Jabar Baro

This particular collection of Ray's dozen stories seems a bit disappointing as though it contains one of the most varied collections ranging from some of his short stories, punched with some of Tarineekhuro's narratives, culminating in the traditional style with a Feluda story and also containing, for the first time, a play and a couple of vernacular translations of Ray's english stories, but it lacks the regular Ray charm. Though Tarineekhuro returns in style with Mahim Sanyaler Ghatana, Ganatkat Tarineekhuro and Galpabolie Tarineekhuro, the twists progressing more unpredictably and enjoyably more than before but curiously Sakuntalar Kantahar lacks the characteristic Feluda wit and the Ray humour. The translations, courtesy Sreemati Bijaya Ray, titled Puraskar and Barnandha, matching in their theme and another very interesting aspect that the characters are nameless, but they are contrastingly enjoyable and gloomy respectively. Haaui is a refreshing play and as far as I can place it, this is an adaptation of one of the author's own short stories. Shilpi and Pratikriti are again thematically similar but while the first has a delightful twist the later is abrupt and disappointing. Abhiram begins with a promise of suspense augmented by its illustrations but the climax is almost totally predictable. But the best of the collection is Mrigankababur Ghatana which borders sci-fi and will be remembered by the readers for its classic blend of psychology, suspense and the signature twist which again reminds us of the master story teller. Brajaburo reflects another socio-psychological aspect which is enjoyable as a story and reveals the stark truth of loneliness.

So though it is a collector's item for completing the Ray works but some of the narratives are far from the average as far as the author is concerned. So readers may shop for it but might as well keep their expectations a few octaves low. The illustrations are though not all by the author but the others has done justice to the stories. These are at par will the original style of the author.

Swayang Professor Shonku

The compilations contain three of Shonku's two very interesting adventures and one story of invention that takes an unpredictable turn. Compu, among other things, serves as a reminder to the tech dependent human civilization in the same way that Asimov did in numerous occasions that shows us how smart machines may evolve in the most undesirable fashions possible when the inventors' control is taken up by the intelligence that is infused. That this aspect of the computer dominated society could have been foreseen by Ray in so early a time when the processors were just inching its way in the country, once more tells us about the visionary in him. This story is sandwiched between two full fledged adventures Munroe Dwiper Rahasya and Ekshringa Abhijan where Shonku teams up with other explorers to quest for the strangest whose charm seemed to appeal to me more than when I enjoyed in my younger days. In one the voyage is to a pirate's cove for the trail of the cure-all and the other is for the search of the most beautiful monastery, the Unicorns and the art of flying. The former is primarily a tragedy where a dangerous truth is uncovered while the rationale of the other is nicely explained more by the artist in Ray than by the scientist in the protagonist. Three of Shonku's recurring associates feature here viz., Saunders, Kroll and the most unscientific Abinashbabu who balances the wit of the story. The book is also a contrast to the series in the sense that discovery has the lion's share than inventions.

Selam Professor Shonku

I had always been an ardent collector of Ray's works. But the collection, published posthumously, had quite some oddities in store. Not because it contained the incomplete Intelectron where Nakurbabu would have starred promisingly as well as Drexel Islander Ghatana but for some other facts. Infact the incomplete works will be cherished forever but for the fact that the final one conflicts with Prof. Shonku's own note in Swarnaparni about the actual date of his birth. The later and Don Cristobaldyr Bhabisyatbani had been the best of the collection where his friend Saunders played a very vital role in both. Also it's very much apparent that Ray condemned Hitler's obsession as was apparent from it as well as from Shonku o Frankestein where the discovery of the scientist of the famous classic has been given a new life. The stories also feature a philosophical Ray where afterlife, rebirth, power of mind over matter, nostalgia seems to hover very similarly as Sukumar Ray's final verses. But disappointment accompanies the starter Nefrudeter Samadhi and Dr. Danielir Aviskar, the later sharing the plot of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, both of which starts with Ray style but completes abruptly, so unlike Ray without the signature finishing twist. The illustrations are mix of Ray's orginals with that of Sameer Sarkar though marked difference of the styles being prominent but both complements the other well.

Mahasankate Shonku

I've often marvelled at the choice of the title that Ray chooses for his which aptly summarises the compilation in a book and serves as an illustration of the very popular but quite complicated essay that almost every student faces - explain how the title justifies what follows! Thus it was turn for the master professor to be faced under dire circumstances in three different scenarios that starts with a curious case of a damaging impersonation in Innsbruk titled Shonkur Shanir Dosha, continues with his three friends as they explore the mysterious alleways of alchemy in Shonkur Subarna Sujog - another apt double description of what follows and finally concludes with the dangerous and eerie Hipnogen in Norway where help comes from the most unexpected quarter.

As always the Ray charm was as green as ever but there were some interesting facts that I unearthed this time. The 1st of them is a confusing event that after getting invitation from a foreign land, Prof. Shonku could start on the journey in five days - is it that in the 70s the visa processed so quickly? This is more probable as I haven't come across a Ray composition compromising in details. The 2nd is that in the concluding episode there had been references of Odin and Thor and they had been correctly described as Greek Gods. But as I knew that Thor was the son of Odin, maybe this needs clarification as I cannot imagine that Shonku, and actually Ray who had always educated us with short explanations of even the mundane, never expressing this thought. The 3rd and the 4th which just came to me were Ray's appeal to Conan Doyle novel as the climax of Hipnogen bears a slight resemblance to that of "The Black Panther" and the protgonist professor is again a Bengali compliment to the fierce Challenger, the similarity being in their confidence in science and their love of adventure.

The Mystery of the Shrinking House

When I had bought the book, the queerness of the title attracted me though the strangeness vanished very quickly going thru the first few chapters but when I again read through this time, it seemed to appeal in a rather different way. The central plot revolves round the twenty paintings of a late artist whcih suddenly seems to become valuable after he had passed away. As his final possessions change hands, Uncle Titus playing a  major role in that, the three investigators are called to trace the same by a distant relative of the artist. Though most of them are traced but the painting seemed elusive. It seemed to catch hold of the attention of several queer persons, one of them possessing a live leopard too, the second appeal to me from its title page. Infact several twists in the final pages also takes the breath away which though becomes a bit repeated but is still exciting. But not only for the story but for its old world charm that it seemed to attract me once more. That nostalgic feeling of the young, when the mind seeks adventure, this again brought back the fun memories of childhood.

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.

Hercule Poirot The Complete Short Stories

The short and smart detective had held my fascination the first time I got to know him, but through television series. So when I saw the book containing the complete short stories I lost no time but got hold of it in the early part of the millenium. But still today the stories are as intellectually charming as ever. Devoid of a rush of adrenaline, this kicks in the real stimulant refreshing the spirits at any time. The passionately orderly, daintily dressed complete to the patent leather boots, with an obsessive fussiness over tidiness, the little Belgian, the self proclaimed greatest (maybe without an error there too!), deductive genius had always proved his point in matters baffling the authorities. With a diversity of characters to deal with, the psychologist in Poirot always seem to catch the basic of the problem before others. With a reasoning unmatched with the authorities, the little detective with his shrewd traps has been the saviour to the police in several cases. Thus Harper Collins is to be complimented on their compilation of all the short stories featuring the Hercules of the mystery genre but it had surely made a mistake by stating that it contains more than fifty stories by counting the foreward of one of the collections making the total just one more than the half century. But this is really one of a kind getting the complete set in one book. The treasure trove is listed below.

1. The Attair at the Victory Ball
2. The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan
3. The King of Clubs
4. The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim
5. The Plymouth Express
6. The Adventure of the Western Star
7. The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor
8. The Kidnapped Prime Minister
9. The Million Dollar Bond Robbery
10. The Adventure of the Cheap Flat
11. The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge
12. The Chocolate Box
13. The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb
14. The Veiled Lady
15. The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly
16. The Market Basing Mystery
17. The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman
18. The Case of the Missing Will
19. The Incredible Theft
20. The Adventure of the Clapham Cook
21. The Lost Mine
22. The Cornish Mystery
23. The Double Clue
24. The Adventure of the Christimas Pudding
25. The Lemesurier Inheritance
26. The Under dog
27. Double Sin
28. Wasps' Nest
29. The Third-Floor Flat
30. the Mystery of the Spanish Chest
31. Dead Man's Mirror
32. How Does Your Garden Grow?
33. Problem at Sea
34. Tringle at Rhodes
35. Murder in the Mews
36. Yellow Iris
37. The Dream
38. The Labours of Hercules - Foreward
39. The Nemean Lion
40. The Lernean Hydra
41. The Arcadin Deer
42. The Erymanthian Boar
43. The Augean Stables
44. The Stymphalean Birds
45. The Cretan Bull
46. The Horses of Diomeded
47. The Girdle of Hyppolita
48. The Flock of Geryon
49. The Apples of the Hesperides
50. The Capture of Cerberus
51. Four-and Twenty Blackbirds

Well these stories may be categorised as anybody wishes but there is a classification that may be not of the conventional type. Theres are stories narrated by the composed Captain Hastings, there are others by Christie where Poirot almost plays the lone hand, others necessitates the assistance of the faithful George and some of them features Miss Lemon the methodical secretary. Also special mention may be made of 28, 34, 37, 43 which are favourites.

Rakhis Ma Rosheboshe

Where the last volume stopped, this one started with the same fervor. Starting from the family life of the common Bengali household to the social life, the satire is complete with revelations that deeply stirs the intellect but never becomes boring due to the spontaneity of the episodes. Though a bit more serious than its predecessor the writing remains as lively as always. The collection culminates with a very optimistic note that also speaks the undiminished hope that the intellectual holds for the Bengali. That the projected life of the common man which appears with its apparent ill and gore there still remains hidden the pure and the beautiful has been cleverly directed by the author. Though malice is not left out but the criticisms are always healthy as they indicate the path of the righteous and it remains upon the society to make the choice.

Rosheboshe Vol I

What seemed as an innocent collection of humorous pieces turned out to be nothing short of classic satires chiefly sketching the Bengali society. Full of lively cartoons, the book is the funny mirror of the current society. Composed of short essays, the notes are enjoyable while at the same time point to the evil that we only have allowed to flourish over the ages and serve as reminders of the fight that we must start from within ourselves. Encompassing almost all the aspects of daily life from the running steps to the workplace, the fights in overcrowded bus, the quarrels at home, load sheddings, pot holes, the market - in one sentence all the pathos imaginable to the common people, the jolly side of the events have been described with the worst parts too. The social ills that evolved to dangerous crimes taking lives of innocents for the sake of dowry and the likes have been hinted at with such a fine mix of mirth and malice that can only be possible by Sanjib Chattopadhyay alone. With his signature style of exagarration for the sake of literature, the essays will produce both peels of laughter and sheds of embarassment to the generations, both past and present.

Goenda Ekenbabu

The character Ekenbabu had been introduced in my very young age and though I remembered the general nature of the stories, the character would had gone into oblivion but for the fact that I stumbled upon this while searching from something else in the Book fair stalls. But on the first opportunity I did not buy it, thinking that at this age this may not be the thing I want though the interest was kindled. So after a few years more when I again got curious about it, I think I couldn't help but got hold of the same, surprised to notice that the price hadn't increased (I remembered the price when I first looked upon it).

Thus again Ekenbabu with his typical miserly attitude of everything personal except his intellect seemed to freshen my spirits up. With a touch of slightly mature content, of which the author acknowledges in the backside, the content runs as

• Greenwich Kando
• Dhaka Rahasya Unmochan
• Harappar Shilalipi

Staying as guest to the narrator Bapi and the only frank critic of his nature, Pramatha, Ekenbabu gets involved with mysteries in the US. But sometimes he even solves dormant cases that had occurred long ago but had kept the slight trail alive to be sniffed up by Ekenbabu like in the second one where a single doubt and a group of snaps were enough for the sleuth to unearth a crime comitted months earlier. In these he is helped by his fan cum police Captain Stuart who gets him all the data that he requires. At other times he is seen solving cases on his own, just like while staying at an aquintance's reside ce during his absence in the first of the narratives, where incidents that seemed so ordinary is found to mask a grave evil. But if the client refuses to proceed in certain other instances like the final one, it is Ekenbabu's sheer eagerness to clear the confusions that unearths the truth. Thus the readers will surely enjoy the stories as not only the plots are interesting but also the storytelling is simple devoid of any undue deviations.

The Room on the Roof ~ Vagrants in the Valley

I was introduced to Ruskin Bond not quite a long time back but it took only two books, the first being a collection of ghost stories that I have already spoken about and the other being this one, to make me his fan.

As the title page truly summarises the content, the two novellas The Room in the Roof and  Vagrants in the Valley explores the youth as it steps into adolescence. Set in the post independence period of the country, Rusty, an Anglo-Indian orphan tries to identify himself with the place where he is brought up. His guardian and the immediate neighbourhood being the remnants of the so called British nobility, he was strictly shunned from mixing with the Indian boys. But his rebellious age seemed too much for the cane happy guardian as Rusty runs away to explore his youth to the fullest and search for his heritage and root. In this he gets acquainted at different time with several local lads whose points of view, so different from his own, not only makes him more mature, but he seems to find the fascinating variations truly reflecting the country where he is born. The newly acquired freedom not only makes way for adventures but also introduces many emotions that he never felt before. Thus as he revels in fun filled days, the sense of responsibility also grows parallely. His search gets a new dimension as he stumbles across his father's belongings that gives a twist to the story and his direction in life.

This is the gist of the stories. But the true beauty of the narratives lies in the way India is revealed in her true colours and smell. Be it the jostling crowd of the third class compartments, the outstretched helping hand of the stranger, the wicked alliance of the thief and the businessman, the warm welcome to the homeless, the spirit of the country seemed never to have been more impeccably described. The simple language in which the most complex of incidents have been described makes it even more fascinating. The best part is the pace of the stories which never becomes slow yet remaining gentle. I have been a fan of R.K. Narayan who showed me the lively South India, Bond illustrates the Himachal in the way nobody else does. Thus at the culmination when the protagonist starts his onwards journey of freedom, the heart yearns for his next escapade.

Byculla to Bangkok

Sequel to Dongri to Dubai, the book traces the evolution of the Maharashtrian mafia and is even more fast paced than the predecessor. The narrative style is more of a collage of anecdotes and thus chronologically overlapping in parts. But the central theme is as chilling as ever. The socio-political aspect has been more critically analysed which makes it more haunting. Taking its birth from the socio-economic condition that allowed exploitation of the Maharastrian youth, the lust of the few made the evil even more dreaded. Murders were committed at daylight, gangs were formed and broken, smuggling networks became bafflingly intricate, police became mere spectators. In this situation were ushered in the encounter specialists, heroes who quickly turned the tables. But the ruthlessness of evil seemed to grow only. Some turned to politics while other fled to foreign lands. A state of confusion made apprentices to turn against their mentors as an age of treachery prevailed. Revenges were the order of the day and suddenly it seemed that the underworld is split in two. But this was only the broader divide. Internal to the split world, the zone was again divided into sects that took turns to rise and fall. Zaidi recounts the evolution of the mob where the battle for supremacy is defined in blood and gore.

A Silent Witness

A curious case presents itself starting with a vanishing deadbody that continues with a series of attempts in the life of a person without any apparent motive. But convenient coincidences pile up to ascertain the importance of something which seems to make sense only to the expert. Narrated from the perspective of Jardine, the story flows with a slow but sure rhythm that fascinates the readers as mystery unfolds while the solution too is hinted in more than one instances. Unlike the usual narrator Dr. Jervis, the beauty of the story lies in Jardine's revelations of not only Dr. Thorndyke's skills but also his own maturity that had in store some surprises for him. The forensics of the case are equally surprising and shows the analytical mind's supremacy in establishing the truth that is literally dug out from the ashes. The ever enthusiastic Polton plays his part with his versatility ranging from kitchen to laboratory while Dr. Jervis freshens the mood while particiapting in the adventure. Thus a fine story, woven at the time when the instruments of science were not so developed as today, fascinates the readers with the extent of innovation within the boundary of technology that achieves the apparently impossible.