When wishes are horses, then beggars might ride…

Paraphrasing Mark Twain, the difference between fiction and non-fiction is that fiction must be absolutely believable. Nowhere, it is so much true than in the times that we live in.

I would not be a bit amazed to be woken up one morning by the Little Green Men from Mars. The Little Green Men had in the previous night dispatched the Red Gnomes and Trolls garrisoned at Blighters Building and GolliWoggin Street. Now they are searching for the magical book, Rule of Law, which had disappeared from the public domain nearly thirty years back. The Little Green Men are desperate to have this particular Book of Magic, for its contents are rumored to provide the practitioner with wholesome respect and love from the ruled….

Bajar-paray phish-phish,
Pukur-parey phush-phush,
Gupto-parar Supto katha,
Pawa giyeche katha matha;

Onek kaler golpo katha,
British jokhon chilo hetha,
Debota naki eshechilo raatey - Noy je eta rupkatha;

Tarpor ek jhorer raatey,
Porlo daakat Gupto-paray,
Chhinno-mostar Mundu kaata,
Haralo je rupkathay;

Aajkey hothath abar korey,
Millo khobor onek porey,
Dighir joley jelera – Jaal diye kaata matha dhorey;

Eshechey pulish, aaschey sorkar,
Jonotar naamey Maa’key dorkar,
Gorbey Mondir, korbey Naam,
Vondami-tey – Kei ba Daan, Kei ba Baam....

A litany of our times

Somehow, I have always felt a gross disconnect between the values that we profess and the practices, which we adopt. It's a shame when the tax-payers' money and I am one of the fortunate few to fall in that bracket, is utilised to breed a licentious bunch of Hooligans in uniform.

Ranbir Singh, an MBA and probably the only hope of a family, who expected his earnings to liberate them from the daily drudgery of balancing meagre incomes with rising prices was killed by the police. The jury is still out on whether it was a fake encounter. However, the repetition of such incidents by an institution still steeped in the mores of the imperialist British, lends credence to the theory of trigger-happy and above-the-law police in the country.

Outposter Borobabu, maanta tar mosto,
Dosher modhye ektai je taar, choritro osposhto;

Bishal bopu manushta ontyoshar faapa,
Urdir khyati sarthak korey swarta akash kaapa;

Baaghey kamraley ganagar jai shudhui atharo gha,
Kulokey boley - Borobabur nek-nojor, matro eskho-atharo gha;

Gramer chashi Kasem Ali, kaaj korey din-onto,
Allah’r kopey kopal faata, foshol je tar baronto;

Diyechilo taka mohajon taakey, suder nei je onto,
Kemon korey shudbey taaka, ovaab je taar ananta;

Mohajoner posha Urdi achey, maash kabarir khataye,
Kasem ke tara tuley niye jai, maajh raatrer hanaye;

Borobabu boro ador korey, garod-ghorey jholaye,
Raatbhor choley khatir-daari, cigarette-r mulaem chankaye;

Bigha due taar likhe niye nai, Mohojaner posha pyaada,
Borobabu kora nojor raakhey, taar bokhra je aadha;

Kaaj hoeche, ekhon r ki Kasem’er thaka dorkar?
Ruji ta gechey – ki korey bachey, Jai Goriber sorkar;

Vor-rattirey Kasem jholey, choumathar bot gachey,
Por din Khaki Urdi boley, pagaal ta morey benchechey;

Borobabur doyar shorir, Somaj-sonkar e pran,
Mohajon sathey, dhulo uriye Kasemer vitey jaan;

Eshe Mohajon Kasemer bari, dei eksho taakar note,
Shonge Mohanuvob Borobabu, saamney je ponchayeter vote..