literally... in the end

यह एक बात के साथ शुरू होता है ... it starts with one thing
मुझे पता नहीं क्यों ... i don't know why
कोई फरक नहीं पड़ता, आप कितनी भी कोशिश करें ...it doesn't even matter, how hard you try
ध्यान में रखना , यह कविता मैंने तैयार करी है ... keep that in mind, i designed this rhyme
ताकि सही समय पर समझों ... to explain in due time
सब मुझे पता है ... all i know
समय एक महत्वपूर्ण वस्तु है ... time is a valuable thing
उसे उद्ते हुए देखो जिस दौरान पेंडुलम झूलता है ... watch it fly by as the pendulum swings
उलटी गिनती करते हुए देखो दिन के अंत तक ... watch it count down to the end of the day
वह घड़ी टिक टिक करके जीवन को दूर कर देता है ... the clock ticks life away
इतना अवास्तविक ... it's so unreal
नीचे भी नहीं देखा ... didn't look out below
समय को खिड़की से बाहर जाते हुए ... watch the time go right out the window
पकड़ने की कोशिश करता हूँ, पर पता भी नहीं ... trying to hold on, didn't even know
मैंने सब व्यर्थ गवाया , तुम्हे जाते हुए देखने के लिए ... I wasted it all just to watch you go
मैंने सब कुछ अपने अन्दर रखा और हालाकि मैंने कोशिश भी करी, सब टूट कर बिखर गया ... I kept everything inside and even though i tried, it all fell apart
मेरे लिए जो उसकी अहमियत है , अंत में एक समय की स्मृति बन कर रह जाएगा, जब ... what it meant to me, will eventually be a memory of a time, when

मैंने इतनी मेहनत करी, और इतनी दूर पंहुचा ... i tried so hard , and got so far
लेकिन अंत में कुछ नहीं हुआ ... but in the end , it doesn't even matter
मुझे गिरना था सब खोने के लिए , लेकिन अंत में कुछ भी नहीं हुआ, कुछ भी नहीं ... i had to fall , to lose it all but in the end , it doesn't even matter

एक बात मुझे पता नहीं क्यों ... One thing i don't know why
कोई फरक नहीं पड़ता, आप कितनी भी कोशिश करें ... it doesn't even matter how hard you try
ध्यान में रखना , यह कविता मैंने तैयार करी है ... keep that in mind, i designed this rhyme
ताकि मै खुद को याद दिला सकूँ कि मैंने कितनी कोशिश करी है ... to remind myself, how hard I tried

जिस तरह तुमने मुझसे मजाक किया, उसके बावजूद ... in spite of the way you were mocking me
अभिनय किया जैसे कि मै तुम्हारे जायदाद का हिस्सा हूँ ... acting like i was part of your property
उन दिनों को याद करता हूँ - जब जब तुम मुझसे लड़ी थी ... remembering all the times you fought with me
मै हैरान हूँ कि बात यहाँ तक पहुच गयी ... I'm surprised that it got so far
अब चीज़ें पहले जैसी नहीं रही ... things aren't the way they were before
तुम मुझे पहचान भी नहीं पाओगी ... you wouldn't even recognize me anymore
ऐसा नहीं कि तुम मुझे पहले नहीं पहचानती थी ... not that you knew me back then
मगर अंत में, सब कुछ वापस मुझ पर आ जायेगा ...but it all comes back to me... in the end
मैंने सब अपने अन्दर रखा और हालाकि मैंने कोशिश भी करी ... I kept everything inside and even thought i tried
सब टूट कर बिखर गया ... it all fell apart
अंततः यह सब एक समय की याद बन कर रह जाएगी, जब मैंने ... what it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when I

इतनी मेहनत करी, और इतनी दूर पंहुचा ... tried so hard , and got so far
लेकिन अंत में कुछ नहीं हुआ ... but in the end , it doesn't even matter
मुझे गिरना था सब खोने के लिए , लेकिन अंत में कुछ भी नहीं हुआ, कुछ भी नहीं ... i had to fall , to lose it all but in the end , it doesn't even matter

मैंने तुम पर मेरा भरोसा रख दिया है ... i've put my trust in you
जितनी दूर जा सकता था...गया ... pushed as far as I can go
इस सब के लिए, तुम्हे सिर्फ एक बात याद रखनी चाहिए ... for all this , there's only one thing you should know

मैंने इतनी मेहनत करी, और इतनी दूर पंहुचा ... i tried so hard , and got so far
लेकिन अंत में कुछ नहीं हुआ ... but in the end , it doesn't even matter
मुझे गिरना था सब खोने के लिए , लेकिन अंत में कुछ भी नहीं हुआ, कुछ भी नहीं ... i had to fall , to lose it all but in the end , it doesn't even matter

song credits and copyrights - Linkin Park लिंकिन पार्क (in the end - इन दी एंड)
translation credits - n e o

this song is my anthem....and apologies to all linkin park fans if i have hurt their sentiments in any which way!
दी एंड the end

land ahoy!

nothing unusual about this ship...docked at the kolkata harbor, under the azure skies...

now the bigger picture....
actually, the ship is docked on the rooftop!! a wonderful piece of architecture and someone's great imagination. i came across this house when i visited my aunt who stays in behala. the house is a local attraction and popularly called "jahaj baadi" or the 'ship house'. a landmark you cannot miss...
infact, when i entered the lane looking for the banerjee residence - i asked a 'bhadralok' for directions.
"the corner house bang opposite the jahaj baadi" - he answered! 

frozen in time

i visited my ancestral house in srirampore, west bengal last year after a gap of over 15 years. it was a walk down the memory lane, i spent time comparing the visuals in my head with what i saw. time takes its toll on most things...there was change all around, but a few things had not changed...they remained…just as they were...and perhaps will remain like that - frozen in time. i had very little time during my visit - managed a few hours at our house and then a hectic drive around kolkata. it was a great experience nevertheless...
Here are some pictures i clicked during my visit.

the corner chair and table fan in one of the rooms - these items have never moved an inch...as far as my memory takes me. The interesting part is, the table fan does not work (and has been like that for several years) - it remains, quiet...the blades move once in a while when there is a gush of wind.
It is dusted regularly…

this is the "sill-batta" or stone-grinder...don't really know the correct term. The modern mixer grinder has replaced this stone-age 'gadget'. It remains at its original place...just outside the kitchen door, on the corridor... must be 40-50 kgs in weight.

the sewing machine - 100% manual, rooted to it's original position - ever since it came home...some 30 years ago. still used by my grandma occassionally and neatly covered up after use...


this is a view of the kitchen - and thats my grandma inside (making tea for me). outside the kitchen is the high-stool on which my grandpa used to sit, supervise the cooking, enjoy his cups of tea, smoke, chat, read the newspaper...its been over 12 years since he passed away...but the stool never seems empty. i sat there for a few minutes...and sipped the tea that she made...the moment was awesome and will be etched in my memory forever..

a wooden showpiece - of a kashmiri boat ...a lady with the missing oar. history - years ago, i broke this piece while playing, the oar could not be placed back - but the lady was fixed, thanks to fevicol! no wonder, the shikara never moved...as she still waits for the oar!

i have heard stories of great swimmers in srirampore (who have swam across the ganges countless times), this is the place where it all starts...a pond next to our house. look carefully...people had made starting platforms and lane markings (at the other end) and neighborhood had an olympic size (probably larger) pool - its free, its for everyone. anyone walking by becomes a coach cheering young kids...the water is dirty, but who cares!

yeah...it's still there - the kolkata trams! not the preferred mode of transport anymore...(cycles are faster!) - blame it on the road traffic and ever increasing car population, demand of road space, etc. etc. it wont be long before the tram will rest peacefully in a heritage museum..

the Victoria Memorial at the Maidan, Kolkata – one of the most visited places (any trip to the city of joy is incomplete, if one hasn’t seen the memorial). there sits Queen Victoria...watching the world change...