Sont des mots qui vont tres bien ensemble

Explanations are in order. And they shall be had. Some have enquired as to the absence of posts over a prolonged period of time. Others have threatened bodily harm (perhaps in the form a letter bomb, special delivery from Bangalore), but there's a good reason. There always is.

So where have I been, pussycats? Well, to London in fact - though the queen was given a miss. That and the getting back to work period after that have made sure the only sound on this blog (apart from the X-Men theme - nifty, ain't it?) was one of deafening silence. So, as far as the scorecard goes - we now have 14 of 51 states down (interesting thought - is the UK the 51st state, or states 51-53, since it does have four divisions. If the latter then its 15 out of 53).

I shall start posting in earnest. And now I intend to post once a week at least. The trip, if nothing else, gave me enough material for many posts and many reasons to procrastinate. I shall take a break from the Bengalis and say a few things about their cultural progenitors, the English. There are a good many things to say about that, especially vis-a-vis the inscrutable Americans. After that a few posts on assorted topics like sex, more sex, the lack of sex, paedophilia, more on the Chinese and other fetishes, skirts, miniskirts, jeans, rape, and why we are all doomed anyway so fuck it all. And perhaps a few more on why Bengalis and sex don't mix.

But first there are three obligations I need to get out of the way.

Obligatory Paragraph 1:

My best beloved buddy, Mr. Rajnarayanan Srinivasan Sriram Krishnan Iyer Ganapadigam, better known to friends as Sri has objected to my parochial obsession with Bengalis. He insists that the doughty Dravidians of Tamizh Nadu get as little action as their Eastern counterparts, even though they do not cower in fear before thousand-armed goddesses. So my analysis is apparently not valid for the Tamizh men, and Sri insists that out of a sense of fairness, I analyse the unique problems of his race too. So that is exactly what I am doing.

To understand the reason why Tamizh men cut sorry figures next to their womanfolk please read the 6th to the 11th word (inclusive) of the first line of the previous paragraph.

Q.E.D.
Thank You.
Next.

Obligatory Paragraph 2:

(Clears throat)


This post is dedicated to the beauteous, the bedazzling, the bewitching
...
Riya!!

Please feast your gaze on this winsome vision of pulchritude, this scintillating repository of wit and wisdom, this effervescent personification of endearing whimsicality, this...


ummm... no - that's a statue you're looking at. I'm referring to the other humanoid in the photograph. Yes, thats it - the one on the left.

Just to make sure, here she is again.


Notice how the wind and the sea complement her striking profile. Or not. Not that it matters really, either way.

Right, got that out of the way. And I think I shall also put a moratorium on dedications in posts. For the time being at least.

Happy now?

Obligatory Paragraph 3:

Note the title. This is in response to a word-tag that Mr. Arka Mukhapadhyay, in all his omniscience had decided to foist upon me. Though it baffles me why anyone would want to know about words I like (they're only words, people!), I am duty-bound to respond. So here's what I have to say about words.

English is not only my first language, but also for all practical purposes, my mother tongue. Also it is the only language I can speak with any degree of fluency. In spite of this - or perhaps because of this - the words that fascinate me the most are the ones that are clearly not of English origin. I can't explain it, but it is just adds something to your speech. Throwing in a Latin word makes you sound classy, a French word makes what you say a bit sexier. And If you can bring it with the Bengali and Hindi, then you're just bindaas.
Perhaps it is the beauty of the English language that it knows its own limitations. No combination of English words can describe the raw sexuality of a femme fatale, or the sickening sweetness that is schmaltz. So English just appropriates them into itself. Right now, English is drawing from the Indic languages in greater measure, so my list today will be of words that should be accepted into English pronto, for English ain't got nothing on these babies.

1) ñæka: - (adj. orig. Bengali) Usually applied to women. Possessing a condition that is characterised by coyness, whimsicality and an unreasonable degree of simpering. Demonstrative of feminine fragility.

2) funda: - (noun English var.) From fundamental. An atomistic piece of information that is the basis for thoughts and opinions. In plural (-ae), the collection of basic facts possessed by an individual.

3) binda:s - (adj. orig. Marathi slang) Possessing a devil-may-care attitude, savoir-faire, coolth. Having the ability to remain in a blissful state in the face of great adversity.

Its not many, I know, but I DO have work to get to. Maybe I'll update this post later. Then again maybe I won't.

Duties fulfilled. Breathe deep.