Fried Eye

” My eyes are failing me My Lord. I see, but I don’t fathom. I feel the presence of things a many, but there is no joy nor sorrow! I seek but I do not find. Why is it so O’ Lord? Have I disappointed you for I have to myself”. ” No my child! There is darkness all around you. You have eyes but no soul. You seek but do not hope. All you need my Child is some trust – a hope to sustain, a soul to feel and a courage to face both pain and happiness.. And then my child, you will find light everywhere around you”.

Picture Courtesy: Stephen Styris

ground to perfection
magnificent coffee beans
become ambrosia

- anonymous

(Photograph By: Stephen Styris)

Everyone whom I asked to write a piece based on this picture laughed out loud (not the LOL of chats, but in real). I guess everyone has a funny story with bhoot jolokias, world’s hottest chillies. Strangely, no one was ready to share it in the form of an article. Perhaps they find it very embarrassing. So, I decided to share my experiences. I hope you like it.

It was my first experience with Bhoot Jolokias. I was totally ignorant about its terror. A friend brought a few from the Sunday market. I thought, they were Shimla Mirch so was not interested. He told me that they are very hot and you need some real guts to eat them.
I gave him a look and claimed that I can eat them easily. Then came the challenge. It was very simple, you have to smile while eating them.
I took one of them, and took the first bite. Nothing happened. Then I put the rest inside my mouth and started chewing. There was a brief silence and I was smiling till then. I could see everyone counting 1, 2, 3 and…..

I felt as if some bomb blast took place inside my mouth. Because of the challenge, I was trying hard to smile. But, teardrops were draining from my eyes. As I went for water, my friend stopped me as it could burn by foodpipe. He gave me a piece of lemon and asked to chew it. I felt nice after that, but it was burning and now that the chilly was in my stomach, I felt like throwing out my stomach from my body. It took about two hours to cool off.

The drama continued till next day morning when I felt like a rocket with my back on fire. So that was my story. Do you have any? Do tell us.

Cunning, clever fate what do you want?
Preposterous, this liking but I have!
You know now the world I show can’t-
Why then do you leave me without a save?
Cunning, clever fate what do you want?

The Photograph was taken by Ranjan K. Baruah after the Ganeshguri Blasts on 30th October’2008. Ranjan is a Social Activist and Development Worker based in Guwahati.

muse of imagination-
flirtatious
yellow butterfly

Prarthana Mudai is a Research Scholar and a Hobbyist Photographer.

The Haiku has been Written by Pramathesh Borkotoky under the able Guidance of Nalini Hebbar.

Don’t give that look because I’m used to it or you can say it hardly bothers me.

Why me, why not you.

Even I was inside the dark world for nine long months;

Even my mom bored the pain, then why only me? more

Life is a journey- They say! Destination – Unknown! Purpose –Debatable, but I am raring to go wherever life takes me.
My feet are weary and I have miles to go before I sleep- Have read it somewhere but why ponder? I am ready to go wherever life takes me.
I may stumble I may trip, but why should I worry? Happens all the time, I am ready to go wherever my feet takes me
I may despair, I may stall. I may rest, and may be halt for awhile, but of course, hey! I will be up again on my feet before you know and on my journey onwards.
I have no great plans, nor any big aspirations of achieving the unknown. I do not question the purpose of my existence because I know I am just an ordinary being.
If I am meant to walk on, then I will, for I fear not to tread where none has dared.
My feet maybe weary. My heart heavy at times but I am raring to go……

“Are you giving TV free with this?”
“aap bhi kyaaa bolte sirjee”
“1kg mutton 350 rupees…You will not take much time to become a rich dude” -He paid for the mutton.
Then he went to the florist at the corner.
“Hello ma’am, can I have some yellow tulips”
“Oh sure my son” – the 70 plus old lady gave him a bunch of yellow tulips.
“This is for my wife Tulip, she is very upset with me.. Hope she will forgive me”
“She will son”
It was again started raining outside; he hid the flowers inside the umbrella hoping they would not get soaked.
“Am I forgetting something? Hope not.. Duhh… that’s why always Tulip says to make a chit”. He cursed himself and tried to recall if he missed something..

He rushed through the broad footpath leads to his home. Making absolutely no sound he opened the door with the duplicate key and started preparing steak with the muttons he got, he knows she loves it..

Then he arranged a tray with a glass of wine, steak and the tulips he got for her.

“Honey I am home. I got mutton steak…a bottle of wine and it’s your favorite one”

“Tulip..Tulip, where are you? I already said ‘sorry’ many times to you…I will not drink too much again for what I was such a drunk that I could not wish you when the clock rings at 12 on your birthday, I know you always want me to wish you before anyone..

“Ahh! I wish I could have!” It went to the past… Since 7 years, He has been trying to wish her before anyone does. He just wish he has impressed her with that he tries.

He entered into the bed room with the tray and placed that near to the huge photo of Tulip who expired 7 years back.
Stared at her photo he couldn’t utter anything else “I am sorry”

He felt she is not upset with him anymore, she cried in bliss.

The Vaishnavite Bhauna tradition of Assam has evolved and adapted since its beginnings during the fifteenth century. One of the most written upon folk forms of Assamese culture today, the Bhauna (from the Sanskrit Bhavana meaning “display of/production”) risks being categorised as a homogeneous blanket form, However the differences in the presentation and performance of Bhaonas is subtle and hard to grasp by a layman unless he sees the different types in full action in first person. In one of my rambles among the nooks and corners of Kenduguri ,Jorhat, I got a chance to enjoy a Bhauna in progress at Charingiya Suk, No. 2 Brahmin Gaon. The Bhaona was occasioned by the reinstitution of the Manikut in the Naamghar and was based on the Bhagavata story of Bhakta Prahlad. The bar-sabah (congregation) was already hooked to the riveting tales of the sutradhar(narrator) at the time of our arrival. It took a while adjusting our eyes to the smoke and incense filled ambiance even though the age old gacha (large earthen chandeliers of multiple earthen lamps) and the ariya (torches) were overpowered by new age electric lights. The dialogues were riveting and the boy-actors (especially the ones in female roles or charitas) were both delicate and entertaining in their act. Needless to say, I was soon caught in the magic of the presentation and the innovative techniques used to produce the special effects left me very impressed. I managed to capture some moments of the humor-riddled narrative performed by the natuwas and bhaoriyas (performers), hope you have an enriching experience browsing through the same.

This time, I had the best new year so far. Fried Eye was started and I got the 12.1 Megapixel DSLR Nikon D5000 from my brother as a new year gift. There were other good things also, but this is not the right platform to discuss this. For the first week, I could not believe that I have a DSLR now and I did not use it. But last weekend, I spent some time with it. A very heavy camera which gave a firm grip and clicking pictures without shaking became easier. I am used to all manual SLR so at first, understanding the mechanism was difficult. The camera does not have auto focus built into the camera and has a autofocus mechanism in the lens, so the first thought came to my mind is about the different modes that were provided. I thought, “What is the use of different modes if you don’t control from the camera?” I could not understand anything just by looking at the camera. Then the Wise Bachelor told me, “When nothing else works, read the manual.” So I read the manual, but it was of little help. It was very cryptic while trying to be over user friendly. So, I went for trying it myself and I am presenting you with the pictures I could manage. I have shot on different lighting conditions and varied colour contrasts. After using it for a day, I feel quite comfortable with it. The pictures were not good, but every camera says, the first 10,000 pictures are bound to be bad. I have not edited them except compressing them and putting my name in it.
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My daughter… my sweet little daughter.
How I love this photograph. It is going to be probably my last memory of yours.
Your innocent smile, eyes tightly shut, shutting away the caterpillar ,willing it to go away from your world…
How I wish it was easy to shut things away from this precious world of ours- unpleasant unwanted things…
There is a war going on here. Tomorrow I will be sent to the front to fight. Am I afraid? Yes! I am. Afraid of losing you all. Afraid of what I might have to do there. Afraid of what might be done to me. There we are robbed of our souls and stripped of our humanity
I wish I could shut the war away by closing my eyes. But it is not easy my love.
That day I killed a militant. He was just 16 years old.
I wish I could shut away the memory of his mother crying over his dead body.
I am torn between my love and duty for my country and my own principles.
I wish I could shut away those doubts and insecurities by closing my eyes ….

And I wish most that, the next time I met you I could meet you with my eyes open and not shut.