Mr Tompkins Learns the Facts of Life

At a very early age, I was introduced to the character, Mr Tompkins by my father. Well, from then onwards, I became the fan of both the protagonist of the series and the creator. The illustrations that were sketched by Gamow added to the enticement. Science could never have been more thrillingly humorous as when one sees it through the eyes of Mr Tompkins. Ever since I had become enthralled by the intricacies of the Mother Nature and the science She offers.
So, when I took this up, the 3rd in the series, motivated by my recent endeavour with The Body by Bill Bryson (certainly this is in no way related specifically with his body but the medical mystery of the human body, in general), the adventures seem not to have aged much in appeal.
These brought back nostalgic scientific memories. Maybe, it was due to my upgraded view of science the insights seem clearer. As the clerk, Mr Tomkins had shifted his interest from physics after his 1st couple sets of adventures, the readers stood to benefit. Blood, gene and brain were opened to them for investigation as was some rudimentary logic of digital computing. Added to this is a chapter to summarise how energy is harnessed by plants deriving from the solar source and channelled through the multitude of sinks which make up the living and breathing earth. The inquisitive reader can locate several pointers to direct their interest for the future while being glued to the literary wealth of the series.

Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta

The rise of the powerful Raavan is sketched in this book as he transforms himself into the enemy of his motherland. This book actually converges where the other two had converged which completes the introduction for the mighty battle to follow. The inherent sadism that defined the character, the intense hatred borne of a childhood devoid of love, the frustration for a society where people were caste away owing to abnormal physical features, the justified rage with unjustified tendency to massacre for the sake of a handful, the undue obsession to achieve the best at the cost of ethics, the lust to dominate supreme, blended with the passion for fine arts made the trader of Lanka a force to reckon it. Not only he became the ruler of the island kingdom but also forced the the rulers of the Sapt Sindhu to bow before his diktat in one swift yet shrewd attack. But his continuing rage against his very own motherland made him the delicate pawn by an obsessive yet brilliant strategist. Treading along a fine line between control and the loss of it, the insecurity of the obsessive mind keeps the future of the innocents at stake. Getting hint of this fact and trying to save Raavan from drowning his soul further in crime, Kumbhakarna tries to force his sibling to the righteous course, time and again, but to no avail. So it remains to be seen, what final challenge Raavan throws to the motherland.
Though, it is a part of the series, but practically it is the remaining perspective that converges at more or less the same scene that the other two culminated. But, the surprise flashback at the finale, hinted several times in the other two books, will actually alter the thinking when yet another perspective will loom large.
The author uses sensuality for the first time and justifies, at places, the rage of the ruthless. These are the only embellishes in the otherwise thrilling jigsaw piece, which, notwithstanding the obvious predictability of the climax due to its convergence criteria, remains well knit with suspense throughout.

Samagra Kishore-Sahitya Vol. III

Probably the best of the rest, at least my personal best among the rest of the series, this contains an assortment of sorts that ranges from the hilarious to the melancholy, all narrated in the style just right for the young minds.

The collection is categorized as stories, novels, articles, drama and chronicle. Based mainly on humour it contains some memorable ones like Chele Dharar Itihas, Nidarun Pratisodh, Duryodhaner Pratihinsa, Taliyat, Tin Aanar Aamer Janya, Jayadrath Bodh, Nangchadar 'Hahakar', Ekadoshir Ranchijatra, Prabhat Sangeet that guarantees peels and peels of laughter without a trace of malice. Again humour with an underlying moral is present in Jagannather Thenga, Alu-Kabli and an uncommon narrative - a true mystery revealed in Ekti Khuner Ghatana. Others that will bring smile in the face includes Guruprapti, Bhuture Kamra, Bhut Maane Bhut, Tutuner Pratigya, Purush, Chul Katar Bhoe - the later three being more nostalgic to the young teens stepping on the verge of adulthood. Another moving story titled Dupur Belar Lokta is as touching as it is haunting.

The four novels seem to offer multiple dimensions to the collection, 'charmurti' returning in the fun filled adventure Kambol Niruddesh that starts with a missing prankster whose return seems to be nobody's business but the four and his uncle assuring the quad that he has surely reached the moon. This is followed by a mystery in Jayadhyajer Joyrath that culminates not only with the solution but a promise of trust between generations. The next one is an adaptation, Abyartha Lakhshyaved that is as hilarious as the original. The last but surely not the least is an adventure that blossoms in the most exciting way in Raghaber Joyyatra.

A chronicle bordering legend titled Kamala Sagarer Upakhyan is a moving narrative of a sacrifice of the nobility for the common people.

There is a dramatization of a Tenida story in the comic Porer Upakar Korio Na but though Pyala, Habul and Kyabla retains their names but Tenida's is replaced by his good name Bhajahari. Another short yet compact drama is Bheem Bodh that apparently deviates a serious climax of the epic.

The article contains a short memoir dedicated to Rabindranath and the vacuum that his absence had created. But the best of the collection, maybe due to my age, is the article on Rammohan which is a tribute to the life of the premiere modern man of India and his works that freed the mind of the people long before freeing the country.

The Oath of the Vayuputras

If The Immortals of Meluha had been the introduction then The Secret of the Nagas was a revelation but The Oath of the Vayuputras is nothing short of an intense game of chess with attacks and counterattacks of the masters of strategies. As Shiva tries to oust Evil from the soils of India helps come from unexpected quarters. While the call of duty makes enemies out of friends staunch support comes from distant quarters. Tragedies result as selfish souls betrays to the principles of humanity but Shiva ensures that truth triumphs above all. Traps are set, wars are fought, warriors and heroes are born but peace seems more and more distant as what seemed good shows its evil face, while the apparently evil selves show their heroic hearts. Blending myths with convincing rationale the epic is a glorious tribute to the Indian heritage. Barring some literary confusions while using expressions that may be more subtly handled the literature is unputdownable.

The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy

What will an investigator do when approached with two cases simultaneously? On one hand is a 3000 year old mummy whispering ancient Arabic and in the other an Abyssinian cat with mismatched eyes go missing! The trio of Investigators - Jupe, Pete and Bob - will take both at once. Thus they get involved in a curious mystery filled with adventures inside mummy case, strange disguises, Oriental clients, speedy car chases and eerie accidents. How Jupe with his new innovation - walkie talkie sets - and with the help of the other investigators, catches the villains remains to be seen in this exciting adventure that are truly enjoyable for the young minds. Quite unlike the other stories, the strangeness of the central plot is masked quite early but the excitement remains throughout.

Nante Fante Collection III

Continuing the humorous exploits of Nante Fante, the collection consists of chapters 7 thru 9. Sometimes playing pranks on each other (once in this collection and that too marked by a different style of sketching) the naughty duo often makes life miserable for the Superintendent Sir. But the greater pranks are stored for the wicked Keltu. Being boarders of hostels, their desire for sumptuous meals often becomes the central theme of the multipage plots and in these often Keltu becomes the sole competitor. Debnathbabu’s unique style of presentation and cartoons has made these children’s story a priceless gem in the world of Bengali comic strips. The collection also contains an advertisement cleverly concealed in the story, maybe one of the starters of its kind.

Colonel Samagra Vol III

Again we encounter Colonel Niladri Sarkar in a series of mysteries but the quality of detective novel deteroriates in this volume. The best novel seems to be Nishuti Raater Daak but its humane part is more touching than the detection part. Infact, Colonel's realization of himself growing old seem at places justified and although he ultimately solves the mystery but the parallel story of an entirely different nature suppresses the mystery content. Also, as unlike most the Colonel stories, this is not narrated by Jayanta and infact he is not involved here at all. Dakinitantra started on a promising note, and Jayanta's narrative refreshed the reading, but again it was just an ordinary piece when it ended. In Mafia Rahasya, though Jayanta is involved but it is again narrated passively and also the story is made more complex with added events. Nababi Mohor seems a better story in this chain and when the villain is unmasked the readers are bound to be astonished. Both Hirer Necklace and Kaalo Suto unveils a complicated mode of crime for its end result and though the later could have been more intense as the adventurous duo later exclaims the former seems unduly complicated just for the sake of making it a longer story. Some personal insight into the Colonel's life is the only contribution of the author and the reader will know why the Colonel mysteries mostly revel in murder rather than just theft and smuggling.

Hemendrakumar Roy Rachanabali Vol – III

The book starts with an adventure Tsarinar Kanthahar and though at the start it seems only Bimal-Kumar are involved but as the trail of the villain becomes more and more complex Jayanta-Manik also appears in the picture. The best thing about Hemen Roy is that he could devise plots and that too adventurous ones in the heart of Calcutta and there lies his ingenuity in the realms if imagination as while normal authors will think adventure in the deceptive crevices, in the dark seabeds and elsewhere, Hemen Roy on the other hand explores the intricacies of the city's by lanes and creates adventure there only. True, the quality of the adventure may not seem too appealing in today's perspective but then it must be remembered that at his time, much of Calcutta had not been turned to 'caves of steel', if I may indulge using the word from Asimov's novel of the same name. Also the villain in this novel plots novel traps and how the quad with Sundarbabu tackles these are sure to keep you interested in the story. An annexe story Ek-Ratrer Bibhishika is a classic short story of its genre and is gripping in its span of only a few pages. I don't know why this is not indexed and also quite confused as to its inclusion as an extension of the the previous novel.

The next feature Sahityik Saratchandra, is as the name implies, about a brief biography of the literary genius of Saratchandra Chattopadhyay. Here, the author starts with a brief history of the Bankim and Rabindra era of Bengali literature and then goes straight to the childhood days of Sarat right from his birth on 1876 and dwells on his early introduction to literature. His love for adventure and dissatisfaction in the disciplined school life both fuelled his passion for literature and several characters with whom he grew up, his sisters, his friend 'Raju', all had found places in his creations, infact these were his tributes to the personalities and places that he were fond of and his literary genius moulded these as central characters in novels like 'Baradidi', 'Srikanta', 'Pather Dabi'. Hemen Roy writes in his own fascinating way the misery that once shadowed the literary life of Saratchandra during his stay at Rangoon and his re-entry in the pages of the magazine Jamuna and following up with his emergence in the more popular Bharatbarsha. The author's research is extensive and his style of writing so enjoyable that it never feels boring while reading this biography. That Saratchandra was a shy speaker but an excellent singer, a revered individual but someone who could mingle easily with the common men - these facts are illustratively described in the article. Finally Hemen Roy went on to a brief discussion on the dramatization of Saratchandra's plays which though encouraged him to attempt at playwriting but those never saw a bolder realization, so unlike of his penmanship as novelist. The discussion also included picturization of several of his novels and how these were successful in the theatres. The person Saratchandra has also been fondly remembered as the author writes of his personal traits, his addictions and his love of beings, both human and animal. Saratchandra's nature was also no less appealing than his novels. This was more apparent when, following his rise to fame and wealth, he still continued his normal lifestyle and invited people, both common and extra-ordinary, in the same way. The great Saratchandra was 9indeed great for these traits. As an addendum, Hemen Roy has included another chapter where he has started with a personal anecdotes centering his first meeting with Saratchandra. Then onwards he has included some refreshing humorous moments shared in the presence of Saratchandra, Saratpandit, Rabindranath and several others. The refreshing way that the article ends again proves the correctness of Premendra Mitra's comments in the introduction of the volume that Hemendrakumar was unique in his writing and this identified him in the crowd of host of other writers of the time.

The story that follows up is Jayanta-Manik's treasure hunt with Sundarbabu in Sonar Anaras where they starts off to solve a riddle directing to some treasure trove secured by centuries of secrecy. Though it is supposed to be a mystery story but adventure predominates and only a touch of the bizarre is added to thrill of the hunt. The villain is identified at the beginning but the treasure is uncovered at the end. Also the rest of the people excepting Jayanta-Manik, Bhushopagla and the evil genius had been portrayed so dumb that the story loses the touch of reality throughout. Thus what remains to be enjoyed is the adventure and the trail of the treasure only!

The next chapters categorized as Bhuter Raja is reserved for short ghost stories and some of them are sure to give creeps. Here the author had followed a new style in quite a few stories. Generally short horror stories have a single climax at the final pages. But in some of the stories when it seems that the climax has passed, turning over the pages it is found that the story is far from its completion and a second climax awaits that intensifies the suspense in a markedly unique way.

Narayan Gangopadhyay's Galpa Samagra Vol III

When I had completed volume I, purchased in the earlier Bookfair, I was looking forward to buying the remaining of the series this year. So it was disappointing to hear that Mitra Ghosh was discontinuing the publication of the separate volumes and had already publishied a consolidated volume in this year's bookfair. This routed me to the direction of College Street where I managed this volume but was still short of the 2nd in the series.

When I finished reading through the entire book the 1st point that came to my mind is without this book nobody's treasury of Bengali short stories will ever be complete. Quite a few of the stories were devoted to rural Bengal, their pains and pathos which mostly remains unheard of and also some humourous strains here and there which makes the compilation a treasure. But what I liked most were the final few stories which the author seemed to design in the most classic fashion.

The series consists of
Rasikata
Kala Badar

• Top
• Saibya
• Izzat
• Apaghat
• Banduk
• Shilpi
• Srijukta GopiBallav Kundu (missed from content list)
• Ustad Meher Khan
• Kala Badar

Gandharaj

• Dhas
• Kalpapurush
• Taash
• Idu M(n)iyar Morog
• Hariner Rong
• Gandhaaj
• Unmesh
• Darja
• Natun Gaan

Bhanga Bandar

• Bhanga Bandar
• Kabor
• Tirthayatra
• Cholonamoyee
• Luchir Upakhyan
• Pandoolipi
• Nakra-charit
• Atmyahatya

Dushashan

• Dushashan
• Kalo Jol
• Puskara
• Bhanga Chasma
• Bonbiral
• Kharga
• Mummy
• Deem
• Pipe

Swetkamal

• Baishe Shraban
• Timirabhishar
• Kalnemi
• Adhikar
• Janmabhumishcha
• Swetkamal
• Haat
• Ghashbon

As you near the end, you will surely be longing for more and so I am fervently hoping to get the 2nd volume in the series even though its publication is threatened to be stopped.