Cannot be more proud to be the daughter of such an amazing person. Joygopal Podder, a prolific writer and a fund-raising Director in a well-known NGO, has achieved a lot in the past year. His passion for writing had been there since childhood which could be seen as short stories in magazines and newspapers. But, only once he reached the age of 50 did he finally decide to take his passion to another level.
It was his 50th birthday when his first book 'Deceivers' was accepted by publishers and it's been a year since it got released in the market. Once he started, there was no end. A year later, there are six of his books out in stores and the seventh one on its way. 'Superstar' is yet to be released but the already published ones include- Deceivers, The Inheritance, The Landlord's Secret and other short stories (a book for children), High Alert, Millennium City and Truth is stranger than fiction (non-fiction).
With the aim of becoming a best seller fiction writer, he is currently writing his eleventh book. The pace at which he writes cannot be seen in many authors and thus, he wishes to target the 'Fastest writer's' title in The Limca Book of World Records. His books are mainly thriller based leaving the readers wanting more.
A person who loves to read, for him his books are a must read. And even for those who do not find much interest in reading, trust me, after you read my father's books, you will want more.
I have never felt so close to music as I'm feeling now. Going to a place you didn't like much after many years can actually change your opinion about that place. Its just been two classes but i already feel...well...fresh. A new start, I've finally taken courage to join vocal lessons. My dream had always been to sing in front of a number of people, except for school. I feel that I'm a step closer to what i want.
Still scared and nervous, I wonder whether I can ever fulfill my dream. I've seen so many people perform, sing amazingly well, it makes me think if I'm even a little close to them. But wow! I want to be up there! I don't want to be scared.
Life gives you a lot to think about. Now, you may wish to follow your heart or let life go on its course. I've learnt that the only way to get what you need is to follow your heart. Don't take life lightly, it won't spare you. Do what you want to, ignore the people who try to stop you. I did and I'm pretty happy. I let myself go and there's not even one day that i regret it.
So, back to where i was, I've done what I had to, I faced my fear. All that is left is to overcome my fear.
Give your dream sometime and it won't let you down. All you need to do is follow your heart. You have one and only one life, live it to the fullest. Don't let your fears bring you down.
Movies. One of my many passions. I somehow find it surprising how something can keep you stuck to a chair for two hours. I’ve always wondered what happens behind the cameras, a director shouting, cameramen focusing their cameras on the film stars and still not getting it right, spot boys running all over the place with no idea what they have to do, it’s exciting to know what all there is to a film. The chaos is unimaginative, but the result of the film is most definitely enduring (or at least should be).
A film has so many takes; still, some weird directors can never get them right. Yes, I blame it on the director and not on the actors. Till the time the actors are not told what to do, the film is never expected to be good. A filmmaker plays the most important role, he is the one who ultimately gets critically acclaimed, and so, he is the one who has to do full justice to his film and to his work.
Now let’s leave the poor director and talk about something else. Nowadays, a new trend has come under my notice. Hollywood has started taking over Bollywood. All actors seem to enjoy working in American films rather than working in their own country, well, I don’t blame them. Most films in India are now becoming trash. Actors get better opportunities in Hollywood and they choose to use their talent there.I wonder how many Indian films have won Oscars, for that matter, even been nominated for Oscars.
Back to my favourite topic of discussion, Music. It plays a very important role in the film industries. Some expressions can be expressed through music in outstanding ways. But, that does not mean that songs are added after every 5 minutes. That’s the most annoying part. This is one of the reasons I prefer Hollywood films over Bollywood.
One movie I wish for everyone to see, The King’s Speech. A remarkable film, with outstanding work done by the director and the lead actor Colin Firth. He deserved the Oscar and so did the film. This is what movies should be like. Even if not that serious, but the amount of effort put in it is something we wish to see in Bollywood films too.
Before going, I just want to add one thing. I did not mean to criticize Bollywood, many Indian films have been amazing too, but directors and actors need to come up with better ideas. A few films cannot make up for all the other disastrous films made by other filmmakers.
So, hats off to those legendary films which have made us laugh and cry. We wish to see many such more in the near future.
I was an introvert. A girl afraid to show her real self. Would people like me? That was not my fear. Would I be able to live up to what I wanted to be? THAT was my fear. I always loved music. Singing was my passion. A passion nobody knew about.
Till now people knew me only because of my sister. To tell you the truth, she was actually my inspiration. One of the best singers the school had seen, my sister was very famous in her time. Everybody used to compare me to her, especially my teachers. But I didn’t get angry or anything. I instead used it as a motivation.
The beginning of ninth was pretty normal. But then a few months later there was a competition. Band Competition. I had to sing. This was my chance. So I went. I went to my teacher. They heard me. I was in.
I couldn’t have done any better. That was the best choice I ever made. My teacher actually loved me. She actually said that I sounded like my sister. That was the best compliment for me.
From then on, my life changed. People began to know me. I had gained confidence. I was no longer afraid and was definitely no longer an introvert. I could sing.
All this just taught me one thing. Till the time you have confidence in yourself, nothing is impossible. You just have to wait for that one opportunity and when it comes, grab it. Life will give you chances, you just have to know when they come. Being scared will not help. Don’t give a damn what the world thinks, do what you like to do and do it for yourself. People will love you for that.
So all my fellow mates out there, be free, be confident, and don’t let life scare you. I did and I got nothing out of it.
Music is what surrounds everyone. Everybody knows it, everybody can hear it. Some people say that today’s music is better than ever, but according to some, it’s just getting worse as generations come. Everybody has their own tastes in music and their own views.
For me, every genre is different in its own kind. They all have their own specialties, may it be rock, pop, jazz, metal etc. But nowadays, you can actually hear the craziest of stuff. Has the quality of music declined? Yes. Two people who make the biggest news for making the worst music- Justin Bieber and Rebecca Black. No offense to their work, but even they can do better.
The worst part of the music industries nowadays are the lyricists, especially in Bollywood. Recent songs have had the most vulgar lyrics, that too that make no sense. All this to get appreciated commercially. Do they? No, and they never will. Music is not supposed to be created to mark the country’s choice. It’s the passion in the artists that makes it so popular.
Legends like Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi, Bob Dylan etc are all being replaced by new artists who can’t even match up to their standards. Music has transformed greatly in the recent years, it has taken a different form. New bands are not bad in any way, but they have definitely declined from what they used to be 30-40 years ago.
Now let’s talk about and take a minute remembering The King of Pop- Michael Jackson. He gave us outstanding music and amazing dance steps that includes the now so famous –Moonwalk. People criticized him his entire life, about his surgeries, with the child sexual abuse allegations, his marriages and sometimes even about his music. But, he always stood up to them. He never let his fears come in front of him. Even for people like me, who hardly listened to his music, he was a legend. He gave the world so much to think about after his death, he went but left a deep mark in everyone’s heart.
So, coming to the end of this, all I would like to say is that music is to be felt, not heard. It has a meaning in it which should be understood and not ignored.
