Human beings readily accept traditions without seeking the reasons behind them. Since ancient days the semitic people have been observing the practice of circumcision. Moses and Mohammed accepted this system which today has become tradition. The ancient Austrics used to worship the Sun. Their purpose was to please the Sun God and be blessed with heavy rainfall and bumper harvests. In the social system of the Austrics, women had a predominant role. Thus, in the system of worship and other religious ceremonies, the priest had no significant role. Even the Sun God was looked upon as a female deity and the Moon was a male God. The Sun God was addressed as 'mother' and the worship done in her honour was called `Chat Puja'. Even today in Magadh Chat Puja is held twice a year during the harvest time. The sentiment of Chat Puja was so deeply rooted in Magadh that their system of worship is in vogue even today even after such tremendous Aryan, Buddhist and Moslem influence. Of course, in the external rituals of worship some changes have taken place, but the system of worship has not yet become extinct. Even the Moslems participate in the Chat Puja. In some areas they themselves organise the ritual and in other places they get the puja performed through the Hindus. This Chat Puja has now become a tradition. There was a time in Bengal when the Moslems used to worship Satyana'ra'yana or the Ola'ica'nd.

We are all lazy people, and we all know it. Today I have decided to load three photographs; I took in last September in Calcutta. I was carrying a Mamiya 67, and I knew I could take only 12 photographs.

I was also carrying a digital one, and most of the time I was using that only. After developing the film, I discovered that how lazy I am. There is a distinct difference between digital and old school black and white. (my digital camera is not bad either). See and comment

old man and his cycle

This was taken during 2006 Durga Puja in north Calcutta. I was moving from Sovabazar Rajbati to College Street. I saw this house, 190 years old, a man, may be 80 years old and his cycle, which is (don't know) years old. The man can't here, and so can't speak. Can see, so can cycle. His life is Cycle, and Cycle. I was with him for quite some time. Learnt a lot of things about that "gali". He was writing all these for me. i was carrying a Mamiya 6 X 7 and a Manfrotto Tripod.... and I was feeling light after the discussion...
The brand of the Cycle is 'HUMBER'

Smile in Ganga

Lion and Leg

Kumortuli and Kolkata Pujo

Kumortuli, where kumors play with clay and make idols. We are hearing for the last 10 years that the place will get shifted, this time we heard it's true for sure. I don't know. It was taken on 26th August 06. I am getting a salute from the kid, let me salute all the kumors. Join me..

Bhagmundi – surfacing ignorance

I remember, when I was a kid, still in morning school, there was a program in Salt Lake stadium at Calcutta, called hope 86. One of the main people behind that show was Subhas Chakraborty, who was a minister then. (For those, who does not know SC – he is a minister in the left front government, an important member for several decades)

The then Chief Minister, Mr. Jyoti Basu and other CPM politburo members, and a host of pseudo intellectuals of Calcutta termed the entire show as “Apasanskriti”, and that too before the show itself. The visioning capability of the entire group without the help of time machine was too extreme, no doubt, though it is not reflected from the present condition of state.

However, let’s get back to the main story, - to counter the allegation, Subhash Chakraborty said “sabaner biggapone amar mukh thakle sei saban bikri hobe?? na Rekhar mukh thakle?”. Well that attracted me like nothing.

When I was growing, (still I am), I got slightly disillusioned by a few of his remarks, as he openly said to the reporters and journalists, that “apnara shob ardhho sikkhitoder dol”.

Well, today, I have no doubt to say, that he was right, and he is right, he was contemporary, and he is too. I am referring to the present case of Bhagmundi in Purulia in West Bengal. Five students, three boys and two girls went for rock climbing and trekking, and due to flash flood, three of them died. Our own Calcutta media decided to ‘discover’ the ‘actual reason’, and they only surfaced two things for themselves, how dirty they are, and how ignorant they are. Ignorance is best tolerated when it is not argued upon. These bunch of journalists are truly ‘ardhosikkhito’.

The role of the fourth estate, i.e. the role of press is so very important for the development of a nation, and here, in our own country, own state, where people are termed “intellectual”, trying to inject wrong steam to stimulate dirty minds.

Sex sells, and it sells more in print form, when actually the takers are unable to perform the actual art. I request all my readers to tell the takers of journo’s product on Bhagmundi, that they are all non-performers.

New kid in the Blog

My "Thakuma" decided the names of her two grandsons, my cousin's was Radhakrishna, and mine is Madan Mohan. My "Jathaima" changed Radhakrishna to Subir stating that must have some similarities with father's name, which was Sudhir. My parents decided to stick to Madan Mohan. (In fact my father had a very little role to play there).

From the age of 5, I was too fond of the game cricket and also Dolna or Jhula, and from the combination, the name SWING evolved.

Most of my friends call me Swing, and with that Madan Mohan Chakraborty is so very contrasting. I am a new kid in the blog, and this is my first attempt. How is it?