[Update: My phone number in Calcutta is 9883250233, in case anyone wants to confirm anything]
I will be in Calcutta from May 13 to May 28, 2007 and it would be a great opportunity to meet new people and renew old acquiantances. So I propose we have a blogmeet (anyone who has an interest in blogs is welcome to attend) on Saturday, May 19th Wednesday 16th, 2007 at 5:00 pm. I leave the location open to suggestion at T3, opposite Park Street Flurry’s. The conversation can be carried out by mail or in the comments section.
The Greatbong Blog & Podcast 
Just curious, Arnab: what takes place in a blogmeet?
@S.Pyne: What happens at any place where a few people get together over tea/coffee.
Chit-chat. (Adda)
In case you are wondering…no there are no orgies, People don’t wear masks nor do they have passwords nor are there Vedic chants in the background. At least not in the ones that I have been to.
have a great trip. will you get time to post? or too many friends to meet and luchis to eat?
Wish, I could be there!! (** Sigh from Mumbai**)
Have been reading your blog for about 6 months and on days when you dont write anything new i spend the “greatbong” time on my calendar reading through your old posts.
I will also be passing through Kolkata at that time and it will be really interesting to meet up.
But then to be in a blogmeet,do you have to blog ;)?
it sounds interesting, and i guess interesting people will gather forth as well.
however, oddly enough, although a regular denizen of the city, i will be missing in action 19th and afterwards.
hence, can this proposed thing be pulled..er… or pushed forward a little?anytime really, till the 17th.
(i noted that you have the 18th booked for interaction with some of your more ‘can’t be named’ type of admirers.)
looking forward to it.
Looking forward to a great blog meet and hopefully, I will be able to make it.
GB, are you planning to visit any other parts of India?
i surely bhill comm wearrring a djelaba.
bhill there be anything to eat?
i am most hungry at five, er.. also six, and seven and eight er.. round the clock.
i suggest corn n’kebab on top of gariahat mall, opposite old house of p.c. sarkar.
@Prateek: Posting will be intermittent yes.
@Dodo: And I wish I could be there in Mumbai.
@Anando: As I said, anyone who has an interest in blogs. You don’t even have to read blogs.
@Ole’Trix: Pulled it back. It’s on 16th.
@Pratyush: Hope so too.
@Ravi: Alas no. I will be there in Delhi for 4 days.
@Anonymous: “Sugesson of locason” noted.
I happen to be in Cal at the moment and am looking forward to the meet.
Err..so what is the venue as of now??
I will be going to Calcutta towards the last week of June so no chance of meeting you and participating in the blogmeet this time I guess. 😦
Anyways, Bon Voyage! 🙂
Calm down Arnab; I never asked “Thakur-ghar-e ke?” Did I?
Baalaai shaat…
For the record, T3 didn’t throw us out. We Left In High Dudgeon because they didn’t serve us what we wanted. Even though it was on the menu.
From the responses, we might have to hire the Science City auditorium.
J.A.P.
I will be there.
Can’t you pop in to Bombay for a couple of days? On your way back maybe?
Off topic, but GB, please consider writing on the fake encounters in Gujarat. Should generate a lot of heated discussion 🙂
second Shan’s proposal…. a stopover in Mumbai on, as they say, popular demand 🙂
GB, you have become a celebrity overnight with your insightful blogs! (lol)
Way to go dude!! At this rate it wont take you too long to become an Internet Phenomenon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_phenomenon)
Looking forward to you joining the ranks of Chuck Norris (“There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Norris_facts) and little superstar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Superstar)
@j. alfred prufrock
bhill there be anything to eat/munch/nibble/bite/gorge/sip/drink/guzzle in this science city auditorium?
i suggest
sukanta sadan in barrackpore.
bhery bhery cheap to hire.
also lots of gholer/mishtir/chhoto khato khabar dokaan nearby.
good and frequent trains from kolkata also.
Have a great trip!
Hey GB,
Now there are so many requests from Bombay!! Why dont you consider a stopover, seriously? Dont worry abt the acco part.
Pity I’ll miss out. Just left Cal on April 30 so just too bad. Oh GB, be careful of the heat and the ugh, humidity!
Sorry fellas, that anonymous above was me. All apologies.
1 more request for Bombay 🙂
So where IS the final meet happening? Can we venture T3-wards again this time and try our luck?
Can I come to the Blog Party wearing a mask? 🙂
@Shekhar: Yet not decided. Let’s keep T3 on the table. Sigh.
@Rima: Aah pity.
@S.Pyne: What mention of “kola”…no no..
@JAP: And that’s the kind of thing that makes people start “Satyagrahas”.
@LP: Great.
@Shan, Kunal, Dodo,Vaibhav: Thank you thank you…for the invitation. Alas all plans have been made but it seems I have many friends in Bombay.
@Gaga: Thanks
@Ravi: Will see.
@Anon: Sukanta Sadan…and may I mention my favourite Ghatakpara..
@SD: Thanks
@Killerbee_qa: I will.
@Rimi: Sigh. Seems so.
@Anonymous: No problem 🙂
Hi GreatBong,
I’ve had the privilege of reading ur blog for a while now….commenting for the 1st time though! Have to admit, u r gr8 when it comes to writing, humor factor riding high!! 🙂 Have passed on the links of ur famous writings (desibaba,1-900-hotties etc) to a lot of my friends & cousins…wanted them to have a good laugh as well!
Wanted to wish u a very happy & safe trip to India 🙂 Oh, also – among the many folks who leave their wonderful comments here, I think yourfan2,swathi & kishor’s comments are the best 🙂 Ok, ok, the comments from numerous other folks are entertaining as well….am also notorious for my lengthy messages (do I sound like a good competitor for yourfan2?? *giggle*)
Keep writing, you ROCK! 🙂
Forgot to add – have fun at your blog meet 🙂
I’m known for my notoriously lengthy emails/msgs….ah, does that sound better 😉 Darn, how I wish I could write like you… 🙂
jus curious
how come u call it calcutta and not kolkata?
OOPs. I reach Calcutta on May 29th…..
I enjoy reading your witty blogs regularly.
Planning to meet Mithunda? ):
why is kishorbabu not inviting you to his hometown(hyderabad) to eat fabulous south indian food?
and why longtime no comment from him?
has he forsaken us to start his very own blog?
is he assisting scotland yard in the west indies?
kishor, kishor …..bhere art thou, kishor?
Arnabda, Any chances of apparating in Mumbai during your trip?
Ooh, yaay! Blogmeet! =D
what about place?
what about place?
what/where is t3? in kolkata, nowadays, t2 rings a bell. or maybe i have finally lost it.
steps of dakshinapan, how? and if it rains, i never made this suggestion.
Another request from Mumbai
blogmeet. fun fun! but where? t3 is too far and too sad 😦 they have long tables where you can hardly see the face of the person at the other end, and worse than terrible service. ju-te chole esho, maathe boshe, adda over bhaare cha. you can relive a lot of memories 😀
what shall we eat at t3?
and drink?
I was thinking how about inviting Parnab for a quiz there. Should be entertaining!
From T3 to maidan
Hey, one more on the long list for Bombay, or Mumbai.
sure….but think of changing to bigger place ….man u have big numbers of followers…
whn are you coming to delhi for 4 days? pleased to let us know. was in calcutta in april so cant be there in may. But if you come to delhi, will definately love to meet.. please let know
Hey hey hey, I won’t be in Cal till the 22nd. Can you try for another blogmeet before you leave, please? Think about it?
If you can plan such a thing, T3 is better than fine by me 🙂 and I’d love to meet fellow bloggers.
I can be reached at sunayanaroy@gmail.com
Hoping it’s possible.
any updates on what kind of preparation is happening in anticipation of the blogmeet?
Is the Greatbong planning to get a designer hair cut for the event? a new pair of Gucci shoes? or a Brooks Brothers shirt??
ALL THE BEST FOR A GREAT BLOG MEET,gb.
Arre! sheta to kalke! chole ashbo.
Live webcast hobe ki ? For us poor souls who can’t attend. 🙂
will this blogmeet be a good place to ‘make franship’ with women? myself a ‘desi hottie’
Can some one post an update on how the blogmeet was! Dying to get some good bytes from that…
I went to this blogmeet.
Yes, been there..did that.
Trains from my part of the universe being a tad slow, I could only huff-puff my way in at T3 at quarter to six.
There were no uproarious and boisterous crowds thronging a table and condemning Himesh. Instead there were decorous tea drinkers who looked like as if the Edwardian era hadn’t ended.
Peering violently at every tea drinker, I zeroed in at a fairly hefty man wearing a cheerful hawaiian sort of shirt.
Yes, it WAS GB, and there was Rimi (a sight for sore male eyes) and a shy diffident sweetie-pie who said he was Pritam. Adda and chit-chat was in full swing when J. Alfred Prufrock, resplendent in a peach formal shirt, breezed in.
Now, this here JAP works for the WB govt and manages to sound a youthful late fifty on his blog. In real life, he is in his mid forties, sports a shining pate and threatens hapless telecallers with the Indian Penal Code.
Pritam, suddenly galvanised into extreme vociferousness, declared that he had once met JAP at Ramrajatola, at a quiz meet. JAP denied the allegation.
This, not being Kalur Chaier Dokaan adjoining platform no.1, Barrackpore railway station, did not see this polite disagreement degenerate into a first class brawl with choice epithets and a knifing or two. Yes, we lead full bodied lives out there.
Then, an etheral looking girl and Jyotindronath-Tagore-in-youth kind of a person appeared. We shifted to a larger table. I was dying to get aquainted better with the Tagore look alike (trailing locks, beard et al) but he was at the other end.
Then, people began to light up slim cigars and even more intriguing long brown cigarettes. There was one kind being smoked on my left side while my right side blew out smoke of the other kind. I passively smoked both and decided that these were much better than the sort my husband smokes. The talk, as usual, turned to the cultivation and consumption of marijuana.
Next time, to uphold the prestige of Barrackpore, I must bring some Manik brand biri, heavily laced with you-know-what. I am sure Kalur Chaier Dokaan can supply me with the right stuff at the modest price of Rs 20/-. This is bound to make me chic, ethnic and a fierce Be-Indian-Buy-Indian kind of patriot.
Then somebody called Arka appeared. He was scowling majesttically as JAP had misdirected him. The others began to exclaim as he had shorn off HIS trailing locks and looked an ordinary sort of young man. He too sat at the other end of the table and my chance of meeting YOUNG men took a further nosedive.
Then… all good things comes to an end.
My pumpkin, disguised as a car with a husband and a driver came and I had to go back to the-suburb-at-the-end-of-the-universe.
For all the disappointed folks who had to wade in this turgid prose and waffle spewed by a fat soul, NO — an adda cannot be reported verbatim.
Next Time— BE THERE, DO THAT.
@Swati
Thanks very much for the update and as you said an adda cannot be reported verbatim but still was expecting some more for us thirsty souls sitting in this parched land. Yeah! GB left us bone dry for last couple of weeks, ofcourse can’t blame the guy he probably has lot more to do at present. Hey! Was that ethereal looking girl yourfan2? How about youfan1, RC, your bro, Joy forever and other faithful GB fans? Please , please some more updates. I am sure you were also no less celebrity in that crowd, you have your fan following too in RTDM. How about some more about GB and Ms GB.
OK, I meant, Was that etheral ( not ethereal) looking girl, yourfan2
dear suzi-in-parched-land,
1. no one claimed to be yourfan or yourfan2
2. RC is conspicuous by his absence, both in cyber and in real world. i hope the ssugaar-demon has not laid him low.
3. my bro, sayon-the-licenced-poisoner, is based in delhi and tours tablet-factories and capsule- factories. he would not dream of going to T3 as his doctor has forbidden him to LOOK at pastries, far less eat one.
4. Joy forever– marked absent
5. other fans — also absent (most of them claiming to be based in Mumbai, Delhi and Timbuctoo)
6. NO Mrs GB!!!
I mean, think of it Suzi, maybe she was invented by GB to write up that piece called Indian Wedding?
7. Why does GB himself write something about meeting his readers?
Swati,
Thanks for letting us know what happened. Did anybody take snaps?
P.S: It is indeed a revelation that J. Alfred Prufrock (whom Rimi calls JAP kaku in her
blogposts ) is actually in his mid-forties. 🙂
I did have a cell phone camera, but was so engrossed in hearing the talk that I forgot to click.
Maybe photos were taken after my departure. According to my near-and-not-so-dear-ones, you need a 70mm sort of screen to take me in my entirety.
Also, people like JAP-kaku like to keep their age a secret so that they can pontificate on their blogs. In real life, he is a roly-poly sweetie-pie and between us girls, quite quite huggable.
Now whether he wants to be overwhelmed by obese ladies is definitely open to question.
swati..
enjoyed your description..
and GB does have a wife
thanks
@swati,
Thanks a bunch! And I do want to see GB write about the blogmeet himself. Once he finds time, that is!
Swati,well documented. So that’s that ? any major guffaw moments?
Mrs. GB exists. She is solicitous of the well-being of old men who need some dinner and an entirely pleasant person. GB Senior and GB Materfamilias are equally charming.
In my ‘umble opinion, GB does not deserve his family.
J.A.P.
Argh! Missed it didn’t I? Well, next time maybe. Would really like to meet JAP, Swati, Rimi et al. Sounds like an interesting bunch!
aaah … missed it. I was in kolkata on 16th, to attend a wedding. saw ur post just today. dekha korte parle bhaloi hoto.
btw, get hold of some of Mithun-da’s classics, I saw them during this visit.
1. Barood – fantastic dialogues involving “maa-er bhog-e pathiye dewa”
2. MLA fatakeshto – by-now-legendary dialogue ” maarbo ekhane, laash porbe soshane”
3. Hungama – some fundoo dialogue-baazi by Hanuman prasad bandwala
4. Tulkalam – new release , dialogue : public-er maar, keoratola paar ..
paarle ei cinema-gulo dekhe niyo
hi GB, wher do u stay actually?
How can I post my own topic [u can pass/fail] at your blog site?
Why is Calcutta more humid than Bombay?