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Agnishatdal Boisakh 1425, April 2018 critique by Troy David Loy

Agnishatdal Biosakh 1425 Critique
By Troy David Loy: https://www.amazon.com/author/troyloy

Well, here’s a few thoughts on the eZine at the dawn of BS 1425. Funny how months go by so fast!
Ishwar Chandra Bidyasagar:
A good tribute to a great reformer, this one. The suffering he alleviated with his advocacy of social causes and concern for the poor and distressed shows me that there is hope for the human species. Not necessarily grounds for optimism, but hope.
Jagadish Chandra Bose:
Here was a good scientist, and one with a love for teaching others as well. I might add to this by noting that he was also the father of Bengali science fiction, having written Niruddesher Kahini (The Story of the Missing One) in 1896.
The Black Queen: piece 4
Brieuc’s tale continues, with the revelation to Nguyen of an old . . . foe? The titular Black Queen looms threatening in her domination of local waterways. What will Nguyen do to protect his village?
How fate was outwitted 1:
A young boy becomes a disciple to a guru and his consort, treated as though one of their own children, but something momentous is about to happen! good story so far! Spring will never die*:
Dom offers here a nice bit of verse on the season of rebirth and renewal.
Kolkata’s third K-Kutta aka dogs
BP here discusses the trouble with dog hoarding in crowded neighborhoods, especially with those who lack consideration for the quality of life for others not so favorable to excessive numbers of canine company.
18th Century:
An amazing bit of art, this one. It reminds me pictures I’ve seen of the inside of an old apothecary shop in colonial America!
Cap Series 1 and 2:
A couple of good reviews for two of Hemdiva Dev’s stories: A Birdy Adventure and Oodhi Baba.
Bharatanatyam:
This has to be my all-time favorite of the Indian classical dance styles. Many years ago, there was a live performance at a local library, and I was lucky enough to attend. It was absolutely amazing.
Rajendra Kulkarni
It seems like I’ll have to add another musician to my listening roster. Oh, cool…Here’s a linky I found! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFSpZkJBvhc
Boisakh Recipe: banana curry
Hmmm. I’ve never tried recipes with green bananas yet, though I’ve written a story about them – bananas, not recipes using them – yet. Nonetheless, this sounds tasty, or will be if I should EVER be lucky enough to find bananas that green in a grocery store.
Ashwin – Autumn & Varun Stuti – Praises for Rain God:
Cool! Two poems, one in Bangla, the other in Hindi, both get saved for study during the next couple of weeks.

Bengal This Month:
With two illustrious figures born this month, AND the celebration of the New Year, it’s hard to tell which is cooler about this month – certainly not the weather, and that’s no joke! Less facetiously, it’s fun to call up old friends to help them celebrate the first day of 1425!
Pieces of Past: Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
And unusual figure in many respects, though probably not that unusual as a Bhakti saint. They tended to be eclectic and less hidebound to ritual and convention, a trait not uncommon among mystics.
Story from Ved and Purana: Sharmishtha, Yayati, and Devyani:
Fascinating bit of lore, this.
One Witch Saga:
In this cute collection of six cartoons, a silly witch and her poor minion try to replace a princess, finally ending with a not-so-convincing impersonation attempt after the princess’ family has been, ahem, “eliminated.”
The final six images celebrate the Bengali New Year begun on April 15th. Two of them remind me of the sun cooking eggs on a hot day – in their shells!
Well, that’s it, for the start of 1425. I’ll see you next month, and in abbreviated
Soruggon….….Tf. Tk. Tts.

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