The works of Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay may not be as widely, or regularly, translated into English but his literary reputation has been strengthened by several film adaptations. Two of his novels form the premise of Satyajit Ray’s much acclaimed Apu Trilogy, made in the 1950s. More recently, in 2013, his popular children’s novel, Chander Pahar (literally, the mountain of the moon), was turned into perhaps the most expensive Bengali film ever made.

The novel tells the story about an ordinary young Bengali man, Shankar Ray Choudhary, he adventures in Africa in the year 1909 and 1910. After graduating from college at 20th years old , his family’s financial struggles almost force him takes a job in a jute mill in Shyamnagar- a prospective he absolutely loathes.  By a stroke of love, he gets a job as a clerk at Uganda railway and rushes to the Africa without a second thought. After a few months laying rail tracks, he encounters the first of many dangers in pre-World War 1 Africa: a man eating lion. where he narrowly escapes a deadly Black Mamba. While at this post, Shankar encounters, rescues and nurses Diego Alvarez, a middle-age Portuguese explorer and gold/diamond prospector. Alvarez’s arrival becomes a turning point in Shankar’s life. While recovering, Alvarez describes his exploits in Africa with his friend Jim Carter. He explains that, lured by the prospect of a priceless yellow diamond from a Kaafi village chief, Alvarez and Carter searched for these yellow diamond caves, on the Mountain of the Moon (Chander Pahar) in the Richtersveld. Shankar, inspired by Alvarez’s exploits, resigns from his job and accompanies Alvarez to venture again for the mines. They meet hardships, like a racist gambler, legends about Dingonek the monster and later, a raging volcano. Eventually, they get lost in the forests where Alvarez is killed by the Bunyip. Demoralised, Shankar tries to return to civilization. He finds the Bunyip’s cave and the diamond mines by accident. Almost getting lost, he finds the remains of the Italian explorer, Attilio Gatti, and learns that the cave is in fact the diamond mine.

Leaving, he becomes lost in the deserts of kalahari and nearly dies of thirst. Fortunately, he is rescued by a survey team and taken to a hospital in salisbury, Rhodesia, from where he sets sail for home. Before going back, he writes his account in a newspaper, earning him money. He names the volcano after Alvarez. He ends the book saying that he will return to the cave one day with a large team, and continue the legacy of Alvarez, Carter, and Gatti.

The Mountain of the Moon, being ever so quaint and gripping, would be better remembered and endeared by readers (the assumption here is that they are Bengali) who encountered it in their childhood, perhaps buried away in the adventure section of their dusty school library. Still, the adventures of Shankar who, armed with erroneous maps and supplies of baboon ham and coffee, seeks to make his mark in an untamed land make for an interesting read.

Today’s we’re going to talk about cybersecurity and whether we can ever be safe . Well, the short answer is no. However , we can try damn hard to be safe . We can be diligent and continue the game of cat and mouse to make sure that we’re on top of it. The good news is crime , in general , is on the down , but online , there are lot of risks. You can hold people , people , companies to ransom. One of the easiest way to secure yourself is to make sure that you’ve got your stuff backed up and it’s an offsite location. If you’ve got a managed IT service provider, they can make sure that they’re looking after that for you and they’re backing it up onsite and remotely in your own private cloud.

However , we can try damn hard to be safe. We can be diligent and continue the game. No, one is safe , be it India or to be it any other nation of the world . Cybersecurity will be a problem for everything , not just you and just for applications , they don’t want to target people like you. They want to target companies like Microsoft , Dropbox , and Sony since these big companies that have lots and lots data . The final word today is very simple . Make sure you are doing all you can to protect yourself and your business from the risks of cybersecurity . Backup, make it hard for hackers to get into your systems and be diligent . Stay safe!

Visiting places is a great source of recreation. After all the work that you did in the last week, you deserve a vacation. People are different and so are their choices. Some may like to visit a park, to some, a monument might be a place for leisure. Others may go to a science exhibition or a museum. A commonplace that we all must have been at least once, is a zoo ( abbreviated form of Zoological Park).

A zoo is an enthralling place for it is home (artificial though) to a lot of animals. And it is the basic nature of an organism to be intrigued by a creature of another species. That is the reason we like going to zoos. Mostly, people visit the premises with their children. Children are the ones who enjoy the sight of animals the most. These children later become adults and take their children to zoos and the cycle continues.

But is it worth it going to a zoo? Rather the question should be that ‘Should we go to a zoo?’

I would say no. Reasons are less but carry weight and are mentioned below in as systematic a way as possible.

1. It is not their natural habitat –  Ever saw a tiger inside a cage? How does it behave? Does he seem happy or is he angry and frustrated? No doubt, big cats like lions, jaguars, and tigers and provided a decent place to live, but is that adequate for them? These creatures and built to live in the open, hunt, run, and enjoy life. But here, in a zoo, they are enclosed within a designated area in the name of preservation and people enjoy their sight.

The same is the case with a chimp or a crocodile or several animals and birds present there. Rather all of them.

1. Are they fed enough? –  On average, an adult tiger or lion requires about 6-12 kg of meat daily. So, is this consumption need of these cats being fulfilled at the zoo? Corruption in the funds for the food for the animals has been in news many times. Not only this, a normal prudent man can, just by looking at the physical appearance of the animals deduce that they aren’t well-fed and properly taken care of. 
2. What are you throwing at them and why are jumping off?– People throwing stones, food items that are not even good for the animals is a rare sight. Imagine the number of damages the animals suffer due to this callous behavior of the visitors. And a drunk man jumping off the railing into a white tiger’s area is a story that needs no elucidation. The incident made evident the lack of security and careless behavior on part of the authorities to ‘protect’ the animals.
3. Are they an item for viewing?- Don’t these animals that you and your family enjoy viewing have a right to live; that too freely? Are they items to be viewed and enjoyed?

A good, healthy thought needs to be given to this and if some sense knocks in, things will change for sure.

As one of the oldest civilisations,the Egyptian Civilisation is known for its monumental architecture, agriculture,arts, sciences and crafts at a very early age.

Geography

Egypt lies in the north-eastern corner of the African continent.It is bounded by the Red sea on the east and Mediterranean sea in the north.Egypt is irrigated by the River Nile,

Which originates in Lake Victoria in the south and flows into the Mediterranean sea in the south and flows into the Mediterranean sea in the north.Deserts are seen on both sides of the Nile River. The Egyptian Civilisation depended solely upon the flow of Nile River,and hence Egypt as called the Gift of Nile by the Greek historian Herodotu. The Nile also served as a means of transport. The Nile valley is very rich and fertile as the river deposits fresh alluvium every year.This alluvium nurtured agriculture and helped to produce surplus of food grains, leading to the development of Egyptian Civilisation.The dry regions on both the sides of the Miles, however remained deserts.
                             Egypt became initimately connected with the Sangam Age Tamilagam by the sea route.

The Hyksos were the rules of the 15th of Egypt and they were probably from West Asia.
Persians are the people from the region of Persia,the ancient Iran.
Greek refers to the language and people of modern-day state of Greece in Europe.
Rome refers to the ancient Roman Empire, which had as its capital the city of Rome in Italy.

Pharaohs,Society and Administration

The Egyptian king was known as the Pharaoh.The people treated pharaoh as a divine form.Under the pharaoh,there was a hierarchy of officials including viziers,the governors of provinces,local mayors and tax collectors.The entire social system was supported by the work and production of artisans including stone cuttors, masons,potters, carpenters,coppersmiths and goldsmith, peasants and workers. Land belonged to the king and was assigned to the officials. Slavery was not common,but captives were used as slaves.Viziers were the high officials who administered territories under the direction of the Pharaohs.The Egyptians believed in life after death.Therefore,they preserved the dead body. The art of preserving the dead body is known as mummification.Pyramids and tombs were built to preserve the body of Pharaohs.The famous Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen’s (who ruled from 1332 to 1322 BC (BCE)) tomb with a rich variety of offerings is located near Luxor in Egypt.The mask of his mummy made of gold and decorated with precious stones is an important artefact of the Egyptian Civilisation.

Agriculture and Trade

The Egyptians cultivated wheat,barley,millets, vegetables,fruits,papyrus and cotton.

Papyrus was used for making rope mats sandals and later for producing paper.They domesticated cattle,sheep,goat and pigs,and hunted wild animals.They had pets such as dogs,cats and monkeys.The Egyptians had trade relations with Lebanon,Crete,Phoenicia, Palestine and Syria. Gold,silver and ivory were imported,and they acquired the Lapis Lazuli,a precious stone of bluish colour,from Afghanistan.

Art and Architecture

The Egyptians excelled in artan architecture.Their writing is also a form of art.Numerous sculptures,painting and carvings attest to the artistic skills of the Egyptians.The pyramids are massive monuments built as tombs of mourning to the Pharaohs.The great pyramids of mourning to the Pharaohs.The great pyramids near Cairo are known as the Giza pyramids.

The Great Sphinx of Giza is a massive limestone image of a lion with a human head.It is dated to the time of Pharaoh Khatre.It is one of the largest sculptures of the world and measures seventy three metres in length and twenty metres in height.

Religion

The Egyptians practiced polytheism.Amon,Re,Seth,Thoth,Horus and Anubis are some of the gods of Egyptians. They worshipped many Gods,but the Sun God,Re,was the predominant one. Later on,the sun God was called Amon.

Philosophy, Science and Literature

The Egyptian Civilisation excelled in science, literature, philosophy, astronomy, mathematics and the measurement system. Sundial ,water clock and glass were developed by the Egyptians. They devised a solar calendar that consisted of twelve months of thirty days each,with five days added to the end of the year. This calendar was introduced as early as 4200 BC (BCE). Literally works included treatises on mathematics, astronomy, medicine,magic and religion. The Egyptians also distinguished themselves in painting,art, sculpture,pottery,music and weaving.

Writing system

The Egyptians are well known for their writing system. Their form of writing is known as hieroglyphic. Hieroglyphic was used in the inscriptions on seals and other objects. The heretic, an another form of writing, was used for common purposes. This form of writing used a pictogram-based system. It was developed around 3000 BC (BCE) and many texts and books were written using this script.Now this inscription is on display in British Museum,London.

Characteristics and Contributions of the Egyptian Civilisation

1. The Egyptians developed a solar calendar system.
2. The pyramids and their designs show their mathematical and surveying skills.
3. Hieroglyphic writing system attests to their skills in handling symbols.
4. Preservation of human body in the form of Mummies.
5. They applied innovation in the use of science and technology.