Jadavpur University Alumni Association Hyderabad Chapter

• Anindita Chowdhury
• Shantanu Dey
• Soumik De
• Sushanta Dutta
• Indranil Chowdhury
• Sujoy Sarkar
• Kakali Dutta
• Debopam Chakrabarti

Cover Design: Aditi Chakrabarti

Illustrations: 

• Jyotibindu Chowdhury
• Aditi Chakrabarti
• Devmitra Biswas
• Avidipto
• Avinandana

Amitava Sen  

"Not through command, nor decree, a lifelong lesson you taught me!

Through action, interaction, the pattern of an exemplary life, that's you, not me!

The innate worth of each human being, the meaning of friendship and trust,

To find common ground with a prince or a pauper, someone who is not me,

To reason with scientific rigor, yet understand with a poet's sensitivity,

To know what is authentic, what is hypothetical and abstract, you taught me.

The infinite shades of grey between the black and the white that cloud the sky,

The infinite shades of green in the woods and forests in spring, you taught me,

The infinite shades of meaning behind each spoken word, each glance of the eye,

The infinite patterns of joy and sorrow in the musician's notes, you taught me,

The universal melody in a painter's canvas, a sculptor's form, a poet's lines,

A friend's laughter, a helpful hand, and a thoughtful word

this life is all about you, not me." 

অরুন্ধতী সেনগুপ্ত  

যত বয়স বাড়ছে, মা, ঠাকুমার মত আমারও ঘোটবেলার কথা অন বারে বারে খুব মনে পড়ে। আমরা একান্নবর্তী পরিবারে বড় হয়েছি। ঠাকুমা, কাকু, মা, বাবা সবাই এর সঙ্গে আমাদের দাদু ঠাকুমা দিন আমাদের কাছে খোলা জানলার মত। কত আহ্লাদ আবদার ছিল সেখানে। আমরা ছিলাম দুই বোন, আমার দিদি আমার থেকে বছর চারেকের বড় কিন্তু ছোটবেলা থেকেই তার ভীষণ দিদি দিদি ভাব। শাসন আদর সবই ছিল দিদি ছিল খুব ডানপিটে, সাহসী। আর আমি একটু ভিতু প্রকৃতির : মুখচোরা।  
দিদির বয়স তখন বছর সাতেক। একদিন বিকেলে আমাকে ও আরও পাড়ার ছেলেমেয়েদের সঙ্গে নিয়ে খেলতে গেছে। কাছেই অর্ধসমাপ্ত একটি বাড়ি ছিল। ওটা লুকোচুরি খেলার পক্ষে আদর্শ জায়গা। বাড়িটার এক অংশে ভিত গাঁথা জায়গা ছিল। একটু খোয়া ভাঙ্গা ভাঙ্গা ইট বের করা। খেলতে খেলার দিদি সেখানে পড়ে যায় ও হাঁটুর কাছটা কেটে যায়। এবং তার থেকে রক্তারক্তি। সেটা দেখে আমি তো কেঁদে আকুল। দিদি আমাকে প্রায় জড়িয়ে ধরে সান্ত্বনা দিতে দিতে বাড়ি নিয়ে আসে। আসতেই মা (মানে আমাদের ঠাকুমা) আস্থির হয়ে পড়ে যে বুলবুলির (অর্থাৎ আমার ) কি হল? ও কাঁদে কেন? কোথায় ব্যথা পেল?  
সে এক হই হই কাণ্ড। আমি শুধু মুখে বলছি দিদি, দিদি। তখন দিদি আমার জড়িয়ে ধরে বলছিল “ওর কিছু হয়নি, আমার পা কেটে গেছে বলে ও কাঁদছে”। তারপর আমায় সান্ত্বনা দিয়ে বলল, “বোন তুই কাঁদিস না আমার ব্যথা করছে না”। এসব দেখে ঠাকুমার আর্তনাদ শুরু হয়ে গেলো “ওরে, কি ডাকাত মেয়েরে। পায়ের এই অবস্থা আর ও বোনকে সান্তনা দিচ্ছে”। তারপর কোথায় ডাক্তার কোথায় বৈদ্য স্টীচ পড়বে কি পড়বেনা, এই নিয়ে হুলুস্থুলু।  
এখন এই বয়সে পৌঁছেও, দিদির ছেলেরা, আমার মেয়েরা সবাই বড় হয়ে গেছে, কিন্তু দিদির কাছে তার বোন সেই চার বছরের ছোট্ট বুলুই রয়ে গেছি। 

Spandan Chatterjee  

One day I went to a shop close to my home. It was my first visit to a shop alone and I was very excited. I bought plenty of things that I liked - cheese, Snickers, Diary Milk from my pocket money of Rs 500, which my grandparents had given before leaving. "I love these", I thought and could not wait till ! reached home and munched on them.  

As I walked, I had a feeling of being followed. I turned round but could not see much as it was quite dark. There were a few stray dogs around and I walked fast to avoid them. The feeling of being followed returned. I turned back to see an old man at a distance. I could make out he was wearing ragged clothes. He brought to my mind images and descriptions of kidnappers I had seen or read about. I saw him walking faster and felt very scared. The faster I walked, the more rapidly he followed me. He was gaining on me. My house was still a little distance away. I thought of all that I could do to save myself-shouting for help, running (but then mother had asked me never to run with dogs around), a karate punch that I had picked up of late.  

The man was quite close now. "Hey Boy!" he shouted. I was terrified and thought I would run. "Your wallet had fallen out of your pocket, please take it", he shouted again. I thought he was trying to fool me. Still I checked my pocket and truly, the wallet was missing, I stopped till the old man came up to me. He looked poor, still he had not stolen my wallet. I took the wallet, thanked him and gave him Rs 100. I went home very happy that day and realized we should never judge people by their looks. 

Brishti Chatterjee 

My parents, brother and I had gone to the Andaman and Nicobar islands during a vacation. We stayed there for two weeks. As we went into the sea, the guide told us a story about a raft carrying gold which sank near the islands, some thousands of years ago. The story goes that during Mahabharata days, Parashuram's brother was bringing gold to hide in the islands. For years, people had tried to find it, but no one succeeded.  

On the last day, we went for scuba diving. It was very exciting as we could see life under water. I saw many fishes turtles, beautiful corals and even a flying fish. As I watched the splendid underwater world, my attention was caught by a tiny golden object lying half buried under the sand. I went closer and saw the object looked like a gold coin. I dug the sand a little deeper and took the coin out. I had not seen anything like that before. It seemed old but beautiful There were some etchings on it, which I could not make out.  

I brought it out to show my brother what I had got under the sea. My parents saw it too along with our scuba instructor They took it to the hotel manager who suddenly seemed very excited. He knew a historian living nearby and took al of us there. The historian jumped with joy on seeing the coin. 'Do you know what you have found?" he asked me This seems like a coin dating thousands of years back!" He said he would take it to the curator of the local museum He took a picture of me holding the coin and thanked me again before we left.  

We returned to our place. A few days later, there was an article in the newspaper stating 'Mahabharata Age Coin Discovered by a Ten-Year-Old". It had my picture too and the news of how a chance discovery had led to finding more gold coins, dating thousands of years back. I could hardly believe my eyes. I became quite a hero in school and at home and felt very proud of myself.  

Mohona Chowdhury

Once upon a time there lived a poor old lady who used to earn her living by sewing clothes. She could sew beautifully.  

One day, while she was sewing a pretty dress, a dog came inside the house. The kind woman saw that its face was not very lively or happy. She gave the dog a little dog-food, which she had for her own pup,  Laika. She also gave it some water to drink.  

Laika and the other dog began to play.  

One day when both the dogs were playing, a wolf came by. Both of them were very scared. They began running but the other dog could not run very fast. The wolf was about to kill him. The old woman emerged, suddenly, from the bushes. She chased the wolf with a stick. It ran away. 

Surprising the old woman, the dog spoke: "You have saved my life... and, all of a sudden, turned into a prince.  

He said he had been cursed by a wizard as they both wanted to marry the same princess. The curse would be broken only when a person wished the well-being of the prince. 

He said whenever she needed him she just has to call out to "Prince Hans". That was his name. Saying this, the beautiful prince took leave and rode away on a horse.   

Pratiksha Ukil

"Weekend again!" For some it's like - "Ah! Time to relax at last" while adventurous souls look forward to utilizing every minute in fun-filled activities. We opted to do both on the Diwali weekend.  

We set out for a cruise trip up the River Krishna on that chilly Saturday morning. The bus for Hyderabad. Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam-Farahbad and back trip, organized by Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development relished the hot breakfast served to us, the picture perfect Nagarjunasagar dam seemed to peep through the g Corporation, started from Sahakar Bhavan, Basheerbagh. It took about 3 hours to reach Nagarjuna Sagar. As we between vegetation and undulating land. We arrived, freshened up a bit and set off for the most craved part of the trip -the cruise.  

The weather was cloudy and very pleasant--though not suitable for photography. The cool air brushed my cheeks bringing a calm thrill to my heart. The gray cottony clouds in the sky played hide and seek with the sun and the far-off banks with their rocky surfaces complimented the scenery. The vastness of the reservoir made me realize that we were just a speck of dust in this huge creation of God.  

The launch was anchored and we toured Nagarjunakonda - an island where relics of the rich Buddhist culture that had spread across the area prior to the construction of dam, have been preserved. Our launch advanced towards the intended destination. Suddenly, huge drops of rain started pouring and made the water dance. I still relish the scene. The surrounding rocks closed upon the water body. Some of the rocks drew my attention. They looked as if they had been cut using some form of machinery. The steep cliffs appeared like strange fortifications. Such was nature's magic.

An authentic Andhra lunch was served to us, amidst the breathtaking landscape of the Nalamalla forest which had a different charm. Little fishing boats, which looked like baskets, complimented the scenery. We could see monkeys from tree to tree along the banks. The emergence of electric cables indicated we were approaching the We reached a ghat in Srisailam with the dam right in front of us. Here the land was much more elevated and the river basin was narrower. Entering our hotel rooms was both welcoming as well as gloomy. It was welcoming as we were tired and wanted to retire for the day and was gloomy as the enchanting cruise was over.   

Next morning we visited the temple and then headed for the rope-way. Sitting in the rope-way compartments, our minds were filled with serene happiness. Later we toured the area and after lunch in the hotel we headed home. Our bus but enjoying the scenery seemed to be a better option. Luck did not favor us in Farahbad as we were not allowed inside the forest. There was some ongoing meeting. However, we spotted a black bear from far off and it excited all homeward journey would comprise the tour of the Farahbad Tiger Reserve. Telugu movies were being played in the of us tremendously. A herd of deer leaped past the road and we were all filled with delight.  

That ended our tour. The next thing I realized was that, I was in our flat getting ready for the night's nap. It all seemed like a dream to me and I am sure that the trip has left its imprints in my heart that will last forever.