And the failures continue to come..

CAT results came out today. The 28th of February, 2010. I got an overall score of 96.54 percentile (Verbal - 99.96 percentile, Reasoning - 85.22 percentile, QA - 67.73 percentile). The overall score is better than I quite frankly expected it to be, but that really doesn't count in the least because with my QA marks, I won't get any calls at all. So CAT is a no go at all.

One of the best songs I've ever tuned in to..

“ Dishe-haara j mon, kiishe sharthok a jeebon,

khuje phiri kotha nebo thaai..

Chaaridiike shobai mor, keu bhaalo keu mondo khub,

aapon maan jeche shetha beraai..

CHORUS: Mon-a bhabna tobu, gheere royechhe shodai,

Etoh chaowa niiye kotha jaai..

Keu ba mathaay, keu piithe, aamar bolaay haath miithe –

diiye jay koto na baahobaai..

Kaaro shondeho oti, sheshe holo ei goti –

Gyalo ki biphol-a jeebon-tai…

CHORUS (x 2)

Paagol hoye j aami, daami holaam aaro daami,

Koto daam janina aamar chaai –

Nebe k kiine aamay, taate ki ba aashe jaay?

Themey jetey bhorosha na paai…

CHORUS (x 2)

Chhilo bondhu ek aamar, pelem hothath dekha taar,

bhoboghurey, chaala-chulo naai..

Tobu khushir haashi’r resh, thot-a hoyna j taar shesh –

ki taar daam shey koreni jachaai…

CHORUS (x 2)

Shono jodi kono diin, aami hothath bhabna-heen,

rakhini kothao mor thikaanai..

Jyeno khoja aamar shesh, taai holaam j niruddesh,

saathe korey shudhu rhidoy-taai…

Mon-a bhabna tobu, gheere royechhe shodai,

Etoh chaowa niiye kotha jaai…

Mon-a bhabna tobu, gheere royechhe shodai,

Etoh chaowa niiye kotha jaai… ”

Best seats in the house..

7th February, 2010. 09:35 hours IST.

I am having a fantastic morning. Absolutely splendid. Around half-an-hour earlier, my mother and I heard this voice begin to in our gully and raced out to the verandah to get a closer look. The owner of the voice turned out to be a baul, clad in whites and an ektara cradled like a child in his arms. We listened with rapt attention (and open-mouthed awe, I must hasten to add) as he sang “Paakhi kyamne aashe jay..” (a song which, incidentally, is a firm favourite of both my mother and myself) like no one has ever sung it before, making every line, every word breathe. When he finished, my mother requested him to grant us audience for another song. It was “Tomaay rhid maajhare raakhibo..” next and, needless to say, this too was beautifully sung. His voice had this unpolished quality and yet was so perfectly melodious that we couldn’t help but hang on to his every word.. My mother and I would have liked nothing more than sit him down for the entire day and listen to him sing, but “A poor life this is full of care, / We have no time to stand and stare..” and I had an examination to sit for. So, we requested him for one final song, and out he came with “Bhalobeshe aami bhikari holaam, tumi hole raani..". Those who have had the pleasure of hearing this song earlier, know how beautiful the lyrics are and this man did a most commendable job of presenting it. We gave this man some money at the end, knowing full well however that whatever we paid him, it would be a gross underpayment. We requested him to visit our locality more often, to which he said that he stepped out of his house on the outskirts of the city very early every morning and went wherever it was that his feet took him, and it was thus not possible for him to guarantee a return. But he did say that like all artistes, he liked singing for people who appreciated his talent and that he would like to come play and sing for us again sometime.

It was a half-an-hour very, very well spent. I do hope to hear the man again.

continuation of "other failures"

Didn't merit a call from XIMB either, just like I predicted. Still, seeing the words "You have not been selected" in print is always tougher than imagining them.