Niruddesh Jatra by Rabindranath Tagore A translation of Tagore’s poem “Niruddesh Jatra” from his collection, “Shonar Toree” (The Golden Boat). The original can be found here. Voyage into the Unknown How farther shall you take me, O beautiful maiden? Your boat of gold will be moored In the harbour of which eden? Whenever I ask,…
Tag: literature
Translation: Gandharir Abedan (Gandhari’s Plea)
Gandharir Abedan (Gandhari’s Plea) by Rabindranath Tagore The following is my translation of an extract from Rabindranath Tagore’s poem/ play Gandharir Abedan (Gandhari’s Plea). The initial section of the poem is a conversation between Dhritarashtra, the blind king of the Kauravas and his son, the prince Duryodhan. The conversation is taking place at a moment…
Translation: Bojhapora (An Understanding)
Bojhapora (An Understanding) by Rabindranath Tagore My first attempt at translating a Tagore poem. The original can be found here Tell thyself today, Whether the truth be stormy or breezy Let it on your mind sit easy. Some do love you While others can’t bring themselves to, Some are sold already, while the other Do…
On Agatha Christie
On Agatha Christie: The Queen of Crime Once, as I was reading a particular work of the Queen of Crime, a macabre thought crossed my mind. I wondered, had Agatha Christie herself ever contemplated committing a crime, say a murder, in her life, she could so easily have gotten away with it! It was a…
Translation: Vidyasagar
When in Class X, a prose in our Bengali text was an extract from a piece by Rabindranath Tagore on Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. The concluding part of the extract remained etched in my memory for? its sheer strength and its scathing nature. Below is my translation from the original piece in Bengali. Tagore talks about…
On Ruskin Bond
Ruskin: A fond Bond A writer can invoke awe in the reader with his mastery and skills. A writer can enthrall the reader with his ability of creating images and characters. A writer can bind the reader in his watertight plot. A writer can arouse laughter in his readers with his humour and even, jokes….
On Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
On Bankim: The first major Bengali novelist Before there was Rabi, there was Bankim.. I started reading Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay (also known as Bankim Chandra Chatterjee) at an impressionable age. I was still in school and had heard Vande Mataram. So, when I became aware that this legendary melody was part of a novel an…
Byomkesh, Feluda and Kakababu
Byomkesh, Feluda and Kakababu Byomkesh, Feluda and Kakababu are three characters of Bengali literature who have captured the imagination and attention of teenagers and young adults in Bengal over the past decades. This piece is meant as a tribute to these three charismatic men whom Bengali youngsters have idolized and been mesmerized by. In Byomkesh…
Literature
Book Reviews, Fiction and miscellaneous musings on literature.. This section contains my book reviews, short stories, a few translations and miscellaneous ruminations on literature and its associated personalities, real and fictional. My 10 Books Book Reviews: Those Days (Shei Somoy) The First Light (Prothom Alo) Tungabhadra’r Teere The Chess Machine Man Eaters of Kumaon The…