Procrastination (Huh! used the word)

- Really! That long?
- Yes.
- Wow, like a new-year-in-between long.
- Yes.
- Now that you made me think, I remember you did point it out, no?
- Yes.
- What's with the monosyllables? You have nothing else to say?
- No.
- Ugh!

(After a few minutes)

- So?
- What?
- Now that I made you 'think'. Will you start now?
- Uh...huh.
- At least a teeny little post....
- Surely.
- On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being 'no hope at all', how sure are you?
- If you would just shut it!

This is a glimpse of the heated exchanges between me and the haloed me, that have been happening for a past couple of months now. I put the Pro in Procastinate. 

To begin with, I'll typically put the blame on the smart phone. I mean how can one bypass a good game of Scrabble, reading @Story_Baba on Twitter, and then there's addictive scrolling on Quora.

However, the real deal with me is my rediscovery of Bangla movies. I am not talking about the song and dance fare of Dev, Jeet movie types. I am rather talking about the new genre of Bengali movies which are 90 mins give or take of feel-good viewing. I have always been a big fan of the black and white commercial era, the advent of colour reel in Bengali cinema, in my opinion, was either too pseudo-intellectual or too trashy. Therefore, the trim and spiffy modern productions available on YouTube just surprised me. You must watch once started, one after the other, the list is quite long and intriguing. 

Eclectic and interesting stories, memorable dialogues of believable characters, stellar performances, lilting songs (thankfully, aptly, and beautifully in the background). Either the adaptations of famous Bengali short stories or new contemporary originals, they are a treat to watch and once you've seen one, you are hooked.

As a probashi (non-resident) these movies are a kind of catch-up with the nostalgia of the stereotypical Bengali household atmosphere and life. You get to see the by-lanes, streets, and hangout spots of a Bengali kid growing into teenage or adulthood. On the other side, I fell in love with the stories of Bengali authors all over again. Be it Bimal Kar, Shirshendu, Satyajit Ray, Kabiguru, etc. Its a win-win I tell you. Hence proved, the reason behind my procrastination. 

Not that I don't love writing. Look at this, it is again a beginning of my ramblings. I admit, however, that I am quite tempted to change tabs and watch another flick as I deliberate on my draft. I keep telling myself that this would be the last one but another recommendation weakens my resolve and I end up deferring posts. 

My procrastination isn't chronic (at least I would like to believe so). Maybe I miss the urgency of deadlines, maybe I need a time limit for doing my tasks, even casual writing. Freelance content writing is quite laid back as 1000 word articles take just an hour or so and once done I guess I overcompensate myself.  Nonetheless, I really need to shake off being an active procrastinator. 

Until then, do check out Hawa Bodol, Open Tee Bioscope, Icche, Hemlock Society, the Feluda series, the Byomkesh series, Chatushkone, Chaar, and so many, many more.