“The Complete Adventures of Feluda” (vol.1) - I finished it last month and dying to buy its vol.2. Next time I go out - I’ll make sure that I buy it.

Originally its written by Satyajit Ray in Bengali. As my Bengali is very poor (which i am working on) - I prefer to read the translation of it by Gopa Mujumdar. She is good too and has done a real good job. I am looking forward towards her translation of Satyajit Ray’s cinematic writings.

“Feluda” is like a Indian version of Sherlock Holmes - but I guess “Feluda’s” adventure are more informative. By informative - I mean general knowledge. Knowledge about antique, sculpture of Ellora, monk of Ladhak. Knowledge of places like Rajasthan, Gangtok, Darjeeling, Bombay, Shimla and many more. We should keep in mind that the stories were written in 70s and 80s and for youngest. At that period of time many people were not able to travel to so many places. So this stories provide them a scenario of these places.

In many places in the stories - Satyajit Ray ji has hinted that simple description and writing in the best and so it is. Simple writing but creates the perfect picture.

I really enjoyed it. In Bengali, it must have been much better.

CDs I bought for Maa..

I love music, especially the old melodies - from 60s till 80s. Gazals, classic, raags, jazz and rock (not hard rock). I can listen to anything from Lata Mangeskar, Kishor Kumar, Heemant Mukhopadhyay and Manna De. Anything written by Gulzar and music given by R. D. Burman - even this pair is unique. But I hate heart broken songs.

Recently, I bought some bengali CDs of Kishor Kumar, Manna De and Sachin Dev Burman. I actually had bought these CDs to send them for my parents in Denmark. Someone was going there so thought they can take the CDs with them - but all they took was Maa’s medicine nothing else.

The first bangal CD I bought was Rabindra Sangeet “Aakash Bhora Surjo Tara” by Proshun Mukherjee. I instantly began to love it and he is a good singer. The next Rabindra Sangeet CD was “Bohu Juge-r Opar Hote Aashar”  by Debobroto Biswas. The tittle song is awesome. Every song in this CD is simply too good. Best part is only “harmonium” is used as an instrument nothing else. So one can enjoy the great voice and harmonium with some mesmerizing lyrics by guru Rabindra Nath Tagore.

This photos are taken at my “Sona mamima’s” house (Barasat - Kolkata)- their cats are just like them, always ready to pose.

I just finished reading a book by Jhumpa Lahari -”Unaccustomed Earth”. Her language might be good but her narrating the story has something missing. It seems as if she is not involved in the story - she simply narrates what she sees.

Most of the stories were sad, unhappy ending - death and illness. Fine - the tittle suggest that life is not what you always want but it doesn’t mean it has to be deppressing. It can be unexpected but still pleasing.

First half had 5 stories - from which the first story (also the tittle story) and the second story “Hell Heaven” was good. The rest three were so-s0 ; even story wise they didn’t tell much. Some wise men said “short stories are difficult to write” - so true.

Second half was a sort of novalla - written in 3 parts. At first it seemed 3 different stories - but as i read the last part (story) - i realised its the same story. First part by a girl (Hema) and next narrated by a third person as from the view point of a young man - Kaushik. In the end part - they meet each other - spend some days together and seperate again. The story so far was good - even Hema gets married to some one else (to whom she was engaged) - that fine too. But ms. Lahari wasn’t satisfied - she wanted it to be the ultimate sad. Kaushik died in Thailand in Sunami - (he had the worse life one can imagine - in childhood mother died , father remarry, had a unsettled teenage and adulthood.) Hema is pregnant with his husband’s child. It seemed she was happy in life.

Her idea of writing a novella in this way was good - but why do people have to be so deppressing. May be she read to many of  Sarat chandra Chattopadhyay (but he was a legend). For me if the story is bad - there is no point of having her uncomman elegance and poise.

Her second book “The Namesake” was good. I have read another writer “Bharti Mukherjee” (Desireable Daughters) base in United States. I have not read a worse book than that.

I have come to a conclusion - the writers who are Indian by origin but settled in the States lack the ability to tell story or create a story. They lack the plot - creativeness, atmosphere, involvement in the story - something is missing. By reading the book it seems, they are simply narrating some incident or facts.

I would really prefer to read another book by Anita Nair - she seems to be far much better.

BRISHTI-R CHAR DIN

(First part)

Khola janlar dhar-e boshe aanmi

Jhom-jhomi-ye brishti cholchhe,  shara-din shara-raat.

Dube jachchhe rasta, dube jachchhe lotano maath.

Janlar dhar-e lal rongona-r jhar,

Bhije hawa-r dola-ye , dulchhe  taar paapri daar phool-er thoka guli.

Gaaro-halka paata-r gaa beye - tip tip tope-ye porchhe brishti-r jol.

(second part)

Aaj rod uthechhe -

Khara lomba narkol gachh-er paata-ye

sonali rong chhori-ye gechhe resha-ye resha-ye.

Aakash neel no-ye kaalo O no-ye -

Sundor bohurupi hoye aachhe,

Kokho no megh kokho no shei sonali rong.

Jhol-mole aalo aashchhe khola janla diye -

tukro-tukro megh ur-e cholechhe neel aakashe.

Sharo-di-ya aakash bol-e loke

yei rod yei chhawan -

luko churi khelchhe jani na kar shathe.

Rongana ke ghi-re koto projapoti,

ye jhanke to ek bar o jhanke.

Kaalo-ye holud chaka, taad-er gaa-yer rong,

dui dana mele -

ye phool-e O phool-e ure cholechhe.

Khola janlar dhar-e boshe aami.

Written on 26th Sept.’07