Thought: Three Hundred Forty-Four
…………………………………
One. Living in peace—that’s what matters most, isn’t it? Life itself pays the price for greatness!
May all the good people in this world remain well. I bow to all good souls.
Two. You can stay alone for days and days, nursing a grievance against someone, but when that person is lost to separation or death, being alone becomes unbearable.
Three. The idea that everything must conform to the boundaries of logic—that itself is illogical. Love doesn’t operate through reason; certain relationships survive by thumbing their nose at logic. How much of the bridge between expectation and fulfillment is truly built on reason!
Most logic contains either selfishness or self-interest. The universality of reason’s architecture is therefore questionable. Not all of life’s accounts balance out,
so all responsibility falls to the Creator—this one-dimensional understanding of existence is tantamount to death. I believe
that spiritual liberation comes precisely through reason’s helplessness before inner consciousness.
Four. On October 31, 2015, that Career Chat took place in Rangpur, at Begum Rokeya University. It was my largest Career Chat to date, with nearly five and a half thousand participants.
Disclaimer: Among the several human attitudes that have irritated me most in this life,
one is:
the careerist attitude. So please don’t take the name ‘Career Chat’ to mean this is a gathering for becoming careerists. This will help you understand what I want to say and what I don’t want to say. Job for life! NOT, Life for job!!
Five. During my journey from CUET to IBA, my cgpa descended to
2.73 from 2.74. It’s still consistent, na? If any PhD program were evaluated by
grade and I undertook it, surely, I’d score 2.72! Dear juniors! Never follow my
path. I’m the eleventh one out of the ten you can count, I can bet! ……. Who
told you you can fly only when you score low?? To fly, you must have wings. To
have wings is to be out of the comfort zone you always have felt like being in
…….. Hope you can understand what I mean……. There was never, there is
never and there will be never a correlation between your grade and your
achievement. 85% of the high achievers in the world were never academically
sound (if we judge the soundness by cgpa). So, don’t lose your heart if you
have already lost all the possibilities of scoring a so-called good cgpa.
Believe in your worth and do something so that the world can believe in your
worth as well. Nevertheless, of course it doesn’t undermine the charm of
scoring a handsome cgpa…..!! You can soar high despite having a poor cgpa
surely doesn’t mean to soar high you must have a poor cgpa, or you can’t soar
high if you don’t have a poor cgpa!! Soaring high is all about your 95%
personal charisma and 5% luck.
Six. This life of ours, which we inhabit so blithely, is the dream seen by some brave souls. Life is a kind of translation, and perhaps the great creators of manuscripts never had the time to enjoy it themselves. How many can truly live in a life glimpsed in dreams? They die and show us how intensely they remain alive! I remember with reverence those great artists of life who forgot to live in their quest to make us live. Blessed victory. (I posted this status on this day in 2013. A dear friend kept it in their collection.)
Seven. An obstacle in the road doesn’t mean there is no road. Rather, it means you must take another path! Right now!! One who stakes their life to touch dreams cannot be intimidated.
Eight. If you’re not thinking about your dream, you’re not thinking at all.
Nine. In life two things are needed: Patience to become successful . . . & Tolerance to others’ jealousy when success comes.
Ten. Things are that they’re. Things will be that they will be. And, between this two there lies some miracles that we’re never aware of. And, miracles are often stranger than facts. Facts are because they’re. Miracles are because we or someone else want them to be. That’s the truth!
Eleven. Sometimes your luck matters much more than your performance.
Excuses are of no use. If you win, you need not show them. If you lose, you should not show them.
The game is always ON. So . . . . . . . JUST PLAY!
Twelve. Share your favorite melancholy Bengali song. I’ll start: Jagannmoy Mitra’s “How far away you are today…”
Thirteen. The happiness that money cannot buy has the highest price of all.
Fourteen. Mermaid Café. At the far edge of the seashore. Some boats on the sandy beach. They seem to be resting today. The green trees around are not merely green. They appear in many other colors. Colors of life. Life is exactly like this, right at this moment! The slow-rhythmed Spanish music playing seems to call out in some soft, enchanting melody to those distant hills that have moved away from the waves of the seashore, or have gone in that very sulk with which a lover moves away forever from his beloved, even without caring for a long-awaited kiss. Everything around seems exactly as I have always wanted life to be. I feel like becoming accustomed to this boundless beauty of life. Forgetting everything else.
I want someone to live with, to live for, to die with, to die for! My best Cox’s Bazar tour ever! I just feel like dying! I’m just lost in Nature’s lap! What is this life if full of care, / We have no time to stand and stare! The whole universe is ready to give when we are ready to receive! Life is so beautiful.
Wonderful moments with family. I wanna live before I die.
Thought: Three hundred forty-five
…………………………………
One. : Listen buddy, after college I’ll give you a lift, drop you home in my car.
: Forget it, man! Keep your lift!
I’m not getting in your father’s car anyway, so how would you drop me off?
My young friends / fans / followers, This is the attitude! Let your friend ride on his father’s money, but you don’t. If you want to live with your head held high, you must learn early in life not to bow your head. Go hungry if you must, but never eat even a single burger on someone else’s father’s money if you don’t have the ability or opportunity to buy him a burger in return someday. A fool in grandfather’s name, half-wit in father’s name, a prince in your own name. And in another’s father’s name—the greatest fool of all! Whatever you do in life, reach behind and check—is your spine still in the right place? Before sitting in a restaurant, check if you have money to pay the bill. The one who pays your bills, buys you chocolates, gives you lifts, does your shopping, lets you use their mobile phone—they’re slowly buying you. Once you develop the bad habit of selling your self-respect, you’ll never be able to grow up in life. I can bet on it—even the desire will be destroyed. Don’t finish yourself before life finishes you. Keep trying even with your last drop of blood. Death is better than living with a bowed head. Never bow your head to anyone while you’re alive, never grovel at anyone’s feet, no matter what emperor they may be! This habit must be formed in youth. Never let your father be diminished before another man’s father, even if it costs your life. One day your father won’t be able to support you anymore. That day you’ll have to stand face-to-face with the world. How will you stand without a spine?
Two. Nothing going the way you want? Everything seems out of control? Feel like breaking things? Want to scream “I quit! I quit! I quit!” until your voice gives out?
Ahhhhhh Wait, Boss! If you must, close your room’s doors and windows, blast hard rock at full volume, and scream-sing off-key! Dance like a maniac! Tire yourself out, exhaust every particle of energy, collapse on the bed like a corpse and sleep that deeeeeep sleep! But don’t give up! Just a little more………hold on! God must have a master plan for you! Wait patiently for that! Something good is coming. Get prepared to grab that!
Three. Behind every great success, there are some compromises.
Your success is what you’ve earned, not what you deserve. Success can never be
deserved. Only the failures and vindictive people try to judge you only by the
things you gave up for achieving the other ones and undermine your success. Not
always you can choose your path, sometimes you’re to accept it. What matters is
whether you like it or not. Success is having one side compromising another one
in such a way that makes the end happy. Yes, that’s it! The value of anything
is the price we’re ready to pay for it or we’re attributing to it. Any set
rules? Sorry boss!
Four. I ask our parents: Tell me, are all the greatest or most successful people in the world doctors and engineers? Does life come to an end if one doesn’t get admission to medical or engineering school?
Who gave you the right to pass such a simplistic verdict on life?
Your expectation from your child could be that they live with a healthy body and a cheerful heart. Please don’t do anything or say anything to them that makes them forget how to respect themselves.
One who respects themselves will never keep themselves diminished forever. They will rise—they must!
The achievement lies not in studying at the best institutions, but in doing the finest work from whatever position one occupies. What is the purpose of the best institutions? To create the best people, isn’t it? Instead, teach them this wisdom. Encourage them. This builds their sense of responsibility. If anyone is going to brighten your face, it will be your own child, not someone else’s.
Universities don’t make students great; students make universities great.
Five. And sometimes, no matter to whatever extent your heart
aches, you’ve to accept the redefinition of friendship when your close friend
redefines it, as not always, once a close friend, a close friend forever.
You’ve a good soul for someone doesn’t necessarily mean they must have that
good soul for you in return. Accept it. Maybe, this is life. Still pray for
them as having good wishes for others makes you feel happy. Keep happy, stay
happy.
Six. Some people never praise any right thing you do, but always criticize your mistakes. It’s better to pay them less attention. Small-minded people lack the generosity to offer praise. I love critics more than anyone else—that’s fine. But the critic who diminishes your self-confidence deserves no affection. Do you really have time to care so much? Life is yours. You yourself are the most reliable person to decide what to keep in it and what not to keep. What is success? To live without regret—that is success. Nothing more. Only those who praise have the right to criticize.
Seven. A fate not forged in blood
is not fate but pity. Better death than living on pity.
Eight. At the sudden invitation of the former Vice-Principal and current Acting Principal of Kurigram Government College, I spoke this afternoon to the first-year honors students of the English Department. I felt immense joy. A five-day book fair began in Kurigram today. Many stalls have arranged their literary wares. I chatted with the younger brothers,
wandered around, ate together,
bought some books (look at the photos to fuel your desire),
bought books for others,
and brought joy home. Buying books brings peace equal to prayer. For this book fair, I’ve ordered a hundred and fifty books from both sides of Bengal on Rokomari. Waiting to hold them in my hands…….
Thought: Three hundred forty-six
………………………………………
One. Life is a bridge connecting birth & death. Marriage is
a bridge connecting death & death.
Two. Ah,
what a simple, guileless soul my father is! Just talking with him brings such peace! The day’s fatigue vanishes in an instant! How much love he shows,
how many blessings he gives! He inquires after everything. No resentment about anything,
no complaints against anyone. That everyone may be well—this is his only prayer. A perfect gentleman with an impossibly simple philosophy. Even when teased, he doesn’t quite understand. He speaks with an enchanting simplicity. He himself is so unwell,
yet all his thoughts are about my wellbeing! Thinking of father fills me with such tenderness,
love blooms in my chest. Infinite desire and strength to live awakens. O God,
take father after me. Just one prayer—
may my mother and father remain well. Then we two brothers will be well.
Three. In my eyes, the greatest Malayalam film of all time is Drishyam
(2013), starring Mohanlal.
In yours?
Just as Kamal Haasan is the iconic guru of Tamil cinema, so is Mohanlal of Malayalam cinema. The acting of these two is less to be watched than to be felt. Watch Kamal Haasan’s Pushpak, Anbe Sivam, Nayakan,
Thevar Magan and you’ll understand what Kamal Haasan is!
I intend to write about such films when I get the chance.
Four. I watched the film Charlie
(2015) with impossible enchantment. A Malayalam movie. Those who love Humayun Ahmed’s Himu character will fall in love with Charlie!
I know few films have been made that can hold you so completely!
You won’t merely watch this film,
you will feel it! A strange joy and fascination still lingers!!!
Five. For a stubborn, arrogant wife, preserving her obstinacy and pride matters more than even the death of her beloved.
Six. Often,
swatting mosquitoes with a racket is more comforting than talking with one’s beloved. Rather than giving others the chance to be cruel, isn’t it more comfortable to take the chance to be cruel oneself?
Most people are cruelty-loving. My beloved is right in her place,
I too am right in mine.
Seven. Today’s couple, tomorrow’s single. There is no such thing as love in this world, only Valentine’s Day. Happy Breakup Anticipation Day.
Eight. In virtual life, they’re giving your posts meaningless visible “haha” reacts—let them!
In real life, your posts give them meaningful invisible “haha” reacts—don’t walk that path!
How beautifully visible this invisible is, brother!
Slays elephants virtually, gets kicked in reality!
All bluster when showing off, just water when hungry,
Online hero,
Offline zero!
Shaking your ass on Facebook? If you’re a man, puff out your chest and come face me, you fool!
Nine. When you quit cigarettes for a loved one’s happiness, you find more peace than the peace you used to get while smoking.
Ten. Repeatedly making the same mistake and then feeling remorseful is nothing but pretense. Sometimes, people use repentance as a signboard just to enjoy the pleasure of erring. Such weakness makes people hypocrites.
Eleven. Clever in all talk,
Useless when it’s time to work,
Burns with muscular heat, flees with brain-shame!
Twelve. If turning away from someone would burden my face,
then with them or about them, I can’t just say
whatever comes to mind,
can I?
Judge me once, I’ll gag you forever.
Thirteen. The first step to becoming worthy—being proven unworthy.
Fourteen. A married man feels loneliness at two times:
when he sees his own wife, and when he sees a beautiful woman who isn’t his wife.
Fifteen. Those who constantly market their suffering never realize how irritating and characterless they gradually become in others’ eyes.
Sixteen. A man can never forget 2 things even in his old age:
The wealth he didn’t spend
The girl he couldn’t date
Seventeen. The hardest misfortune to accept is the one for which I myself am responsible.
Eighteen. Only four things motivate me to give you time:
Pleasure of any type
Money or Benefit of any type
Obligation of any type
Emotional attachment of any type
If you can’t give me any of the
above 4 factors, never expect time from me. Your problems are only your
problems, not mine. Trust me, I really don’t care until and unless I don’t feel
motivated. You must buy my time with any of those coins. Even if I’ve free time
that I can give you, why should I give you it? Why should I give you even 5
seconds? Rather, I’ll be busy sleeping. Problem? It’s my life and only I decide
how to use or abuse it. My time is my life. Who are you to claim it? First
deserve, then claim. I’m selfish? Huh! Well, people are of 2 types: Selfish
& Liars
I’d a few gurus in my early age.
They gave me time not for me but for my knowledge. I learnt from them, they
learnt from me. It was a two-way traffic. They derived pleasure from
communicating with me. I made them happy, they made me happy. I knew very well
that they weren’t bound to give me time. I also knew very very very well that I
badly needed their time as they’d many things to learn from. So, I shaped and
reshaped myself in a way that made them give me time. And, I successfully could
make them give me time.
Time is the most valuable thing you
can give someone. If you give it to a person who has nothing to learn from,
you’re a fool. Only stupids date stupids. Dating a stupid can never make you
wise. Being alone is far better than being with a stupid. Time is precious.
Don’t expect it free of cost. If you expect someone to give you what you need,
be ready to give them what they want. You can never spend time with someone you
need to spend time with in your own way. Be ready to be as they want you to be
if you really need their time. Or, just don’t disturb them. Simple! Buying time
is an art. He who can give it free has nothing that can help you move forward.
Be ready to pay the price. Often, things money can’t buy are the most valuable
things on earth. Learn to discover the price money can’t pay. Be smart, be
logical.
Nineteen. Always and everywhere,
the unbeautiful consider the beautiful their rivals. This, of course, amounts to nothing more than the rage of the incompetent.
Twenty. Pestering increases not love, but irritation.
Thought: Three Hundred Forty-Seven
………………………………………
One. I’ve heard that
if you can somehow manage, through tricks and cunning, to make yourself a showpiece in some celebrity’s friend list, you get an advance diamond ticket to heaven confirmed!
Is this really true? Facebook friendship—apparently this bond that shall not break!
Two. Many couldn’t manage to collect entry coupons for the career adda scheduled at Rajshahi College campus. Hence their disappointment.
Many have managed to collect the coupon, and perhaps hope to learn much about BCS/IBA that day. Hence their good spirits.
I have a few words for both groups:
One. I will say nothing about BCS exam/Dhaka University IBA MBA admission exam preparation strategies during the main adda that day. Most of what’s said in career addas are repetitions of things said at various times. So you can easily spend 6-7 hours listening to the addas from my personal YouTube channel. This means you won’t miss much by not coming to the adda.
Two. I haven’t written anything new about BCS exam preparation strategies since the 37th BCS exam. So I don’t know much about recent BCS exam preparation strategies. If you come to the adda without keeping this in mind, I’ll be in trouble!
Three. As far as I know, no one has written more about BCS than I have. I’ve sent all my writings compiled together in PDF format (typed in Vrinda font, font size 12, totaling 69 pages) to the current president of Rajshahi Career Club. If he prints them and keeps them at some photocopy shop near the college campus, interested people can collect them from there.
Four. Those who want to come to the career adda only to learn about BCS exam/Dhaka University IBA MBA admission exam preparation strategies—instead of taking the trouble to come to the adda, it would be sufficient to just collect that booklet. This way, some of your interested friends will get a chance to attend the adda. (I request the organizers to give others the opportunity to participate in such vacant seats.)
Five. Even though I won’t say anything about BCS exam/Dhaka University IBA MBA admission exam preparation strategies during the main adda, I’ll try to answer your various questions during the Q&A session after the adda. I think if you collect the booklet before coming to the adda and browse through it a bit, it will be easier for you to ask questions about BCS/IBA.
We’ll meet on February 3rd, we’ll have our adda. I’ll tell stories, I’ll listen to stories—stories of life.
Stay joyful.
Three. Happy Birthday, Baba
Funny thing—yesterday was my father-in-law’s birthday. Yet, as far as I know, both of them were born before my marriage (= trouble multiplication)! Therefore, this is merely a coincidence!
Four. If I die, what will I do? If I live, then what shall I eat!
In youth the boy ate, in old age he watched the maid!
Five.
: Why don’t you dress up in front of me? Even when I take you somewhere, you don’t dress up much. But why?
: You’re out all day long,
I don’t get to have you near me all day. When you return in the evening, if I spend that time getting dressed up,
then it’ll be night, you’ll fall asleep,
and come morning you’ll rush off to the office again. I so want to hear you speak, I want to see you, I want to talk with you. I dress less elaborately in front of you to save time,
and give that time to you instead.
Six. The more you become matured, the more you learn to hide
your pains.
Seven. Listening to Riddhi Bandyopadhyay singing D.L. Roy’s “Se Keno Dekha Dilo Re.” How eternal these lyrics are, how memory-stirring, tender, wistful…….
Beyond imagination! Some fleeting moment comes to mind of someone who is now in another home……… Why did she appear before me?
It would have been better had she not appeared at all! (Those goats are warmly invited to the comment thread who read my posts and enthusiastically begin dissecting my personal life with the foolishness of the unauthorized. Such goat-like behavior is quite entertaining!)
By the way,
the original artist of this song was Krishna Chattopadhyay. She learned Dwijendralal’s songs from Dilip Kumar Roy, son of Dwijendralal, who was a friend of her father Harendranath Chattopadhyay, the Atulprasadi artist. You can listen to the original song too, it’s on YouTube.
Eight. Heard Nayyara Noor singing “Aa Jazba-e-Dil.” I last heard this ghazal in 2007 or 2008. Today while browsing through ghazals, I stumbled upon this song. The joy of this rediscovery cannot be expressed in words. Such a deeply loving song this is. Back then, how many thousands of times I would listen to such beloved songs over and over, seeking happiness!
I still remember, I’d listen to this
song and drown in love with Nayyara Noor. Ah! If only I could have learned Hindi and Urdu!
Nine. Ah,
Farida Khanum’s voice in “Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo!” I’ve listened to it at least thirty times since yesterday. Ah, what magic lies in this
song! It never grows old. How sweetly she asks her beloved to stay! If someone said it like that, I wouldn’t move an inch from their side in a lifetime!
And how do our wretched wives ask us to stay? …………….Will you stay or not, speak up! Alas!
Why doesn’t love come from songs into life?
Ten. Have wonderful fun today, tomorrow you can work yourself to death!
That you’ll live tomorrow—what guarantee is there? Whatever life you have, live it today!
If you truly die tomorrow,
you’ll win,
life will lose!
And if you do survive,
life will win,
you’ll lose!
If life remains, you’ll die,
when life ends, you alone will live!
Who knows the measure of life! If you gamble with life—either you’ll live weeping all your days, or die laughing in this very moment!
The wise one settles destiny’s debt with life!
The fool settles life’s debt with destiny!
Eleven. Perfect by Ed Sheeran!! Ahhhhh…………..I’m in love
with it!!!
Twelve. When incompetent people find themselves with great wealth, they eventually begin to believe that both merit and meritorious people can be bought. Unfortunately, in Bangladesh their belief is often proven true.
Thirteen. Humayun Ahmed passed away, and immediately people threw themselves into reading BCS exam guides and reference books. Perhaps the authors of BCS guides write better than those who are writing today!
Fourteen. Shape of you! Let’s dance with Ed Sheeran—the name of a pleasant magic!!
Fifteen. Gulzar’s Woh Shaam Kuch Ajeeb Thi! If a Gulzar had not come to this world, the world would have been so much poorer!
Thought: Three hundred forty-eight
………………………………………
One. Bad subjects have bad kings, bad reading breeds bad writing.
Two. Ah, how beautiful the world is, and yet people go ahead and get married!
Three. Brother, what will the nation do with all these “Happy New Year to Thousand Eighteen” greetings? Instead of all this virtual worthless nonsense, if each person deposited a cash 2018 taka into the nation’s account, the nation would have been tremendously better off in the coming year! By the way, what will you do on tonight’s thirty-first? My plan: I’ll spend the thirty-first doing one of the two things I can do with the most confidence—write. (There’s no way to do the other, so!)
Four. Marriage = Magnifying Miseries, in my opinion, this is the most realistic and honest conception of marriage. I don’t know the source of this. I’ve searched online but couldn’t find it. If anyone knows who discovered this acronym, please kindly inform this humble soul.
Five. Without learning to be bad toward certain people, it’s impossible to stay well in life. No one is more miserable than someone who appears good in everyone’s eyes.
Six. Women grow old… don’t men? I’m watching Rituparno Ghosh’s ‘Unwell.’
Seven. I pray that those who have truly worked hard in their studies, who must take responsibility for their families, who were sincere about their labor and effort, who invested sufficient time in preparation—may they pass the BCS preliminary examination.
Eight. Some girls get annoyed because sleazy boys bother them. Some girls cleverly invite someone’s particular attention, then publicly start screaming—I’m annoyed, I’m supremely annoyed!
Nine. The damage I had endured, I accepted in Manna Dey’s exquisite voice. Father’s beloved song. I heard this wonderfully beautiful song after at least a decade. My salutations once again to this god of my musical world. Friend Shoeb reminded me of the song just now. Walking hand in hand with someone of similar taste on art’s path is a matter of great fortune. Three things humans never forget: fragrance, voice, melody. Today I received fresh proof.
Ten. A dozen delicious green bananas are better than ten dozen random Facebook friends—at least you can mash them up and make pancakes to eat.
Eleven. Let your parents have their way in their stubborn demands. You may get the chance to fulfill your own stubborn wishes, but they won’t. There will come a time when no matter how much you want to, you won’t have the opportunity to let them have their way anymore. On that day, remembering today’s words will bring tears, will bring regret. What’s the need for that, tell me! Let them win a little! Haven’t they spent their entire lives letting you win? Let them win. A little harm may come of it. So be it! The intensity of pain or joy from winning and losing lasts only a moment. The joy of defeat at the hands of those we love is far greater than the pleasure of victory. Don’t you often feel that your parents just don’t understand you? Perhaps one day you’ll realize that no one has ever understood you better than they have. And no one ever will. The pain of not finding someone who understands you is infinite. If someone can understand you, what harm is there in letting them win a little? In life’s journey, how many worthless people force their way to victory! We sit quietly and watch, unable to do anything about it.
Twelve. There are two kinds of wives who cook. One: She loves to cook, so she prepares delicious meals for her husband. Two: She loves her husband, so she prepares delicious meals for him.
But husbands who cook are of only one kind. He prepares delicious meals for his wife only because he loves to cook.
Thirteen.
When my wife sees chili pepper, it recoils and says, “How hot!”
Alas, if only the chili knew who she is, with what courage would it dare be hot!
O chili, you are the guru,
You even frighten the wife-kind!
This knowledge is supreme knowledge,
I touch your feet, teach me this art!
Fourteen. Pitbull’s Rain Over Me featuring Marc Anthony! Listening to this song feels like making my heart dance!! Who wanna dance with me playing this song?
Fifteen. The capable will stop your pen by taking up the pen themselves. The incapable will stop your pen by breaking it. This is what we call the stubbornness of the capable, and the rage of the incapable.
Sixteen. Man: A woman who needs no love or affection, only body—would that work?
Woman: A house with no roof, no walls, only a floor—would that do?
Seventeen. The book-writing of high officials and the poetry-writing of big businessmen’s wives—both contribute to the expansion of the domestic publishing industry.
Eighteen. Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee – Despacito ft. Justin Beiber (cover by priata and sushmita)! Loved their performance!
Nineteen. Wives cannot tolerate their husbands’ truths.
Twenty. Let it be.
Let them speak ill of you. They find joy in speaking ill! Everyone does what they can, after all! They
can’t do anything else, so they will speak. Perhaps being able to say such things is their life’s achievement. Some people’s achievements make them feel bigger,
others’ achievements make them belittle others. If you protest, they’ll feel quite elevated, your reaction will only make them proud and joyful. When a lion wants to respond to a mouse’s words, the lion is compelled to lower its head. This is tremendously enjoyable for the mouse. There’s no other way for the mouse to make the lion bow its head. It will never have that power in its entire lifetime. Petty people can only speak petty words. God has given you certain powers that He hasn’t given them—surely they must harbor some regret, envy, and anger about this,
mustn’t they?
When we were in school, we wouldn’t let the class first-boy play with us,
and if we did include him, we wouldn’t let him bat, and when the ball fell into the drain, we’d send him to fetch it—that was all my achievement, power,
happiness, satisfaction. I simply didn’t have the capacity to do anything more than that. The reign of muscle, the slavery of mind cripples individuals,
communities, and
society. All the petty comments in the world combined cannot harm you as long as you don’t actually become petty yourself. When those who are not your equals say or do something that might influence your thoughts, decisions,
and actions,
be extremely cautious. It’s far better to hear unpleasant truths from good people than pleasant words from bad ones.
I feel compelled to quote a sentence from one of my old writings—God bestows fortune upon those who understand humanity.
Thought: Three Hundred Fifty-Nine
………………………………………
One. I watched ‘Shabdo’. What a truly magnificent film!
Movies of this caliber rarely get made. I say this with full responsibility—
they truly don’t.
Genius is nothing but madness. It’s incurable. Ordinary people cannot possibly understand or judge anything about a genius. To understand genius, one must possess genius. People without talent kill the talent in gifted individuals, often without realizing it. No genius fits into any conventional mold. Such people should be allowed to remain as they are. Good heavens,
they’re not like me,
they’re even beyond all my experience and
intellectual capacity. What they can do, I cannot. What they
can accomplish,
even a hundred thousand skilled workers together cannot achieve. If understanding them were within everyone else’s mental capacity, we would surely have found genius in many more people. But we don’t, do we!
I say again,
genius is simply a form of madness. The more we distance ourselves from the audacity of judging it, the better.
One dialogue from this movie has stuck in my mind—Why would Tarak make a mistake, tell me?
It takes genius to make such a statement with such confidence. Mere skill cannot produce such words from the mouth. And those who possess neither should not trouble themselves over such people. Even when an elephant falls to the ground, it remains higher than a goat. It is impossible for a goat to reach the elephant’s height or comprehend that height. Thus the goat’s only duty is not to trouble itself over the elephant’s magnificence, not to judge, and to let the elephant remain as an elephant.
Two. Winning a competition of flattery is harder than winning a competition of merit. Because merit has limits, while flattery is infinite. When someone is both capable and a flatterer, competing with them becomes nearly impossible!
Three. Lin Shu. A Chinese translator who changed the very history of literature. Had he been born in Bangladesh, perhaps he would have claimed many of his lesser-known translations as his original works and published books at the Immortal February Book Fair, seeking to become immortal in the hearts of semi-literate Bengalis! Respect!!
Four. Life is a game. To do well in this game, you must have a certain amount of money in hand after a certain age. If you still don’t have that amount of money by that time, then how you’re playing becomes irrelevant, because you’re not even in the game. Yes, you’re OUT of the game if you still lack enough money after a certain age.
Five. This life of ours, with which we are perfectly content, is the dream seen by some brave souls. Life is a kind of translation—perhaps the great manuscript-creators never have time to enjoy it. How many can truly live in a life seen in dreams? They die and thus demonstrate how intensely they live! I reverently remember those great life-artists who forgot to live in order to make us live. Happy Victory. (I posted this status on this day in 2013. A dear friend kept it in his collection.)
Six. Consciousness is a very good thing……… only as long as it’s not being used in some scheme. If it happens that I don’t actually embrace a particular consciousness mentally as much as I display it outwardly at certain times, in certain circumstances to achieve certain purposes, then I’m just a sick, hypocritical, envious person. If even a quarter of the consciousness-practice that Bengalis engage in on Facebook took place in the brain, it wouldn’t have taken long for Bengal to become golden Bengal.
Seven. It’s difficult to maintain relationships with 3 types of people—
One. Those who lack gratitude, who judge life only by what they haven’t received in life. Gratitude is power.
Two. Those who constantly complain about their own lives and everything around them. Excessive expectations make people sick, angry, and irrational. You love someone and ‘so’ you overexpect from them. It really destroys their life. Better, even hate them and let them live in peace.
Three. Those who believe
they alone are right, and everyone else is wrong. They never try to correct themselves,
because they don’t believe there’s anything within them that needs correction.
It’s a serious mental disorder!
Such people kill you mentally every single moment. The tragedy is, not always you can
get rid of them.
Eight. In a kingdom where donkeys outnumber all else,
that kingdom becomes a kingdom of donkeys. In the kingdom of donkeys, for the sake of establishing equality, often,
the lion that runs fastest
is shot dead. In the kingdom of donkeys, only donkeys receive love and
respect. The national anthem of that kingdom:
We are all donkeys in this our donkey realm— else how shall we match the donkey-king’s claim?
We do whatever we please,
yet graze only at his ease,
We’re not bound, not enslaved to conscience or wisdom’s game—
else how shall we match the donkey-king’s claim? We honor the donkey, the king leaps with joy,
in our short ears none has kept a greater mind to employ— else how shall we match the donkey-king’s claim?
We shall graze as we think fit,
in the end meet on paths counterfeit,
none of us shall die in truth’s terrible, twisting pit— else how shall we match the donkey-king’s claim?
Nine. Rushing to office in the morning, pushing through winter’s frost, I think,
Ah, father did this work his entire life!
When I slept comfortably, did it ever cross my mind to think of this man? While everyone else in the family sleeps, one person never gets any rest. That person is our father. So that everyone in the family may live in comfort,
that foolish man lost in dreams mortgages his life’s ease and comfort to livelihood. That person is our father. The person whom it’s easiest to misunderstand in this world, and most satisfying to do so—that person’s name is father. Father is that banyan tree that gives shade selflessly throughout life. The name for taking oneself from a life of “what did I get” to a life of “what did I give” is becoming a father. This transformation is deeply honorable,
worthy of reverence, dignity, pride. Living for the family’s dreams of happiness in exchange for one’s own suffering—that’s what it means to live as a father. Father means dependability,
security. Fathers are always awake. Taking responsibility for the family by burying one’s own joy is deeply joyful,
a source of pride. May that dream live powerfully in every child’s eyes—the dream that will one day make them the father of a family. The name for life itself is becoming a father.
Ten. In
this unfortunate country,
office workers are first office workers, second human beings. Businessmen are first businessmen,
second human beings. The unemployed are first unemployed, second human beings. The fundamental confusion lies right here.
Thought: Three Hundred Fifty
………………………………………
One. There are many clever ways to recognize worthless people. Let me mention two.
One. When you see a rice trader giving advice on how to succeed in computer hardware business,
know that this person is worthless. Perhaps there are many people wanting to learn hardware business, so this worthless person has descended into that racket. Let me give an example. BCS and motivation—these two things sell well in the market now,
whether the public understands or not,
they swallow these two things quite well. You’ll find high-yield, low-grade suppliers of these two things on every street corner.
Two. When you see Mr. X speaking ill of Mr. Y without any concrete evidence, hoping that perhaps this chance might make him a little ‘famous/popular’! (Who doesn’t know that we love to consume and spread gossip!) Yet Mr. X doesn’t have the time to even count Mr. Y! He who defecates, does he keep track of pigs? The tracking is the pig’s job. Because pigs survive only when someone graciously defecates!
In this Bengal, knowing how to be worthless and cheap is a tremendous quality!
Two. A girl can never forget the boy she was with. A boy can never forget the girl he couldn’t be with.
Three. Through the guru’s power, the disciple’s capacity to learn increases. (Someday I’ll find an opportunity to write about this in detail.)
Four. Chopin’s Spring Waltz (Mariage d’Amour)! Ah, God’s own melody!!
Exactly a year ago, I had wished my dear younger brother Prashanta a happy birthday with one of my most beloved melodies. Today too, I sent birthday wishes with the same tune. Pappu, happy birthday—stay well, stay healthy, stay joyful. (A funny truth is that although this exquisite instrumental is available on YouTube as Chopin’s Spring Waltz, the melody isn’t Chopin’s. Its true name is Mariage d’Amour, the immortal creation of Paul de Senneville. I think I’ve written about such amusing errors in art somewhere in The Plaster of Thought-Walls series.)
Five. Defecating and giving charity—both must be done away from public eyes, in secret. If done for others to see, the peace doesn’t quite come. (This is a post encouraging the use of hygienic latrines.)
Six. Where life takes us, how it takes us—we can never imagine. Life is always stranger than fiction.
Seven. What, did you understand? Finding it hard to accept? Accept it, accept it, because this is reality. The prerequisite for success: learning to tolerate success. Why would God give you something you can’t even bear? You’d get indigestion! To become great in life, you need a habitual ‘selfish’ weakness for greatness. Try to replicate the qualities of those who are successful in their respective fields. Whatever goal you wish to reach, maintain tremendous reverence for that goal. You haven’t achieved success? So what? Try again. If necessary, learn silently and humbly from those who have succeeded, how to walk that path. I can’t shift the burden of my failures onto others’ success, can I?
Eight. “O light, you are Aleya’s… in your nest of happiness, don’t search for me, friend.” How many times I’ve heard this!!
Nine. “Piya thora kaisa abhiman!” Ah, what melody, what artistry! I listened, listened, and listened. And birthed poetry.
Ten. Who are they, those who dream of making fortunes by marketing inbox conversations? They are the ones who leave bathroom doors open and bathe naked in public view! Both reflect the same mentality!
Eleven.
Oh my little flower,
you wouldn’t show your face again,
after five years of loving today
you just gave me the slip!
Don’t think I’m crying terribly,
dying alone in my heart,
blinded by love for me now
is your little sister Keka.
Twelve. HSTU students are really awesome! Feeling surprised and
motivated seeing their patience and dedication! Thank you HSTU Career Club and
all concerned for making today’s 6-hour career adda a grand success! Today’s
adda is one of my best addas to date. Your VC is a smart youngman of 65—I
must say! Got fully recharged seeing his energy level! Just look at him, think
and get inspired—believe me, you’ll never need a career adda to help
yourself! You guys are supercool! I sincerely beg apology if any of my activities
has offended anyone of you. I’m really sorry, boss! Looking forward to meeting
you again! Just give me a call whenever you need my help. I’ll surely be here
if I’m free and in good health. Love you all!
Thirteen.
Love, I think, means only—
the enchantment of those two eyes of yours,
the intoxicating fragrance of your loose hair,
a small touch wound around my fingers…….
Believe me,
with just this much I could live through many lives,
could turn back many deaths—with a smile!
The flesh of your breast,
or the cultivable taste of earth—
I want none of this.
I’ve understood love’s meaning only—
in the enchantment of your deep eyes,
in the shadow of your mind,
in the body of your melody………whether this much comes to pass or not, nothing more,
just living this life through that small mole on your cheek.
Fourteen. In marriage,
peace is more essential than love,
comfort is more essential than peace.
Fifteen. Live in the present, but be cautious,
so this
present doesn’t devour you. Make your destiny greater than your present,
only then will your future be beautiful.
Sixteen. What a spectacle! The career chat has erupted into a brawl!
Within minutes of registration opening, apparently 1100
‘free forms’
were gone! (Well, that means
I’m still just a kid at heart! Hehehe………)
Then began the wailing and gnashing of teeth. Mama, mama,
they didn’t give me a form. I won’t play! Mamaaa…………
:'(
What can I say!
When we get something for free, we’d close our eyes and happily chew and swallow even coal!
Proven once again!
Hey friend,
there’s no need to pounce and attack like this over such things. Trust me! We’ll stand around for a few hours doing random chit-chat and showboating, nothing more. I won’t utter a single word that you don’t already know. I swear on my honor!
What, the panic still hasn’t subsided?
Alright then,
let me make it simple! Now I’m being serious!
I won’t say a single word about BCS or IBA admission exam preparation strategies on Friday. For 6-7 hours straight, everything I’ll say will be just stories of life. There’s no point in making such a big deal out of this random rambling. Everything I’ve written about BCS and IBA admission exam preparation strategies,
I’ll print it all out in book form and
give it to the HSTU Career Club. Just collecting that material will be enough!
(This is the first time I’m taking this trouble
specifically for HSTU.)
Yes, towards the end of the chat, meaning
after evening, perhaps during the Q&A session, my colleagues and I will try to answer your various questions. Those who are only interested in BCS and IBA can just come at that time!
Friends! We’ll meet,
there’ll be free-flowing conversations, there’ll be songs—songs of life!