An anecdotal exposition of AstroSat by Professor A R Rao.
Space Astronomy at TIFR: From Balloons to Satellites
It’s cold
It's always cold.
I am getting my Mastodon account verified
Mastodon account verification
Shatrughan, Babul are faces of RSS-friendly shallow opposition
Translation of an article in bāŋlā on https://nagorik.net.
A small group is tackling big problems
A new organisation tackled the pandemic and repeated cyclones head-on — and is now attempting climate mitigation.
To (Quote-)Tweet or not to Tweet, is the question.
My statement on being reduced to a Twitter-villain.
Casteism in Indian academia
Summarising the key takeaways from a 2020 paper on casteism in Indian academica.
Brand new! India…
All incidents in this poem are fictional. Resemblance to any modern nation-state are completely coincidental.
How to become better anti-caste allies
My views on 'The horror of Hathras' by Spoorthy Raman.
Author: नेहा अगरवाला | Neha Agarwala.
The horror of Hathras
Author: Spoorthy Raman.
How I quit Facebook
Documented the process, so that you can too.
I am not a feminist. I am a student of feminism.
Personal essay.
The monster in me
Poet: ज्योति। Jyoti.
आज़ादी
About independence and freedom. Approximate English translation is available below.
ইতিহাস
ইতিহাস ঘুরে ফিরে আসে আবার, লিখছেন মলয় ভট্টাচার্য্য।
Only the virus is novel
... and every other problem is old.
মন্দির ওহি বনায়েঙ্গে
লেখক: মধুবন্তী মিত্র।
Those teardrops are false
About selective outrage displayed by elite Indians.
A Memoir
Trigger Warning: Potentially disturbing content ahead.
নতুন করে
গরীব মানুষের ক্ষণিকের বিলাসিতা। 🙂
প্রাণে তোমার
এটি একটি ব্যক্তিগত কবিতা। অযথা প্রশ্ন করিয়া লজ্জা দিবেন না।
How to quantify the extent of and response to COVID-19 (or other pandemics)
The COVID-19 pandemic started spreading across India in March, and till today, opinions vary widely on how the spread of the disease has affected different administrative regions, and how well they have mitigated the circumstances. Various numbers are quoted and there is no consensus, primarily because the situation is dynamic and India is a large and heterogeneous country. I bind all these effects in one simple quantitative measure, and demonstrate its robustness.
Transliteration — ଟ୍ରାନ୍ସଲିଟରେଶନ — ŧrānsliṭarēśan
How to transliterate "Odia" words to the Latin script with correct representation of the phonetics.
Transliteration — ട്രാൻസ്ലിറ്ററേഷൻ — ṭrānsliṭārēṣan
How to transliterate "Malayalam" words to the Latin script with correct representation of the phonetics.
দূরত্ব এভাবেই
Personal poem, translation not provided.
I have stopped believing…
The tale of minds.
ভুল করে
Exploring the pathways of love. Translation provided for two languages.
বাইরে এখন রাজার মতো মে-দিন আসে…
আন্তর্জাতিক শ্রমিক দিবসের ইতিহাস আর সমাজের collective amnesia-র কথা মনে করিয়ে দিচ্ছেন মধুবন্তী মিত্র।
সমাজটা আসলে পুরুষতান্ত্রিক নয়, চিন্তাতান্ত্রিক
এই সামাজিক ব্যাঙ্গের মাধ্যমে সমাজকে কিছু প্রশ্নের মুখে ফেলছেন লেখক ঊষসী ভৌমিক।
অরাজনৈতিক নই
লেখক: মধুবন্তী মিত্র।
What does it mean to be political?
[এই লেখাটি বাংলায়ে পড়তে।] Not having an opinion in this dirty world, is safe. Until it isn’t. Think about it for a moment. As you are stuck inside your home in the lockdown, with work or with none, what do you depend on to get by? Relationships with people. You need to buy ration, vegetables, … Continue reading What does it mean to be political?
Being Indian
About the responsibilities of the Indian citizen.
Face to face with a social virus
Experience of a friend who prefers to be anonymous.
জনতা curfew এবং পাঁচটার ধন্যবাদ
On the way the GoI is handling the spread of COVID-19 in India.
Let’s talk about spring
An ode to the times.
Park Circus Maidan: “Kolkata’s Shaheen Bag”
A ground report on the peaceful, unrelenting protest in Kolkata's Park Circus Maidan.
Herbst
My first autumn in the high latitudes.
প্রবাসীর পূজো, ফ্রাঙ্কফুর্ট ২০১৯
My first big festival so far away from home, in a different home.
পূজোর গন্ধ
পূজোর একটা গন্ধ আছে, জানেন? একটা এঁদো পচা খড়ের গন্ধ, মাটি পোড়ার গন্ধ, রঙের গন্ধ। টাকার গন্ধ, নতুন জামার গন্ধ, roll-chowmein’এর গন্ধ, আনন্দের গন্ধ। আশার গন্ধ। আকাঙ্ক্ষার গন্ধ। পেচপেচে টিপটিপে বৃষ্টির গন্ধ, ঘামের গন্ধ, খানিক বিরক্তির গন্ধ। একটু rum-এর গন্ধ। একটু খুনসুটি, খানিক প্রেম, অনেক চেষ্টা আর একটু সাফল্যের, গন্ধ। ফুচকার জলের গন্ধ। আর কী … Continue reading পূজোর গন্ধ
মহালয়া
When your biggest festival approaches, but...
ফেলে এলাম
About leaving behind a part of yourself, where you have grown up.
My thoughts on the current ‘state’ of affairs
I grew up in a secular India, a democratic India, an opinionated, poor, confused yet beautifully diverse India. Today, it is united. But no one asked the ones who were integrated overnight, whether they wanted the unity. If you are celebrating the abolition of Article 370, I ask you to kindly consider the implications of … Continue reading My thoughts on the current ‘state’ of affairs
Digging deep into cosmic explosions
A simple explanation of my PhD research.
Equality
Amongst genders, and languages.
Of mother tongues
My thoughts, summarised.
Relapse
About a relapse episode to my depression.
Burnt
About memories and ashes.
I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends
About my depression.
অসভ্য
Addressing civilization.
The English transliteration and translation are provided.
ভীড়
নারীদের আমরা ভুলেই গিয়েছি। About the women we haven't cared to remember.
The English transliteration and translation are provided.
বিষণ্ণ আলো
About the feeling of depression.
The English transliteration and translation are provided.
ভুলে যাবো তোকে?
অত সহজ নয়। About not being able to forget so easily.
The English transliteration and translation are provided.
একাকীত্ব
আমার সব সময়ের সঙ্গী সে যে... About the constant companion of my life.
The English transliteration and translation are provided.
Transliteration — ট্রান্সলিটারেশন — ṭrānsliṭārēśon
How to transliterate "Bengali" words to the Latin script with correct representation of the phonetics.
রঙীন
সে রঙীন করে গেল... About being painted.
The English transliteration and translation are provided.
संदकफु (saṃdakpʰu) – the highest point of West Bengal, India
A 5-day trek in the Singalila National Park.
सपने
सपनों की ऊंची... Are we dreaming high enough?
The English transliteration and translation are provided.
Curled
About a picture of an old woman.
মাথা উঁচু করে বাঁচা
একটা ঘটনার পরিপ্রেক্ষিতে লেখা একটা কাল্পনিক চিত্রপট... This is an imaginary recitation from the point-of-view of a man I came across on the road.
The English transliteration and translation are provided.
Look up
For a girl, about to be a woman, to tell her that she is much more than the world has (majorly) perceived her to be. To make her realize about her capabilities.
Love
What is love?
Why I am not an Atheist
Dear God, Thank you for everything. Bless me and help me To be good And to do my studies well. That was our prayer in school, in case you are wondering. We had to utter this every day from the nursery till the 12th. The enormous amount of religious sentiments and observations of religious customs … Continue reading Why I am not an Atheist
Dear Diwali
An open letter to Diwali, the festival.
ལ་དྭགས་སྐད་ (ladākʰ) on bike
Cycling on the mountains in Ladakh.
अंधारबन (aṃdʰārban) – The Dark Forest
A day trek along Andharban, with two other enthusiasts.
My second solo trek – कर्नाळा (karnāḷā) fort
A solo trek to Karnala fort, through Karnala bird sanctuary.
An overnight trek to कोथळीगड पेठ (kōtʰaḷīgaḍ pēṭʰ)
An overnight trek to Kothaligad Peth, just at the start of monsoon 2017.
শিগ্গিরি
আসছি, কলকাতা... Waiting to be back in Kolkata, my home.
The English transliteration and translation are provided.
Back there
This is an experience of a dear friend, who narrated it to me, and I could not help but pen it down myself. Some of the details are cooked up, but the emotions were real. It is being posted with permission.
The real poets
A tribute to poets.
For a red-haired muse
A fictitious sexual encounter with an imaginary red-haired girl.
Sunset by the Sea
A humble attempt to describe the beautiful sunset by the TIFR sea-face on a peaceful February Sunday.
Whatever I write about
Whom is poetry written for?
A Tryst with the Giants
An appointment with the wild.
Reality
It is not always that you raise your hopes for months to have a fire kindled in you, only to be dozed to ashes in a minute. Not always is a man ready to take a risk that spans across continents and important years of his life. It's not easy to be a sport when … Continue reading Reality
A trek to नाखिंद नेढे (nākʰiṃd nēḍʰē), the “hole in the mountain”
An experience of four people on a trek to Nakhind, 100 Km from Mumbai.
A hike up a waterfall: विसापूरगड (visāpūrgaḍ)
A trek up a seasonal waterfall, surrounded by thick mist.
My first solo trek – कळसुबाई (kaḷsubāi), the highest point of महाराष्ट्र (mahārāṣṭra)
A solo trek to the highest peak in Maharashtra, in the Kalsubai range.
Romancing Paris, the City of Love
A 3-day tour of Paris in mid-summer. Extremely detailed, this could serve as a guide to tourists.
Peering deep: Scuba-diving
A humble attempt to describe a 30-minute dive under the sea.
A night in the caves: हरिश्चंद्रगड (hariścaṃdragaḍ)
A 2-day 1-night trekking-cum-camping in the Western Ghats.
Emptiness
On a lover of the past.
Opt-eye-mistic
Realizations of a pained soul that looks forward to see the world.
নতুন
...করে শুরু করি? About starting afresh.
The English transliteration and translation are provided.
কলকাতা
আমার শহর... kolkātā, the city I grew up in.
The English transliteration and translation are provided.
শিং — Horns
সমুদ্রতীরের এক মানুষের ব্যাপারে... About a man who sells toys on the sea-shore. I wrote the English translation at the same time, in the flow.
The English transliteration to the Bengali part is provided.
বাতি
আলো-আঁধারীর খেলা... The interplay of light and shadow.
The English transliteration and translation are provided.
See you soon, Kolkata
An ode to the city where I grew up, before leaving it for long.
Sunsets
About sharing sunsets with a stranger on a distant roof, day after day.
My Dreams
Standing by my dreams.
Your Debris
Debris of first love.
আমার
১৭ বছর বয়সে লেখা একটা কাল্পনিক চিত্রপট... A fictitious piece I wrote as a 17-year old.
The English transliteration and translation are provided.
The Heroes
A war-poem, with a deeper meaning hidden in the identities of the people involved.
Lies
Lies crush innocent hearts.
Debdutta Paul 