Tuesday, June 27, 2006

On Reaching 100

I am 100-posts-old. Wont’ you wish me? But wait, right now my thoughts are with a man who also would have been wished today if he were alive. And if he were alive, he would have been rocking. Parineeta’s songs might have had a different tune and A.R. Rahman wouldn’t have been as hot as he is considered today.

But Pancham is still alive, isn’t he? His albums sell like never before, and he sells more than anyone else. He is today a brand. For a die-hard fan like me, every day is Pancham’s birthday. He is, after all, a habit: when you use Colgate every morning, you don’t ask, “When was Colgate born?” That way, nothing unusual about June 27, except that I am writing my 100th post today, having begun the journey sometime in October last year.

The man who began the journey is different from the man who is writing the 100th post. That man was single and in search of something – in search of what, even he didn’t know. He would never get what he sought, and that would make him lonely – and how he loved to stew in loneliness. The stew fuelled this blog.

The man who is writing this post is married and kind of content. His search is on, but it is no longer urgent. Still he misses those long, lonely nights when he yearned for that something – but that something would always remain in a veil on the other end of the cyberworld.

Most of the 100 posts were written out of that yearning. Alcohol contributed too. In celebration (celebration? Why not!) of the century-mark, I reproduce five posts which I consider my best. Please read them: it won’t take you long:

1. Circle of Life

2. The Day I Cried

3. Thoughts on a Cloudy Afternoon: Hot Samosas and a Goon

4. Of Mice and Men

5. By The Ganges

9 comments:

dazedandconfused said...

Read all 5. Circle of my life is my fav among them.

Zeppelin said...

hi Bishwanath,

congrats on your 100 ! :) first time here.. read a couple of your posts, the reflections, and by the ganges.. like your style a lot.. yet to read YOUR best.. will do soon and spam more here.. ;)

cheers!
-arun

Anonymous said...

congrats BG, on your ton.having read almost all,the earlier ones were like films of hrishida and basu chatterjee and somewhere along the line the posts sounded like rajashree production that hurts nobody.the last few were(especially the prostitute one and booz in chennai)like straight out of a sanjay gupta movie.and there is always pancham thrown in for good measure like an item number.

Syed Asif said...

This is a moment I am still waiting for. Congratulations on making Ten 10s. On The Ganga Mail is without doubt one of the best Indian blogs that I read. Very Indian. Dark yet pleasant.

Bishwanath Ghosh said...

Dazedandconfused, Zeppelin and Asif: Thanks a tonne!

Anilshankar: Glad to see you after long. Your observation is cent per cent correct. That's what I have tried to say in the post.

Jinguchakka said...

You write well, particularly when you write about what you observe than what you feel.
Hope to see more of your posts.

Usha said...

felicitations - I have ata least 50 favourites other than the ones you have selsected!I better not say lest I am accused of my "kindness"!
Look forward to more and the 1000th soon!

Anonymous said...

Hi BG,
Congrats!!!!! i have been reading bytheganges for quite some time and have been enjoying it immensely. Oh, dear i never relised you were so talented when we worked together... but then it takes years to realise good things in life. Keep it up.
Love and best wishes
Deepika

Ardra said...

I try to delude myself that I blog for personal satisfaction only - but I realise I'm fooling no one when I eagerly scan the comments- and cannot deny that u'r comment on my last blog made my day!
as for u'r posts, I've been a regular reader for some time now- that is whenever my net server allows me to...

trying to be honest
ardra