A NO MAN'S LAND IN 2009

My little island country, an atoll, situated south of Pacific is nearly out of reach of any other human habitation. It was a beckon with surprisingly clear blue sky, coral blue waters, uninterrupted green vegetation looking like the small of the back and busy urban backdrops highlighted with skyscrapers. The buildings have nearly reached  heaven but the human mind has not. This land has changed so much that I too often fail to appreciate why and how. Being abandoned with my thoughts and rusticated by the authorities I have taken shelter in a dilapidated rotunda high in the hills, scarcely reached by my fellow countrymen. What are they, my authorities, doing there down below, I looked from the hills. The flags fluttering high on the turrets have changed colours, bolt from the blue to black. The last election held some twenty years back brought about radical changes in my country. The poor man's party who got themselves elected, promulgated a law making every person's identity documented in a single name irrespective of the economic obesity they enjoy. They said, "No more struggle among the classes." As the class burden was removed, the government decided to nomenclature human beings with a uniform title, "Hooligan". Everyone since then was being known as 'Hooligan'. After someone had pointed out the meaning of the word, the head of the state  asked  his subordinate ministers to withdraw  all  dictionaries from the  country together with the man who pointed out the meaning. Thus one great  problem was solved, marking the era as " The great depression of the country."  After the dictionaries disappeared, the authorities brought out tens of millions of copies of a new dictionary containing a new meaning of the word 'Hooligan'. They said 'Hooligan' is 'Hooli' + 'Gan'. 'Gan' is a vernacular word meaning, 'the tribe'. They said, "Our fellow countrymen have originated from a tribe called 'Hooli' who descended from a rare intelligent group from the east."  As confusion arose in finding the proper  person, men and women henceforth were called as 'Hooligan the tailor from fifty-second street' and so forth. Such large were the names that  it  took away valuable time  and people became lazy  like those in the poor third world states.  The king then rose on the podium  after a year of completion of his tenure, delivering a speech  which made  him 'The second great man.' He said, 'Country of the Hooligans, by the Hooligans, for the Hooligans, let us rise and show the world that we too can do it.'  But he didn't say what to do. None asked him 'what to  do.' and the days passed by.

But what do I see today? Flags have turned blue to black. The whole population is out on the streets, with cheerful outbursts. Colourful grafiftis, joy in every one's face and music in every heart. I can't believe what I see. I just can't believe. Let me have my binoculars on. Oh my God, what do I see? Are they the same Hooligans turning the slogans on? Where did they get those black costumes and black flags?

Suddenly I remembered, there is a foolish hermit who stays next to my broken house, right inside the caves. He too was boycotted by the authorities for his idiotic deeds. Truly a fool indeed. He still should be remembering 'Goopy Gayen and Bagha Bayen.', Ray's film. Does he have that pinch of drug when blown by the wind changes the whole lot of human population. Let me try that pinch. Let the whole generation change for good. Not just a change by changing their clothes.

HINDU MAHASABHA

Politics had never been or will be a clean man's domain. Even if you debate on this, time after time it has been  ascertained that whoever honest had joined this field had one time or the other been maliciously proved an outcast or debarred.  Two names Subhas Chandra Bose and Sri Lal Bahadur Sashtri, I believe, are suffice to speak the truth. And if you look at to-day's political scenario in Bengal, there is no dearth of example to speak in favour of my statement. For reasons best known to them, even as late as December 2009 someone has raised questions about Dr.Shyama Prashad Mukerjee's cause of death in 1953. Though the Government of India declared his death to be a natural one, no inquiry was held based on the fact why Sri.Mukerjee was administered Penicillin (death caused by allergic reaction to Penicillin) in spite of  Mukerjee intimating the doctor that he was allergic to the drug. His death in the valley of Kashmir still remains a mystery. Here is a rare photograph of Dr.Shyama Prashad Mukerjee, the gentle giant, at the 26th session of All India Hindu Mahasabha held at Bilaspur on Sunday, the 24 December, 1944. To Sri Mukherjee's right is seen Smt Latika Lahiri, the only lady in this photograph. To Smt Lahiri's right is her husband, a medical doctor, Phanindra Mohan Lahiri.

FROM THE OLD BOOK SHOP series I

A bibliophile's heart lies in OLD BOOK SHOP. As the number of serious reader declines, the classics become less affordable. Its indirectly proportional, I learned. During my visits to various cities on a holiday, I always find some time to visit low-profile, shabbily decorated old book shops situated at rather awkward places away from the tourist destinations. And believe in me, I am and I will be rewarded at all such visits. The books I have with me now is surely a book-borrower's (who never return books after finishing them) envy. You will be surprised to know the price I paid for each of them. Many of them are one-twentieth of the recent price but yes, with a bit of compromise (dust filled, rotten covers, defaced pages are only a few of them to enjoy). If you are eager to know the names of my innumerable second wives, I will not deprive you.

1. VAN GOGH Life and Work by Dieter Beaujean published by konemann from bonner strasse, Cologne. The English translation was published in 2000 and has 96 pages in total with an excellent collection of Vincent's drawings in colour. Its a book from a  series called 'art in hand' and is a significant reading for those  not from the field of art. The chapters chosen are so dedicated and scientifically laid down one after the other that a single read will provide you with the basics of Van Gog's life. 'Encounter with impressionism' and 'What makes Van Gogh' are the two chapters which employ scientific views and rationality in explaining the science and arts of  this ill-fated master painter. When you are buying an art book filled with paintings the pages of the book must be of good quality glossy art paper to reflect the true value of the pictures. This book though a small one fulfills this criteria. It contains some rare pieces of art not much seen in other costly VanGogh books like, line drawing of 'Dr Gatchet in death bed' (1890), Etching of 'Dr Gatchet' (1890), 'Iris' (1889) and a half -page print of 'Potato eaters' (1885) which is of no less importance than VanGogh's 'Sunflower'. 'Potato eaters' reflect Van Gogh's darkest moments of thought and is to me the penultimate drawing which one must appreciate in understanding how different he was from others. His charcoal sketch 'The long walk (Avenue) (1874) is one such important inclusion away from his oil colours.

2. TRIO by W. Somerset Maugham is a collection of three stories brought out by William Heinemann Ltd. The three stories are 'The Verger', 'Mr Know-all' and 'Sanatorium'. Mere luck brought me a first edition of this book published in1950. This 145-page book contains three short stories together with their screen plays. One must start with the stories ending with the film-script. Maugham's interplay of free flowing words, his subtle analysis of human behaviour  and  when these two turns into a film, is a thing to note in this book. Those who have a fascination for good films and for those who appreciate the value of a good script when at par with a good literature, this book is a God's gift. I came to know from this book that Maugham also wrote cinema scripts together with R.C.Sherriff and Noel Langley in those days.

3. LANDMARKS OF  THE WORLD'S ART is one series of book which we all had dreamed of  owning since our adolescent days. It is a costly book in hardcover and is meant for a library and never to be a part of personal collection from my economical stature. Its an excellent, authentic book containing verified data from history. It is published by Paul Hamlyn, London. Presently this second hand old book is selling at a price of approximately Rs 1100 (Indian currency) from Antiqbook. I remember buying this book at Rs 100 in 2006 from an old book shop at Gariahata at Calcutta. One of the books in this series 'THE ORIENTAL WORLD' is written by two knowledgeable persons Jeannine Auboyer, Chief Curator,Musee Guimet, Paris and Roger Goepper, Director of the museum of Far Eastern Antiques in Cologne. It contains 228 illustrations of which 112 in full color. This book is in two  parts as 'India and south-east Asia' and 'China, korea and Japan'. Dividing Oriental Art in two definite parts imply that the writers are masters in their own field. This book was published in 1967 and never came up later. A flow chart of ruling dynasties at the beginning of the book helps the reader to follow the development of art in the Eastern world. Now rare, photographs from some Ajanta panels is book owner's envy. These panels of fresco seco are missing from Ajanta caves in  Maharashtra, India.