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

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 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

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.

The post Tribute to lesser-known Children’s Writer – Subhadra Sengupta appeared first on KolkataFusion.

A few months ago, an event was organized in the school where I work, wherein the students had to submit a rangoli design made on a piece of paper. Here in Bangalore, the pan-India background of the students is quite obvious. I was intrigued to see the regional touches in the Rangoli designs submitted.

Rangoli in West Bengal

In this pandemonium, my mind often races back to the happier times- to those of my childhood days.

As a young girl, I remember, the night prior to the Saraswati Puja, I was made to study for a couple of hours extra as the books would be resting at the deity’s feet for the next two days.

So, right after dinner, my mother would tuck her pallu in her waist and make me a loose batter made up of ‘Atop chaal’ ( refined rice)  and water. She would then give me a piece of clean cloth, and with a twinkle in her eyes, she would say, “Go, now make something beautiful!” I would then sit and make the rangoli (or “Alpona,” as we call it in Bengali). Often this would continue till midnight. I would be accompanied by my Thamma, who would lie on the cot right next to me and narrate the stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata while I worked. Amidst the quietness of the night, she hummed through and the room would turn into a magical place with her vivid descriptions.

Also Read: The scroll painters of Naya – the village of myths and lores

Rangoli in South India

A few years later, when I was in college, I happened to visit Kerala and Kanyakumari for college excursions. The train was late, we reached the hotel at the crack of dawn. While on the way to the hotel, my curiosity was aroused again when I noticed ladies making rangolis at their thresholds. It was not wet; on the contrary, they were using some kind of a white powder. The rangolis looked very different too. There were no floral patterns, but an intricate pattern of dots and lines. The receptionist later explained that these were traditionally called Kolam in Tamil Nadu and Muggulu Rangoli in Andhra Pradesh. Rice flour was used to make these so that the ants and the birds didn’t have to go elsewhere looking for food. I was fascinated!

Kolams are still made at the thresholds of houses after the floor is wet wiped. In rural areas, much like that in Bengal, the floor is first smeared with cowdung. It is believed to have antiseptic properties.

Across India, special occasions are celebrated by laying down beautiful and colourful rangolis. In Bengal, we call it Alpona. It is called Aripana in Bihar, Kolam in Tamil Nadu, Muggulu rangoli in Andhra, Chouk Purna in Chattisgarh, Joti in Odhisha and so on.

But how did it all start?

To assign this practice to the recent past would be an anachronism. There are myriad stories and anecdotes to support the creation of such rangolis.

Thamma once told me that the first Rangoli ever was made by Lopamudra, the wife of Agastya Muni. She wanted to help her husband in his daily rituals and decided to decorate the Yajnakunda. So, she invoked all the five elements from nature and, therefore, derived red colour from the fire, white from the wind, black from the soil, green from the water and blue from the sky. That’s how the first-ever rangoli was created.

One more story from Mithila, Bihar, mentions that King Dhrupad was ecstatic when Ram wed Sita and commanded the royal servants to decorate the whole palace with ‘Aripanas.’

Another story from Southern India mentions how the Gopis drew kolams to drown their sorrows when Lord Krishna left Vrindavan.

Some of the common motifs used in such rangolis are also very riveting. Considering the fact that during ancient times, the means of communication were very limited. Yet, there were many similarities in the Vedic symbols used in the designs pan India.

Such designs became absorbed into tribal households as well. One could find evidence of these symbols on the walls of the mud houses in many tribal villages across the country as well.

The practice of drawing threshold rangolis resonates with the idea of “Vasudaiva Kutumbakam”- the entire universe is a single family. The designs are primarily symmetrical, which portrays the idea of Shiva and Shakti and idealizes universal balance. Rangolis are made to drive away evil spirits and channelize positive energy to promote a sense of unity and peace.

I genuinely feel that we all should realize the significance of these traditional practices. And arise from “me and you” to “us.”

Trivia

In several Asian cultures, we find a prevalent spiritual symbol called ‘Mandala.’ It is also found in several monasteries in Sikkim. Mandala directly translates in Sanskrit to a round object. It is believed that as one progresses from the outer core of the mandala towards the centre, all his sufferings transform into joy.

About Ria S. Mazumdar

Based in Bangalore, Ria is an educator by profession, artist and singer by passion. A true Bong at heart- that kind of a person who would choose fuchka over panipuri, polau over biryani and ‘mamlet’ over “omlette”!

The post History and Significance of Rangoli appeared first on KolkataFusion.

একটা ছোট কামরা । না রেলগাড়ির কামরা নয় ।এটা বড়ো মাপের একটা ঘরের অংশ ।ঘরটার মাঝে একটা দেয়াল দিয়ে বারো আনা আর চার আনা দুটি অংশে ভাগ করা । আমরা চার আনার অংশটা কে কামরা বলছি । ঘরটাকে এইভাবে ভাগ করার কারণ, বারো আনার ঘরটাকে ভাড়া দেওয়া । ভাড়া খুবই কম ।তবে ভাড়ার অর্থ মালিকের একটি আয়ের উৎস।

ঘরের মালিক লোকটার বয়স প্রায় ছাব্বিশ । রোগা রোগা হাত পা । মুখটা  শীর্ণ । পকেটে থাকা ওয়ালেটের অবস্থা আরো করুন । চার আনার কামরার সিলিংএর কিছুটা চোকলা উঠে গেছে । ঘরের কোনের বেসিনের পাইপ এ  কিছু সমস্যা আছে । জল পড়ছে টপ-টপ করে । শব্দও হচ্ছে ।

লোকটা পাঁচ তারা হোটেলে বেহালা বাজায় । ছ’ বছরের হতাশা ওর মুখে জুটিয়েছে লম্বাটে সিগেরেট । আর যৌবন পরিণত হয়েছে সিগেরেটের ছাই তে । ক্যালেন্ডারের ক্রুশবিদ্ধ যীশুর মতো সেও আটকে পড়েছে । রোজ রোজ হোটেলে সস্তা হিন্দি সুর বাজাতে বাজাতে হাঁফিয়ে গেছে  ও । এ যেন এক চক্রব্যূহ , সাজানো হয়েছে  তাকে ঘিরে । স্বপ্নের কাছে পরাজয় অবশ্য তার গা-সওয়া হয়ে গেছে । গা-সওয়া হয়ে গেছে  এই আলো-আঁধারি নির্বাসন ।

To read more interesting Bengali articles, click

লোকটা ঘরে বসে কিছু একটা পড়ছে । অবশ্য কাছে থেকে লক্ষ্য করলে দেখা যাবে যে ওই  ‘কিছু ‘ টা উল্টো করে ধরা আর চোখের দৃষ্টি শূণ্য । অর্থাৎ আমাদের শিল্পী মশাই কিছু ভাবছেন ।

কাগজের ঠান্ডা বিজ্ঞাপন শিল্প-সত্ত্বায় উষ্ণতা এনেছে। বিজ্ঞাপনটা একটা প্রতিযোগিতার ।  লোকটা তড়াক করে লাফিয়ে উঠেছিল বিজ্ঞাপনটা দেখে । এতে একটা সংগীত -প্রতিষ্ঠান একটা বেহালা বাজানোর প্রতিযোগিতার প্রচার করেছে । এতে যেকোনো ব্যাক্তি প্রতিষ্ঠানের নিজস্ব রেকর্ডিং ষ্টুডিওতে নিজের সৃষ্টি করা বেহালার সুরের রেকর্ডিং করতে পারবে । তাও নাম মাত্র মূল্যে। পরে সেই রেকর্ডিং করা কপি জমা দেওয়া যাবে সেই প্রতিষ্ঠানে ।

বেহালা থেকে বিমর্ষতার সুর ধ্বনিত হয় । কিছু দিনের মধ্যেই সে রেকর্ডিং স্টুডিওর সঙ্গে যোগাযোগ করলো । আরো কিছু দিনের মধ্যেই সুরের প্রাথমিক পর্যায় তৈরী হয়ে গেলো । এরপর কিছু এডিট ও ফিল্টার  করে সে তার বেহালার সুরের কপি জমা দিয়ে দেয় প্রতিষ্ঠানটিতে ।

আস্তে আস্তে ফলপ্রকাশের দিন চলে আসে। শিল্পী মশাই মনে মনে বেশ উত্তেজিত। এই কয়েকদিনে তার শারীরিক ও মানসিক  অবস্থার বেশ পরিবর্তন এসেছে ।পাঁচতারা হোটেলে বাজনা বাজাতে যায়নি সে প্রায় দু সপ্তাহ । সিগেরেট খাওয়ায় নিয়ন্ত্রণ আনতে হয়েছে । গলায় খুব যন্ত্রনা আর ঘড়ঘড়ে কাশি , তার কণ্ঠরোধ করছে ।

জীবনে প্রথমবার ট্যাক্সি ডেকে শিল্পী মশাই চললেন সংগীত প্রতিষ্ঠানে । অডিটোরিয়ামে বেশ কিছুক্ষন বিভিন্ন বক্তার বক্তৃতার পর, ফলাফল ঘোষণা শুরু হয় । বক্তৃতা শোনার মতো অবস্থা তার ছিলোনা । চোখ ঘোলাটে হয়ে আসছিলো । গলায় অসম্ভব জ্বালা করছিলো । ফলাফল ঘোষণার সময় প্রথমেই নিজের নাম শুনে কোনো মতে মঞ্চে ওঠে । প্রতিষ্ঠানের সম্পাদক তার হাতে পদকটা তুলে দেওয়ার প্রায় সঙ্গে সঙ্গেই ধড়াস করে মঞ্চে পড়ে  যায় ।  একটু হুড়োহুড়ি । একটু হইচই। তখন শিল্পী মশাই এর চোখে জল । কিন্তু মুখে হাসি । কিছুক্ষনের মধ্যেই ডাক্তার আসেন । হাতে পালস পান না ।  আর হ্যাঁ, চার আনার ছোটো কামরার বেসিনের পাইপ থেকে জল পড়ার টপ-টপ  শব্দ আর কোনো দিনও পাওয়া যায় নি ।

About Sarasij Basu Mallick

Sarasij comes from Sheakhala, a small town in the Hooghly district. He is a Mathematics geek studying at Serampore College.
Books have always fascinated him from his early childhood and they drive him to ‘think’ differently. In his words, “Yes any form of art requires thinking. But, while writing, I have to realize that thinking is not the key to good stories. Good stories go much beyond writing – It needs to explore culture – politics – history and much more! I try to encapsulate some of my thought through my writings. And, I have an irrefragable idea that one day my pen will help me to explore myself.”

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

The post চার আনার কামরা appeared first on KolkataFusion.

Though Earth’s age is more than 4.5 billion years, we started celebrating its birthday just a few decades back. It was a conscientious effort to make the inhabitants of this Earth, that’s us, aware about her natural bounty and beauty. The Earth Day pledges to keep the planet beautiful, as it was, when it was formed.

Before we share the poem, a brief history

US Senator from Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson with 20 million American families had first celebrated Earth Day on April 22, 1970. They took to the streets to raise environmental awareness among people. In 2016, the event got acceptance by many other countries and it’s a world event celebrated on April 22, every year.

Earth Day 2021 Theme

The theme of Earth Day 2021 is Restore Our Earth. The focus is primarily on examining natural processes, finding out new green technologies and innovative ways to restore the world’s ecosystems

To know more, read Forbes’ article.

Happy Earth Day

-Diptanu Chakraborty

Click for more article by our Kid bloggers.

The post Happy Earth Day 2021 appeared first on KolkataFusion.

-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?

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

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 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 

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

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       

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.

The post Internet of Things Application on Arduino Projects appeared first on KolkataFusion.

Creativity thrives when it openly welcomes novel ideas and encourages growth through constant debates and discussions of the higher-order.

This section is for our guests, our readers, who want to share their personal experiences, stories or events related to Bengalis, Kolkata, and Bengal with all of us. The write-ups can be on Bengali culture, fashion, lifestyle, food, Adda and travel. Send in your entries with corresponding images (should ideally be of high quality) that adds value to your words, and we will publish them with your name. Please don’t forget to add your brief bio along with your blog link or youtube link, along with the article. 

Once you publish more than 2 blogs with us, you can be assigned individual login credentials, and then you will be free to update your expressions on the Guest Posts section of KolkataFusion, using the same.

We will also be more than happy to share your words, paintings, sketches, photographs – in short anything that captures the essence of life, particularly life in Bengal or a Bengali life anywhere on this earth.

Let’s brew in some stories together. Your collaborations are our prized possessions.

The post Welcome_Guest Bloggers appeared first on KolkataFusion.

There was a dark graveyard in the jungle. It was so silent. No one visited there. Three children went hiking. There were two girls and one boy. They saw the graveyard. They could hear wolves howling at a distance. ‘’Ooooo.”

Mary: “That’s such a scary grayeyard.”

Browdie: “I am so scared that I am shivering”.

Bob: “I don’t believe in ghosts! Let’s discover the graveyard. This is going to be a mission.”

They all went to the graveyard silently. They walked slowly.

Mary: “Is this a ghost jungle?”

Browdie:  “I am so scared that I am shivering”.

Bob: “Come on! Lets go ahead.”

Mary and Browdie both said, “Best of luck to you Bob! We are leaving, but you can go ahead.”

Bob: “I am not going alone. We are all friends. Hold my hands! Together we will discover this graveyard.”

Mary and Browdie – “Okay Bob. Three of us will go ahead.”

They started exploring the graveyard.

Suddenly they saw a skeleton and got very scared. Mary screamed loudly. Her voice echoed through the entire graveyard. And suddenly behind them they saw a ghost moving.

Mary: “I was correct. This graveyard is a ghost Jungle. It’s a haunted jungle.”

Then they again heard the wolf howl and turned round and saw the wolf standing on a tombstone.

Also Read: The Dragon went to the toilet

Bob pulled his sleeve and went to fight with the wolf. Bob had got a firecracker that could scare the wolf. The wolf charged towards them.

Bob: “Don’t fear when Bob is here!”

Bob threw the firecracker at the wolf. It bursted and the wolf went flying high up and fell down. The wolf was in pain and was crying in pain.

Mary: “Poor wolf! I will put bandages on you and you will heal.”

Suddenly the wolf started talking. “ Thank you soo much Mary !. But this is hurting so much. Let me open my costume and you can put medicines.”

Mary looked inside the costume and shouted, “ Bertie !! What are you doing here? You are the Wolf!!”

Bob: “Bertie! I thought it’s a real wolf.”

Browdie: “You gave us a shock. You made a fool of us. Serves you right, you tried to fool us”

Mary: “Enough of this. Bertie is in pain. We have to give him medicines.”

Bertie: “Thank you, the medicines made me feel better. I made my own ‘Graveyard Theme Park’ and planned to have fun with you all. It was just for fun and not for attacking.”

Browdie: “Sorry Bertie! We thought you are a wolf. Were the ghosts also false?”

Bertie: “Yesss!! They were all holograms and the wolf howling was from a speaker.”

Bob: “So this haunted graveyard was a prank?”

Bertie: “Okay now let’s start the party!”

About Diptanu Chakraborty

Diptanu Chakraborty, is only 10 now but if you go through his stories you cannot predict his age anyways! Currently studying at standard 5 at The Cambridge School this little storyteller started his journey when he was only 4.5 yrs and his mum was the sole listener to his 4 line stories. He is fascinated with dragons,dinosaurs, volcanoes, trains and interprets the world in his own creative way with vivid descriptions. Seeing the usual stuffs in an unusual way~  may be the most  important virtue of any writer and Diptanu is blessed with it. He also tends to bring in elements he is scared of like lightning,cockroach,aeroplanes and deals with them in a fun manner in his stories. And, if you have ever known that High Functioning Autistic children have communication problem then his stories will make you rethink!
So, let’s explore Diptanu’s world of imagination!

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.

The post The Ghost in the Graveyard appeared first on KolkataFusion.

Animals always excite me. I love all animals. That was the reason my parents decided to take me on a safari tour to Madhya Pradesh.

One fine morning we reached Nagpur by train. From Nagpur, we took a cab to Pench National Park. The resort was just near the entrance gate of the Pench National Park. There were different types of trees everywhere. I was thrilled.

The next morning, at dawn, we started for our safari. A jeep was waiting for us at the resort gate.

Related: A weekend destination near Kolkata – Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary, Odisha (Part 1)

I was very excited. As we entered the national park, first, we saw many langurs eating leaves of trees and jumping from one tree to another. There were many spotted deers too. I also saw a few jackals, sambars and a barking deer. The most surprising and exciting part was when we spotted the tigress “Collarwali” just after entering the park. I think I was very lucky. I saw thousands of deers. The guide uncle told us that the deers and the langurs are friends. They help each other by supplying food and warning when the tigers approach.

The animal that thrilled me the most was a spider. The spider’s size, I think, was that of a sparrow. I saw many birds like Black Drongo, White-throated Kingfisher, Indian Scops Owls, Indian Roller, Peacocks, Parakeets, Orioles, Oriental Magpie Robin, Common Hoopoe and Cormorants. Definitely, this safari was amazing.

From Pench, we went to the Kanha National Park. In the Kanha National Park, we saw a Sambar running fast. It was so quick that my father could not take a picture of it. I think it got scared by the roaring of our jeep. I saw a barking deer eating grass quietly. Oh! I saw a few Barasinghas. They had magnificent antlers.

Related: A weekend destination near Kolkata – Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary, Odisha (Part 2)

From Kanha, we further went to Bandhavgarh. The vegetation in Bandhavgarh was much different. Here it was mostly grassland and the area was hilly. On this safari, I saw very few animals. I saw a herd of bisons and very beautiful butterflies. I saw a huge statue of Lord Vishnu in a sleeping position. The statue was so big that my mother was unable to take a proper picture of it. I also saw a horse stable used by kings on our way to the statue of Vishnu.

The day before our safari in Bandhavgarh, we went to visit the Palace of Maharaja of Rewa. I saw a stuffed tiger and tigress shot by the Maharaja. The armour of Maharaja was on display. We were allowed to lift the guns, swords and spears used by the Maharajas. I took a spear, which was much lighter than the gun used for hunting. The gun was so so heavy that my mother could not carry it even for a minute. Well, for me, I could not hold it without help more than a second. I cannot imagine how Kings hunted for hours with it.

The safaris in Madhya Pradesh were blissful and I loved doing them. And I also dream of doing more in the future.

About Edaan Ghosh

Edaan is an 8-year-old kid. Stays in Kolkata with his parents. An avid travel enthusiast. Already travelled to Ladakh, Lahaul Spiti, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and loves to be to Goa. Loves to play with dinosaurs and has a strong belief that dinosaurs will surely return to Earth once again. Also a voracious reader. Favourite author is Roald Dahl.

The post MY FIRST JUNGLE SAFARI EXPERIENCE appeared first on KolkataFusion.

Guest Post

বহু বছর পর এবার পুজোতে বাড়ি মানে বেলুনগ্রামে যেতে পারিনি।ভীষণ খারাপ লাগছিল।যদিও ভাই এর অকাল প্রয়াণে পুজোয় গ্রামের বাড়ি যাওয়ার আগের সে আনন্দ, সে আবেগ সে আকুলতা আজ আর আসে না।বড় ফাঁকা লাগে ।

গ্রামে যেতে না পারাতে  আমার বৌয়ের কয়েকশো কান্নাকাটি হয়ে গেল।প্যাণ্ডেল ঘুরে পুজো দেখার অভ্যেস আমার নেই।তারপর মৌসুমীর শিরদাঁড়ায় চোট।সব মিলিয়ে পূজো প্রায় ঘরে বসে কাটলো।

“সপ্তমি অষ্টমী তিথি তুমি গত হয়ো না

কানছে রানি ধুলায় পড়ে প্রাণে বাঁচে না

বিজয়া দশমী তিথি তুমি গত হয়ো না

গৌরী গেল কৈলাসে সম্বৎসর আসবে না…….. ।”

For the lyrics of this song, read The legacy of the Bengali Agomoni Songs

ভাসানের পরে এই গানের টান ছোটো ভাই মারা যাওয়ার পর আগের মতো আর অনুভব না করলেও এই গানের চিরন্তন এক আকর্ষণ আছে যা আমাকে আজও টানে।ছোটো থেকে বাবা  কাকার গলায় এই ‘চিরন্তনী’ শুনে এসেছি।গৌরীর বিদায়ের গান।চারদিনের আনন্দ মুখর দিনগুলি কাটিয়ে আমাদেরও ফেরার গান।বৎসর কাল পরে গৌরী আবার আসবে এই আশা নিয়ে যে যার কর্মজীবনে ফিরে যাওয়ার গান।

প্রতিমা নিরঞ্জনের পর এটা ছিল আমাদের ঘরে ফেরার গান।সেই কোন কাল থেকে এক ভাবে চলে আসছে।ভাসান হয়ে গেলে কালীতলায় চলো।সেখানে কাঁচা হলুদ মুখে দেওয়া ও গেলা। কামড়ানো চলবে না।তারপর উপস্থিত গুরুজনদের সবাইকে প্রণাম করার ধূম।সমবয়সীদের সাথে কোলাকুলি।শেষে ঢাকের তালে তালে এই গান গাইতে গাইতে ভগবতী তলায় ফেরা।এই সেদিনও মনে হতো ভগবতীতলা যেন এখনি না আসে।গান যেন শেষ না হয়।গান শেষ হলে ভগবতীতলায় পৌঁছে গেলে মনে হতো সব শেষ।

বিভিন্ন সময় ছোটো কাকা, বাবা, লিচুকাকা ছিলেন সূত্র ধারক।মনপ্রাণ দিয়ে এই গানের বোল ধরতেন।তারা আজ আর কেউ নেই।
একবার প্রচণ্ড বৃষ্টিতে কালীতলা থেকে ভগবতী ঘর পর্য্যন্ত প্রচণ্ড কাদাময়। মামা, বড়দা, বাবুদা, বাবা, কাকারা সবাই একসঙ্গে গান গাইছে।হঠাৎ বাবুদা গেয়ে উঠলো “এই কানছে রানি কাদায় পড়ে প্রাণে বাঁচে না”। ধুলা হয়ে গেল কাদা। সে সব দিন কি ভোলার।সেই বুড়হ্যা কালীতলার ঘাট থেকে বোলপুকুরের পার দিয়ে, মিত্তি(মিত্র) তলার ভগবতী ঘর হয়ে,’মাহানঠাকরান আর দুর্গেশনন্দিনীর’ নাছ(পাশের রাস্তা) দিয়ে গাইতে গাইতে আমাদের ভগবতী তলায় পৌঁছাতাম।উর্দ্ধবাহু সে নৃত্য আর গান – এক অনাবিল আনন্দে মন ভরে উঠতো।সময়ের সঙ্গে সঙ্গে নানা ঘাত প্রতিঘাতে মনের দ্বার আজ রুদ্ধ। সেই আনন্দের অংশীদার আর হতে পারি না।

আমাদের প্রজন্মে হারু, আমার ছোটো ভাই অরূপ এক নিষ্ঠ সূত্র ধারক ছিল।গ্রামের আরো অনেকের সঙ্গে আমার খুড়তুতো মামাতো ভাইবোন – সব একসঙ্গে সূত্র বা বোল ধারকের সঙ্গে গাইতাম আর আনন্দে নাচতাম, করতালি দিতাম। ভগবতীতলায় এসে গান শেষ হলে শান্তি জল নেওয়ার হুড়োহুড়ি। ‘আমার পড়েনি আমার পড়েনি’, বলে চিৎকার ।পুরুত মশাই, বাবাদের তিনকড়ি জ্যাঠা, শেষে হাঁড়ি উল্টে এক মাথা জল ঢেলে দিতেন কারো কারো মাথায়। তিনকড়িদাদুর ছেলে তামুদা একই ভাবে আনন্দ রসিকতায় এই ধারাবাহিকতা আজও ধরে রেখেছে।শান্তি জল পর্ব শেষ হলে শুরু হতো দিদার কাছ থেকে নাড়কেল নাড়ু আর বাতাসার প্রসাদের জন্য হুড়োহুড়ি কাড়াকাড়ি -একবার পেলে হবে না।আবার চাই।প্রায় নারকেলবিহীন নাড়কেল নাড়ু আর ভাঙা বাতাসা-তাই নিয়ে কাড়াকাড়ি।তখন ওটাই আমাদের কাছে ছিল ‘মজামৃত’।

এরপর বাড়ির কালীতলায় প্রণাম সেরে বাড়ি ফেরা।মনটা একটা কি রকম দুঃখানন্দে ভরে উঠতো।বাড়ি ফিরে ধান-কলাই-সিঁদুর-টাকা-মাছ ছুঁয়ে গুরুজনদের প্রণাম করা। ঠাকুরদাদার ফটো দিয়ে প্রণাম শুরু হতো।
এই রীতি আজও চলে আসছে।আমার খুড়তুতো মেজদি, ভাষাদি, স্নেহ মায়া মমতা সব কিছু দিয়ে বাড়ির এই ট্রাডিশন ধরে রেখেছে।

The post স্মৃতির দুর্গাপুজো – ২০১৭ appeared first on KolkataFusion.

You asked me several times

The brand of my perfume, you

Even searched my jewelry box

And made a long face when all

Your suspicions went wrong like

A morn that couldn’t tell the day

You never believed me when

I said that jasmine is a mind-tree

It grows inside me, in my mind,

Loaded with floral fragrance

In my soul, it grows to live

I water the sapling every day

With wishes that soar above the

Uterine walls of this burnt house

I sing a lullaby every night,

To the tree born in my mind

I am a mother, ’tis my child

Though you tell me endlessly

that I am a childless woman

About Shyamasri Maji 

Shyamasri Maji is an Assistant Professor in English at Durgapur Women’s College (affiliated to Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol). Areas of her research interest include Diasporic Studies, Postcolonial literature and the Anglo-Indian community. Her articles have been published in international journals such as Antipodes, Indialogs, Doc On-Line, International Journal of Anglo-Indian Studies and Third World Thematics (Routledge). She writes short stories and poems in English, some of which have been published in Muse India (“The Nettle Leaves”), Six Seasons Review (“Maya’s Apartment”), Story Mirror (“The Birthday Party”), Setu (“Skin Poems”), Kolkata Fusion, Indian Periodical and Teesta Review.

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

The post Mind-Tree appeared first on KolkataFusion.