Book, Film & Product Reviews Archives - KolkataFusion https://kolkatafusion.com/category/bengali-culture-and-lifestyle/book-film-and-product-reviews/ Bangalir Adda Zone Tue, 14 Jun 2022 17:06:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.5 https://kolkatafusion.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/favicon.ico Book, Film & Product Reviews Archives - KolkataFusion https://kolkatafusion.com/category/bengali-culture-and-lifestyle/book-film-and-product-reviews/ 32 32 176560891 Tribute to lesser-known Children’s Writer – Subhadra Sengupta https://kolkatafusion.com/tribute-to-lesser-known-childrens-writer-subhadra-sengupta/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tribute-to-lesser-known-childrens-writer-subhadra-sengupta https://kolkatafusion.com/tribute-to-lesser-known-childrens-writer-subhadra-sengupta/#respond Wed, 15 Jun 2022 05:53:00 +0000 https://kolkatafusion.com/?p=4200 A beautifully written article by Edaan Ghosh. It’ll encourage you to study more about this lesser-known Children’s Writer – Subhadra Sengupta. By the end of the article, you might end up adding some of her books to your Amazon cart. Subhadra Sengupta was an Indian writer based in Delhi. She was born in June 1959 and had a master’s degree in history. She was the …

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A beautifully written article by Edaan Ghosh. It’ll encourage you to study more about this lesser-known Children’s Writer – Subhadra Sengupta. By the end of the article, you might end up adding some of her books to your Amazon cart.

Subhadra Sengupta was an Indian writer based in Delhi. She was born in June 1959 and had a master’s degree in history. She was the winner of Sahitya’s Akademi’s 2015 Bal Sahitya Puraskar. Of the many books, she wrote, I have read only a few. And have thoroughly enjoyed them. One of her books, Mystery of the House of Pigeons, was adapted into a television series for Doordarshan as Khoj Khazana Khojer. Most of her books are genres of historical fiction and non-fiction. But she also wrote travelogues, comic strips and detective stories. She lost her battle against Covid19 in the year 2021.

A few books I have read are Let’s Go Time Travelling, Let’s Go Time Travelling Again, Kings and Queens, A Flag, A Song and A Pinch of Salt and Mostly Ghostly Stories.

Let’s go Time Travelling

Let's go Time Travelling and Let's go Time Travelling  Again
Let’s go Time Travelling. PC.: funkyrainbow

The book Let’s go Time Travelling describes the lifestyle of people from the Harappan Civilization to the British era. Its sequel, Let’s Go Time Travelling Again, gives us a broad picture of the various occupations of ancient India. I loved these two books as they had a lot of information about ancient civilizations depicted humorously.

To buy the Let’s Go Time Travelling, Click. And to buy Let’s Go Time Travelling Again, Click here

Kings and Queens

Kings and Queens is a book about famous and mighty emperors and empresses, like Chandragupta Maurya, the ruler of Magadha, was the founder of the Mauryan Dynasty. And Razia Sultan was an empress of the Slave Dynasty. Although she was a woman, that didn’t stop her from becoming a great ruler. Krishnadeva Raya of the Tuluva Dynasty was a powerful king of Vijayanagar. He was a fierce fighter, a book lover and even wrote poetry. Noor Jahan was the youngest of all the wives of Jahangir. But with sheer willpower, personality, courage & political skill, she gradually became the centre of power.

To buy Kings and Queens by lesser-known Children’s Writer – Subhadra Sengupta, Click here

A Flag, A Song and A Pinch

A Flag, A Song and A Pinch of Salt

A Flag, A Song and A Pinch of Salt tell us about the lives and achievements of famous freedom fighters like Ambedkar, Abul Kalam Azad, Annie Besant, Sarojini Naidu and many more. I learnt a lot about many freedom fighters I didn’t know previously.    

Buy the book online     

Mostly Ghostly Stories

Mostly Ghostly Stories by lesser-known Children’s Writer - Subhadra Sengupta

However, Mostly Ghostly Stories is a very different book. It contains spooky and mysterious stories and elements of suspense, fun and courage.

Buy Mostly Ghostly Stories online

To read about Edaan’s Safari expereince, follow the link : MY FIRST JUNGLE SAFARI EXPERIENCE

I would like to read more books written by Subhadra Sengupta in future. If she had been alive, I would have interacted with her and thanked her for the good reads about historical events and other subjects.

Edaan Ghosh

Edaan Ghosh, a class IV student of Bhavan’s Gangabaux Kanoria Vidyamandir, Kolkata, is a passionate reader and loves to prod into the history of India. He has an extensive interest in the people, culture, religion and occupation of ancient India and also the world. While searching for books on the history of India for young readers, he and his mother stumbled upon the books by Subhadra Sengupta. Thus, a small tribute to his beloved writer on her Birth as well as Death Anniversary.

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Gazing At Neighbours – Travels along the line that partitioned India: Book Review https://kolkatafusion.com/gazing-at-neighbours-travels-along-the-line-that-partitioned-india-book-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gazing-at-neighbours-travels-along-the-line-that-partitioned-india-book-review https://kolkatafusion.com/gazing-at-neighbours-travels-along-the-line-that-partitioned-india-book-review/#respond Sat, 17 Jul 2021 07:00:09 +0000 http://kolkatafusion.com/?p=4020 The book by Indian author Bishwanath Ghosh, – ‘Gazing At Neighbours: Travels along the line that partitioned India’ speaks about the history of Radcliff line and its present day Socio-geographic texture as well as a memoir of the partition scar. In one of the powerful fictional pieces on India’s partition, ‘Nilkantha Pakhir Khonje,’ a character called Isham Khan laughed at the two quarrelling factions as …

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The book by Indian author Bishwanath Ghosh, – ‘Gazing At Neighbours: Travels along the line that partitioned India’ speaks about the history of Radcliff line and its present day Socio-geographic texture as well as a memoir of the partition scar.

In one of the powerful fictional pieces on India’s partition, ‘Nilkantha Pakhir Khonje,’ a character called Isham Khan laughed at the two quarrelling factions as he thought, “Kaar Dyash, Ke ba dibe, ke ba nibe?” (Whose country is this? Who will give to whom and who will take?) The relevance of the above sentence written by Atin Bandyopadhyay back in the 1950s – 1960s is resonated when the author of ‘Gazing At Neighbours,’ Bishwanath Ghosh, observes in the very book, “My eyes, however, couldn’t tell the merger, rather the separation, between India and Pakistan. The land leading up to the small tree, as well as the portion beyond it, looked the same. But then, Partition is about drawing a line across sameness.”

Writing Style of the travelogue:

Partition is a painful gaping wound that still disturbs the people of the Indian Subcontinent – the three countries – India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Eminent Indian authors as well as the authors from the two other countries had written down many partition tales. Bishwanath Ghosh’s travelogue ‘Gazing At Neighbours’ can be remarked as a seamless continuation of those tales, although there’s no fictionality in it.

Being a minute observer, Mr. Ghosh has written down about his detailed travel as picturesquely possible with no intentional use of emotional adjectives which would pepper the reader’s feelings. But the opposite happens – the reader is bound to feel disconcerted while leafing through the pages.

Maybe, that’s one of the reasons of comparing the writing style of Bishwanath Ghosh with that of the eminent Bengali writer Atin Bandyopadhyay. In ‘Nilkantha Pakhir Khonje,’ too, Atin Bandyopadhyay chose to describe the characters, their respective stories as vivid and emotionless as possible, leaving a subtle, disconcerting impact on the reader. Coincidentally, Bandyopadhyay was a journalist like Ghosh.

The Radcliff Line and the recent status of the border as described by the Indian author Bishwanath Ghosh
The Radcliff Line and the recent status of the border as described by the Indian author Bishwanath Ghosh

A Summary of ‘Gazing At Neighbours: Travels along the line that partitioned India’

This book is an ode to the completion of the 70th anniversary of India’s partition. The author had lucidly narrated the significance of the Radcliff line that partitioned India along with its geography. He had observed how contrasting the lines appeared in Punjab and Bengal. To him, the 553 Kms of Punjab’s partition line was vibrant green while the Bengal’s 4096 Kms appeared melancholic.

He started his journey from Amritsar, visited Wagah Border, Ferozepur, Hussainiwala and Dera Baba Nanak. After the Punjab part, he covered Bongaon, Jalangi, Murshidabad, Maldah, Coochbehar, Dinhata, Guwahati, Shillong, Dawki, Silchar, Karimganj, Agartala, Boxanagar and Sonamura.

Book Cover Image of Gazing At Neighbours: Travels along the line that partitioned India
Book Cover Image of Gazing At Neighbours: Travels along the line that partitioned India

While narrating his travel, he focused on the ordinary residents living in those areas, their perspectives about the partition and difficulties they had faced during and after partition. He appeared uneasy as an Indian author where he expressed how dearly liked the music of one Pakistani song being played during the Flag lowering ceremony on the Wagah Border but could share his feelings with no one. One can probably not stop one’s tears when he described the plight of a family after the Radcliff line passed right through the courtyard of the house. In one part of the book, he narrated about the occasional humanitarian outlook of the BSF personnel standing on guard over the barbed wires separating Bangladesh and India.

The treatment of the Partition as a subject in ‘Gazing At Neighbours’:

Mr. Ghosh had described the relevant history of the places he travelled along the Radcliff line with the present social and cultural texture. And he chose to conclude his description with an emphatic insight whose excerpt is provided below:

……” It is one of the greatest frauds on the people to suggest that religious affinity can unite areas which are geographically, economically, linguistically and culturally different.” …

Throughout the length of the book, he went on dishing out interesting anecdotes in his usual light hearted witty style. Though light hearted, it managed to kindle up quite a few sparks of strong emotions. There was a hint of diplomacy in his narration which is pretty obvious when one is addressing sensitive subjects like Partition.

Our Conclusion – To recommend or not to?

If you are a travel lover, if you love reading travelogues and if the incident of India’s partition disturbs you as us, we highly recommend the book ‘Gazing At Neighbours’ to you. The book is available in the Kindle app as well as the Amazon store. So please do read and share your views in the comment section below.

Click to read the book. Or buy it from Amazon.

Disclaimer:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a small commission if you purchase products via our website. Your purchases support us in bringing you informative and fun-filled articles.

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Recommended Bengali Storybooks for kids (3 to 10 years) https://kolkatafusion.com/recommended-bengali-storybooks-for-kids-3-to-10-years/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=recommended-bengali-storybooks-for-kids-3-to-10-years https://kolkatafusion.com/recommended-bengali-storybooks-for-kids-3-to-10-years/#comments Sat, 24 Apr 2021 06:22:31 +0000 http://kolkatafusion.com/?p=3826 The beauty of the Bengali storybooks is that there’s no set age groups you need to stick to when it comes to reading. The same books can be read aloud to the kids when they are toddlers and later on introduced when they can start reading themselves. In fact, the familiar stories to which they have listened as toddlers will inspire them to read themselves. …

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The beauty of the Bengali storybooks is that there’s no set age groups you need to stick to when it comes to reading. The same books can be read aloud to the kids when they are toddlers and later on introduced when they can start reading themselves. In fact, the familiar stories to which they have listened as toddlers will inspire them to read themselves. Such is the bond of a mother language, isn’t it?

Still, we have attempted an age-wise division of the Bengali storybooks too! Bengali Children’s Literature is extremely rich. Most of the stalwarts of Bengali Literature, namely, Rabindranath Tagore, Sarat Chandra Chatterjee, Nazrul Islam, Upendrakishore Roy Chowdhury, Sukumar Ray, Bonophool (Balaichand Mukhopadhyay), Leela Mazumdar, Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Nabanita Dev Sen and many others, had written for children in different points of their life. We honestly feel that these books are just the initial steps through which the reading journey of Bengali books should be started.

Bengali Storybooks for kids of 0 to 6 years

Tuntunir Boi

Buy online

Tuntunir Boi comprises of the folk tales of ancient Bengal. Upendrakishore Roy Chowdhury had collated the Bengali folk tales popular in rural areas and had written them down in simple language. The language would engage the kids and leave them yearning for more. The stories are so interesting that your children might ask them to read every day! It’s the quintessential book with which you can start reading aloud for your child, even if they are just a few months old.

Some of the quintessential Bengali Storybooks for kids of 3 to 6 years
Some of the quintessential Bengali Storybooks for kids

Chhotto Chhotto Golpo

Chhotto Chhotto Golpo by Punyalata Chakraborty (one of the daughters of Upendrakishore Roy Chowdhury) is a timeless classic. Most of the stories are a page long and talk about the simple events in every Bengali house. The co-existence of animals and human beings had been brought up beautifully in the stories. Without explicit mentions, the stories teach human values to the readers.

Abol Tabol

Buy Online

Not a Bengali Storybooks per se, Abol Tabol consists of rhymes and poems for children. Ask any Bengali about Abol Tabol, and he/she would recite a few lines (or an entire poem) of any rhymes from this book. Written by Sukumar Ray (another genius from the Ray family and one of the sons of Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury), Abol Tabol’s appeal is timeless. The rhymes talk about strange animals like Bokocchhop (a combination of Egret and Tortoise), strange people like Katukutu Buro and their strange habits. Abol Tabol helps in Bengali pronunciation in a fun way, too (we realize it now after we read them out to our kids, although).

Tutu Bhutu

Buy Online

Tutu Bhutu is a masterpiece by Dhirendranath Bal, referred to as Bengal’s Walt Disney after his death. The book is about strong friendships between a cat, dog, duck, chickens and squirrels. The story teaches us humanity through the animal characters.

A page from one of the Bengali Storybooks, Tutu Bhutu
A page from one of the Bengali Storybooks, Tutu Bhutu

Bagha Bhutu

Bagha Bhutu is a sequel to Tutu Bhutu. It was written by Pritha Bal (talented daughter of Dhirendranath Bal). The story just takes up from where Tutu Bhutu ended. It talks about social inclusion and friendship.

In the above list, we have intentionally left out Thakumar Jhuli by Dakshinaranjan Mitra Majumdar because, after a second look at it, as parents, we felt that the book would promote misogyny and patriarchy more than teaching about good values. In the present times, when we are ought to teach children about gender equality and social equality, the stories of Thakumar Jhuli won’t serve the purpose, sadly. However, as we have done, you can retell those stories with more feminist (don’t mistake with pseudo-feminism) tweaks as we do.

Bengali Storybooks for kids of 6 to 10 y

Ha Ja Ba Ra La

Buy online

Ha Ja Ba Ra La, written by Sukumar Ray, is a fantasy that induces a kid to think, too. In the land of fiction created by the author, the reader wanders around and meets weird and funny characters. If your kid loves Abol Tabol, he/she will readily jump on reading this gem, too.

Cover Image of Buro Angla
Cover Image of Buro Angla

Buro Angla, Khirer Putul, Nalok

Buy Buro Angla online

Buy Khirer Putul online

Buy Nalak online

These three books written by Abanindranath Tagore describe the world of children’s imagination. Khirer Putul is a fairy tale with a non-conformist ending, while Buro Angla describes the transformational journey of a kid with a heart filled with vices to a kid with benevolence. Nalok is a take on the journey of Gautam Buddha told from children’s point of view.

Holde Pakhir Palok

Buy online

It’s an endearing story describing the siblings’ love for a pet dog and how troubled they became when the dog disappeared. The writer, Leela Majumdar, had woven the story keeping the usual texture of society in mind, i.e., the general characteristics of the people in their immediate environment. The truth! Later on, when you would gradually introduce your kids to the other works of Leela Majumdar, you would explore how beautifully she had created memorable characters with the people who apparently seemed harmful.

Adbhuture

Buy online

Adbhuture is the first book of the Adbhuture series written by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay. The book is a light-hearted description of ‘helpful ghosts.’ The entire series has many memorable comedy moments, ghostly influences, utter confusion, which gets eventually solved at the end of the stories. All the books are unputdownable. Parna’s personal book recommendations from the ‘Adbhuture’ series are ‘Nabiganjer Doityo,’ ‘Manojder Adbhut Bari,’ ‘Patalghar’ and ‘Chhayamoy.’

Gogol Samagra

Buy online

We had a debate on deciding on this title. Neha sided with ‘Pandob Goyenda’ by Shashthipada Chattopadhyay, while Parna wanted to mention ‘Gogol’ written by Samaresh Basu. We zeroed on Gogol Samagra after analyzing the literary appeal of both. Gogol’s adventure stories are more articulately described keeping the thrill factor intact than the Pandob Goyenda series.

Chaander Pahar

Buy online

Did you think we missed out on this masterpiece? No way! We have saved the best for the last. ‘Chaander Pahar’ written by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, is a tale of adventure, survival, human values and human’s lust for wandering around the world. The book contains vivid descriptions of Africa and the indomitable spirit of Shankar, the lion-hearted protagonist.

Special Mentions:

We would suggest Feluda’s stories, Tenida’s adventures, and Ghanada’s tales after ten years as the kids would be able to fully grasp the story plots only after that age. But if your kid is a bookworm, Feluda, Tenida and Ghana Da can be introduced earlier.  Professor Shanku can also be introduced during the pre-teens at ages 11 or 12.

If your child yearns for fairy tales, we would suggest the ‘Rupkatha Samagra’ written by Nabanita Dev Sen. Through her fairy tales; you can teach the initial lessons of gender equality.

Apart from these, we would also suggest two gems – Gourer Kabach by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay and Laal Kalo by Girindrashekhar Basu for children above eight years of age. Do you have any more titles in mind which you would like to suggest? Just keep mentioning them in the comment section below!

Disclaimer: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a small commission if you purchase products via our website. Your purchases support us in bringing you informative and fun-filled articles.

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Internet of Things Application on Arduino Projects https://kolkatafusion.com/internet-of-things-application-on-arduino-projects/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=internet-of-things-application-on-arduino-projects https://kolkatafusion.com/internet-of-things-application-on-arduino-projects/#comments Wed, 07 Apr 2021 06:00:00 +0000 http://kolkatafusion.com/?p=3747 -Sayantan Basu Mallick -Guest Post With technological advancement and artificial intelligence, we are now in a threshold of the concept of IoT or the Internet of Things. Our guest blogger, as well as our website developer, Sayantan Basu Mallick, explains his project using Arduino technology. To contact him or to know more about his work, leave your message in the comment box. What is IoT? …

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-Sayantan Basu Mallick

-Guest Post

With technological advancement and artificial intelligence, we are now in a threshold of the concept of IoT or the Internet of Things. Our guest blogger, as well as our website developer, Sayantan Basu Mallick, explains his project using Arduino technology.

To contact him or to know more about his work, leave your message in the comment box.

Arduino Car image

What is IoT?

The IoT refers to devices’ connection (other than typical fares such as computers and smartphones) to the Internet without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. The interconnection using the Internet of computing devices is embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data.

Organizations have to find out a way to store, track and analyze vast amounts of data generated every moment, or else it’s all in vain.

So, what is the use of IoT?

Let’s see the implications of IoT here. Imagine a smart car and a smart city grid start talking to each other! It means traffic flow optimization because instead of just having stoplights on fixed timers, we’ll have smart stoplights responding to traffic flow changes. Drives can get informed about traffic and street conditions and reroute around congested or blocked areas.

We have sensors keeping an eye on and tracking all sorts of data. The cloud-based apps translate that data into valuable intelligence and pass it on to machines on the ground, enabling flexible and real-time responses. And thus, we see smart bridges, smart cars.

How does the Internet of Things function?

A sensor is not a machine. It doesn’t do anything in the same sense that a device does. It gathers, gauges, and evaluates data. The Internet of Things comes together with the connection of sensors and machines. So, we can say the actual value that the Internet of Things generates is at the intersection of gathering data and leveraging it. All the information collected by all the world sensors isn’t worth very much if there isn’t an infrastructure to analyze it in real-time.

Using Internet transfer protocols, IoT devices connect with each other and transmit information. So, the Internet of Things serves as the bridge between the devices’ sensors and the data networks.

Some of the top IoT platforms on the market today:

Amazon Web Services

Microsoft Azure

ThingWorx IoT Platforms

Watson

Cisco IoT Cloud ConnectSalesforce IoT Cloud

Oracle Integrated Cloud

GE Predix

Without cloud-based applications to interpret and transfer data acquired from all sensors, the Internet of Things cannot function. Cloud computing makes the apps work for you anytime, anywhere app.

IoT in everyday things

At Home

IoT can help in building an efficient house, programmed to save energy and make your lives more convenient. Imagine alarm clocks synced with traffic apps; heating systems with external temperature sensors – all will add up to your cost benefits.

Radical effect on waste management

You can save on utility bills with the seamless integration of light, heat, and air conditioning that reacts. You can understand your food consumption pattern and plan accordingly. How? Anything that your keep in your fridge for long will be recorded, helping you examine the trends and patterns.

Daily commutation

When intelligent traffic detectors inform us of the route, we can select the shortest route to work/ home and so on. To keep us safe, sensors around our city can alert us of any potential dangers, like accidents, proximity alerts around the vehicle, terrible weather, etc.

For personal health

A long list of wearables is now available in the market. We can track a lot about ourselves like our sleeping patterns, nutritional balance, doctor’s appointments, check-up schedules, exercise programmes, etc. Furthermore, 3d-printed wristbands for reading vital signs are in development.

In sport

The Internet of Things devices and wearables will be all about performance efficiency. Using these hands-free devices, you can track your progress, errors, power, agility, overall cardiovascular fitness level and any other variable that you can think of.

The above examples speak volumes about the Internet of Things’ potentials. The more creative we can be with sensors, the more valuable the information it will provide us. If trends in development are anything to go by, then just wait, as the best is yet to come!

We are still at the nascent stage of the transformational journey. But, very soon, every device that you own and nearly every gadget you can see will be connected to the Internet. Be it through your mobile, wearable devices, or household objects; the IoT will connect us in ways we yet to find out.

Better management of energy, water, transportation, and safety will bring us closer to our surroundings and capture our imaginations for urban bliss – a fully integrated, smart, sustainable city.

Challenges of the Internet of Things

If one thing that can come in the way of the Internet of things from transforming our way of living and working, it is a threat to security.

While the IoT opens up the doors to endless opportunities, it certainly doesn’t come without challenges. But, don’t you think it depends on us? Only time will say how we use it for the betterment of mankind!

Now Let Us Understand Arduino and see Sayantan’s Project

Arduino Project

About Arduino technology

Arduino is an open-source electronic platform to build electronic projects for our daily life like smart homes, smart drawers, smart soap dispensers, etc. Also, you can build smart toys for you kids and help to build toys like self-driven, obstacle sensing car.

Things used to make an Arduino Car

Arduino UNO

Arduino UNO

Arduino Uno Rev3 is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328P, an 8-bit microcontroller with 32KB of Flash memory and 2KB of RAM. It has all that you need to support the microcontroller; just connect it to a computer or laptop with a USB cable or power it with a AC-to-DC adapter or battery and it’ll start.

L298 2A Dual Motor Driver Module with PWM Control 

L298 2A Dual Motor Driver Module with PWM Control

The Motor Shield is a driver module for motors. It helps you to use Arduino to control the motor’s speed and direction. Based on the Dual Full-Bridge Drive Chip L298, it can drive two DC motors or a step motor.

Ultrasonic Distance Sensor Module – HC-SR04    

Just like bats, the HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor uses SONAR to ascertain the distance of an object. It offers great non-contact range detection with precise accuracy and steady readings in an easy-to-use package starting from 2 to 400 cm or 1 to 13 feet.

Servo Motor

Servo Motor

A Servo Motor is a small device with an output shaft that can be placed at specific angular points by sending the servo a coded signal. As long as the coded signal lives on the input line, the servo will maintain the angular position of the shaft.           

DC Motors 4 pcs       

DC Motors 4 pcs

You can control a DC motor by attaching a L298 bridge IC to an Arduino. And a direct current (DC) motor is the most common type of motor. If you want to control the direction in which the DC motor spins without affecting the way that the leads are connected, you can use a circuit called an H-Bridge.     

Breadboard, Battery, power bank some jumper wires

About Sayantan Basu Mallick

Sayantan is an IT enthusiast by passion and profession. He loves to do Computer Programming building new automated projects. His thirst for learning new solutions is never-ending. He also has a keen interest in photography and music. So, if you want to know more about him, click here.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of www.kolkatafusion.com. Any omissions or errors are the author’s and KolkataFusion does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.

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‘Horikhela’ – Indian Writer, Rabindranath Tagore’s poem on spring and Holi: A review https://kolkatafusion.com/horikhela-indian-writer-rabindranath-tagores-poem-on-spring-and-holi-a-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=horikhela-indian-writer-rabindranath-tagores-poem-on-spring-and-holi-a-review https://kolkatafusion.com/horikhela-indian-writer-rabindranath-tagores-poem-on-spring-and-holi-a-review/#respond Sat, 27 Mar 2021 06:15:49 +0000 http://kolkatafusion.com/?p=3652 Holi is a significant Indian festival that ushers in spring with splashes of colours. Almost all Indian writers, including Rabindranath Tagore, have written literary pieces on Holi and Doljatra. Among them, the ballad, ‘Horikhela’ is a masterpiece by him. In this ballad, the Indian writer and first Indian Nobel Laureate in Literature, Rabindranath Tagore, had brought alive a historical event that happened back in 17th …

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Holi is a significant Indian festival that ushers in spring with splashes of colours. Almost all Indian writers, including Rabindranath Tagore, have written literary pieces on Holi and Doljatra. Among them, the ballad, ‘Horikhela’ is a masterpiece by him. In this ballad, the Indian writer and first Indian Nobel Laureate in Literature, Rabindranath Tagore, had brought alive a historical event that happened back in 17th century India.

The background of ‘Horikhela’:

Rabindranath Tagore read James Todd’s ‘The annals and antiquities of Rajasthan’ and decided to write a few dramatic ballads on the events described in the book. The result was ‘Katha,’ an anthology of ballads based on Sikh kings and Rajput kings, written during 1899. In ‘The annals and antiquities of Rajasthan,’ the event that inspired ‘Horikhela’ was dated 1646 A.D.

This excerpt describes the invitation of the Queen to Kesar Khan for playing Holi in Kaitun. Indian Writer, Tagore had wonderfully described the spring as the natural setting here.      P.C: KolkataFusion
This excerpt describes the invitation of the Queen to Kesar Khan for playing Holi in Kaitun. Indian Writer, Tagore had wonderfully described the spring as the natural setting here. P.C: KolkataFusion

In that year, Kesar Khan and Dokar Khan, two Pathan rulers, conquered Kota from the Rajput King Bhongasi or Bhunaag. The king and his queen Rani Roopmati, with their subjects, went away to Kaitun or Kaitunpur. Rani Roopmati was known for her enchanting beauty and there was no doubt that her beauty attracted Kesar Khan. How the queen called Kesar Khan to play Holi with her and got him subdued is the ballad’s essence described beautifully by Rabindranath Tagore.

The Summary of ‘Horikhela’:

On a pleasant spring evening, the queen of Kota sent a letter to Kesar Khan from Kaitun. The letter read, “Are you satisfied after taking over Kota? Would you please come to Kaitun with your soldiers? All the Rajputanis here, including myself, are looking forward to play Holi with you.”

Kesar Khan, already besotted with the queen’s gesture, prepared himself to meet her. The soldiers and Kesar Khan went to Kaitun, dressed in their best colourful attires. The queen and her women heartily welcomed the Pathan soldiers and their king with large plates of gulal (abir, faag) and pichkaris loaded with coloured waters. As they started splashing the colours all over, they danced merrily.

Buy Rabindranath Tagore’s Katha O Kahini, online.

After observing the dancing Rajputanis, a doubt started building over Kesar Khan’s mind. He felt that the women were not actually women. Seeing him perplexed, the queen, Rani Roopmati, came ahead with a huge bell-metal plate that carried a huge heap of gulaal. Before Kesar Khan looked up to her, she threw the plate on him. Kesar Khan turned blind as a result.

In the meantime, all the Rajputanis tore open their dresses and brandished the swords. They revealed themselves as the Rajput soldiers who were dressed up as queen’s women. They valiantly fought until the entire Pathan troupe was killed along with Kesar Khan. The Pathan soldiers came but never went back.

Recommended Read: Review on Rabindranath Tagore’s short story ‘Streer Patra’

Holi or Dol in India
P.C.: Souptima Basu

Literary Style and Treatment

Since Holi is an Indian theme, the writing style was that of an Indian writer choosing to write on Basanta, the king of all seasons, the spring. The blooming mango trees, the cuckoo’s songs, the humming of the bumblebees, the sweet southern breeze and the spring flowers are wonderfully described as the natural setting.

Holi, being a festival of colours, the poet had brought in descriptions like red sun, shining day, coloured fog along with the vivid descriptions of the colourful ambience of Kaitun on the event of Holi. On reading the poem, anyone would be able to relate to the occasion on which people made merry and splashed colour on each other as a gesture of love, humanity and fraternity.

In this excerpt, the drama is described. The way the queen attacked Kesar Khan with the heavy plate of Gulaal and how the Rajput Soldiers came down over the Pathan Troupe.      
P.C: KolkataFusion
In this excerpt, the drama is described. The way the queen attacked Kesar Khan with the heavy plate of Gulaal and how the Rajput Soldiers came down over the Pathan Troupe.
P.C: KolkataFusion

But, to us, Holi, also mythologically stands for the victory of good over evil. Therefore, as an Indian writer, Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore probably could not ignore putting in a plot of revenge and fighting for what seemed right to the queen to win back Kota, her lost kingdom.

The treatment of the ballad was dramatic. The drama built slowly over the stanzas that described the change of flute’s tune from Raag Multani to Iman Bhupali to Darbari Kanara. The Darbari Kanara’s melody floated over as the war went on till the victory was achieved.

The ballad ended with a poignant description of the Pathan troupe that never went back and stayed amidst the cuckoo’s incessant songs and the south breeze that blew throughout the spring.  At the end, even for a fraction of a second, the readers would feel sorry for the fate of the Pathan soldiers. It was apparently wrong to invite them for Holi’s merriment and kill them in return….but there goes the saying, “All is fair in love and war!”

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Short story review: Streer Patra, written by Rabindranath Tagore https://kolkatafusion.com/short-story-review-streer-patra-written-by-rabindranath-tagore/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=short-story-review-streer-patra-written-by-rabindranath-tagore https://kolkatafusion.com/short-story-review-streer-patra-written-by-rabindranath-tagore/#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2021 06:00:00 +0000 http://kolkatafusion.com/?p=2218 On Rabindranath Tagore's 79th Death Anniversary, KolkataFusion discusses about 'Streer Patra' a short story by Rabindranath Tagore, analyses the plot and seeks contemporary relevance.

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Streer Patra is one of the most impactful stories by Rabindranath Tagore. To know more about it and to find the audible link to Rabindranath Tagore’s short stories, read on.

Letter and Pen

Many years ago, I had heard this short story on TV in Rituparno Ghosh’s narration. Being quite young then, I failed to appreciate the true essence of ‘Streer Patra’ (which means a wife’s letter to her husband). Just a few weeks ago, I re-read the short story. And… The impact was immense. It steered my contemplation.

The short story by Rabindranath Tagore is set in the 20th century when women were only appreciated for their facial beauty and their expertise in managing household chores. The then societal dogmas ruthlessly suppressed their opinions, wishes, aspirations, wisdom – reducing them to second class citizens who was not supposed to have their own voice.

The plot discussion

Mrinal is an extremely beautiful wife of a middle-class Bengali ‘bhadrolok,’ working in a British company. In her letter, she has expressed how she had been a victim of the patriarchal society ever since her birth. She was married off at an early age. Even though she was chosen for her beauty, she says in the letter that her husband or his family could not undermine her wisdom.

An excerpt from the story where Mrinal expresses how she was admonished for her natural intelligence and wisdom in her in-law's house. She reveals that she wrote poems secretly and that was her true identity.   P.C: Author
An excerpt from the story where Mrinal expresses how she was admonished for her natural intelligence and wisdom in her in-law’s house. She reveals that she wrote poems secretly and that was her true identity. P.C: Author

To listen to Kobiguru Rabindranath Tagore’s numerous other beautiful short stories, click here, and get 30 days free trial of audiobooks.

To her husband, she was only a docile wife. He could never discover that she was a poet too. Revealing her identity as a poet who wrote in secret, she expresses that amidst her world of verses, she realized her true self, her true identity.

Writing about her brief journey as a mother she expresses that she felt pain of being a mother not the freedom as the journey was cut short by extremely poor living conditions of the small room she was relegated to after giving birth to a girl child. Remembering that episode, she questions her husband if that was a normal practice of his house. She opens out by saying that if it was a usual practice of a house to neglect their womenfolk, let them follow that throughout, why to show love when the women of the house would suffer oppression and neglect later in their whole lifetime?

When Mrinal’s sister-in-law’s sister took refuge in their house to save herself from her cousin brothers’ torture, Mrinal stood firm to protect her from further disgrace. She writes that Bindu, the girl who took refuge, gave her the opportunity to stand for what is right. Mrinal did not care for the patriarchal obstacles she faced while caring for Bindu’s dignity as she continued protecting her. 

Bindu chose death for her freedom when her dignity was hurt. Mrinal mocks her husband by saying that by choosing death, she defeated all of them, the flag bearers of patrilineality because death is bigger than all efforts of suppressing a woman’s dignity, her wishes and aspirations by those very flag bearers.

Another excerpt from Streer Patra where Mrinal questions God about the obstacles of patrilineality that stops a woman from enjoying the creations of nature. She further asks the reason for expecting a woman to live her life according to societal conformities.  P.C: Author
Another excerpt from Streer Patra where Mrinal questions God about the obstacles of patrilineality that stops a woman from enjoying the creations of nature. She further asks the reason for expecting a woman to live her life according to societal conformities. P.C: Author

Bindu’s death awakened Mrinal. She left the house with questions directed to God. She questions – Why the menial things in life are the tallest obstacles? Why the bubble of unhappiness in the house she lives stops her firmly from enjoying the beautiful world, He created? Why would she be forced to live in that unhappy world created by rotten rules? She ends her letter by confirming that she won’t return to that house again as she had found her freedom amidst the blue sky above and the lively sea lying ahead of her.

Finding relevance in the present times

Although Rabindranath Tagore wrote this story more than 100 years ago, don’t we find its relevance in the present years too? Yes! We, women, have started being iconoclasts challenging the age-old patriarchal diktats, but can we consider ourselves utterly free from the patrilineal shackles? How long do we need to fight for our freedom from the juggernaut of patriarchy? The question lingers, even today, as we observe the bard’s 79th death anniversary, this year.

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Book Review of Chai, Chai https://kolkatafusion.com/book-review-of-chai-chai/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=book-review-of-chai-chai https://kolkatafusion.com/book-review-of-chai-chai/#respond Mon, 01 Mar 2021 06:15:00 +0000 http://kolkatafusion.com/?p=3558 The book ‘Chai, Chai’ was published back in 2009, but we didn’t know about the book or the author till 2020. Parna was the one who came to know about the book and the author from a Facebook Book Club she follows. In this article, she has attempted a very humble review of this out-of-box travelogue by Bishwanath Ghosh. We usually don’t read a lot …

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The book ‘Chai, Chai’ was published back in 2009, but we didn’t know about the book or the author till 2020. Parna was the one who came to know about the book and the author from a Facebook Book Club she follows. In this article, she has attempted a very humble review of this out-of-box travelogue by Bishwanath Ghosh.

We usually don’t read a lot of travelogues – but this book is outstanding – it neither has any boring information nor narcissistically boasts of the author’s traveling feats. It’s a travel tale by an author who would influence his readers to join him, albeit virtually on his train journeys through India’s different parts. 

Summary of the book ‘Chai, Chai’

If you are a regular passenger on Indian trains, the call, “Chai, Chai” will be quite familiar to you. This is how the tea hawkers go on calling for their prospective customers on trains. This is one call that unites all the Indian railway stations, the railway tracks, the railway compartments and all the things that is associated with the Indian Railways or as put by the author himself, “…. fiercely independent states within cities and towns, insulated from the local flavour, as if there are territories of a common colonial master sitting in Delhi, which they are anyway”.

Cover Image of the book 'Chai, chai'
Cover Image of the book ‘Chai, Chai

To Buy the Book Online, Click Here.

In this journey across India, Bishwanath Ghosh has stopped in the important junctions and halted a day or two in those places to explore them. The very junctions where the passengers stop but never get off. As owned up by himself, he wanted to discover the real social and physical texture of the junctions which lay beyond being just important Indian railway junctions.

A train on the railway track as described in the book 'Chai, chai'.
A train on the railway track as described in the book ‘Chai, chai’.

We can see that the junctions he went to – Mughal Sarai, Jhansi, Itarsi, Guntakal, Arakkonam, Jolarpettai, and Shoranur; showcased varied characteristics of the locals who live there. The descriptions of each place were in detail, so much so that you would feel that you are with the author in that place at that moment.

Recommended read: Short Story review – Streer Patra

Personal takeaways from the book ‘Chai, Chai’

  • Bishwanath Ghosh has used witty sentences and optimal humour blend with sarcasm in the travelogue.
  • The language is simple. The flow is dynamic. There’s no place in the book where you would feel bored and would want to stop reading altogether.
  • The stark cultural differences between Northern India and South India were not pointed out, but they were evident in how he flowed with his narrative.
  • Parna especially liked how he had described the hotel rooms, bar environments and eateries he had visited during the journey. To quote the author, “Random hotels do give a weird sense of thrill’. She would continue to relate the author’s trysts with the random hotels’ checking-in in the times to come.
  • The expressions of the true fragrance of India mesmerized Parna throughout the book as she turned the pages.
  • It is a highly recommended book for the readers searching for good English non-fiction and travelogues written by Indian authors.

One thing which we would have liked in ‘Chai, Chai’:

  • If the author could make a stop in any junction in the east as well as west India, maybe Howrah and Bharuch, and included the experience in the book.

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Jungle Stories With Tim The Tortoise – Book Review https://kolkatafusion.com/jungle-stories-with-tim-the-tortoise-book-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jungle-stories-with-tim-the-tortoise-book-review https://kolkatafusion.com/jungle-stories-with-tim-the-tortoise-book-review/#respond Tue, 01 Dec 2020 06:20:00 +0000 http://kolkatafusion.com/?p=2949 Kids are always fascinated by stories, short or long. They love to listen to or read them. Not only they, we, as parents, too, love to read out bedtime stories for our kids. However, writing stories for children isn’t an easy task for sure! One cannot write kids’ stories unless the author is passionate about reading and loving the children’s world. That is the reason …

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Kids are always fascinated by stories, short or long. They love to listen to or read them. Not only they, we, as parents, too, love to read out bedtime stories for our kids. However, writing stories for children isn’t an easy task for sure! One cannot write kids’ stories unless the author is passionate about reading and loving the children’s world. That is the reason behind the fewer number of books in children’s literature.

Priyanka Mukherjee is one of those rare Indian authors who have the qualities that we had mentioned above. She being a teacher as well as a mother, understands child psychology pretty well. And that understanding has inspired her to write short stories for children. The book ‘Jungle Stories With Tim The Tortoise’ is her debut book of stories for kids in English penned with passion and warmth.

In this review, we’ll discuss the book’s features we really liked and a few aspects we are concerned about. But, before we discuss those, do you know fantasy books boost children’s imagination? In this digital world, when everything is right in front of their eyes, reading fantasy books and getting introduced to a world that doesn’t exist encourages kids to see things differently.

A brief idea about the book

Tim, a grand old tortoise, is the favourite storyteller of the jungle kids like a baby elephant, a fawn, birdies, young squirrels, etc. He narrates stories on ice cream, penguins, ships packed with fantasy and emotions that would move every child.

The interesting features of Jungle Stories With Tim The Tortoise:

  • Colourful illustrations that please our eyes and generate interest in our children.
  • The choice of the theme, i.e., jungle, serves as the perfect theme of short bedtime stories for kids.
  • The grand old tortoise, Tim’s narrations, has the warmth that our grandparents’ fantasy tales used to have.
  • The plots around which the stories are woven are unique and would keep them hooked to the book until they finish reading it.
  • The children who love animals and enjoy fantasy stories would cherish this book.

The features which could have been worked upon:

  • The book’s illustration is ideal for 5-6 years kids too, but sadly, they’ll have difficulty with the sentences’ average lengths. So, parental guidance will be required.
  • More simple sentences could have been used.
  • Too many characters in the stories might distract young kids and confuse them.

Overall, the book is beautiful. We highly recommend the book for the kids of age group 7 – 10 years who love reading and listening to fantasy stories. The catchy illustrations make it a good buy for parents of 5-6 year kids, too.

So, order the book today for your little one and spend some time in the fantasy world of Tim the Tortoise by visiting this link – https://www.authorpriyankamukherjee.com/blank-page-1

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অযান্ত্রিক – একটি সম্পর্কের গল্প https://kolkatafusion.com/bengali-blog-11-25/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bengali-blog-11-25 https://kolkatafusion.com/bengali-blog-11-25/#comments Wed, 25 Nov 2020 06:20:00 +0000 http://kolkatafusion.com/?p=2911 জ্যোতির্ময় দেব Guest Post এই ছবি অনেক film scholar অনেক ভাবে বিশ্লেষণ করেছেন। কখনও মর্ডানিজ়মের আঙ্গিকে, কখনও মার্ক্সিস্ট থিওরি দিয়ে বিশ্লেষিত হয়েছে ছবিটি। আমি সেই জটিলতায় না গিয়ে সম্পর্কের সহজ ভাব যেটা আমার চোখে ধরা দিয়েছে সেই দিকটা তুলে ধরার চেষ্টা করলাম।। সম্পর্ক অনন্ত প্রকারের হতে পারে। তবে আমার ধারণা সম্পর্ক প্রধানত দু’ ধরণের হয়। এক – নামের সম্পর্ক এবং দুই – ভাবের সম্পর্ক। নামের …

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জ্যোতির্ময় দেব

Guest Post

এই ছবি অনেক film scholar অনেক ভাবে বিশ্লেষণ করেছেন। কখনও মর্ডানিজ়মের আঙ্গিকে, কখনও মার্ক্সিস্ট থিওরি দিয়ে বিশ্লেষিত হয়েছে ছবিটি। আমি সেই জটিলতায় না গিয়ে সম্পর্কের সহজ ভাব যেটা আমার চোখে ধরা দিয়েছে সেই দিকটা তুলে ধরার চেষ্টা করলাম।।

সম্পর্ক অনন্ত প্রকারের হতে পারে। তবে আমার ধারণা সম্পর্ক প্রধানত দু’ ধরণের হয়। এক – নামের সম্পর্ক এবং দুই – ভাবের সম্পর্ক। নামের সম্পর্কের সাথে আমরা খুব পরিচিত। বাবা-মায়ের সাথে সন্তানের সম্পর্ক, স্বামী-স্ত্রী-র সম্পর্ক, ভাই-বোন, বন্ধুত্বের সম্পর্ক। বন্ধুত্বের সম্পর্কের আবার বিভিন্ন স্তর আছে। কিছু সম্পর্ক বাই ডিফল্ট তৈরী হয়। সেখানে আমাদের হাত থাকে না। আর কিছু সম্পর্ক আমরা নিজেরা তৈরী করি। আমাদের তৈরী করা সম্পর্ককেও আমরা আমাদের বাই ডিফল্ট সম্পর্কের ছাঁচে ফেলে দেখি বা দেখতে পছন্দ করি। তাই আমরা বলে থাকি, “ও আমার ভাইয়ের মতো।”; “ও আমার সন্তানের মতো।” এখানে ভাইয়ের মতো মানে হুবহু ভাই নয়। ভাই এবং ভাইয়ের মতোতে একটা পার্থক্য আছে। এই পার্থক্যের মাত্রাটা আমাদের কাছে যথাযথ সংজ্ঞায়িত নয়।

বাই ডিফল্ট সম্পর্কের বাইরে আর একজন মানুষের সাথে সম্পর্ক তৈরী হলে তাকে যে যথাযথ নামকরণের প্রাতিষ্ঠানিকতার মধ্য দিয়ে যেতেই হবে সেটা আমাদের মজ্জাগত ব্যাধি বলে আমার মনে হয়। এই মজ্জাগত ব্যাধি সারানোর জন্য অযান্ত্রিক ছবিটিকে আমরা একটা অলটার্নেটিভ্‌ মেডিসিন হিসাবে দেখতে পারি। অযান্ত্রিকের বিমল (ড্রাইভার) এবং জগদ্দল (১৯২০ সালের chevrolet car)-এর যা সম্পর্ক তা দর্শকের কাছে কোন প্রাতিষ্ঠানিক সম্পর্কের ছাঁচ হিসাবে ধরা দেয় না। কিন্তু সম্পর্কের চিত্র অত্যন্ত স্পষ্ট এবং গাঢ়। জগদ্দল বিমলের কাছে কখনও বন্ধু, কখনও প্রেমিকা, কখনও স্ত্রী, কখনও কেবল একটা গাড়ি, আবার কখনও একটা বলিষ্ঠ পুরুষও বটে। আমি যতবার অযান্ত্রিক দেখেছি ততবার অভ্যেস বশত প্রাতিষ্ঠানিকতা দিয়ে ছবিটিকে ডিকোড করতে গিয়ে হোঁচট খেয়েছি। অবাক হয়েছি, বিরক্ত হয়েছি, নতুন করে ভালবেসেছি। আমি কোন মনোবিজ্ঞানী নয় যে সম্পর্কের খুঁটি-নাটি বিষয় বিশ্লেষন করতে পারব। তবে কিছু সাইন (চিহ্ন), সিম্বল (প্রতীক)-কে ডিকোড করার মধ্য দিয়ে বিষয়টিকে নিজের মতো করে বোঝার চেষ্টা করব।

Preview of movie Ajantrik

যখন আমরা প্রথমবার বিমল এবং জগদ্দলকে একসঙ্গে দেখি রেল ষ্টেশনের ট্যাক্সি স্ট্যান্ডের বাইরে, হবু বর এবং তার মামার সাথে খারাপ রাস্তার জন্য স্ট্যান্ডে দাঁড়ানো কোন গাড়ি যে পথে যেতে চায় নি, বিমল জগদ্দলকে নিয়ে যেতে রাজী হয় এককথায়। জগদ্দলের যান্ত্রিক অবস্থা যতটাই দুর্বল বিমলের জগদ্দলের উপর আস্থা ততটাই প্রগাঢ়। আস্থা শুধু নয়, বিমল জগদ্দলের প্রতি যত্নশীলও বটে। স্ট্যান্ডে গাড়ি এসে দাঁড়ানোর পর আমরা দেখি বিমল ব্যাক সিটের দরজা খুলে একবার ভিতরটা দেখে নেয় এবং প্যাসেঞ্জারদের লাগেজ নিয়ে গাড়িতে তোলার ব্যবস্থা করে। এরপর ঐ ব্যাক সিটের দরজায় যে প্যাসেঞ্জারই হাত দিয়েছেন দরজটা খুলে হাতে চলে এসেছে। এ থেকেই বোঝা যায়, জগদ্দলকে বিমল যেন সন্তান স্নেহে পরিচর্যা করেছে। এই স্নেহের আর একটা উদাহরণ আমরা দেখতে পাই একটু পরেই। এই ট্রিপটি শেষ করে ফেরার পথে আমরা দেখি, বিমল হাইওয়েতে গতি কমিয়ে দাঁড়ায় কারণ জগদ্দলের ইঞ্জিন থেকে শব্দ হতে থাকে। এখানে পরিচালক কাট অ্যাওয়ে যোগ করেন, সেখানে দেখা যায় একটি বাছুর মায়ের কাছে দুধ খাচ্ছে পরম স্নেহে। এ যেন পরম তৃষ্ণা নিবারন করছে। তারপর একই শটে আমরা বিমল, জগদ্দলে এবং গরু-বাছুরকে দেখতে পাই। তারপরের শটে কেবলমাত্র বিমল ও জগদ্দলকে দেখা যায়, যেখানে উদ্বিগ্ন বিমল স্নেহার্ত গলায় বলে ওঠে “ভারী তেষ্টা পেয়েছে বলে ছট-ফট করছিস, দাঁড়া বাবা, দাঁড়া।” এই সংলাপ একজন পিতৃস্থানীয় মানুষ তার সন্তানের জন্য বলতে পারেন। ঠিক তার পরবর্তী দৃশ্যে জগদ্দলকে জল খাওয়ানোর পর প্রাণ খুলে বেসুরো গান গাইতে শুরু করে বিমল। সেই সুরে বিরক্ত হয়ে যেন বন্ধুর মতো মাথায় চাঁটি মারে জগদ্দল। চাঁটি কখনও এক সন্তানের পক্ষে তার পিতাকে মারা সম্ভব নয়। বিষয়টা বুঝতে পেরে জগদ্দলর হেডলাইটস্‌ (প্রকারান্তরে ওর চোখ) ঢেকে দেয় বিমল।

এরপরের দৃশ্য সম্পর্কে সমীকরণটা আমার কাছে আর একটু জটিলতার মধ্য দিয়ে নিয়ে যাওয়া সরল অঙ্কের মতো লেগেছে। এই দৃশ্যের শুরু হয় এমন একটা ভাবের সঞ্চালনার মধ্য দিয়ে যেন মনে হয় জগদ্দলকে স্নান করিয়ে দিচ্ছে বিমল। আমরা যেহেতু বিমলের পিতৃভাব লক্ষ্য করেছি, তাই এই দৃশ্য খুবই সরল ও সহজাত হয়ে ধরা দেয় আমাদের কাছে। কিন্তু খানিক বাদে যখন বিমল বলে, “এবার একটা বড় বুকিং পেলে তোর রেক্সিনটা বদলে দেব” – সেই বাচন ভঙ্গি যেন কোন পিতা তার সন্তানের প্রতি হতে পারে না, এই বাচন ভঙ্গি পরিবারের দুই প্রধানের। এই সংলাপ দিয়ে যেন এর পরবর্তী ভাবনার প্রতি শীলমোহর বসিয়ে দিতে চেয়েছেন পরিচালক। স্ট্যান্ডের দু’জন ড্রাইভারের আবির্ভাব হয় এই দৃশ্যে এবং তারা জগদ্দল ও বিমলকে নিয়ে মশকরা করতে থাকে। বিমল উত্তর দিয়ে বুঝিয়ে দিতে যায়, অন্যের ঘরের অভ্যন্তরীণ বিষয়ে যেন কেউ কথা না বলে। উত্তরে পাঞ্জাবী ড্রাইভারটি বলেন, “এই কারটি কি তোমার ঘরের বউ?” বিমল প্রচন্ড রেগে যায়, ঠিক যেমন বাড়ির বউকে নিয়ে কেউ কটূক্তি করলে মানুষ রেগে যান। তারপরের দৃশ্যে আমরা সম্পর্কের আর একটা আঙ্গিক দেখতে পাই, যেখানে বিমল জগদ্দলকে নিয়ে একটি ছবি তুলতে যায়। বিমলের সঙ্গে আমাদের পরিচয় হয় একজন রুক্ষ, বিক্ষুব্ধ, শ্রমিক শ্রেণীর মানুষ হিসাবে, যদিও গাড়িটির মালিক তিনি নিজেই। তবুও এই দৃশ্যে বিমলকে portray করা হয় বাঙালীবাবু এবং জামাই রূপে। কোঁচা করা ধুতি, ইস্ত্রি করা পাঞ্জাবী, পাট করে আঁচড়ান চুল এবং বিমলের সলজ্জ আবির্ভাব যেন ফোটোগ্র্যাফারকে বলে, “আমাদের একটা ছবি তুলে দেবে?” –  এ যেন প্রেমিকের সঙ্গে স্মৃতিচিহ্ন হিসাবে তুলে রাখা এক ছবি। এরপরের দৃশ্য থেকে ছবিটির সম্পর্কের মাত্রার অঙ্ক যেন গুলিয়ে যেতে থাকে। কিন্তু এই গুলিয়ে যাওয়া যেন ভীষণ সহজ। এই গুলিয়ে ফেলার আনন্দ যেন মনকে গুলিয়ে ফেলার আনন্দে আচ্ছন্ন করতে চায়। শহর থেকে আসা এক যুগলের বুকিং বিমলের এই ছবি তোলার প্ল্যান পোস্টপোন করে দেয়। বিশেষ করে শহুরে রমনীর অবস্থান যেন অবশ করে দেয় রাফ অ্যান্ড টাফ বিমলকে। জগদ্দলকে তাচ্ছিল্য করে মেয়েটি হেসেছিল। সেই হাসি যখন ভিউয়িং গ্লাসে দেখা যায় তখন বিমলের রাগের প্রতিফলনে মুগ্ধ হওয়ার এক্সপ্রেশন দেখতে পাওয়া যায়। এরপর যা ঘটে তার জন্য গাড়ির ভিতরের ছোট ছেলেটি শুধু নয়, স্বয়ং জগদ্দলও প্রস্তুত ছিল না। মেয়েটি গাড়িটিকে “ছাতার গাড়ি” বলে অপমান করে। বিমল কথাটাকে না শোনার ভান করে। এই সুন্দরের প্রতি বিমলের আবিষ্ট হয়ে পড়া দর্শক প্রতিটা শটে লক্ষ্য করে। কিন্তু এই আকর্ষণ জগদ্দলও ভাল চোখে মেনে নেয় না, ঠিক যেমন পর
স্ত্রী-র সঙ্গে সহবস্থান মেনে নেয় না কোন মহিলা, সেই ভাবে ডাকবাংলোর বাইরে কাজল গুপ্ত (মহিলা)-কে হেডলাইট (চোখ দেখিয়ে) নজর রাখার ভঙ্গিতে দেখে নেয় জগদ্দল।

Ajantrik movie scene

এরপর গন্তব্যে পৌঁছে বিমল যখন গাড়ির ট্যাঙ্কের নজল্‌ খোলে তা থেকে যেভাবে ধোঁয়া বেরোয় তাতে জগদ্দলের রাগের পরিমাণের একটা আন্দাজ করা যায়। বিমলের কিছু জেস্‌চার বা ভঙ্গি বোঝায় যে জগদ্দলের এই মানসিক অবস্থা বিমলের অজানা নয়। বর্তমান অবস্থা যেন জগদ্দলের চোখে চোখ রেখে দেখতেও অসুবিধা তৈরী করে। পরবর্তীতে মেয়েটিকে ঊদ্ধার করে ট্রেনে তুলে দেওয়ার দৃশ্যে প্রত্যেকটা কাজ যে অনিচ্ছার তীব্র বহিঃপ্রকাশ সেটা স্পষ্ট। এখানে সম্পর্ক, সামাজিকতা এবং প্রাতিষ্ঠানিকতার সাথে দ্বন্দ এবং সবটুকু গুলিয়ে যাওয়া ও না গুলিয়ে যাওয়ার মুন্সিয়ানা দেখিয়েছেন পরিচালক ঋত্বিক কুমার ঘটক। মেয়েটিকে বাড়ি ফেরানোর জন্য টিকিট কাটা থেকে শুরু করে যে যে কাজ বিমল করেছে তীব্র ভাবে তার বিপরীত মুখী একটা স্রোত মেয়েটিকে না যেতে দেওয়ার একটা ইচ্ছা কাজ করে চলেছে সমান্তরাল ভাবে। এই সময় বিমল ও মেয়েটির মাঝে জগদ্দলের উপস্থিতি নেই। এখানে ইঞ্জিন, ট্রেন, কেবল মাত্র যন্ত্র, বিমল ভীষণ ভাবে একজন মানুষ, আর তার উদ্বেগ ভীষণ ভাবে অন্য একজন মানুষের জন্য। এখানে একটা সহজ প্রশ্ন প্রচন্ড অস্বস্তি সৃষ্টি করে। মেয়েটিকে কেন যেতে দিতে চাইছে না বিমল? মেয়েটি কি ওর প্রেমিকা? কি করে প্রেমিকা হয়? যুগল হিসাবেই তো তাকে প্রথমবার গাড়িতে তুলেছিল বিমল। কেন বিবাহিতা নারীকে ভাল লাগতে নেই? মন যখন সৃষ্টি হয়েছিল বিবাহ নাম প্রতিষ্ঠান কি তার আগেই প্ল্যান করা হয়েছিল? মন কি তার সহজাত প্রবৃত্তি জাত বোধে কাউকে ভাল লাগার আগে প্রাতিষ্ঠানিক আইনের সবক’টা পর্যায় মিলিয়ে নেয়? বা সেটা কি আদৌ সম্ভব? আপাত দৃষ্টিতে কোন অধিকারে বিমল মেয়েটিকে যেতে দেবে না? অপর দৃষ্টিতে বিমলেরও তাকে ভাল লেগেছে। এতটাই জোরালো ভাবে ভাল লেগেছে যে জগদ্দলের অপমানও অদেখা করে দেয় বিমল। এমন কি কাছে রাখতে চাওয়ার ইচ্ছা ‘তাকে আমার ভাল লেগেছে’ এই বোধটাই বুঝি সবটুকু। এরজন্য সবসময় আইনের পথ ধরে চলতে হয় না। কিন্তু সমাজ আমাদের আইনের পথ ধরে চলতে বাধ্য করে। ‘এটাই নিয়ম’ বলে আমাদের বেঁচে থাকার ইচ্ছাকে স্ব-হস্তে বলি দিয়ে আমরা সমাজ কর্তৃক নির্ধারিত নিয়মের কারাগারে স্বেছায় আবদ্ধ হয়ে বেঁচে থাকি। মেয়েটি চলে যেতেই ক’দিনের শূন্যতা, তারপর বিমল আবার জগদ্দলময় হয়ে পড়ে।

Recommended read: Movie review of Bulbbul – A fantasy horror story set with a Bengali backdrop

সম্পর্ক সংক্রান্ত আরও কয়েকটি কথা বলে এই লেখেটা শেষ করতে চাই। মন্দিরের গেটে যখন পুরোহিতের কাছে ফুল না নিয়ে ফিরে আসতে চায় বিমল, সেই মুহূর্তে পুরোহিত বলে “এই ফুল নিলে সন্তানের মঙ্গল হবে”। বিমল তারপর দাঁড়িয়ে যায় এবং ফুল সংগ্রহ করে। তারপর ফিরে এসে বুক আগলে যেভাবে কাদা, ঢিল থেকে জগদ্দলকে রক্ষা করে তখন মনে হয় লায়লার পাথর খাওয়া তার মজনুর জন্যে। যখন ছোট ছেলেটির সঙ্গে কথোপকথনের মধ্যে দিয়ে জগদ্দলের একজ়িস্ট্যান্সকে এক্সপ্লেইন করে বিমল তখন সে বলে বাজারের এই অবস্থাতেও জগদ্দল কোনমতে দু’টো টাকা তার হাতে এনে দেয়। আর জগদ্দল কোনমতে প্রেমিক-প্রেমিকা নয়। সম্পর্কের আর একটি দিক খুলে যায়।

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Bonphool – The purest honey from the Sundarbans Forest Co-Operative Apiary https://kolkatafusion.com/bonphool-the-purest-honey-from-the-sundarbans-forest-co-operative-apiary/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bonphool-the-purest-honey-from-the-sundarbans-forest-co-operative-apiary https://kolkatafusion.com/bonphool-the-purest-honey-from-the-sundarbans-forest-co-operative-apiary/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2020 06:20:55 +0000 http://kolkatafusion.com/?p=2657 Known as the world’s largest mangrove, the Sunderbans had been the ground of Man-Tiger conflict for ages. Though the local people of the Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve revere the fierce Royal Bengal Tigers as the protectors of the place, they can’t deny that they might get killed by the tigers, snakes or the crocodiles while collecting forest products like honey from the wild beehives. This uncertainty …

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Known as the world’s largest mangrove, the Sunderbans had been the ground of Man-Tiger conflict for ages. Though the local people of the Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve revere the fierce Royal Bengal Tigers as the protectors of the place, they can’t deny that they might get killed by the tigers, snakes or the crocodiles while collecting forest products like honey from the wild beehives. This uncertainty is the reason for the Sunderbans Honey being called as ‘Blood Honey’.

Sunderbans honey
P.C.: Wikimedia Commons

The West Bengal Forest Department at Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve had been taking initiatives to control the Man-Tiger conflict for long. Their newest initiative of curtailing the man-tiger conflict is to form a co-operative apiary under the aegis of Kultali Sundarban Banaraksha Bahumukhi Samabay Ltd. and produce natural, unadulterated, chemical-free honey – Bonphool. The initiative has started taking on its wings as the demand started increasing because of the natural immunity boosting property of the honey.

In this apiary, the same people who were at peril from the attacks of wild animals or natural disasters are being employed. This initiative will bring a positive change by reducing the number of widows’ villages in the Sunderbans. We can also participate in this noble cause by buying the pure, paraffin-free, bottled honey. The money collected from the sales goes directly to the villagers employed in the Co-operative apiary.

Honey collection _ Sunderbans
P.C.: worldwildlife.org

A Kolkata-based NGO, the Wish Foundation (We Initiate Socio-ecological Harmony Foundation), had initially shouldered the responsibility of promotion and marketing of Sunderbans’ Bonphool Honey, produced by Kultali Sundarbanaraksha Bahumukhi Samabay Ltd., the co-operative which was set up by the West Bengal Forest Department. Although now, organic Bonphool Honey is available online on Amazon. The bottles are available in two sizes, – 500 gms and 250 gms respectively. If you want to buy their pure honey click on the following link.

Buy Bonphool Natural Mangrove Honey, 250 Grams

A quick tip to differentiate between pure and adulterated honey.

A few days ago, news exposed that some well known big brands selling honey are using Chinese sugar syrup while making honey. So, how will you know which one is adulterated honey and which is not? The pure honey is generally not thick, it’s watery in consistency and not very sweet. Once you taste Sunderbans Bonphool Honey you will know the difference for sure.

We may earn a small commission if you purchase Bonphool Honey via our website. Your purchase helps support us work in bringing you informative and fun-filled articles. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.

The post Bonphool – The purest honey from the Sundarbans Forest Co-Operative Apiary appeared first on KolkataFusion.

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