Book Review : The Secret Adversary

Kolkatans are enjoying their share of winter this year (while keeping their fingers crossed!). So just like others i planned to enjoy this winter holiday season . And after thinking for sometime, i decided nothing else can be as satisfying as reading a good book. Now i should be honest to you all, especially when i've been a good boy the whole year, and this is the only time when the good old Santa gives the reward to good boys (yes. . yes. . to girls too). Now i really pride myself of being a bookworm. But the thing is for the last 8-9 months, i've haven't read a single book (i mean storybooks, novels, etc. ) So though its true that i like reading books, i've a big list of books that i've yet to read.
Now i like novels bout detectives and criminals among other genres. And one of the most famous and best selling authors of the genre - Agatha Christie's works were pretty much untouched by me till now. Now the question was to decide which novel to read. Since i already had decided not to spent any money on the book this time, my options were quite limited. So i went to www.gutenberg.org and downloaded my first ebook - 'The Secret Adversary' by Agatha Christie.
Since it was my first experience with Agatha Christie's work, i was not expecting anything.
The story introduces two young adventurers - Tommy and Tuppence who were both childhood friends and desperatly looking for jobs in 1920s post war period London. Together they start a joint venture for doing adventures (i.e., going anywhere and doing anything however unreasonable for the correct price). A person overhears them and from there the mystery begins. Added some rogue 'comrades' from Russia, a secret document and an omnipresent mastermind crook who goes by the name of Mr. Brown whom no one has seen, & the plot thickens. However the presence of plenty of coincidences in the novel put me off a tad. On the other hand the main characters of the novel Tommy and Miss Tuppence were like a breeze of fresh youthful breeze. Undoubtedly they are cutest detective couple that i've ever read bout. The sheer energy of Miss Tuppence and her optimism while the slow but steady approach of Tommy makes them a deadly combo. Honesty i kept guessing about who could be the real crook till the end of the novel.
So in my opinion if you have not read this novel, you surely should. But don't expect anything more than a light young adult read with too many coincidences. The novel is a perfect read for winter noons or cold nights.
My rating for The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie is 2.5/5

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Smoking is Injurious to 'Wealth'

The picture of charred black lung on the cigarette pack is hardly a deterent when the smokers crave for some quick nicotine fix. But from now, the smokers will have to bear more than Rs. 10,000 a year excluding the cost of cigarettes! This is the amount added to Life Insurance Premium of smokers. Since it is a fact that nicotine addicts have higher chances of contracting pulmonary & heart diseases, it makes sense to charge more for the high risk. Now for instance a 40 year old smoker has to 'cough up' Rs. 25,670 (approx) a year for a Rs. 50 lakh cover under Kotak Preferred Term Plan while for non smokers it is just Rs. 15,000. So if health problems in future don't motivate smokers to give up smoking, definitely the 'cost' of smoking will help them kick the butt.

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National Library and The Secret Chamber

History used to be boring when i had to study those books and memorize the dates, back in school days. But after somehow getting over those days, i realized my mistake and believe that history can be pretty much interesting . . well at least some times like the following one.
A mysterious room has been discovered in the 250 year old Belvedere House (commonly known as National Library in Kolkata) during the renovation of the building. The secret chamber has no opening of any kind. The chamber has lain untouched for over 2 centuries. The archeologists have no clue of the secrets that this hidden chamber may hold. But a wide range of theories are being speculated such as a torture chamber, sealed tomb, or may be even a treasure room. Plenty of such possibilities exist because the same building has a very rich colonial history and was used as residence of Lt. Governors. .
So after this news piece, who still thinks history is boring?

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Paul the psychic octopus is no more!

Paul, the Octopus, the favorite sea creature during the last World Cup Soccer has died at the age of 2.5 yrs. Steffan Porwoll, a manger at Oberhausen Sea Life Centre in Germany, where Paul lived and made his famous predictions said that Paul had passed away peacefully during the night, of natural causes. Of course, the conspiracy theorists are speculating other reasons for his death.
Jiang Xiao, a Chinese Filmmaker, who is making a film titled "Kill Paul Octopus" about Paul's predictions, told Guardian that she was "60 - 70 percent sure that Paul was dead on 9th July and the Germans have been covering up his death. . . . Octopuses all look the same. It is impossible to tell the difference."
For the Paul lovers, a condolence section has been set up on his facebook page, and the Sea Life Centre has decided of honoring his life with a burial plot and a modest permanent shrine on their grounds.
[tags psychic, paul, octopus, world cup, soccer, football]

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Beetle Bailey Turned Sixty!

On this Sept. 4th, Beetle Bailey, one of the most loved comic strip characters and my idol turned sixty. The brainchild of cartoon artist Mort Walker, was first published on Sept. 4th , 1950. The story is set in a fictional US army camp 'Swampy' where Beetle joined after he left his college and got enrolled with the Army during the Korean War. In these sixty years, Beetle had not for once been in a war.
King Features, the syndicating service for Beetle Bailey is celebrating the 60 years of Beetle Bailey by running Sunday cartoons that feature Beetle in re-enactment of various events of US military history like end of World War-II, crossing of Delaware with George Washington. About Beetle, Walker says - "He is still pretty much lazy. . . He represents the little man in all of us". And this is so true. . Don't we just love this lazy fellow!!

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Get your Address Proof from Post Office

The Indian Postal Department is now issuing address cum identity proofs. To get the postal identity cards you have to make an application on prescribed form for Rs. 10/- and submit it with a fee of Rs. 240/- in the nearby Head Post office, as not all the post offices are providing this service. Once you have submitted the application form for Postal Address cum Identity Proof, a postman will visit your place to verify your address. Once the verification is complete, you will get the Postal Address cum Identity card. However the whole process may take upto a maximum of 2 months. The ID once issued will be valid for 3 years after which it has to be renewed for a fee of Rs. 140/-. In case you lose the Postal Address cum Residence Proof, the postal department will issue you a duplicate proof for a fee of Rs. 190/-.
Though the initiative by the Indian Postal Department is appreciable, i have noticed a few downsides -
1.) In some places like Bangalore, the postal department is demanding the Voter ID to issue the residence cum identity proof. At this moment i can not find a single reason as to why a person with Voter ID will need a Postal ID.
2.) The maximum time duration for the entire process is 2 months, which is kinda too much stretched in my opinion.
3.) Are these ids recognized by other Govt. Departments? Are these valid for opening a bank a/c, etc.
So did you apply for you Postal Residence cum Identity Proof? Did you face any problem? Share your thoughts with me.

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Subsidized!

How much would it cost you to have a Dosa at your local fast food shack? Rs. 20/- maybe
What bout a Katori of Kheer? Rs. 20/- i guess
And a plate of Butter Chicken? Definitely anything above 30 bucks.
And if you try the same items in semi "Posh" restaurants they may create a hole in your wallet 4/5 times bigger.
But what if someone tells you that he gets to eat a Dosa only for Rs. 4/-, Kheer for Rs. 5.50 and Butter Chicken for Rs. 27/- only, would u believe him/her? In my opinion you should if that person happens to be a Member of Parliament or works in Parliament. The following list of Parliament House Canteen Food Rates will make the facts clear -
Tea Re. 1.00
Soup Rs. 5.50
Dal (1 katori) Rs. 1.50
Veg. Thali (Dal, Subzi, 4 Chapatis, Rice/Pulao, Curd, Salad) Rs. 12.50
Non Veg. Thali Rs. 22.00
Curd Rice Rs. 11.00
Veg. Pulao Rs. 8.00
Chicken Biryani Rs. 34.00
Fish Curry and Rice Rs. 13.00
Rajma Rice Rs. 7.00
Tomato Rice Rs. 7.00
Fish Fry Rs. 17.00
Chicken Curry Rs. 20.50
Chicken Masala Rs. 24.50
Butter Chicken Rs. 27.00
Chapati (per piece) Re. 1.00
Rice (per plate) Rs. 2.00
Dosa Rs. 4
Kheer (per Katori) Rs. 5.50
Fruit Cake Rs. 9.50
Fruit Salad Rs. 7.00
The rates of the items were last revised in 2004. Since then i guess the authorities have not realised the need to revise the rates. Thinking of it, now i have some clue bout why the inflation problem is getting worse every year in India. With the ever increasing paychecks and perks and the "SUPER-SUBSIDIZED" food our representatives at parliament have no real reason to take concrete steps to curb inflation. Did i use the word 'Subsidized'? Oh Yes! I did . . And it means that WE are paying for the food that these MPs eat though we have a hard time making our personal budgets and buying Dal for more than Rs. 100/- per Kg. But then it is Indian Democracy and we do things differently in India.

P.S. - Happy Independence Day!

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Amazing India!

(This one is a forwarded sms from a friend)

What is India??..

1. A Nation where Pizza reaches home Faster than Ambulance & Police,
2. Where U get Car Loan @ 5% but Education Loan @ 12%
3. Where Rice is Rs.40 but Sim card is free
4. Where people standing at tea stall reading an article about child labour from newspapr & say "Yaar Bachho Se Kaam Karwane Walo Ko To Fansi Par Chara Dena Chahiye'' & then they shout 'Oye CHOTU 2 Chai La'
This is our INDIA,
Incredible India...

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The Inevitable . . .

He knew that it was inevitable, but he had no idea that he would do it so soon. . When they heard the news, they could believe neither their ears nor their eyes. Its strong smell dashed into their nostrils and brought them to their senses. It has happened. They never had a hint of the revolution taking place so silently and secretly around them. Clearly he had taken enough precautions not to raise an iota of doubt in their minds. And while they were away for a few hours picking up supplies from the nearby market, he planned each of his steps and completed his mission. They returned home to find a surprise waiting for them in the drawing room where it was kept as a proof that he could do it too if situation demands for it.
A tray full of hot 'Vegetable Chops' ready to be relished with steaming tea from the pot.

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Sambha of Sholay passed away. . .

Veteran actor Mohan Makhijani, also known as Mac Mohan (Sambha of Sholay), passed away on 10th May, at the age of 71 years, at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital after battling Cancer for a long time.
In his 46 years of acting career, he acted in more than 190 movies including a Bangla film (Aashrita). Mac Mohan started his career on the silver screen of bollywood in the year 1964 with 'Haqeeqat' and his last appearance was in 'Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge'. Some of the superhit movies in which he acted are 'Don', 'Satte Pe Satta', 'Shaan', 'Kala Patthar'.
P.S. - Though Mac Mohan used to play negative roles all the time, i kinda loved to watch him on screen. I've grown up watching his vicious acts in movies yet i felt that he was like family. . . I got this news today so thought to share with you guys. . Are you guys fan of Sambha like me?

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One-liner T-Shirts!!

My friend P is crazy bout shopping (like most girls in the world) and she has a weakness for chocolates (again like most girls) and t-shirts. She perhaps has a collection of 30 or so one-liner t-shirts. The last time i was in her shopping team (oh yeah! She shops with a group of friends), she kinda forced me to buy my first one liner t-shirt thus causing my already light wallet lighter by 199 bucks. . :( A few days ago she was cribbing about the lack of funny one - liners in t-shirts in local market. That is when i had the idea to post an entry bout T-shirt oneliners. So i did some heavy duty research (copying from one source is plagiarism but copying from more than one source is RESEARCH) on the net and came up with my version of Top Ten T-Shirt One-Liners : -
1. Its better to lose a lover than to love a Loser. .
2. Hard work will pay off L8R but Laziness pays off NOW!
3. You have the right to remain silent, so pls SHUT UP!
4. Guys have feelings too. . But like. . . Who CARES!
5. Rehab is for Quitters.
6. Stop following meh! . . It ain't TWITTER.
7. Out of my mind. . . Back in five minutes
8. Give Peace a Chance or I'll Kick Your Ass
9. This shirt is SEE THROUGH when wet.
10. I'm not getting smaller. . I'm BACKING OFF!
P.S. - yeah i know it has some anti guy stuff (pt. 4) but you know i can't ignore the truth. . That is what generally happens to us guys!
P.P.S - Well i HAVE TO dedicate this post to my friend P who gave me this idea accidently for the sake of my physical n mental well being. . (u guys know what i'm talking bout. . Right?)

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My First Award!

Well i'm extremely pleased to inform you that i've been declared the winner of the First Caption Contest conducted by Lazy Pineapple, along with another blogger Amit. My congratulations to Amit too.
This is the moment when i'd like to thank my mom, my dad, my neighbours, the dearest and nicest of all the judges (i.e. LP), the little johnny who got stuck in the potty to provide us with the opportunity to participate in this contest. . Once again a special thanks to LP for giving me my first ever award in the Blogosphere! !

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The Monday Blues!

"I hate Mondays!" those are the three letter words that i'm pretty sure all of us has uttered atleast once in our life. Some of us get over this Monday hatred and some of us don't. As far as guys like me who are a firm believer of Garfield-ien Philosophy are concerned, we can't imagine loving any Monday. Not that i don't wish to have a good feeling everytime i wake up on monday morning and say "Thank God, its monday again, and i'm all set to get back to my work with a bang", but for me (a Beetle Bailey over impressed Garfieldien way of life) that's kinda too much to think 'bout. So in my efforts to procrastinate my duties and works that were REALLY NEEDED to be done, i tried to jot down the reasons why i simply hate Mondays. Check them below and see if you have something in common -
1. Monday sneaks in after two blissful weekends even before I anticipate it,
2. The weekend "Hangover" is at its peak on Monday,
3. Traffic is really bad, long queues in banks, ATMs and Post Offices,
4. This day i generally suffer from temporary memory loss in my workplace,
5. The newspapers have nothing interesting to read like gossips, fashion and entertainment news on mondays,
6. Mondays remind me of the next four days before i can enjoy another weekend,
7. Every Monday the previous weeks' of procrastination catch up with me,
8. Most of the political processions, strikes, gheraos, dharnas occur on these days. Looks like our politicians also hate Mondays,
9. It is the longest day of the week,
10. My 'guru' Garfield hates this day.
Well this is the end of my list. Do you guys have some other reasons for hating mondays? Oh, come on, share with me!

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Ma - the sweetest word

The highest of all feminine types in India is mother, higher than wife.
Wife and children may desert a man, but his mother never. Mother is the same or
loves her child perhaps a little more. Mother represents colourless love that
knows no barter, love that never dies. Who can have such love? — only mother,
not son, nor daughter, nor wife.

- Swami Vivekananda

About 23 years ago a mother was born in a woman and after that she was never the same as she was earlier. She was happy and thanked the gods for their mercy of gifting her with a child and kept trying to forget the lose of her first child. Friends and family congratulated her and wished her good health. On that day she took an oath that she will let no one harm the little life that was once a part of her. Days passed and years passed. The little thing was almost ready for the schools. For the next 5 years there were good and bad days but the smile on her baby's face made her forget all pains. For all these 5 years she had guarded, protected, loved this little thing and then it was time to let the child go... to school that is. The thought of sending her baby away from her sight unprotected, made her soul cry. But it was something that had to be done.


The little child when first stepped in the classroom without her mother, not even his father, he shivered. It was a scary lonely feeling.. He cried and tears rolled down his cheeks. The madam tried to soothe him down but it was nothing like what his mother did to please him when he cried at home. He wanted his mother badly. For the first time in life the little guy felt what it is like to be without a mother. That day when he returned home the mother and the little guy were happiest to see each other. With the days passing the little guy made some little friends in the school and now he never missed his mother in his school for he knew his mother will be waiting eagerly for him when he returns home. But with studies in school and homeworks, the little guy suddenly realised that his mother doesn't love him like earler. She used to make him do the homeworks, teach him the lessons and forced him to do maths. Soon he started hating her for her strictness. He suddenly realised that his dad was the nicest person around. He brings, toys, cookies, chocolates and what not. The little guy wondered how had he not noticed that his dad was so much fun that his strict mother.

After many years when the little guy was not that little anymore, he thought of his childhood days and understood the real love that her mother showed. It was she who made her literate and gifted him the first book. It was her pure love and care that were sometimes disguised as strictness and punishments so that the little guy does good in future. And then he realised that he loved his mom greater than ever.

The little guy is no one else but me and i'd love to use this opportunity to say that MA, AMI TOMAKE SOBTHEKE BESHI BHALOBASHI (Ma I love you very much). The line may sound cliched but then there is no law that truth should not be cliched. No one else in my life has the level of importance that my Ma has. When i'm away from home, i have telephone conversations with Baba but never with Ma.I guess that is because we are always connected on a higher level. But once i get back to home, the conversation never comes to an end! I know my Ma will never read this post but still I have to say that whatever i wrote today is from the bottom of my heart and still now i'm feeling goosebumps.

Ma i know can't write enough for a tribute for the selfless love, affection and care that you kept on showering on me, for accepting my whims in odd hours of the day and never being angry with for more than few hours. I know that you always tried to provide me with the best even though it meant a lot of extra burden for you. You always waked up earlier than me to provide me with breakfast before my morning tuitions, always packed me home made food when i went out of town for works, always kept an eye on when i needed new clothes, pencils and other things. You passed down to me the love for books.

If reincarnations are truth then i'd always want to be your son.

Ma You are the best!!!




img source - http://cdn-i.dmdentertainment.com/

I had always wanted to write this post. Loads of thanks to blogadda for providing such motivation. This is my entry for Blogadda contest for Mother's Day! I had to add the above widget as it is a rule of the contest.

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New Year Puja

Here i've attached a few shots of the Puja organised at my Uncle's home. And yeah, i'm sorry for the low resolution.

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Why Women Shop So Much!

Couple of days ago i went for shopping ,,, with my cousin T. She was looking for a gift item for her friend's B'day. After wandering in the narrow streets of Barra Bazaar for 'bout two and a half hours and me following her like her personal attendant, she finally decided to buy one saree somewhat reluctantly. The look on her face was something like "we could have get something better if we tried a bit more". That was the day when i realised why men don't like to go shopping with women. Was it that bad eh? Some of you might ask. Take it from someone who had experienced, it was Pain. Now don't think that this was my first time of shopping with the fairer sex. In fact i have shopped with Ma lotta times, but you know its always different with moms. And besides, while shopping with Ma, i'm less of a guy and more of an automated shopping cart.
After having my shopping experience with T, at home my mind was all messed up with a lot of questions. Questions those have been asked by all men at some point of their pathetic life. Why do women shop so much? Why they take so long to shop? Why we guys hate going to shop with them?
That night in my dream came Rebecca Bloomwood to give me the answers that i needed. She told me 'bout some of the simplest things that were always in front of my eyes which i never cared to notice. Her logic was simple but firm and undeniable. Whatever she said, i noted them down on a piece of paper (of course in my dream silly!). It went something like this in her words -
What is wrong with you guys? Don't you see that we girls have so many things to wear, be it clothes or makeup. And with so many necessities to fulfil we have so many options to choose from. All of this needs time and managerial skills. We can't live our entire life in a pair of unwashed jeans and shirt like you stinking guys. When was the last time you washed your jeans, tried a deo or washed your stinking socks. With guys like you present, we girls have to take the burden of making this a earth a beautiful place. And to do that we need to shop. Shop for new clothes, shoes, bags, belts, hair sprays, deos and everything else. We girls shop for long hours only to support the economy as a whole. When we shop everything is so great. Afghanistan is in ruin coz there aren't many shopping malls. Open up some malls there and give some cash to the ladies there and then see its economy booming. You guys have been lazy and selfish all the time. All you wanna do is to be a couch potato remained glued to ESPN. Go out, shop with us and serve the country's economy, get a life.
Rebecca was gonna do some more men bashing, but good lords the alarm went off.
What do you think was Rebecca's logic undeniable? Share your thoughts with me about Shopaholic Women.
P.S. - According to a survey, 9 out of 10 are shopaholic.

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My Best Friend 4 Life & Love for Books

My cousin T says that Dogs are a man's best friend. . But i beg to differ. To me dogs are those ill mannered things that bark their lungs out under my bedroom window at midnight. So self annihilation is the most preferable choice for me than treating them as my best friends. However today is not my day for annihilation and so i'll write 'bout it some other day. But about best friends i think no one else can be as best a friend as a book. And i feel myself to be blessed enough that i had a special book and others as my best friend since my early childhood. The book "Sukumar Roy Samagra" with a shiny toffee red paperback cover with a sketch of a pussycat had always attracted me in those days. I heard from Ma in later years that i used to stare at her with my big puppy eyes whenever she tried to read me stories from the book wearing a discrete look on my face that everything she was reading was way up my reception antennas. Soon she bowed down to my wishes and kept the book in her possession for giving it to me in near future. This book was the first bangla classic that was gifted to me by my parents. After 4 - 5 yrs the round 2 of reading this book started. Then i was in class 4 or 5. I started enjoying the sketches in the book. But reading the book was still a no entry zone as i was not familiar with Bangla alphabets at that time. Though born in Bengali family, i had my initial schooling in various districts of Uttar Pradesh and was comfortable in Hindi. This was the time when Ma tried to teach me Bangla, but after attending school, doing homeworks and studying, learning Bangla interested me the least. So the book was kept aside for the second time. Days passed, months passed and thus passed 2 more years when i heard that my dad had been transfered to Raiganj in West Bengal, and worse that me and Ma were also to go to the new place. My parents were happy as they were returning to their home state but i was shocked. How was i going to speak fluently with my new classmates and how i'm going to study Bangla in place of Hindi were my prime concerns. Once again Ma started to teach me Bangla alphabets, only this time i have my cent percent concentration in learning the alphabets. The best tutor that my Ma is, i soon started reading smal paragraphs from old bengali magazines and newspapers. Then i had my fingers on the book for the third time. This time i started reading the book and enjoying it. This was one of the early times when i felt lucky that i could read Bangla. Since then i have treated "Sukumar Roy Samagra" as my best friend and have developed a special interest for its various characters. However the most favourite character of mine from this book is of course Pagla Dashu, a school boy. The book now, with its reddish pages reminds me of the years when i had just started to know this world. It is one of my prized possessions with so many years of emotions attached to it.
There it prove Your Honour that Books are much better friends than Dogs.
So do you guys have any particularly favourite book that you would like to share with me?
P.S. - After i went to Raiganj, i found my new classmates to be extremely understanding. Though i felt a bit of cultural difference in my new school, soon i became a part of it and had lots of fun the next 4 years.

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The Songs That Rocked Me!

Good music is one of the best things that we (humans) have. So much variations, so many gharanas, so different styles. I wasn't much into music when i was a teenager (Ah. . I miss those days). At that time, i had access to only bollywood music and i simply hated it. I think seeds of hatred for bollywood songs were sowed in me during the later period of Govinda and early period of Akshay Kumar. So with songs like "samose mein aloo" and "sarkai lo khatiya", which had not much to offer me, i kind of drifted away from music and songs. Occasionally i used to hear one or two MJ, Britney Spears, Madonna songs though i had no regular access to these. Obviously what i had was access to some kickass collection of old hindi movie songs by Kishore Da, Manna De, Hemanta, Asha Bhonsle and Lata Mangeskar which i used to listen with my dad. But I never felt that music could ever be important for me or that i will ever develop a particular taste for music.
But then those days when i was passed my graduation and was in Kolkata for further studies, i became a FM radio addict. Yup. . These guys were playing the songs that i was really loving. And by this time the bollywood music scenario has also improved a lot with talented music directors, lyricists, songwriters and singers. Then i got a chance to listen to some Puratani songs by Shri Kumar Chatterjee on television. By then i knew that this genre had a lot to offer me. The Puratani songs kinda take me to the rich colonial past of Calcutta and its Babu culture. Since that day i have been a fan of Puratani songs. But the ultimate song that rocked me to the core was "Hallowed Be Thy Name" and "Dance of Death" by Iron Maiden. I came to know 'bout there songs when i was doing some research about rock songs. And till then i'm the fan of Iron Maiden too.
Now when i think of it, i feel that i enjoy varied forms of songs and that i'm not confined to any particular type or time. This gives me an immense sense of satisfaction that i'm not musically challenged. So what type of music are you into and which songs do u think are simply out of this universe?

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Appel slogank uglin urn trol try dil uliu one voila x surmi twos tai .luv

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