Monty- We love you and will forever

I write this from my heart and hope it reaches you wherever you are. You came to us well matured but did not have any problems in adjusting with us. Your colour golden brown made you shine like the precious metal itself. You are precious and will me. I remember the moments which you made it special for us. You made us wanted. Stood for us patiently to return home. You were the jewel of my aunt and shared a special relation with her. She cried like a child when you, her child, left us all. You left a void which will never be filled.

We never left you alone at home for you would start crying if you didnt see us for some time. And now how can you leave us forever? We fell your presence everywhere at home. The place where you used to sleep in my room is so empty now. In the mornings you used to wait to get into my room. You responded to everything that we spoke. You were not an animal. You were a human for me. My friends, students and girlfriend were so fond of you. They too are sad hearing about your demise.

And when we used to bring sweets and ice-cream, you used to glued by us. When I used to have my favorite dish- biriyani, used to wait for me to finish to have the bones. You were no pet to us. You were family. We will never get anybody so faithful and honest. That is why we never used to tie you up. You knew where your home was. And in this home you have created a vacuum. Christmas is coming and I still remember how you used to love having the cakes. 

When strangers came you cautioned us yet you didnt give any signal that you would leave us. May be even in death you didnt want to disturb us. Im sorry Monty I cudnt help you. Death is bad ! I hope to meet you once again when I die. It was sad to see your lifeless body sail in the Ganges, the very body which extended to me a handshake. You were so dutiful and obedient. I pray that you be in peace wherever you are. And Im sure you would be in the presence of good company as here on earth you were immaculate. You bowl, neck strap and towel are all there. I take the responsibility of doing the mistake of not keeping a picture of you. But I assure you that You will be always in Our memory and prayer.Wish you were here too....

Not from your master but your brother.
Love you Monty !
You were a Gem of a friend !

Paranormal Activities in Kolkata

NATIONAL LIBRARY

The Mysterious National Library

Located at an eerie place, the National Library is one place which has a mysterious atmosphere surrounding it. It lies between the Alipore Zoo and the Alipore Jail. The vast expanse of the library with the woods may give you a reminiscence   of the woods in any Dracula movie. The national library has a history to support the strange experiences of some of the visitors.

The different caretakers have been heard saying that strange sounds of footsteps could be heard after dark. An aged man testifies that it is only of the wife of the former Lieutenant Governor of Bengal. Many students have also experienced such sounds following them closely on their way back after their tryst with the books. One of the students recalls a horrific glare through the selves inside the library hall. This accompanied by several strange incidents make the National Library one of the most haunted places in the city of Kolkata.



WIPRO KOLKATA

The Haunted IT Sector Built at Graveyard sites

For all those aspiring ITians its going to adventure to work at the Wipro Kolkata Centre. To start off with, the place was a swamp until about only a decade ago when the West Bengal Government planned an IT sector in Salt Lake. Residents in the close by  areas of Saltlake and Rajarhat have explained the reason for the strange experiences felt at  Wipro Kolkata. Priya, a resident at Sector 3 Saltlake explains that the plot where Wipro Kolkata stands was a graveyard and the police often used the surroundings to encounter criminals. There have been more testimonials of the strange nature of the surroundings where the complex stands. Employees are often reluctant to go alone to the washroom after strange incidents had been reported.

Employees of the IT giant have often complained about the strange sightings, specifically 3rd Floor of Tower 3. New joinings are advised not to hover around the area. But some of the times the floor remains shut.




William Shaheb er Shada Ghora (Mr. William’s White Horse)

Encounter the Pearl

 If you take frequent trips around the Royal Calcutta Turf Club of the Race course as it is popularly known, stop by and you could see a white fog galloping towards you. Well its not a fog as legend has it that it is the spirit of Pearl, one of the race horses shot by its master after she was unable to win races. People on vehicle have often confirmed the strange sight around the adjacent roads. One of the eye-witnesses remembers how in an April night he saw a fog passing the middle of the road. He looked on only to see it to get transformed to a majestic pristine white horse. Workers of the RCTC have pinned down the sights to the White Pearl which scorched the tracks in its glory days. One of the workers says, “A jockey named William had shot his horse in 1931 after she was unable to win him any races.”

Coins

Owl standing right, head facing. Reverse of a silver tetradrachm from Athens 480–420 BC

Money ! Its been around for ages. Serving as a medium of exchange for the various transactions that happen in an economy. The transactions were simple and could well be met using the barter system earlier before the invention of money. However as time elapsed, there were complex transactional demands that required a common denomination for exchange. Money was thus born. Coins were the earliest form of money as paper was not invented that early in history. The availability of metals and the abundance of craftsman ensured that there were an abundant supply of coins. The first coins were made of Bronze, Silver and Gold. Emperors never left the opportunities to stamp their authority by formulating coins bearing their images. Coins do help us in many ways. It is a store house of information with details of the ruler, date and the kind of times. Many people take up the collection and study of coins as an engaging hobby. Numismatics by itself may be a full-fledged professions. Its is a spectacle to witness some of the amazing coins from around the world.

A Roman Solidus

Persian Achaemenid Coin

Apollonians Coin

Australian Holey Dollar

Soviet Union Coin

Roman Emperor: Julius Caesar

This gold coin reveals the veiled head of Julius Caesar on the front side with emblem "CAESAR COS TER". At the back of the coin is a lituus, a jug and an axe with emblem "A. HIRTIVS P.R"

The Mysterious Bee Coin

These coins do tell us stories of the distant times and distant places..Its amazing how they fascinate most of us till today in the world of credit cads and traveler's cheque.

Stamps !!!

Stamps posses  the finest pieces of history of countries, culture and civilization. The broad variety of stamps from the different corners of the world never ends to fascinate us. We learn about the place, transportation, food, dress and so much more by a small piece of paper. Yet it appears so bright and colorful to most of us. Collecting stamps is the hobby of many people around the world and is often encouraging in blending and knowing the  the culture of the distant lands. Enthusiast go on to become philatelist to show his/her passion for stamps. Here I pay my tribute to the wonder paper which not only helps us in delivering thoughts but in the process creates many.

 

Italian Stamp- A tribute to Archimedes

Austria issued an embroidered stamp in August 2008. Featured on the stamp is the Clusius gentian (gentiana clusii).

Jamaica’s 2008 Beijing Olympics Stamps : These stamps feature:The women’s 2004 Olympic 4 x 100 m relay team,
Veronica Campbell & Asafa Powell

Oriental stamps from China

“The Camel Postman” from Sudan

Korea commenced issuing ‘Year of the Dog’ stamps’ back in 1970

German stamp- Nefertiti Bust

Italy: WWII Postage Stamp of  Hitler & Mussolini

The legendary Okapi Postage Stamp: Cuba

Tunisian Postage Stamp: Hands of an African black, and an Arab create the shape of Africa

Soviet adventure in Antarctica 

Traditional “Fijian Houses” stamps

Pakistan 1976: Strip of five UNESCO-stamps with a panoramic view of the ruins at Moenjodaro

Originally published in “United Nations Postage Stamps” by the United Nations Department of Public Information, New York in 1956

Egyptian Pyramids

The Nataraja Stamp for 2 Annas

Man Lands On The Moon

World Cup Winner- Pele

Rare Red Mercury Stamp: Austria

Marking the Red Revolution in Russia

Stamp from Sierra Leone

Birth Of Christ: Chile

Tribute to Democracy

Postage Stamp showcasing Zambian Railways

 

SSB

Joining the Indian Army is the dream of many. But only few deserving ones are selected through a rigorous set of tests. To become an Commissioned Officer there are a few criterion one must fulfil.One has to be a graduate, below the age of 25 and must pass the nationwide CDS examination.

       What one must remember is to join the Indian Army,  you should not change your personality at all. If you have it in you you will be selected no matter what. Just give your best try and you will succeed. Taking coaching does not help much. All you need to do is to be fit and have a positive attitude. You should be aware of all the historical legacies of our country and follow the current affairs closely.

Coaching may not be of great help to crack the SSB

The Army bus will pick and drop you from the railway station.

Once you clear your CDS, you will get an SSB joining letter. You would be asked to report to any of the SSB centre railway station. From there you would be taken to the centre in an army bus. You will be made to put up at dormitories of the different SSB Boards. The first test at SSB is the Screening round. It is conducted on the first day itself.Here you would be divided into groups of 10. The groups would be shown a hazy picture. The group members will be given time to identify and develop a story around the picture. The panel of psychologists would then ask each individuals to explain the picture. Be original and realistic in describing the image. One of the group members would then volunteer to form a final story after deriving points from each individual story. After all the groups have finished, results are announced. Around 70% of the the candidates are asked to leave in the screening round itself.

Try to solve mock tests.

 Once you clear the screening round, your stay at SSB is guaranteed for the next 5 days when you would be tested psychologically as well as physically. These tests are randomly organised and you need to be prepared for anything, anytime. The psychological tests include  image recognition and descriptive ability, input retention and reflex abilities. You are not allowed to carry any timing device or any mobile phone to the test halls. If you have doubts of any sort, get it cleared before the commencement of the test as the examiner would not entertain any questions once the tests are underway. To get yourself familiarised with the pattern of questions, do consult a text book on SSB.

Try clearing obstacles for practice

The physical tests are conducted by the GTO (Group Task Officer). The physical tests includes the snake race,group tasks, obstacle courses and problems based on specific situations. These involves both individual and group tasks. Practice running, climbing and jumping to have an edge over the others. Pay special attention to the obstacle course as the examiner would scrutinize you here. Try to complete as many obstacles as possible out of the total 10. In the group tasks, be alert and give ideas to the other members. Do not be aggressive with the others even in commanding.

One of the group tasks

The interview with the President of the SSB Board may take place on any of the five days. Dress smartly and be clear in your conversation with him. He would give you the points which would require elaboration. The generally include description about oneself, family, city/town/village, occupation. general knowledge and current affairs, schooling and college etc. The last interview happens on the last day with all the GTOs, Psychologists and the Vice-President and President of you SSB Board. This second interview does not have much impact on you result. Shortly after the interview the results are declared. The once who clear the SSB are asked to stay back for the medical tests and are given the symbolic white chest numbers.

The symbolic White Medical Chest Numbers

Try to be a balanced person and give in your best effort in each of the tests...All the best..Serve the Nation with Pride !

A RUPEE

This is why I love travelling in a bus!! Not only does it save you money, but in my opinion it also teaches you the value of money.. You might be wondering how does it make us realize the value of money?? Explaining a complicated thing like the value of money is explained in the economics classes and  stock markets, using various graphs and data..well this is what happened..
I was travelling in a bus one morning..It was crowded as usual when office goers, school students and manual laborers were in a hurry to reach their desired destinations..The bus conductors usually pick up a fight very easily.. So, I was not at all surprised  when I heard the  conductor shout at the top of his voice.. the argument kept on going and soon I was drawn into it.. It so happened that a fellow passenger had paid a “Rupee” less then the usual fare. A Rupee for most of us would be a heavy piece of metal which normally we dislike as it makes our wallets and purses heavy..

But this man was no ordinary person as he kept on denying the conductor the extra rupee. His reaction brought many thoughts to my mind..what would he do with just a rupee?? was it so dear to him?? well I got the answer! The fellow passenger, a laborer, could very well save a few more and afford a meal.. may be something more..have you ever undervalued a Rupee?