Non Fiction
ক্রিকেটের খেরোর খাতা
কাহিনীর শুরু লেখকের জীবনের প্রথম ক্রিকেট ম্যাচ দেখবার অভিজ্ঞতা – পাঁচবছরের বালকের বিস্ময়বিমুগ্ধ দৃষ্টিতে গ্যারি সোবার্সের শতরান দর্শন। তাও আবার ৫৬ বছর আগেকার ইডেনের গ্যালারি থেকে!
কিন্তু ক্রিকেটের ইতিহাস তারও অনেক আগের, কেমন ছিল দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধকালীন ক্রিকেট, কে ছিলেন টেস্ট-ক্রিকেটের খাসমহলে পদার্পণকারী প্রথম ভারতীয়-বাঙালি? ক্যারিবিয়ান ক্রিকেটের স্বর্ণযুগ, ডন ব্র্যাডম্যান, প্রতিবেশী পাকিস্তানের ক্রিকেটে পরিপক্কতার কাহিনী, সময়ের সাথে কি ভাবে পরিবর্তিত হয়েছে ক্রিকেট, হেলমেট থেকে বায়োমেকানিক্স , চায়নাম্যান বোলিংয়ের সংক্ষিপ্ত ইতিবৃত্ত, ক্রিকেটের খারাপ ছেলে শেন ওয়ার্ণ কিরকম অধিনায়ক ছিলেন? এই সবের সঙ্গে রয়েছে ক্রিকেটের নানা আকর্ষণীয় কাহিনী!
ক্রিকেট প্রেমীদের জন্যেই এই বই!
Ruskin Bond: A Study of Human Emotions
Literature challenges one not only to think about ethical conundrums but also makes one sensitive and compassionate. When it blends with euphoria and nostalgia, the integral parts of human mind, it toughens and becomes sturdy. Man loves to live in his past memories to be happy. The experiences form a part of human personality and shape their behaviour pattern.
Nostalgia stores for us our memories which we relish lifelong. Even the lamentable days of past become pleasant. Though we might have ignored some not too pleasant incidents in our bygone days yet somewhat bitter experiences appear to be impressive and attractive. It is aptly said that the panorama of mountains appear beautiful and splendid from a distance. The bitterness of nearness is intolerable. The more we grow in years, the more our past recedes. Distance from the life lived long ago makes it sweet and desirable. Strain and stress of the present becomes frivolous when we slipand relapse into euphoric nostalgia.
The instincts of euphoria and nostalgia have been vividly handled by the legendry writers of all times. They have given various dimensions and definitions to the readers to redeem these human aspects yet many more stones are still unturned. These two instincts in the oeuvre of the legendry writer Ruskin Bond are the anchor points that suggest the scope of study. I have chosen to put forward the very idea about how a man’s body, mind and soul blend with traces of his past memories and support the holistic growth.
THE STRUGGLES OF A BONSAI
Our father’s blood-drenched face and faltering words were a forewarning to us. It was a signal to us to make our future bright through formal education. His broken words were a real eye-opener. Education is essential for dignity, social respect and emancipation from lifelong exploitation. Penury has been his close companion. He blessed us to follow a safer path.
The Struggle of a Bonsai is a humble endeavour to fulfil his last wish, minutes before his death on the Janmashtami festival at Mathura in 1951. Look at the coincidence! The first draft of this story was completed on the Janmashtami Day in 2024, exactly 73 years after his final departure. Had he been formally educated, his life might have been qualitatively different. I can visualize his blood-mixed tears peeping lovingly at me. Inaudible, feeble and incoherent! Each letter of this narrative is a tribute to him. He suffered all his life, but he wanted us to live a respectable life.
I have tried to commune with his spirit that we are a faithful band. If he were to see us, his tears of regret would have been wiped by our sincere efforts. I have failed to procure his photograph, and I don’t know how to draw him. Alive he is in our innermost heart chambers! The story has drawn his superb vision. Dear father, be no more despondent. May you rest in peace!
Reading the Indus- Sarasvati Script
Do you know that 4500-year-old Indus script signs were in use much after the Harappan era, when Indus civilization is believed to have been ended ?Are you aware of the use of Royal monograms of Indus in Maurya, Kushan and Gupta Era and also outside India e.g. Greece?
In this book writer used a different technique to decipher Indus script via phonetic values of basic Indus signs, vowel diacritics ,letters used to mention quantity (number, volume and weight) etc. He has gone through the pottery inscriptions first and tablets thereafter and then discussed about the names and other words found in Indus seals and inscribed on other items.
Out of 4000 inscriptions found so far , of which 2000 are still readable, Rajat was able to read 1,296 Sarasvati Scripts, it took 15 years .
Now all his methods and the journey to decipher the Script has been put into this book.
Gorakhnath and Kanphata Yogis
The cult of the Kanphata Yogis is a definite unit within Hinduism, and its study is essential for understanding this phase of the religious life of India. In analysing the different aspects of this cult the author has drawn upon various sources, such as the legends, folk-lore and the formulated texts of this sect.
Letters to a Teacher
This remarkable book was written for the parents of the Italian poor. But it is about poor everywhere: their anger is the anger of every worker and peasant who sees middle-class children absorbed effortlessly into schools as teacher’s favorites.
Eight young Italian boys from the mountains outside Florence wrote this passionate and eloquent book. It took them a year. Simple and clearly, with some devastating statistical analysis of the Italian education system, they set out to show the ways in which attitudes towards class, behavior, language and subject-matter militates against the poor. They describe too, the reforms they propose, and the methods they use in their own school - the School of Barbiana, started under the guidance of a parish priest and now run entirely by the children.
Letter to a Teacher was a best seller in Italy and has been published subsequently in many languages.
Shadow Fight
He finds a broken piece of a huge statue scattered around. Signs of an ongoing war. He looks at each piece separately and realizes that each piece is like a broken part of a huge eye. He picks up a piece. Exactly how big is the statue? Can he ever imagine the statue?
What is war? How can it affect one when it's happening in his homeland? This book, which is written in free text style is about the internal thought process of a person in that situation.
