Aaro Ek Dajon

Another of a dozen of Satyajit Ray's short story collection following Ek Dajon Gappo including three Feluda stories that I picked up from my collection this time for revisiting the wonders of Ray. The content and their briefs are as

1. Professor Hijibijbij is a tribute to Ray's father and to his fantastic creations depicted in Abol Tabol and Ha-Ja-Ba-Ra-La that were brought to life by the eccentric professor of the story. But the final paragraphs seem to warn the readers of the dangers of defying nature.
2. Fritz deals with the supernaturals with an ending to send the head reeling in awe.
3. Brown Saheber Bungalow is a ghost story with an unique twist at the climax.
4. Sadanander Khude Jagat is written from the perspective of a child who could hear the ants’ voices.
5. Khagam is another spine chilling horror story of a saint who loved snakes and his pet one in particular.
6. Ratanbabau aar Shei Lokta is a queer story in which a lonely traveller meets a man who seemed to be his carbon copy in both appearance and nature. But though in one hand Ratanbabu seemed to get his right mate but the resemblence seemed to be getting discomfortingly painful which drove him to commit a murder and bear the consequence that was beyond his wildest dreams.
7. Bhakta is the most fascinating of the stories in which again resemblance plays the central role and an ordinary holidaying man finds himself trapped in the fan-circle of a renowned writer.
8. Batikbabu is another of Ray’s wonderful creation where obsession to a queer hobby drives a person to sheer madness.
9. Barin Bhoumiker Beram is one of Ray’s excellent pieces where the ultimate twist is in the final few lines.
10. Sheyal Debota Rahasya introduces Feluda to the case of an antique thief which he solves with his naturally sharp intellect.
11. Samaddarer Chaabi sets Feluda to a treasure hunt based on the queer few words which the dead man utters moments before his death. But villains prowl behind the shadows and it is to be seen how Feluda manages to catch them while recovering the treasure. Curiously, this story is devoid of any picture while the previous one had two sketches to the credit.
12. Ghurghutiar Ghatana is yet another case with Feluda solving a riddle to open a combination lock but the revelation of the vilest mind is again exposed by his quick wit. As in the previous two, this story was also written before Sonar Kella and so no Lalmohanbabu is there for a comic relief though the modulated pace of the story never seemed to need one.

Roman Holiday

The 1953 film starring Gregory Peck and introducing Audrey Hepburn, the latter clinching the Academy Award for Best Actress in the same movie, is a romantic comedy centering on a single day's events in a princesses' life that she tried to spend as an ordinary holidaying tourist. Eddie Albert co-stars in this comedy and gives the perfect humorous relief to an already humourous but romantic chain of events.
Ann is a princess of an unnamed nation set on a tour of several European cities. Tired of the official duties to be performed one night she tries to break free from the princely duties and escapes outside in the dark city streets while at Rome one evening. Prior to this she was given a sedative to calm her nerves that takes effect very soon and she dozes off in a roadside bench only to be discovered by Joe Bradley, a reporter of an American newspaper stationed at Rome. Though initially Joe doesn't recognize her and reluctantly carries her home, but once he identifies her with her published picture at the papers he immediately smells a scoop and devises a plan of hitting up with an exclusive interview for his paper. For this he takes help of his photographer friend Irving Radovich and together they accompany her Royal Highness on a guided tour of the city street without disclosing their professions to Ann. But news of the missing princess reaches her kingdom from where secret agents were deployed and they spot her on a public ball with Bradley. A brawl breaks up and Bradley and Ann makes a narrow escape and suddenly they find that they have developed feelings for each other. Now it remains to seen whether the call of duty for the princess can pursuade her to return to the embassy or whether she lets herself be carried away by her emotions. Also for Bradley, he is held in a dilemma between publishing of the scandalous story and keeping the faith intact between him and the princess.
A superb storyline, later used in several other films, and a wonderful casting has made this movie an all time hit.

G(n)osaibaganer Bhoot

Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay’s novel aimed for the children readers and with more or less in the same style as in Manojded Advut Bari though the theme seemed more simplified than the later.
The central character was Burun, a mediocre student of Bhataguri who suddenly seemed to gather superhuman qualities, thanks to a 200 year old ghost Nidhiram residing in the nearby G(n)osaibagan, an infamous patch of land, once the abode of Gosai gangster and his henchmen now turned to the dwelling place of the spirits of the same villains and some new ghostly recruits. But this abode of the ghosts and the whole of Bhataguri seemed on the verge of catastrophy with the coming of the Satanic Habu with his evil powers to tame both the living and the dead. Thus it was upto the wise Ram Kabiraj(grandpa to Burun)’s prudence to devise a way to shield off the terror for ever.
The story is again a nice read though I did not felt it to be so exciting as Manojder Advut Bari but the ingenious plot is surely to arouse enjoyable thrills to the young mind.

36 China Town

An Abbas Mustan directed comedy-mystery starring Akshay Khanna, Paresh Rawal, Johny Lever, Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor in lead roles.
Akshay Khanna plays a detective inspector investigating the murder of Sonia Chang of 36 China Town, Goa. Just on the morning of the murder Mrs. Chang received a phone call from Bombay with the news that her missing son Vicky, still an infant, had been recovered by some persons who are willing to return him in favour of the Rs. 25 lakh award as declared in newpapers. Mrs. Chang readily agreed and threw a gala party celebrating the news (something quite unrealistic as no attempt was made to validate the news and the bereaved mother could not wait a day more before being re-united by her toddler son and seemed to enjoy the party not caring whether her son was really arriving by the morning). Well, all was going well till Raj and Priya, the persons who actually found Vicky reached Goa at midnight and when they entered the mansions they found the deadbody of Mrs. Chang. Moreover Raj seemed to get a glimpse of the murderer in the process. But unfortunately it was Raj who was arrested by the police and Sonia’s deadbody was found to be dumped in Priya’s bag. But as Akshay started to solve the mystery it seemed four more pesons, excluding Raj and Priya, who entered the mansions at around the time of the murder. One of them was the wife of a seasoned gambler and confirmed loser, the former developing a grudge against the owner (Mrs. Chang) of the gambling house. Another was Natwar, an out-and-out gambler who had already lost four of his five hotels in gambling and was in dire straits financially. The third was Rocky, a high-society playboy and the fourth was the wife of Natwar, angry at Sonia advancing a loan of Rs.25 lakh to Natwar with his fifth hotel held in credit.
Now it depended on Akshay to solve the crime and save Raj and Priya with several other characters like the butler and the maid, the lawyer and the manager of the gambling den and an alcoholic all seeming to crop up to baffle any theory that the police was trying to set-up.
An enjoyable movie if the super simplification at parts can be compromised and Himesh Reshamiya’s voice is endured.

Saptapadi

My wife presented me with this evergreen and intensely romantic movie based on Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay's novel that was superbly directed by Ajay Kar. I don't think the movie needs much of an introduction as it is surely etched deeply in every Bengali movie lover's heart.

Krishnendu, a brilliant medical student in the National Medical College, Calcutta, in the pre-independence period and an avid atheist falls in love with Rina Brown, daughter to a Christian father. As Rina's father successfully convinces Krishnendu to change his religion, the fanatic Hindu in Krishnendu's father begs Rina to leave Krishnendu for good without disclosing to him the reason for this sudden flight. Though both the lovers part but Providence again brings them nearer in a miraculous way. The chance meeting reveals the silent adoration that each still felt for the other but again the promise to Krishnendu's father gets the better of Rina and she leaves Krishnendu once again. But the Almighty seemed to test these loving souls when a letter to Krishnendu from his repentant father arrives, revealing the secret to him with Rina still untracable. Meanwhile WWII breaks in and both Krishnendu and Rina, by a curious turn of fate, arrives at a Red Cross hospital at Assam at almost the same time. The audience is left breathless till the last moment and the intense drama of the movie makes it an all time classic.

The romantic duo of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen seems to attain a new height in this film while in the side roles Chayadevi excells with her muted expressions and Chobi Biswas is just perfect for his role. The photography, cinematography and overall direction are excellent and Hemanta Mukherjee's music direction blends just to well with the variety of emotions that the film exhibits. Utpal Dutta lends his majestic voice in one of the unique exhibitions of drama in silver screen that enriches the movie even more.

Manojder Advut Bari

To get a drift of the story by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay it's enough just to peep into each of the characters that constitute this exceptional comedy and though considered to be fiction for the young will cause rejoice in the hearts of every comedy lovers irrespective of the age group.
To begin with we have the members of Manoj's family

• Rakhobabu, father to Saroj, Manoj, Putul and two others is a strict and disciplined individual managing the entire household.
• Bamasundari Devi is the aged mother of Rakhobabu and an excellent marksman with pebbles.
• Adyasakti Devi is the aged aunt of Rakhobabu but an extremely pious lady with a fascination for cowdungs.
• Bhajahari, the younger meeker brother of Rakhobabu is best in negotiations in the vegetable market but if intoxicated can cause wonders.
  
• Haradhan, the youngest brother to Rakhobabu, a gymnast and scientist combined, his main theme of research seems to be hybridisation of anything and everything living.
• Manoj, Saroj and Putul, the siblings who seem to be the only practical headed members of the family.

Then we have the other characters like

• Dukhaharanbabu, the private tutor to Manoj and his siblings whose academic brilliance and posture of sitting seemed to be curiously interrelated.
• Ganesh Ghosal, the singing teacher, who frequently and unsuccessfully tries to commit suicide whenever he misses a bit during his practice sessions.
• Kirmiria, the old maid, who loves to wail at the slightest hint of mishap in the household.
• Satish Bharadwaj, the priest, with an unique way of reading the newspaper and who always brags about his pet ghosts Hnadu & Bhnudu.
• Bardacharan, the detective with a knack to make matters complicated. His assistant in sleuthing is his nephew Chakku with a more practical bend of mind.
  
• Srutidhar Ghosh, a forgetful neighbour of Rakhobabu and his oversmart nephew Fatik are two dormant characters in the story.
  
• Ramkhilaon, the gardener with a very poor sight who is always pestered by Raghu, the servant.

Added to this are

• Nishikanta Daroga, a follower of Ma Kali and the local police inspector whose timid but responsible self is revealed more than once in the story.
• Govinda Narayan, the miserly king of Haringarh whose diet seems to be centred around cucumber only and whose passion is counting the notes and coins in his personal treasury that he protects with his life. His miserly attitude is more prominent by the fact that to ward of expenses he had never tried to pursue on any trail for finding his long lost son Kandarpa Narayan. His main household comprises of his wife Ambika and mother Hemomoy, that latter making an income out of dried cowdungs, without the knowledge of his son.
• A pack of dacoits with a handsome second-in-command and Kanai, the fishnmonger as one of the members.

Other trivial but characters introducing fresh reliefs are Samir-Timir-Tarak Guha, Harashankar, Kaustabh, Golokbihari, a pack of local gamblers, a corrupt constable, miser Gobinda and Shardul.
I think the mere mention of these characters seems to indicate the complexity of the story and I won't not try to summarise it but will surely recommend this as one of the best humourous pieces that I've ever come across. Shirshendu has masterfully converged the story to a perfect finish and the readers will be held in a laugh riot throughout the entire narrative. To supplement the prose is an equally hilarous poem by Nirendranath Chakrabarty that was used in the story in a fascinating manner increasing its appeal even more.
Footnote: The same review was published in boimela.in, the link being https://www.boimela.in/index.php?main_page=product_reviews_info&products_id=170&reviews_id=5

Royal Bengal Rahasya

Mystery lurks behind the dense forests of the fictitous Lakshmanbari, bordering Bhutan where Feluda and Jatayu are invited by Mahitosh Singha Roy, a renowned hunter. The host also presents Feluda with an age old puzzle that seems to lead to a treasure trove, hidden by his whimsical grandfather Aditya Narayan in the dense woods. But no sooner Feluda starts unravelling the riddle a death occurs, the victim being Tarit Sengupta - secretary to Singha Roy. As Feluda searches for clues the incoherent monologues of Debotosh Singha Roy, the elder brother of Mahitosh seems to give a direction. As the case progresses Feluda finds himself on the suspect list of the local police lead by Mr. Biswas. Again Singha Roy's friend Sasanka Sanyal who keeps himself in low profile seems to possess of a dark secret concerning the famous Singha Roy family. Madhavlal, the local hunter also come to the picture when a possible man-eater looms in the neighbouring areas. Thus Feluda has to keep his cool and solve a bizarre mystery that promises a terrific climax and remains one of the most famous stories penned by Ray. Added to this brain teasing riddle the novel also presents a brilliant sketch of the forest where the adventure occurs and the atmosphere created by the author is just perfect for the enigmatic backdrop that this mystery required. Also the pages are filled with a new style of sketches by Ray that the readers will enjoy immensely.

The Rest of the Robots

I'd read Asimov only once quite some years back and that too one of his novels on the Foundation series. Maybe it was my age that was responsible but I found the novel exciting but a bit boring too. So for several years after the experience I'd avoided going thru an Asimov again. Thus it was only an impulse that guided me to pick this book up in an used book store. That my impulse was justified is evident as after all these years I again grasped this book from my shelf to indulge once more in some of the best science fiction stories ever written with the author's style of mixing humour to these anecdotes making them quite unique in its genre.

The content runs as

· The Coming of the Robots

§ Robot AL-76 Goes Astray

§ Victory Unintentional

· The Laws of Robotics

§ First Law

§ Let’s Get Together

· Susan Calvin

§ Satisfaction Guaranteed

§ Risk

§ Lenny

§ Galley Slave

The most wonderful thing of the book is that each and every story is being preceded by the author's introductions that are equally entertaining as the stories themselves. The 1st section contains two hilarious pieces though the mood is dampened somewhat by the 1st story of the 2nd section. But the 2nd one more than compensates for the excitement that was due. But the best and the most though provoking are the stories in the 3rd section where the robopsychologist Susan Calvin offers all the explanations to the apparent contradictory or erratic behaviours of certain robots. Asimov's detailing in each of the stories seemed something to be complimented about and also his theme of aversion to robots by the general public is equally well portrayed. The Three Laws governing robotics have also been clearly explained while the misinterpretations and exception of these were equally well used in some of the robot stories. The book is fascinating and will definitely provide a source of entertainment, offering a new insight into science fiction stories by crossing the border of blending science with fiction and passing on to the realm of literary excellence.
In AL-76 Goes Astray, the confused activities of a robot designed for lunar excavations that somehow was transported to Earth will keep you in all smiles as will the timed misunderstanding on the part of Jovians in Victory Unintentional due to their lack of knowledge in earthian robotics. The First Law is somewhat a trivial story in that respect but in Let's Get Together, the mystery with science fiction blends all too well for a classic climax. We get introduced to Susan Calvin in Satisfaction Guaranteed though she is more than overshadowed by the fascinating personality of the robot that this story portrys. In Risk, you will surely be more than irritated at the way Calvin persuades Gerald Black to take the risk of his life but will no doubt agree to her reasonings at the final phases of the crisis. The story Lenny is a revelation to Calvin's singular character while Galley Slave is another fascinating courtroom drama with a proofreading robot as the central figure.
After doing a bit of a research on the compilation of the Asimov's fictions, I found that I was somewhat cheated of the marvellous writings by two novels that the original edition of the book contained while the one that I purchased was just an abridged version.

Cross Connection

http://calcuttatube.com/cross-connection-2009-bengali-movie-review/

Kailashe Kelenkari

Feluda is now at Ellora and this time his client is quite unexpectedly Sidhujetha. Well it is not so unexpected if the type of crime is to be considered. If the villains are bent on disrupting the heritage of the country by smuggling her rich artifacts to foreign lands, who can be more affected than the pure Indian soul of Sidhujetha.

It started with him stumbling on a rare piece of the art that the vandals of India took from a Bhubaneswar temple and a foreign collector Saul Silversteign bought it at a nominal price. But it seemed fate was against Saul who became a victim of a plane crash and the news made Sidhujetha hopeful of recovering the priceless art from the debris of the crash. So it was the athletic Feluda and Topshe coming to his aid and they immediately set out to the crash site near Sadikpur. But the smugglers were also on the way and it was them that got the piece of art first. So there was no option left to Feluda and company than to chase the criminals till Ellora to recover the piece and prevent them from further misdeeds. The pace of the story is fascinating and the readers will find a new side of the Feluda revealed which is his master disguises that even made both Lalmohan and Topshe baffled at times. The comic reliefs are also equally great but it’s the shroud of mystery that made the adventure an absorbing read.

The Godfather Part I

I don’t remember exactly how many times I’ve watched this film but the fascination seems to increase with each view. Directed by Francis Ford Capolla and based on the best seller by Mario Puzo this is a story of the Mafia rulers of the States that had curved out an empire in the underworld of America and the ruthlessness of their rule which made these Sicilian born immigrants one of the most powerful organizations in the history of crimes. Strangely their love and concern for their family seemed to contrast with their cold cruelties but in reality their family ties were the strongest pillars of their strength and probably it was the families that their subconscious souls looked for emotional support. The story starts with Amerigo Bonasera requesting the aid of the Corleone Family headed by the aged but respected Vito Corleone for avenging the culprits responsible for inflicting curelty on his daughter but the plot quickly turns to the Corleonoe's conflict with the other four of the mighty five Families of the underworld following their dispute on the emerging narcotics trade. While Corleone was against this, the other four smelled more money in it resulting in a family war waging with Vito falling as the first victim. This attempt on his life drove his second son Freddo to near insanity while the eldest Sonnie tried to come all out against the enemy. This resulted in numerous killings on either side costing Sonnie his life and forcing the youngest son Michael Corleone, who never wanted to get himself attached to the family business, to come to forefront and manage the turmoil. Tom Hagen, the foster son of Vito also helped Michael but it seemed that the cunning and ruthlessness of Mike surpassed everybody's imaginations. Also his organizational skills and tactical maneuvers clearly surpassed that of Vito.
The movie is an intense drama of sophisticated savagery in the name of power and in the process the chapters of treachery, deception, love and compassion unfolds in the most remarkable fashions. We are horrified by the cruelty of Mike but again we can feel sympathetic on his growing concern for his family’s safety. Marlon Brando is magnificent as Vito Corleone and probably performed his best as did James Caan as Sonnie Corleone and Robert Duval as Tom Hagen. Al Pacino made his personality felt as Michael and after watching the movie you just cannot make out who among Marlon Brando and Al Pacino acted as the best Godfather. On the side roles, Talia Shire was just appropriate for the role of the impulsive Connie Corleone and John Marley as Jack Woltz seemed perfect in his partrayal. While Abe Vigoda could not impress as the cool and composed Sal Tessio, Richard Bright was just fine as Al Neri. Al Lettieri excels in his role of the villain Virzil Solozzo and Diane Keaton adds the correct grace as Kay Adams. Thus the movie, portraying the crime rule in America surprisingly will evoke respect and awe instead of malice and hatred.

Asterix and the Actress

Here comes the mission of Asterix where he, for the first time, seemed uneasy as the problem lies with the fair sex, whose acquaintance Asterix had so far avoided. The problem seemed to be brought home by the mothers of Asterix and Obelix who surprised them at their birthday (that falls on the same day) by visiting them and bringing gifts in the form of a precious sword and a helmet that actually belonged to Pompey but was swapped for a barrel of barley beer by our Gaulish heros’ fathers from a former Roman legionary who stole the same in the first place. Now the Romans at Condatum deputed an actress dressed as a Gaulish girl Panacea to recover the two and simultaneously threw Asterix’s and Obelix’s dads to gaol. Meanwhile the mothers were busy searching for a suitable bride for their sons that became a source of nuisance to our heroes. To top it off when the actress came to the village she managed to seduce Obelix, caused a strife between him and Asterix that cost the latter to have a temporary memory loss and almost stole the trophies back to Gaul. But confusion arose when on the way return, the actress conducted by Asterix and Obelix met the real Panacea and our heroes were baffled by the stunning resemblance of the two. Confusion also ran high in the Roman camp when Caesar issued directions to single out the soldiers in the pay of the traitor Pompey. Thus when Asterix and Obelix, hearing the news of their dads’ arrest, were running towards Condatum they found themselves racing with Caesar’s imperial army to the same destination. So ironically, for the time being, they seemed to be on the same side of the battle. Finally all the problems seemed to be solved satisfactorily and while the Obelix was grieving for not finding his pet Dogmatix, it is seen that the faithful dog was actually busy paring off and raising offsprings before returning again to his master.
This story was completely done by Uderzo after Goscinni’s death and was numbered 31 in the series.

Asterix and the Normans

The Normans, the most fearless of the people, due to their scientific bend of mind, wants to understand fear, the emotion that quite sadly were devoid of them. Thus they set sail for a land where they can find an expert in fear and guess what, their random selection lands them in the little village of the Gauls, where too fear is an emotion quite remote with the people. But fortune seems to be in the way with Justforkix (just watch out the pun in the name), the nephew of VItalstatistix who was sent by his father on a holiday trip to Asterix’s village with an instruction to his cousin to make a man out of him. The modern youth Justforkix never knew the strength of the Gaul and their magic potion and so when he saw the Norman ship, was visibly frightened. The Norman spy also spotted him as the only one who knew the meaning of fear and thus he was carried off by them to their chief to make them frightened. So Asterix and Obelix were automatically chosen to rescue him and Asterix tried to bargain him out with a clever suggestion. He sent Obelix to get the bard Cacofonix, whose singing, he was sure to cause panic among the Norman ranks and thus Justforkix can be rescued peacefully. But problem was that Cacofonix was off to Lutetia to try his talent there and thus Obelix had to use some intelligence, something not his cup of tea, to find the bard before the Normans execute Justforkix in their obsessive urge of knowing the meaning of fear. Again the comic is full of witty puns in the name and the Romans in this case seems to get beating from both the Gauls and the Normans and like the adventure of Asterix the Gladiator, Cacofonix seemed to take the centre stage in the showdown. And those who are thinking that in the ultimate celebration of the adventure, Cacofonix is to be found bound and gagged, think once more as it is Fulliautomatix who is on the receiving end this time.

Asterix in Britain

Though this is labeled Book 3 but chronologically it comes as the 8th story of Asterix and his friends. Here Asterix and Obelix had to cross the channel and travel to Britain to help their counterpart in the village in Cantium that, led by Mykingdomforanos was gallantly holding up against the Roman invasion of Caesar. On the request of the Brit soldier Anticlimax, his 1st cousin once removed, Asterix talks to Vitalstatistix who agrees to send a barrel of magic potion to Britain. Asterix and Obelix become escorts for the barrel in this mission and through series of humorous incidents manage to reach the village of Cantium. But in the process the barrel changes hands quite often and it is left for the readers to find out whether the Brits could get their strength reinforced by the power of the potion.
The running gag of the pirates ship getting run down while getting caught between the confontration of the Gauls, British and the Romans appears more than once in this adventure and becomes a source of constant entertainment for everyone save the priates. Also the addiction of tea to the British folks is amusingly explained and also their fussiness to schedule is humorously portrayed.

Asterix and Cleopetra

Now is the time for Asterix to meet Cleopetra, the queen of Alexandria, also famous for her elegant nose and strangely nose seems to get the better part of the story as it offers a plausible explanation of how the nose of the Sphinx came to be broken. In this adventure Asterix and Obelix escorts Getafix to Alexandria on the request of Edifis, an architect who had been assigned the duty to build a palace for Caesar in three months. Not only is the period short but there was the added trouble of the rival architect Artifis who always creates much trouble by delaying the work. Also Caesar did not want the palace to be built in time so as to lose his bet on the building’s completion date and thus employs his army to demolish it. So it required the brain of Getafix, assisted with the muscle of Obelix and the wit of Asterix to get the job done in time and also to keep off Artifis and the Roman army from creating much trouble. It is as usual fun-filled but the comical hieroglyphics add to the humour of the texts more than many other pieces. Also this the first instance that we see Getafix allowing a few drops of magic potion to Obelix but when you consider breaking the stone walls of pyramid, this was really an emergency situation! Dogmatix also plays a good part in this adventure and he too gets the pat in the back for that.

Asterix and the Big Fight

This time it's Vitalstatistix's turn of defending the Gaulish tradition of the Big Fight. It occurred when one of the tribes wanted to take over another and its chief challenged his counter part in the fight with the winner becoming the ruler of both. This was the ploy that the Romans of Totourm now tried by employing Cassius Ceramix, a Gaulo Roman ruler of Linoleum to challenge Vitalstatistix. Problem was that Getafix, at this critical time, lost his memory, thanks to Obelix and his menhir, the knock of which was the cause for the disaster and thus the serious disadvantage of unavailability magic potion seemed to stare in the face of the Gauls, all except Obelix. As a new druid, Psychoanalytix was called in, he too lost his memory in no time, again Obelix and his menhir and also his feeble brain sharing the responsibility. Thus it remained to be seen whether Getafix could be cured and the tribe saved by Vitalstatistix. This also offers a series of clashes with the Romans and each time the hilarious situations will keep the readers smiling their heart out till the last page.

Asterix and the Banquet

This time Asterix takes a challenge with a Roman Inspector General Overanxius to tour the whole of Gaul, evading the imperial army and bringing back souvenirs from each town as a proof of their visit. Thus Asterix and Obelix tour the entire Gaul starting from Rotomagnus, then off to the crowded Lutetia, and to Camaracum, Duroccortorum, Divodurum. In Lugdunum, the locals guided them through the puzzling alleyways keeping the pursuing Romans confused in the maze. After this the couple visited Nicae from where they took the sea route to Massilia. Thereafter they toured Tolosa, Aginum, Burdigala and finally Armorica. On the way they got immense support from the Gaulish citizens of each town and though the later didn’t possess magic potion but their vigour and tricks were sufficient to side track the Romans trailing our two heroes. But they were betrayed on a couple of occasions and in one while Obelix’s innocent intelligence was enough to take care of the troubles in the other it was the wit of Asterix that saved the day. Thus finally we had the gala banquet where Asterix didn’t forget to display the souvenir from his own village too to the Inspector General and save for Cacofonix, everyone enjoyed the gala evening. Just to add as a footnote, this was the adventure where Obelix met the pet of his life, Dogmatix.
One point to note is that the naming of this 5th adventure is not so appropriate in the English version as was in the French original (Le tour de Gaul) and the original, translated in English, could have been a better choice.

Asterix the Gladiator

Yes, this time we find our friend with the winged helmet with Obelix in the Roman Circus in the role of a gladiator, all for rescuing the kidnapped Cacofonix, a prize to Caesar by one of his subordinates. The kidnap had hurt the Gaulish pride and so Asterix sets up on the mission of rescuing the bard and as usual Obelix, smelling a lot of Romans on the way, pairs up with his best friend. But it seemed that Cacofonix required little help as his singing was enough to put the guards on his mercy and scare off the lions who were brought to eat him up alive, much to the chagrin of Caesar. To add insult to injury, that gladiators were found to play fun quizzes in the arena. Thus as the entire circus seemed to be at the point of a disappointing finish, the Gaulic heroes challenged the legionaries for a fight that again enlivened the crowd. Thus the day is saved and our heroes return happy.

Asterix and the Goths

This time our little wise Gaul Asterix stepped in Germania encountering the barbaric Goths (Germans) to release the kidnapped Getafix following the annual druid Conference in which that later was awarded the trophy of the champion. The Goths wanted Getafix to prepare magic potions for them so that their invincible army can invade the rest of the world. In this they were united at first but the cunning of Getafix ultimately got the better of them and while Asteric and Obelix rescued him from the clutches of the barbaric hordes, Getafix himself caused the Goths to turn against each other. Thus the Goths were for several years kept in the confines of their own boundary and the Gauls were once again seen living peacefully with the closing of the adventure.

Asterix and the Golden Sickle

The 2nd of Asterix’s adventure begins with Getafix breaking his Golden sickle which was essential for the magic potion to be properly prepared and was also required by Getafix for the upcoming annual druid conference. So Asterix and Obelix set for Lutetia to purchase a sickle from the best manufacturer Metalurgix, a distant cousin of Obelix. But our heroes, as they reach Lutetia, find that Metallurgix is kidnapped and they get misled by the sickle-traffickers, who taking advantage of the demand for sickles as the conference date approaches near, raised their price. Also as usual the Romans got involved in the the happenings and we find the Gauls visiting and breaking the gaols more than once. The running gag of Obelix’s irritation on him not being allowed to have a drop of the potion and Cacofonix bound and gagged at the end of the book leaves the readers smiling still even at the final pages of this laugh riot.

Asterix the Gaul

Ever seen the little warrior with golden whiskers and winged helmet, always with a menhir-delivery man with a large tummy and red whiskers at his side? I think you have. But if u haven’t then you are missing two of the most famous and lovable comic book character duos by the name of Asterix and Obelisk. These were created by Goscinny and Uderzo who wrote the text and made the drawings respectively. The originals were in French and I don’t think I’ll ever manage to read them but the English translations were sufficient to make me a fan of these mighty but simple Gauls powered by the magic potion prepared by their druid Getafix. Surrounded by the Romans on all sides but the coast, these indomitable Gauls led by their chief Vitalstatistix won’t succumb to the Roman legionaries and is a constant headache to their all-in-all emperor Caesar.
In this 1st adventure of Asterix and his friends we are introduced to the inhabitants of this village and how the cunning of Asterix and a little help from Providence saves the Gaulish community evade the Roman espionage bent on getting the secret of the magic potion. At one point of time Getafix is captured by the Romans stationed at Compendium and Asterix, without the help of the potion, braves the enemy and rescues the druid. The hilarious dialogues and brilliant depictions have made these comic books a classic of all times for both the young and old and comedy lovers won’t find many books matching the witty texts. Finally the readers will not fail to notice the puns in the names of each character that succinctly describes the person and the beauty is that these have been suitably metamorphosed to fit the nationality of the characters.