An Utopian Feel-good Story - Bangaliana in Bay Area

Transcription

Anjali 2012
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Anjali 2012
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Anjali 2012
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Anjali 2012
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Durga Puja Schedule
Oct 20th, Saturday Maha Shashti
Bodhon
Maha Shashti Puja 4 pm – 5 pm
Amantran o Adhibas – 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Oct 21st, Sunday Maha Saptami
Maha Saptami Puja – 9:30 am – 11:30 am
Pushpanjali – 11:30 am
Prasad Distribution - 12:30 pm - 1 pm
Bhog Distribution - 1 pm - 2:30 pm
Sandhya Arati - 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Oct 22nd, Monday Mahashtami
Mahashtami Puja – 9:30 am - 11:30 am
Pushpanjali - 11:30 am
Prasad Distribution - 12.30 pm – 1.00 pm
Bhog Distribution – 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Sandhi Puja - 1.00 pm - 3.00 pm
Contents
Articles/ pãb É
An Utopian Feel-good Story Bangaliana in Bay Area
Anindya Sarkar 8-10
Key F.O.
Aishwarya Kundu Roy 11-12
Pujoy Bari Phera
Soumen Saha 20-21
Our Dada
Sohini & Soham Khan
26
The Lazarus Project Rajarshi Chaudhuri 30-32
The Homemakers of West Bengal
Donning New Hats!
B’Khush
34
Story/ gæp
nIRHara
…kiF sabaenr
gæp, ATba
Unsung Reveries
AnuraDa ray 14-17
hW ŸsOrB bYanaà°I 18-19
Tanmoy Sanyal 28-29
Oct 23rd, Tuesday Maha Nabami
Maha Nabami Puja - from 9.30 am to 11.30 am
Pushpanjali- from 11.30 am
Prasad Distribution - 12:30 pm -1 pm
Bhog Distribution -1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Kumari Puja – 1.00 pm to 2.30 pm
Oct 24th, Wednesday Maha Dashami
Maha Dashami Puja - from 9.30 am to 11.30 am
Pushpanjali - from 11.30 am
Darpan Bisharjan – 12.00 Noon
Bhog Distribution - from 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Sindoor Daan - o Pratima baron
from 6:00 pm -7:00 pm
Sindoor khela - 7:00 pm-9:00 pm
Religion/ Dàmpãsªg
ŸdeK …lam g―asagr
S„kr BácaàZ 23-24
ibSÿjyI Zugnayk
÷amI ibebkaneÆdr saàDSt
bàxpaln
÷amI pãsÊatManÆd 24
Poem/kibta
To Her
Paramita Chakrabarty 13
÷pÈ ŸdeK …kidn
AnuraDa ray
13
ŸrajKabar
÷agt ŸGax
19
Say a Prayer
Nitis Mukhopadhyay
22
Oil Paintings / otlicº
Soma Saha
27
Kid’s corner/ ŸCaFedr pata
36-42
Prisha Bhattacharyya, Aindri Patra, Tithi Mondal,
Medha Bhattacharya, Anay Bhakat, Reetinav Das,
Divya Sarkar, Anisa Kundu, Vihan Bhattacharjee,
Romita Pakrasi, Subhon Ghosh, Camillia Das, Ankit
Mukherjee, Sulek Ghosh, Shivani Shimpi, Winners of
Bengal Day 2012 Painting Competition
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Editorial
Bengalis are noted for observing many festivals, hence the famous Bengali proverb “Baro Mashe Tero
Parbon” which means thirteen festivals in twelve months. Among them Durga Puja, an autumnal festival
celebrated during the Bengali season of Sharot and popularly named as Sharodotsav is the most symbolized
one. Like all other religious festivals, Durga Puja also epitomizes the triumph of divine good over evil. This
year Goddess Durga arrives mounting on an elephant and departs on a palanquin. Goddess Durga arriving
on an elephant is considered auspicious as it is believed to bring plenty of rainfall for bountiful harvesting
in coming year.
Durga Puja has been a tradition of Barowari or Community Puja since early part of 20 th century. With lapse
of time, the Barowari puja became more renowned as Sarbojanin Durga Puja. In Bengali, Sarbojanin means
“For all people”. Bengali people living outside their homeland have spread their most happening festival to
other states in India and abroad including the Bay Area. This is the 9th year for Pashchimi celebrating Durga
Puja and promoting the traditional Bengali heritage among the Indian diaspora in San Francisco Bay Area.
Intense work of Pashchimi’s patrons, enduring support and contribution from all the sponsors and heartfelt
effort from volunteers are making it possible for Pashchimi to continue this rich tradition every year.
For the past years Pashchimi was conducting this Puja in one of the Indian Community facilities. However
as the festival was growing in size, it was becoming a challenge to accommodate the growing number of
patrons in any of these facilities. So this year it is going to be a grand event in the spacious parking lot of
New Park Mall in the city of Newark. We hope you would enjoy the convenience of having more space, no
nearby residential neighborhood to worry about the sound of drum and ample parking slots. This year we
are overwhelmed with the response to our annual Pashchimi magazine “Anjali 2012.” We are also
celebrating the completion of one year for Pashchimi’s weekly radio show, “Rabibarer Asor” in 1550 AM. On
behalf of Pashchimi, thank you for your continued support and wish you all a very happy Durga Puja and
Sharod Mela 2012.
Editors
Cover Design
Debanjana Chaudhuri
Mahua Ghosh
Dr. Anindita Bhattacharya
Suvrangshu Ghosh
Acknowledgements
Pashchimi is pleased to present Durga Puja 2012 and its annual publication ‘Anjali 2012’ on the occasion.
This year Anjali has become more colorful due to your multi faceted contributions in poetry, articles and
paintings. Everyone in Pashchimi is deeply indebted at the level of interest and enthusiasm shown by our
patrons in bay area in supporting the Puja and an earnest appreciation for all of you.
We would like to sincerely thank all our sponsors. Your monetary and moral support inspires us and keeps
us going each year.
Newpark Mall Management extended its gracious support by letting us utilize its facilities for the Puja. We
are very thankful for that. A special mention and thanks to the City of Newark for permitting us in
organizing this multi-day event.
Our volunteers are our lifeline. Please accept our sincere appreciation and recognition. You are selflessly
devoting your time and effort to make this event a success. Your dedication and hard work can never be
appreciated enough.
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Article/ pãbÉ
An Utopian Feel-good Story - Bangaliana in Bay Area
Anindya Sarkar
Last year, I had boosted both my
writer’s ego and Bengali pride by
writing on reviving the upright
and righteous Bengali and
demonstrating true Bangaliana. A
year has passed and Durga Pujo is
coming up again. The writer’s bug has bitten me
once more and this once-a-year impulsive writer
is now searching for topics. It has to be
entertaining, has to be Bengali in soul, and it
would be good if it also has a feel-good factor.
Visualizing that my reader enjoys my story gives
me some vicarious pleasure.
Looking back at the past one year, has Bangaliana
entered my life? Actually, the answer is “Yes, big
time!” Searching for entertaining, feel-good
stories, I felt I need not look any further than the
developments in my own life the past year. This
Durga Pujo, my story will be about a family
outside my family – a small group of friends who
really mean the world to me now.
Let us flashback a year ago to the Durga Pujo in
Fremont. I had studied in a school in Kolkata for
13 long years. It had been about 10 years since I
had met any of my close school friends when I
suddenly came across one of them in a Pujo
pandal in Fremont. We used to be pretty close
buddies in school and it was a pleasant surprise to
hear my name shouted by him in his trademark
high-decibel ear-piercing voice. Seeing him, we
started speaking and the years-in-between
seemed to melt away. From school kids, we were
now working Bay Area professionals, happily
married with a paunch to boot, and had been
molded into independent individuals with
experience of graduate school and job in the US.
The innocence and naiveté, associated with school
life in Kolkata, which used to seem a long time
away, now seemed to be suddenly closer – to me,
this innocence and naiveté, when channeled in
proper areas, can make us more compassionate
well-meaning individuals.
The fledgling Bengali group, started during the
Pujas, began to increase all of a sudden. My
friend’s female colleague and her husband, my
friend’s wife’s classmate and her husband, my
mashi and mesho, my friend’s B.E. batchmate and
his wife, - all slowly blended into one big
harmonious family. What all stuff do we guys
usually do? We go for picnics, movie screenings,
camping, hikes, game nights, pool parties, and
many other joint activities that you can think of.
Now the question arises that every one of us has
his/her circle of friends. Everyone has a good
time with friends and what is so special about
me and my circle of friends? I feel that it truly
matters a lot to have a support system where you
can trust each other blindly and discuss not only
the next movie, the next vacation place, or the
next hiking spot, but also what is bugging us in
our personal, professional and social lives. In the
US, we do not have our parents. So often, when we
face some challenges (which seem very big at a
given moment but seem slightly less so once the
problem is solved), we need some support, some
encouragement, some understanding, and often
just some shoulders to cry one. I feel that it may
be easy to find a group to hang around with for
fun and entertainment, but often we participate in
such programs with the gnawing thought that
something is messed up in our personal
/professional /financial life. In that case, the
enjoyment part becomes escapism and we delight
in the few hours we can spend away from the
daily humdrum of our work-filled and tensioninfested lives. With this close friends’ circle of
mine, we have been able to bridge the gap
between the smooth green plains of fun, frolic,
togetherness and gay abandon, and the
undulating rough terrain of the challenge-full hilly
road encountered in our daily journey of life. With
this group, I can take the rough along with the
smooth with equal comfort.
So, is this group a perfect one and does it lead to
wonderful camaraderie and bonhomie when we
all want to indulge in some group activity, as well
as very understanding ears where we can let out
our dreams, ambitions, worries and tensions?
Unfortunately, the group members are all mere
mortals, hence; not perfect and the team is not
perfect. I have observed a very common trend
among most of the young couples in this group.
We tend to devalue happy incidents and are
always afflicted by what has gone/may go wrong.
However, almost paradoxically, observing the
imperfections in others help us identify the
same characteristics in us which lead to
similar imperfections. Carrying on this heavily
confusing theory – being closely observant of
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Article/ pãbÉ
others’ flaws and follies have helped us to point
these out to our friends, correct them and in the
process, identifying and rectifying those same
traits internally.
Can this group of friends solve my problems? Can
their encouragement really make a difference to
me mentally when I know that practically nothing
will change while facing a challenge? It is a sad
but true evaluation that on seeing the pains of
other people, our pains do feel less intense. In the
past one year, when we hang out and mix
intimately, we get exposed to the problems,
struggles and issues faced by so many other
young couples – job, immigration, adjusting to
each other, missing home, balancing work and
family life, and so on. When we mix with others,
but do not dwell deep into their lives, then, from a
superficial level, it seems that all is hunky-dory
with the world. These close observations of the
trials and tribulations of our friends make us
more worldly aware, help us appreciate the good
things in life, and highlight the triviality
/nonsensicality of most of our so-called problems
and afflictions.
A small aside – a group of peers without a
controlling influence can descend into chaos. In
this group, my mashi serves as the calming
influence, an elderly lady who has become a
mother-figure for all these young couples, and
who showers us with love, affection (and of
course, enough petpujo), but is never late in
pointing out ways we can improve ourselves,
as accommodating and responsible spouses
/mature individuals /socially and financially
aware people. My mashi was earlier just my mashi
but the last year, I feel we have bonded so well I
see shades of my mother (my mom agrees also to
it) in her. Mashi is a true Bengali to the core
(warm, emotional, very culturally motivated,
professionally driven and intensely resilient) and
she helps us stay grounded and be even better
people, than we thought we were capable of.
So, at the end of this lengthy sermon, my dear
reader can ask me that it is good for me if I have
found such a close circle of Bengali friends – what
is so “Bengali” about the group apart from it being
a group of Bengali people? To me, being Bengali
also embodies being warm, honest, and earnest.
On one hand, political discussions, sporting
encounters, Bengali cuisines – all are integral
parts of the group. On the other hand, the ability
to stand by a friend, who may be depressed due to
job /immigration /medical /mental /educational
reasons, and console him/her no matter how late
in the night it is, leaving work to be with a friend
during surgery, always looking at who is not
laughing rather than who is laughing the most
and then find out his/her problems and bring
him/her out of the problem/depression zone,
taking every joint activity with the lowest
common denominator in mind so that everyone is
comfortable, make a recently arrived Bong feel at
home and welcome in this foreign land, are chief
qualities – this intensely understanding and
cooperative spirit is to me the epitome of
humanity and the mark of a real Bengali. In
the Bay Area, we have a large number of Bengali
organizations – and in a large number of Bengali
functions, we are all exposed to this large Bengali
diaspora. Dear reader, please do not get me
wrong. These organizations do give us a platform
to come together, celebrate our functions, meet,
interact and have a great time. However,
somewhere in the midst of all the hectic
organization activities, the one-to-one intimate
connections are hard to maintain.
We always seem to be in a rat-race – in a job, in
getting a green card, in climbing up the social
ladder, and this race seems to extend to our social
events – to outshine others by displaying wealth,
property, dress, social status, social connections,
and so on. In my small cocooned Bengali group, I
can claim that we all regard ourselves as equals
and we do not have any intra-group
competitiveness. My only hope is that by the
time I write to you again (the next Pujo), my
small Bengali group will grow but not beyond
a certain size – beyond that, as I have seen with
all these big Bengali organizations, the common
social competitiveness and one-upmanship starts
and that dilutes away the true do-gooder, honest,
earnest, true-blue Bong in all of us.
Before finishing, an interested reader can ask me
as to whether I do not crave for social and
financial success and how will I feel when my
close friends surpass me in social and financial
aspects. I would not tend to be hypocritical but
admit that these issues will bother me. But, to me,
the quest for improvement should never conflict
with an inner do-good spirit and the ideal balance
in life is to get the best out of oneself for i) social
/financial /material benefits through hard work,
endeavor and planning, and ii) inner development
as a true human being.
Before ending, I want to devote one paragraph as
to how this Bengali group helps me revive my
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Article/ pãbÉ
childhood. Dear reader, think of a few decades ago,
when you waited for school to end and you could
rush onto the playground - in a playground,
where you can just be yourself without worrying
of anything else. In my Bengali group, I am not
bound by social niceties and do’s and do-not’s of
regular social life; I feel free and fresh,
unburdened from social norms and pretensions.
In most circles, one is so conscious of the
potential social impact of his words that that
stifles natural creativity and leads to mundane,
predictable conversations. By being able to
express myself fully, this Bengali group has
helped me rediscover that kid in me and discover
joys in small things of life.
creative liberties and presenting a utopian
concept about this ideal do-good Bong group. If
you meet me in person during the Pujas, I will be
there, along with my “horihor-atma” Bengali gang,
and I will give you a first-hand account of this true
story of mine. My dear reader can then gauge the
reality/creativity of this account.
Anindya was born and brought up in Kolkata. He
moved to the US for his PhD six years ago after
completing his Bachelors from Jadavpur University
and his Masters from IISc, Bangalore. He currently
works in Sunnyvale as a research scientist in the field
of image processing and computer vision. He loves to
write in both Bengali and English and likes to be
involved in literary activities.
Maybe, I am being too idealistic – maybe for the
sake of a “feel-good” story, I am taking enough
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Article/ pãbÉ
Key F.O.B
Aishwarya Kundu Roy
Last Friday we picked up an
Indian friend of ours at the San
Francisco International Airport,
who was making an onsite visit to
a client multi-national company in
the Silicon Valley for the first time.
On the way back we stopped at a
local Subway and let him order his sandwich while
we grabbed a seat. Minutes later he came back
wondering aloud why the person at the counter
asked him such personal questions. Upon enquiry
this is what we learn.
Person at the counter: “For here or to-go?” (For the
uninitiated, it means “would you like to have your
food here or do you want to get it packed?”)
Our unprepared but sincere friend: “Umm, I am on
H1B but I will go”!
With that comment our friend has officially made
his entry into the Hall-of-Fame of the much jested
category of fresh off boats a.k.a F.O.Bs! In physical
chemistry terms I would define FOBs as hyperexcited (read hyper vulnerable) humanoids in a
transition state from their familiar home shell to an
unfamiliar foreign shell. It is a highly unstable and
transient state but a state that they all have to pass
through before stably settling down in a shell away
from home. All puns intended.
Lets imagine this plight: After taking an exhausting
transatlantic flight for the first time you land on
American soil and at the airport come across a sign
reading ‘Rest-rooms’. Like a desert traveler
sighting an oasis you lug each one of your suitcases
to the area, dreaming of stretching your cramped
muscles, only to realize that it’s a place where
people, if at all put their inflated bladders to rest!
You step in anyways to hide your embarrassment
in the garb of purposeful intention and what awaits
you is more harassment. At the faucet you see what
most definitely looks like a tap yet has nothing to
twist or turn! You stand there feeling like an
Neanderthal, time warping to some future AD,
when someone steps up and waves his hand under
the tap to let it flow. Welcome to the first world
powered by motion sensors. Your life will never be
the same again. However, here is my two cents on
making ‘5G- toilets’- can we please keep some apps
like flushing, non-automated? I think it kind of
impinges on the practice of free-will.
Switches in a switchboard that in India would
dispel darkness if pushed down will never behave
the same in the US. This is such an auto-pilot skill
that any Indian would do it like a reflex to darkness.
American switches however need to be turned up
to be turned on. I struggled with this basic skill till
an American friend once en-‘lightened’ me saying
that it’s more logical to turn a switch up to
represent a higher energy state. So was it actually a
logic driven step? Here I was, thinking it was one of
those anti-colonial (read anti-British) reflexes to
establish the ‘new world’ identity. Just like writing
the month of the date first- just like rebelling
without a cause.
If you are a fresh import to this country and god
forbid your body decides to fall sick without notice,
you will be up for a big surprise my friend- the
health care system! A blissfully ignorant me, sat
over a sore and watering eye till a doctor-visit
became an exigent priority. Back home in such a
situation I was used to just walking up to the
nearby optometrist store and getting my eyes
checked by the visiting ophthalmologist.
Sometimes I had to wait a little and sometimes I
must admit, I got the consultation even out of turn,
since I lived nearby and the store owners were
family friends. Additionally having a father
working for a Pharmaceutical company and having
attended a Medical College for education, had only
spoilt me further. I always got ‘physicians samples’
of medicines and never had to pay for consultation
or prescriptions. However even if you count me
into a somewhat ‘privileged’ category, I’m sure we
all agree that for any sudden medical emergency in
India, people mostly turn to their doctor neighbor
for help irrespective of what time of the day or
night it is. Of course you cannot depend on the
ambulance to arrive on time which may be
stranded in a traffic jam somewhere, or care for the
field of specialization of your neighbor. Aren’t
Doctors ‘God-Particles’ that will attend to you in
sickness and save your life? The moot point is, if
you fall sick suddenly you are entitled to and do get
medical attention, irrespective of whether you
have prior appointments or insurance. But only
when I got down to seeking medical attention for
my eye, did the forerunners of a hyper-organized
capitalist healthcare system namely medical
insurance, prior appointments, reminder calls etc
revealed themselves to me. Ever since I have either
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Article/ pãbÉ
learnt to be more organized about falling sick or
my body has learnt to heal itself just by the thought
of going through the whole nine yards of finding
out insurance coverage, co-pay etc.
I also have to admit I did not learn American
medical manners before shocking a colleague out
of her wits by persistently probing about the
‘medical cause’ for her leave or actually showing up
at work with a running nose. While it is extremely
uncompassionate or rude to not enquire about
peoples’ ailments in India, in the US it is considered
breach of peoples’ privacy. The same runny–nose
and fever that can make your family, friends and
colleagues in India close in to comfort you, can
elicit quite an opposite reaction in America. While
one country pushes the frontiers of personalized
medicine- i.e. medicine customized for the person,
the other survives more by people acting as
medicine. Truly, human social culture never fails to
amaze me.
There is no denying that Americans are a
ferociously honest lot especially when it comes to
their food- the ingredients need to be spelt out
loud and clear - there are no secret spices, no
cooking to a blend. I learnt it quite literally the
‘bitter’ way when I ordered coffee and chicken
sandwich hoping to get what I now know should
have been café latte with sugar and a chicken
caesar wrap! Wonder how in the same vein one
would have to order for Biryani or chingri
malaicurry!
Talking of surprises how can I not mention the
traffic experience in the US. The first thing taught
to drivers in America- driving in a straight lane at a
more or less constant speed obeying all traffic
signals is probably the last or least useful
maneuver learnt for Indian roads. There, just one
rule rules- if you think there is space, it’s a green
signal! Having grown up travelling such roads I
must say I found it hard to believe when I
witnessed an accident in America and all that
ensued were the involved drivers quietly stepping
out of their cars and exchanging insurance
information. Such an anticlimax to what would
have caused rolling up of sleeves, unabashed
cursing, uninvolved-public involvement, traffic
choking and full-fledged drama in India! On a
serious note I sometimes imagine it would actually
be nice to enforce traffic etiquettes on Indian roads
as well. However I stop short thinking of what the
GPS could be showing- “make a sharp right next to
Dadu’r dokan” (that might be the only identifier for
that turn) or live traffic update showing “cows
blocking darji-para road- slow traffic”!
It’s been a few years since I have moved to this part
of the world. Yet I still experience my share of
quintessential FOB moments- while ordering food
especially when the waiter asks me how I want my
water, or when I struggle to open the lids of bottles
without following the instructions on it. The only
instruction I can imagine on any cap or lid in India
is probably –“best of luck”! However I have picked
up a few things too. I have learnt that it is
courteous and not creepy to say Hi to complete
strangers and also that “how are you?” does not
necessarily call for any response let alone an
honest one. I have learnt that if I say I ‘passed out’
(graduated in Indian sense) three years ago I may
actually cause the listener to ‘pass out’ (faint in
American sense). Or if I say I ‘freaked out’ (having
fun in Indian sense) with my friends over the
weekend my American listener may think I am a
‘freak’ (strange creature in American sense). I have
learnt to skip the ‘T’ in Santa Clara, convert the J to
H in San Jose and totally ignore the spelling when
pronouncing La Jolla! I have learnt that people that
laugh at FOBs are either laughing at their own past
or their predecessor’s past.
But most importantly I have learnt that, like driftfruits gets dispersed by ocean currents, strike their
roots into unaccustomed soil and eventually
render an unique character to the shore itself,
every new wave of immigrants will eventually
adapt, integrate and contribute to their new world,
causing a synergism where none have lost their
roots and yet a new dynamic shared identity has
emerged. Thus will continue the story of the great
immigration-the big American dream.
So here’s raising a toast to the man who began the
story, the Big Daddy of all F.O.Bs – Christopher
Columbus.
Cheers!
Aishwarya’s neither first nor last name has been
changed or modified ever since she was born. She is a
real person and any resemblance to any celluloid diva,
natural or plastic, is purely coincidental. She was born
and raised in Kolkata and is currently a Doctoral
student in the department of Integrative Biology at
UC Berkeley. She loves to paint, write, cook and see
new places, if given the time to practice free will. She
also likes to sing especially when not given an
audience.
Anjali 2012
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Poem/kibta
To Her
Paramita Chakraborty
I still float in you
In darkness through and through.
I fear light...
Colours pierce, voices bully, motions deafen my
blinded sight.
Do you not see
The pitiful me?
I fear those hands...
In pride they wait - to clasp and squeeze in pathetic
brands...all of us.
They're not scared may be.
For them it's just a hobby.
But I still float in you.
Why bother about the shattered few...
Why bother gathering pieces
Just to nibble and chew...nibble and chew...nibble
and chew...
For all I care, I'm still inside you.
Paramita manages an online journal and the online
encyclopedia of the National Institute of Health and
Medical Research in Paris, France.
÷pÈ ŸdeK …kidn
AnuraDa ray
ŸCa´ …kFa mn iney
ŸCa´ Ÿs …k ÷pÈ ŸdiK,
sur Der saeT nam na jana
Aecna Ÿkan …k ŸBaerr paiK!
ŸCa´ ÷pÈ Vmar saeT
luekacuir ŸKel saraFa Ÿbla,
per Taek kaj, Vnmna Vim idgeÇ» idn ŸSexr pala|
÷pÈ Vmay Builey raeK
sÉYapãdIp Hy na jÔala ŸCa´ ÷pÈ jueR Taek mn
pagil Vim, Vpn ŸBala|
hak idey Zay mayabI raet
÷pÈ Ÿbcar ŸPirwyala Vim taet Vj Ÿdb na saRa,
÷epÈ ra―a duecaK ŸKala!
13
Anjali 2012
Story/ gæp
nIRHara
AnuraDa ray
(1)
Vj sat skal ŸTek bµ taRa
ŸlegeC| Ÿs† Ÿkan ŸBar saeR
paƒcFay Gum ŸTek •efeC cUàNI, tKn
ŸTek ŸdOeR ŸbRae¬C Grmy|
ŸdeKaeta …r meDY Vbar P‖ilr
Vsar nam Ÿn†, wek paifey iCl
taja P‖l Vr imiñ Vnet, …Kena Zid ŸPer Ÿs!
inëcy† w† paenr Ÿdakaen daƒiRey Vµa cleC!
caibFaw Hyt iney Zayin, …kFu ŸbiS† ibr¹¡ Hey
•fela cUàNI| Vsel tu xar Ÿn† Ÿta, ta† Zid …kFu
taRataiR Ÿbrena Zay, Ÿs†Fuk‖† †¬Ca ìDu | ikÇ¼ •pay
VeC ik? P‖iledibr ŸZ …Kena ŸPrar nam Ÿn†!
Vj gâHpãebS, maeyr ntun Pç YaeFr| …kFu ŸBterr
idek, ŸZet AenkFa smy cel Zaeb, ikÇ¼ …ka Haet
ma ik pareb sb samlaet? taRataiR na Ÿgel cleb
na| tuxar Ÿn†, teb† na pareC taRataiR kret ittilek jaigey idel Ÿkmn Hy? Tak igey, •ef†
Ÿta HajarFa nKra ìr› Heb| tar Ÿcey cUàNI SaiR
baCet bsela| Veg ŸTek† Ÿta ifk keriCl kaejr
baiR, pUejaVàca VeC, taƒetr …kFa Haèa SaiR
pReb| ikÇ¼ …Kn mn maneC na| mar kaeC Zaeb, …kFa
Haèa isè prel† na ik …mn Karap Heb! mnFa BIxN
CFPF kreC mar kaeC Zawyar jnY| Vj maeyr kt
VneÆdr idn, Babet† cUàNIr ŸcaeK jl …es Ÿgl|
Ÿs† ŸCaébla ŸTek w ŸdeK VseC Baegr baiRr
KupiRr meDY wedr ŸFen Fue n s„sar| ma pUeja kret
bsel ba Ÿs maiFet bes ŸKel Vr kaerar
Zatayaetr jayga pà ZYÇ» Takt na| Vr Vj mar
inj÷ …kFa Pç YaF Heb| Vj cUàNIr ŸZn VneÆd nacet
†¬Ca kreC|
KuiS VnÆd imel ŸcaeK jl …es Ÿgl cUàNIr| ibeyr
pr ŸTek cUàNIr jIbn Aenk bdel ŸgeC, tar jIben
Ÿkaena ABab raeKin tuxar, tbu w† KupiR GrFaek†
Ÿkn jain na cUàNI Bulet paer na, ŸCaFeblar pueraFa
wKaen† ŸkeFeC Ÿta, babar saeT ŸCaFeblar sMâit,
dadar saeT smó» du ñuim, maeyr kaeC V×ar pueraFa†
Ÿta w† ŸCa´ baiRFaek ŸkÆÅ ker†, ta† bµ Fan
w† baiRFar •per| tbu Vj maek ntun baiRet cel
ŸZet ŸdeK kñFa Buel ŸgeC Ÿs, mar …†Fuk‖ suK ik
pãapY iCl na …† ŸSx byes …es? Ÿs inej ikCu
kret paerin ifk†, ikÇ¼ dada Ÿta kereC| mar …†
PçYaFFa AenkFa† dadar Ÿjaer†, ma …ka ik part
naik inejr …kFa Pç YaF iney •ef Veó»? kt† na
Bul bueJiCl wra dadaek, Vj dadar kTa
ŸBebw …kFu ŸcaKFa Cl Cl ker …ela| ikÇ¼ naH,
Vr Ÿta bes Taka Zay na| …†baer øanFa Ÿser
inet† Heb| mr›k igey P‖il, øan Ÿser ittilekw
Vj inejek† jagaet Heb| ifk smy mtn sba†
gaeyb Hey Zay … baiRet|
(2)
- ‘ittil, idduenr kaeC ikÇ¼ Vj …kdm duñuim kreb
na|’
- "Ÿkn maÚma?’
-"Ver pagil, Vjek iddun ntun baiRet Zaeb na!
pUeja VeC ŸZ wKaen|’
taRataiR ittilek sb ikCu buiJey idi¬Cl cUàNI,
ŸZBaeb ŸbiReyeC wra, P‖il …ela kt ŸdrI ker,
øan Ÿser otrI Hey Ÿberaet Zaeb Ÿta tuxaerr ŸPan,
AkareN ¯an idl ikCu| AnYidn Hel tKin Ÿfakafuik
Ÿleg ŸZt, Vj cU àNI ifk kereC ikCuet† maTa grm
kreb na Vr mn Karapw kreb na| ta† Ÿkanmet
wek kaiFey …kFa Halka ŸgalapI SaiR per
ŸbireyeC| kt kaj wKaen, maeyr GrFaw …kFu
§iCey idey
Vset Heb|
dueFa
Ÿbhr›m
VeC, …kFaet …bar ŸTek maeJ maeJ ittilek
iney igey Taketw pareb| …tidn tu xar nak
isƒFkat, w† payrar ŸKaep igey Ÿmey iney Taket
pareb na, …Kn Vr ikCu blet pareb na| Vr wr
inejr† Ÿta kt b† VeC, ŸCaFebla ŸTek kt ikCu
jem VeC maeyr kaeC, sb inej Haet §iCey raKet
Heb|
men Hela Ÿmeyedr kt jÔala, jnM Hy ŸkaTay Vr
ikBaeb iSkRsuÁ‖ tuel AnY bagaen bisey Ÿdwya Hy!
sitY† ik puera iSkRFa •piRey ŸPla Zay? naHú ŸbaD
Hy| ta† Ÿta mnFa dui dek† peR Taek| Vj ta†
mnFa bar bar purena iden cel Zai¬Cl| jIbenr
AenkFa smy ŸZKaen ŸkeFeC Ÿs† sb idn§ela
ŸcaeKr samen ŸBes •fiCl| saeT men …kFa ŸCa´
Byw kaj kriCl, dada-ŸbOid ifk ker kTa bleb
Ÿta? dada Zid paS kaiFey cel Zay , Zid kTa na bel,
taHel? dadar saeT tuxaerr Jaemla, ikÇ¼ Ÿs Ÿta
kKena dadaek Apman kerin| Zak igey, ma VeC
Ÿta, Ÿtmn Hel cUàNI maek VƒkeR Der bes Takeb|
Ÿs† jaygaFaeta tar …kaÇ»† inejr, ŸsFa Ÿta Ÿk•
ŸkeR inet pareb na, Vr cUàNI jaen tar ma ŸmeyAÇ»
pãaN|
cUàNIek
ŸCaFebla
ŸTek†
ma
ŸbiS
BaelaebeseC, …† iney dadar saeT kt
leReC …kFa smy| Ÿs† ŸCaFeblaFa, men Hy …† Ÿta
Ÿsidenr kTa, smy caka ikBaeb Guer Zay, manu x ìDu
ŸsKaen ŸKlar putul maº!
skal Ÿbla raó»a Paƒka, 45 imineFr meDY† cel …ela
maeyr ntun Pç YaeF| …es† Baela lagela ba†erFa|
Vj du -itneF gâHpãebS VeC, ba†er m―l GF pata,
P‖l idey …kFu sajaenaw ta†| carpaSFa …kFu
taikey ŸdKela cUàNI, Bal† Ÿta, ŸbS …kFa paRa
paRa Bab VeC, VeSpaeSr baiR§ela ŸbS
BÅsBY†| ma …Kaen Bal† Takeb inëc†|
- "maÚma cl, …Kaen† daƒiRey Takeb ik?’
Anjali 2012
14
Story/ gæp
- "…† Ÿta Ÿsana Zai¬C|’
ittilr haek icÇ»ar suetaFa iCeR Ÿgl| naHú, sitY
daƒiRey Takar smy Ÿn†, mar kaeC ŸZet Heb, sb
§iCey tulet Heb Ÿlakjn …es Zawyar Veg|
(3)
- "wma …es ŸgiCs? kKn ŸTek Ÿtar kTa† Ÿta
BabiC!’
- "…† Ÿta ma skal ŸTek ŸdORaedOiR ker …† Hela|
Ÿtamar sb kaj buiJ peR VeC?’
- "HYaƒ Ÿr, …k …k ker Vmra ìr› keriC|’
VmraFa Ÿk ŸsFa na bu Jelw maetr mueK Hais ŸdeK
Vj mnFa Ber Ÿgl cUàNIr| kt idn baed maek …t
KuiS ŸdKae¬C| …kFa ik suÆdr SaiR peReC ma
Vjek| Vr sb kaejr meDY …es ŸbS ikCu imiñ
ŸreK Ÿgl ma|
- "HYaƒ Ÿr, jama† skael ŸPan keriCl Ÿta?’
sb idek dâiñ maeyr, cUàNIr bukFa …kFu û û ker
•fela| Ÿs jaen tuxar Ÿkn …† smyFa† ŸbeC ineyeC
ba†er Zabar jnY| wr …kFuw Ÿn† …† baiRr saeT
ŸZagaeZag raKar| ikÇ¼ Za keb GeF ŸgeC ta
iney …Kena mn kxakixr ik VeC? cUàNI
brabr† …kFu SaÇ» Ÿmey, mueK ikCu blet paer na,
ta† tuxarekw Ÿjar kret paerin, Vr drkar† ba
ik? …elw Ÿta ikCu na ikCu iney Jaemla pakat, Tak
igey, …r Ÿcey …† Baela|
Vsel tuxar Vr cUàNIr ibey HeyiCl Kub naFkIy
Baeb, Hfa‡ Vlap, tu xaerr Hfa‡ BIxN Bal Ÿleg
Zawya, cUàNIek ibeyr pãó»ab sb ŸZn inemex Hey
igeyiCl, tKn men HeyiCl jg‡Fa buiJ Bgban
wr …kar jnY† saijey ŸreKeC| ikÇ¼ baiRet sbar
Vpi¹ iCl BIxN| karNFaw Ku b jiFl,
ŸCelra …ekbaer† incu jat| cUàNIr …kar Ÿjaer†
ibeyFa Hy| ìDu ibey† Hy, samaijk Ÿkaena bÉn otrI
Hy na …† baiRr saeT| Ÿs† ŸTek …Kena cleC …†
fa¸a lRa†|
Zak igey, purena kTa gael Hat idey bes Vj
Babel cleb na| •ƒik Ÿmer ŸdeK inl maeyr ŸSabar
Ger pUejar bYbóùa He¬C|
Vj Aenkidn baed sba† …eseC, kt idn baes
imilmasIek ŸdeK ŸcaeK jl …es Ÿgl, Ÿs† ibeyr
pr ŸTek Vr ŸdeKin cUàNI, tuxaerr Hat Zeb ŸTek
DereC Ÿs, teb ŸTek baik sbar ŸTek Aenk dUer
cel ŸgeC| Vj sba†ek Ÿhek kTa blet BIxN
Baela lageC, men He¬C ŸZn Vbar Ÿs† ŸCaFeblaet
cel ŸgeC Ÿs| sba† VseC, wr kTa, Ÿmeyr kTa
janet ca†eC, sba† ik tuxarek …iRey Zae¬C? naHú,
tar mnFaw ŸdKiC Ÿkmn ŸZn Hey ŸgeC| inejr
Ÿlaekedrw Vj Ÿdax Kuƒ jet ca†eC mn|
cUàNI Veó» Veó» maeyr Ger Ÿgl|
Vj ma saeT ŸbOid, dujen† pUejar ŸjagaR kreC|
cUàNI bll - "Vim …es Hat laga†, daƒRaw’|
ma bll - "na na, tu† Za Ÿta, sbar saeT gæp kr
igey’|
- "ta† ik Hy naik, …ka Ÿtamra pareb?’
- "Za bliC kr …Kn, ba¬caedr mtn kirs na|’
cUàNI Abak Hey ŸdKl ŸbOid cup ker inejr kaej bYó»,
ŸZn wek ŸdKet† Ÿpl na! Babela ŸbOid VeC bel†
ma ŸbaD Hy
…mn ker wek taRae¬C| ŸbOid
Ÿkanidn† Bulet paerin dada Vr tuxaerr lRa†|
ikÇ¼ …tidn Ÿta maekw pa¹a Ÿdyin, Vj ŸZn ŸbiS
Balbasa| Hyt dadar jnY† …† PçYaF, ta† ŸbOidr
AiDkarFaw …kFu ŸbiS†| Ÿmeyedr Aenk ikCu Ÿmen
inet Hy, ta† tKnkar mtn cup ker Ÿgl Ÿs|
(4)
DIer DIer idn gRae¬C, Aenek …eseC, cUàNI taedr
maeJ† inejr …kFa jayga ker inl| ifk VeC,
ŸbOid ZKn ca†eC na, na† ba Ÿgl pUejar Ger, ŸZagaR
Hey Zak, …eqbaer pUejar smy igey bseb| mar
pUejar jnY Ÿsw Ÿta •epas ker bes VeC| Hfa‡
dadar mueKamuiK,
- "icin …esiCs?’
ŸcaeK jl …es Ÿgl wr, dada ŸCaFeblay …Baeb†
Ÿta haketa wek| ktidn baed Ÿs† …k† hak,
ŸkaTaw Ÿta Ÿkaena mailnY Ÿn† …† hakFuk‖r meDY!
ŸDey igey dadar buek muK luekaela cUàNI, Ÿs†
ŸCaFeblar mtn| dadaw ŸCaF Ÿbanek buek ŸFen inl|
maJKaenr ikCu it¹¡ta ŸZn sb mueC Ÿgl …k mUûeàt|
ittilek iney dada Aenk Vdr krela| tarpr
Aenkidn baed janet ca†ela
- "tu xar …ela na, na Ÿr icin?’
- "na dada, w ŸZ …Kaen Ÿn†, AiPesr kaej ba†er
ŸgeC|’
- "bui J Ÿr icin buiJ|’
tarpr wek Abak ker idey dada janet ca†ela "HYaƒ Ÿr icin, tu† Baela ViCs Ÿta Ÿr?’
ik bleb cUàNI? inej† Ÿta jaen na Baela VeC ikna?
HYaƒ, Ÿkaena ABab Ÿn† jIben, Za ŸceyiCl tar Ÿcey
Aenk ŸbiS ŸpeyeC Ÿs tuxaerr kaC ŸTek| inejr
mtn ker jIbnFaek saijeyw ineyeC, tbu ŸkaTay
ŸZn …kFa "ikÇ¼’ rey ŸgeC, Hyt tar jIbnFaek …†
Baeb dueFa Fukera ker clet clet maeJ maeJ £aÇ»
Hey Zay Ÿs| ikÇ¼ ta† bel Karap VeC ŸsFa ik
blet pareb? cUàNI inej† jaen na, ŸBeb pay na|
…ktlay raÊar bYbóùa He¬C, Fuk ker …kbar
ŸdeK …ela, Ÿcna Ÿcna ikCu muK samen …es Ÿgl,
ŸHes dueFa kTaw bll| cUàNIr men He¬C sba† Ÿkn
ŸZn taek ŸdKeC, taikey taikey, Zidw …Fa inëc†
tar menr Bul| …ra sba† tar inejr Ÿlak, …tidn
baed …edr sbar saeT Ÿs, ta† wra Ÿta ŸdKet†
paer| sba† wek Balbaes, Vr …Fa Hela wr maeyr
baiR, wr inejr …kFa VSãyw bla Zay|
pUejar …Knw ŸdrI, cUàNI Babela Kuƒej ŸdeK wr
purena b†, ijinspº sb ŸkaTay ŸreKeC ma| AnY
GrFay igey ŸdKl …kFa ntun KaF pata HeyeC
Anjali 2012
15
Story/ gæp
ŸsKaen, ikCu ntun ijins …idek widek, ikÇ¼ wr
ijins§elaek ma ŸkaTay ŸreKeC? Hfa‡ ŸbOid Ger,
cUàNI ŸZn …kFu §iFey Ÿgl| ŸbOid bll - "ikCu
KuƒjeCa?’
- "HYaƒ, Vmar ikCu ijins iCl w baiRet| ŸkaTay ŸZ
ŸreKeC ma, ta† BabiC!’
- "w baiRr Za ikCu purena ijins iCl, ŸPel …esiC|
sba† Ÿta Ÿtamar dadar Ÿdax ŸdeK …eseC saraFa
jIbn, …Kn sba† ŸdKuk Ÿk kreC mar jnY …t ikCu!
ntun ker sb saijey ideyeC Ÿtamar maeyr jnY!’
inejr kanek ibSÿas kret pariCl na cUàNI, tar
ŸCaFeblaFa pueraFa† Ÿta iCl w† baiRet , wra sba†
ik sbFa† ŸPel idl? …Baeb Hairey Ÿgl wr
ŸCaFeblaFa? ŸZFuk‖ Ÿs Ÿkaena met Vgiley ŸreKiCl,
Vj ik taHel sbFa† Hairey Ÿgl? taHel …†
baiRFaek Ÿta Vr tar inejr bel men Heb na|
sitY† Ÿkmn ŸZn men Het ìr› keriCl skal
ŸTek …Kaen Ÿs Vj …eseC inmiÇ½tr mtn| …Kn
ŸZn ŸcaK ŸPeF kaÊa ŸbiRey Vset ca†l|
cUàNI …kbar Babela maek ij¯asa ker, per ŸBeb
ŸdKl ik Heb? ma inëc† ikCu blet paerin dada
ŸbOidr •per| ta† Hyt ma ŸbcarI pailey pailey
ŸbRae¬C| cup ker •ef Ÿgl Ÿs, baraÆday, …k Ÿkaen,
inejek …kFu samiley inet Heb ŸZ, …Fuk‖ Ÿs bûidn
iSeK ŸgeC, inejek samlaena| Vjw pareb ifk,
ìDu …kFu smy ca† …ka|
(5)
pUejar Veyajn ŸSx, …baer ìr› Hel† Hy| cUàNI
ŸBebiCl …baer ma Hyt Vseb, hakeb wek,
Vsel mnFa Bar Hey VeC Ÿta, ta† maeyr …kFa
Vderr hak ìnet Kub †¬Ca kreC| ikCuQN AepQa
krela, Zid Ÿk• haek, tarpr ŸdKl ZKn Ÿkaena
hak …ela na, inej† igey bsela pUejar wKaen| mÇ½
•¬careNr saeT saeT wr bukFaw ŸZn Ÿkƒed •feC,
taRataiR inejek Sasn krela cUàNI| tar ŸcaeKr
jel tar maeyr …mn suÆdr idnFa ŸZn nñ na Hey Zay!
ŸbS GFa ker pUeja, Baela lagiCl maeyr HaismuK
ŸdeK , Ÿkn AkarN ŸCaF ŸCaF ijins iney mn Karap
kreC Ÿs! ma kt KuiS, …r ŸbiS Vr ik ca†!
…kFu neR ceR maeyr …kdm kaeC …es bsela cUàNI,
maek bll - "Vim …kFu Haet Haet …igey Ÿdb ma?’
ma taRataiR ker HatFa Der bll - "na na, Cuƒs na,
pUejar ijins|’
cmek •fela cUàNI, Ÿkn? Ÿkn ma taek Cuƒet barN
kreC? Ÿs Ÿkn Cuƒet pareb na pUejar ijins? ik
ApraD tar? Vj Ÿkn sba† taek …mn dUr dUr
kreC? •ef cel ŸZet †¬Ca krela cUàNIr, ikÇ¼ Ÿk
ŸZn taek S¹¡ ker ŸmeJet ŸbƒeD ŸreK idl| parl
na, Ÿs •epas iCl, ikÇ¼ pUeja Ÿdwya Vr Hela
na| ŸcaK ŸPeF Zai¬Cl, glar kaCFa Ÿkmn
bYTa bYTa kriCl, tbu kaƒdet parl na| Ÿkmn
ŸZn …kFa ŸGar laga dSay Ÿs paTerr pãitmar mtn
bes r†ela|
tar …† kr›N dSa Vr kaerar ŸcaeK ŸsBaeb na
pRelw imilmasI ifk njr keriCl| kKn ŸZn
paeS …es beseC, …ek …ek sba† •ef ŸgeC tKn,
jelr Daer ikCu pUeja baik VeC, Ÿs sb Heb| ìDu
imilmasI wr HatFa Der bsela| …tQN ifk inejek
samiley iCl cU àNI, …baer ŸBe― pRl, maisek
VƒkeR Der bar bar blet lagela - "Ÿkn, mais Ÿkn?
Vim ik Ÿdax keriC blet paera?'
- "tu † bµ incu jaet ibey keriCs ma| …t bR k‖lIn
b„S …ra, tu† wedr pUeja Cuƒey idel Am―l Heb ŸZ|’
cmek •fela cUàNI, Ÿs Cuƒey idel pUeja Heb na? ŸZ
baiRet ŸZ s„saer Ÿs jenMeC, bR HeyeC, Ÿs†
baiRet† Vj Ÿs A¬Cut, karN Ÿs Baelaebes ibey
kereC …kiF incu jaetr ŸCelek! wra taHel wek
pãTm ŸTek† dUer sirey ŸreKiCl, cUàNI Ÿbaka, Abu J,
ta† ŸbaeJin …tidn| AkareN leReC tuxaerr
saeT! …† mU ûeàt men Hl cel Zay Ÿs, ŸZKaen
Ÿs …tFa† Abai®t, ŸsKaen Ÿjar ker bes ŸTek kI
laB! •ef daƒRaela Ÿs, ikÇ¼ imilmasI HatFa CaRela
na, bll - "ma Ÿr, Ÿmeyedr kt ikCu† na s†et
Hy, …Kn …Baeb cel Ÿgel Ÿtar maeyr manFa Takeb
ik?’
(6)
Kawya dawya baik pàb§ela ZeÇ½r mtn ŸkeF Ÿgl,
sba† kt mja krl, Hasela, Vr Abak ka¸ cUàNI
Hasela sbar saeT, kTaw bel Ÿgl, ŸZn ikCu† Hyin,
ŸZn …mniF† Hbar iCl| ŸZn Vj Ÿs ikCu† ŸbaeJin,
dada bar dueyk kTaw bel Ÿgl, ikÇ¼ sb ikCu dada
ŸbOid samlaela, cUàNI Vr …r meDY zukela na| Ÿs Ÿta
jaen† ŸZ Ÿs Hela …kjn AitiT ìDu, Vr ikCu† ny|
ŸCaFebla ŸTek Ÿs gaCFa …k baiRr bagaen bR
HeyiCl, ŸsFaek Ÿta bûidn Veg† Ÿs iSkRFa iCƒeR
Ÿbr ker iney ŸgeC, ta† ìDu ìDu wedr Ÿdax idey
HebFa ik? ìDu BabiCl maJKaenr …† satFa bCr Ÿs
Bul ker ŸgeC, icnet paerin inejr pircy| VƒkeR
Der ŸTekeC tar ŸCaFeblaFaek, Vr ŸsFa kret
igey Hyt tuxarekw AenkFa dUer sirey ŸreKeC|
iHeseb Aenk Bul Hey ŸgeC| jIbenr sat satFa
bCerr iHesb, …Kn …† Ÿgalemel iHesbFaek iney
bset Heb| Vr tar Ÿceyw bR kaj Hela inejek
icnet Heb| Vynar samen daƒiRey inejek Baela
ker buJet Heb| kt ŸZ kaj …Kn wr, mnFaek S¹¡
ker ŸBeb inl …kbar|
Vmra idn idn …igey Zai¬C, tbu …† Drenr ŸCa´
ŸCa´ bYapar …Kena manuexr men rey ŸgeC| ta† Hyt
tara ŸBebw ŸdeK na taedr …† kaj baik Ÿlaekedr
men ktFa VGat kret paer! sb ikCu† ikÇ¼ suÆdr
Baeb† Hela, ìDu baiRr ŸmeyFar menr meDYr …†
kaÊaFa Ÿk• bu Jela na| ma …es bll - "sb Ÿkmn
Hela bl …baer?’
inejek luekaet iSeK ŸgeC cUàNI, suÆdr ker bll "Vjekr idnFa Vmar sara jIbn men Takeb
ma, …t suÆdr ker sb Hey Ÿgl|’
Anjali 2012
16
Story/ gæp
- "HYaƒ, Ÿtar dada ŸbOid† Ÿta sb krela bl, na Hel
Vmar ik …† saDY VeC Ÿr ma?’
cUàNIek cup ker Taket ŸdeK Vera bel cll ma,
- "dada ŸbOidr jnY men Ÿkaena mailnY raiKs Ÿn ma,
wra Hela Ÿtar inejr Ÿlak|’
"inejr Ÿlak' - ik sHj kTaFa, ikÇ¼ cUàNI ŸkaTay Vr
inejr reyeC? Ÿs Ÿta Vr kaerar ny …† baiRr, Ÿs
Ÿta pr Hey ŸgeC bûidn Veg, Vj ŸTek sat bCr
Veg, ŸZidn Ÿs Ÿjar ker ŸbiRey igeyiCl …† baiR
ŸTek| ìDu …tidn Ÿs Ÿcenin inejr Ÿlak kaek bel!
ŸgaelakDaƒDay Guer mereC AkareN| Vj Ÿs bueJeC,
icnet ŸpereC inejek| Aenk AiBman glar
kaeC …es bar bar VGat krelw ŸsFa Vj Vr
Ÿberaela na tar’
ìDu bukFa …kFu Kail Hey Ÿgl, men He¬C Ÿk• ŸZn
tar ŸCaFeblaFaekw mueC ideyeC| Ÿs† ŸCa´ Gr,
Ÿs† …kFu Kain jaygay sba† imelimeS Taka, Ÿs† sb
purena ijins, by ŸKlar putul, …mnik Ÿs† sb
idn§ela Hyt rey Ÿgl Ÿs† purena Ba―aecara
baiRFar smaiDet| ŸsFaek ŸpCen ŸPel sba† …igey
celeC, ta† taekw Ÿta clet† Heb| …igey clar
nam† Ÿta jIbn| ìDu …† ŸCa´ ŸCa´ s„ôar ba bla Zay
k‖s„ôar na Takel Hyt …tFa dUer …k Daqay ser
ŸZet Ht na|
sb ŸSex …baer ŸPrar pala, skaelr Ÿs† cUàNI …Kn
VmUl bdel ŸgeC| skael Ÿs igeyiCl inejr bàtman
jIbn ŸTek pailey …kFa Ajana VSãeyr ŸKaƒej,
Vr …Kn Ÿs iPreC inejr pâiTbIet| sitY, manuexr
jIbenr …t§ela Dap VeC, jana iCl na, …Baeb
smeyr saeT saeT ŸZ pâiTbIw bdl Hey Zay, ŸsFa
buJet Ÿkn …t ŸdrI Hey Ÿgl tar? buekr meDY
ikCuFa jayga Kail Hey ŸgeC wr| inejek Ÿkmn ŸZn
nIRHara bel men He¬C, ikÇ¼ ŸsFa† ŸSx kTa ny,
tarperw Ÿta ikCu VeC| nIR Hairey paiK Ÿta bes
Taek na, Vbar KR k‖eFa ŸZagaR ker ntun basa
baƒDet Taek| Vj ŸTek tar ntun basa baƒDbar kaj
ìr›| …† mUûeàt ta† Vr Ÿkaena duWK, mailnY, ŸQaB
ikCu† Ÿn† tar menr Ÿkaen, ìDu …kFa† lQY, ntun
nIR baƒDet Heb, ŸHer Ÿgel cleb na, …igey ŸZet
Heb| …r nam† Ÿta jIbn|
Anuradha Roy is a simple girl and lives in Atlanta, GA.
Writing is her passion. She usually writes stories and
poems in some webzines for a long time. She enjoys
reading and music too.
Anjali 2012
17
Story/ gæp
…kiF sabaenr gæp, ATba ...
hW ŸsOrB bYanaà°I
^1^
Hfa‡ …kFa pãç Jƒak‖inet, Vr
Ÿlaekedr H† H† ic‡kaer Vmar
GumFa ŸBe– Ÿgl| påYaFPeàm
daƒiRey Taka Ÿlaekra ŸdKlam
samenr idek CueF celeC|
ŸkOtuHl bStW Vimw Vmar
ipefr bYagFa iney pa baRalam Ÿs† idek| ikCuFa
…igey ŸdiK, BIxN BIR, H† H† ic‡karFa tKnw
Taemin| wra …kjn AnYjn Ÿk ik sb bel celeC, ta
smiògt Baeb Vmar kaeC ic‡kar CaRa Vr ikCu men
Hl na| iBR Ÿfel ŸBter zuket† buJet parlam,
…kiF Ÿlak Ÿrelr la†en per ŸgeC| teb bu Jlam, ifk
ik HeyeC Ÿs Ÿk• Kitey ŸdeKin| inejedr meDY Ÿs
ik Velacna| sba†ek ŸbS ib¯ bel† men Hl|
t‡QNa‡ ŸdKlam …kiF HaP lui― pra Ÿlak Jaƒipey
ŸFän la†en Ÿnem Ÿcƒcaet lagela,
- ""dadara …kFu Hat Ÿdn na, ik tKn ŸT†qa ìDu
ŸSaregal baƒDa†taesn''|
- ""Hƒ Ya Hƒ Ya, …† Dr Dr Dr, ŸlakFa Ÿta mer Zaeb
ma†ir''| baik ikCu Ÿlak Ÿcƒcaet lagela|
ŸdKlam, maTay ŸbS ŸcaF ŸlegeC| buek puera re¹¡r
bnYa| pƒac-Cy jn imel ŸFen ŸHƒceR iney igey wek
…kFa BYan … tull| Bablam Zak baba, ŸlakFa ŸbaDHy
Ÿbƒec Zaeb| tQ‖in Hfa‡ Vmar men per Ÿgela Vmar
bsar jaygaFar kTa| Zid Ÿk• ŸsFa dKl ker Ÿny!
teb Ÿta Vmaek baikFa pT dƒaiRey ŸZet Heb| Vim
ta† taRaûeRa ker BIR Ÿfel ŸbiRey …lam| Vim
ikCuFa ŸHƒeF, ikCuFa ŸdOeR ZKn Vmar Ÿkac …r
kaCakaiC ŸpOƒeCiC, ìin ŸFän naik Vr Zaebna| ZabÕaba
Vim taHel Ÿbalpur ŸpOƒCb ik ker?
-""ik bYapar dada ŸFä n Zaebna Ÿkn''? lYaÚpepaeör
gaey ŸHlan idey dƒaiRey Taka …kFa Ÿlakek ije¯s
krlam|
-""na na Vr Zaebin| jaenn na Vsek Ÿta "Ÿrl
Ÿraeka' Ves| w† ŸZ idid, ma BbtairNI| klkatar
manux Vr …Faw jaenn na| ''
-""k†, klkatay Ÿta Ÿsrm ikCu ìinin''|
- ""na ìnelw …eHen Hy''|
taHel ik kir| …† Babet Babet† Hfa‡ ŸöSenr
namFa ŸKyal krlam| AÄut …Kn pà ZÇ» Vim Ÿkan
ŸöSen ŸFänFa dƒaiReyeC ŸsFa† ŸKyal kirin| ik
VëcàZ Zawyar taRay Vr gÇ»ebYr leQY, peTr
ifkana† ŸdKa Hyin| Za† ŸHak|
-Ver …eta nbgãam! Vmar ipstueta dada Taek|
…Kaenr† Ÿkaena …k ô‖el pRay| Ÿsl ŸPanFa tuel
ŸPan kret igey Bablam, naW …kFa sarpãa †s Ÿdwya
Zak|
^2^
-Ver tu†! ik bYapar? Hfa‡ …Kaen ? ŸPan kret
parits| ŸöSen cel ŸZtam| Ÿkalkatay keb …il?
Ver ŸdK …mn iden …il ŸZ Ÿtar ŸbOidw Ÿn†|
kalek† bàDman ŸgeC, baepr baRI|
-Ver Vr Ÿbaelana dada| Zai¬Clam Ÿbalpur Hfa‡
ŸöSen Ÿs ik Abóùa.....|
-Ver HYaƒ HƒYa| weta HaemSa† He¬C| pirbàtn HeyeC
ikna| .....Vim Ÿta Vmar baTr›emr sabaenr r„ w
Ÿc² krlam| ikÇ¼ ŸPna Ÿs† …k†| Za† ŸHak, Bal†
Hl| tu† Ÿta Vr inej ŸTek kKena Vsitsna|
Ÿtaek ŸdeKiC pãay C-sat bCr Hl|
-Ÿtamar ô‖l Ÿkmn cleC dada?
-Bal†, …† Vis Za†, ma†en pa†| tu† Ÿta jains,
Aenk Babna icÇ»a iney gãaem …esiClam| V†ihwlij|
ikÇ¼ w†! Vim Vmar sabaenr saeT Vmar r„ w Ÿc²
ker ineyiC| saàBa†Bal AP da iPeFö|
-Vsel , wKaen Ÿta Vjek …kFa AYai¤ehÆF Hl|
wra …kFa wBar bãI j banaet paer|
-wraFa kara| Ÿs†Faeta pãSÈ| Vr bilsna| keb ŸTek
ìniC wKaen …kFa wBar bãIj otrI Heb| ŸkaTay ik|
ŸZ Ÿk Ÿs†| dueFa öIl Ÿpañ KaRa krl| ikCu bail
ŸPll, ....| tarpr naik Faka ŸSx| kt VeÆdaln
kt "Ÿrl Ÿraeka'| sueKn, Vmar muid Kanar Ÿdakandar
bll, ""dada Aenk idn Ÿta Hl, …k† saban ine¬Cn|
…Fa ntun …eseC, …bar …Fa inya ŸdKun na| inlam|
"Ÿrl Ÿraeka' Taml na| Veg "Ÿkn otrI He¬Cna' bel
ic‡kar| …Kn Ÿkn "otrI Hyin bel ' ic‡kar| tarpr
sb† …k| Vmar gaey sabaenr ŸPna …k† VeC| Vr
w† wBarbãIj otrI ker† ba HebFa ik bl| tu† ik men
kirs, SàF-kaF Taket, Ÿlaek wBar bãIj idey Zaeb|
tu†† ik Zaib? Vj† ŸsKaen Pa†n bisey Ÿd, ŸdKib
sba† wBar bãI j … BIR kereC| Vsel ik jainseta,
Vmaedr Sask ca†| naHel† …ek Aprek iCƒeR Ka†|
-ik dada tuim …t Òañu ŸKey VC Ÿkn blt| bYaparFa
kYas naw| ik ŸZ sb saban Faban blel ikCu† bu Jlam
na| cl cl ŸbOid ZKn Ÿn†, Vmra ba†er w† ŸmaeRr
maTar ŸdakanFay bes ikCu ŸKey Vis|
-Hƒ Ya ta† Baela| dƒaRa jamaFa giley in|
^3^
Vmra Hƒa Fet HƒaFet nana rkm gæp kret Taklam|
- Vim …idek Ÿkaenaidn† Visin| ta …Kn Ÿs†
gaRIr ŸkaÚpanIr rag …Kenaw VeC, na Ÿlakjn
iTiteyeC| Vr Za† bl …† raejYr …t bR …kFa
sueZag Hat CaRa kra •ic‡ Hyin ikÇ¼|
- na Ÿr maTaKarap| …kbar …† ŸmaeRr maTay dƒaiRey
…† kTa bel ŸdK ŸdiK| Ÿlakjn Vó» icibey Kaeb|
Ver …t Bal Dain jim, bYak Fu bYak Pln Hy| ik
Hyna bl| Dan CaRaw kt ik| klkataek Ÿta …ra†
baƒicey ŸreKeCn| Vr Ÿs† caexr jimr Vj ik
Abóùa| r¹¡a¹¡ jimet pirbàtenr gƒa ja cax He¬C, Vr
Vmra Ÿs† ŸnSay buƒd Hey ViC, ŸcaeK Ÿr-bYan …r
sangåas| …r ŸbSI Vr ik blet pair? pirbàtnFa ifk
ŸkaTay ca† jains?
Anjali 2012
18
Story/ gæp
-ŸkaTay?
-Vim Vmar sabanFa† ìDu Ÿc² ker celiC| sabaenr
drkarFa Ÿkn preC ŸsFa …kbar w BabiCna| w† Ÿs†
maJKaen ìnlam, naik ŸdeS ntun gaÉIjIr Vbà Bab
HeyeC| sara ŸdS VeÆdalen ŸPeF pereC| ŸkaTay ik|
Ÿmambait ineb Ÿgela idLIr ŸgeF - Vr sabaenr
ŸPnaw, ŸjaRaela Hl †ÆFareneF|
-Dur baba! tuim Vbar Ÿs† saban iney prel| Vmar
men Hy tuim Abesssh| Ÿtamar …kFa la†Pby
drkar| tÆdur›ó»I ik r¤a krtaeH la†Pby| ŸmeK ŸdK
-99.99% jrms ka saPaya|
-la†Pby, ilirl, ŸhFl sb† Ÿta maKlam| Duela Ÿgl
ŸkaTay bl? tÆdur›ó»I ik rQa Fa† Vmar Qy|
…mn smy …kFa HaP lui― pra Ÿlak Hfa‡ Vmar
samen …es dƒaiRey bll
-Ver babu Vpin ŸöSen iCeln na
- ŸkanKaen? w HYaƒ Ÿkn blt? ik bYapar? …t
Hƒapae¬Ca Ÿkn?
-na maen imsaj ZÇ½Nay CF iPF krites babu| wr
…Q‖in ApaerSn krit Heb|
- w V¬Ca, ik Faka ca†| dƒaRaw ŸdiK ik VeC?
- na babu| Faka …Q‖in lagbin| Haspatael ha¹¡ar babu
blitesn, †Fa puilS Ÿks| daeragababu irepaàF na
ileKidil, ApaerSn krit parebn na| Vr
daeragababu blitesn pƒac jn saQI lageb|
-ta Vim ik kreba?
-Vpin Ÿta wKaen iseln babu, …kFu celn na|
wer baba| Vmar Ÿta ikCuQn baed† Ÿberaet Heb|
…Kn Vim ŸZet parebana| Ÿkn, wKaen Ÿta Aenk
Ÿk• iCela, ka•ek pae¬Ca na!
Poem/kibta
ŸrajKabar
÷agt ŸGax
Ÿtel Baja, Vlu cp, duiF Ka†
ijeB jl, mn bel Vrw ca†;
kRa Baja kibraij, peraFa Ÿmagla†
Ÿgl Ÿgl, ŸSx ŸSx, Vr ŸdrI na†;
…g Ÿral, ŸpaRa Ÿtl, maFn Kue F KueF
lal ss, ŸbS Jal, saP ŸceF pueF;
cp ŸBijeFibl, hasa ihemr ŸhiBl
San idey Cuir kƒaFa, Ÿcna Ÿcyar ŸFibl;
kcurI ijilip lal, Amâit rs Bra
cupcap caridk, cF ker mueK Ÿpara;
ŸgãiB cawimn, raó»ar paeS, ìkena icekn icil
bÉ ŸbaD, maniC na, …† Ÿbla ŸKey ŸPil;
muK Hat, Cuƒey nak Ÿtƒtul jl, kex Jal P‖cka
Pa• naeCaR, ŸFen nak, Salpatay Vr …kFa;
kabil Vlu, ŸBlpuir, HateR pekF Kucera
drdr Gam, ŸbeR cla BuiR, Ÿfa-a saPsutera;
ba-alI ŸpFuk, ÷aóùY s„Zm - Ait ibprIt AàT
Ÿkaeleörl hayaebiFs, bayu Ÿbdna Zºtº;
Ÿpãsiº¡psn … ŸJal ìe¹¡a, †nsuiln …r J‖ƒik
rat inàjn, naiska gàjn, sba†ek idey Paƒik;
iÒejr iS–aRa, fa¸a Zidw, …Knw …kFa baik^
Swagata Ghosh: Serving Business Intelligence
solutions as the professional dish with Photography
and Bengali Poetry as the passionate sides...
dada Vmaedr sb kTa ìen ŸlakFaek ije¯s krl imsaj Ÿtamar Ÿk Hy?
-""Ÿsrm Ÿk• Hyna babu, Vmaedr paRay Taek''|
blet blet w HƒaFa lagaela samenr idek|
Vmra ŸmaeRr maTay dƒaiRey, Vr …kFa bas Duela
•iRey Vmaedrek º¡s ker Ÿgl| Ÿs† Duelay ŸdKlam
ŸlakFa imiley Zae¬C| dada bll …† Vmaedr sueKenr
Ÿdakan rN| sueKenr namFa ìen Vmar Hfa‡ BIxn
saban iknet †e¬C Hl| bllam dada tuim Ÿkan sabanFa
ikenC blelÎÎÎÎÎ-|
Sourav Banerjee has passion of writing and painting
since his child hood. His creative writings are the
blend of Physic, Philosophy and our daily Life. He
graduated with his PhD in Engineering Mechanics
from University of Arizona and he currently holds the
Director of Product Development position in Acellent
Technologies Inc. He is the former assistant editor of
Little Magazine SAMUDRA in Kolkata during 19952000.
Anjali 2012
19
Article/ pãbÉ
Pujoy Bari Phera
Soumen Saha
The sudden change of the rhythm
of wheels woke me up. As I
peeped through the misty
windows, I could see lush green
paddy fields passing by, beautiful
bunches of white kaash phool
swaying in ecstasy to the mild
wind. I couldn’t resist myself as I walked through
the corridors, opened the door of my
compartment and stood admiring the nature,
soaking myself in the fresh air that hit my face,
made me feel I am home, the place I was born and
the place I belong to. It was like a dream as I
watched the mile posts disappear in a hurry. Far
away, I could see some people walking along the
fields making their way along the paddy fields to
their work. Suddenly a bunch of children, in their
school uniforms, jumped with joy as the train
passed along their village frantically waving at us.
Makes me wonder, little things in life makes us
happier than the larger materialistic things.
Certain things touch our soul, something as
simple as returning home to Calcutta during
durga pujo.
a walk through the morning vegetable/fish
markets and not the swanky malls, which is an
attempt to transform Calcutta to Kolkata. I love
calling it Calcutta, because that’s sounds better,
feels my own. The feeling quadruples during the
durga pujo when all your friends and family from
all over the world just not India tries to fly home
and celebrate the festivities together. The schools
and offices are pretty much shut down for the
entire week and everyone is in a festive mood. A
stroll at Gariahat in the south or Shyambazar in
the north on the week of the pujo will help you
connect with the pulse. The anticipation, the
excitement and the passion with which we
celebrate durga pujo is unparalleled. It’s a time
when the city hardly sleeps apart from the few
wee hours of the morning. The most beautiful
part of this city is everyone irrespective of the
religion they belong to celebrates the fact that this
festival. Its a time when people shed their political,
religious and other inhibitions and immerse
themselves into a few days of celebrations celebrating life, celebrating good over evil,
celebrating humanity.
As the train stopped at Kharagpur station, I had
tea in a bhaand with a smell of the burnt mud.
After years of having tea at best of the hotels,
there is something about having tea this way. It’s
a feeling one can’t have anywhere else. The train
stopped longer than usual, worked in favor for
those street vendors selling hot breakfast on the
platform- luchi and aloor tarkari in shaal pata. It’s
too hard to resist these, as they taste delicious
once you stay few years of staying away from
Calcutta. Going home is always a bliss, which you
can feel only when you head home. No matter
how far and wide we have visited or lived, there is
no place like home, no place like the one where
we grew up. With Calcutta, you can’t set a pace,
you have to align to it’s pace, its culture, its feeling,
it’s passion and it’s energy. Key thing is
connecting with it rather than trying to find why
it is different from the rest of the world.
Sometimes I wondered what was so special, what
makes it difference from the durga pujo we
celebrated in any other city in India or outside
India. The few days of durga pujo are always
amazing. Gathering with friends for an adda
session around the pujo pandals, the street food,
the
beautiful
light
decorations
from
Chandannagar, a suburb of Calcutta, hopping
pandals, meeting friends after a year or more - all
this is just an amazing feeling. It’s like connecting
back to the pace the city is moving with much
slower than some of the cities in India or
countries outside. Our friends and family have so
much to share and so much to tell about how the
world has changed out there, since we were last
there. These are things, you can't cover through
Sunday Skype or phone calls, you have to be there
to feel it, feel the passion, feel the intoxication to
be in Calcutta during durga pujo.
A lot of us who grew up in Calcutta stepped out to
realize our dreams. However, we never could take
our city out of our equation. Its just not because
our families are there, but then there is a
undeniable charm the City of Joy brings which we
love to embrace and feel every time we are back
in Calcutta. To feel the city’s pulse one should take
Some of us might argue that the city is trapped in
time, but then it does a great job in preserving it's
culture, its tradition and it’s appeal which is
unique. It hasn’t changed and we pray it doesn’t.
Some of friends would argue that it hasn't
developed and it hasn't changed with time and is
hence far behind than the rest. Yes it is, but to us,
Anjali 2012
20
Article/ pãbÉ
who have seen the outside world. However, ask
someone who never went out of Calcutta, they
will say the city has changed a lot over the years.
It’s all a matter of perception and a viewpoint to
comprehend the change Calcutta has seen in
becoming Kolkata. Irrespective of the change of
power from red to blue out of my thoughts,
because at the end of the day, with this city, it
doesn't matter what color it is, when it's durga
pujo, everyone embraces the same color, the color
of joy!
While most of us from Calcutta would love to be
there during pujas, sometimes our life and it's
crazy commitments don't allow us more than a
couple of hours on our smartphone calendar to
visit the pujo pandals in the bay area, wearing our
traditional outfits. It’s fascinating to watch
multiple generations in a single family during
these days in the pandals and it’s absolutely a
treat to watch how hard we try to exhibit our
culture and tradition. The mere fact that it's away
from Calcutta doesn't change the essence of it. We
still celebrate the same festival, just 8000 miles
away from its origin. Its really admirable that we
are able to do this, thanks to a lot of us who have
spent decades here, been here for generations
and have built a life in this country. Yet, we
haven't forgotten our culture and tradition.
Its different here, because only a particular group
is celebrating, not everyone else, not even all
Indians. It’s simply amazing how we have done a
great job in recreating our durga pujo here in the
bay area. We even have multiple pujo pandals,
ensuring we keep the pandal hopping culture
alive. It was amazing to see that we haven't
limited ourselves to re-create the pujo itself, but
other aspects of it, like adda, khicuri, mishti on
aashtami and of course the food. The street
vendors selling egg rolls (wraps), the phucka, and
the sandesh - around the pujo pandals contribute
to the celebrations aptly. All those dresses, which
stay folded, sarees and kurta-dhoti-pajama come
out and we love to showcase our outfits during
these days. Celebration is in our minds and hence
does it really matter where we celebrate? What
matters is how we do it. Having seen it here in the
bay area, the energy and passion has been
amazing.
Living thousands of miles away doesn’t make it
easy to travel. Interestingly, it’s faster to reach
India by flight from San Francisco, than by train
from Bangalore, but then it’s expensive. We used
to love that journey; we used to look forward to
that busy Howrah station, the gateway to the city
of joy. Money used to matter then, it matters
today too. It was never about the money, was it? It
was about the urge, about the strong wish to get
back, and get back during durga pujo, possibly the
best time to enjoy and celebrate the life of the city.
Recently watched a feature film shot in this city
multiplied the urge to go back and soak myself in
the charm of my city. So this pujo, I have decided
to take that last flight to Calcutta.
Go take that flight which takes you home in time
for mayer bodhon – welcoming ma durga to start
off the pujo. Imagine the smile you see who is
head back there – simply amazing. If you can't,
then block out your days on our calendars to
celebrate our culture like we block out during
Thanksgiving and Christmas, not taking time out
of our evening chores to show case our clothes. If
we don't celebrate our culture and tradition with
the same energy like back home, our future
generations will have no clue of what is the
essence of durga pujo. It’s our pujo, our tradition
and even if we are miles away let's celebrate the
festival in true spirit and invite our non-bengali
and non-Indian friends to participate and watch
us celebrate. They will surely love it, because if
you have them participate in your festival, who
knows, they may start celebrating the durga pujo
like we celebrate thanksgiving or Christmas. Start
with listening mahalaya a week before waking up
early in the morning – thanks to You Tube, just
like all of us who grew up listening to Birendra
Krishna Bhadra every year with goose bumps all
over us. His voice is unique and has that tenacity
which will definitely set your mood for the pujo.
Celebrations is about enjoying together as a group
(sarbojonin), feeling the joy, putting on hold all
your worries, all your tensions, all your stress and
just relishing the time with friends and family. We
all need a break from our mundane jobs, house
chores and other routine tasks. This is the time
when we celebrate our life and nothing better
than pujoy bari phera – going back home for the
pujas.
Soumen Saha is a happy-go person, with simple
approach towards life - live life by the day and live it
fullest. He loves to blog, travel, photography, listen to
music and try out various cuisines. He loves Calcutta
and is passionate about Bengali culture and traditions.
He works as a software architect in the Bay Area and
is interested in mathematics and open source
technologies. Soumen is married and lives with this
wife in South Bay.
Anjali 2012
21
Poem/kibta
Say a Prayer
Dr. Nitis Mukhopadhyay
A brother from Enfield has fallen
Other brothers from Enfield had fallen before him
Please take some time out to pray for my brothers Will you tonight?
Lately, I have lost too much too many Too many brothers to count
Too close to home
Brothers from Waterbury, Hartford,
Glastonbury, Putnam, and more
Please pray for my brothers Will you tonight?
Think of my fallen brothers
Look at these pale faces silenced forever
Lost laughter, pranks, courage, and
The screeching sound of speeding.
I hated that screeching sound and dark tire-marks
They never sat still
Always in a rush to get out my driveway
Go somewhere to see friends
How much I hated that screeching noise!
I have been to too many funerals
Lately I have shed too many tears
Because these are my brothers
God forbid, one of the fallen heroes
Could have been my own child
I have buried too many brothers
And my two hands have become numb
Please pray for my brothers Will you tonight?
No war is justified when it snatches
Away forever my brothers and sisters
Can you even imagine the burden of sharing
the news with their mothers, fathers
brothers, sisters, wives, husbands and children?
Who is right or who is wrong?
What is my religion? What denomination?
Where did I come from? Where am I going?
What is my color?
Or what language do I speak?
No need for any lengthy debate now
Don’t you listen any more?
My poor brothers are falling One by one ’teens and all.
The fall color will be back here very soon
But not my fallen brothers and sisters
Rainbows will appear again for sure
But not my fallen heroes
They were the best of all braves
And they gave everything they had.
Talk of sacrifice?
What more do you want?
Don’t you feel what I feel?
Don’t you listen any more?
Once, please, do not argue For or against the war
You talk too much
Give it a break
I am fed up and I feel disgusted up-to-here.
Don’t tell me we won! Won what? At what cost?
Now I long to hear the music That screeching sound of tires
Just one more time!
No one comes home anymore
Brothers don’t come home hurriedly
They don’t come home anymore
Or stop the car nearly hitting my garage door
God, how much I miss
What I once hated the most!
In a solemn silent moment tonight
Please pray with your heart and soul Ask the Higher power for the best gift of all
Instead of a new car, a great portfolio
Or a cheap mortgage
Please ask to return every brother and sister home
Safe and sound now
I want to hear so badly the screeching sound of tires again.
Wherever these young men may be in harm’s way
They are my brothers
I beg youWill you please say a prayer for my brothers
tonight?
Dr. Nitis Mukhopadhyay is a purely amateur who
writes short stories, critical essays, and poems in
Bengali, Hindi and English. Also, translates literary
work, paints, and performs music. But, this is all done
for the love of it and not to prove anything. Dr.
Mukhopadhyay is Professor of Statistics at University
of
Connecticut.
To
know
more
visit
http://merlot.stat.uconn.edu/~nitis/
Anjali 2012
22
ŸdeK …lam g―asagr
S„kr BácaàZ
tIàTbHUl ŸdS, pibº BUim …†
Bartbàx| tIàTóùan ÙmN punYaà °Ÿnr
AnYtm •pay iHsaeb DàÚ m ippasu
Ÿlaekra AÇ»er punYlaeBr jnY bHU
kñ ÷Ikar kerw nana tIàT pirº¡ma
kern| Ÿtmin …k ŸSãò tIàT
g―asagr| pãbad VeCÎÎ- "sb tIàT bar barg―asagr …kbar"|
kiTt VeC ŸZ sb tIàeT barbar øan ker ŸZ pUN Y
laB Hy, Ÿkbl maº g―asagr s―emr jel …kbar
øan krel Ÿs† pUN YPl laB kra Zay |
DàÚm puraen VeCÎ
"g―aya‚ jel ŸmaQ baransYa„ jel-óùel
jel-óùel AÇ»rIeQ g―asagr s„gem "|
g―ay jel, baransIet jel ba óùel …b„ g―asager
jel óùel ik„ba AÇ»rIeQ mara Ÿgel jIebr ŸmaQY
laB Hy| Ÿs† jnY† g―asagrŸk tIàT ŸSãò bla Hy|
iHÆdu Deàmr Aenk Saeó½ …mnik ramayn, mHaBaretw
g―asagerr •eLK VeC|
Ÿs†jenY† bHUi denr †e¬C …kbar g―asagr dàSŸn
Zabar | Vr g―asagr dàSen ŸZet Hel ŸZet Heb
sagrÃIep| Bartbeàxr AnYtm ndI g―a iHmaleyr
pàbt iSKer ge―aºI iHmbaH ŸTek sâiñ Hey smtl
pibºBUim HirÃar …b„ Ÿbnars Hey piëcmbe―
be―apsager …es imilt Hy| …† imlnóùel g―a
Ajsã Daray ibB¹¡ Hey Zay …b„ …Kaen ŸZ
Aenk§ela b-ÃIp …r sâiñ HeyeC, sagrÃIp tar
AnYtm|
sagrÃIp
klkata
ŸTek
pãay
128ikelaimFar dUer Abióùt suÆdrbn Ÿjlar …kiF
ŸCaeFa b-ÃIp| Vim, Vmar ó½I w SYalk gt
20|12|11 †„ klkata zak‖irya ŸöSn ŸTek skal
7-30 imW ŸFäen Ÿcep Ÿbla 10Fay kakÃIp ŸöSen
igey ŸpOCa† | ŸsKan ŸTek ir¤a BYaen Ÿcep lF n„
8 l‚ GaeF igey iFikF ŸkeF l‚ / ŸBesl … •far
jnY la†n Ÿd†| ŸBesel •ef ŸdiK Ÿlaek-ŸlakarnY|
jaygar ABabbStW Ÿk• Vbar Caed •fl,
Vmra …kFu jayga Ÿbr ker dƒaiRey pRlam| ŸBesl
CaRet† ŸdiK cairidek jl oT oT kreC, Vr jelr
•per suÆdr paKIra sb •ReC hanaemel, Ÿs …k
ApUàb dâS Y ; ŸdKet ŸdKet mnFa •das Hey Ÿgela,
men prela rbIÆÅnaT fak‖err ŸlKa Ÿs† Ÿdbtar gãas
kibtar bàNna,"jl ìDu jl, ŸdeK ŸdeK ic¹ tar
HeyeC ibkl" Vbar …k† kibtay ma tar iSìek
bleC " cl Ÿtaer idey Vis sagerr jel " | …† Ÿs†
sagr- Vr g―a imel g―asagr| pãa y 35 iminF clar
pr ŸBesl muirg―a (g―ar óùanIy nam ) par Hey
kcuebirya l‚ GaeF ŸpƒOCela| ŸsKan ŸTek BYaen
Ÿcep basöYa¸ , …rpr baes ker Ÿglam "Bart
ŸsbaSãm sªG Ÿgö Ha•s’| …† dIàG pT Ÿpirey Vsay
iKedFa ŸbS Bal† ŸpeyiCl| r›m buk ker iney
Kabaerr jnY Ÿbirey Ÿglam| raó»ar paeS† ŸCaF ŸCaF
Daba, ŸsKaen grm grm ŸKey BYaen Ÿcep cel Ÿglam
g―asagr Ÿmla pãaªgeN | …Kaen g―a w
be―apsagerr imln óùl| ŸsKaen tKn ŸlakarnY |
tKn sagrŸmlar pãó¼it cleC Ÿjarkdem| g―asagr
Ÿmla saDart janu yair maesr maJamaiJ mkr
sªº¡aiÇ»et AàTa‡ 14 ba 15† januyarIet Hy|
g―asagr Ÿmlay pãitbCr itn ŸTek car lQ Ÿlaekr
smagm Hy …† g―asagerr jel hu b idey pUN Y
Aàjenr jenY| bla Hy ŸZ …† sagerr jel hub idel
ìDu ŸdHìiÁ † Hyna, se― mn w smó» kailma Duey
mueC pibº Hey wef| g―asagr Ÿmla† He¬C k‖Ýemlar
per iÃtIy bâ H¹m Ÿmla ŸZKaen …t Ÿlaekr smagm
Hy| teb k‖Ýemla Hy pãetYk car bCer …kbar, Vr
itneF Vlada Vlada jaygay, Vr g―asagr Ÿmla
Hy pãetYkbCr …k† jaygay, sagr ÃIepr diQntm
b-ÃIep| ŸdKlam raiS raiS bailr •pr otrI kra
HeyeC paka raó»a, Ÿmlay Vgt saDusÇ»edr jnY
banaena HeyeC Aenk Gr, sajaena HeyeC pãcur
Ÿdakan Gr| Kaink dUer† tIàT ZaºIedr jnY kra
HeyeC Takar bYbóùa| …kFu dUuer † bHUi denr óùaipt
kipl muinr miÆdr| sagerr jel øan ker sba† …†
miÆder pUeja idet Ves| óùanIy Ÿlaekedr saeT kTa
bel Za janlam ŸZ bàtmaenr …† kiplmuinr VSãmiF
He¬C ctuàT miÆdr, …r Veg …† …k† jaygay itneF
miÆdr iCl| ikÇ¼ pãetYkiF† smueÅr jel ik„ba JeR
D„s Hey Zay| bàtmaenr …† miÆdriF 1973 sael gRa
HeyeC|
…† kiplmuinr VSãm iney …kiF gæp VeC| raja
sagr iCeln AeZaDYar raja| tƒar du† raNI iCl,
ŸkSanI Vr sumit| ikÇ» …edr sÇ»an iClna| Aenk
pUeja, Z¯ †tYaid ker du †ranIr Ger† sÇ»aenr jnM
Hy| ŸkSanIr Ger …kiF puºsÇ»an jnMay, Vr sumitr
Ger jnMay 60,000 puº| Ÿs† sagrraja …kbar
ASÿemD Z¯ kern …b„ rIit AnuZayI Ze¯r ŸGaRa
ŸCeR Ÿdn| inym iCl ŸZ Ze¯r ŸGaRa AnYanY ŸdeS
Zaeb …b„ Ÿk• Zid Ÿs† ŸGaRa VFkay taHel tar
saeT rajar ZuÁ Heb| Ÿs† ASÿemD Ze¯r ŸGaRar
ŸpCen sagrrajar 60,000 puº clet lagl|
AnYidek kiplmuin iCeln kàdmvix …b„ dQrajar
knYa ŸdbaHUitr sÇ»an| …kidn kiplmuin ZKn taƒr
VSãem DYanmgÈ iCeln, tKn AeZaDYar raja sagerr
puºra ŸdKela ŸZ Ÿs† ŸGaRaiF VSãem baƒ Da reyeC|
wra Babela ŸZ inëcy† …† vix ŸGaRaiFek VFekeC|
ikÇ¼ vix bel wƒ naek Ÿmerw ŸPlet pareCna| ta†
wra nana Baeb muinek ibr¹¡ kret ìr› krl| DYan
ŸBe― ibr¹¡ Hey muin ŸZ† ŸcaK Kuel takaeln, Amin
taƒr Ÿtej sagrrajar 60,000 puº BsM Hey Ÿgl|
bûbCr per raja sagerr pã-ŸpOº BagIrT
kiplmuinr VSãem Ÿs† sb ŸdHabeSx Kuƒej Ÿbr ker|
ikÇ¼ SãaÁ kret ŸZ jl pãeyajn Hy, ta ŸsKaen
iClna| kiplmuinr prameàS BagIrT Ÿdbtaedr tuñ
Anjali 2012
23
ker ŸdbI g―aek meàtY iney Vesn| Ÿs† jnY g―ar
AnY nam BagIrTI| ikÇ¼ g―ar git …t ŸbSI iCl ŸZ
Ÿdbaidedb mHaedb g―aek inejr jFaet gã Hn
kern …b„ tƒar git SaÇ» Hel pâiTbIet itin Ÿnem
Vesn| ŸdbI g―ar pibº jel sagr rajar 60,000
pueºr VtMa mui¹¡ laB ker| Ÿs† ŸTek† …†
óùan …kiF pibº BUimet pirNt HeyeC|
ibSÿjyI Zugnayk
÷amI ibebkaneÆdr
saàDSt bàxpaln
pridn skalebla Vmra g―asagr s„gem øan ker
kiplmuinr miÆder pueja Ÿd†| kiplmui nr miÆdr
CaRaw sagrÃIep ramkáx - imSn, Bart ŸsbaSãm
s„G …b„ w„karnaT miÆdr reyeC| sb miÆdr Guer
ŸdKlam|
tarpr
…k†
Baeb
Ÿkalkatay
iPer …lam| …k pibº AnuBUitet mnFa Ber Ÿgl|
÷amI ibebkanÆd taƒr b¹¡átar jIbÇ» AiBbYi¹¡,
VemirkabasIek ŸdKaenar jnY Zaƒek iney
…esiCeln, SãIramkáex—r Apr …k iSxY, ÷amI
turIyanÆd bletn, “÷amIjIr kTa ìnel mra manux
tRak ker laiPey •ef blt "dƒaRaw! mer Ÿta ŸgiC,
kTaFa …kbar ìen Za†”| taƒr kTar …tFa† Ÿjar iCl
ŸZ, Bab w Baxa Hœdeyr AÇ»óùel tKn† ŸpƒOCt”|
…kbar
SãIramkáx—
•pedS
Cel
÷amIjIek
beliCeln,”Vim bapu sb Balbais| maC Kab Ÿta
Bajaw Kab, isÁ Kab, ŸJalw Kab, AÜlw Kab| tƒaek
smaiD Abóùa y inà gunBaebw •pliØ kir, Vbar nana
mUiàtr ŸBtr ‹iHk sÜÉ ŸbaeDw ŸBag kir| …k ŸGey
Baela laeg na| tu† w ta† kr - …kaDaer ¯anI, B¹¡,
kàmI w ŸZagI sb H"| Vemirkar VkaeS ibebkanÆd
Dã›b tarar pãkaS …† "sb” rkm Baeb| ÷namDnYa …k
Vemirkan ŸliKka ileKeCn, "klÜas Vibïar
keriCeln Vemirkar maiF Vr ibebkanÆd Vibïar
kereCn Vemirkar mn”| iSkaega DàmmHasBar
pãtYQdàSI AYain ŸbsaÇ» bleCn, “iSkaegar Gn
VbHawyar meDY jÔlÇ» BartIy sUà Z, is„H tulY gãIba w
mó»k, AÇ»eàBdI dâiñ| sÊYasI tƒar pircy? inëcy| ikÇ¼
osink sÊYasI itin”| “ŸZn VDYaitMk jgetr
Ÿnpilyn”| BartatMa ÷amI ibebkaneÆdr ibSÿ-VtMa
Hey wfa - saQI …† Vemirka|
Sankar Bhattacharjee is a retired Civil Engineer. He
served Tripura Government’s Public Works
Department (PWD) for over 30 years. Coincidentally,
his wife’s name is Mahamaya which is another name
of Devi Durga. He is a father of two daughters and
one of them lives in Bay area. He is a regular visitor of
Bay area since 2008.
÷amI pãsÊatManÆd
Ÿs† ibSÿjyI Zu gnayk ibebkaneÆdr 150tm jnM bà x
2013 sael| ibebkanÆd naemr pãtuY‡jÔ l VDYaitMk
iSKaiFr ýpeàS inejedr DnY krar sueZag …iF| itin
Vemirkaek Za ideyeCn …tidn bÉ Taka Ÿs†
rtþepiFka ŸKalar smy …iF| ta† baàkel, wklYa¸,
sYan ŸHaes, ŸgãFr Ÿb …irya-r skel imel jait, Dàm,
bàN iniàbeSex tƒar jnM bàx palen bãtI HeyeCn| ÷amIjI
…kiF icifet ilKeCn, “ŸZ ŸZ …† icif pReb, taedr
iBtr Vmar Si¹¡ Vseb, ibSÿas kr| ŸZ ŸZ tƒar
Ÿsbar jnY, tƒar ŸCelemeyedr Ÿsbar jnY otrI Heb,
taedr iBtr itin Vsebn - taedr mueK sr÷tI
bsebn, taedr beQ mHamaya mHaSi¹¡ bsebn|” …†
VSaet† "÷amI ibebkanÆd ŸsilebãFir Aàgana†ejSn”
tƒar kaj kret •edYagI HeyeC Vpnaedr sklek
iney| sara bCr Der ÷amI ibebkaneÆdr Bab AnusarI
smnÓy seÚmln, VDYaitMk sBa, CaºCaºI w Zubk
ZubtIedr ibiBÊ Anuòan, sa„ôáitk Anuòan pã Bâitr
maDYem ÷amIjIek AnuDYan kra Heb| Sareda‡sebr
pUNY legÈ …† mHaZe¯r …kjn Hey Vpnaedr jIbn
pirpUàN Hey •fuk …† pãaàTna|
Anjali 2012
24
Anjali 2012
25
Article/ pãbÉ
Our Dada
Sohini and Soham Khan
Every 15th August, we were honored to hear that
our Dada was in charge of hoisting the Indian flag
for the Independence Day celebration in his
apartment complex in Kolkata. This year, on this
very same day, our Dada, our beloved grandfather,
Mr. Susanta Kumar Das, left this world, leaving us
to look up to the sky, not for the saffron, white and
green, but rather to find the brightest star in the
night sky from which he might be watching over
us.
Not only was our Dada a
successful entrepreneur but he
was
also
a
profound
humanitarian. Dada taught us
that we had an obligation to
give back. We learned from him
that there is great joy in
service. Other than work and
family, his charitable projects
had given him the greatest satisfaction in life from
building a play yard for the Cancer Centre and
Welfare Home in Thakurpukur, Kolkata to reading
for blind students at the Calcutta Blind School. As a
life member and former President of the Behala
branch of the Rotary Club since 1984, he has led
various Rotary International projects ranging from
the famous “Eradicate Polio” program to raising
money for children with serious congenital heart
defects who cannot afford a meager $2000 for a
life-saving operation. Not only would he provide
money for these children, but more importantly, he
would create life-long relationships with their
families so that even to them he would be their
Dada. We still remember visiting the Calcutta Blind
School with Dada. Even though the students were
unable to see, the presence of Dada stirred them
such that they ran towards him excited to meet
their Dada. Any time it was time to celebrate,
whether New Year’s or Poila Boishakh, whether
Christmas or Durga Puja, he would make sure that
rather than simply going to a temple or holding a
puja, he would visit Douglas Ground/Oxford
Mission Park’s Orphanage for Boys to make sure
they get to eat warm “rosogolla” for breakfast and
“polao mangsho” for lunch. Moreover, Dada would
hold cataract camps every winter so that hundreds
of people unable to pay for a cataract operation
would be able to get surgery for free by Kolkata’s
best doctors. And even as he was about to leave
this world, he kept on giving – donating both his
eyes to provide two blind people with a brighter
and more fulfilling life. We realized giving back
adds meaning to life.
Dada was also a trusted friend, who provided a
helping hand whenever we needed one, while
praising and appreciating even the smallest
accomplishments from cooking my first meal in
college to my brother winning California state
awards in math competitions.
From him, we have learned to
dream. From composing music to
researching
biochemical
advances in science, Dada has
inspired us to do our best in
whatever we do. He has taught us
by example to always keep an
active mind. Even on vacation,
visiting us in San Jose five times,
other than bringing the love and
adoration of all our extended family members back
in Kolkata, he made sure to even share what he
found as thought-provoking here in California and
published articles in the Times of India,
Anandabazar Patrika, The Statesman, and more.
Dada was always willing to learn how to do new
things, becoming the most technologically
advanced grandfather learning to send emails and
video-chatting even before there was Gmail or
Skype itself. Hearing that I am homesick in my
college dorm, Dada would make sure to Skype with
me every weekend to make sure that I’m alright.
Every other day, Dada sent us emails with words of
encouragement or with news of something
interesting he read in the newspaper or online. And
every birthday, the first phone call of the day,
perfectly timed such that it would be right before
we get ready for school, would be from our Dada.
Dada was a remarkable individual and celebrator
of life who made a mark on everyone who
interacted with him. We will all miss his gentle
smile and engaging words. More than that, though,
Dada genuinely loved his community and his
people. He will be greatly missed by his employees,
his friends, his neighbors, and his family. Dada will
always be in our mind and forever in our heart. We
pray that he may rest in peace.
Sohini and Soham live in San Jose. Sohini is currently
a junior at Caltech in Pasadena, CA while Soham is in
eighth grade at The Harker School.
Anjali 2012
26
Oil Paintings / otlicº
Soma Saha
Painting is Soma’s passion. She has always loved
painting since she was very young. She has
participated in some exhibition as for eg. Academy of
Fine Arts (2008), Laha Art Gallery (2005) etc. Being
an ex-teacher and an ex-examiner in Bangiya Sangeet
parisad (India),
she was very much inspired by her seniors and her
students. But sadly she is the type that would get
interested easily but ironically lose interest easily but
her husband inspires her to always try to stick with
her creativity.
Anjali 2012
27
Story/ gæp
Unsung Reveries
Tanmoy Sanyal
A casually made wallpaper looks
back at him as he peeks from behind
his laptop. With a little bit of effort,
not unlikely for an eight week long
visitor to this other end of the world,
he quickly catches sight of the dollar
eight tag still sticking to it. And it
puts him into one of his reveries that have become
so frequent in the last few weeks. “Eight dollars”,
he mutters as his brain rushes off to do the math. A
quick multiplication by fifty turns the globe by a
hundred and eighty degrees as he takes a short
gasp that he is yet to get used to—the fact that a
four followed by two ciphers would buy a couple of
decent lunches to the street children back home
makes him stop and think; He thinks about home,
thinks about the time, when he is going to leave for
more than just two months and jump on the
bandwagon that swears by a US degree. “The
United States is still the best place for graduate
education, boy”, his professor had told him earlier
in the day. “Of course it is, it’s the richest country
around”.
And, as it has happened every single day for the
last month that he has been here, the LCD screen
overcrowded with journal papers in short print
fades before his eyes, as they try to penetrate the
Ethan Allen wraps of floral paper and desperately
seek the yellowed curtains of his hostel room and
the convoluted dug up stretch of concrete, that
leads to his home, and that he so often
complained of adding each time rave reviews of
what’s not right with India. Memories of all the
red-tape he faced when going through his visa
application jostle for space with the recent
experiences of a bank account and a social
security number created in minutes. It had left
him wondering, as the receptionist had chuckled
at his awe; an unmistakable murmur had caught
his ears…”fresh off the boat” ---- he had found the
term funny. He finds it hard to explain why he
misses all that red-tapism. Equally difficult he
finds to fathom why he looks at her Facebook
profile every quarter hour, wondering what she
might be doing. One reverie gives way to another
as he seems to be stuck in a dynamic equilibrium
of confused thoughts straddling boundaries of
diametrically
opposite
geographies
and
conflicting time zones.
The reverie breaks with a gentle pat on his
shoulder; it’s time to pack up for the day and head
back to the apartment, where he stays with a
couple of Indian graduate students. Or, maybe
he’d rather call it home, for had it not been for
them, he would have been stranded without a
place to go in this unknown land. Once again, he
can’t help but compare. Would he himself, so
willingly share apartments with a stranger he
meets for the first time at Kolkata airport; his
mind attempts a feeble yes but the heart knows
better.
Drawing comparisons is what he has been doing
all day long. It’s the Monday blues at work, he
keeps telling himself. The entire weekend, he had
spent at an uncle’s place; a distant relation, whom
he had never seen or heard of before until a few
days before leaving from home. As they head
towards the bus stand, in the sweltering Texan
sun, he tries to convince himself that he has not
felt any significant difference in living with this
motley crowd of grad students, each speaking a
different tongue, occasionally trying broken Hindi
and in spending a day or two with his uncle,
where everyone knew his mother tongue but few
chose to spoke. Is it such an obvious co-habitation
of lifestyles that it yields itself so easily, to
anybody careful enough to discern? The
octogenarian green card holder who remembers
vignettes of India and smiles when he sees his
young nephew busy calling home rather than
joining him in golf and the F1 visa student, whose
life revolves around laboratory assignments and
meeting deadlines and worrying about a
recession-struck job scenario, amidst sweet
memories of the far east that he seeks to
reminisce whenever he gets a listener--- are these
existences two sides of the same coin? Our
listener wonders.
He tries to monitor his thoughts every now and
then, talking to himself, remembering what his
receptionist at the International Student Office
had tried to make him understand.... "Its a new
place dear, you must realize that its a different set
of people, a different plethora of customs,
different but enriching all the same..the best you
can do is realize this as as soon as you can and
then accept it...and grow with it". True. What was
he doing... more importantly, why? Wasn't it
infinitely more refreshing to observe all that he
Anjali 2012
28
Story/ gæp
saw around and garner new experiences, rather
than shift between time-zones ? These are the
times when it strikes him, how stray the human
mind is and how it formulates its own rules; stop
thinking about home, and it starts profiling the
average NRI ....try and brake that train of thought
and it wanders off into the minutiae of Occidental
oddities. Not that he doesn’t try to gather
experiences – puts both his cerebrum and
amygdala into taking in only what meets the
eye—trains that travel astoundingly fast, cleaner
roads, automated gates, humbling skyscrapers,
greeting smiles from passers-by ----he remembers
what a friend had quipped when he had first
visited America – “Now I know where God lives”.
But his runaway thoughts soon insinuate him into
finding that lives travel faster than trains and
roads lie lonely mile after mile without a soul in
sight.
Keeping constant track of thoughts tires him out
and he finally gives in to the underlying truth that
has sunk in after a month’s stay. Workaholicism
comes by choice, not compulsion, loneliness being
the driving force. This is so different from where
he comes and maybe its all for the greater good.
Where an hour long banter with friends over
lunch risks being considered detrimental to
organizational performance, that feeling of
stepping on it and finishing your assignments on
the double only deepens. Work is all you have; if
you do not have work you have ennui --- its that
simple a choice. Of course, there are pressure
relief valves in place all the time – “Work hard
party harder” was invented in the west after all.
In the innermost recesses of his heart, he knows
that it won’t be long before he ceases to have any
of these reveries at all and truly follow the words
of his receptionist. That shall be his
institutionalization. The extreme philosophies of
the other world can take over this stranger from
moderate climes then, not now.
Tanmoy is a final year, integrated masters student in
Chemical Engineering at IIT Kharagpur and is from
Kolkata. He writes occasionally, mostly about
intangible things such as thought processes and
"what-ifs". In his free time, if he is not doing random
philosophizing, he listens to music or pore over
elegant mathematics. He wrote this when he was on a
summer internship for about 2 months at Houston in
May 2011
Anjali 2012
29
Article/ pãbÉ
The Lazarus Project
Rajarshi Chaudhuri
Somewhere in Colorado there is a
demarcation line where the
waters part - the so-called
Continental Divide - some running
off to the Atlantic, the rest to the
Pacific. In man, it is thoughts
which divide - the ‘mental divide’.
It is along this same imaginary line that the
culture of the past and the present divide as well.
Transposing the same idea to Bengali cinema, I
believe we can draw the same imaginary line, a
more and more deterministic film culture today
compared to the non-determinism of the last few
decades!
There is certainly a fundamental link. Our current
world is essentially advertiSing. ALL things,
deprived of their secret and their illusion, are
condemned to a deterministic existence. They are
given over to advertising, to make-believe, to selfdisplay and self-valuation. We don’t even leave
the dead (or the dying) behind! Remember
Lazarus? Lazarus of Bethany (aka Saint Lazarus),
the subject of the most prominent ad campaign
(aka miracle) attributed to Jesus Christ, in which
Jesus restores him to life four days after his death!
Today this Lazarus project is everywhere.
You can easily draw a parallel to current Bengali
cinema with Lazarus. It sounds like the same sort
of miracle, that Bengali cinema has entered into a
whole new world, restored to a new and welldefined campaign from that what nondeterminism, to its second golden age
(considering the 60’s to be the first one). What
happened in between was a struggle, an “Our
Films, Their Films” sort of antagonism between
the so-called Art films and the mainstream.
So what really changed? Well, first of all, it’s a
global change that the illusion of cinema has come
to an end, the so-called divide between art and
mainstream cinema is over. Cinema, in general,
does not leave any room for critique anymore - it
has just become quotational, loquacious, hightech and well-packaged. During its technological
evolution, from silent movies to sound, to color, to
high-tech special effects, illusion is the strongest
sense that disappeared. As this technology, this
cinematographic
efficiency
grew,
illusion
withdrew. With no blanks, no gaps, no ellipses, no
silence, just like the television - it’s hard to
differentiate today between cinema and
advertisement! At least our earlier Bengali avantgardes were pure cinema and not advertisement.
Today’s Bengali cinema is no black-sheep. It
follows the same global perspective, and
apparently nothing wrong about it. We heard
earlier that Bengali cinema has lost its audience
and that’s not true anymore. Most Bengalis (in
“the home and the world”) can find a place to turn
to it regardless of their social circumstances and
prejudices. Practically everything goes into it.
Every actor/director/technician should have his
or her chance. You just have to accept everything
in Bengali cinema like you accept the successive
dazed soap operas in daily Bengali television.
Perhaps the good thing is that this is the first time
we have been able to put the so-called exclusivity
of Bengali culture outside in a shopping mall sort
of environment. This reduction, this flattening out,
this possibility of an indefinite supply of culture is
something new to the Bengalis. There is no longer
any difference between the levels of quality. We
can perhaps use the term “implosion” as a
metaphor to describe the process. It is physically
like what happens to star clusters whose density
becomes so phenomenal that they implode and
nothing is left around them. Then they have the
possibility
of
absolutely capturing
and
neutralizing all the energy, all the light radiation
that approach them. That’s the point of ultimate
fascination - that’s where Bengali cinema has
reached in just a decade or so; golden age has
been restored or recreated in a whole different
way than in the 60’s.
Anyway, no matter how much universality (or
post-modernity?) has crept in our cinema, you still
have to account for your own ethnicity, own
technique, own stagecraft, own montage!
Basically you have to perpetuate your own
archetypes (not in Ritwik Ghatak’s sense of
archetype though). Let’s scheme through a few of
those strategic stakes of our new Bengali cinema:First - choice between revolution and copulation.
This is a complex problem, similar to other
complex ones like distinguishing the terrorist
from the hostage (in Stockholm syndrome) or the
virus from the cell (in viral pathology). But thanks
to the pioneers like Marquis de Sade! As a
reference, let’s take one of the ground breaking
Anjali 2012
30
Article/ pãbÉ
plays of the last century, Marat/Sade by Peter
Weiss. The exchange between Jean-Paul Marat and
Marquis de Sade continues throughout the whole
play, but Sade appears to have won his final
argument against Marat by asking the vital
question - What's the point of the revolution
without general copulation?
That’s it! That does the trick! Once upon a time
Bengali cinema might have dreamt of becoming
revolutionary and eventually toppled into
exaggeration, and then we have learnt from our
follies, and skillfully escaped those days of
immaturity! It is the tactical juxtaposition of
everything that is possible in terms of sexuality
that distinguishes today’s Bengali cinema from
that of the past. It’s a sense of trans-sexuality that
makes our cinema truly international. Bang! Sade
wins!
Second - sticking to urbanity is the key. All our
reality has become experimental, so reality can be
discarded at will. Our worldwide viewers are
urbane; our rural folks are trying to become
pseudo-urbane. So what we need is an essential
urban presence in our movies - that’s all. We still
make movies set in a pastoral ground, and even
there we use some sort of pseudo-urbane
stagecraft that in turn suits all audiences - even
rural. Just as we will one day biologically clone
human beings, we are cloning Bengali movies
today with a predominantly urban profile, and
successfully enough.
Third - manufacturing your own Dorks. This is a
complex process, and let’s take a few samples.
First, you need sort of a Godfather; essentially a
Dorkus Magnanimous, and our retarded hero
Prosenjit Chatterjee has been operating as that for
nearly two decades. But that’s not all - you need
one Dorkus Maximus as well, who should be
essentially in ALL movies - like what Samuel
Jackson does for the spectators of Hollywood. And
fortunately there is no disappointment for
Tollywood. We are blessed with Sabyasachi
Chakraborty being there, like a beacon for the last
two decades, radiating confidence and hope! I
certainly don’t have the audacity to place the
respected Soumitra Chatterjee, who should have
been given the Knighthood be it the United
Kingdom, in any of these lists! Regarding others
like the petty dorks, both antique and new, we are
never in a short supply for them in Bengal (not to
take any further names though!)
Fourth - “Bangaliyana”! We have to admit that this
is something of uncertain nature (like the mare’s
egg), but the certainty is that as long as Rituporno
Ghosh (our “Faun”) is around, there is always the
hope for newer seductions in undiminished
Bengali style.
Other than that, we also prefer to have period
pieces made from time to time, and to our great
assurance we have our eternal supply of period
materials, namely the works of Rabindranath,
quite handy and effective. Just scheming through
the last few years, we can see that at least six of
Tagore’s works had been adopted - Chaturanga,
Char Adhyay, Chokher Bali, Nauka Dubi, Sesher
Kobita, and Tasher Desh.
Its high-time that someone (perhaps Rituporno)
should make Gora as well, which is a laurel that
late Satyajit Ray yearned for but missed just
because he couldn’t find the right actor to play the
protagonist!
Fifth - an underground. Having an underground
film movement is a must, as every distinguished
culture has one! We lacked it earlier, but we do
have one now, even though it’s sort of simulated
in nature. And of particular interest is Q (Qaushiq
Mukherjee), who made a series of indie B-movies Bish, Love in India, Gandu, and Tasher Desh (the
last one is in production currently).
Sixth - Copy & Paste. Nothing to elaborate, every
culture does this, and that’s the way to sincerely
fraternize with the rest of India & the World.
Seventh - making Dracula 3000 films. For the
definition of Dracula 3000 please see the urban
dictionary (do some homework folks!) We have
those film-makers around, who in the name of
cinema basically create spectacular advertisement
spaces that contain nothing but Brands - thus
selling and consuming at the same time! Their
films bring about an unparallel gloss & banality
that even Heidegger couldn’t have dreamt about!
Like Apur Sansar’s Kajol uttered - “tomar mundu
bhenge debe” - some of us feel the same urge after
watching those movies!
But we still need them, as our spectators, from
time to time wish to see a good bit of Spectacle.
There are so many in this slot, perhaps fair to
mention a few Abominations like – Anuranan,
Antaheen or Aparajita Tumi etc.
Eighth - I guess a spectrum of seven is enough, but
can’t help having a parting-drink in terms of a
metaphor. Last year, Andreas Gursky‘s photograph
of a stretch of the Rhine River went on sale in
Christie’s (New York). You might even call it
Anjali 2012
31
Article/ pãbÉ
featureless, but it does at least show the basic
features of a river - water, two banks, and some
sky. It has a striking symmetry, and simplicity of
structure: parallel strips of color all the way
across the image. Anyway, you might wonder why
it sold at the auction for $4.3 million (after 12
years of sleep; originally shot in 1999), making it
the world’s most expensive photograph so far!
I’m not hinting at anything! Maybe just at the
striking symmetry and the banality of structure!
Just that we are analyzing a deterministic system
deterministically! Just as the Lazarus project of
Bengali cinema is at its unbounded phase now projecting a similar image like Gursky’s
photograph!
No more altercations! No more implications!
Of the Cheshire Cat there remains only the Smile.
Rajarshi has been residing in the Bay Area for a
decade or so, working as a software professional. This
article is really about what a delusive mind can tell us
about the current golden age of Bengali Cinema.
Andreas Gursky’s Rhine II
Anjali 2012
32
Anjali 2012
33
Article/ pãbÉ
The Homemakers of West Bengal Donning New Hats!
Amrita B. Choudhury
It’s a beautiful Monday
morning here. Hubby
just left for an early
morning meeting, the
little
one
happily
enjoying the morning siesta. Holding on to my
morning cuppa I thought this is the apt time to
call a friend of mine in India. She’s a home-maker,
a mother of two. She stays with her family in a
remote part of West Bengal. We haven’t met for
years now but every time we catch up on phone
its with the same zeal and fervor that we
exchange stories of our lives. This time the
excitement was much more than expected. As she
picked up the phone and figured its me on the
other side, she immediately quipped in her
cheeky voice, “From next time onwards you better
schedule an appointment before calling me, I am
going to be a celebrity soon”, and then she burst
into laughter. Gradually as she settled down, in
between various chit chats, she finally told me
that a dream of hers is soon going to come true!
She has been selected in one of the very popular
game shows organized by a bengali television
channel and the programme will not only be aired
in India but across multiple countries. I was
extremely happy and congratulated her
immediately. With her life revolving around her
family, who could hardly care for the rest of the
world, this was a sure shot achievement for
someone like her.
I have had a chance to see a couple of episodes of
the game show and remember some celebrity
host taking them through rounds of introductions
followed by a number of games. At the end there
are goodies galore, the contestants and the
winner brings home house hold goods, jewellery,
and many more prizes. Needless to say the
celebrity status donned on them is the most
lucrative prize the women could savor.
Be it a home maker, a student or a working
professional, everyone loves to be popular. To be
discussed among the peer group, to be known as
little differently, to be appreciated. These game
shows have redefined the identities of these
women. Through such programmes many more
dreams are coming true and the perks of rubbing
shoulders with celebrities in the sets are bonus.
Apparently, many women have travelled to
Kolkata specifically to participate in similar game
shows, considering there are many such shows
that let you spend time with a celebrity and get
you a piece of stardom that you eyed for. I came to
know that apart from the youngsters some of the
episodes also had grandmothers as participants,
making it a very popular show amongst all age
groups.
The woman of today undoubtedly has come a long
way. Apart from all the work she does, be it at
home or office or both, she still craves for more;
to carve a niche for herself, to create a unique
identity, to be known as an achiever in every
possible way. Interestingly, many women these
days are being encouraged by their parents and
in-laws for participating in such programmes. For
women there, these game shows have taken the
recognition at a different level.
With television channels competing for newer
heights, where TRPs are capable of ‘make or
break’ situations, the women in that part of the
world today oblivious of any such criterions are
just bothered about only one thing , “Will I be the
next Didi No. 1?
B'Khush is an online interactive magazine; it caters to
the South Asian population around the world. Visit us
at www.bkhush.com
Anjali 2012
34
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Anjali 2012
35
Kid’s Corner /ŸCaFedr pata
My Experiences of a Bengali Wedding
Prisha Bhattacharyya, Age : 7½Yrs
On the day of the party I put some
of my best clothes on with
matching clips, shoes, jewelry and
bag! I thought I looked very pretty
indeed and everyone said so too. I
felt very happy and excited. I
wanted to reach there as fast as I
could and asked everyone to hurry. Finally, after a
lot of waiting everyone was ready and we sat in the
car - ready to go!!!
When we reached the place, I saw a big tent,
which was fully decorated with lights, bulbs, colors
and other stuff. My grandparents told me that it was
called a 'Pandal' and that's where the wedding
would take place. Bengali people get married only
in the evening or night. I think that's because during
night it is a very beautiful scene and the tent looks
glittery with all the bright sparkling
lights - just like a fairytale!
After that we went inside the pandal
and it was so brightly decorated.
Everyone was dressed up in bright
clothes and with lots of jewelry. There
was a lot of food on the tables and loud
music was playing to which many kids
were dancing. I joined them and
danced so much!!
Then the 'Bor' (groom) came. When the groom
came, he walked to the doorway of the tent. He was
dressed in a 'Dhuti-Panjabi', which is a traditional
Bengali dress. It was brownish in color. He was also
wearing a long pointed white hat called the 'Topor'.
Before he entered, all the elders started to do pooja
in a circle surrounding him. They light diyas and
hold it and pray to make sure that he has a happy
life with the bride. They did this for 20-30 minutes
and then the groom goes inside and sits down on a
beautiful chair, waiting for the bride. People go and
talk to him and take photographs.
Then the 'Bou' (Bride) came! She was looking so
very beautiful!!! She sat down for a while and after
some time they were called for a ritual and
everyone ran to see what was going on. I ran too of
course! To my surprise, the bride was now sitting
on a wooden plank ('pidi') and she covers her face
with 'paan' (beetle) leaves. The special part is that
people carry her on that pidi, to where the groom is.
The bride covers her face so that she cannot see the
groom. Then she took some rounds sitting on the
pidi and then opened her eyes to look at him and
they then exchange the 'malas' (garland) that they
were wearing. This was a lot of fun because, people
were lifting the pidi high and higher so that the
groom could not exchange the 'mala'. He had to
jump high to do that! Everyone was cheering and
laughing!
The bride was looking so pretty. She was
wearing special clothes like the groom. She was
wearing a red sari with a big golden border and a
lot of golden work in it. She also had a lot of makeup and her face is decorated with ‘chondon’, pretty
designs which are made with a white paste. She also
wears a lot of gold bangles, necklaces, earrings and
other stuff.
The bride and the groom then went in the ‘mandap’,
which is the place where the puja for the wedding
takes place. They pray in front of the fire and tell all
their needs. The 'purohit' who performs
the pujo tells them what to do. They also
took many rounds around the fire. I think
they pray to have a happy life. But during
this time the bride walks and does not take
rounds on a pidi. Guests also cheer in
happiness and make sounds with the
'shonkho' (conch-shell). They cheer
because it makes the people who are
getting married, happy. It is a happy and
joyful time.
Then we went to eat. There was a lot of
delicious food of different kinds. There were all
kinds of appetizers like chaat, tiki, golgappa, nonveg and veg snacks. They also had a lot of veg, nonveg curries, pulao, naan, sweets and desserts etc, on
kind of metal containers with fire below them to
warm the food. They set the place up with tables
that had a beautiful tablecloth over them. There was
a lot of Bengali food. I ate some snacks, mangshobhaat (mutton with rice), daal and some other stuff
and finally I finished it off with some ice cream and
'paan'. The paan made my mouth red in color!
Well everything was fantastic and I really, really
enjoyed the Bengali wedding. I danced a lot, saw a
lot of Bengali traditions ate a lot and had a lot of fun.
I went to India again this year and went to another
wedding this year too! I had a great experience
there also! I wish every time I go to India, my
grandparents take me to an Indian wedding! You
should also try to go to an Indian wedding - I can
tell you for sure, that it would be a lot of fun!
The painting is also done by Prisha Bhattacharyya.
36
Last Day at Alaska
Aindri Patra, Age : 9Yrs
It was my family’s last day of our
trip to Alaska this past summer. I
was very sad. We were eating
breakfast while waiting for the
shuttle car to take us to a small
airport from where we were going
to take a tiny plane that would land
us on top of a magnificent glacier. To be exact, it
would be the Ruth Amphitheater
next to Mt. McKinley or as Alaskans
call it, Denali, which means the “High
One”. I had already read a lot about
the glacier and Mt. Denali at the
Visitors’ Center, and could hardly
hold my excitement.
Finally, the car came and
took us to Fly Denali airport. When
we got there, we took some
peppermints just in case of motion
sickness. Afterwards, we had to wear
big bulky boots which we needed to
walk on top of the glacier. I was glad when the lady
at the airport desk said we could go for the glacier
landing. We had already tried twice before, but due
to the weather we had to cancel our flights. I was
little nervous before we got there, but at that
moment I felt better.
It was time for everyone to get into the mini
plane. The plane we were on carried only my family
and the pilot. It was fun on the way to the glacier.
We asked the pilot many questions through our
huge head phones. I was feeling a little sick so had
to take some ginger candies, they tasted good...
MMMM!!! I felt better after I finished them. Soon we
saw Denali, the mountain, that meant we were close
to our destination.
After twenty minutes of flying we reached
Ruth Amphitheater. It was covered with snow
everywhere. There was fresh snow, as it had
snowed the last three nights. No one had been there
since the last snow fall, which was great! Meanwhile
the pilot was circling the mini plane. A little later we
landed on top of the glacier and we made our first
footprints YAY!!
At first, everyone got down and took many
pictures. Then we did whatever we wanted to do, I
made snow balls and threw them at others. Also, I
made different shapes out of snow. I made a small
little Mt. McKinley. It was all so much fun. My baby
sister was a little sad as she did not have the right
kind of shoes to walk on the glacier.
Soon it was time to get back to the little
airport. On the way back I was having motion
sickness. I drank a little water and had few more
peppermints and fell asleep against the noise of the
propeller. When we all got back to the airport, we
took off our big and bulky boots. My feet were all
numb. We then took a car to the railway station to
catch the train back to Anchorage from
Denali National Park.
We boarded the Alaska Railroad.
Our train car was a special one called,
“Knik”, it was glass-domed. “Knik” is a
small town in Alaska, which falls in the
Iditarod trail for the Sled Dog race. After
we sat down on the train we had some
sandwiches. We passed many cities and
went through some of them. Around six
o’clock we ate our dinner in the train.
When we reached the Anchorage train
station, we got our suitcases and took a cab to the
Anchorage airport. The next morning we flew back
to San Jose.
The last day of our trip was very exciting,
sad, and fun all together. It was a once in a lifetime
memory!!
The painting is also done by Aindri Patra
Anjali 2012
Fruits
Tithi Mondal,
Age : 12Yrs
37
Durga Puja
Precious Nature
Medha Bhattacharya, Age : 7Yrs
Durga Puja is a time that I wait for
every year because it is a lot of fun.
It has lots of awesome kid and
other programmes and I even get to
participate in some of them.
Sometimes, I do dance programmes
and my dance teacher gives me lots of sparkly
dresses to dance in. I also get to wear a lot of
sparkly jewelry. Sometimes, I do singing
programmes also. My sister has a part in some of
these programmes lots of times as well.
Every day during the
Durga Puja, I take a bath early in
the morning, and wear a nice dress.
My mother prepares bhog for the
puja. Then, we go to the puja place
and offer anjali with flowers in our
folded hands. Then we eat phaul-proshad. Then I
play with my family and friends.
After thakur-maushai completes the puja,
he offers bhog to the gods. After that, we eat bhog
together with everyone in the puja. In the late
afternoon, we get ready to do our performances, or
get ready to watch the programmes that others are
doing.
On the last day of puja, the mothers play
sindoor khela with thakur, then with each other.
Then we eat mishti and wish everyone Shubho
Bijoya, and have lots of fun. I love Durga Puja.
Reetinav Das,
Age : 10Yrs
Nature’s call is irresistible,
There are butterflies everywhere,
Ladybugs, flowers, animals, birds,
Nature is everywhere.
So many things to see outside,
Mother Earth’s gift is our pride.
Beetles, Grasshoppers jump with a soft thump,
Crickets in the night sing their treasured song,
The sunshine in the beach is so satisfying,
The rain outside the window goes ping pong.
The powerful nature gives us all a call
Now it is our turn to give them back all.
Have you ever felt this way?
But Earth’s gift will not last so long,
For every woman and man,
It will come to an end,
So let’s enjoy this gift,
While we still can.
Painting is done by Medha Bhattacharya.
Autumn Leaves
Lizards
Divya Sarkar,
Age : 8Yrs
Anay Bhakat,
Age : 9Yrs
Some lizards move like blizzards
Others are fat and old just like wizards.
Some are smooth, some are rough
Some are weak and some are tough.
All like heat, all like bright
Some of them can take a flight.
Lizards have claws, Lizards have tails
They are well protected in their scales.
Lizards are awesome I wouldn’t lie
But try telling that to a fly!
Autumn leaves fall gently from trees.
In colors red, yellow,
orange, magenta, brown and green.
To make a leaf pile
just for me.
I will jump in, Crunch, crunch, crunch
making leaves spread all around.
Dancing leaves fall down
to meet their friends lying on the ground.
I like Autumn leaves that make
the crunch-crunch sound.
Anjali 2012
38
A Middle School Student’s Life
Anisa Kundu, Age : 11Yrs
The bell rings. Science class starts.
Yeah, it’s a middle school student’s
life. In this case, this is my crazy
life. Sarah Johnson, new student in
school, totally freaked out. Sixth
grade was supposed to be the best
time of my life. I mean I’ve waited
for this since kindergarten. Lockers, moving from
class to class, pulling a few pranks on the way; that
was the kind of life I thought I was going to have in
sixth grade. But that was six weeks ago. I’m over it.
At this point I’m not half sure that I know how to
navigate my way through this chaos filled period of
my life.
Anyways, first period on Monday is science.
The teacher must have drunk too much coffee
because she is way too hyper to stand still. Her
“being a normal human being time” is from 7:50 to
8:00 a.m. So I make sure to ask her my doubts at
that point of time only. She is always ready to tackle
us and every time she comes close to me I shudder
in fright. But as long as I don’t raise my hand and
focus only on my rapid notes, I make it through her
class.
Second period on Monday at 9:15 a.m. is
Speech & Debate Theater. All we do is talk, talk, do
some weird warm-ups, and then do some speeches.
She’s a really tough grader so you always have to
focus. Your focus and presentation level should be
at a thousand percent. So while we are listening to
people’s boring speeches we work on our own
speeches and try to say it along with the person
who is presenting. The problem is that people pause
so many times that they don’t keep up with you. But
since I am sort of in the middle of the presenting
order, I somehow make a ninety and above grade.
Personally, I think her class is an easier class to be
in than some of the other classes (since I am good at
speech).
Third period on Monday at 9:45 a.m. is P.E.
You don’t really do much in this subject except
when we do push-ups and stuff. But the teacher is
pretty funny so you have a lot of fun in his class.
This is probably the only thing that I look forward
to when coming to school. He’s like in his twenties
but acts like a kid. He gives us really weird
nicknames and partially I think it’s because he can’t
remember our real names. I like this class better
than any other class.
Locker break from 10:15-10:20a.m.…lemme
grab a snack before the teachers notice.
Okay so now that my stomach has calmed
down, I need to go to grammar and composition
class at 10:20 a.m. which is the fourth period. The
teacher is pretty kind. In the morning, when I can go
around to ask questions to teachers (I don’t always
need to but anything to avoid the science review
questions), I go to the grammar teacher and ask her
questions about upcoming projects and grammar
concepts. She never minds my questions and is
always happy to explain things to me. So she’s very
nice and grammar was never a very hard concept.
But when she loses her temper, her voice echoes
through the walls and everyone probably hears
what she says.
Finally I get to be alone during lunch at
12:20p.m and write some songs that pop up in my
head. But people always come up and say “Whatcha
doing?” It’s hard to be patient sometimes, so I just
move to another place.
After Lunch is Computer and Logic from
1:00 p.m. I’m okay in computers and I seem to
understand and enjoy the logic only when she
teaches it, so I think I’m able to survive her class
pretty fine.
Seventh and last period is history. History is
probably the worst subject in the world for me
(even more than math). I stink at history and find it
extremely boring. It is hard for me to always keep
up with the teacher and sometimes remain unable
to write all that he says. I probably still haven’t got a
clue how to survive this class.
This is the end of the day, the time of day I
have been waiting for since morning. So yeah
middle school is definitely not going to be the best
time of my life but I think I will learn how to survive
this period of my life. Wish me luck in surviving this
year and two more years of middle school.
Anjali 2012
Happy Stars
Vihan Bhattacharjee
Age:3½Yrs
40
Good Friend
Romita Pakrasi,
Age : 10Yrs
Two Giraffes
Subhon Ghosh,
Age : 8Yrs
Fall Color
Camillia Das,
Age : 5Yrs
Anjali 2012
40
Varanasi
Ankit Mukherjee,
Age : 13Yrs
The Eagle
Sulek Ghosh,
Age : 10Yrs
Landscape
Shivani Shimpi,
Age : 8½Yrs
Anjali 2012
41
Winners of Bengal Day 2012 Painting Competition (Organized by Pashchimi)
1st
GroupA
Prize – Tanish Gupta
1st
GroupB
Prize - Ushoshi Basumallick
1st Prize
GroupC
- Shikha Adhikary
1st Prize – Saanvi Sahu
2nd Prize – Anwesha Ghosh
2nd Prize – Sohail Chavan
3rd Prize – Toshan Gupta
3rd Prize – Rishabh Sen
3rd Prize – Akash Roy
3rd Prize - Ishani Roy
Anjali 2012
42

An Utopian Feel-good Story - Bangaliana in Bay Area

Transcription

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