Dec 31 2024

It is time to summarize the month of December in all of one post- a situation no doubt precipitated by my leave from the 20 th during which I travelled to Kolkata. I travelled with Neo and then P and Tintin followed later not the 25th.  What I can say is that it was a lot of bonding time with Neo that was much needed. I always feel that I spend the whole day at work and the rest of the time I spend on myself- leaving scarce little for either Neo or Tintin. With Tintin, it is probably less of an issue since he shuts himself out in any case, like most teenagers. But Neo still has a little of the childlike wonder in his deportment- at least some of the time. And I also submit that during Tintin's growing years I was not around the house very much. From his ages 6 to 11, I was in Iraq- and then following short period at home during covid , I was again off for w year to the Philippines. And now suddenly I find myself at home with a full-blown teenager with all the puberty induced warts that one can imagine. Pressure of schoolwork, issues with girls, and no doubt there are several other nuanced emotions that are making their customary rounds as well. But with Neo, it has not reached this stage just yet although it is just a few years away. I intend to make the most of this. During this trip, he asked me a lot of questions- some of which I know he was not wont to ask anyone else. I always answer every question, although I do sometimes lose patience to his constant argumentative style- especially for things, that to me seem inane. For example, he was worried that the Burj Khalifa would lose it status as the tallest building to the new tower in Jeddah. I tried to make the point that the height of a certain tower makes not a shred of difference to my life or his for that matter. But he still insisted it was going to be a big loss- lots of people come to Dubai to visit it and lot of people live in the tower because it is the tallest one. Another common question he has for me is what is the size of an urban area before you call it a city, rather than a town. This is arbitrary of course and depends on many factors. But whatever yardstick I came up with, he would do some google search and shoot it down.  I told him , for example, I would define a US city as a place with 500,000 or more people. Then he asks me if Harrisburg, PA is a city or not. I tell him , yes I think it is. He says, not by the yardstick I mentioned. Then I say, well this one yardstick. Harrisburg happens to be the capital of the state of Pennsylvania so it is a city just from that standpoint. And then he would come up with Cedar Rapids, or some such other random place, that would disprove my second submission as well. And so it went on, and I always tend to have much on my mind in anywise, so this type of needling does nothing for my temperament. And yet I made an effort to maintain equanimity, because the worst thing to do is shut the guy down.  On the 26th, we went to Shantiniketan on a long and arduous road trip where Neo and I were in a car with my parents and sister- and then Tintin and P were in another car with her parents. All through the roadtrip were a barrage of questions from Neo- and my mother also noticed that he tends not to engage much with anyone ( other than minimally) other than me. With me, he always has a lot to talk about. And I think, well that is a blessing for sure. I would hate it if he at some point stops having discussions with me- and that has already happened with Tintin. Speaking of Santiniketan, the idea was to go there because Neo was interested in Tagore- because he has just done a small part in a play which involved Tagore for our Durga Puja celebration. Unfortunately, it was really crowded and many roads were closed. Since we were traveling with my parents whose mobility is limited, we could not make the most of the tourist draws. But we did a bit, and spent some quality time in the resort especially in the evenings. I think overall, it was a satisfactory trip- though it turned out to be a lot more expensive than what I had budgeted for. The resort was new so the rooms were nice. The breakfast was limited, but very tasty.  Especially the kachori and potato curry. But also the bread and the eggs, the idlis and dosas- they all tasted great. The lunch and dinner menu was also decent but expensive. I think the boys were not expecting a resort of the kind they got- given were traveling to a relatively underdeveloped rural part of Bengal.  The most important boon of them was that there was Wifi in the rooms which was of high quality. This was not the case in our flat in Kolkata- where we were using a dongle which was extremely undependable. This was in our flat which is inhabited at the moment by my in-laws. My parents put up in their flat which is also nearby- and here there was no internet connection. My parents and sister only visit a few times a year for short periods, and they can do without it. But this time, I ended up getting a broadband connection installed. I will pay for it, even if the utilization will be minimal. It is still worth it to me- it is almost inconceivable to not have wifi access in this day and age. My boys ofcourse are addicted it, which is a terrible thing. But in any case, it is needed. This was made evident on the last evening before we were to fly back to Dubai. I needed to download and save the air ticket to my phone, because in Kolkata they don't let you in the airport without it. I was in my flat with the unpredictable internet connection and I simply could not get it work so I could do this. I had to walk over to my parents flat- and since it had a newly installed broadband connection, it worked fine. 

Meanwhile, after our return to base, I have been occupying myself with preparations for the 31st night party- which kicks off in 2 hours. I will be performing a setlist with Ranojoy on an Arranger keyboard and Atanu on vocals. I will sing, play keyboards and play guitar. It is a full load for me and if ever there was a year of of experimentation in performance for me it has to be 2024. My 50th year- and it is only symbolic that it ends with yet another experimental format. A three member group which, owing to the prowess of Ranojoy's programming skills on the arranger keyboard, comes close to sounding like a full 6 piece band. The real musicians might be utterly dismissive of this format- but I also know, the average person does not care about the real musician nor real music. They care, and even then only mildly, about being entertained in someone's house party. Yet I am really nervous for some reason. I guess I have not performed in such a heavy way ever. It is a first. Also for Atanu- and in his case it happens to be his birthday. He never sang except in the shower and he will now be singing Scorpions- that is something. He has the gift of having a high pitched voice- an essential for singing rock music. I harmonize over him which should be fun if we all sing in tune and in beat. I hope it goes well. I have had my doubts about this show for a long time, but I think I have got my mind around to doing it. It really is a fitting last hurrah to end 2024 for me. But next year, intend to spend less time on music than I did this year. I want to focus more on parenting and writing. Music will remain of course, but the time and effort expended on it has to be significantly lesser than this year. It, as we all know, is about balance.