Rajasthan: A Sojourn at the Kings' Land

Keshariya Baalam...Ayo Rey... Padharo Maarey Desh!

I must admit that I had essentialised Rajasthan even before I had visited the largest state of India, with an approximate land area of 342239 square kilometres. It is tenth of the Indian states in terms of population - in 2011, there are approximately sixty nine million people living in the state with a population density of around two hundred and one souls per square kilometre of land.

I had always been fascinated having had read about the land of the valorous Rajputs, like millions of other Bengalis do, I am sure, in Abanindranath Tagore's Raaj Kahini (Kolkata: Signet, 1956; Kolkata: Ananda Publishers, 1986). Often, after my All India Secondary School Examinations were over, I would roll on my bed, with a 1991 copy of Raaj Kahini in my hand, and read and reread the exploits of Shiladitya, Bappaditya, Hammir, Maharana Pratap Singha, and Sangram Singha, to name a few. It was in that period - in 1995 - that I came to nurse a deep desire to visit Rajasthan. As I grew up, my desires were accentuated after I had secured from Kolkata's Books Way (I would be ever thankful to Mr. Saladdin for the favour) a two-volume Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, originally published in 1829 and 1832, by James Tod (1782-1835), who served in Rajasthan as an East India Company lieutenant-colonel in the 1810s and 1820s. Tod's form of the English language, to say very politely, is indecipherable, but I remained as unputdownable as ever.

I began to seriously plan a tour to Rajasthan with my wife Sreeparna Roy (Chattopadhyay) in the second half of 2009. It was to be a short affair, I was sure from the beginning - for winter recess at my college was a short session - and I knew we could not afford the luxury of inching in the Kings' Land by train. Aeroplanes operated by IndiGo appeared to be the most suitable mode of transport. I must admit that we had meticulously planned everything well ahead in time - months before. Myself and Sreeparna, courtesy Arzoo.com and I.R.C.T.C. Limited, had booked Kolkata-Jaipur return air tickets and tickets for a train-journey from Jaipur to Jaisalmer, and back. As far as the post-tour estimates are concerned, out tickets cost us INR 18302 in all, out of which INR 16494 was paid for air-fare and INR 1808 for train-fare (including Balurghat-Kolkata return-trip reservation charges). The train journey was to occur by ordinary sleeper class because the A.C. options had already been exhausted. Apparently thousands were bent on travelling by the 14059 Delhi-Jaisalmer Express, which leaves Jaipur three minutes before midnight and enters the desert town half an hour before noon on the next day. It halts at the towns of Asalpur Jobner, Phulera, Nawa, Makrana, Degana, Merta, Gotan, Raika Bagh, Jodhpur, Marwar Mathanya, Osiyan, Marwar Lohwat, Phalodi, Ramdevra, Pokran, Ashapura Gomat, and Shribdrya Lathi, before finally stopping at Jaisalmer after a 921-kilometre-journey from the Indian capital and 576 kilometres from Jaipur.

At this point, please let me warn you that if you are planning to visit Rajasthan in December-January - because it is understood to be the so-called 'season time' - please ensure that you have pre-booked your hotels, for it often costs you dearly at both Jaipur and Jaisalmer when you try to grab a hotel-room-key after a tiring winter journey. We had done it beforehand, and our deluxe rooms at Jaisalmer and Jaipur, between 25 December and 29 December 2009 cost us a total of INR 11437 (including the two-day-charges of INR 2158 for Hotel Bani Park Palace). We put up at Room Number 102 at Hotel Golden City {Near 1st Fort Gate, Opposite S.B.I. (Jaisalmer-branch) Building, Jaisalmer - 345001, Phone: (02992) 251664, Fax: (02992)254565, Mobile: 094141 49464, Website: http://www.hotelgoldencity.com}, while at Jaipur, we resided for two and a half-days on a top floor (air-cooled)-room of Hotel Bani Park Palace {D-160, Kabir Marg, Bani Park, Near Collectorate Circle, Jaipur - 16, Phone: (0141) 2208053, 2204188, Mobile: 098290 51477, Website: http://www.baniparkhoteljaipur.com}. For our transit short-time-without-booking stays at Jaipur, we chose Room Number 402, and, later, Room Number 403, of Hotel Mother India {Fateh Singh Market, Opposite Hotel Rajputana Sheraton Five Star, Near Jaipur Railway Station, Jaipur - 302 006

, Phone: (0141) 2363414, 2214316}. They charge you INR 600 for an ordinary double-bedded room a night, and we were pleased by its amenities. Most importantly, you will have to spend a mere INR 30 for reaching the railway station by rickshaw. To reach this hotel from Jaipur Sanganer Airport, we had to travel approximately 14 kilometres, and the Jaipur Airport Taxi Operators' Association charged us INR 320 for a pre-booked Ambassador ride.

I am giving you all the information so that you can make your preparations before travelling to Rajasthan. One note of caution though - do not board the Delhi-Jaisalmer Express unless you have got an A.C. booking - what we did not have! Otherwise, it will take the air out of your lungs once the train will begin chugging into the areas around Jaisalmer through dense clouds of dust and sand!

Our real adventure began when our IndiGo Flight 6E-208 touched the runway of Jaipur International Airport, Sanganer, a little over 8 miles from the heart of Jaipur. It was five-minutes-to-five in the late afternoon, Christmas Eve, 2009, and we did not particularly enjoy the 2-hour-and-15-minute non-stop flight from Kolkata. We came out of the second terminal and the first thing I noticed was that there was no transmission-signal on my Nokia N-72 handset, with a B.S.N.L.-Excel S.I.M. card inside! It was the same for my Vodafone connection, fitted to Motorola C-140. Sreeparna was also perplexed. It took a little over three to four minutes for us to get the transmission-signals back. Thereafter, we reached for prepaid taxis outside the airport.

Here, please allow me to break my narrative and warn you about one thing - I booked my flights and hotels through Arzoo.com. Countless others, I fancy, will prefer sites like MakeMyTrip.com, and so on. But be sure to confirm from the hotels about your reservations before reaching there. We were for a nasty surprise when, some days before our journey, I rang up the receptionist of Hotel Bani Park Palace only to learn that they had no reservations for us! What followed was a series of frantic phone calls to Arzoo.com's Mumbai office at (022) 67134444. My travel agent, Mr. Rupakartha Majumder of Mohini Tea House {Moktarpara Road, Balurghat (Mobile: 094749 52932)}, directed me to the main booking agent, Mr. Ranjan Biswas of Computer Zone {North Stationpara,Fulia Colony, Post Office: Fulia - 741 402, District: Nadia, Phone: (03473) 235371, Mobile: 097325 41482}, who continued assuring me that everything would be all right! I was inconsolable unless Arzoo.com let me know that everything had been put in order!

The Jaipur Airport-taxi driver, I fancied a septuagenarian, was a good soul, who obviously took pity on us, watching me twitching my neck every now and then in anxiety lest something should go wrong. We were supposed to catch the Jaipur-Jaisalmer train near midnight, and therefore, it was necessary that we temporarily lodged somewhere. The old taxi-driver took us to Hotel Mother India, smiling to see me watching him and the hotel receptionist with unabashed suspicion! I soon realised my mistake. Ignoring his protestations, I tipped him, and went to the third floor to take rest! Mother India serves you food on order, and for the first time, myself and Sreeparna, after we had conveyed about journey-experiences in details to our respective parents, busied ourselves with real Rajasthani khana, concluding with sour curd. We immediately noticed that food is quite costly in the state. They charged us INR 240 for what seemed to us a very frugal early-evening meal! Little did we know then that two breads each would be the main source of carbohydrate for us until two in the afternoon next day!

We went to the railway station by rickshaw around 10:30 p.m. It was really cold - we did not think that Rajasthan could be that chilly - and as we approached midnight, the activities around the station lessened to almost naught!

The accompanying photograph of the almost-deserted station was taken by me just at midnight. We were half covered with light quilts - shaking in chill but satisfied that the railway charts had shown that the R.A.C.-ticket we had been bearing had been changed to a Confirmed status.

Delhi-Jaisalmer Express inched in around 12:30 a.m. We had been running frantically, our luggage slowing us, as we were not sure to which platform was it going to enter. There was a dangerous crowd in the sleeper compartments - and we were mystified where our goddamned S-4 could be! It was detected, written in chalk! But no sooner had I pushed my way in, cursing and fighting, than the train began to move! Sreeparna was outside on the platform! It was a miracle, aided by gods and goddesses, that the train came to a halt, and my wife jumped in, her suitcases in hand! We recovered our berths after bombarding the cosily-seated but obviously-infuriated commuters! A Marwari family-head offered me a berth next to Sreeparna, in exchange of mine, which, apparently, was in midst of his family members'! Nothing exceptional occurred on the way, except for the fact that I shouted at the top of my lungs to two standing passengers who, around 03:00 a.m., had busied themselves discussing their pre-marital love-life and post-marital woes just near my head!

This photograph was taken by me when I woke up early next morning, and Sreeparna was still sleeping! We were then somewhere between Raika Bagh and Marwar Mathanya. We were fully awake between Phalodi and Ramdevra. There were spots of sand all around, and the shapes and sizes of the trees lining up the railway tracks were changing fast. I was beginning to guess if that was what Jaisalmer would look like. We were low on food, and the train was showing no sign of stopping. I was afraid of getting down the train and losing my compartment, for Delhi-Jaisalmer Express was really a long one!

We reached Pokran around 10:20 a.m. I was straining my neck, after I had got down and brought in supplies of tea, cakes, packets of chips, and so on, to see as much of the 'historic town' as possible. It was here in 1998 that nuclear devices were tested underground.

I could not, however, see much. The areas were protected by barb-wire, and hundreds of military men in fatigues were moving around. Nevertheless, I took some photographs, one of which you can see uploaded here, and, after the train left, I concentrated on watching how the vegetation was changing rapidly. Camels could be seen eating from shrubs and there was sand all around. The 'scenery' did not change much until we chugged in Jaisalmer around 01:00 p.m., much later than the time we were expected. The Jaisalmer Station-photograph in the beginning of this blog was taken shortly after we had landed. A vehicle from Hotel Golden City was waiting for us at the railway station, and off we went.

I must admit, again, that though I was thrilled at the amenities offered by Hotel Golden City, the behaviour of the owner and his attendants did not go down well with me. I remained mum, though. It was a new state and I did not want to antagonise people. Myself and Sreeparna were trying to decide when we should visit the Golden Fort next day when the owner called me out and offered me a desert safari at the rate of INR 3850 for two. The package, which was supposed to be offered by M/s. Time Travel (Beside B.P. Tank, Jaisalmer - 345 001, Rajasthan, Phone: 02992-251664, 254565, 255276, E-Mail: timetravelindia@hotmail.com, Website: http://www.timetravel.fslife.co.uk), included round trips for two to Hotel Golden City's desert camp, camel ride, and meals. However, when a dilapidated-looking blackish Mahindra Scorpio finally came to pick us up, it was around 04: 45 p.m. and I had lost much of my interest in watching the desert. Sreeparna was unputdownable though, and did not mind my sullen looks as a number of kalakars boarded our M.U.V. on the way. As far as I remember, one of them was Buta Khan, attached to Hotel Golden City's desert camp, and another was his nephew. One of the two dancers was Ms. Santosh, the other I have forgotten. I did not have the least idea that this motley crowd of entertainers would enthrall us for the rest of the memorable evening.

After a considerable period of journey, during which the 'caretaker' Munna Bhai spoke to these gullible people about partition, borders, and going near to the Pakistani part of the border and watching the soldiers there (which we soon discovered to be falsities), we were finally on the desert. An uncertain red glow spread all around as the sun was about to go down. Our young camel was named "Biloo" and I found in his face a concentrated expression of hatred of mankind and lethargy at moving around on hot sand. However, when we two boarded on him, I began to feel a bit of Rajput myself, imagining marauders rushing across the desert to me and myself ready to confront them with my camera! The sunset was splendid, mesmerising! You would never want to return to civilisation...not in a jiffy! I madly shot away scenes and our camel-owner, who later charged us INR 50 as 'tips', helped to shoot our photograph on his "Biloo".

After the 'safari', we went to the hotel's makeshift desert-camp only to see that lights had already been lit and a small and open 'fireplace' ignited. Mr. Khan and his associates were producing the Rajasthani tunes on their musical instruments, and the song "Kesariya baalam ... ayo rey ... padharo mare desh!", a traditional Rajput welcome-song, caught my fancy! It was followed a couple of hours of songs and dances during which Ms. Santosh and her female companion demonstrated us incredible antics and dancing stunts.

Afterwards, we had hearty meals with traditional Rajasthani khana, served in the buffet system, and myself and Sreeparna returned to our hotel deep in the night, around 12:00 a.m. On the way, our Scorpio had stopped for over 20 minutes at a deserted spot, and we two were sitting in the M.U.V., shaking in cold and apprehension, until Munna bhai returned after ushering Ms. Santosh and her companions to their own houses. When we woke up in the next morning, we were relaxed enough for another big day, as my photograph before our room makes it obvious:

We started for a walking-tour to the Jaisalmer Fort around 09:00 a.m. Built on the Trikuta Hills, the yellow-sand-stone fort, founded in A.D. 1156 by the Rajput ruler, Rawal Jaiswal, is one of the larger forts of the world!

It was grievously attacked and 'mutilated' twice - in the 13th century by Ala-ud-din Khilji and in 1541 by the Mughal emperor, Humayun. Sadly, postmodern tourists remember Jaisalmer and its famous 'quila' (that is, fort) not because of the self-sacrifices of the valorous Rajputs but because of the 1974 Feluda-film, "Sonar Kella", by Satyajit Ray. In 2010-11, approximately a quarter of Jaisalmer's population lives in the fort.

Among the attractions of the Jaisalmer Fort are its four massive gateways, a Jain temple, a Laxminath temple, a number of havelis and above all, the Raaj Mahal - the house of the royals. At one of the gates, we met the officious Giriraj Harsh, an experienced tourist guide, who could speak in four languages - Rajasthani, Hindi, Italian, and English, and quite conscious about his brahminical background. His office is at the shop, Souvenir de Rajasthan (Inside 1st Fort Gate, Jaisalmer), and to contact him, one could dial 094147 62036 or (02992) 254344 (E-Mail: rajharsh99@yahoo.co.in). He charged us INR 250 for a guided tour of the fort, which, sadly for us, ended rather abruptly.

To be honest, I could not bring myself to appreciate the Golden Fort! It had been changed into a sprawling business centre, with the fort-rooms converted into luxurious hotels. Mr. Harsh was showing us the rooms for the royals, but I was thinking of going back to hotel. It was hard to see and withstand the commercialisation of history! Everywhere were we expected to offer money , and even when we were going to enter the Jain Temple, I was really concerned about the fact that they charged INR 70 per single still-picture camera. The interior of the temple, built in the 'Dilwara'-style around 12th century, was, however, brilliant, and we were wholly satisfied. The temple remains open until 12 noon every day for visitors.

Returning, we purchased some small gift-items for our parents and relatives, including a film-roll, sandstone utensils, shawls, decorated Rajasthani handbags, camera-and-binoculars'-bags, cycle-key-rings, and leather-sandals, totalling INR 3430. We were rather disappointed later that the leather-bags, apparently made from skin improperly tanned, quickly got spoiled.

We could hardly wait for our next destination - Jaipur. We had heard so much about the city of which I have had already a glimpse, and I must confess, I wanted to see the place for production of the famous "Jaipur Foot" which had given the ace-dancer Sudha Chandran the power to charm world with her moves. We started from Jaisalmer by 14060 Jaisalmer-Delhi Express at afternoon, and it was around 05:00 a.m. on the next morning - 27 December 2009 - that we alighted, yawning furiously and in a perceptibly bad mood. We could have quarreled at the slightest pretext. Having had taken up temporary lodging at Hotel Mother India (Fateh Singh Market, Near Railway Station, Jaipur) again, I quickly got a shave, and later, myself and Sreeparna hired an auto-rickshaw for INR 50 and went to the hotel-room we had booked: Hotel Bani Park Palace. For such smalltime and lengthy movements in Jaipur, you can also contact (though we had not) Jaipur Tour Point, P. No. 605, Jaimahal Palace, Behind Santosh Nagar, Ajmer Road, Hasanpurs-C, Jaipur, mobile number(s): 090013 93914 (Mr. Kishor, according to the visiting-card they thurst in our hands while we were tightly-packed in the auto-rickshaw), and 093512 04588, 097998 66534 (Mr. Rafik). One kilometre away from Jaipur Railway Station and two kilometres from Jaipur Central Bus-stand, Hotel Bani Park Palace is a budget heritage hotel, restored from a hundred-year-old bungalow. We got accommodation on the top-floor. The hotel also maintains a beautiful vegetarian restaurant - Restaurant Niharika, with the phone number (0141) 2204188 - and we were pleased to visit it as often as we liked. The food served there seemed to be moderately-priced. To give you an idea - referring to the food-stuff myself and Sreeparna had there on 27 and 28 December 2009 - they charged us INR 10 for a cup of milk-mixed tea. A plate full of vegetable pakodas cost INR 40. A plate of butter-toast INR 25; a plate of motor paneer INR 55; a plate full of vegetable fried-rice INR 55; a piece of handmade bread INR 8; a plate of palang paneer INR 65, and so on. The restaurant maintained a hoonkah there, and we were dreaming of having a puff or two on it. We rested for the whole day, venturing out at night to Sinhal Trades, a departmental store (Phone: 0141-2200569) on Kabir Marg, in the vicinity of our hotel, to purchase a red-coloured travelling-bag for INR 120. We also feasted on potato chips and non-chilled soft drinks.

28 December 2009 was our touring-day for Jaipur. We hired a green-yellow-coloured autorickshaw (registration number R.J.-14/ P.B.-2244) from near out hotel, and Mr. Yousuf Khan, a benevolent and helpful soul, was destined to take us against a payment of INR 640 all around the capital-city of Rajasthan, founded in the eastern part of the state in November 1727 by King Sawai Jai Singh II (1688-1743), who began his rule as a Mughal-collaborator but later expanded his kingdom annexing lands from them. Wikipedia has a fine entry on the ruler (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jai_Singh_II). The city has an area of approximately 200 square kilometres, and is inhabited by (in early-2012) approximately 3.2 million people.

As we were gradually leaving the new part of the town and entering, after crossing a huge decorated gate

into what Mr. Khan identified as the 'old' and 'pink' part, we could notice Muharram 'tazia'-s being readied to be taken out. Mr. Khan accelerated. We watched the surroundings - buildings and even business establishments had to be compulsorily painted in pink colour.

The December-day was flooding in sunlight, and we were in the height of elation. We raced towards Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum or City Palace and formally began our tour of Jaipur spots, after paying an entrance fee of INR 20 per head. For each of our two still-photography-cameras, the museum authority charged us INR 25. The City Palace was the seat of the Maharaja of Jaipur, the head of the Kachwaha Rajput clan, and was built between A.D. 1729 and A.D. 1732.

We liked the City Palace. To be precise, we were mesmerised by it.

There are two entrances to the palace for commoners - the Virendra Pol and the Udai Pol - while the Tripolia Gate is reserved for members of the Jaipur royal family. We entered the area through Virendra Pol and visited the Mubarak Mahal, built with a combination of Rajput, Mughal, and European architectural styles. The Mahal houses a museum, and a fine repository of variety of textiles. One may wonder at the sizes of the dresses worn by King Sawai Madhosingh I, the ruler of Jaipur between 1751 and 1768, who weighed around two hundred and fifty kilograms and had one hundred and eight wives.

One would also like to visit the Chandra Mahal, in the western section of the City Palace Complex. It is a seven-storeyed-building, with specific names for each floor: the Sukh Niwas, the Ranga Mandir, the Pitam Niwas, the Chabi Niwas, the Shri Niwas, and the Mukut Mahal. Visitors can only visit the displays on the ground floor. There a museum is located, which displays carpets and manuscripts belonging to the royal family. A marvellous Peacock Gate welcomes you to the Mahal. We heard that in this palace, King Sawai Ishwari Singh (period of rule: 1743-50), son of King Sawai Jai Singh II, committed suicide through a self-inflicted snake-bite as the Marathas advanced threateningly towards his kingdom. His twenty-one wives also committed the act of self-immolation (the 'Jauhar' or 'Sati') soon after this. The City Palace Jaipur website (http://msmsmuseum.com/frmCmsPage.aspx?ID=4) offers an excellent account of the Jaipur rulers.

We next visited the Diwan-i-Khas, the private audience hall of the rulers of Jaipur.

It is located between the Art Gallery of the palace-complex and the armoury, where numerous iron and brass cannons are put on display, and where myself and Sreeparna took different snapshots. Two one-and-a-half-metre silver urn-like-containers - the 'Gangajelies' - adorn the Diwan-i-Khas.

We found a decorated Christmas tree still standing between the urn-like-containers. We also found some miniature models of the whole city of Jaipur. We stood before a large portrait of King Sawai Jai Singh II and took photographs, and ditto before displays of bows and arrows and guns displayed in wall-hanging glass-almirahs.

After appreciating the large number of royal carriages on display at a near-by 'garage', we moved, next, to Diwan-i-Aam or Sabha Niwas, the 'Hall of Public Audience'. I had, in 2005, seen the interiors of the Coochbehar Palace, the residence of Maharani Gayatri Devi (1919-2009), the third Maharani of Jaipur between 1939 and 1970. The Coochbehar Palace's 'durbar hall' is nothing compared to this Sabha Niwas, still looking as if the king is going to arrive at any moment to begin his counsel. Photography inside the Sabha Niwas being strictly prohibited, I am uploading here a photograph of the same from internet.

We went straight to the Jantar Mantar from City Palace. Built by King Jai Singh between 1727 and 1734, the Jantar Mantar is actually a collection of architectural astronomical instruments. This Jaipur Observatory consists of fourteen geometric devices for measuring time, predicting eclipses, and tracking locations of different stars. The Samrat Yantra, the largest instrument in the observatory, is actually a 90-feet-high sundial. Virendra Sharma has had, in 1995, published an informative book, Sawai Jai Singh and his Astronomy, which focuses on the construction and operation of the Jantar Mantar. Coming out from the observatory in a hurry, we raced towards a Rajasthani Shopping Mall, named Rajasthan Traditional Designing Corporation (40-A, Gupta Garden, Ground Floor, Amer Road, Behind Brahampuri Police Station, Jaipur - 302 002, Phone: 0141-2672042). One of the owners 'reportedly' had a Bengalee 'bhabi' (sister-in-law), and he could even speak in broken-Bengali. We purchased from his shop some Kota sarees, tops, some small clothing items, and a few mementos, paying a total bill of INR 2100. We, however, later discovered that the Kota sarees were not up-to-the-mark, and the wearers perspired profusely.

Our next destination was the Man Sagar Lake

, 4 kilometres north of Jaipur on National Highway 8, where we wanted to see the Jal Mahal ('Water Palace')

. It lies between Jaipur and the historic city of Amber. The lake has an water-area of 300 acres and at its deepest point, it is 15 feet deep. The Aravalli hills lie in the north of the lake. The Jal Mahal Palace combines Rajput and Mughal styles of architecture. Built in red sandstone, it is a five-storied-building out of which four floors remain under water when the lake is full, and the top floor is exposed.

Opposite to the lake, at Gaitore, several cenotaphs have had been erected over cremation platforms of some of the Kachwaha rulers of Jaipur: Jai Singh II, Pratap Singh, and Madho Singh II among them.

We did not see the Nahargarh Fort on the Aravalli hills. Now in ruins, it was built in 1734 by King Sawai Jai Singh II. It served as a hunting-residence for the Jaipur kings. We rather allowed Mr. Khan to take us towards Amer Fort, often pronounced as 'Amber Fort', 11 kilometres away from Jaipur.

The road to Amer was picturesque, to say the least,

and we even saw an elephant coming down the hilly road, its 'driver' apparently lying on its back in deep slumber.

The Amer Fort , a blend of Rajput and traditional Hindu styles, was built in 1592 by the Meena king, Alan Singh Chanda, and later occupied and renovated by Jai Singh I (1611-67). The palace of King Man Singh I (period-of-rule: 1589-1614) is also located in the Amer Fort. We did not go to to the interiors of the fort, tired as we were and desperately short of time. We did some photo-shooting at a scenic location just before the fort. We did not visit the Jaigarh Fort, either, though it was located very near the Amer Fort.

It was built in 1726 by King Sawai Jai Singh III to protect the Amer Fort. The Jaigarh Fort is 3 kilometres long and a kilometre wide, and it houses the Jaivana Cannon, the largest cannon of the world. Manufactured in early-18th century, the cannon is 6.15 metres long, and weighs 50 tonnes. It has a range of 35 kilometres, and can still fire 50-kilogram-balls with a 100-kilogram-charge (though it was fired only once). Returning, we had a stop-over at Shila Devi Temple, and thereafter, Mr. Khan took us to a beautiful point by the side of the Man Sagar Lake where we had some more sessions of photography, before going back to Jaipur. We had had long digested our early-day lunch of pulao and raita, which we had for INR 150 (for two heads) from New Khandelwal Pavitra Bhojanalaya, New Ramgarh More, Amer Road, Jaipur - 302 002, an excellent eatery. On the way, we had the famous Jaipur betel leaves. The shopkeeper charged us INR 10 a piece, but never until then had I tasted any betel leaf prepared better than these Jaipuri ones. If you visit Jaipur, please try to have a taste of the Jaipur betel leaves: you will thank my blog then!

We could not stop at Hawa Mahal - the famous 'Palace of the Breeze'.

However, I took several photographs of the Hawa Mahal from Mr. Khan's green vehicle. The palace was built in 1799 by King Sawai Pratap Singh (period-of-rule: 1778-1803), and designed by the famous Rajasthani architect, Mr. Lal Chand Ustad, in the form of the crown of Lord Krishna. Rising five stories, the exteriors of the palace are akin to the honeycomb of the beehive, and its nine-hundred-and-fifty-three small windows are decorated with intricate latticework. Built of pink sandstone, the palace is situated in the heart of Jaipur’s business centre. We went straight to the Albert Hall Museum, and braving dangers of being run-over by the dangerously-speeding vehicles, we went to see the museum, only to find it closed.

Situated amid the garden of Ram Niwas Bagh, it is one of the older museums of Rajasthan, built by a colonialist military-architect, Swinton Jacob, in 1876 for the purpose of greeting the English king, Edward VII, during his visit to India. The museum exhibits a rare collection of ancient objects, including miniature paintings, carpets, metal and wood crafts, toys, dolls, arms and weapons, and an Egyptian mummy belonging to the Ptolemaic Era. The most extraordinary of them is the carpet that depicts the scene of a Persian garden with gushing streams. I must also mention that while strolling all around, we had a glimpse of the Raj Mandir Cinema, arguably one of the larger movie-theatres of the India - built in 1976 and situated on Bhagwan Das Road.

Our time was running out, and Mr. Khan was obviously dismayed that we had failed to see many of the interesting and wonderful spots around Jaipur. He had had been for long marveling at the cheapness of food products in Bengal. He was determined to give us a gift. Going out of his schedule and contract, he took us to Jaipur's Birla Temple at the base of the Moti Dungri Hill.

Dedicated to the deities of Lakshmi and Narayan, the temple of white marble was built in 1988 by the B.M.Birla Foundation. We returned to our Bani Park Palace at five in the evening, and when we boarded the Indigo flight back to Kolkata on the next morning (after paying INR 500 to the Bani Park Palace authorities as airport-dropping charges through the taxi number RJ 14G/0939), we were ready to carry along with us our memories of the trip to Rajasthan as long as we would live. We went straight to my uncle's house at Kamardanga, Howrah-4, to recall our adventure in details.

Das Selbstmörderische aber Patriotische Attentat: The 20 July 1944 Plot

Historians and war enthusiasts visiting the Bendlerblock located on the erstwhile-Bendlerstrasse in Berlin, which now houses the secondary seat of the German Federal Ministry of Defence, cannot miss the naked statue of a man standing in the courtyard with one of his arms slightly raised as if in defence against firing, and the greyish plaque announcing, "Hier starben für Deutschland am 20 Juli 1944 Generaloberst Ludwig Beck, General der Infanterie Friedrich Olbricht, Oberst Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg, Oberst Albrecht Ritter Mertz von Quirnheim, Oberleutnant Werner von Haeften".

The announcement of the deaths of five patriotic Germans reminds visitors of the last serious attempt of a section of people, who really cared for Germany, to assassinate Der Führer Adolf Hitler (1889-1945). They were bent on protecting their fatherland from being completely destroyed by heavy Allied bombings. William L. Shirer, between pages 1356 and 1405 of his The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (New York: Fawcett Crest, 1962. Rpt. 1983) gives a graphic though poignant description of the 20 July 1944-plot to kill Hitler and his powerful Nazi officials – the plot was a failure and eventually led to the execution of at least four thousand nine hundred and eighty people and the arrest of seven thousand. Shirer writes, “The revolt, the only serious one ever made against Hitler in the eleven and half years of the Third Reich, had been snuffed out in eleven and a half hours” (pp. 1387-8). There have had been other planned attempts on the Nazi leader’s life too. To exemplify, the English Special Operations Executive (S.O.E.) plotted Operation Foxley to kill Hitler at Berghof in July 1944, but this was not executed.

Between 1943 and 1944, senior anti-Nazi German officers tried to assassinate their supreme commander through a variety of procedures – collectively called ‘Operation Spark’ – but the Austrian-German general survived each and every one of these. At last, on 20 July 1944, came the bomb blast that failed, once again, to kill Hitler but set into motion an operation of seeking vengeance that even subsumed and led to the forced suicide of the Field Marshal and one of Germany’s greater military geniuses, Erwin Rommel (1891-1944).

Among the principal participants of the 20 July 1944-plot {in which the colonel and Catholic aristocrat, Claus von Stauffenberg (1907-1944),

placed a powerful bomb inside Wolf’s Lair, Hitler’s field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia} were senior or privileged German military officers like Brigadier General Hans Oster (1887-1945), Chief of the German General Staff Ludwig Beck (1880-1944), Field Marshal Erwin von Witzleben (1881-1944), Head of the Army General Staff Franz Halder (1884-1972), Field Marshal Walther von Brauchitsch (1881-1948), General Friedrich Olbricht (1888-1944), Major General Henning von Tresckow (19801-1944), Colonel Albrecht von Quirnheim (1905-1944), and Lieutenant Werner Karl von Haeften (1908-1944). They secretly contacted powerful civilian leaders like Carl Goerdeler (1884-1945), a former Leipzig mayor, and Helmuth James Graf von Moltke (1907-1945), a jurist. Between themselves, they finalised plans for assassinating Hitler and his principal generals who would be closeted with him during one of the meetings. Thereafter, they would order the initiation of Operation Valkyrie, an emergency continuity-of-government-operations plan for the German Territorial Reserve Army to execute and implement in case of a general breakdown in civil order of the nation. A provisional government would then be installed that would make peace with the Allies. It was decided that Beck would be the new President of Germany, Goerdeler the Chancellor, Wilhelm Leuschner (1890-1944) the Vice-Chancellor, Paul Löbe (1875-1967) the President of the Reichstag, Julius Leber (1891-1945) the Minister of the Interior, Friedrich von der Schulenburg (1875-1944) the new German Foreign Minister, Ewald Loeser (1888-1970) the Minister of Finance, Olbricht the Minister of War, Oster the President of the German Military Supreme Court, Hans Koch (1893-1945) the President of the German Supreme Court, Bernhard Letterhaus (1894-1944) the Reconstruction Minister, Karl Blessing (1900-1971) the new Minister of Economics, Andreas Hermes (1878-1964) the Minister of Agriculture, Josef Wirmer (1901-1944) the Minister of Justice, and von Tresckow the Chief of Police. Sadly, most of these officers would not meet their family members again after the attempt – let alone be leaders of a new government. As he emerged scarred and blackened from the explosion site in which four Nazis – two generals, Rudolf Schmundt (1896-1944) and Günther Korten (1989-1944), a colonel, Heinz Brandt (1907-1944), and a stenographer, Heinrich Berger, were killed, and with the exception of Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel (1882-1946) and Stauffenberg himself, all the eighteen other participants of the meeting, including Hitler, were injured, the infuriated Führer ordered that his would-have-been-assassins be brutally treated and ‘hanged like cattle’. After eight of the patriotic Germans – von Witzleben, Colonel General Erich Hoepner (1886-1944), Major General Helmuth Stieff (1901-1944), General Lieutenant Karl Paul von Hase (1885-1944), Captain Friedrich Klausing (1920-1944), Lieutenant Colonel Robert Bernardis (1908-1944), and the Jurists Peter Graf von Wartenburg (2904-1944) and Albrecht von Hagen (1904-1944), were briefly and farcically tried at Volksgerichtshof (that is, the ‘People’s Court’) by the fanatical Nazi Judge-President Roland Freisler (1893-1945), they were sentenced to death and hanged by piano wires from the execution-chamber’s ceiling at Plötzensee Prison, Berlin. Paul Joseph Göbbels, the Nazi Minister for Propaganda, had the sentencings and hangings thoroughly filmed. The 20 July 1944-attempt was undoubtedly a brave endeavour, but it was also what might be called ‘das selbstmörderische aber patriotische Attentat’ – the suicidal but patriotic assassination attempt.

The attack against Hitler, which ultimately occurred on 20 July 1944, was being planned by the anti-Nazi conspirators in the German Army since 1938. They were in regular touch with like-minded civilians. Initially, von Moltke was against killing Hitler, and wanted to have him put on trial. Later, he relented. In 1941, a new group was formed by von Tresckow. However, they could do little, and were understandably demoralised. The conspiracy got a new lease of life when it was joined in August 1943 by von Stauffenberg, a Lieutenant Colonel who had had been badly wounded in North Africa. He wanted to save Germany immediately and undertook to kill Hitler as soon as possible.

The patriotic German military officer’s attempts to assassinate the Führer began in earnest on 1 July 1944, when he was appointed Chief of Staff to General Friedrich Fromm (1888-1945), later executed for maintaining silence about the conspirators, at the Reserve Army headquarters in Berlin. This position enabled the conspirator to be present at different conferences presided over by Hitler. On 11 July 1944, von Stauffenberg went to a conference carrying a bomb in his briefcase, but because he was supposed to kill Hermann Göring (1893-1946) and Heinrich Himmler (1900-1945) as well, he desisted. Four days later, another golden opportunity was lost for though at the meeting, Göring and Himmler were present, Hitler left the room before the bomb could explode. With a great difficulty, von Stauffenberg recovered his briefcase, preventing the plot to be discovered.

On 18 July 1944, von Stauffenberg was alarmed at the falsified news that the agents of the dreaded Geheime Staatspolizei (the German Secret State Police, or Gestapo) were suspicious about his activities and might arrest him any moment. The German nobleman acted under panic, reaching Rastenburg in a great hurry at ten in the Thursday morning of 20 July 1944. Half an hour past noon, when the conference was underway, von Stauffenberg excused himself to one of the washrooms of Keitel’s office, where he prepared the one kilogram-weighing plastic explosive and returned back, placing the briefcase under the conference table near Hitler. Interestingly, Brandt, who later died in the explosion that occurred sometime between forty minutes past noon and 12:50 p.m., unknowingly pushed the briefcase away from the table, thus shielding the Führer.

The bomb detonated right on time, but Hitler, in spite of being lacerated, was saved. On the other hand, the Jettingen-Scheppach-born assailant, after hearing the explosion, was confirmed in his mind that he had accomplished his mission. With von Haeften, he forced his way through three checkpoints and ascended a Junkers Ju 52 aircraft to fly to Berlin, which he reached around four in the late afternoon. By the time he reached Bendlerblock, he found his co-conspirators in a state of confusion. General Fritz Erich Fellgiebel (1886-1944) had rung them up from the Wolf’s Lair to notify that the Führer had survived. It took considerable efforts on part of the infuriated von Stauffenberg to convince them that Hitler had perished, and Operation Valkyrie was finally ordered a little after 04:00 p.m.

Friedrich Fromm had, by that time, turned completely against the plotters in order to save himself. He had already had been rung by Keitel who was enquiring about von Stauffenberg’s whereabouts. Close to five in the evening, he was arrested by the plotters as Himmler desperately tried to contain the implication of Operation Valkyrie. Meanwhile, at Berlin, von Hase ordered Major Otto-Ernst Remer (1912-1997) to arrest Göbbels. It was unaccomplished because just on the point of incarcerating the Propaganda Minister, Remer was persuaded by him to speak on phone to Hitler himself. Asked by the German Dictator to control the rebellion, Remer returned to the office of von Stauffenberg and began attacking his aides to arrest them. Around six in the evening, the conspirators had subdued even General Joachim Kortzfleisch (1890-1945), but made little advancement in forming the provisional government. The original plan to completely disarm the Sicherheitsdienst (S.D.) (that is, the 'German Security Service') and the Schutzstaffel (S.S.) (in English, the 'German Protection Squadron') cadres – which was principally undertaken by General Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel (1886-1944) – had also not been fully accomplished. Finally, Hitler himself addressed the perplexed German people around seven in the evening, and the plot was over for von Stauffenberg and his aides. Fromm, who finally took over control around 11:00 p.m., undertook some damage control measures. He hastily convened a court martial during which he sentenced Beck, Olbricht, von Stauffenberg, von Quirnheim, and von Haeften to death by firing. The first named, however, chose to commit suicide, in which he was aided by a sergeant. The four others were shot to death ten minutes past midnight, on 21 July 1944.

Between 1951 and 2011, at least four critically-acclaimed English films had been produced to commemorate the 20 July 1944-plot and the last effort to save Germany. Henry Hathaway directed The Desert Fox in 1951, which was starred by James Mason, Cedric Hardwicke, and Jessica Tandy. The Night of the Generals, directed by Anatole Litvak and distributed by Columbia Pictures, premiered in 1967. Its cast included Peter O’Toole, Tom Courtenay, Donald Pleasence, and Joanna Pettet. The Plot to Kill Hitler, in which Brad Davis, Ian Richardson, Michael Byrne and Helmut Griem acted, was a 1990 television movie, directed by Lawrence Schiller. However, the most popular film about the conspiracy – Valkyrie – was released in end-2008 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Incorporated. Directed by Bryan Singer, the film stars Tom Cruise (as von Stauffenberg), Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Carice van Houten, Eddie Izzard, Terence Stamp, and Tom Wilkinson. It is almost an unaltered depiction of the cosipracy and the aftermath, and people interested in knowing more about the plot to kill Adolf Hitler should refer to the film.

Samsing-Suntaleykhola: Paradise Enow!

If you are feeling suffocated by attending to thousands of errands and tasks at your office and family, the tiny-hill-hamlet of Samsing, in the Dooars,is the place where you should pay a visit. It is advisable that you should arrange for your own vehicle because transportation in and around the hill-spot are yet to be up to the mark, and if I am allowed to comment, it will be better to arrange for a Mahindra Bolero. On such a terrain as the way to Samsing and Suntaleykhola, it is an ideal vehicle, and for going to Samsing and back from my residential town of Balurghat (the headquarters of the district of Dakshin Dinajpur, West Bengal, India), I had to spend a mere Rs. 2200/- or so for diesel.

First, accommodation in Samsing! Most of the travellers consider this point last. I, however, have this opinion that it should be prearranged because, believe me, you will not be wanting to be left clattering your teeth outside in the cold, counting stars and watching moon shining on your helpless and restless eyes, while people around you are sleeping soundly or lustily playing their guitars away! Mountains are known to make poets out of the die-hard anti-romantics! But then, a full-stomach is needed so as not to view moon as a piece of bread! I would suggest contacting Mr. Tribhuwan Pradhan, the jovial and helpful - needless to add, polite - proprietor of Trishna Lodge at Samsing Khas Busty. He may be contacted at (03562) 200118, or 94746 29319 or 94758 96363. Insist that you need the suite on the ground floor, and I guarantee, it will be a pleasant surprise when you wake up in the morning - with the dawn breaking in through the glass windows and with the soothing chime of River Moorty striking your ears! You may need anything between Rs. 700/- and Rs. 1000/- a night for the suite. Mr. Pradhan has arrangements for parking your vehicle and there are rooms for your chauffeurs. You may book Trishna Lodge from Kolkata (West Bengal). You need to go to the ground floor of 3, Barretto Lane, Kolkata - 700 069, or call (033) 55122917 or 98302 52843.

Samsing, 26.56 degrees N and 88.48 degrees E, is at a distance of 82 kilometres from Siliguri (northern Bengal), and is situated at an elevation of 3000 feet above the sea-level. It is in the Kamimpong Subdivision of the district of Darjeeling. The towns of Meteli, Chalsa, and Malbazar are respectively 8 kilometres, 15 kilometres, and 19 kilometres away from the picturesque hill-station. The distance between Samsing and Jalpaiguri is approximately 72 kilometres and that is the easiest route to the spot because the road from Siliguri to Samsing crosses Malbazar, and it quite steep. For this route, you need to go to Sevoke from Siliguri. Thereafter, Bagrakote is to be reached, from where you need to travel to Malbazar. From Malbazar, go to Chalsa, and then, finally, to Samsing. If you want to go by bus, go to Sevoke Busstand.

We took the road less travelled. We went from Siliguri to Jalpaiguri - a distance of approximately 50 kilometres by road. The scene on even the busy National Highway 31 is enjoyable. We crossed the New Teesta Bridge, and went to Maynaguri - also called the "Gateway of Dooars" - 12 kilometres away. It was already around three late-afternoon, and it was Christmas Day 2010. A chill was fast descending on us. Chalsa is around 45-7 kilometres away from Maynaguri, and on the way, you may take the pleasure of taking a look at the beautiful town of Lataguri on National Highway 31, following which your speeding Bolero enters a portion of the majestic Gorumara National Park, 77.99 square kilometres in area. The dense forest of Sal, Common Teak, Rain Tree, Silk Cottonand Bamboo is bound to take your breath away, and give you a shutter-bug's bite. The National Park is home to Indian Rhinoceros, Gaur, Asian Elephant, Sloth bear, Chital and Sambar deer, wild boar, leopard and (occasionally) tiger. However, it needs a lot of luck to spot them.

We could not actually enter the National Park. It was Christmas time, and thousands of visitors had gathered from all over India in front of the principal entrance to the park, angrily awaiting their turn. Hundreds of green-coloured Maruti Gypsies were taking these tourists for short visits in and around the park. We could not watch the Jatraprasad Watch Tower, Rhino Observation Point, Chandrachur Watch Tower, and Chukchuki Bird-watching Point. With a heavy heart, the travellers - myself, my mother Ratna Roy, my wife Sreeparna Roy (Chattopadhyay), my father-in-law Arun Chattopadhyay, my mother-in-law Kamala Chattopadhyay (the last two from Raiganj, in the district of Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal) and our chauffeur Biswanath Orawn, continued with their journey to Samsing - our original destination. (In the photograph pasted below, Mr. Pradhan is standing next to our Bolero). At Chalsa and Meteli, I could not but notice the smallness of the place and the happiness of their inhabitants. Basic life was hard, but nature was unthrift in endowing them with numerous beautiful scenes. It was getting late - dusk was already coming in. We took a rather bumpy road from Meteli, and when we reached Samsing , swaying in confusion about the rightness of our direction, it was very dark.

We were really in the seventh heaven until we learned that we would not avail lodging at the State Government-managed Samsing Bungalow because we had no prior reservation, and, added to this, it was festival time! We would have been in a rather tight situation indeed had not an angel appeared before these bewildered explorers in the garb of a Nepali watchman from nowhere. He guided us to Mr. Pradhan's hotel and soon we were gorging on rice-fish-curry-vegetables-and-what-not! Mr. Pradhan manages a good kitchen, and things would have indeed been all-joyousness for us had not he, in his charming self, announced that we were expected to leave the suite at 11 a.m. the next morning. There were bookings!

I was unready to give up the colonial control of the suite - no imperialist gives up so easily. We requested, tempted, coaxed and cajoled Mr. Pradhan, to no result. Then, after having a stroll outside and taking in the indescribable beauty of Samsing at night, we fell asleep, lulled by the constant chime of a river which we were yet then to see!

I do not know how we managed to sleep that Christmas night - it was freezing! When the dawn broke in, I was amazed, looking out from the glass windows of our hotel. The photograph beside shows what I saw in the first light of the rising sun. There was River Moorty in the distance, constantly soothing out ears. The Himalayas were so majestic all around! In addition to the dense greenery, a few orange trees belonging to Mr. Pradhan added to the irresistible charm of Samsing! It is a spot that is not as famous as Darjeeling or Kalimpong. But Samsing has its own charm!

We had our breakfast, and, thereafter, lunch - all completed within 11 a.m. - and then we left with a heavy heart! I was wondering whether I shall be able to ever walk on the path leading to Trishna Lodge on which myself and my mother had been frequently exploring in the morning, looking out for flowering plants. Sreeparna, meanwhile, had her heart full going down into a valley and plucking two oranges. After a brief stroll around the charming hill-spot, we went to Suntaleykhola.

The way from Samsing to Suntaleykhola is one of the more picturesque ones I have ever seen. One has to be stoical enough not to respond with elation and amazement as the serpentine road slowly winds up to the beautiful lush-green spot whose name means 'Orange Stream' ('Suntaley' - Orange; 'Khola' - Stream). Actually the five-six kilometre-road from Samsing terminates before a small stream - the 'khola'. As for accommodation, the W.B.F.D.C. maintains a forest bungalow at Suntaleykhola, and to stay at the eco-resort, named Suntaleykhola Nature Education and Wilderness Resort which remains close to the inquisitive but modest travellers like us, you need to spend anything between Rs. 800 and Rs. 1100 a night, double occupancy.

We do not, however, think that an overnight stay at Suntaleykhola is necessary, if you have not decided to spend all your money and energy on that very spot. You may want to go up to the eco-camp, the river, and the chiming stream, and return back to your Bolero. But please do not forget soaking your feet in the stream water and strolling on the hanging bridge. We did it, and believe me, we loved it! We were dead tired walking all the way to the river-camp. It is quite elevated, and there are rocks strewn all around for hapless and tired travellers like us to take rest for a while. The way back is comparatively easier to manage. There is a small tea-stall on the way and we drank our full - the taste of the brew is wonderful, just like the behaviour of the women serving it.

November-December and February-March are the two best 'seasons' to visit Samsing and Suntaleykhola. The region has a bird-zone, and it you stroll on feet, with a pair of binoculars dangling from your neck, you may come to take a peek at hill maynas, Indian peafowls, white-capped water redstarts, forktails, rock thrushes, white wagtails, pigeons, brown shrikes, and so on.

From Samsing, you may go trekking. Walking two hours, one can reach Mouchuki, the entrance to Neora Valley National Park. From Mouchuki, trekkers often visit Rechela. If you have a week to spare, you may want to go to Rechela via Bhotegarh and Thusum, and from Lava to Aluabari. Rocky Island Camping Ground, though not a trekking field, may also be reached.

It occured to us that we could make most from our trip by returning to Chalsa, and thereafter journey 16 kilometres, 45 kilometres, or 57 kilometres to reach, respectively, Chapramari, Jhalong, and Bindu from Chalsa. Unfortunately, we were desperately short of time. We actually went to Moorty, situated on the bank of the river of the same name. The scenery all around was simply splendid. I have given a photograph of the surroundings here.

Tired but happy, our fingers smarting from constantly pressing the shutters, we returned to Jalpaiguri from Moorty. Next night, we journeyed back to Balurghat, via Raiganj.

Inviting Contributions to a Critical Anthology on Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea"

                                                                        NOTICE 

INVITING ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS 

ERNEST HEMINGWAY'S 'THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA': CRITICAL APPRAISALS

Critical articles are being invited from teachers of English of different universities and colleges and university research scholars for a forthcoming collection of essays on Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea (1952). The critical anthology is likely to be published in end-2012 by a reputed Kolkata-based publisher, with an I.S.B.N.

Those interested in contributing must contact the undersigned (who is the editor of the anthology, tentatively titled Ernest Hemingway's 'The Old Man and the Sea': A Critical Appraisal, and the series editor of the critical anthologies on other novels of Hemingway) regarding the topic on which they are scheduled to/have decided to write. He may be contacted at cfpproy@gmail.com.

Please note that the last date for contribution is end-July 2012. Prior to that, those interested in contributing essays must inform the editor through e-mail within 15 May 2012. 

You are expected to submit an original essay - that has not been sent elsewhere for publication after having been written by you - of not less than 3000 words and not more than 4000 words. An abstract  must accompany the essay. Please follow M.L.A.-style citations. Complete paper must be written in 12-point-Times New Roman script, with 1.5 space between the lines. You must send the essay , abstract, and a brief self-introduction as attachments on-line to cfpproy@gmail.com. You should also send two copies of print-out  of the essay and a compact disc containing the essay in Microsoft Word format within end-June 2011 to: DR. PINAKI ROY, C/o. M/s. NEW NIRAMAY CLINIC, 880, HILI MORE, NARAYANPUR, POST OFFICE: BALURGHAT - 733 101, DISTRICT: DAKSHIN DINAJPUR, WEST BENGAL (Phone: 03522-256568). All contributions will be duly acknowledged. After submissions, the essays are to be sent for peer-reviewing, and you will be informed if your contribution is accepted.

For inquiries, if any, please contact the undersigned over phone or through e-mail.

- Pinaki Roy,

(Editor, Ernest Hemingway's 'The Old Man and the Sea' :Critical Appraisals).

From:

Pinaki Roy, Ph.D.,

Assistant Professor of English,

Malda College,

Rabindra Avenue, Rathbari More,

Post Office + District: Malda - 732 101,

West Bengal,

Phone: (0ffice) (03512) 223570

           (Residence) (03522) 256568

E-Mail: cfpproy@gmail.com

Hello, All!

I have always been out of these websites and blogs...until I realised with a rude jolt that I have had been falling behind! So, on this 3rd day of February 2011 Thursday, I have inaugurated my own blog at http://roypinaki.blogspot.com. You are all welcome to this blog, for my postings from time to time!