Bhuture Ghori

The story of an alien wristwatch that threats the existence of the world seems to be the key of the power struggle between alien forces. Shirshendu's traditional use of science fiction, ghost story and comedy are cleverly intertwined to present the young readers with a merry-go-round of adventure. A collection from my childhood days, the story is a plesant time pass as I read it now. Starting with the aged Haranchandra, a connoisseur in losing watches, the watch found its way to Jatai Tantrik, then to Haran's wife and finally to Haran's favourite grandchild Latu who seemed to decide on its rightful owner as both its creator and its master make their claim. The intense power field of the watch makes the ordinary clocks in its vicinity to go anticlockwise, helps its bearer to see in the dark, makes photography of any object except itself impossible and causes many other strange events. Puzzling the entire neighbourhood where it resides, the secret is finally revelated to Latu who seemed to understand the power of it and was left to decide on its final fate. Shirshendu's typical story telling will make this book an enjoyable read for the children and the funny side will also heighten its charm. The concept of alien technology is also another attraction but a bit more elaboration would have made it more interesting. The characters has their own peculiarity which makes most of them lovable to the readers. Ghost also is introduced in the narrative but doesn't play a prominent part but the rest is an enjoyable read no doubt.