beberibang:Catharsis from a restless mind

Short Stories

2012-01-29T22:29:00.000-08:00

Links to my short stories that are translated to English and available online:

If interested feel free to click on their name to read:

The Gift (Written 1999,1st Published in Prantik (প্রান্তিক ২০০০),English Translation Kamal Nayan Baruah :,Assam Tribune ,Nov 2009.)
genre: :fun, comic, simple
Fantasia (Written 2002-2003,1st Published in Sadin (শাৰদীয় সাদিন ২০০৪),English Translation Uddip Talukdar :,melange ;The Sentinel ,Nov 2010.,NE Quest 2011 )
genre: Sci -fi :
The Post modern Short Story (Written 2006,1st Published in Sadin(সাদিন ২০০৬),English Translation :Uddip Talukdar :Indian review ,2011.)
genre: Philosophy ,literature

About art history fictionalization 3: Surrealism

2012-01-20T23:26:00.000-08:00

Topoema:Palm of the traveler by Octavio Paz

It was a long traumatic mental journey .The nerve offictionalizing Impressionism, Dadaism and then Surrealism was weird. But oncestarted you can not hold back.

It was a big challenge as Surrealist works feature theelement of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and an abrupt, illogical,unexpected turn.

That was a trap.

I began to read and while going through few of thesurrealist history I got to know about Automatism .I was amazed when I sawAndré Masson Automatic Drawing.

So I thought may be the philosophy started with Automatism asin his painting (!) all he did was to let his pen flow freely to express itself ….(andmany time ,my pen also directs everything …so actually its not me its my pen(or key board) doing all the creative work.

The end product may become something like a encrypted mazeor a labyrinth very hard to decipher. After this observation my charactersstarted to saw some light inside the zigzag puzzle it was in.

‘Eureka’ One of the characters saidwho was entrapped inside the topoema’screated many decade ago by Nobel laureate Octavio paz

That’s why while trying tofictionalize Surrealism, I found out the very core meaning of being myself.While expressing creatively rather than handcuffed by limitations ofdefinition , boundaries ,time ,space meaning of any ‘isms’ we shouldbe free and spontaneous .Trying to break free from the rule.

Let the mind rule over my pen (or the key board, now days) asthese are my only weapon in my fight against the organised cliché.

I flipped through my dairy and found resonating verse Iwrote may be 15 years back.

Is reads:

Breaking the

Linguistics rule

Holding the pen

Unplanned

If we could build anew scenario.

Undefined Characters,Society,

Avenues, shores,cities, songs and others.

Spontaneous butsovereign;

And without a reason,

Every incident

Every moment,

Everyone,

Everyday!

Dismissing mentalcalculations for ever.

Flowers

Colours

Rivers & clouds.

Whatever, whenever!

The Eternal Optimist

2011-12-17T23:11:00.000-08:00

Photo from net uploaded by Atlaf Majid

Growing up in Assam in gloomy eighties had a toll on our psyche. The otherwise hyperemotional people didn’t have a single positive thing to think about. Already we gained a reputation for our step motherly attitude to humour and laughter; I clearly remember we felt guilty if we were enjoying something.

May be it is not normal to enjoy as everything is going from bad to worse.

All the schools, colleges, streets, shops buses- mostly remained closed.

Unexpected deaths were (still is) daily headlines so were the sense of losing identity prevailing everywhere.

The effect of surroundings was terrible and on top of everything –the bombardment of negative, egotistic, remunerated news.

Conflict had no end but the intolerance were at its peak –among people /language /religion /media house/views ,politicos /students parents and from left right centre and periphery everyone were against each other.

Those who had the power either betrayed or exploited our faith.

The situations lead to an era of darkness.

What we all wanted was little bit positive news. (ভাল খৱৰ, শুভ সংবাদ)

But there weren’t any ……

At that time two greats of contrasting characters came out with similar prayer-.

One was Bhabenndra Nath Saikia ,who accepted the society as it was but never given up and tried to bring changes being a part of the system.He wrote a full length play শুভ সংবাদ meaning Good news for the moving theater of Assam so that prayer can be herded across the Bramhaputra valley

The other person I am talking about was a different person altogether .A master in his craft and far ahead of any other contemporary in case of the momentum of his thinking. So naturally when it comes to personal feeling about the surrounding; he was very cynical and far more frustrated than any one else.

I have never met him but neither any other person in this universe .As the great craftsman Sourav Kumar Chaliha lived in complete obscurity .The man whom we have known as the man who knew SKC best Surendra Nath Medhi was by mean less noteworthy . Though petrified with the moronic behavior of natives it doesn’t mean that they (SKC and him) shy away for their responsibility for the society .Both SKC and Surendra Nath Medhi (the man who knew SKC best) were fierce critique of the all evils without any kind of fear. Be it insurgency (Like on death of journalist Parag Das ,or on issue of insurgencies ), or intellectual vacuum in the valley both of them came out with article/stories that can open the window of knowledge .

Two decades ago may be still not old enough to wake up with a hangover on New Year’s dawn ; I was enjoying the sunshine with news paper in one hand and morning cup of tea on another. As a new kid on the block we had upbeat dream but due to the situation we couldn’t think out of out of that sense of nihilism.

The news paper had a front page news article –Good news (ভাল খৱৰ) by SKC.

It was neither about negativity nor an optimistic article talking about a utopian tomorrow.

But after reading it I felt better and it made me believe that there can be a better tomorrow while living with the darkness at hand.

Demystifying the best seller’s techniques

2011-12-10T22:10:00.001-08:00

Down, alone and having time to kill after failing in doing anything creative I looked for some inspiration. I surfed through my 200 GB of world classic movie collection –Pier Paolo Pasolini. Claude Chabrol Jean-Luc Godard (from 1980 onward); well…after few hours I couldn’t concentrate on any one and most of them had a negative affect on me as well.

I was down and the theme, content, negativity of those entire movies was nauseating.

In past also I had gone through passes like this (dark) I stopped and tried to finish Terra Amata by French author and Nobel laureate J. M. G. Le Clézio.

I found it was about nothingness my recurring theme. It’s been six months and I am halfway through the book, it seems I will need three more months (and three bout of depression) to finish it. Nothingness and the negativity associated with it were becoming repulsive, so I kept the book aside.

Thankfully after a couple of days I fell sick and this time I didn’t dared to venture into the mistake I made just 2 days before.

Again I had to kill the time this time I decided to do it with something light and palatable.

I opened R 2020.

By evening I finished the book.

And after finishing it (me Mr. dark painter as my friend decodes me for my passivity) I too had some good vibes.

Mr Bhagat has become a phenomenon .You may love him or you may hat him, but you can not ignore him, what makes him what he is, I pondered.

After many months I picked up my pen started writing it down on my diary.

As I was blank so I thought of typing and uploading those 11 points (read 5.5 x2)

I wrote:

He is what he is because he could hold the nerve of the Indian reader because He

Writes in (simple) English
Use short sentences (the Nobel aspirants consumes one paragraph for one sentence) with words that most of us use when they are (ab) using English.
The most of the narratives are in conversations, not about subplot or mental mind game, smell, taste, scenery of the place. For all those he uses only one or two sentence so that reader can understand where the characters are and what they are feeling about. Thankfully most bad times pass very fast keeping the reader happy.
Love / romance will be there -unabashed .Most of the Nobel aspirant will try to write what is real /Mr .Bhagat will write what we fantasize about it-boy meet girl then he meets /hates /fights ….. (and whether movie ,music or popular literature romance sells)
The theme will be about something to which common people (read target audience, mostly youth) could relate to.
the protagonist tells the common feeling of a young guy (about girls ,sex, rich ,…..or common thought bubble of the youth )
Enough of humour and satire in every page so that no one is bored.
Sex –at the time when it seems reader are losing the grip, it freshen the mind up, so that writer can give you the final punch.
The protagonist will do the thing that most of the target reader do like –eating in Café Coffee day ,loitering in a popular hangout places(CP , Dasaswamedh Ghat etc)
At the end the protagonist (a looser like most of us) become a winner (morally) and also to the eye of the reader (his main objective).
Most importantly There is a story –an opening ,a climax ,an ending (with a twist ) .He will not try any other new/unknown / zigzag narrative literary style (like most Noble aspirant do)

Still there are many following the trend written above but this man is far ahead.

There are criticism against him also ,But I strongly feels in a democracy we all follow a cafeteria approach .You have all in the menu but reader have the right to choose /discard among all .

An ode to youth hood (যৌৱন)

2011-11-17T22:23:00.000-08:00

An ode to youth hood (যৌৱন)

After birth – the crying

Then the slumber of forgetfulness

Slowly its adolescence

Thereafter its youth

Youth hood is none but a dream.

And what after the dream?

The dream is better

Let it continue

Piece from Jatra (যাত্রা), a collection of creative fiction about journey of a young mind searching exactitude .

Sans You Bhupenda

2011-11-08T04:03:00.000-08:00

artist :Uddip Talukdar


Sea of people on his arrival(from net)

On 05 th November when we got the news and everyone were shell shocked.

For All the three corore people who lives or has their roots on the eastern part of India, his existence is always taken for granted over last 75 years at least.

Long back when the new age Assamese brand was evolving only this man announced his arrival by singing in front of crowd at Axom Xahitya Xabha.

From those days till this date his name is synonymous with the Assamese identity.

For all the four or five generation we have taken him for granted .We know he is there as a evergreen figure in the moment of crisis ,in the moment of happiness ,in moments when we have to showcase ourselves and what not.

We can not imagine an entity called Bhupen Hazarika which can be wiped out just like that.

Still we can not imagine him to be an old man not being able to communicate to his people. As too us he is much younger than me, than my parents, grand parents.

Three years back I had my own bout of depression when I saw him as a slightly old man still trying to sing way he has been doing since last sixty years.

After that all of us knew that this day will come, but as it is unimaginable so we brushed this kind of nightmare away and prayed for his speedy recovery.

On the very first time when I got the news by night I thought with time I will be able to recover from the grief state of mind.

But it’s been three days and I am more grief stricken that before, as life sans Bhupen Hazarika will become a reality in the time to come.

As an individual I thought it is time for all of us to become more responsible in the time to come.

But on the very next moment, I become angry at my impudence,

How can anyone ever think of taking responsibility of such a big vacuum?

If you closely observe –last three days not a single mind in the valley is at peace, all of us are restless as no one can ever imagine we can exist sans the Jajabor .

Who echoes (Prtidwani) the existence of a valley /a region / a contemporary entity called Assam.

Nilakantha

2011-10-05T23:40:00.000-07:00

Great creators observe the society very precisely and in some of their creation they sketch the darker side of people in general which we deny in order to project our limitation as inevitable.

Somewhere in my blog I have written about the master Hrithik Ghatak in Meghe Dhaka Tara where he has nicely explored this cunning /unforgiving /ruthless/jealous /selfish human nature in the characters surrounding main protagonist Neeta. In fact this nature is in all of us and as in India –we are all some social creature so everyone has to intact the way society expect it to do so. And while performing your social responsibility you might lose your money, self respect and eventually your whole life.

Off late I was reading Natya Sambhar (নাট্য সম্ভাৰ)–the complete collection of plays written for moving theatre of Assam by master visionary Late Dr.Bhabendra Nath Saikia .

It’s a huge collection consisting of 24 full length plays. Unquestionably all of them are masterpiece. As I started with the topic of uncivil behaviour of our so called community while I went through the plays in many plays I observed the same bitter observation as in Ghtak’s Meghe Dhaka Tara in completely different plots.

What runs parallel to Neeta’s life in the movie is similar to what happens in the life of Nilakantha (নীলকন্ঠ) - in the play by the same name. But Nilakantha was much stronger than Neeta .He had dream for himself, for his town, his family but all people wanted from Nilakantha was sacrifice. Nilakantha never minds giving, but appetite of a selfish surrounding was never satisfactory and fate had decided some other ending to his life.

But Nilakantha never bowed down to his fate but preferred to live the non existent life of monetary misery but his head still held high.

Terrific narration and as usual very illustrative dialogue with metaphor from daily life (the trade mark BNS dialogue) like

Nilakantha asks Radha after meeting her eleven years apart ‘How are you Radha? Any news?

Radha: What news can you expect from me, I am okay.

Nilakanth: Its been eleven years and still there is no news?

Radha: Even if it rains cats and dog have you seen water settling on duck's back, my life is something like that….

Dialogue like that hunts a spectator for many years .Nilakantha is notably one of the best drama from this collection. And that is the reason I believe we need more and more publication of plays and we should build up the habit of reading drama.

Because once staged a drama vanishes in the ambiguity of high speed life, and unlike movies and books never come back to public eyes even people want it to reproduce.

Death of a playwright

2011-09-10T22:18:00.000-07:00

Students of English literarture begin with Shakespeare as they approach their subject, and Sanskrit Students starts with -Kalidas .Besides literature some examples of most common references from history, politics philosophy we quote are from works of Sophocles, Christopher Marlowe, Samuel Beckett etc .You can assume all those are playwright and their works have remarkable impact on human society till today.

Over last few years we have observed a sudden surge of readership when it comes to reading novel, short story, poems and even articles in Assam. That’s a very good sign.

But are we reading plays?

‘Not really ‘will be the answer from most of the avid reader.

Why?

Before going to its answer let us think what really is keeping the Shakespearean spirit alive? Definitely the numerous discussion, scholarly article, research and criticisms on Shakespeare over the years. That has lead to numerous adaptations in modern day venture (novel, cinema, songs) by virtue of which the culture is infused over the non reading generation also. So what is the problem we have in Assamese plays?

Now the problem with Assamese drama is that modern Assamese play came late into the picture (1^st Assamese modern play was written in 1857, Gunaviram Baruah ) and by that time Assamese short story, novel and poems had already arrived so to reader drama became a full fledged live audio visual art (so it developed a popular believe among common reader no need to read them)

Then come the Bramyaman theatre which is doing immense work in the field, but as it’s a commercial venture and many Bramyaman productions are made for mass audience. While doing so they become copycat reproduction of cheap Bollywood movie. Because of this many critique are distancing themselves from Bramyaman .And again because of it they are ignoring a important aspect of Assamese literature which needs to be discussed /researched etc. (because there are many original good stage venture in Bramyaman also)

So to a top critique drama in Assam they mean only the -Amateur plays.

Now this amateur theatre in Assam are having problem of their own .From lack of facility, money, infrastructure, govt support, vcd aggression, and so on.

And what adding cheery on the top is a new form of change in amateur theatre.

Since last 15 years a new concept is evolving where theatre worker do not follow any text as script .They just take a concept/plot, and the script evolves during rehearsal with visual inputs from all the workers.

I have no problem with that kind of production but…. If this continues then their will is no one left to write an original Assamese play.

That might lead us to a day when no new play being written, so no one will read it so forget the staging / discussion or criticism part.

So as a result a whole genre of literature will lost as we seat our eyes closed.

Marketing of indigenous products

2011-08-30T23:29:00.000-07:00

Everyday when you open a news paper or TV channel we see launching ceremony of new book or a new vcd. But after a few days when you got interested and ask for those book in a book stand or a mushrooming vcd parlor they will simply refuse its existence. You beg, you pray …but definitely you will not get hold of that book.

Even if you go to the most established book distributor in pan bazaar (the capital –of book industry) no one can help you.

Why it is happening?

I found as there are thousands of books being released every year so they can not accommodate every book (or not bothered) any way there are text book, various model answer book or book that have guarantied selling (Test paper ,TET exam ,সহজলভ্য বনদৰব etc. etc…) to distribute so why to take headache .

True very true. Why to take headache?

That’s why a group of young publishers are coming up with a model example of holding book fair in every corner of Assam and selling their books. That’s a very welcome gesture ,but that results in one 6 or seven day event in one town .what if some one want to read ,buy a book in other 360 days of the year.

I believe the market of VCD is even worse when it comes to direct selling.

Now take the example of any English book /vcd or product.

You are not getting the product in your local store googled it you can buy the book /DVD on line on various reliable web site dedicated to marketing .So they are making the world easier for the net savvy -book movie lover .You can buy other product too but I am talking about my forte only.

By dedicating service many of these web site owners are earning a fortune also.

The population of Assam is around 3 crore, much bigger than many of the east European countries.

Than why are we not having such facility in Assam also?

May be because we are not bothered or may be because we don’t have those skill or honesty needed for those venture?

Or we are happy that may be one book out of three thousand that are published and two VCD out of 1000 produced are doing very good business.

What about those other 99 % being shadowed in the oblivion?

In Assamese scenario we discuss a lot about role of critique or environment but the business part we seldom utter. So I believe we need these important things so that the market improves:

Proper marketing channel
Individual outlet listening to consumers wish and trying to satisfy them rather than continuing with their habit of why to take headache attitude
Having honest E store for local product (As now the market is world wide)
To have honest publisher /producer. Also read Bhruka

The role of a Sutradhar

2011-08-19T08:50:00.000-07:00


camera and our life		taken from net

Over the years the conventional understanding about a sutradhar was that it narrates the story but by itself it don’t take any active part, But to go against the defined rule is what excite more and so everyone rebels against the defined system .even if it is a –machine.

In modern day life the most well established story teller is –the camera ,wherever u go camera capture and tell the story ,remember Diwakar Benerjee’s LSD out there camera are playing the role of a sutradhar .

It was okay till then, but I strongly believe this modern world sutradhar is gathering some kind of paranormal power that affect psychology of the people it capturing

Few examples:

A group were leading a peaceful protest rally, the camera arrived, and once the cameraman opens its shutter:-they started giving slogans and soon, they got out of control and started destroying everyone nearby

There were report of some scandal (it can be true ,it can be false and the incident is many days event )Once camera came to investigate ,people gathered ,Then they identifies the culprit (who might not be the one person who has done it ,but once camera rolls people started beating him up.

She is a normal girl next door with a boyfriend, the boyfriend buys a camera phone ---the rest is a movie story

SO is it our normal way of life or the modern day sutradhar induces us to act differently then we would have behaved without the camera shutter on , over which we don’t have any control.

In search of topoemas

2011-07-02T23:32:00.000-07:00

A Topoema

Octavio Paz

It was 1996 , loitering inside District library ,Guwahati I was ready to gulp any book that I found to be food for thought .I found –The Collected Poems of Octavio Paz .

I borrowed the book –tried to read and comprehend it but most of the writing went above my head. But what attracted me was some bizarre line in the form juxtaposition of word and sketch.They were named Topoema. I didn’t had a clue what was it all about but it appealed me so much that –I had those pages photocopied and I am carrying those page till today though I have moved from Guwahati to Dibrugarh to Delhi to Dehradun over the years.

I goggled for topoeama and brought the book from flipkart as it was not available in any book store ,then I found some clue and fell in love with the concept of topoeama .

It seems Mr. Paz also had some problem with words (or their meaning…also read words...

Even In Google there are very little information available on what Topoema are all about.But gradually I became convinced that in order to escape time space and to give meaning and mystery to words Mr. Paz created Topema.

I found a paragraph about Topoema in a Spanish language in a Spanish website and had it translated with help of Google translate it says

“One of the most common obsessions in his poems is the desire to escape time, which led to the creation of a poetry space whose poems were baptized by the author under the name of topoemas (Moles + poem). This is what poetry space, poetry poetry as opposed to the typical temporal and discursive. It is an intellectual and minority poetry, almost metaphysical in sign language also includes visual signals. In topoemas, as occurred in the poetry of the avant-garde, stress is suggestive and expressive power of visual images. There is no doubt that the last poetry of Octavio Paz is quite esoteric, but, beyond that, above all his poetry is noted for its lyricism and the magical sense that the author gives to words."

Pretty surreal but damn appealing ……

About art history fictionalization 2: Impressionism

2011-06-01T05:39:00.000-07:00

Uddip Talukdar The forgotten face

Claude Monet, Impression,1872

It’s a bit paradoxical –that I started my first graphic fiction with an idea full of impudence that I will fictionalize the impressionist art movement with a painting that actually doesn’t belong to impressionist genre.

This story is all about genesis. Conception of the story is somewhat similar to how the art movement was named as impressionist movement by a sarcastic comment on a Claude Monnet work ‘Impression ,Sunrise’ ( 1860 ) by a critique that ---‘ Impression — I was certain of it. I was just telling myself that, since I was impressed, there had to be some impression in it … and what freedom, what ease of workmanship! Wallpaper in its embryonic state is more finished than that seascape.* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impression,_Sunrise

Gradually the art form used in ‘Impression,’ became a style in itself. -full of visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage of time), ordinary subject matter, the inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience, and unusual visual angles. Together the style became –impressionist style to all*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressionism

When I saw the work The Forgotten Face for the first the impression was of pain of genesis (of creation /creator or procreation).The impression created by the painting, idea of creation and the pain associated with the whole compulsive process was so overpowering that gradually it took the form of a story 'Cihnabad’ (ছিহ্ণবাদ) . Sometimes I feel I should have destroyed the story soon after I finished it altogether because of the negativity of the story.

Later on I decided against it. As I believe the product of that huge traumatic mental exercise was not just a case of pseudocyasis.

Also read# :http://bhaskar-beberibang.blogspot.com/2011/04/about-art-history-fictionalization-1.html

Darker side of creative work

2011-05-26T07:01:00.000-07:00

Till few years back, to me a creative work was a creative work - darker the better as it tends to explore more inner self of me and human mind ,the most complex thing to understand of all the study subject.

I too explored the darker side of the mind which tends to affect me the person.

I was reading –“Confessions of a pilirlrim” –in conversation with Paulo Coehlo while and found Mr. Coehlo had too many real life experience of such account and he confessed that once he completed one novel on his experience with darker self. But once he finished it he just destroyed the whole novel as the darker side of the book might affect the mindset of billions of reader he is having as to many he is a spiritual guru also.

It was a amazing thing to me-how can a writer, destroy his own work after going through all the pain and suffering.

But he did just exactly that.

Off late there is an upcoming discussion about the darker side of dark art work say it 7 Khoon Maf, Black swan.

In Black Swan we can feel how a innocent, pretty girl gradually metamorphosed to a dark, murderous, ugly swine just for the sack of creativity .And those disturbing images were created so brilliantly that the viewers could also felt the agony of that sweet girl throughout the movie.

No doubt everything were perfect .But was it necessary to subject the viewer to go through all those masochistic creative exercise the writer/director/creator undertook?

The argument continues …..to take the Coehlo path or the Black Swan path ……

About art history fictionalization 1: DADAISM

2011-04-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

I love following time and may be 4 years back the bug of art history bite me so hard that I resided in the kingdom of art world, just like an algae in Pacific Ocean .Each territory was so vast that whatever idea I could gather of period was not enough.

I like challenges in my creative expression, and suddenly I got the idea full of impudence –how about fictioniazation of those theme in my story?

I took the challenge (to me) and stared exploring the gullies of those historical period, In cabaret Voltaire ,Van Gogh , Dali ,………

I took those periods of European art history (Impressionism, Dadaism and Surrealism to be precise) as theme for my story. I had to blend it to the structures I know .So when I stared I felt the pain. Creating something that is dark is painful, time consuming (one story in one year) and the darkness of my character engulfed me to that extend that I was on the verse of nervous breakdown.

Well one theme was Dadaism.

Dadaism was the creative by product of social depression created out of 1^st world war, 1914-. Intellectual thinkers moving out of homeland started revolting against normal social structure and started creating art under protest. Initially their art were criticized as anti art (!) work as many of their works were juxtaposition of painting, photograph making less and less sense. But they become extremely popular as art lover could relate them to the depressive phase that society was going on.

So those anti art work that were meaning less started the concept of collage ,montage ,ready-mades in art ,cinema ,advertising world, literature and many of the work remained classic till toady .

That similarity of dark creative expression out of a very dark period is what Assam was in 80s.

That’s DADAISM in my collage cut out from fiction, some psychic thinking and some true events from pathetic time of my native soil in my childhood.

About the painting used :

Well well well, I remember interviewing one of the very reputed Painter Mr.Jiten Hazarika confessing with a sloka. “Eksweasya padarthai nanrupe prkapalm” ( ‘একশেচছছ পদার্থই নানাৰুপে প্রক্লপনম.. মানে একেটাবস্তুকে নানাজনে ভিনভিন ভাবে চাব পাৰ.)Meaning it is up to the viewer (reader) to interpret the meaning of a creative form. Most of the artist believes that way and hates explaining their work of art.

Still I thought it will be better to explain the painting depicting the story.

It’s a montage –created by Dr.Uddip Talukdar, on request. Montage is a form developed (montage:French for "putting together" a product of Dada revolution where a creative structure is made putting together many items like photograph ,painting etc .Montage later on became a integral part of cinematic narrative also ).

The courtroom: may be a tribute to Kafka as in his story Joseph K accused of a crime he is not aware of.

Probable Interpretation; well we were brought up in the Assam in the dark period of 80s have a sense of being guilty of some crime we are not aware of.

The commode: It is the most famous ready made created in DADA revolution. (Fountain by Marcel Duchamp)

Probable Interpretation: ??? May be its time to flush out the filth.

The stage/the boot /the hanging noose/the hat: Waiting for Godot?

Probable Interpretation: We had nothing to do but to wait? Wait for something that we don’t know, as explained in the story.

PS: I still believe “eksweasya padarthai nanrupe prkapalm” and …

… I am not art historian /art critique/artist. I only expressed what I conceived in words (or call it visual narrative) to full of my conviction.

Lesson from History

2011-03-23T06:06:00.001-07:00

Restaurant @ Rishikesh –Dehradun road

Now closed restaurant in Mumbai

I sincerely believe history has many things to teach us and if we follow the trend we observe history blatantly repeats itself. Crime committed by one generation haunts the history of mankind. Examples are their everywhere we only have to closely observe them. That’s where the lessons learnt from previous experience should help us so that we avoid such kind of anguish and holocaust in the coming future.

But the seed of evil is also as devil as a rotten bacteria they keeps us hunting forever.

Take the recent instance of racial slur by fashion moughal John Galliano praising Hitler

Or public acknowledgement Bal Thackeray that ‘I am a great admirer of Hitler’

Or naming a café after Hitler in Navi Mumbai few years back.

What all these rejected fanatic idea of century bygone doing in India ?

Events in last century proved all the evil face of Hitler still (like a rotten bacteria I was mentioning) his idea keep on popping up. Few might be by fanatics utopians and many of might be due to simple ignorance or glamour (publicity!) quotient.

Take the example of a small taste fully decorated restaurant (otherwise!) in the Rishikesh –Dehradun road where to my utter disbelieve I saw a Nazi flag hanging out just for show, or may be to attack the young crowd out their.

I am sure the owner, and the so called young crowd whom they are suppose to attract doesn’t have any clue what that flag signify.

It would have been okay otherwise (as in

India

until hype is created –chab kuch chalta haien yaar!)

But why don’t we think that we are encouraging tourist with the slogan of ‘Atithi debo bhaba’, and many of our tourist to rishikesh Dehradun road are Jew from Israel and many are Germans, I sincerely believe it don’t make any of us (Indian, Jew or German or human race as a whole)

I believe this fatal combo of –ignorance and extreme idealism is a threat to the coming time and only reason for it is we have started disregarding the lessons of history.

Creator of our childhood dreamland

2011-03-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

Before we fell in love with words what attracted us were pictures ,cartoons and as we got familiar to words but were young enough to comprehend big big words we referred everything to world of comics (From knowledge ,entertainment , learning about history ,art culture ,folklore or everything ) .Comics were our :TV ,internet, grandma, novel .
I am using we not me because what I am referring to is true for whole of our generation.

Whenever we finish exam, or fall sick or if some one ask what do you want: Answer was invariably: Comics.
For us though we liked Hergé’s Tintin it was too expensive, Lee Falk's and Sy Barry's Phantom was also a bid out of our culture so most of our appetite for comics were looked after by Uncle Pi.
I am referring to Amar Chitra Katha and later on Tinkle.
For our knowledge about Purana, Mahabharta, History and folklore the credits must go to Uncle Pi’s immortal creation.
After two decade what amaze me about his creations is that at the dept of research home work he did for each of the photographs, I am sure he didn’t had the liberty of using computers and Photoshop at that time so every picture had to be drawn in blocks as in old printing technology .But When we look at Lachit Borphukan and dress of Swrgadeu or the background picture of Brmahaputra .Be it Joymotee or Sankradeb (It has familiarity to the drawing of Bisnhu Rabha ) all the characters were live and vivid.
And we often give reference to Sikhari Sambhu, Supandi, and Nassiruddin Hoza till today
Antanta Pi, (or popularly known as Uncle Pi) creator of our childhood dreamland breaths his last on 24th February, 2011,
But what he left behind is a legacy of his own.
We will miss you Uncle Pi.

Words misunderstood

2011-01-14T08:11:00.000-08:00

I have problems with words (or their meaning),

Because when we closely observe we will see that don’t really mean what I mean to express. This problem trouble me so much that many time I go through aphasia / creative block / nihilistic resolution seeing how wired our mainstay of communication (i.e. word ) can turn out to be .

This problem is the theme of two of my story .One was about creation (সৃষ্টি) may be in art, writing or photography and the other was about nothingness (Something about nothing – অসম্ভব লিপ্যন্তৰ).It took two year each to complete those two story (and the literary journal took 3 year each to publish them).

Off late when I was going through Kundera’s works all over again I rediscovered that I am not the only one who have this problem (Ahem! Ahem! )

In ‘Unbearable lightness of being Kundera dedicated one entire chapter on the problem where he discussed how a same word can be interoperated differently by different people as per individual experiences and taste .He named the chapter –Words Misunderstood and individual sub chapter as –A Short Dictionary of Misunderstood words .(remember it’s a Novel )

Then I was going through his ‘The art of the novel’ (but it’s a collection of assays) Here also he discussed the same problem in prose - how painful it is to express something and then when its got to be translated –how horrendous it is to see that the translated word doesn’t really mean what you actually expressed in your original writing. This chapter named Sixty three words –he published notes he used to make for such words .We can see one whole page just to express meaning of a simple word like comic, youth….vulgarity.

Let me give you some of my personal experience

Vulgar: A rich MNC worker punch drunk, biting a tandoored Chicken leg was giving lecture on-poor farmer committing suicide in hunger .I found the situation extremely vulgar. (To my friend vulgarity is only when it deals with obscenity or at least immorality. And that man has every right to speak his mind out as it’s a free country.)

Dark: Once I told ‘I have a dark thinking thought processes

1^st friend seriously enquired ‘Do you think of Sex all the time?

2^nd friend commented ‘you should see a psychiatrist, you are suffering from depression.

3^rd friend said ‘How can you think in the dark, it’s scary.

‘Boy boy!’ and I replied nothing...Words misunderstood hah. :-)

you can also read :denial

Tragic Heroes

2010-12-23T07:23:00.000-08:00

We follow only the winners and while following them many times we fail to recognize some personalities as history try to brand them as tragic hero (or many say they were villain).While deciding through the accepted denominator of write and wrong we don’t accept contribution some people whose name should have been taken with some respect otherwise.

Take the case of cricket – In a country where we (used to) eat drink and sleep cricket we have seen this game metamorphosed through our eyes .what transformed the game into a world sports – may be exiting fielding , professional attitude ,proper field placement ,game plane ,bringing statistic and technology for development of the game. Everything was introduced (together) by a very clever dedicated duo of Bob Wolmer –and Hansie Cronje .

But we remember both of them for some other reason altogether .Personally I feel Hansie Cronje is the only person in this scandal hit game who have acknowledged the truth. So we call him a villain .Otherwise people of similar track records are now –member of parliament ,chief selector commentator and so on and on.

The list of tragic heroes are innumerable –remember in 90’s when India was emerging as a module of failed nation (economy, political unrest, mistrust) them came one prime minister and with few steps with vision that rescued the almost bankrupt nation from economic collapse.

But now when we talk about them talk only other things.

I am no historian, politician or intellectual (but a pseudo one) neither I am defending or approving those scam (who am I to defend anyway!) for those charge. But I am not at all ashamed to say that they are my hero for the positive contribution they have made.

Kechaikhaiti (কেচাইখাইতী)

2010-12-04T22:44:00.000-08:00

Before the Viashnavite renaissance (1400 AD ---) in Assam in the remote eastern corner in a place called Kundil (now Sadiya ) there was a temple of powerful goddess named Kechaikhaiti (কেচাইখাইতী).The local tribes – Deuris, Kacharis ,Chutiya used various kind of offering to their powerful deity. As time passed many of these offerings in fact turned out to be human. In the beginning it used to be a voluntary affair and the person who has volunteered himself to be sacrificed for Goddess was called a xar (ষাড).The xar and his family used to get immense freedom ,respect and benefits from the society as the notion was once Goddess is satisfied there won’t be any calamity in the locality for the year .

Then Ahoms invaded the area ,and Goddess Kechaikhaiti become one of the important reference point of sociopolitical situation of 600 year old history of Ahom dynasty .Many of the Ahom kings become devotee of the Goddess .So yearly there were many offering(as sacrifice) from the kingdom for peace and well being of the country. And many times this human sacrifice became a mean to get rid of rivals in the midst of political chaos of Ahom kings.

That slice from historical literature always fascinated me like anything .

As history fascinates me and when the bugs from history bites my I have to scratch the itch .One of such scratch was the visit to Kechaikhaiti than situated in remote location inside Sadiya. It was Diwali of -2005 and we had a break of two days from hospital duty in Dibrugarh .

We used Bike ,Bus , boat , tempo to reach the place after two days of journey we reached the temple –all alone and unabashed by the river Kundil .

It was nothing to many, but for us the feel of the place was something else.

Tunes of the forgotten boulevard

2010-11-20T22:48:00.000-08:00

Young Jayata had a promising future .If he wanted he could have opted to become a rich industrialist .he cold have settled down abroad but what hunted him was ‘Tunes of the forgotten boulevard’ (এৰা বাটৰ সুৰ).Jayanta was at the cross roads of his life .In one way he was compulsively drawn to the tunes that people have started to forget, likes songs that are sang in jungles of Goalpara when they venture into the jungles ,songs that are of the country yard of Kamrup ,Songs they sing when they lift tea leaf from the garden from upper Assam ,
And the music continued
There was a long musical medley (?)then the movie ended ……
It is the synopsis of movie ‘Era Bator Sur’ made in 1956 .
As a child when I first saw the movie I thought hey what happened? What kind of ending is this.;
Now after acquaintance with world cinema ,and hopefully a better understanding of life & language of cinema (then 20 years ago) I have been remembering the movie again and again .
Godard,, Chabrol en all started new wave cinema started in France in mid fifties (at the same time ) Pather Panchali was released in 1955 and at the same time young man known in his native place as a lyricist and singer and music director made one film that by merit quality and content is as great as any contemporary international cinema.
It’s a regret that after all those initial brilliance now a days we have stopped thinking original, whereas we have a rich history of originality ever since 1935.
Photograph source :http://bhupenhazarika-news.blogspot.com/

Bhuruka

2010-11-08T05:23:00.000-08:00

Few years ago I needed information about an Assamese book; I went to a book store and asked him do you have this ….book?

The man in store didn’t answer –just gave me a frown ,I thought am I asking for pornography , may be the book is banned ,I crosschecked ,neither of my apprehension were true.

Then I went to a different book store .This time he the man wanted to help, but he couldn’t so he offered me some other book, Nut those were not of my taste.

Then I tried the internet, the buzz is you get everything in net.

To my horror not only the book I wanted, we don’t have nay information of most Assamese books on net, you will get some books but all are arranged in haphazard way and books that are milestone of Assamese literature are missing.

Yes you find everything on net but someone has to upload it, and it has to be systematic.

Then one day one of my friend ,who was having the similar kind of ideas ,moved one step further than me and he indeed developed a web site dedicated entirely to enlist Assamese book .(Or books from ,for or about Assam ,North East) its http://www.bhuruka.org/bhuruka/

Check it out

No one person can make one big database so friends if you like some book ,just feel free to enter the book ,in bhuruka ,: http://www.bhuruka.org/bhuruka/

You can discuss the books like you used to write testimonial in orkut days

And lot lot things are in the offing so all we need is your help

ৰা্ইজে নখ জোকাৰিলে হাতী ভুৰুকাত সোমাবই Lতাৰ পিচত কিবা কিতাপৰ বিষয়ে জানিবলৈ দোকানিৰ ভোবোলা মুখ চাবলৈ দৰকাৰ নাই ,গুগলত নামতো দিলেই হল।কি কিতাপ ,কিমান দাম ,ক’ত পাম ,ৰাইজে কেনে পাইছে চব গম পাই জাব।বাকি ভাষাবোৰত এনে ৱেব চাইত আছেই ,আমাৰ অসমৰহে নাই।

Do you remember?

2010-09-21T06:35:00.000-07:00

Some sensational news that has been long forgotten, Today is 21^st September 16 aniinversiery of one of such fluke news that gripped the nation for one day, do you remember?

I too forgot the whole stuff ,but 20 th September is the birth date of my alma mater –Guwahati Medical College ,So remembering the date yesterday everything came to my mind like a flash back-

It was 1994, For the first time we, the young Turks were celebrating the foundation day ,We were dancing all over the places, and next day (classes were cancelled),when I got up it was evening ,I just walked through Ganesh guri ,where I saw hundreds of people queuing up in the Ganseh Temple

‘What’s up pal?’

I asked a friend

‘Doesn’t U know Lord Ganesha is drinking milk and all of then is queuing up for it only?’

I was asleep just for few hours and everything was happening for that time.

Some one observed the phenomenon in morning, and soon the word propelled like bone fire and the whole nation was witnessing the event to the utter amusement.

Soon the news spread that the whole Shiva family is drinking milk,

Milk was seen flowing through the Drains like anything.

In the evening we saw in news channel that the phenomenon was observed even outside India,

Boy Boy !

By late night one English news channel showed –It is nothing but a normal phenomenon happens everywhere, one Shoe-cleaner demonstrated that even his shoe polishing iron is also capable of drinking milk.

Do you remember?

Aparajito-the unvanquished

2010-07-26T07:58:00.000-07:00

A real movie (hence Bollywood is excluded) speaks of life.
While reading rays memoir Childhood last week I remembered a scene from Pather Panchali. Fascinated by the mithaiwala Apu and Durga were and run after him. They couldn’t afford those sweets, but there is something about running after the things you want. The vendor entered their rich uncle’s house. Their family brought various kind of sweets .
Forbidden –Poor Apu and Durga took the pleasure of sweets by seeing them only.
Suddenly their cousins noticed them and called them in
Durga, full of self respect refused to enter
Here comes the confusion of Apu –
Sweets vs. self respect?
Apu decided to enter the forbidden house of rich and cunning uncle.
As the story progressed we see Durga couldn’t survive the fate and died of hunger and fever.
Apu conquered all in the next part of the great trilogy as Aparajito( The Unvanquished).
Its not that Apu survived his fate, death, misery, poverty hunted him all throughout his life. Still he gave a strong fight to the circumstances.
That made me believe again in destiny but not like that people see in movie , but I believe you will be guided by destiny but the path you have to choose and then destiny will guide you. If you are worthy luck will favor you ,but destiny is never a full stop …
And we continue the search with minor adjustments in order to survive.

Dare delived eggs

2010-06-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

If you take jokes very seriously, few can have such a big impact that extend that it can become life’s philosophy.

Like I want to become the egg that jumped from the middle floor.

Don’t you remember?

Three eggs jumped from a building, from 1^st, 2nd and 3^rd floor respectively.

Nothing happened to the first one –As – Jisko rakhe sai mar sake na koi.

Nothing happened to the 2 one also .Why?

As –practice makes an egg perfect.

But the 3^rd one jumped and crumbled.

Why –overconfidence is leads to your downfall.

Well in one of the blog. I discussed about the confidence (or arrogance) of Salvador Dali. In previous blog I discussed about the middle path of Buddha.

But the same thing can be explained by mere example of this egg joke also.

Boy Boy, that’s why people say I don’t know how to KISS. (Keep it simple and straight, yarr !

U dirty minds! :-)

Searching the middle path

2010-06-09T08:53:00.000-07:00

Living means fighting within you the Ghost of dark power.

A famous malicious quote or the hard fact?

Where is the light? Or is there any light at all?

I don’t have any answer

I don’t know,

I am looking into the labyrinth within,

One voice whispered into my ear ‘The light within will show the way – hey Tathagata,’(আত্মদ্বীপে দেখুৱাব বাট-হে তথাগত/নবকান্ত বৰুৱা)

Who was it? I thought.

Remembered it’s a poetry by Ekhud kaiti* I read long ago.

Helping to select right path of the light through darkness

Between cruelties Or being a looser of life.

*Nabakanta Baruah

Photograph source :unknown ,downloaded long back as I liked it

surreal

2010-05-27T06:16:00.000-07:00

কিবা মণ গলেই মই গথছি যাব পাৰো
যেনি মণ যায়
হিৰুদা

If I feel like something
I can go away
Wherever I want ……
Hiruda

May be, this feeling like flying away from what is expected is surrealism.
Imagine thousands of fan waiting for a folk artist, about to sing about the oppressed one ,only with a guitar and a harmonica. He was supposed to sing those songs whose lyrics are poetry and he was GOD of those protest songs. He was suppose to protest on that day.
And he did just that-
But what he did –he came with all the electronic equipment, in leather cloths, sunglasses and stated trying some –Rock & Roll.
He protested against his own brand.
Surreal very eccentrically surreal ….
Remember reading one interview of Bob Dylan where he was asked by a reporter 'Heard you are acting in a movie what role are you playing?'
Without any expression he replied ‘I am playing my mother’
You can call it arrogance, or mysticism but the aura of these person are source of creative expression for many .
Few days ago I was watching the movie –‘I am not there’ based on multifaceted life of BOB. The musician, the preacher, the folk singer , Poet etc etc… The six phages of this person is played by six different person, Black, white, young ,old….,well I didn’t liked the character who played of icon Bob ,he was too feminine, looking weak, emaciated ,I was about to say what the ..**.. ,then suddenly I went through the casting –Cate Blanchett? Where is she? Wait this iconic Bob is none but Cate Blanchett.
Well he may not have played his mother but Cate Blanchett played the BOB we know,
Surreal very surreal.

The smell of a place

2010-04-21T06:44:00.000-07:00

Hydari House,kolkata

'At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India l awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history : JN Neheru @ the stroke of mid night in Red ford. New Delhi August 15, 1947

At that time all noted figure were celebrating the new found freedom the mastermind of our freedom struggle was in a faraway house away from the lime light grieving for the division of the vast land named India.

But soon terrible riot started that shocked the new born nation then all attention and the process of ending the civil war initiated from this very building situated in Balighata Road Calcutta.

I had an immense curiosity for this piece of history ever since read about it long back In various history books (especially India wins freedom) that I arranged a calcuuta flight only to have a glance of the place which has the capacity to change the heart of mob ,rioters thirsty for revenge.

Strangely enough not many people,( even in Calcutta) do not know about this place till now .

The house above is Hydari House which has been converted into a small museum, preservibg the Mahatma’s room and material with few photographs and paper cutting.

It’s a small house, unknown to many, or meaningless to many but just to see the place where it all started and to breathe and smell the air of that house I specially arranged a tour, to one of my friend its madness as you get everything in net, audio visuals and books. But how can you have the smell and breathe of the place you want to feel on internet ,books or videos?

And we open the gate

2010-03-21T01:57:00.000-07:00

“There is a painting on my table
Nicholas Roerich –by name
Its name -and we open the gate
Which gate? Eastern or western?
Or the southern gate to Hell?”
Debakanta Baruah

The great disadvantage of big bad addabaz witty image maintenance is that you start to transform in to a great pseudo. (The one -who don’t speak his mind).
If you are not a celebrity bring art or poetry as topic –most will start booing, yawning, and yelling at you. Anyway there are hundreds of other of topics for the gossip (scandals, mms, Bollywood, Hollywood cricket etc etc etc) so there is no dearth of topic for our addas.
But some how few poems like poetry above kept ringing in my ear over the years. Thanks to Google I kept searching for Mr. Nicholas and got fascinated by his work and life.
Nicholas Roerich -Born in Russia died in India, a great visionary painter and a true citizen of world.
Call it destiny or other last Sunday I was in Delhi for a scientific conference –and early morning Times of India carried a big advertisement - Nicholas Roerich : An Eternal Quest" photography exhibition at National Gallery of Modern Art ( NGMA ). As usual dullness of my scientific conference increased as it proceeded, I sneaked out –and loitered in the gullies of national gallery of Modern art, Delhi. There were series of painting on Himalayas, on mythology, Russia and of eastern Horizon.
I went through the leaflets –at one corner I saw the lines –and we open the gate through its proximal bluish hue and distal bright light- the painting itself. The painting I was looking for so long.
And we open the gate
Which one?
To Nicholas Roerich the painter, To Debakanta Baruah the poet, to the art critique, to art and poetry lover?
To me it was all about breaking the shackles and telling my anti art/anti deep thinking /practical addabaz friend:-
I have this Disease of sneaking out of my regular life and open the gate to take solace in art and poetry.
That’s escapism they started yelling.
‘Yes no it’s all about opening the door ’I replied back.

N.b: The paradox : One person approached me last night and started giving lecture on importance of spirituality in life.i felt like puking

believe

2010-03-18T07:03:00.000-07:00

One of my greatest regret of my life is not to be present on Woodstock festival-1969 .The 3 days of ecstasy filled peace love and music. May be the festival didn’t proved any point .It doesn’t matter- But it was a congregation of thousands of people –who believed we can change the world through music. Those believe are very important, which we seem to be lacking in modern lifestyle infested world.

I believe I cant change anything-not to speak of society or any big stuff ,I can not even extract a smile in return many time.

Last Sunday I had to come-back from Delhi to Dehradun, My workplace. It is only 240 km .To my surprise there was no train reservation, no bus, No shared taxi and there were hundreds of people waiting en route to Haridwar.For the Shahi Snan of MAHA KUMBH on Monday.

Boy boy!

From Delhi ISBT ,I took, Auto, rikswa ,indica, Santro to reach my place at a 100 time cost and in triple amount of time after midnight. I felt like I am en route to Woodstock -1969. Business was at its peak. All I had to do was reach for the Shahi snan and have a dubki to wash off all my sins.(there may be too many to my credit).I didn't do that May be I don't believe in all those.And in all these these three month of Maha Kimbh HAR Ki PAURI is only 50 KM from my place ,but I was not there .

But there were people who still have the believe.

These believe -I think may be important to live.

Human

2010-02-17T06:09:00.000-08:00

Still remember the plot of a movie that touched me long back. An innocent girl of a suburban area was the only sensible earning member of a poor family. So her mother doesn’t want her to be married. Her boy friend prefers his career to love; her sister cheats on her and marries off to her boy friend. Her brother parasitize on her to fulfill his desire for a singing carrier, her father could do nothing but to watch everything happening.
Eventually at the end every one fulfills their lust at the cost of her sacrifice and the girl die of tuberculosis all alone far away from home, helpless, friendless, and betrayed and sick with life.
It was Meghe Dhaka Tara –how nicely Ghatak explored human nature.
Another movie tried to explain the same truth by its story and its nomenclature the name is - Kaminey

Paradox!

2010-02-01T06:23:00.000-08:00

I see paradox in everything. I don’t know if we have a name for this condition or not.

Saw Three Idiots, the latest block blaster .A nice movie which speaks the bitter truth of modern day reality with a great message that to come out of this cut throat world. Great!

But it’s a movie based on a plot (not story mind it) and all of them in the movie fell in love with their product in such a way that they have refused to accept the original idea of the plot and that way they are contradicting the very message (a much needed one ) of the movie.

Well Slumdog ,Omkara, Maqbul ,kalyug (Shyam Benegal-Gisrish karnard) are great work and people still appreciate the script writer but the maker have not stopped acknowledging the original man who conceived the seed of a original story.

Life is easy when there is nothing to lose

2010-01-14T04:55:00.001-08:00

photograph of malegaon ka hero's in front of IFFI venue

No money, no education, remote location, lack of resources etc etc etc are our common explanation for non fulfillment of our dream.
I realized these are our theory of defense mechanism (I knew it before,).
I happened to visit IFFI (International Film festival of India –Goa, 2009) where I saw a beautiful short film ‘Malegaon Ka Superman’.
It’s about few crazy people who defied those pre convictions and started chasing their dream.
Malegaon is a small town known for its weaving industry communal riot and their passion for cinema.
And one fine day Shaikh Nasir, local lad from the town thought of making a cinema. He had no knowledge what is filmmaking is all about. All he had was a handy camp and an idea about a movie that sells. Spoof comedy. In his movie Malegaon Ka superman the superman weighs hardly 30 kg the villain and he flies (in chrona) up to have a better mobile network loves filth so he aims to fill the country with dirt. And the result- it’s a big hit in Malegaon video parlous. They have spoofed Sholley, Munna Bhai and many others. And now they are celebrity not only in Malegaon, thanks to the documentary their movies were in a special category in IFFI and much talked about all through the festival.
I loved the giggling face the happy crew of the superstars from Malegaon who dared the break the jinx of defense mechanism.

Can you tell my friend?

2010-01-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

One year ago on January 8th, 2009 one young man, newly wed and just returning from honey moon, went to market for daily shopping .He was about to return then only a big noise, there was fire everywhere that engulfed him on the spot. It was a bomb that went out at that moment.
A Bomb that has become a day to day event in the life of modern north eastern Indian. Who and why planted the bomb is still not known.
What they want is mystery like who they are.
Well blame it on a revolution. May be they know how to fight a war.
A war against anarchy, a war against oppression ,a war against injustice!
May be they will lead us to a state of utopia full of peace and happiness for all who survive these calculative massacre (if anyone does.)
The picture above is an artistic representation in memory of Rajib Sharma, who lost his life in Maligaon (Assam) Bomb Blast on 08.01.09 by Dr.Uddip Talukdar where he asks ‘Can you tell my friend the name of the revolutionary shop where you can buy the rights to finish a life?’
Also read :http://bhaskar-beberibang.blogspot.com/2009/01/for-rajib-da_13.html

New year musing

2010-01-01T03:18:00.001-08:00

* Photograph of fog on new years eve through the window Dehradun

Another new year, nothing new though

Except the wishes n sms, TV, and net

Or in the extra food, cakes or drink

Or the extra smile and shake

Or the extra fog

Or extra cynicism with malice by and a man with nothingness.

Sad news for music:

2009-12-27T11:13:00.001-08:00

The key vocalist and percussionist of Indian Ocean Asheem Chakravarty expired of cardiac arrest on 26 the December. Singing and playing the tabla with all the passion and perfection, How many such rock star are their? Indian Ocean by virtue of their originality and experimentation was always a source of inspiration for me and on that very day we got another very sad news. Indian branch of World space radio is filing for bankruptcy and it will no longer be in air after 31st December, 2009. It is my only source for uninterrupted music since last two years. Be it classical (Indian, western, Karnatik,) Rock (hard, soft, alternative) Pop country or what not .Thinking is the only activity I do without getting bored and alas two of my great inspiration for my nonstop beberibang (gibberish) is no longer their.

Through the window

2009-12-15T09:50:00.001-08:00

Of me and the world

Of me and the world.
Why separate ways for the two?
I stayed back; within me
He proceeded all the way through.
Who is lost?
And where?

The inner self and the outside, why the path tearing apart?

Thats the question in this phase of Jatra

art:Dr.Uddip Talukdar

The Power of Mind

2009-11-16T04:06:00.000-08:00

Human mind, to what extend it can be used, the possibilities is still a mystery. We know so little of it.
‘Can events to follow can be changed simply by power of your thought’ is one of my fundamental thinking over the year.
I have been trying to explore the mind and getting myself trapped in the dark avenues many times.
One of the directors I admire for his successful cinematic depiction of minds path to (through) such avenue is Krzysztof Kieślowski, the Polish legend. In his movie ‘The Double Life of Véronique’ {a polish/French (Italian?) bi (tri) lingual made in 1993} he has beautifully tried to portray human feelings in celluloid.
The possibilities of exploration and directing the future of a person by free will is what a puppeteer in this movie was trying to do and getting little success also. It is a subplot but I was fascinated as the thought of the plot and convinced him to portray it in the movie. The question that bugs like ‘are we puppet in the hand of some unknown ventriloquist ‘Are we creator of our own destiny’,’is everything happening here is predestined or coincidence’ are best explored in this film. The best part of is that it do not answer any of the question, it just portrays the visual narration of human mind through breathtaking cinematography, editing and script (or the thematic plot).
Rightly so because the same thing is perceived so differently by different people.So why should we go for a totalirian ending to such a difficult question?

Slave

2009-11-12T05:19:00.000-08:00

Last night, as usual I was alone and thinking nothingness.

I couldn’t find my cell phone. I was wondering how to get up in the morning for duty as my cell phone is my only alarm clock (calendar, secretary, postman, en all after my laptop).

I have a landline, but TO MY UTTER SURPRISE I don’t even remember my own cell number, let alone others. So ringing up to find where it is, is also out of question. I tried the net if some friend is online I can ask him to give me a call (so that I can trace my mobile), but no one was there. Then the server speed got down.

After a while light went off.

I was all alone in the dark, just helpless and not knowing if I could join my duty on time for next day or not.

Oh my god, I seem I stopped thinking also

Take off ,Phase 2: continues :Rebel without a reason

2009-10-19T05:24:00.001-07:00

Rebel without a reason

Rebellion is on
Without weaponry
Without comrades
For no reasons
Or accreditation;
No one is oppressed
Or the oppressor.
Only the rebellion is on.

I hear the roars of rebel within, against the system we don’t like to accept

This phase discusses that part.

Few go for a revolution that deviated form its path

Few become REBEL WITHOUT A REASON

Jatra Phase 2 -Take off in a Nectarous Evening

2009-09-30T05:57:00.000-07:00

Nectarous Evenings

A Nectarous evening

Satan worshipers were our hearts.

Accompanied by:

Roasted meat called dream..

Smoke filled whirlpool,

Deafening music!

And in rhythm-

We, the thirsty vampires.

Our destiny-

A spread cerulean body,

Brackish vein’s drinks,

Hungry denture in roasted heart.

The ecstasy of retching- after the booze.

A Poem for Jim

the man who symbolizes the affinity for booze, poetry and ecstasy of a young mind. Like that in its take off, Jatra discuseses the hidden Jim inside all youth.

Watch the video @ :

http://ishare.rediff.com/video/entertainment/jim-morrison-jatra/779780

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz0011Qn2p4

Of Creative fiction:

2009-09-26T23:47:00.000-07:00

As a result of fight between
Catnap & compulsion
Profession & Obsession
Egos, Dreams & Agonies friction.
Prose came for my salvation
In the form of creative fiction.
Spontaneous Unplanned, guided by compulsion.

Above my logo:artist :Dr.Hirak Das

Phase 1: Boarding in - Jatra

2009-09-17T10:37:00.001-07:00

Faded Jeans Ideology

Each and every moments of faded jeans ideology

Over cafés, parks and 100cc bikes.

Sleepless nights on songbird’s blues.

Through the coloured spectacles

Canteen, party and evening’s blue guitar;

Bitter smoke filled time on cards

Everyday. …Every night.

Amidst them, please don’t bring up-

The stench of bland truth,

Reality of dreams, someone’s sad elegy.

They are just paper boats

Floating on the turbulent drunken river

‘This is life man, its basic appeal’!

At first it’s all fun

Phase 1 is about friend’s en all

Life seems all the very romantic here

See the video @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOX6TMOGB_Y

or @ http://ishare.rediff.com/video/entertainment/jatra/768254

Check In:The proposition for Jatra

2009-09-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

The Launch

After birth – the crying

Then the slumber of forgetfulness,

Slowly its adolescence,

Thereafter comes youth.

Youth hood is none but a dream;

What after the dream?

That’s what Jatra is all about

Flight of a young mind.

Dream starts here!

Welcome to the journey

Art: Dr. Uddip Talukdar

Jatra

2009-09-09T05:50:00.001-07:00

A Collection of Creative Fiction in Assamese (My first one)

Cover curator: Dr.Uddip Talukdar

Unknowingly Jatra has turned out to be a compilation of phases of the most striking portion of life - Youth hood.

I started writing short stories for friends en al who were not into creative line and were complaining about the metaphysical content of my plays we used to stage in mid nineties. All I wanted was to compensate for their criticism. So in the beginning my stories were funny based on day to day experience of early adolescence, I used to play with the wordings & narrative stunts only.

But as the journey progressed, and we all metamorphosed into various individuals the contents, narration & essence of our definitions changed and at the crossroads of life-jatra become my prospective view of flight of a young mind in search of exactitude.

Stories were written over last fourteen years and already published in premier Assamese literary journals like ‘Prantik, Sadin, Satsori, Jonosadharan.

About Denial Projection and my spellings:

2009-08-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

I am too a mortal human
You know one of the basic human defense system is denial (Ask a drunkard –he will deny that he can not live without drinking) and projection (Remember block buster: Diwar: jao pehle us admi se sign leke aao jisne mera hatho Mei yeh likh di thi).
So it is a basic human nature to create angel and demons out of ourselves in order to project our faults to other. We come out with great man’s quotation, statistics, case studies etc etc.

IT seems I have a big learning disability. Whenever whatever I write (or type) there are thousands of spelling mistakes. Check any of my blog there are heap of spelling mistakes many time MS word software is at lose what to do with my spellings?
Assamese is the language in which I think, I learned to talk, and Assamese letters are the first letters with whom I had fallen in love. But my Assamese spell sense is as worse as English.
How to defend myself?

I came out with two greatest original thinker's philosophies: Feynman and Asimov .

Dr. Feynman observes that "things have gotten out of whack in the English language," which leads him to ask, "[w]hay can't we change the spelling?" In what may be taken as an expression of exasperation with his colleagues in the liberal arts, he declares: "If the professors of English will complain to me that the students who come to the universities, after all those years of study, still cannot spell `friend,' I say to them that something's the matter with the way you spell `friend.'"
Wah sir kya bad hain.

Asimov jumps right in and makes a stab at some suggested respellings. Consider "through," "coo," "do," "true," "knew" and "queue," he asks. Why not just spell them "throo," "koo," "doo," "troo," nyoo" and "kyoo"? These respellings would in fact fit within some familiar reform proposals, though perhaps few reform advocates would go along with his assertion that the obvious respelling of "night" should be "nite."
Thank u both of u for coming in my favour.

Independent nothingness

2009-08-16T07:50:00.000-07:00

Camera in my hand after a long time

A wet lazy independence day

through car-window in Dehradun street.

How I forgot to KISS

2009-07-15T05:47:00.000-07:00

An ascent to perfection!
Was our motto once upon a time.
Though never reached that pick it becomes a compulsive thought process to search the real truth in everything. A very totalitarian & un achievable concept !
Long back I realized the relevance of Einstein’s relativity in day to day life- nothing is perfect; no body can be perfect. (Even MJ had a defective nose.)
But that bug (of searching the truth) persisted,
And while looking for perfection I forgot to KISS i.e.
To keep it simple & straight.

Mr. Bond-the real one.

2009-07-03T10:45:00.000-07:00

It’s been one year since I met Bond-Mr. Bond-the real one.

I went went to Mussoorie for an interview for Assamese literary journal ‘Satsori’.

I met him for the first time in 2007 through two nature lover .Dr.Anurag & Dr. Sonjoy Das. What attracted me was the simplicity of that man. Writing just for the love of it. Living a very humble life among nature.
A man with mountains in his blood who prefers to live in independent India for the love of Himalaya, Alu tikki and the company of his friends.

watch :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfViShTBP4M

http://ishare.rediff.com/video/entertainment/bond/769499

Genius & arrogance

2009-06-21T00:21:00.000-07:00

Last week I saw two docu film based on two iconic personalities –Jim Morrison & Salvador Dali.
Dali was kicked out of art school because when teachers asked him about Raphael Dali answered back that my knowledge about him is so much that you sum up your knowledge my knowledge will be much more than it.
Before dying in an interview the octogenarian celebrity said ‘A genius like me needs to live.
Well the other man?
Jim Morrison, the drunken buffoon? The master of dreamy poetry? The fore runner of cult rock culture-what ever you call him, people still admires him
Even though he stripped down in a full house show & veiled at his fan ‘you are a bunch of F***ing shit’

Why deny?

2009-06-10T06:40:00.000-07:00

While India was busy dicussing Indian Election Britain was reeling under a scam !

Like all Indian I too proud of our Indian morality.
Our grandeur let us believe that and we come very hard at proving against it .that may be a big portion of us are against Agiga’s ‘White Tiger’ ,the average novel wining Bookers or ‘Slumdog Millioner’ another average movie (in the history of cinema) sweeping the Oscars. What lead to such flare of temperament?
I believe our persistent denial of the dark side of India.
And we are very much ashamed when our dark side is shamelessly exposed we are petrified. (Of the bitter truth).
But denial won’t help us removing the dark side.
Take the case of British MP scandal. It’s a shameful event in the history of one of the oldest model of democracy.
But look at the other side too, a Member of Parliament is using tax payers money for watching pornography on net or buying pet dog food. But once it has been disclosed they all said sorry (not the usual denial).and what happened when it was proved that one cow is eating food worth billions of rupees in Bihar India? Answer from the then chief minister was ‘Why are you asking me? You should have asked this question to the cow. (Yeh chawal aap gaay se puchiye Na, mujhe kyu puch rahe ho?’) No justice done .that leader is still a big shoot in Indian politics.
It’s because we deny the bitter truth
As there is non acceptance of truth, where is the chance of improvement?

Habib Tanveer

2009-06-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

Just got the news Habib Tanveer, the eminent theatre personality of India passed away. I liked his husky voice, his style of acting, his persistent effort to for theatre. Last year I had the opportunity of reading his play ‘Agra Bazaar’ liked it a lot.
I will regret not to see his play live.

The Power of Music

2009-06-04T06:15:00.000-07:00

I am a frustrated CMP (confused mass of protoplasm), they say.
And they are right too. Never happy with life. Never satisfied with any works be it cinema, book, music I always have my pseudo intellectual criticism over everything. As if I know everything!
But three days ago I had the fortune to attend one Indian Ocean concert by chance that too in first row, which I attended thanks to a good friend of mind who provided the information & free pass and my rare good luck. And once again I observed the power of music.
And the group as ever was original, like a demon with all the ruthless energy their kind of music requires.
I said to myself ‘what do I have to complain about'?

Here is a link of one of their unreleased album which is a fusion of original Assamese folk song, improvised in the way of rock genre.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azq0Rcr68M8

Yeh Dil mage more

2009-05-29T09:49:00.000-07:00

I often hum one of my favorite childhood jingles ‘I have got money, penny everything, but I ,,,,,,,,,,,;
Yes I am not happy with the life the way it is neither a single person who are around me
Why….?
I don’t know May be Life is a big bottle of Pepsi…
‘Yeh Dil mage more '

Insomnia:

2009-05-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

When night comes & everyone (I think) asleep.
Something creeps into me
I toss up restlessly in my bed.
Through the grasshoppers sound
Till dawn
With out reason, provocation or anticipation
Waiting for the soft embalmer
I know John situation you too had gone through.

( Downloaded sketch showing the John Keats asleep)

Raga’s of Mind

2009-05-16T22:32:00.000-07:00

News that I read in paper quite moved me.
Its about 'Kumar Gandarva’s son traced begging in street'.
I got to know
He is a celebrated vocalist himself.
His kid is also a upcoming Hindustani classical singer
Some says for booze
Some says he is not mentally stable!

Also read:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Kumar-Gandharvas-son-found-begging/articleshow/4537328.cms

Of movies and life

2009-05-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

I remember John Travolta in ‘A love song for Bobby Long’. He played a one-time University professor of literature Bobby Long and his former teaching assistant, a struggling writer (Gabriel Macht), living illegally in a dilapidated faraway country house. Both men are heavy drinkers who while away their days smoking numerous cigarettes, quoting Dylan Thomas, Benjamin Franklin, and T.S. Eliot, playing chess, and spending time with the neighbors while Bobby strums a guitar and sings melancholy country-folk songs .They were heavy reader though They do nothing,
BOOKS books books! Is it everything? Asked an eighteen year old girl heroine Scarlett Johansson.

In the movie ‘Almost Famous’ An upcoming teen age Rock journalist (Patrick Fugit) is, A ferocious Rock critic (Philip Seymour Hoffman, And a Rock star (Jason Lee) ask themselves ‘real music’ Real music’ ‘Real Music’ what actually is real music. While trying to achieve real music all are lost in the whirlwind of life.
Many times I ask myself the same thing.
‘Movies', 'books', & the 'meaningless fundas' which don’t have any meaning
And the answers suffer the same fate as in the movie.
And reconcile with my lot.

‘Yeh Jina Bhi koi jina hain’?

2009-04-21T07:15:00.000-07:00

I am not happy with life
So you are
We are in the same boat brother (& sister)
And we often yell ‘Yeh Jina Bhi koi jina hain’?
That’s the problem with us .

We are not happy with our present stat of mind and we don’t know what we actually want.
So we sing karaoke to this famous Amitabh song.
Even though we know ‘ the concept of utopia of peace and happiness is pathetically comic even in comic books’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmB2UW-RtXg

Beberibang

2009-03-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

I am
Sad
Angry,
Restless,
Frustrated,
Petrified

About things I can’t change (not even myself)
Wanted to be uncompromising
But can’t stop the inevitable

(i.e. my reconciliations with reality)
May that’s why I am what I am
Not what I used to be.

“Village of Service”

2009-02-20T09:23:00.001-08:00

Last week I visited a village in eastern Maharashtra state,originally called Segaon, the village was given its present name Sevagram by Mohandas K. Gandhi in 1936 here he founded another ashram and directed the independence movement of india.Within this he created a model community that still flourishes, in which the inhabitants still lives a simple & progressive existence.
It was a lovely experience to feel the spirit that still lingers.

The story of Muzaffar aka Vivek

2009-02-17T05:04:00.000-08:00

In time like this (as always in India) in a place like Gujarat known and interpreted otherwise we got to know and share the story of Muzzaffar.
We are unhappy, angry, annoyed, frustrated with whatever is happening and the way media present them to us.
That’s why the true story of Muzzafar I read in TOI is comes to us as a ray of light to me.
I hope same will be feeling of other who has not read it yet.
If you are down due to social reason and want some positive vibes please go through the Link:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Godhra-riots-Muzaffar-only-missing-person-found-in-7-yrs/articleshow/4132766.cms

Juxtaposition

2009-02-03T04:33:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the two poles of none existent truth and the ever troubling relativity meets each other. This correspondence that took place near bout eighty years go is one of the finest example of it.

Translation:

Respected Mr. Gandhi !I use the presence of your friend in our home to send you these lines. You have shown through your works, that it is possible to succeed without violence even with those who have not discarded the method of violence. We may hope that your example will spread beyond the borders of your country, and will help to establish an international authority, respected by all, that will take decisions and replace war conflicts.With sincere admiration,

Yours

A. Einstein.

I hope that I will be able to meet you face to face some day.

Gandhi's reply to Einstein - Source: Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol. 54

LONDON, October 18, 1931

DEAR FRIEND,I was delighted to have your beautiful letter sent through Sundaram. It is a great consolation to me that the work I am doing finds favour in your sight. I do indeed wish that we could meet face to face and that too in India at my Ashram.

Yours sincerely

M. K. GANDHI

If it doesn’t exist; why to search for it?

2009-01-29T07:24:00.000-08:00

Truth!
Truth nothingness, or whatever we may call it.
Ans: Because we cant stop being ourselves even if we want so,
So like it or not we have to keep doing what is being expected from us in whatever best sense possible to the best of our judgments.(which we fail to do)
The greatest truth seeker to me is the man in the picture.
I admit he never reached it. But he experienced the pain in the path seeking the truth.
Thanks ‘lage raho…..’, his existence were kidnapped and ransomed by the politician and pseudo intellectuals and we Gandhi’sm became a dirty word.
Though Munna bhai brought the old ideas back in fashion still over restora’s, coffee shops and bar addas Gandhi bashing is the fashion and people don’t contradict to that as nobody wants themselves to be ragged and dragged in adda halls.
That’s the way we are paying our tribute to the greatest truth seeker of present world history.
I can’t blame the society because now a days I tam also guilty of being a mare silent observer as I believe I cant change a single thing around me even if I want.
That’s why he is great because he not only changed himself he took the country along with.
Regrettably he couldn’t change everyone!

A relative world.

2009-01-28T06:19:00.000-08:00

Why nothingness is the other name for nirvana.
Because there is no absolute truth. Whenever we come to a conclusion we know that we have reached the relative absolution. This curly grey haired man has changed every definition we have ever believed ever since.
Everything is relative.
So what is truth?
Nothing!
We salute you Einstein.

Nothingness –the other name of nirvana

2009-01-22T05:12:00.000-08:00

Whether we talk of absolution, super soul, real truth, or anything
Or we can refer to it as nothing

FOR RAJIB DA

2009-01-13T03:55:00.000-08:00

Killed On january 9th Maligaon Blast
He had nothing to do with sovereign Assam,

nor with secret killing,

Nor with Bangladesh,

Nor with some separate state.

All he wanted to bring vegetable for his family ...

that killed him.

It could have been any one of us.

But it was him.

Now who is next?

Who gives a damn to Albert Pinto?

2009-01-02T07:44:00.000-08:00

Why only Albert any Sita ,Gita,Ram Rahim is angry on what happened In Guwahati in oct 30 ,and the shameless repeat on the new years eve .
But does anyone care?

Albert pinto ko ghussa kyu ata hain

2008-12-13T04:18:00.000-08:00

Like water anger also follows principle of physics, when you get it there is no way out it have to come out in some form or other.
And reason behind the anger: you have a cafeteria approach just chose one from all the precipitating factors,
Or it’s a highly contagious thing as it catches you even if you try your level best to avoid it.

Height of voyeurism

2008-12-11T04:20:00.000-08:00

Mercy killing to air on British TV

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Mercy_killing_to_air_on_British_TV/articleshow/3820741.cm
Just feel it no discussion needed!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beberibang

2008-12-05T04:40:00.000-08:00

Beberibang :

In Assamsese beberibang means ‘rigmarole’ ‘nonsensical’ disorderly
Constantly anytime it’s thinking .can you give live commentary of what you are thinking about? Try it. You will find that whatever we are thinking are nothing, we cannot put them in words also and they don’t have any meaning.
So whatever we think is nothing but some beberibang.

beberibang:Catharsis from a restless mind

Short Stories

About art history fictionalization 3: Surrealism

The Eternal Optimist

Demystifying the best seller’s techniques

An ode to youth hood (যৌৱন)

Sans You Bhupenda

Nilakantha

Death of a playwright

Marketing of indigenous products

The role of a Sutradhar

In search of topoemas

About art history fictionalization 2: Impressionism

Darker side of creative work

About art history fictionalization 1: DADAISM

Lesson from History

Or public acknowledgement Bal Thackeray that ‘I am a great admirer of Hitler’

Creator of our childhood dreamland

Words misunderstood

Tragic Heroes

Kechaikhaiti (কেচাইখাইতী)

Tunes of the forgotten boulevard

Bhuruka

Do you remember?

Aparajito-the unvanquished

Dare delived eggs

Searching the middle path

surreal

The smell of a place

And we open the gate

believe

Human

Paradox!

Life is easy when there is nothing to lose

Can you tell my friend?

New year musing

Sad news for music:

Through the window

The Power of Mind

Slave

Take off ,Phase 2: continues :Rebel without a reason

Jatra Phase 2 -Take off in a Nectarous Evening

Of Creative fiction:

Phase 1: Boarding in - Jatra

Check In:The proposition for Jatra

Jatra

About Denial Projection and my spellings:

Independent nothingness

How I forgot to KISS

Mr. Bond-the real one.

Genius & arrogance

Why deny?

Habib Tanveer

The Power of Music

Yeh Dil mage more

Insomnia:

Raga’s of Mind

Of movies and life

‘Yeh Jina Bhi koi jina hain’?

Beberibang

“Village of Service”

The story of Muzaffar aka Vivek

Juxtaposition

If it doesn’t exist; why to search for it?

A relative world.

Nothingness –the other name of nirvana

FOR RAJIB DA

Who gives a damn to Albert Pinto?

Albert pinto ko ghussa kyu ata hain

Height of  voyeurism

Beberibang

Height of voyeurism