There he goes..

It happened before... it happens always ... when I'm happy, his presence is not felt so much... But when I'm sad... it is him whom I'll fall back on again and again ...

"....
baarey baarey bNadh bhangiya bonya chhutechhe
darun diney dikey dikey kanna uthechhe
ogo rudro duukhkhey shuukhey
ei kothati baajlo buukey
tomar premey aghat aachhey
naiko obohela
..
noye noye e modhur khela''

He is big now...

When he was born, many of our relatives tried to pull my leg by saying that now my parents would love me half as much as they used to in the past. According to them, because of his coming between me and my parents, all the nice things of the world would now be exactly halved -- the number of my new clothes for Durgapuja, the mangoes that I always loved on hot summer afternoons after the lunch, the grapes that my father would bring when he returned home from college in the evening, the mihidana that my dida would always keep for me and I was quite uncharitable to allow even a little bit of that to anybody else and many such lovable things . Being a seven year old brat at that time, their words somewhat went into my head. As a child I loved him as much as I hated him too on occasions. There was always a sense of suspicion that my entire empire might just be conquered someday and snatched away from me by this unknown intruder....

More than two decades have passed by since then. Today my brother began a new phase of his life -- he joined in his first job throwing away the mantle of a student. Over this long stretch of time, I have gradually learnt to my utter conviction that when a brother is born, nothing is halved, everything is just doubled, in fact, several several times more than that. When a brother arrives, your empire is never lost, rather immensely strengthened. As a matter of fact, today he is not just the most precious asset of my life, but one of the most adorable persons that I have ever seen.

Here is wishing him all the success in all his endevours that lie ahead of him.

Finally ...off my back..

(Sub)mission successful. Did not sleep a wink in the last 26 hours. Will now sleep like a log.

Deadline extended

... not one day, not two days.... by a wholeeeeeeeeeeeee weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek.