze and died

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:04:17 GMT

She wont wake
until he kisses her again
on her left cheek
she wont smile
until he kisses her on the right too
she wont stop thinking about him
until he kisses her hand
and says good bye
and then he will be gone
forever?
she doesn't know
but for now she won't sleep
until he returns

Off!

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:30:57 GMT

Packed:
Hiking and camping attires for the Rockies - Done
Fancy cute dresses and serious pair of shoes for the Democratic National Convention- Done
Beach flip flops and a mind ready for the sun, for Negril, Jamaica - Done

:)

The FOB inside

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 03:42:34 GMT

The FOB inside me is more loud in some days than others... she is definitely angry!

Taxicab Confessions

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:41:02 GMT

http://www.thedailystar.net/lifestyle/2008/07/03/page03.htm

Walking thoughts

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:39:31 GMT

Under A Different Sky

I walk because I can; it's most convenient, most independent. So I walk all streets that fall on my way- after I stand up, before I sit down, I walk.
Humid, summer evenings, sky full of sunlight, and I walk. And so does everyone else around me. I don't notice cars that drive by. I notice people. And people in cars somehow seem less human than the humans walking around me. As if a part of their identity has been taken away when they stepped into their cars, they are no longer people but square things with wheels.

In my own bubble I walk, watching, feeling…contemplating…questioning and answering. My own bubble makes me feel precious, I become the most important person alive, the most amazing, even if a much greater marvel is walking across the street, even if all my splendours are fading away while I walk. Even if there are 1000 Me's walking around the world thinking we are unique, we haven't met each other, and even if we did, we wouldn't recognise.

While we walk, we think. Think about the past and the future but never about the present. How much money I have spent, how many days I have wasted, how many places I have visited, how many kilos have I lost or gained. And the future, less and less broad as I grow older, less and less dramatic, but with equal uncertainty as the past, so I walk to be certain.

And I look at the store windows with big bold “Sale” signs. Middle of July and the summer collection is already too old. Emptying out spaces for sweaters already, they think ahead, more ahead than I want to.

So I walk through stores, to learn about the future. Fall collection in the middle of summer, ruffles and cowl necks, painted buttons and three-quarter sleeves. For the first time I buy one, a sweater in the middle of the summer, to feel progressive, futuristic. It remains wrapped up waiting to be worn, waiting to be walked, someday.

While I walk our bubbles collide, we look, blatantly, we don't react. Maybe inside just a little thought provokes, and then it changes into another realm. I see children with their parents, children in laps, children in strollers. Young hopeful parents, older accomplished parents. Parents who got bored, parents who wanted more, and they chose to have a child, the hard-easy choice. And I see some of them have stopped walking for themselves and now they only walk for their child, the greater being, new life, new steps. And I wonder if I can ever walk for someone else.

When I was young in Dhaka , one of our househelps after finishing her chores would always call me to lock the door behind her. When I said bye to her she would say “Jodi baicha thaki taile kaal dekha hoibo,” "in case I am alive I will see you tomorrow". Everyday, she said the same thing, every single day. And I saw her every single day. She walked to our house in the mornings, and walked back to her home late afternoon, thinking about tomorrow, and if she will be alive, and it annoyed me, I thought it was overdramatic. It's been a long time since I last saw her, she is dead now, like she was suppose to be, like I am suppose to be one day. But I don't like thinking every walk could be my last, I am more cautious than pretend to be.

My toe nails are always half painted, my legs are always tired, but I still walk, because it's convenient, because it's independent and I am too scared to run and too bored to stand and walking never gets old, only I do.

Kanak Da

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:52:57 GMT

One of the few people I admire so so much in Dhaka right now... Kanak Da... a true talent, with his music, with his art...
I have been lucky enough to get to know him, become his friend, he did my amazingly beautiful hand-made wedding cards...
And today i saw his new music video of a song he use to sing when we all would hang out in 05, aziz super market, charukola, sitting on floors, drinking cha and this song "tumi amar pashe bondhu he boshiya thako, ektu boshiya thako"

I am so proud of him!
the song
http://www.banglamusicreview.com/music/Various%20Artists/Noyon%20Aloy%20Shagotom/Various%20Artists%20-%20Noyon%20Aloy%20Shagotom%20-%20Ektu%20Boshiya%20Thako%20by%20Konok%20and%20Kartik.mp3

the video
http://www.revver.com/video/902646/kartik-kanak-ektu-boshiya-thako/

bhalo achi

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:07:52 GMT

Bhalo achi?
Tai jonno lekha hoy na
Kharap thakleu na
Dourabar somoy mone kori
likhte hobe likhte hobe
jokhon theme thaki
tokhono
kintu lekha hoy na sob kichu
ar ja likhi ta pora hoy na bhalo kore

urchi keno?

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:05:51 GMT

Urchi Keno
keu jane na
jacchi bohudur
ajonmo ey pap er bojha
kankhito bhang chur

- Rahul Da