GulDiary

A day out in an Ampi village

It was in September last year, Thailand trip with my family is still fresh in my mind. The trip that was hatched so unexpectedly left us with on-arrival visa only. No wonder many Indians opt for this system. However I was alerted by my niece who visited Thailand one or two months back that on-arrival is not a quickie job, we have to stand in queue for hours. As we landed in Suvarnabhumi international airport her warning came alive.         Suvarnabhumi international airport pics In fact when we were  in the sky all the passengers were provided some forms to be filled in for visa, although we didn't pay much heed to those, neither we had gone through it properly. So, following the co-passengers we were led to a counter where forms were being distributed, in addition to the one we had in the flight. We got down to filling in the forms. By the time we finished our job our co-passengers vanished from the scene. So on enquiry we were shown the directi...

Satsang Temple at Kailashahar  Paiturbazar, the entry point to Kailashahar. It also has the motor stand.                         Old jail at Kailashahar            Newly built Kailashahar Town Hall                    Industrial Training Institute                                ITI  from inside I am back in my home town Agartala after spending three days and two nights out of it. The train journey from Agartala to Kumarghat,  a subdivision in Unakoti District was mooth, although the Agartala--Dharmanagar local moved from the starting point a bit late, around 6.45 a.m. instead of 6.15 am. I have been travelling by this train for quite sometime now but never experienced a delay like this. Anyways rest was smooth. As directed by my ...

Being a woman in India is bane or boon is a tricky question to answer. Perhaps it is more of a bane than a boon. The mythical tales of women as symbol of kindness and sacrifice definitely make us proud, but the status of women in general is still bleak. Discourses on women's empowerment are doing good rounds in public space, in addition to government's endeavour to improve socio-economic status of women. However remote reality still speaks otherwise.  This cruel fact was again depicted recently by Shashank Khaitan in his much-awaited venture 'Dhadak', although less because of his directorial dexterity, but because of the debutant daughter of Bollywood diva Sridevi. The climax of the movie left everyone dumb speaking this dark side of reality aloud. The way the brother of Parthvi (Jahnvi Kapoor) re-entered her life with praternal show-off of love (gifts from her father) for Parthvi, her husband Madhu and their young one Aditya I felt something was amiss. As elated Par...

India lives in the village, we all know. Just day before yesterday I had one more opportunity to live in the village for sometime. After previous day's of scorching weather the day began on a cloudy note and while passing through Khumulwng, Belbari rural ambience rain dridr welcomed us. I was happy that my car had a natural shower on the way. The journey upto Khumulwng was smooth with good roads, but soon after bumping and jumping offered a different experience altogether, thanks to Bibhuti for his well-maneuvered driving. Khumulwng, for those who are alien to our state, is the headquarters of Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTADC). Dominated by local tribes Khumulwng has its own administrative set-up, a beautiful park frequented by tourists and locals alike often, a college, some schools, a rich library focusing on tribal art and culture and amazing natural setting to boast of. Our destination was Jampuijala RD block in Sepahijala district. By the time we re...

Life has become really hectic these days. I am yet to connect the last cord in my PhD project, if I consider it as a project ever. My office needs me more these days as I am bound to complete a four--page e-newspaper daily; it is really tough when other schemes come along from different sources of the office. However, Sanjib and Partha have been great sources of support for that. In between that my traveller mind always pokes me to get out of the house whenever a petty chance comes up. Last Sunday I was out with Bibhuti and team - to the rural Khowai. For those who don't have ideas about Khowai let me tell you it's one of the eight districts of Tripura. Khowai itself is a sub-division also. Earlier I have seen the urban part of Khowai only while shuttling between Agartala and Kailashahar to meet my brother. The famous (for us) tea-stall in front of the police station, the welcoming kettle just at the entry point of Khowai, Khowai district hospital - all used to come in our r...

https://youtu.be/Aw74q1gzEdY

Expression of Chakma culture and tradition. Chief Minister is seen opening the festival. Traditional Chakma cottage and Chakma girls in traditional attire.