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The Forgotten God Who Still Brings the Rain

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Every year, when the first monsoon clouds gather over the Indian sky, something remarkable happens. The scent of wet earth rises, peacocks begin to dance, frogs welcome the rains with their chorus, and farmers look heavenward with hope. For thousands of years, this annual miracle inspired awe in the people of the Indian subcontinent. They even gave the rains a divine personality — Parjanya , the Vedic God of Rain and Thunder. Today, the Rain-God Parjanya is almost forgotten. Unlike Indra, the king of gods; Agni, the god of fire; or Krishna, the god of cowherds, Parjanya rarely appears in our temples or festivals, even in our conversations. Yet one of the beautiful hymns of the Rig Veda (Mandala 5, Hymn 83) is dedicated to him. Known as the Parjanya Sukta , it is a magnificent poetic celebration of rain, thunder and the life-giving power of Mother Nature. The hymn begins with an invitation: Sing the praise of the mighty Parjanya Deva… He generously sends showers of rain. May Parja...
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The First Earning

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From first love to first sex, life is marked by a trail of firsts. Some are fleeting. But some leave an indelible impression. They linger like the fragrance of fresh flowers. Or the sight of kites dancing across a clear sky. We may forget many things as the years pass, but certain firsts remain vivid forever. No one remembers the first sentence they spoke. Yet many can recall the first love letter they wrote in stumbling words. The year 1995 occupies a special place in my memory. That was the year I appeared for my first board examination—the Madhyamik or Class 10 Secondary Examination. It was a different era, long before mobile phones and the internet became part of life. Examination results were displayed on school notice boards. Students and parents had to visit the school and note them down. My mother, an emotional and deeply caring woman, was particularly anxious about the result. As the day dawned, she found it impossible to concentrate on her daily chores. The question that ...
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Rudranath: The Majestic Kedar of Uttarakhand

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The great Kurukshetra War was over, and the five Pandava brothers were delighted to own the Kuru Kingdom. They tried hard to negotiate with their cousins to get back what was rightfully theirs. But their claim was instantly denied by the Kaurava brothers. The result was a deadly war that killed thousands of men belonging to the Kuru royal family. The Pandavas, with Krishna on their side, became the winners. However, they could not forget the amount of violence they had to commit during the war. A deep sense of regret clouded their mind. They heard that Lord Shiva could only forgive the sin of killing relatives. Hence, the five brothers travelled to the Himalayas to approach Shiva who meditated in the mountains. But the Lord, using his magical power, escaped their eyes. It became a hide-and-seek game in the valleys and forests. The brothers, tired after a long chase, sat for rest in an open grassy land. Suddenly, disguised as a buffalo, the Lord started grazing near them. Bhima, the sec...
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গ্রন্থ সমালোচনা: চিরসখা — নবকুমার বসু

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এক প্রিয় বন্ধুর অনুরোধে শেষ করলাম ৯৮২ পাতার দীর্ঘ উপন্যাস “ চিরসখা ” । এ এক অদ্ভুত পরিবারের ইতিবৃত্ত। বলা যায় এক দীর্ঘ পারিবারিক ইতিহাস যা বাস্তবের অনুসারী। পড়তে পড়তে মনে হয়েছে , ভেঙে পড়া এক সংসারে এমনটাই তো হয় অথবা হতে পারে। উপন্যাসের শুরুর অংশে কেন্দ্রবিন্দু থেকেছেন অপর্ণা , বিখ্যাত লেখক বিভাস চৌধুরীর স্ত্রী। একবস্ত্রে ঘর থেকে বেরিয়ে বাউন্ডুলে লেখকের সাথে আতপুরের এক খুপরি চালায় ঘর বেঁধেছিলো সে। কত স্বপ্ন তখন তাদের দু - জোড়া চোখে। সেই স্বপ্নের ভালোবাসায় জন্মায় তাদের চার সন্তান বুনু , ঝুনু , বুজু আর টুলি। চরম দারিদ্রের ছায়ায় প্রত্যন্ত গ্রামের কোলে একটু একটু করে বড় হয়ে ওঠে তারা। আর্থিক অবস্থার পরিবর্তন হয় ধীরে ধীরে। বিভাস লেখক হিসাবে ধীরে ধীরে প্রতিষ্ঠা পান , আনন্দ গোষ্ঠীর সাথে যুক্ত হন , পরিবারে আসে আর্থিক সচ্ছলতা। এমনটা চললেই হয়তো ঠিক হতো। সংগ্রাম আর সাফল্যের প্রেরণায় এগিয়ে যেত অপর্ণা - বিভাসের প্রেমের গল্প। কিন্তু তা হয়নি।  বিভাসের জীবনে ঝড়ের মতো অকস্মাৎ এসে দাঁড়ায় ইতু , অপর্ণার সব থেকে ছোট বোন। এই অনৈতিক প্রেমের পালে হাওয়া জোগায় অপর্ণার মা আর দাদারা। তাদের কিছু স্বার্থসম্বন্ধও...
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How Presidency Matters to Me

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In the beginning of this millennium, I entered an institution that carried a legacy of close to two centuries and it stimulated my intellectual development. Presidency College, Kolkata, originally founded in 1817 as a college for Hindu students, represented a range of emotions in my mind's hueless palette. I was both conscious and eager to absorb the colours that this college was to offer to me. The iron gate opened in a mellowing autumn light and I saw myself climbing up the stairs of the neo-classical Baker Building that housed a physics laboratory where the great statistician Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis began his pioneering work. My destination, the Department of Zoology, was on the third floor flanking the Department of Physiology. The first impression was undoubtedly memorable as I found myself entangled in the renaissance history of Bengal.  There were two lecture theatres in the department of which one was located in the older part of the building, and the other in the new ...
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