What is your current status?

by tinabasu October 10, 2016

written by tinabasu

No I am not talking about your social or emotional status and trying to be holier than thou. I am talking about things much closer, and tiny yet very much social – what is your current Whatsapp Status? Mine currently says – Don’t ping me randomly if I don’t know you. Well, mine is not just a status it is a warning (you will understand where I am coming from if you get messages from random people every other day for friendship!)

Okay, leave my status, I have seen people on my Whatsapp group change their statuses very frequently and some are very creative with words. I always wondered how come they are so creative with their words on Whatsapp whereas otherwise they aren’t that creative.

What I figured out was this creativity was not entirely theirs, you have sites dedicated for Whatsapp status! This is new for me. I quickly checked Whats Status about what it really is. And guess what you have tons of statuses on that site! You have statuses in English and Hindi to suit your liking. But the amazing fact is you have statuses to fit your mood.

Jokes, fun stuff, good mornings are like synonymous with Whatsapp. But the funny part is you also have Breakup Whatsapp Status, Heart Broken status, Angry status. That’s serious amount of thinking on creating such status.

Here are some statuses that I found funny and creative.

So next time you are boiling inside and having a no-talking phase with your boyfriend or anyone for that matter, put up a witty status from the tons of statuses readily available. How cool is that. No wonder people keep changing their status every now and then.

You can also contribute your own status on the site. And from what I read on it, you can even earn a few bucks by writing some status. How cool is that?

I updated my own Whatsapp status which now says

My attitude is like mirror, show me that, what you want to see.

How was that? Next time you want to put up a status with an attitude, or something witty, you can get some status from here.

For more information check www.whatsstatus.com

I am taking part in the Ultimate Blogging Challenge, 31 Days of Marathon Blogging with Daily Chatter. Follow me on Twitter & Instagram to stay updated with #TinaWrites and #TinasBongConnection

October 10, 2016 9 comments

Life, Musing & Anecdotes

The Girlz – MY BFFs

by tinabasu October 7, 2016

written by tinabasu

Someone somewhere had said – your childhood friends are your true friends and those friendships are the most cherished ones that will stay for life. Is that true for you? I say NO. You can make wonderful friends even when you are older and wiser and that friendship may last lifelong.

I have made not just one but three awesome friends at quite a later stage of life while doing my post grads. And I can say that we all are soul sisters. It doesn’t even matter that we are not in the same city or country any more, it doesn’t matter that now we have our own families and responsibilities but we know we are there for each other – to watch each other’s backs whenever required.

Our Story

I met RO and Archu in Bangalore when they joined our paying guest accommodation. We were not room mates, and we became friends much later. I introduced Vishu to the same place after another year. As PG mates we used to hang around do the shopping and other girly stuffs quite often. I didn’t even realize when we became thick friends. The Girlz, as we call ourselves, is not just a girl gang of four happy girls. It is a bond – free of prejudice, and full of love and laughter.

We have had our shares of adventures, friendly banter and even absolute madness. We don’t consider us to be different people at all – we are all into this madness together.

Glimpses of our Madness

This was just before the FIFA World Cup 2010 when Shakira’s Wakka Wakka was like a national anthem everywhere. The song had just released and we had taken great liking to it instantly. We couldn’t make head or tail of the lyrics at first and it was Vishu who searched for the lyrics and wrote down on a paper. We broke into some impromptu Wakka Wakka dance in our room – on the bed, on the floor with bandanas and scarfs – literally doing some sort of tribal dance. The only lyrics that I could sing that time was ‘zamina mina eh eh, wakka wakka eye y, zamina mina lalallala – this time for Africa’!!! We sang loud danced like mad only to realize the windows of the room were all open and the curtains were not even drawn. There was a boy’s PG right behind ours and everyone got a good show of some tribal dance!

We used to have these girls’ night outs pretty often and some of these pubs and discos on MG Road, Brigade Road and Residency Road were our go to places. On one such outing we realized two of us had such wonderful night that they were not quite in a position to talk to people. The cab driver had asked politely ‘madam, don’t make noise, the police might question’ (if you have lived in Bangalore you will know the night life situation and police checking!) To this, one of them got so furious thinking the driver spoke ill to me and she yelled at him “you don’t talk to my friend like that, back off!” I am laughing as I write this. Some amount of Smirnoff makes you say loads of things.

I think I can write endless pages on our memories together. None of us are in the same city today but we are all aware of what is happening in each one’s life. We are leading a Whatsapp, Face Time life but we are together. And when we meet we pick up from where we left! Our friendship, our bond has survived the test of time and distance because we know each other so well, we have been with each other like rock – being the bridesmaids at weddings, to sneaking out to attend engagements before your wedding – we have done it all.

So if you are asking can one have more than one best friend, or if four girls can be best friends the answer is YES THEY CAN.

The Girlz Over the Years

Talking about you friends is always fun, isn’t it.

I heard, Zee TV is coming up with a fun filled chat show Vivo Smartphone Presents Yaaron Ki Baraat co-powered by Amazon.in and Brooke Bond Red Label on celebrity friendships. I think it would be interesting to learn about friendships of our stars that have survived the test of time and competition. What do you think? Let me know. Tune in to ZEE TV at 8 PM on 8th October.

October 7, 2016 6 comments

Life, Musing & Anecdotes

Durga Puja and Bengalis

by tinabasu October 7, 2016

written by tinabasu

Is that time of the year when not a single Bengali can keep calm. It’s Durga Puja time. Durga Puja is not just festival where you worship the goddess, it is a way of life for a Bengali. It is quite well known now that a Bengali always starts his years by marking the dates of Durga puja that year! It is that deep rooted in the minds and souls of Bengalis.

The number of ‘probashi bangali’, as we call it in Bengali, or the Bengalis staying away from Bengal is extremely high. Blame it on the state governments apathy towards growth, industries – that calls for a separate post altogether. Wherever you go, in whichever country you go you will find a good population of Bengalis settled. That by default means there will be a Durga Puja celebration during October – even if it is highly modified and customized according to their lives in those countries.

My Facebook timeline is now filled with the Durga Puja celebrations in places like Utah, Melbourne, New Jersey, Cincinnati, London etc. You will in fact find it really funny that these highly customized puja celebrations takes place over the weekend and is over within that. So even before the actual Dussehra, they finish up with sindur khela. You can’t blame anyone, the weekends are your only friends to celebrate your own festivals in a foreign land.

I left my hometown in 2007 and since then I am settled in Bangalore. The second highest population in Bangalore I guess are the Bengalis. There are at least some twenty pujas that are celebrated across Bangalore. So I still have some places to visit and regale in the festive fun.

This will be Bluey’s second Durga Puja, last year he was two and half months this time. We didn’t take him out though. I was in Kolkata during the pujas after almost 9 years. This also reminds me, how easy it was to dress him up when he was 2-3 month old. Now he has a mind of his own – can’t make him sit still for a minute, forget dressing him up.

Did I mention earlier, we used to have Durga Puja at our home. My ancestors were zamindars in East Bengal way before partition or the existence of East Pakistan or the current Bangladesh. They had this huge Durga Temple in their courtyard which was one of the biggest in the district (or whatever was the demarcation that time of Dakha, actually it was called Dacca that time). Then after partition the family scattered, they lost their land, men, wealth – all that happens when you are caught in riots and displacement. Actually I can even do a series of posts on my ancestral heritage – they have wonderful tales and legends. Let me know if you will like it.

My dad’s generation re-started this ‘Dewan Barir Durgothsav’ again in Kolkkata in the year 1997. Did you ask why Dewan when I am a Basu? Ancestors were the Dewans in the kingdom of Gaur ( I am talking about the Mughal era – yes that old ancestral history). So that Dewan title that was awarded became the name of the zamindari family.

We celebrated the ‘Dewan Barir Durgothsav’ at our house in Kolkata for a few years but then another displacement of our generation away from Kolkata meant all that coming to a halt. And as I am typing al of this I can remember clearly our enthusiasm in decorations and the festival – miss the barir pujo.

Durga Puja actually starts tomorrow 7^th October – which is the sixth day of the Puja. I am thinking of doing a Durga Puja series since I am writing every day this month. What say?

I just hope I can pass on some of these knowledge of our culture that I have seen and learnt to Bluey. He will never know what barir Durga Pujo is (family Durga Puja celebrations) or he won’t even know what are the significance of the days, the rituals, why she holds the weapons, the stories behind. But I hope he will learn some bit of our culture.

If you are interested in visiting some Durga Pujas in Bangalore here is the list of Pujas and their addresses. Since it is a weekend you are going to enjoy it, I am sure.

I am taking part in the Ultimate Blogging Challenge, 31 Days of Marathon Blogging with Daily Chatter. Follow me on Twitter & Instagram to stay updated with #TinaWrites and #TinasBongConnection

October 7, 2016 11 comments

a-poetry-about-love-poem-tina-basu-writing-prompt-three-word-wednesday

Fiction & Writing Poetry

The Perky Girl – A poetry about Love for Three Words Wednesday

by tinabasu October 6, 2016

written by tinabasu

I have been looking for writing prompts for a long time today. You need writing inspiration when you are doing a 31 day writing challenge. And the Three Words Wednesday Prompt in my inbox saved the day for me. I haven’t written a poetry in a long time. So I thought why not a poetry about love?

Love stories are great. When the love stories are about special people they are wonderful. Here is my take on the prompts Perky, notable and oddball.

The Perky Girl – A Poetry on Love

The first time I saw her

She looked like an angel.

Graceful and poised

She was fresh as the morning dew.

Should I talk, Should I say hello?

Would she mind?

No she won’t

After all this student was new.

He offered her a seat

She said hello.

She smiled at him

His face turned a bright hue.

They got along well,

He was already in awe.

She was so perky

Did she have a clue?

She liked my oddball humor.

Whoever thought deaf & mutes

Were not notable, let me remind,

She said to me I love You.

So let me know if you liked my poetry on love. Did the poetry bring any emotion in you? Did the poetry remind you of some one? Let me know about your thoughts.

Linking this poetry to Three Words Wednesday Week 500.

I am taking part in the Ultimate Blogging Challenge, 31 Days of Marathon Blogging with Daily Chatter. Follow me on Twitter & Instagram to stay updated with #TinaWrites and #TinasBongConnection

October 6, 2016 4 comments

Mommy & Parenting Parenting

How your music preference changes when you become a mom

by tinabasu October 5, 2016

written by tinabasu

Image Credit – www.pregnancyandbaby.com

When you become a mom your life changes. Period. You can’t even escape that. It doesn’t matter if you are a SATHM (Stay At Home Mom), working mom or a WFH home. Your kid becomes your universe even if you try to keep some time aside for yourself. There will be times when your kid is out of sight – may be at a crèche, or with a relative- but you will always have that lingering thought – what is he/she doing? Did he eat? IS HE OKAY? So basically I am becoming like my mom – always thinking – IS HE OKAY?

The other significant change that you see when you become a mom is the kind of music you are listening to – or you are forced to listen! The little man here doesn’t know how to sit still for two seconds unless you have some rhymes playing on You Tube. He is the Usian Bolt of crawling. And he even shifts gear while crawling – specially if he realizes someone is coming to get him!

I now find myself listening to Rhymes several times a day. I have to sing rhymes to him to put him to sleep. He also has preferences and doesn’t want me to sing random rhymes. I also find myself singing them to myself in the shower! Now that’s too much I feel! I have always been a bathroom singer and sing/ hum a lot in the shower but never before in my life have I sung ‘Sing a Song of Sixpence’ in the shower that too diligently before realizing – what the hell was I singing??

sing-a-song-of-sixpeence-nursery-rhyme-mom-baby

Image Credit – www.annewoodham.co.uk

Nor have I ever sung ‘Old King Cole’ or ‘Sailor went to Sea’ while mixing cake batter! This has happened without me even realizing what I am humming and many a times, Indro has told me – “you are actually singing a rhyme!”

Image Credit – Kids Camp

In fact, I have learnt new rhymes now – much more than I knew when I was little. We didn’t have You Tube and Vimeo. It was a sole cassette (if you remember what that is, in the first place) of English Nursery Rhymes by Preeti Sagar, which I had grown up on.

So this new knowledge gain is thanks to Bluey, You Tube and all the baby channels – Hoopla Kids, Kids Camp, Chu Chu TV. (There are tons of it to keep your bub busy). I think they learn quite a bit from these rhymes and videos, so i don’t find any harm in showing him You Tube. but yes I try to keep his screen time limited. Those times when he is not in a mood to sit and go about and do his business I let him pull out things from the drawer. He’s quite an explorer.

How did you keep your toddlers busy? Have you faced a similar situation? Let me know moms.

Linking this post to #MondayMusings at Everyday Gyan. Also linking to 1000 Voices for Compassion and Mackenzie Glanville’s post and Mel Ford’s#MicroblogMondays.

I am taking part in the Ultimate Blogging Challenge, 31 Days of Marathon Blogging with Daily Chatter. Follow me on Twitter & Instagram to stay updated with #TinaWrites and #TinasBongConnection

October 5, 2016 13 comments

Book Review Reviews

Book Review – Dear Zari: The Secret Lives of the Women of Afghanistan, by Zarghuna Kargar

by tinabasu October 3, 2016

written by tinabasu

There are stories that make you feel happy and take you to a different zone and then there are stories that move you. Stories of real women, stories of their hardship, stories of how they live lives under repression yet all they want is to live. Dear Zari: The Secret Lives of the Women of Afghanistan, by Zarghuna Kargar is one such book that had moved me and compelled to think – why? Why do women have to undergo all this? It also made me feel thankful that I am in a free country and I have the liberty to be free.

I had read this book long time back, somewhere in 2012 and wanted to do a review then. But I have no idea why I had not done it till date. Not many are aware of the lives of general people specially women of Afghanistan.

Dear Zari is a part memoire where the author Zarghuna Kargar narrates her childhood and life as a Pashtun woman and her journey to becoming a radio presenter in UK. Her family fled to Pakistan to escape from the radical Taliban regime and then sought asylum in Britain. That’s where she got trained by BBC radio and produced and hosted a show called Afghan Women’s Hour which was aired in the UK and Afghanistan between 2005 and 2010. It was broadcasted in Dari and Pashtu, the native languages of Afghanistan. This was the show where many Afghan women dared to call and narrate about their lives, their hardships and how it’s almost a sin to be born a female in that land.

The book is also part anthology intertwined with the memoires of the author’s life. It has heart breaking tales of women who had called in the radio show. From being sold off to settle a family dispute to being subjected to extreme domestic abuse – life of women in the Afghan society is not easy.

Zarghuna, narrates first-hand experience of the perils of living in such a society which gave more importance to honor of a family, valued a male more than a girl. She shares intimate details of her wedding night, to explain how deep rooted cultural pressures and taboos are.

God, please make sure I bleed; that’s the only wish I have. I don’t want money or a big house to live in – I just want this blood.

This was her only prayer on her wedding night. According to Afghan culture a white handkerchief is placed below the bride on her wedding night so that her bleeding can be kept as a ‘record’. It’s the proof of her virginity.

There are tales of little girls being given away to much older men to settle family dispute. And these in-laws find it as the right excuse for inhuman behavior and torture on such little girls.

Many Afghan women are carpet weavers who weave at home, since they are not allowed to go outside. Samira’s story narrates the shocking reality of how their babies are sedated with opium to allow the women to concentrate on their work.

How I felt after reading the book?

It is an emotionally draining book. Each of the thirteen stories about these hapless women oppressed under the regressive patriarchal and radical culture makes you feel sad and makes you feel the pain that they undergo each day. Their lives are that of prisoners – prisoners of society.

All I want to ask is why? Is it so bad to be a girl? Why can’t a girl live in that society? Why is it that she has to undergo such pain even in 2010-2012? I cannot even imagine what life would have been under the Taliban.

Not many stories can connect with me at that level.

My Rating

I will give it a big 5 out of 5. It’s a must read for me.

Book Details

Book Name – Dear Zari: The Secret Lives of the Women of Afghanistan

Author – Zarghuna Kargar

Paperback: 288 pages

Publisher: RHUK (3 May 2012)

Genre: Non Fiction

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0099542188

ISBN-13: 978-0099542186

It is also available on Kindle.

I am taking part in the Ultimate Blogging Challenge, 31 Days of Marathon Blogging with Daily Chatter. Follow me on Twitter & Instagram to stay updated with #TinaWrites and #TinasBongConnection

October 3, 2016 28 comments

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The Girlz – MY BFFs

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The Girlz Over the Years

The Perky Girl – A poetry about Love for Three Words Wednesday

The Perky Girl – A Poetry on Love

How your music preference changes when you become a mom

Book Review – Dear Zari: The Secret Lives of the Women of Afghanistan, by Zarghuna Kargar

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