January 5th, 2024

 

This must be the laziest Sunday I have partaken in in a number of years. No walks, no swims- just ensconced under the blankets and watching OTT for the entire day- punctuated only by coffee and bathroom breaks and a small bit of time in the kitchen to fix sandwiches and some khichdi for lunch and dinner respectively. I have to say a strong reason for this is my discovery of this Bengali thriller series called "Chotolok"- which happened to be streaming on this channel called Zee5- and which, via my IPTV subscription, I was able to stream on my TV. I had to search long and hard for it, as the user interface on these things leaves a lot to be desired. But once we started watching it, P and I, there was no stopping. It is always rare to find any well-made series on OTT these days let alone one in Bangla. This was partly the reason I had gotten rid of my separate Netflix subscription and I had resorted to avoiding the TV altogether except for the occasional news or sports. “chotolok” kept us occupied for most of the weekend, not just Sunday. I may have picked up the guitar once ro around 10 minutes- something I also need to do to keep the on-demand performance motif going. Last december I created an elaborate list of songs which I set myself a goal to be able to play at any time and on-demand. When you consider that the list is 150 long, you will appreciate that this no ordinary feat for someone with a day job and multiple other responsibilities.  As I soft-launch into my new year goals, I want to keep it simple. Writing, Music, Cooking and Exercise. The fifth being the 9 hours at work. If I leave an hour out and 8 for sleep, I only have 6 hours to pursue 4 items.  Exercise will take 1 hour, give or take. Writing shoud take 30 mins max, Music I can only allow for 15 minutes and in the morning only and cooking another 30 mins- mostly not during the week. So during the week I have an hour and 45 minutes invested in my co-curricular work. That still leaves 4 hours and 15 minutes to do other things. I do have two other goals but I feel I will be pushing myself too much and it will overwhelm me. But just to mention, the two goals are learning Arabic and learning the Shuffle Dance. The latter I can probably try to rope in under the theme of exercise on the days that I don’t go for a swim. But the Arabic is a hefty goal- will require a lot of memorising which I am already struggling with when I try to memorise the songs. This latter to me is essential- if one has to learn a song it is one thing- but to be performance ready at all times, the lyrics have to be in your head, so also the chords- and they must roll-out as as a second nature. This is when you can pay more attention to how you “Seem” to the audience- without this, you are deep into being attentive to your own self and there is no way you can stir up a vibe with what you are so carefully doing on stage. This idea of being able to relax, let go and still deliver with accuracy is what defines being a performer. And this requires repetition- huge repitition- the kind that crunches your brain and limbs into the tune once you take the form. 15 minutes is thus necessary- not a lot- but every day- come hell or high water. It so happens that the bengali community scene in Dubai provide, from time to time, an avenue to perform- even casually. This is helpful to develop the skill and get ready for more elaborate things.  One other thing I would like to pursue is a side hustle with Atul- something braodly to do with offering trained manpower to the Cable industry. But something I have to work out in more detail. I have had a thought but it is still a fleeting one and Atul has really pushed me into some collaboration here- even mocking my lack of enterprise. I know his mocking is coming from a good place so I take absolutely no offence. But if I ever doubt myself to achieve something, it is to do with entrepreneurship. I feel like it is an all-consuming thing which involves a lot of yards and at this point in my life I don’t know if I am ready for it. But maybe I am over-thinking it. It cant hurt to explore with someone I trust and in a safe space. This is not the only idea I have toyed with. Another is inspired by the farm stay that we did in Masachussetts this last summer. It was really enjoyable and I am even considering buying a plot of land somewhere in Jharkhand within driving distance of Jamshedpur- which can later be used to build a resort with a difference. Not just a bungalow with a pool- but also with some farm animals and a vegetable patch. The four and odd hour available parcel of time I still have each day is also, as you can see, used for casual day-dreaming. Recording some of my original song material is another initiative. At work I usually criticise both the CEO as well as the ED of Technical for having too may initiatives- arguing that if we have so many pursuits, nothing will get done. I see that I am prone also in my personal life to fall for this-so am particularly sensitive to ensuring achievement of a few over ideation of many. The larger funnel is obviously still necessary because each of these pursuits do not have a definitive ending. At whichever arbitrary moment I decide that enough is enough, I can well move on to another initiative from the larger funnel.