Pikur Diary o Onyanya

This book had been among the prohibited few that my parents asked me to keep at bay for the right age. So when that age came, at least when I felt it came, I pounced on it in the bookshop to be introduced to the writings for the adults by Ray, who is more famous for his literary creations for the young. The book consists of Pikur Diary, where the diary of Piku reveals the daily details of his family in the coarse form that is to be expected from a child of his age but which also reveals the genius of Ray as he used the dialect of the child along with the obvious spelling mistakes while revealing the mature details with subtle clues. The next is the script for the movie Piku, which actually is a major deviation from the story and is acknowledged in the introduction by the writer himself. There is also another script of Shakha-Prasakha, but it is again one of the earlier versions for the movie. There are a couple of science fiction, Sabuj Manush and Mayurkanthi Jelly, with the latter more suspenseful than the former. But the most hilarious is Aryashekharer Janma o Mrityu which shows how the intellectual impetus of an unfortunate genius becomes too much for the society as well as for his self. The book with its various hues will be enjoyable for its cohesive diversity.

The Clocks

An unidentified man lies dead in a blind woman's house. Surrounded by four stopped clocks, the body is discovered by a typewritist. An apparently innocent passer by, who is also in knowhow with the police and Poirot, coordinates with the authorities. Narrated mostly from his perspective, the story unfolds its hues as one of the most perplexing investigations due chiefly to no identification of the victim. So when police seems to crawl through the sleuthing, the master is challenged to solve the crime sitting in the drawing room. A couple of more deaths occur. As doubts on many creep up it seems Poirot can only solve it. But he is actually primarily absent in most of the situations. So the way he solves the crime is a real revelation for all.
Written in an uncharacteristic slackened pace with a riddle subtly hinted upon to solve for the readers this Christie will rank a bit on the lower side but its unique style of crime keeps the signature intact..

Good old Secret Seven

Something strange was happening in a far off ruin of a castle. Had it not been for the telescope that came handy for the Secret Seven it would not have been discovered. Once piqued, it was no stopping the seven adventurers who tumbled onto something yet more serious. With their dog Scamper in tow, Peter, Janet, Jack, George, Colin, Pam and Barbara resolved to get to the bottom of the mystery while the ever annoying Susie and Binkie posed some additional problems. What were being continuously guarded at the castle? Why residents jackdaws were unsettled? Was there a wailing spirit? Or is it something more sinister? To know all these the book is a must read for the young readers. But I will say that this birthday present of my son gave some merry moments of nostalgia that was refreshing as well as enjoyably thrilling. This book had the smell of the school days when detective fiction at its enjoyably best were offered by the authors who wrote solely for the young dreamers.

The Man Who Knew Too Much

A collection of political mysteries with a flavour that is slightly different from conventional mystery stories. Infact the sleuth is related to the PM, the FM and several other in the higher rungs which gives him ample chance to study the intricacies of regional along with private politics. So it is not surprising that each story unveils the crimes in private circles but the actual perpetrators are sometimes to be excused from bringing to justice just to avoid a greater political chaos. So Horne Fisher, the investigator with the self proclaimed omniscient knowledge of almost everything finds it hard to bear the burden of information that he is cursed with. His analytical mind gets easily to the truth but diplomacy prevents unmasking the villains publicly quite a few times. Fisher vents his solutions to Harold March, a political journalist who gets attached to Fisher in a case that is supposed to be the first for the duo. Besides this case and the final one, the others are not chronologically arranged. The stories are unique in the sense that philosophy plays a greater part than concrete evidence in unveiling the truth but the finale remains convincing always. The final case is a bit predictive that has seemed to influence Christie in one of her masterpieces where the master falls after preventing the calamity in the way that is tragic yet supremely heroic satisfying justice. The signature style of Chesterton can be felt in the subtle cues, the serenity of the ambience that makes the stories gripping yet calm. Written from the third person perspective, the contents are as follows

1. The Face in the Target
2. The Vanishing Prince
3. The Soul of the Schoolboy
4. The Bottomless Well
5. The Fad of the Fisherman
6. The Hole in the Wall
7. The Temple of Silence
8. The Vengeance of the Statue

What Happened to Netaji?

This is the million dollar question for the admirers of Netaji that needs to be answered truthfully. That too in such a fashion as to leave no doubt to the enquirer. Three enquiry commissions, confusing outcomes, glaring mistakes that is overruled in accepting some inferences, clues strewn all over the globe, but still there is no clear cut revelation about what really happened to Netaji after the Taipei conundrum. Is this what we deserve? By we, I mean the Indians. The plight of INA after the WWII is also another query that needs to be clearly clarified. Those brave soldiers who wanted to free the motherland and fought the British led army of Indians, who actually massacred the Jalianwalabagh innocents, were branded as traitors! Is this a joke? I think it is for the ministers who won't divulge the secret facts of Netaji who kept freedom of India as his top priority always. But there is still hope. This can be said after we find people like Anuj Dhar tiring out every bit of his investigative journalism in excavating the bits of truth that is to be pieced together to find the truth whose secrecy is like the Holy Grail for the country. His efforts had already been published in two books and this actually summarises his efforts with some logic put forward to give credibility to his findings. In fact some chapters points out what he thinks is the dilemma of the governments to declassify the top secrets and some files graded above that. It is quite convincing to the layman why Congress might have tried to hide facts about their only rival in the political career. But what about Janata Dal and BJP? Why did they not reveal the files for the countrymen? It is apparently not very obvious. But the author has actually tried to clarify that too in a manner that requires deep thinking. So doubts might be there after completing it but one thing is certain which is the  mystery that is shrouded under layers of secrecy across multiple countries is not to be left as it is and this admiring team of experience and skill will give all their efforts to unravel this.
So with all the best to the researchers this book is recommended for all those who feels indebted to the freedom etched out by the blood of the unsung fighters.

Bhut Samagra

Spanning over the varied human emotions from intense tragedies to suspenseful narratives the one element that is common to all in this collection is the spirits. Actually reference to spirit is deliberate as spirituality and not raw horror is the core of the book. Sometimes it becomes autobiographical as the author dwells on the untimely death of his Mother in a haunted residence and how he witnessed his revered Chotodadu (Grandfather) alleviating misfortunes of the needy with rituals that defies logic for the layman and makes the events no less than miracles. Also various events in the lives of Ramakrishna Sarada and their greatest disciple Swamiji have been depicted that borders presence of some forces that is subtle yet true. With a suitable note as introduction the content of this volume includes
• Raat barota
• Haat na daal
• Bhut adbhut
• Nishir daak
• Bhuter khela
• Morgan saheber bagan
• Sei raat
• Gaganer maach
• Bhutera bhuteder kichu korte pare na
• S(n)iri
• Kach
• Sei adbhut manushti
• Bhut samparke duchar katha
• Brahmadaityake ekghanta gaan shunie thakurda bari firlen
• Teel matite pora matroi jwale uthlo
• Maa bole daklen, gaganvedi chitkar
• Chotodadu cancer rogta nijer shorire tule niechilen
• Ekti chobi, ekti chobi. Khaskhas shabdo
• S(n)aibaba aloukik Shorire Gopinath kabirajke Kaashite dekhe gelen
• Hatath dekhi chaire Gaurida, tarpori nei, tablee sudhu swet sankha
• ‘Eki tumi ekhane!’ Prashner uttar ajo khuje beracchi
• Aenae dekhte gie dekhi jantranaklishta bridhhar mukh
• Siddha Tantriker shesh Puja Chinnamasta, Amabasyae rakto die Maaer Pujo korbo
• Amar kono naam nei. Ami Maaer Santan, bolei adrishya holen
• Ekta jhoro hawa boe gelo, gaacher daal bhangatr shabdo holo
• Bina meghe bajrapaat
• Kichu loukik kichu aloukik
• Charte deshlai kathi
• Gobheer raate
• Bhuter bor saja
• Ashade nnoe
Witty remarks refreshes the stories at places that balances the philosophical bend of quite a few anecdotes.

Chromosome 6

A radical invention, an enterprising materialist, a profiteering organization, a ruthless enforcer, the combination could not have been less perfect for a smooth flow of cash from the wealthiest of clients but for the fact that it showed a blind eye to ethics. So when a mafia chief is killed in the States ripples are felt in the remote base in Africa as a possible postmortem thwarted the entire project. So the body vanished but the trace could not be entirely wiped out. An obstinate team of mortuary doctors seemed to solve the mystery of the vanished body and another headless corpse all at the same time. Joining them was a police detective.  The bad boys were in action but the dice was rolled. So as the trio in States tried to solve some bizarre mysteries, another trio in Africa tried to investigate the ethical doubts. So the suspense heightened as biology unfolded some extreme revelations. A terrific mystery coupled with signature crisp narrative style that makes the story awesome. Surprisingly, reliefs are found in the choicest phrases that does not dries up the thrill but actually spices it up. Robin Cook once more shows his mastery in medical mysteries but some parts remained unexplained as the suspense culminates which might make it short of classic.

Rahasya Jakhan Ataltale

A tight compilation of mystery stories that revolves around curious deaths that might seem quite natural yet invokes doubt to the investigators. The stories are titled as

1. Sap Nie Khela
2. Khurasya Dhar
3. Je Ghum Bhangeni

A wealthy woman dies after an apparent innocent medication following appearance of snakes and a rumour of ghost in a mansion that had seen better days. The local police led by OC Pralay Kumar took up the case and with them came CID inspector Rajib Sanyal. Interrogations started that revealed some dark pasts of the household and a peculiar will of a dead father-in-law of the dead lady. Thus started a thrilling chase where the web of motive needed to be cleared to find the real villain. The story is crisp with a smooth pace that is immensely enjoyable. The next one starts with Rajib, now retired, getting a call from police to help them investigate an apparent suicide. Here, there is also the presence of Pralay Kumar, who is referred to be the assistant of Rajib but seemed actually to be in charge of the events. Infact Pralay addresses Rajib as uncle and thus whether he is the same Pralaly of the other stories is not very apparent. However, the story lacks the tightness and is irrationally fast and is not the author's best work. The final one is again a case for the retired Rajib who is running a private agency, again assisted by Pralay Kumar who is referred to as former colleague to the retired investigator. This time the case is about an apparent stroke victim who succumbed to her conditions three years prior. The case is presented in a veil of secrecy and though Rajib cracks but the case falls short of the expectations due to some childish reasonings along with some unexplained evidences albeit a quality presentation full of old world charm.

Kolaboti Samagra

Containing six of the heart touching stories of Kalaboti the pieces defy time and will be immensely enjoyed by all ages. With a mix of fun devoid of malice, tragedy that will moisten the eyes, romance that is enjoyably sublime, thrill that touches the correct chords, drama that is literal as well as metaphorical, truth that is bitter yet real, the pieces are arranged as

• Kolabotir Dekha Shona
• Bhuter Basae Kolaboti
• Kolaboti o Khaeri
• Kolaboti, Apur Ma o Panchu
• Kolaboti o Millenium Match
• Kolabotir Shaktishel

The stories stylishly mixes tradition such that it salutes heritage yet never screams of obsessive propaganda. Moti Nandi without cricket is a rarity and obviously enough the sport is central to two of the pieces but surprisingly there is another one that takes on football as a subject. Blended with all the emotions of a healthy family the bubbly Kolaboti with her uncle Satyashekar with a heart as large as his soul and apetite, the dignified grandpa Rajshekhar, the strict guardian cum caring teacher Malaya, the rustic Apur Ma with a heart so brave and cooking so perfect, Murari who can be considered a Bengali butler, the arch rival cum family friend Harishankar and a host of other allies will freshen the heart and refresh the spirit.

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.