Column | Window Seat

Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee

Waiting for the Cyclone

It has been drizzling the whole day at Dhenkanal, thanks to cyclone Riamu- a happy respite from the sizzling mid-summer heat. The day was 20 May. We expected more rain, but it seemed Riamu would not oblige.

Puri experienced quite heavy rain. As the cyclone is expected to move along the coast - my in-laws who live in Puri were apprehensive. The black cloud forming over the turbulent sea scared them. Understandably so. After the super cyclone in 1999 and HudHud last year, we are scared of the word cyclone.

But just for a moment look at the picture- it is scary with the dark clouds foretelling more rain; and at the same time beautiful. It shows the might of nature. It also shows beauty in that might. In Odia we have a word for this: bhimakanta: scary and beautiful at the same time.

Endnote: Cyclone Riamu spared Odisha.

Photo by: Ashok Panda.

Nabanne Hawai Chati

I had been to Kolkata recently and returned just the day before the assemble election results were declared.

There were tell tale signs of a fiery election campaign in the city. Posters adorned every available wall and banners on every space that could accommodate one.

I saw an interesting poster near Jadavpur Railway station, which read (in Bangla) Jotoi nado kalkathi, Nabanne Hawai Chati. Roughly translated in English it means, whichever means you adopt, in Nabanna (name of the building from where the WB Govt. functions) Mamata Banerjee will rule. Hawai chati is an allusion to the flipflop that she usually wears.
It came true. Despite an curious coalition between Congress and CPM,  Didi won with more seats than even the staunchest Trinamool supporter hoped for.

Name is Bond, Ruskin Bond

19 May was the birthday of Ruskin Bond, one of the most popular and endearing writers of present times. He is a prolific writer and has written many novels, short stories, poems and essays.

Many of his stories have been turned into movies be it Shyam Benegal's "Junoon ", which was based on Bond's " A Flight of Pigeons " or Vishal Bhardwaj's "Blue Umbrella" and " 7 Khoon Maaf". 

He got the Sahitya Academy Award in 1992 for Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra, an anthology of short stories for his published work in English. 
I translated this hauntingly beautiful book in Odia for Sahitya Academy.

He was conferred  Padma Shri in 1999 and Padma Bhushan in 2014.

Born on 1934 he now lives with his adopted family in Landour, in Mussoorie.

At 82, Mr. Bond is very active. In fact in an interview he said, “ I am working harder than ever and has no plans to retire.  I still write by hand. I don't use computer and I have thrown away my old typewriter as it was giving me neck pain. I write entirely by hand and nobody seems to mind." 

May Mr. Bond live long and write more such wonderful books.

Tailpiece: Intelligence

See how intelligent men are. If you call them ‘animal’ they feel insulted. But call them ‘Tiger’ or ‘Lion’ they are very happy. Just see the names of IPL teams.

**

21.5.2016

The columnist a journalist turned media academician lives in Dhenkanal, a Central Odisha town on the valley of Pani Ohala Hill. He also writes fiction. His new book Point by Point will be published next month.

He can be contacted at mrinalchatterjee@ymail.com