Netaji Rahasya Sandhane

Each and every work of the author is an work of research. But this time he seems to exceed that in trying to bring out what may have happened to Netaji on and after August 18, "45. Written in a truly unbiased way, the author analyses the report of the Shah Nawaz committee, Suresh Bose's Dissentient Report, some investigation snippets of the foreign governments, some of the books based on the mysterious night and a set of interviews that he carries out at Japan. In a true style of the unbiased journalist he approaches the events in a frank truthful way and brings out the inferences that a logical thinker will. In doing this he actually hints at four different possibilities that justifies reason and remarkably matches some proofs unearthed in future. But while doing so, he, quite justifiably, spares not a single stab at the misleads which seemed to be purposefully effected by several persons for some motivation other than unearthing the truth. But there is a single complain that I have regarding two photographs that indeed needed references for validation, why the author was reluctant in furnishing them seems mysterious. A tribute to the valiant leader of the motherland the author hopes that someday we will be able to pay the due respect to the lion who fought for the freedom of the nation in the way that the nation demanded at that time.

Tree Tops

Tree Tops, in the Kenyan forest, had been the place where one day Princess Elizabeth ascended to it only to leave it the next day as Queen Elizabeth. The moved author who had been assigned to the duty of taking due care of the tour describes the hours passed mostly in the balcony where the princess was delightlfully engaged in filming the wildlife activities of the forest. Not only her and her company's courageous maneuver around the herd of a herd of elephants while alighting the Tree Tops is appreciated by no less a courageous man as the author but his feeling of privilege of guarding the royalty for one night is also apparent. But the best part of it is the description of the wild life at the salt-lick over which they stood which is as much lively as it is vivid. The portraiture could not have been more perfect than a film where the literal and real shades of the African jungle is picturesquely etched. Written not long before his journey to The Happy Hunting Grounds, though a bit less inspiring than his other works, it remains a timeless chapter in the series.

Kolabotir Dekha Shona

Kolaboti, nearing the horizon of her school life, aspires to become asports journalist With recommendation from his grandfather she joins the bengali daily Bangabanee as a trainee apprentice and starts on her course of collecting news from the local matches. But what she collects not only surprises her but she is shocked to see that many a talent is suppressed in fixed matches, points are shared without a single ball being played. She also gets to interview an ambitious family hell bent on making a millionaire player out of their little daughter by feeding her tennis day and night. The final shock comes when he finds a man of the age of his grandpa, falsifies a claim of an athletic feat that is forty years old just out of pride. Her shock is also two pronged when she finds her reportage on what she sees is either cancelled on the pretext of its length or is forced to be withdrawn from sources out of her control. But her belief in men is restored by a curious turn of events where though she plays a bit too rough but finds the true sportsman who keeps at stake every little thing he owns for the truth that he seeks to restore respect for the deserving though forgotten master.
With freshness of the youth the narrative is another classic that will remain enjoyable to readers of all ages. With his signature style of humour weaved in the proper places, the author makes the protagonist an established character for a sports series.

My India

My India is Corbett's India comprising of the poor of India who represented the great soul of the country. The essays in the book are about the persons that Corbett came in contact with during his young days and his days as a transhipment inspector with the railways - that chiefly consisted of the loyal labourers with the heart of gold, who varied in caste and creed, poverty and utter poverty, but working and enjoying their responsibilities harmoniously, That Corbett loved these simple souls is apparent in every paragraph of the book that dwells on the life of the poorest of India under the British Raj and under the oppression of the money lenders whose extreme high rates of interest overburdened the people so as to pass it along their generations. There is also reference to the cholera infested people of the neighbourhood whose only hope sometimes were the untiring sympathy of the villagers and the simple remedies offered by Corbett himself. He marvels at the innocence of simple Indians whose belief in faith is so strong that they do not care for infections and tend to the dying with sincerity on the firm belief that when the call from Providence comes they have to leave but before that no disease can be infectious enough to kill them while they are caring those in need. Days of hardships among these hardworking beings becomes bearable as the master with his hands shares the crisis in one situation when fund for salaries dries up from headquarters yet the people never lose hope for a time. Throughout the book, Corbett has marvelled on the simple life of the poo in India whose truthfulness orginates from the simple life they lead without expecting more than his day's worth of work. But beyond that another reality emerges which is the humility of this great man. It is very apparent that his people loved him. This is not due to the fact of the colour of his skin, but for his sense of responsibility to the persons who looked on him and his sister. That Corbett was as much British as he was Indian is very apparent from the title of the book itself. His unfaltered love for the poor of India and his duties towards them sets him apart from many. Through his eyes we can oberve an India hitherto hidden from us through the artificiality of urban life. That the poor of India, economically deprived, is devoid of greed, never for once forget a good deed done to them is apparent from the way they always look forward to repay his well wisher in the best way possible with their simple means and becomes his staunch ally, no matter what happens. Corbett also marvels at the mutual respect his workers, coming from various religions, castes, show each other that it actually becomes a harmonious unit that cares a little when a lower caste is casted a headman of a unit comprising of people from all other creeds. Corbett shows us India that we forget in the artificiality of the apparently modern age but that actually shapes the soul of this great nation through ages.

Kolaboti, Apur Ma o Panchu

This is during the schooldays of Kalabati when she is growing up amid the loving ambience od his granddad, Rajsekhar Sinha, the food loving barrister uncle, Satyasekhar, the caring Apur Ma and the rest of the household of the Sinha family of Atghora amid the occassional amusing conflict with the Bakdighi family which is incidentally home to Malaya who is the teacher of the same school where Kalabati studies. It all starts with Apur Ma making up her mind to prepare bori after Kalabati praises the dishes that she tasted from her friend at school. But the preparation involved a crucial step of guarding the bori as they dried in the open sun against the attacks of crows. So Apur Ma thought of procuring a catapult for the purpose. Meanwhile there comes Panchu, a stray monkey left lonely by the demise of his master, whom Kalabati picks up from the street deciding to keep him. Thus the days go on at a gentle pace in the household. But then comes crisis in the form of three dacoits who breaks into the house while fleeing from the public. How the inhabitants deals with the situation forms the crux of the theme and the readers will suddenly find the pace accelerating. But throughout the story, the various subplots will keep the readers smiling. The signature Moti Nandi, with his crisp storytelling, seems always to excel himself while relating adventures of Kalabati and this is also another of those.

Tales of Mystery & Terror

The first part contains stories which had been a part of a larger volume already discussed. These being the Tales of Terror, contains The Horror of Heights, The Leather Funnel, The New Catacomb, The Case of Lady Shannox, The Terror of Blue John Gap and The Brazilian Cat. But the inertia of terror continues in the first two Tales of Mystery bearing the names The Lost Special and The Beetle-Hunter. The former is the mystery of a special train seemingly vanishing into thin air while the later is a curious anecdote of a doctor witness to a strange behaviour of a seemingly sane scientist. Though there is mystery in each but the strain of terror predominates to make them horrifyingly gripping. The next is the story of The Man with the Watches who is found murdered in a first class carriage without any tickets but with six watches in the dead man's pockets. A gleam of scandal seems to lurk in the the residence of a widower with the entire household doubting the master when a chance situation reveals the truth in The Japanned Box whose content had been the centre of speculations to all. Again an apparent murder of The Black Doctor causes much stir and it remains to be seen whether the accused can be acquitted in a courtroom drama. The curious apparent desecration of The Jew's Breastplate torments the curator and he sets a trap to catch the perpetrator only to reveal a painful truth. But drama is at its extreme in the final piece of The Nightmare Room where everybody will be held unguarded when the mystery is spawned with the last line giving the solution so refreshingly beautiful. Only one bad thing about the publication is the confusion in closing page sequences along with orientations that will cause a bit of a bother to the flow of reading during the finale otherwise so tersely grand.

Chadmabeshi

I had seen the movie, both the Bengali and the Hindi version, so I was actually biased about its humour. Also, as I was going through it I could actually visualize the events which actually showed how cleverly the theme was adopted. But having said that, one thing is certain, the directors of either versions, especially the Bengali filmmaker had trimmed the script to perfection which allowed it to become a masterpiece. But the book itself, though had a humorously thrilling finish and witty dialogues but is not overly enjoying. This is chiefly because of a laboriously lengthy descriptions at places and loquacious dialogues which could have better been avoided. So excitement during purchase actually did not remain much after the initial few chapters but smiles will return during the climactic sequences.

Abduction

What would you feel if someday you get to know that aliens are not coming from outside earth but actually they are living deep inside the ocean floors and they are human beings, only a bit too advanced. That there had existed human race long before dinosaurs will also be a surprising revelation. Besides cities inside earth with technologies so much evolved that people do not die in the usual way will also grip your imaginations. But if all these come as an exciting revelation it will also be surprising how much boring life can be in these technologically advanced place. These and much more awaits a group of deep sea explorers, divers and a businessman when they suddenly find themselves abducted by these human and find themselves classified as the less evolved variant. With the option of spending life without actually the pain of death and with an intellectual abundance in the offing at the luxurious paradise it remains to be seen what choices do each make. A point comes where it feels that good and evil might be the same thing but depends on perspectives. With a surprising twist at the very latter stage, the novel is an easy paced adventure with unique plot that is sci-fi at its best.

Akrur Sangbad

A touching story based on the compromise that is effected in families to choose between a close knit relation and one that is distanced for the sake of job satisfaction. Presenting in her simple style the age old problem is addressed but no solution is proposes. There lies the beauty of the narrative. It relies on the reader to appreciate the problem from their own perspective. When a time comes to choose between progress in career and disallowing distance to creep in relations, it is a real hurdle that many faces. The narrative gives an insight to what happens in some case. The title actually echoes what pains it caused to the inhabitants of Vrindavan when Lord Krishna was to return to Mathura. Actually it asks that to whom people will give their rights to. Will it be those who upbrings them or those who sustains them against their work. I am indebted to this story particularly for the title that allowed me to peek into the famous lines from which the story borrows part of the theme that is so true for all time.

A Strange Disappearance

Detective Q narrates a case to his colleagues of a missing girl from the house of a revered diplomat and how it gradually appealed him first of all due to the skittishness of the aged housekeeper who reported it to the police, secondly due to some curious clues at the room of the missing lady. Added to it was the importance of the house from where it happened and some more evidence that Mr. Gryce, superior to Q unearthed, that eluded the narrator during his searches.
Starting thus, with all the goodness of the old world mystery, it actually goes a bit too much in narrating how the criminals are caught. Also the plot finally divides into two with quite a considerable part devoted to something that could have been wrapped up more succinctly to keep the mystery as the focus primarily.

Hatighishar Hanabari

The childhood days will be brought back with the stories collected in this volume. Four intrepid girls Kalu, Malu, Tulu and Bulu looks for adventure in every nooks and corners, wherever they go. So it is very obvious that mysterious happenings, haunted houses, a treasure trail, curious sounds will attract these young adventurers. Written from the perspective of Tulu, these four young sleuths sets up to solve mysteries wherever they find one. Three of their exploits are contained here which are

• Tibbati Guhar Bhoot
• Hatighishar Hanabari
• Nanda Kananer Rahasya

The Enid Blyton of Bengali literature, Nalini Das had narrated the stories in such an easy pace that it will appeal to every young mind on all the ages. Such an old collection, but still I found them to be enjoyable read. With their backpacks packed with the essentials, the quad looks through age old mysteries and solves the riddles using clues that they pick up in their investigations. Using code words during conversations they easily evade the eavesdroppers in tight places. After reading the volume, only one thing needs explanation which is the name Gandalu whose last syllable may be derived from those of the four's names but why the first part is slightly monstrous in nature I have not a single clue. However, without bothering this part, the stories will refresh the mind not only for the adventure themselves but for the sleuths themselves. The intelligent and fearless Kalu, the code cracking Malu, the narrator Tulu and the slightly shaky Bulu gives completeness to the team and balances suspense and reliefs in the narratives nicely. The illustrations by Satyajit Ray adds an added attraction for the readers.

Gumnami Baba A Case History

The man who was one of the greatest heroes that India ever produced seemed today still the centre of a mystery spanning over decades with the haunting search still on on what happened to the man post 1945. At least three different theories have evolved, the most prominent being that of the Gumnami Baba which is explored by Adheer Som in this book. Not only the book explores the possibility of Netaji's apparent self ordained reclusion but also explores the man himself that gives a precise insight of him. Infact it will inspire the readers with the greatness that Netaji possessed even in his younger days. That a man can leave a life of the passionate revolutionary to a hermit might look a bit too odd to many. But this book actually proposes strong logic on the contrary. The book delves deeper into the information available on Bhagwanji and proposes some brave but logical conjectures that is worth probing. Summarising the reports of the Shah Nawaz Commision, the Khosla Commission, the Mukherjee Commission and the report on the handwriting analysis by B Lal, the author questions that if Gumnami Baba is not Netaji then who is he. Surely there must be some identity that can be converged upon beyond all doubts. But still we are unsure of that which seems quite confusing. With the scientific resources available, is it really very difficult to unearth the identity of somebody? Or is it that the identity is being allowed to be masked? The Baba had several articles that actually would have been more natural to be found in possession of a Bose kin which actually gives some clue to his identity. The author demands to know the truth behind the man for which he investigates from several perspectives. The book is a real eye opener to many. It is a tribute to the legend, It inspires to search for the truth. Rather it demands to know the truth! We can only hope that the author with his inspired readers actually finds the reality that the seekers of justice had been yearning for through the years.

A Thief in the Night

A short story collection featuring A J Raffles and his friend and accomplice, Bunny Manders who narrates some of their exploits and follows it up with an epilogue arranged as

• Out of Paradise
• The Chest of Silver
• The Rest Cure
• The Criminologists' Club
• The Field of Philippi
• A Bad Night
• A Trap to Catch a Cracksman
• The Spoils of Sacrilege
• The Raffles Relics
• The Last Word

All these pieces except the last two depicts the duo as amateur burglars with Raffles being the genius in the trade and Bunny his devoted follower who at times shows doubt at the dedication at the apparent spontaneous acts of his friend which is ultimately revealed as well thought improvisations of the master artist. The final pieces are at a later date when they are at their career's dusk and tragedy has struck and are thus a bit disjointed than the rest both in time and perspective but not in class. The crimes will however make the readers sometimes be sorry for the victims. Inspite of this the interesting part is that, an entire collection which depicts a character doing crimes, is never felt evil, rather the reader will enjoy the artful way these crimes are committed though the description might be a bit unnecessary lengthy at places. A novel character undoubtedly, this might be a revelation for readers of crime fictions who are more accustomed to look into the other side of narratives.