Eventful Sunday: Painting, Rains And Bipul Deuri Gets Assam Translation Literature Award-2013!

22nd Death Anniversary of Amulya Kumar Chakravarty

We had the Sunday, the 6th of October, lined up with two back to back programmes. First at 10.30am, a Painting Competition for little kids organized for the first time by Shrutinaad, and then the main sixth Amulya Kumar Chakravarty Memorial Translation Literature Award-2013 Ceremony at 3pm at the same venue that is Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra, Guwahati. But Sunday morning brought us some disappointment. Heavy overnight downpour filled our campus. We hoped the day would light up later. Nature had other plans though.

Rains started first with a drizzle and then pouring down. However we were ecstatic seeing huge groups of kids with parents filling out the forms defying rains. Due to the torrential rains that followed we were allotted an inner veranda. The start was a little delayed, but everything was in order with our dear friend and renowned sculptor Biren Singha as Chief Guest guiding the kids to perfection.

Meanwhile it turned out to be an unprecedented downpour in these parts continuing with unabated fury till about 2.30pm and flooding the main road outside the venue and homes all around. We got the information that rain water was rushing into our home too and that we would not be able to return home after the programmes. We prepared emboldened by the grand success of the Painting Competition. Only prayed at least the Award winner would arrive for the Ceremony.

Award Winner Bipul Deuri Felicitated

The award function was a dignified affair too. The President of Assam Sahitya Sabha, Imran Shah, formally presented the 6th biennial Amulya Kumar Chakravarty Memorial Translation Literature Award-2013 to Bipul Deuri, a very popular Author-Translator of recent times, for his brilliant rendering of Mark Shand's epic travelogue 'River Dog' into Assamese. The meeting was presided over by Urmila Chakravarty, President of Panzabari Sahitya Sabha-the joint organizer with Amulya Kumar Chakravarty Memorial Trust. Rousing and enlightening speeches were delivered by Professor Imran Shah and Special Guest ex-MP Jayanta Rongpi. Rongpi emphasized the fact that in today's times of rampant corruption the down to earth honesty of Amulya Kumar Chakravarty as a civil service officer must get highlighted along with his literary Translation genius. Speech by the convener and member of the Trust Chinmay Chakravarty (this writer) was also appreciated. Ragini Chakravarty presided over the Painting Competition awards distribution event for Shrutinaad, the joint organizer of the Competition. Three top awards and two consolation awards were presented.

As anticipated we could not return home that evening and spent the night at relatives' places. In our hearts we were very happy for the success and grateful for the audience who almost filled the auditorium despite calamitous weather. There were endless calls from all those who could not make it.

We came home last evening and by late night could somehow control the 'flood' inside! We are still waiting for the 'outside' one to subside. There are some damages, but the spirit reigns supreme.

Mitali: The Trauma of Losing a Sibling

Maybe I lied to her when I used to reassure her that she was going to be alright and was going to resume her life in some measure of normalcy in the future years; maybe all my gestures/expressions were false when I used to run my fingers across her forehead or embrace her on occasions when she was able to move around a bit; and maybe all my exhibitions of love care and responsibility were exposed as superficial when I failed to turn up in Delhi where she along with my mother were treated during September-October, 2022 (my mother Urmila Chakravarty was also diagnosed with dental cancer the same month the same year as she was) and when all the members of my parental family and the in-laws converged. Since that fateful day in August, 2022 when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer to that disastrous day of March 6, 2025—the day my younger blood sister Mitali (Mainu) Chakravarty Sarma (November 2, 1963—March 6, 2025) passed away in the wee hours in a hospital in Guwahati after giving a bra...

Release of Book 'Randomized: A Dozen Short Stories'!

The fourth collection of stories titled 'Randomized: A Dozen Short Stories' by Chinmay Chakravarty has been released on Amazon KDP just now! This collection, short stories in a lighter vein plus with mild satire like the previous collections, has been published in both the E-book and Paperback formats. The links are given below: International: Click Here ! India: Click Here ! Other collections of short stories by the same author: The Cheerless Chauffeur and Other Tales(2021)--Notion Press. Funny and Fishy Tales(2022)--KDP. The Weirdos(2022)--Ukiyoto Publishing. All books of the author are available on Goodreads, apart from Amazon and other outlets! Have a look!

Kolkata: Cancel the Commerce of the Durga Puja Carnival!

Yes! We ask why shouldn't the pure Commerce show of the Durga Puja Carnival in Kolkata be canceled in view of the worsening medical crisis? For how long this cruel irony of continuing the worship of the Mother Goddess and continuing to torture/kill the Mothers in human forms going to continue? Greed, limitless greed of humans! Dear God! This time Goddess Durga came in a cradle which in itself implies ominous times, and further, the tithis from Mahasaptami onward came mixed in such a way that you get three days of worship, technically. Yet, the greedy and selfie-social-media-crazy crowds of 'devotees' were still not satiated, descending on the Puja pandals in uncontrollable hordes for as long as seven days, and to pander to their greed and to have the maximum of business, most of the Puja organizers disregarded the tithi break-up completely and have been celebrating Bijoya Dashami or the Dussehra well into Ekadashi, the eleventh day! They expect the hordes to descend tonigh...