Sakharam Binder

http://calcuttatube.com/sakharam-binder-hindi-play-at-27th-nandikar-theater-festival/135726/

Kanyadan

http://calcuttatube.com/kanyadan-bengali-drama-review/135337/

Raja Ebong Onnanyo

http://calcuttatube.com/raja-ebong-onnanyo%E2%80%93bengali-play-on-nandikar-27th-festival-2nd-day/135342/

Jabar Khabar

Preface to My First Documented Nonsense Composition It all started with a modest request from my little sis-in-law, an excellent elocutionist that I've come across. On one of the innumerable functions that she had been invited in this small age, she wanted to recite something other than the regular serious poems. Gradually as her request turned to more than an affectionate insistence I saw no way but to jot down the first things that came to my mind based on her hint that the subject should be in the form of a comic news reportage!

Amitakshar

http://calcuttatube.com/amitakshar-2010-bengali-drama-review/126503/

Omerta

Omerta - the code of silence and of honour among the Sicilian Mafia seems to rule at large when the retiring Don Raymonde Aprile is shot in the USA. The FBI and the police department seems clueless about the murder but the motive seems not so difficult to guess. It was the Aprile banks that seemed to be the aim of the perpetrators. Aprile's foster son, Astorre Viola, to protect the Aprile family and banks, silently took charge of the situation and started vengeance in the traditional Mafia style. It took him across the deceptive path of politics and the corruption in the security departments and in the process some hideous truth came to fore. But silence reigned supreme as Astorre Viola, keeping a low profile, struck blow after blow to the heart of the enemies. But secrets from his past could not be hidden and soon he was to know his heritage. Whom to believe and whom to not, seemed a tricky decision and can he meet the ferocity of the rivals seemed to haunt his near ones. Deception and corruption went hand in hand as Omerta prevailed everywhere as the murders piled up.
The book is written in the old style of the Godfather but lost its touch when it came to the climactic ending which seemed a snippet from a Hollywood action piece. When I'd read it years before it seemed fantastic, but when I again went through this time the magic was lost. Godfather will always be a legendary piece whereas this is good but could have been better.

Mukti! Mukti!

http://calcuttatube.com/mukti-mukti-bengali-drama-review/123136/

Helmet

http://calcuttatube.com/helmet-bengali-drama-review/123012/

Ebaro Baro

This had been not so favourite of my Ray collections and though I had forgotten much of the storylines but my subconscious self revolted quite surprisingly whenever it came near my hand.
The content runs as

1. Sadhanbabur Sandeha
2. Manpatra
3. Spotlight
4. Dhappa
5. Mackenzie Fruit
6. Anka Sir, Golapibabu Aar Tipu
7. Apadartha
8. First Class Kamra
9. Gagan Chowdhuryr Studio
10. Bahuroopi
11. Ambar Sen Antardhan Rahasya
12. Jehangirer Swarnamudra

The first story is the best portraying the always doubting Sadhanbabu whose behaviour caused many woes on his part. Next is an emotional piece on a long forgotten artist followed by a humorous piece of a mischivous elder. The fourth one has got the classic Ray touch and will be remembered for times by the readers but again the fifth seemed to lose pupose near its completion. The sixth one mixes fantasy with real world all too well and the seventh, though nothing remarkable, still can be considered a good read. The eighth and ninth are again revival of Rays' magic that is both spine chilling and immensely entertaining. Again the mood is held in the same level by the tenth piece though, barring its finish, it seemed a bit lengthy. Feluda, with Topshe and Jatayu enters in the eleventh though it is a bit dissapointing when the mystery is resolved. But the twelfth in the line is the best of the two Feluda stories and mixes the mystery, Jatayu's comic, Topshe aka the reader's confusion all too well.

Avatar: Special 3D

Avatar - the incarnation of movie and its viewers in the same dimension! When technology defines entertainment, then what we get is Avatar, the ultimate thrill that sweeps past the confines of the screen and takes the viewers to a joy ride through a visual recitation. The 3D viewing from the very start mesmerizes the senses and when excitement runs high, we forget the fictitious projections and it was not once that found me shaking head lest the stones and water and leaves rustle my face.
The actual story is not so high ended concept but the clash of civilizations with one aiming to protect existence and the other to advance technology, seems a paradox to the entire presentation but the win of good over evil satisfies all.
It is the year 2154AD, RDA corporation is mining a valuable mineral unobtainium on Pandora, inhabited by 10ft tall Na'vi, sapient humanoids who harmonizes with nature and worships the Mother Goddess Eywa. To explore the civilization and its ambience scientists develops Na'vi-human hybrid avatars that are operated by mental links of geneticaly matched humans. Thus Jake Sully, a paraplegic former Marine, to replace his murdered brother who had been a scientist turned avatar operator, was introduced to this programme. He was considered no better than a bodyguard by the head, Dr. Grace Augustine. But Col. Miles Quatrich, head of the Sec-Ops, private security force of RDA had other ideas. He tried using Sully to learn about the Na'vi resources and habitats so that it would be easier to secure them when time comes. But as Jake comes closer to the Na'vi population it becomes increasingly difficult for him not to sympathize with them. He becomes intimate to Neytiri, daughter of Eytukan, leader of the clan that he is introduced into. There, her mother and the clan's spiritual leader Mo'at, orders Neytiri to teach Sully the ways of the tribe. As he grew more and more acuinted with her, Sully fell in love with her and was tortured beyond agony as he understood that his intel will just destroy the natural habitat and almost the whole tribe of the Na'vi that had so tenderly adopted him.
Thus began the new chapter of Sully where he confessed of his attempted betrayal to Eytukan and was condemned for the purpose. But then, to regain the trust that the tribe had earlier possessed of him, he tamed the flying predator Toruk and earned the title of Toruk Maktu (tamer of Toruk), a distinction held by only five of the Na've previous to him. This also earned him trust from the tribe and his future actions agains the evil Earthmen got him his desired brotherhood to Na'vi. Thus began the revolution that united the entire Pandoran Na'vi that rose against the technologically advanced humans.
The rest is a fierce yet detailed battle between the two cultures and the audience will be spellbound at the display of high paced action.
This James Cameron directed classic with its 9 min of extra graphical excitement in the special edition is a celebration of technology and of colours that unfolds its brilliant shades in a classic manner. Sam Worthington as Jack Sully was a wonderful choice as the new face matched well with the new genre of film making. Stephen Lang as Miles Quatrich also carried on the cruel character just correctly. Sigourney Weaver (Dr. Grace Augustine) carried on her part of the curt yet humane scientist to perfection. Zoe Saldana as Neyitiri played her part of the coarse yet sympathetic Na'vi with zeal. Wes Study as Eytukan was also a wonderful choice whose stature was just right for the leader of the tribe. But C.C.H Pounder was the best as Mo'at whose composed expressions derived a revered personality from her wild form.
Mauro Fiore's cinematogrpahy is another treasure that complemented the graphics both in detail and in excellence.

Putul Nacher Itikatha

http://calcuttatube.com/putulnacher-itikatha-bengali-drama-review/119783/

Byomkesh Bakshi

Based on Saradindu Bandyopadhyay's 'Adim Ripu', Anjan Dutta presents the dhoti clad crime buster to the mystery lovers in his premiere endeavour of 'Byomkesh Bakshi'. The mystery interspersed with the racial riots in the Calcutta of the 60's and the viewers glimpsed the atrocities bordering savagery in the name of religion. Though the period is shifted some decades forward than that in the actual story but the mood remains the same. Without going into the details of the story which the Byomkesh fans might know by heart, let me analyse the presentation.
First of all, the casting was excellent though Saswata Chatterjee as Ajit outshone Abir Chatterjee as the sleuth but the latter was also a superb selection. Abir's demeanor was crisp and intelligent though a bit more maturity was due in the character. Swagata Mukherjee's portraiture of Nanibala Das was though different from that in the novel but she superbly played the character in an entirely new dimension. Biswajit Chakraborty as the obstinate and arrogant Anadi Babu maintained the pace of the character with excellence and Kalyan Chatterjee contrasted him well with his characterization of the alcoholic in Keshtababu. Pradip Chakrabarty was fascinatingly perfect in his character of the Hotel owner but the major setback seems to come from Rudraneel, whose meek portrayal of Prabhat was way off his normal self. But surely the best part of the show comes from Chandan Sen as B(n)atul whose appearance itself was a relief though his clever acting never compromised on the importance of the character.
Anjan Dutta's sentiments for Bengal and Calcutta was touching but constant repetition of the synonymous phrases and a more than necessary visual of the riots did not do justice to the emotions. Also each time the protagonists were inside a rioting area, they were curiously unharmed by the insane rioters.
One of the revelations of the film was the composed way music was presented by Neel under the direction of Anjan Dutta that was just appropriately used that went well with the temper that was due to a suspense movie. This restraint, considering that both the father and son are noted for their passion for melody, deserves all the more praise as in today's commercial endeavours, songs are seen to be given priority without caring for its effect in diluting the actual plot.
Now coming to another disappointment in the script of the character Ajit as he more than once proclaims his authorship on the adventures that was never necessary.
The pace of the movie was just correct with the pace set by Arghya Kamal Mitra's editing and the superb art direction of Gautam Basu went hand-in-hand in with Indraneel Mukherjee's excellent cinematography but the ending was rather drab when compared with the rest of this thrilling two hour.
Another very important point that stares hard at the face is the dialect and certain mannerisms that did not do justice to the period that this movie is projected into - Ajit asking Satyabati to 'hold' the telephone line is one such example. Also, Byomkesh and Ajit sharing a cigarette that too produced from pack rather than tin, seems way off the sentiments of the time as well as their respective age.
Barring this the movie is a entertainer and is a must watch for lovers of whodunit with one of the mystery remaining unanswered as to the rational for the crowd of Chatterjees in the production, - is Dutta superstitious about surnames!! just kidding folks.

Bisarjan

http://calcuttatube.com/bisarjan-bengali-drama-review/117884/

Tintorettor Jishu

The style that Satyajit started in Hatyapuri is repeated here with the preamble shoving the readers to a new perspective than from which Feluda views the case. Infact Feluda stumbled across the case on his way to an astrologer accompanying Jatayu for his latest book release. On the way they met Nabakumar Neogi with his car broken down midway on his way to Baimunthapur. As Jatayu asked Haripadababu to help, the travellers began to get acquainted with each other. It was then that Feluda queried Nabakumar about a famous painting in possession of the Neogi family. Though the painting had been referred to in one of the recent articles in a magazine but the full identity of the painting was never revealed there. So it was Feluda's interest and a curious murder of the pet dog Thumri at Neogi residence that attracted him to the painting that was actually a masterpiece of a famous Italian Renaissance painter Tintorretto. There he found, among the others, one Rudrasekhar, claiming to be son of Chandrasekhar Neogi, the real owner of the painting and another person, Robin Choudhury who was interested in writing Chandrasekhar's biography. Feluda also met Soumyasekhar, Nabakumar's father and learnt about his other son Nandakumar who was out of family ties for a pretty long time. He further learnt that another person in the name of Hiralal Somani, a corrupt art dealer, was also interested in selling the painting to a foreign collector Krikorian. As Feluda started on the trail of the rightful owner of the painting a series of events takes place. It starts with a murder in the Neogi house, then Rudrasekhar goes missing and finally Feluda discovers that the valuable painting is replaced by a fake one. This forced his principled soul to rescue the painting and thus started an adventure that took them to Hong Kong, fulfilling Jatayu's age old hope of touring a foreign country and utilizing the passport that had been left useless ling enough. To know what happened and who was the criminal mastermind behind the murder and the theft you have to surely go throuth the narrative that promises an enjoyable read throughout.

The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency

From the last year's Calcutta Bookfair when I had seen this book, I seemed to recollect the name appearing in one of the Daily's declaring this to be a best seller. Maybe this was wishful thinking on my part but I was generally attracted to the title. A little web surfing told me that this book is indeed popular and so I decided to give it a try some other time, not only due to its popularity but the word detective attracted me like anything. Well, a year or so had passed and from time to time I had gathered some information about it. That it was related to mystery was ok but it seemed it was also related to society in general and the African culture was also another aspect for which the book had gained popularity. Though I had never been very keen on literatures drooling on social and cultural issues but my recent acquaintance with K.R. Narayan's Malgudi had changed my views considerably. So when I finally acquired the book, I immediately tried to gobble up the content. But here there was the first hitch that I came across! This book is not meant to be read hurriedly. Rather it has a steady meandering pace of its own that should be respected to be fully enjoyed.
The book starts with Mma. Precious Ramotswe and describes her simple headquarter set in a scenic surrounding at Botswana. During one of the idle moments during her office hours she was seen contemplating, under the shades of a acacia tree, on her past and to the day when her father died leaving her with the farm that he had set up from scratch. It was her father's wish that the little Precious would sell the farm and start a business of her own. That whether he would have agreed to his daughter' wish to set up a detective agency was not certain but when Mma. Ramotswe had started with her job, she was, within days very popular and there was a great demand of her services. Infact, she was convinced that had her father been alive, she would be very proud of his dear Precious.
She recollects one of her earlier cases when the identity of a lady's long lost father was to be validated when the old man returned after a very long time. The way she reveals the truth seemed to be childishly simple but her intuition and above all her sincerity will win many hearts, not only of her clients but also of her fans.
The next few chapters dwells chiefly on her father about how he raised a living and a family, doing hard toils in the mines. Precious lost her mother at a very early age but the void was soon filled by her aunt, who came to live with them, after her husband deserted her. It was she who gave the early educations to Precious and thus before joining school, she could read, count numbers, recite verses and a tendency to be inquisitive was naturally imbibed in her. Then came her first job and her first case hand in hand when she pointed out some corruptions in her uncle's business. But her youth had not been all too smooth sailing due to her horrible and nightmare experience in love followed by an even horrible conjugal state. Fortunately she survived that and as soon as the torturing husband deserted her, she took shelter at her father's and served him till his death did them part. Then, in essence, began her career as the only lady detective in Botswana. Yes, she was critical about her status as a lady detective as the Botswana that she lived was more adept to find men in important jobs and thus as a woman, she made it clear to the high brows that she meant no nonsense doing her business.
Her courage to set up a new type of agency in a place without proper knowledge of running a detective business seemed to be awarded right on the 1st day with her secretary Mma. Makutsi being the harbinger of the case. But sadly the case never promised a happy ending but the way it was solved prompts the reader to applaud on the instinct of the sleuth. But sometimes the subjects she was dealing with were too much for an amateur and instances were there where they humoured her in novel ways. Sometimes a peculiar case would come as of Alice Busang who wanted to get proof of her husband's disloyalty and was left just furious when Mma. Rammotswe actually produced the proof. Infact it was very obvious that there was a high chance of misunderstanding in the solution to the case.
She also specialized in fraud cases and the most interesting point in the narratives are they just follow the thinking of an ordinary woman whose clear insights ultimately solves the mysteries. But one thing that may disappoint the avid readers of suspense is that in most, the perpetrators of crime are hinted by the clients themselves and Mma. Ramotswe only gathered proofs with her ingenious methods. But sometimes, as was the case of Dr. Komoti, with the client being his boss Dr. Maketsi, the solution or rather the diplomacy in punishment seemed not at par with the naivety of Mma. Ramotswe.
For some cases a bit of a prologue has been aptly briefed. Also cases where the words of the mechanic J.L.B. Matekoni, the wise man came in handy, particularly while investigating a car theft. Matekoni was more than a friend to Mma. Ramotswe as apparent from several chapters and the sentiments that they each cherished for the other have very subtly but definitely expressed throughout.
J.L.B. Matekoni also helped Mma. Ramotswe once by inadvertently stumbling across a clue that set the detective in the trail of some serious villain. But the trail seem to lead to one of the most powerful persons in the country and though he tried to dissuade her, but Mma. Precious felt it her resposibility to bring a social evil and a cruel practice to end. So she set up an elaborate plan to trap the evil brain and Rra. Matekoni, much against his wish, collaborated in introducing the detective with the murderous criminal. But disappointingly for adventure lovers, the climax is quite bland than what seemed to be expected.
The best thing about the stories are that these are narrated from the perspective of the sleuth and thus nothing is hidden from the readers and the making of a detective is appreciated well by the stylish way of story telling by the author. Also the making of the detective in Mma Ramotswe is drawn very clearly as with the evolution of each of the chapters, evolved the character of the detective. Thus the naive woman in her younger days became a lady smart enough to rattle the most powerful man in the place and the courage in her heart could earn the respect and reverence from the acquaintances. Though in the process, the ambience sometimes swings to a sombre mood but quickly changes right when the solution is approached.
The narrative is filled with African cultures, their customs and it surprises me when I found the ululation, that is so common at our marriage ceremonies, also is a part of African culture. Also the basic philosophy of life is sometimes being subtly hinted upon that always reminds the readers about the necessities of life that drives the human force. These actually occurs mainly where Mma. Ramotswe reminisces about the land, the barren grasslands and hearing the roaring lions at Kalahari and Africa in general. Also the African flora and fauna finds their place, sometimes dangerously, on the course of a case. Romance, too, had found its place in the story and in this too the author had been sincere yet emotional and the readers will thoroughly enjoy the novel. Everything in the narrative is nice but for certain printing errors in the final chapter that though are small but seems very much disproportionate with the clarity of the rest.

Feluda One Feluda Two

Another of the double adventure packed Feluda stories with quite contrasting backdrops.
When the priceless Napoleoner Chithi gets stolen right under the nose of Feluda along with a murder at Barasat it is just obvious that he gets involved in the case. But he had not visited the aged collector's house for looking into his private museam but on the request of one of his little fans who had pleaded him to seek the wherabouts of his pet chandana. Feluda, found this irregular, and after the murder occurred, he was more than determined to go the depth of the problem. His suspect list seemed to grow like anything including another collector who also wanted desperately to have the letter in his possession, the revengeful secretary who seemed to vanish after the theft, two sons who didn't have a strong alibi. Finally, Feluda did solve the case but the adventures prior to it is as gripping as ever with Ray's masterful description of events that keep the readers glued to the pages. The next story Ebar Kando Kedarnathe takes place, as the name already tells, at Kedarnath and here too Feluda is somewhat coincidentally present at the place where a theft and something more heinous seemed to happen. The eternal lust for money and valuables seemed to drive the villains to raid the unsuspecting monk on whose possession was a prize, priceless to him, but a source of extreme wealth to many. Curiously, the villain is a kind of reflection of the earlier story and though it happens chronologically at a later period of the adventures of Feluda, later than Tintorettor Jishu, but seems the choice of including this along with the other one on the same pack was somewhat dependent on this point.
Apart from the mystery, another important part of the story is it covers Jatayu's ancestry. The description of the Himalayas, among other things, are another attraction where Ray's succint description is again revealed that never misses a single detail without being monotonous at the least.

Jato Kando Kathmandute

Curious as how Ray links his stories with the previous originating at Nepal and this one is right at Kathmandu! "Jato Kando Kathmandute" is the trio's first adventure in foreign soils. Feluda is requested by a Mr. Batra, a Nepal based businessman to offer him advice for dealing against a person who seemed to fake his identity at all sorts of places. Infact Feluda, with Topshe and Jatayu, saw the other person from close quarters, moments after meeting Mr. Batra for the first time.
Though Feluda advised Mr. Batra to consult with the police for better results but he could not keep mum following a murder of Mr. Anikendra Shome, hailing from Kathmandu, with the same Kookri that was bought by the fake Batra. Thus Feluda had dual problems to solve, one the murder of Mr. Shome and the other to save Mr. Batra from false accusations. So Jatayu's ambition of foreign trip seemed to mature as the three musketeers set off in unravelling the mysteries at Kathmandu. There coincidences seem to flood them as on the first day they met persons related to Mr. Shome and Feluda sensed foul play with illegal trade of fake medicines that seemed to result in Mr. Shome's death. Also the chain of murder seemed to start even before with the curious death of Himadri, friend to Anikendrababu, who had earlier unmasked some smuggling racket. As Feluda starts to bring the loose ends in one place another startling discovery presents itself intensifying the suspense even further. This was with their meeting with Maganlal Meghraj, Prof. Moriarty of Feluda series, who materialized himself at that fateful place introducing the fake Batra as Jagadish who appeared to be his right hand man.
Thus the stage was all set for an exciting climax and this story is again adventure packed but for one thing - too much coincidences that seem to mar real detection at places. Another dissapointment, rather spoiler is, in the context of Maganlal's entry, several of villains in previous Feluda stories have been named. But inspite of all these, this continues to be one of the most exciting Feluda stories with twists even at the final few pages.

Hatyapuri

"Hatyapuri", that translated in Bengali means the murderous mansion has also another meaning from the context of the story where murder occurs near the Puri beach, another Bengali favourite. As Feluda and his company starts their holiday at the seaside, murder seems to trail them from the very start. Along with comes theft, an astrologist who can read future in the strangest of ways, a photographer who proclaims to be a victim of attempted murder, a collector of scriptures, a jovial secretary who seems to know a secret. So it is just only natural that the reader will find more than the fair share of drama that detective stories promise. Along with this is a gripping prologue, a new style that Ray introduced in his stories, that reflects his masterful command of the pen and maybe this innovation was a spin-off of his movie making ideas.
As I turned over the pages of this so early read novel, the appeal seems to have increased only further. When a body of a murder victim is discovered on the beaches, a photographer tells about a mysterious mishap and the secretary of the aged collector vanishes with some valuable scriptures, the adventure had already begun that promises an exciting showdown on the sands.

Tritiyo Onko Otoeb

http://calcuttatube.com/tritiyo-onko-otoeb-bengali-drama-review/110005/

Aaro Baro

This classic collection contains another dozen of Satyajit's memorable short anecdotes and runs as

• Loadshedding
• Sahadevbabur Portrait
• Bishful
• Asamanjababur Kukur
• Mr. Sasmaler Shesh Ratri
• Class Friend
  
• Pintur Dadu
• Bhuto
• Chilekotha
• Atithi
• Brihacchanchu
  
• Golokdham Rahasya

The stories takes you through a smooth ride of the human mind and make you think how the strangest of events can take place in the most regular surroundings. Also the psychology of human mind has been the subject of several of these pieces and will keep the readers glued to the pages till the very end. The collection starts with a humorous piece in the backdrop of Calcutta's power cut that sparks off a series of events that will surely bring more than a smile to the reader's faces. The next few deals with confidence tricks - used as a means of sweet revenge or as a practical joke, both coming hard on the victims! A nice message is depicted by the story of the strange dog who could laugh like humans and a horror story reflects once again another message 'crime doesn't pay'. The value of friendship is weighed in the scale of time and a child's contrasting view of a grim world is sketched as we glide through the next few pages. Horror seems to flow freely yet accurately from the hands of the author as he collages magic with the unknown and his compilation is perfect as the story follows up with a narration that chiefly deals with a curious urge of apology for a sin committed years back! Mutual faith is tested when a maternal uncle returns decades after he left home and the next story takes us to a strange land so convincingly portrayed in this country itself from where a pre-historic animal emerges to start a reign of terror that being foiled by the human intelligence. The final piece is as usual the most awaited for, where Feluda and Topshe (no Jatayu here) investigates theft and murder and here too like the 1st story of the lot, load shedding plays a very important part.

Aami Weds Aami

http://calcuttatube.com/aami-weds-aami-bengali-drama-review/109590/

Musalmanir Galpo

http://calcuttatube.com/musalmanir-galpo-2010-bengali-movie-review/108318/

Sastha Ritu

http://calcuttatube.com/sastha-ritu-bengali-drama-review/107896/

Brajaburor Sabuj Baksho

http://calcuttatube.com/brajaburor-sabuj-baksho-bengali-drama-review/107899/

Malgudi Days

The last collection of Narayan’s that I went through contained a number of short stories and I found to my delight that these too are treasures of a different kind penned by the creator of Malgudi novels. So this time I researched a bit on the short stories and bought Malgudi Days that contains stories from An Astrologer’s Day, Lawley Road and some other stories. I’m not sure whether the volume contained all from An Astrologer’s Day and Lawley Road but this seemed to be the best collection that I could find in the lot that was optimised both in content and price.

The entire content runs as

From An Astrologer’s Day

· An Astrologer’s Day

· The Missing Mail

· The Doctor’s Word

· Gateman’s Gift

· The Blind Dog

· Fellow-Feeling

· The Tiger’s Claw

· Iswaran

· Such Perfection

· Father’s Help

· The Snake-Song

· Engine Trouble

· Forty-Five a Month

· Out of Business

· Attila

· The Axe

From Lawley Road

· Lawley Road

· Trail of the Green Blazer

· The Martyr’s Corner

· Wife’s Holiday

· A Shadow

· A Willing Slave

· Leela’s Friend

· Mother and Son

New Stories

· Naga

· Selvi

· Second Opinion

· Cat Within

· The Edge

· God and the Cobbler

· Hungry Child

· Emden

After going thru the short introduction by the author, I scurried past the opening story that I’d earlier read to the next ones that took me on a fascinating tour of human nature, be it a postman’s prudence while delivering mails, the human psychology that sometimes plays as an effective placebo to incurable illness, the insecurity of an illiterate pensioner, the blind faith of a dog to the cruellest of masters and confidence trick that sometimes act as the guard against the mightier. Tragedy, not a very common in Narayan’s arts, is also depicted equally well in at least two of the narratives, one portraying the rash act of a student whose sudden success after constant failure hurls him headlong to a way of life that he finds hard to deal with and in the other he sketches the life of a gardener and his feeling towards the garden he fashioned that is awaiting an impending destruction. The author has also narrated the way of Providence that saves mankind in ways curious to the mortals. Swami also pops up in one of the narratives where his innocent view of life and school seems so much similar to our younger days. In the way of these narratives we meet my favourite, the Talkative Man, more than once, sometimes rambling on his close encounter with a man-eater, sometimes recounting his curious adventure as a trainee in flute playing, sometimes with his ill fortune over an unique prize. The author also does not forget the ordinary men and their striving for a decent living that exploits their soul and strains relations. But the silver linings in some also shows how misery is erased and hope regained.Narayan's comic genius also come to the fore when he describes the dumb behaviour of a dog that changes its status from a zero to a hero.
The second of the collection also starts with a story that I'd already come across and this collection seems to be my favourite maybe due to the humorous sides that highlight much of the narratives. Though full of pathos, the first few stories stories ramble past a thief whose sudden flash of kindness is returned very severely, a vendor of sweets reduced to a hotel attendant, the gambler with a disastrous luck, and in all of these, the humorous side seems to brush aside the austere events. But the later ones seem directed towards the harsher side of the coin where a child's craving for his dead father's company in the movie that he acted is weighed against his mother's wish to stay away from the same, the caring habit of a governess being exploited by all, the indifference of the master of the house towards a servant who was once a thief and the eternal relation of love and hate that cycles in families. I don't know whether it is the printer's mistake in quoting Mysore for Malgudi but there was an instance that I found Narayan's story to meander off outside Malgudi into the real world.
The first two and one coming a little late in the list of anecdotes of the final collection were already known to me and was thus given a fleeting glimpse but I was stuck in one of the next stories where the value of a second opinion seemed to be too much lengthened for its worth and for the first time I was disappointed in Narayan. But again enthusiasm was regained in the funny incidents of an excorsist's hoax, the remarkable rationale of a poor cobbler, a curious tour of a heartbroken lover and a lost child in a fair ground and the octogenarian whose ruthless activities in youthful times earned him the same name of a German battleship Emden but who had been reduced to just the opposite in later years.
The book also presents a glossary for regional terms that Narayan has used in each and every of his writings and may be helpful for any Narayan story.
This Indian Thought Publication has no doubt brought Narayan stories to customers at a reasonable price and that they were really thinking hard while designing the book is apparent from the finishing and my thanks to them for this great endeavour. The collection remains one of the closest to heart for Narayan's fans and may be valued as a priceless item to many.

Chinnamastar Abhishap

Curious that when the disgraceful incident at Rajarappa happened, I was going through this Feluda adventure whose backdrop was at Hazaribagh, so very near the Holy site of Chinnamasta temple at Rajarappa.

On a holiday trip to Hazaribagh to spend a few days peacefully in his client’s resthouse, Feluda was once again entrapped in a mystery that consisted of unravelling countless riddles to truth and was made more adventurous by the episode of a run away tiger from the Great Majestic Circus, that was then performing at the same place.

It started when Feluda was invited by a retired lawyer, Mahesh Choudhury at his birthday picnic. Other than our trio, the main other invitees were Choudhury’s eldest son Arun, the youngest, Pritindra, his wife Nilima and daughter, the little Bibi, Mahesh’s childhood friend Akhilbandu Chakrabarty and Shankarlal Mishra, apparently a very dear and near acquaintance of Choudhury. But the picnic didn’t sail so smoothly as planned due to a sudden stroke that attack Maheshbabu and he had to be brought back immediately. Doctor diagnosed a possible mental shock as to the reason for the crisis and Feluda smelled foul play immediately. Maheshbabu ultimately succumbed to death but not before signalling his last wishes to Feluda who seemed to be as much baffled as the others to the meaning of the puzzling signal. But that the signal meant something important was very much apparent due to an attempted robbery at Feluda’s place. Will the detective find the solution to the many questions raised during Choudhury’s death? To know the answer you must read this riddle packed novel with a touch of adventure and a bit of coincidence.

Gorosthane Sabdhan!

Who knew that a mystery was awaiting Feluda right at the heart of Calcutta in the silence of the Park Street Cemetery? It was the magic of Satyajit who could weave mystery in the uncommonnest of places and a full scale thriller was penned by the great personality with the most realistic touch in this novel. This may as well serve as a classic reminder to those who assigns thrill only to foreign surroundings. Even as I flipped through the pages, so many years after I first acquired it, it infused the same thrill that I had when I read it for the 1^st time. The events stared on 24^th June, when Lalmohanbabu took Topshe with Feluda in his newly acquired green ambassador, the vehicle that served in several of the trio’s adventures, on a visit to Job Charnok’s grave. On that fateful day, a Narendranath Biswas was injured at the graveyard following a violent storm that blew @ 140kmph. Feluda, always inquisitive, took it his own responsibility to investigate why Mr. Biswas was wandering at the graves in the evening. While on the tour at the cemetery, Jatayu pointed to a wallet and Feluda’s insightful observations led to a series of incidents that culminated in a race for the priceless souvenir called Perigal Repeater. To know what it is and to enjoy the suspense the story must be savoured and I won’t spoil the excitement by spilling the beans too early. Haripadababu, Jatayu’s driver too played an important role and he too remained a close accomplice in later adventures for the three musketeers. Another important character that emerged in this novel and seemed to remain in the Hall of Fame of Feluda’s thrillers was the rich and aristocratic Mahadev Choudhury whose encounter was both theatrical and spine tingling!

Feluda & Co

The double Feluda stories back to back were 1^st introduced by Satyajit Ray in this book where the sleuth battled the evil brains both in and out of the city.

The collection starts with Bombaier Bombete, a title that was so aptly chosen by the master story teller that hints at both the place of Feluda's adventure and the origin of the bandits. Actually the case comes while Feluda and Topshe accompany Lalmohanbabu to Bombay when one of his novels, "Bombaier Bombete", was selected for a Bollywood release by Jatayu's acquintance turned hindi film director Pulak Ghoshal. But curious events start from the beginning when the author was requested to deliver a small packet to a stranger at Bombay airport by some Sanyal, a self proclaimed Bengali film director. Though the trio didn't have an inkling of any mystery till then but a murder at the premises, where the packet bearer of Bombay airport was seen, triggered of a set of intriguing sequences. Jatayu's reference came up during police enquiry and Sanyal's presence was felt at several places where Feluda & Co. roamed about in the metropolitan. Thus Feluda was automatically involved in the investigation not only to save his friend but also to stop a suspected smuggling. A high paced finish in the backdrop of a shooting site and the writer’s unique style of descriptive narrations would have been a great combination but for some misprints that is slightly irritating at places.

The other one of the collection, G(n)osaipur Saragaram, is a favourite to me not only for its contrasting backdrop in a quite village, so very far from sophisticated amenities of the city, but also for a wittier Feluda with his fantastic insights to human psychology. The truth cleverly camouflaged by the writer at the beginning and the lifestyle of a rural population makes this class apart from other stories in the Feluda series.

Laboratory

http://calcuttatube.com/laboratory-bengali-drama-by-rabindranath-tagore-staged-by-loka-krishti-review/92812/

Chirakumar Sabha

http://calcuttatube.com/chirakumar-sabha-rabindranath-tagore-play-staged-by-chetana-drama-review/92810/

The Caves of Steel

Welcome to the future. Yes it is Asimov and he takes us on a journey to a near future at the wake of C/Fe civilization i.e., the human-robot civilization, the brainchild of the Spacers who had migrated from the Earth to form a world of healthy beings. Yes, the ethical part kept aside, the Spacers, humans from Earth formed a colony of their own by selecting the healthiest of the human race right from birth itself. Thus the nobility of the future, so formed, had, at once, been both the subject of fascination and hatred to the Earthmen. Infact, the human civilization too had undergone a radical change by the construction of steel caves that they named Cities which covered the entire human organization. Ambience, inside these caves, were controlled to suit the need of development and work and thus it was not surprising when we find the household kitchen being replaced by a community dining hall where all the city dwellers timely consumed their daily ration. This automatically gave birth to a sect, appropriately categorized as Mediavalists, that functioned illegally in a hope to bring back the past and crushing anything modern. That they would be against robots was natural but some of them, in course of time, modified their views when they found these choice was automatic and gradually started to cope up with the change. One of these was police officer, Elijah Lije Bailey, whose practical approach seemed to be the apparent reason for his recommendation by his friend and boss, Commissioner Enderby, to investigate the murder of one Dr. Sarton, a specialist in humanoid robots at Spacetown. Lije would have tolerated this not so encouraging task but for the ordeal of being accompanied by a detective robot Daneel Olivaw that seemed too much for him.

A gripping story follows with elaborate paragraphs detailing, for the sake of the readers, the future world in the author’s vision, that increases both in pace and mystery till the very climax. Lije seemed to be bent on accusing the Spacers of the crime but Daneel in each step refuted his views with solid counter proofs. The delicate situation of unmasking the criminal while preventing an impending riot seemed to slip of Lije’s hand at each occassion but the turn of events, each time, seemed to send him back to the right track. The sinister evil lurking behind the crime was finally unveiled by Lije and the readers will thoroughly enjoy the story though a certain amount of concentration is required if its true flavour is to be savoured.