ramadocblog

“I can reach the end of the universe so fast!
The reach of my power is so vast!
Only the mind can hold me right!
Cause imagination can always take a flight!”

Have you heard about Cher ami, the one who saved over 194 men!?
Cher was mentioned in a book called ‘Nexus’, by Yuval Noah who tries to tell a brief history of information and tries to define data!
Oh, yeah by the way…Cher was a pigeon!

Intrigued?

read on!

Cher Ami, which means “dear friend” in French, was born in 1918. Cher Ami was one of the 600 Army Signal Corps pigeons sent to France to assist with communication on the battlefield.

Homing pigeons are known for their ability to find their way home, even from across terrains the pigeon does not know. Short notes were placed in a tiny canister attached to the pigeon’s leg that they would carry to their destination.

Cher Ami had 12 successful missions — a high success rate among homing pigeons! So what great thing did you achieve today!?

Unfortunately when the Germans became aware of the Army’s use of pigeons in carrying important information, they began training to shoot them down.

Cher Ami had his most dangerous mission during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in 1918. Cher Ami was stationed with the 77th Division, referred to as the “Lost Battalion,” in the Argonne Forest. They found themselves cut off from the rest of the American troops, under heavy bombardment. The battalion was trapped behind German lines and unable to make their position known. Soon, American bombs began falling on the Lost Battalion on October 4, making the situation dire. Since they were out of the reach of the radio signal, using a homing pigeon was their only choice!

American Maj. Charles Whittlesey and his men watched as almost all of their pigeons were shot down by the Germans until they were left with only one pigeon, Cher Ami.
Whittlesey attached a note to Cher Ami’s leg, writing, “We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven’s sake, stop it!.”

Cher Ami dodged German bullets, giving the Soldiers hope until he was shot through the chest and fell to the ground. Against all odds, he returned to the sky to deliver the message. He flew at record speeds, covering 25 miles in a little less than a half an hour. He arrived at the American base with the message, alive but badly wounded!

Army medics were able to save Cher Ami, but he lost his right leg and was permanently blinded. Due to Cher Ami’s trip, the bombardment on the Lost Battalion stopped and 194 men safely returned to American lines. Cher Ami was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French government to honor bravery on the battlefield.

General John Pershing honored him by saying, “There isn’t anything the United States can do too much for this bird.”

Under the care of his trainer, Capt. John Carney, Cher Ami returned to the United States where he spent the rest of his life. Cher Ami died due to his war wounds on June 13, 1919, in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. His body was preserved and presented to the Smithsonian Institution with honor in 1921.

So nice and wonderful right? Well, Yuval actually tries to burst this story! Apparently the American Bombers actually got the message on the position of the troops before Cher! Another version actually says how it was not even Cher who did the message carrying but some other Pigeon! Another says his wounds were severe but not that severe!

Now, now! Do not feel bad! That is the power of inspirational stories! Cher is not simply a Pigeon who did all that work! He is a symbol of hope when morale is low! He is an inspiration and an idea! An idea with wings! Literally!
In the quest of accuracy do not become a cynic! Also the thought of nation is a feeling and inspiration! Inspirational also are great stories of freedom fighters such as the birthday celebrity Vinayak Narahari Bhave!

Now start the ebook Nexus to have a good sleep!
Shubh ratri!

“The shores keep calling me
The sound it makes by the sea!
The ocean so vast and wide
Waves at me with the tide!”


What is the similarity between one of the biggest things you know and one of the smallest ones you know!? Did you also know that these things which you cannot see were described many years ago!? Also you may know this another scientist because of a cat! Triple intrigued!?

read on!


Kaṇāda also known as Ulūka, Kashyapa, Kaṇabhaksha and Kaṇabhuj was an ancient Indian natural scientist and philosopher who founded the Vaisheshika school of Indian philosophy that also represents the earliest Indian physics.

Kaṇāda proposed that paramanu is an indestructible particle of matter. The paramanu is indivisible because it is a state at which no measurement can be attributed. He used invariance arguments to determine properties of the atoms. He also stated that anu can have two states—absolute rest and a state of motion!

Now this will be more clear when you get the english word for paramanu! Yes! Atom!

Now the word atom is derived from the ancient Greek adjective atomos, meaning “uncuttable” or “indivisible.”
We now know that the atom has a nucleus composed of protons and neutrons surrounded by clouds of electrons. The protons are positively charged, electrons are negatively charged, and neutrons possess no charge!

In one of the models of the atom which is called the Rutherford model; The atom is described as a tiny, dense, positively charged core called a nucleus, in which nearly all the mass is concentrated, around which the light, negative constituents, called electrons, circulate at some distance!

There is another much bigger system in which the mass is concentrated in the center and other lesser mass go ‘around’ or move in a cyclical way around the central mass! Yes! The solar system!

This was of course an oversimplification of the structure of atom which has now been superseded by “The Quantum Mechanical Model” which views electrons within an atom as waves, not as particles as previously believed. Because of this, electrons can be described as having a high probability of residing in specific orbitals, or regions of space, within the atom!

There was this comment that if you cannot explain something to a five year old then it means that you have not understood it yourself! The Rutherford model is the simple version while the Quantum mechanical model is the uber complex model!

The quantum model is a modification of two other models called the Bohr’s and this another one you would have heard in association with a cat!

This scientist solved a series of mathematical equations to come up with a model for the distributions of electrons in an atom! His model shows the nucleus surrounded by clouds of electron density. These clouds are clouds of probability; though we don’t know exactly where the electrons are, we know they’re likely to be found in given regions of space. These regions of space are referred to as electron orbitals!

Saw the uncertainty? Well doesn’t it remind you of a scientist and the cat!? Well! Even this model is by the same person! Schrödinger! Of course the cat story is for another day! or is it!? The reason why Rutherford model is comfortable is because of its similarity to the Solar system! This familiarity gives a sense of security or contentment! We are always wary of those which are not familiar! Now the sketch of birthday celebrity Atul Kulkarni was tolerable to my son since he was a familiar face in a movie we had seen recently! Oh all right, the movie was The Ghazi attack!

Lets now respect the solar system and sleep!
Shubh Ratri!

“It can be slow it can be fast!

It can make your heart beat fast! 

It can drown the blues big or small!

Music is simply the best of em all!”

What do you do when you do not have time for relaxation or exercise or you are simply lazy!? Well, there is something which can still be done!

Read on and also learn about the Drummer Rick allen of Def Leppard who has only one hand!

I love music! 

By default my echo device would play Hanuman Chalisa at the same time everyday and then Vishnu sahasranama and maybe later on other songs or chanting depending on the festival!

Then while driving it will be some hindi old or new soulful music by KK or Arijit singh or my favourite Sonu Nigham! If nostalgic then Kishore da and Rafi saab would come with Mannade and Amit Kumar!

Later on while sketching it would be some rock song or pop song which could be new or old depending on my son and my mood! My daughter would drop in her KPop once in a while! 

Then if it is at home with my father it would be the classical songs with my Tabla to assist! We all would join in the chorus and it would be mesmerising! 

Finally before we sleep if in the mood then some old songs or videos of popular songs on the projector and then a few minutes of instrumental music by many including Kenny G for a sound (mostly!) sleep!

Even during my study days and school days music has been keeping me alert and awake! If I need to concentrate then it is more instrumental music like the Dream theatre or even some carnatic classics! 

Good music has no boundary and I feel it really helps me keep a good mood! Which is why I really do not like when someone says to stop the music or reduce the volume! Even now! Then again I am really wary of anyone who does not like music when he or she has a normal mood! 

There have been studies that show even plants and animals like and enjoy music so I guess humans must enjoy it more!

Listening to calming music can help people relax and focus on the present moment. Studies have also found that listening to music helps release endorphins which further reduces stress levels and may even aid in the healing process. Now this is subjective and whether you get endorphins or not, it is still good!

Now proper musicians are better qualified to talk about the intersection of music and healing! The drummer of the Band Def Leppard was Rick Allen.  

The band’s album ‘Pyromania’ was selling millions of copies in the U.S. and their videos were all over MTV when in 1984 he lost his left arm in a car crash! When he thought all was lost, his bandmates famously stood by him and he remained in the group. They supported him and with music he supported himself. 

Over a period of time he trained himself and developed a drum kit which could be played with one hand and his legs! And lo! He created magic with the drums! He continued to play with the band, which went on to its most commercially successful phase!

When asked what was the inspiration he told about the healing power of music or in his case, drumming! 

Of course you must not take it literally! Music calms your body mind and soul! It makes you feel postive and hopeful and that is the crux! A good positive healthy mind is the essential element to have a healthy body! Even if you do not believe in these, just sing and dance! At least you will move some muscle! Or if you want you can read a book! Like the one written by birthday celebrity Ramaswamy Krishnamurthy! Who!? you may know him as the author of Ponniyin Selvan or as Kalki!

Now listen to light music and try to sleep!

Shubh Ratri!

ebook

no spoilers review!

thriller with Lincoln Rhyme as the lead detective with his usual team of Amelia Sachs and the rest of the team!

This is a Novella which can get over in less than 30 minutes of reading!

The story is simple and a sign of the times about this dating service where vulnerable women who are sensitive and already at the threshold of loss or recovering from a loss are preyed upon by a predator!

The surprise is not there!

The surprise is mental and not physical!

With people who treat emotions as most important would associate with this very well!

What he does is much more damaging but unfortunately even with the excess amount of mental agony and torture he gets away…or does he!?

There are some indications of Rhyme going the Curtain; Poirot’s last case way! Wrong or right…well, you read and decide!

“Looks so good and lively too!
The maroon is red and the purple blue!
That snap was the cherry on the cake
Of course everything in da gram is fake!”

The book The 48 laws of power by Robert Greene is one of the best books with so many laws which overlap and sometimes even contradict themselves!

But overall it is simply equilibrium! Or like Bob Dylan says, “Blowing in the wind!”

read on!

So as you can very well guess, there are at least 48 rules!

In most cases, Robert states the law and starts by giving examples. He narrates a story which you may or may not have heard. He enumerates different aspects of the law via these stories. He then goes on to narrate the reversal or exceptions to the law (if any) by giving examples as and when required.

He takes stories from ancient kingdoms including and not limited to chinese, japanese, french, english to name a few. He takes tales from Aesops fables, Panchatantra and Kautilya to name a few though there are many such tales told in accordance to the law discussed.

Many times after elaborating the law in the context of ancient time, he proceeds to tell how the law is relevant or how you can make the law relevant to the present context!

One of the best laws of opinion given by the author is ‘Never appear too perfect’! People do not like perfection because a human being is inherently flawed! This is so true especially in the current times!

There was this great life hack on one of the sites where the person had told this great way of getting the answer! She would pose a question and change her ID and give a very wrong answer or obviously wrong answer to her own question!

Now people would not have helped her in the first place! But then there will be great bunch who would love to ‘correct’ her ‘wrong’ answer! That is exactly what happened! She finally got what she wanted by using this very technique!

In any social group it is much better to post your failures than your success since people love the fact that you are also a human!

The constant post of success and ‘good’ life is very difficult to digest for anyone! That is the actual truth!

The easiest thing which anyone loves to do including me is give advice! And the most difficult thing is to follow the said advice!

In the same way, though some words of appreciation or likes would come for your apparent perfect world, if you post your problems out there, the support would be much more!

The day to day problems are universal! If not health then its wealth and most of the times, it is both!

The perfect picture with the amazing filter in the background of an amazing sunset with the perfect smiles is simply a state! A moment of joy which has been captured to enjoy!

No one has a perfect life and no one has the answers to all the life’s problems! Life is a process of continuous learning!

Now now! This is not a negative post! The eternal optimist which I am is simply reducing the expectations which is very important!

So all the above is not a bad thing!
Most humans like to help! And you simply cannot help someone who does not seem to need help right!?
People like vulnerable people because deep down it reminds them that humans are vulnerable!

Every human likes to be needed! When you are needed by someone else then you automatically get respect! And finally that is the crux of the matter! Each and every human being, however big or small or knowledgeable finally needs respect! Respect and perfect can be the attributes of the celebrity of the day, the Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika! I have sketched him many times and it has come out well most of the time!

Now try to get the perfect sleep if you can!
Shubh ratri!

“The tone is there the line is on!

But the speed was slow to do any con!

The phone is there to make a call

But use it now and all will fall!”

If you were of that time then you will definitely understand that poem and this sentence; “Keep the phone down! I am downloading a file!”

The landline was our internet!

Read on!

There may be hardly anyone without a smartphone now and if you find someone who does not use Whatsapp then, well it will be surprising that is all!

But it really is hard to imagine anyone without a Whatsapp or even an email!

Many shops now even ask you to download their own app for points and stuff which I try to refuse as much as I can!

The other day we were doing just this and the app was taking some time to download! The time was less than a minute! And all I was thinking was the time when it used to take ten minutes to just connect to the internet!

Of course many times it was simply better to just rush over to the ‘Internet cafe’! Those internet café’s were the best to…browse the net!

Those days the connection used to be with a CD! We used to head over to the head office catching a couple of buses to get a CD with 650 mb DATA! Used to hold it very carefully and load it up fervently hoping that our Modem works!

We had to also buy a cable to connect our modem to our phone line!

After loading the computer dialer used to come which at that time was really magical!

If you put the number wrong then no internet for you!

Then the dialer would dial and we would all get to hear that beep sound! Then a whole series of sound which was so familiar to people who had computer! The kee kee and finally the constant noise! If you reach the constant noise then you are saved by the bell! During the time you of course cannot talk to anyone else! So we used to make sure that this was done when my mother’s phone talking session was over! 

650 mb was enough for most of the job like checking e-mails and browsing the net! But if you download video or media files then it would get over in a jiffy! Not to mention the fact that the speed would be so slow! If you are enjoying 1GB per second speeds sometimes now, we have seen less than 1b per second! The time to download estimate would then be some thousand years am sure!

Media file download would take all day or night! Imagine downloading a song of 4mb in 12-18 hours! 

If that does not frustrate you then this I had read on the net; “Imagine using this phone line to book a ticket in tatkal in the railway website during those days!”

The biggest complication of course was the astronomical telephone bill at the end of the month! 

Of course a bigger complication would be this! You were waiting for a file to get downloaded and after a long wait for several hours or even days, it reaches 99 percent and then suddenly the connection gets interrupted and you hold your breath…But the download restarts from 1! The level of patience at that time is what we have been trained in!

With all of these I taught my dear mother on how to open email and check messenger! It was a series of steps which my mother would write down and keep like a good student! 

My dad of course took to tech like a duck takes on water! Talking to him everyday on facetime seems so normal now which would have been unimaginable some years back!

My sketch dedication to my dad! He was born on Vinayaka Chaturthy day so there is no way you can forget his birthday which changes every year unlike him who will always remain a disciplined army Colonel!

And of course a great dad!

Many happy returns of the day!

Happy Vinayaka Chaturthy once again!

Shubh Ratri!

“Lots of sweets and dishes to eat!

Festivals are an amazing treat!

Doesn’t matter if you slow or clever!

Mother’s love will be there forever!”

Festival and the way of life! And Mother is the closest God…

Just after August in an August way the whole season of festival starts in india and continues till the end of the year!

Festivals are simply a way to meet and be happy!

read on…

The whole season starts with Shri Krishna Janmasthami then Gowry Habba then Ganesh Chaturthy followed by Dusshera and deepawali and Karthi! 

Every festival has it own dishes and prayers and significance and charm!

If Krishna Janmasthami has it Cheedai, then it is the Modak or Modakam or Kozhukattai is the king when it comes to Ganesha festival!

The most complicated thing to make though is the Obbatu or Holige or Puran Poli! The making of this chapati like dish is an art in itself! 

Actually if you think about it the making and final result of the Holige is life itself!

If you make the stuffing or the Oorna very soft then it will be difficult to stuff but if it is too hard then it is difficult to roll! That is life, if you have it easy then it is tough later! 

The covering also has to be of the perfect balance just like life! If it is too thin then you cannot stuff properly and it will break! If it is too thick then the taste will not be good! If it is very flat then all the areas will not get the Oorna or the sweet  and if you spread the oorna too much then it will leak out and burn! Not like aloo paratha where the leaked potato is actually tasty!

After all these if you still manage to get everything right like you graduation and post graduation; you still have to get the job! Which is akin to the fact that you have to get a perfect round of the Holige! 

If you put a lot of the oil then it becomes greasy and if you do not put much then it becomes dry and rough to eat!

Just like life you cannot hurry up with the Holige! You have to use the proper tools! The best device to put on the hot pan is the plantain leaf! You can try with butter paper but leaf is simply the best!

Finally it takes effort of your own hands! You have to slowly and steadily press and contain and press again! Slowly and steadily it gets the shape and finally you get a perfectly cooked Holige!

By the way you can add a little sugar to the dough so that even if the Oorna does not reach all the part, it would still be sweet! 

Now today is Gowry habba where you pray to Goddess Parvati who is both a great Wife and an exemplary mother!

So before we celebrate the birth of Ganesha, we celebrate the greatness of Mother Parvati! 

All said and done, the nearest God to every child is his or her mother. 

A special sketch dedication to one of the finest mother on screen! I still have goosebumps when I see her role in the movie Karz! The way she in her confused state also looks at Monty and says, “Look at him not with normal eyes, but with the eyes of a mother and you will realise that he is my son!” 

My mother and me used to love that scene!

Wish everyone a great time…

Shubh ratri…

“You can learn from them here and there!
You can learn since knowledge is everywhere!
You can learn from you child or your wife!
Just try to be a student for life!”

Roses for madams and Greetings for the sir!

Teacher’s day was the best!

read on!

Teacher’s day was fun in school! I made sure my kids also attend the school and be a part of the fun!

All teachers know that they are being pampered and they would be in the best mood! It would be a half day and half days are the best days! You can have fun and have lunch or some snacks and leave!

Some teachers who were always serious or Grumpy as my son would say! used to smile on this day! It was more scary!

Reminds me of the movie Tare Zameen Par and the teachers participation i the art competition!

While we were in Junior classes our seniors would come dressed in nice colourful sarees and coats and ‘teach’ us for a day!

We also did the same in the higher class! We made the teachers read the news and thought of the day in the assembly and then made them sing a song! While we ‘seniors’ at that time dressed in nice colour dress and took ‘class’! No one understood what we taught anyway because even we did not understand what we were teaching! But it was fun!

Some of the most favourite teachers or those who used to smile and help other students even on normal days would get bombarded with gifts and cards and flowers! They would be beaming with pride and joy!

Looking at these teachers, the grumpy ones would note down which student did not wish or give any flowers to them and ‘take it out’ the coming days! Mortals!

Since I have changed multiple schools, a permanent student teacher bond would never be formed but in the 11th and 12th class the behaviour of teachers does make an impression and they are the ones who are never forgotten by a student!

Our Physics teacher Usha madam was everyone’s favourite! She was unconventional in her approach but very intelligent! Her earnestness to teach and spread knowledge makes her one of the best teachers ever!

Even we students were not that innocent of course! It took a strict sir like Rao sir to handle a rowdy bunch like us! Sir used to teach us English wearing a coat and a formal attire even in the peak summer! He did not know a single word of Hindi which is why some kids used to write Chand or moon in hindi on the board just before he used to come and erase it! That was a clever reference to his bald spot! Now whether he knew or not is anyone’s guess!

When our class teacher who was also our chemistry teacher was being strict we used to say Hail Drago! A reference to Hail Hitler and drago was what we used to call her! Maybe she used to breath fire! And no, Game of thrones was not known or made at that time so our name was original!

Then we had Anna madam who used to teach us Mathematics which was my favorite! Ironic since I have not written a single Engineering entrance examination! But she was a maths genius! Her way of teaching was remarkable!

Oh to go to those small classes with the cool benches on which many had carved out so many names (Not me! I have always been a first bencher at least in theory!)! The last year of responsibility and to just read and study what is being taught and repeat! The last two years of school made us realise a bit too late that school was awesome! Teachers were fun and all they wanted us to do was study and do well!

College teachers!? Well that is a blog for another day!

With all the jokes on how you meet your teacher and tell her or him that you were his or her student and she or he would say, “Do not blame us! We tried but failed!”; I guess most teachers would be mighty proud of most of us! Of course if she or he remembers you that in itself is a great achievement!

Like Rancho says, “Knowledge is everywhere!, just grab it!” I prefer to be a student for life! You keep on growing only when you keep on learning!
A quick sketch of the great teacher who actually told his students to honour all teachers! Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan who was so famous as a teacher that for a change students used to rush into his class!

A very happy teacher’s day to those who taught without any ego and with genuine concern.

Shubh Ratri!

“Feeling alone don’t fret

This is just a call away

Just make sure it’s on 

Say OK; and it will make your day!”

Apart from the birthday celebrity of the day, did you know that a thing was invented or made or created this day in history which has for several years changed our life!

We use it so often that it is routine!

Intrigued!?

Read on!

The running joke about computer users is that the Internet explorer or the Safari is the most commonly used browser to download the actually most commonly used browser; Google Chrome!

Chrome has an amazing interface and ease of use! We love the start page of search and use it so much! In fact Chrome has a user share of more than 60 percent!

But chrome was not made or created today! It was its parent company, the Google!

For every system person or anyone for that matter, Google search is the best and easiest way to test whether the computer is connected to the internet or not! Just make sure you have a new search since the old search is still stored in the system!

Slowly, AI is replacing Google as the default for many complicated searches but still if you want to know something then Google it was the norm!

During the COVID lockdown and the online classes, many kids used to even Google answers to questions posed by the teacher! The teacher used to be so impressed! I am sure she realised that later since whenever she used to ask a question she would tell that kid to turn on his or her video! 

Google has become so much a part of our lives that it is impossible to even think without it! The smartphone has robbed our smartness! 

Alexa may have scored in the voice assistant department, but when it comes to proper search, Google is the best for now!

The other day we heard a song played by our tour guide in Georgia and I recorded it. Later all I had to do was play it to Google and voila it found it!

Google is the best memory refresher! Remember that movie with that story line or that movie which was released in that year or that pair which acted in that movie!

Or my son’s favourite question; how old is that guy in the screen! Of course first sometimes I have to search who is that guy!

Everyday I search for the birthday celebrity of the day in Google then if I find someone worthy enough then I use the Google Image search to get a good picture of the person for the sketch! 

Without Google it is impossible to think what to do!

For those with android phones, it is the default but even in my iPhone, the first thing myself or many do is to install Chrome to access Google! Gmail is the best and default mail for many and Google Maps are the leaders!

Slowly and steadily though many are coming and very soon the monopoly would go! It is hard to imagine that even Google can be replaced but then who would have thought that Nokia would go or there can be no better invention than the Yahoo messenger!?

It is not that Google has only success! Ironically you can search in Google about its own failure! Like every account in Fb has a dark past in Orkut! 

So how did this engine come about?

So Google was officially launched in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin to market Google Search.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin, students at Stanford University in California, developed a search algorithm first (1996) known as “BackRub”, with the help of Scott Hassan and Alan Steremberg. The search engine soon proved successful and the expanding company moved several times.

Originally the search engine used Stanford’s website with the domains google.stanford.edu and stanford.edu

The domain google.com was registered on September 15, 1997. 

And finally they formally incorporated their company, Google, on September 4, 1998 in their friend Susan Wojcicki’s garage in Menlo Park, California!

By the way even this piece of History I got when I searched for This day in History in Google! Even the fact that today’s birthday celebrity has acted in over 300 films and his full name is Anant Nagarkatte is courtesy Google!

Thank you Larry and Sergey for Google! Till something better comes along, we will simply Google it!

Now Stop trying to Google the above information and sleep!

Shubh Ratri!

“Call the cops there’s a crime! 

Better yet call the private eye if you have the dime!

Looking for clues is an art!

Which is why even Batman is a class apart!”

Without support it does not work! Nothing does…

A sure way to get the TRP were the detective series! Oh how we used to wait for them eagerly! The most important character which I later realised though was the sidekick! They were the ones who used to be ‘normal’ and bring out the best!

read on!

One of the earlier ones was karam Chand! I still remember Pankaj Kapoor with his carrot and his Quirky but innocent assistant Kitty!

She would innocently ask Karamchand how he guessed the crime and he would tell about what he observed!

Then there was the master director of thriller movies like Jewel Thief starring as a detective! That was called Tehkikaat ( transl. Investigation) is a Hindi language crime drama series starring Vijay Anand as Sam D’Silva and Saurabh Shukla as Gopichand. Each episode used to start with a murder or a mystery and Kallu mama would fumble and most of the time think what we all audience used to think and then Sam would come  to the rescue! 

Then the most famous detective series which is still my favourite was Byomkesh Bakshi!  The one which is still available to watch is based on the fictional detective Byomkesh Bakshi character created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. The series stars Rajit Kapur and K.K. Raina as Byomkesh Bakshi and Ajit Kumar Banerjee!

Now Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay had written them in Bengali and had in fact even stopped writing them because he was not that interesting! There are good translation of the stories which I have read and the TV series follows them as close as possible. 

I used to love that music in the beginning and fervently hope that the episode would not be continued to the second part! The first episode of the Homeopathy doctor and the lodge with the killing was one of the best! Of course many still talk about the obvious plot holes!

But Byomkesh never liked to be called a Detective! He was Satyanveshi or the seeker of truth! In spite of the cool crime solving abilities of Byomkesh dada we used to love Ajit! One of the episodes he tried to do a Byomkesh and actually thought what the audience thought! The spider venom which was used as a drug by the wily old man! How the clever old man used to get his supply in spite of the strict control! When he suggested that the old man used the real spiders in his room Byomkesh bursts into laughter! I have to admit that I was thinking the same thing! 

These sidekicks are very important in bringing out the best in the main lead! Sometimes you need the support to get the best out of you! These sidekicks are not inferior in anyway but just that they have their own forte!

If you have a good support even you can become a great detective or may be a great man or woman for that matter! Think about it! 

Blogging about Byomkesh was only because it is Uttam da’s birthday! Uttam Kumar (born Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay) may be one of the most iconic actors of Bengali cinema! His list of achievements are many and include the very first National Award for best actor! I have simply loved him when he became the first actor to play Byomkesh in the Satyajeet directed Chiriakhana! Imagine that Satyajeet was himself a big fan of detective stuff that he created an Indian Sherlock; Feluda! Here also you had a great Sidekick but then that is a blog for another day!

The story and movie Chiriakhana is known but the way it has been handled is simply epic! Not a big fan of Uttam da insisting to smoke on camera though since Byomkesh was a strict non smoker in the novels but then no one can be perfect!

Now if see a couple of Byomkesh episodes and sleep if you can!

Shubh Ratri!