Assambirds

Rajmohan's Wife Rajmohan's Wife, the first Indian novel in English, was written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1864. Rajmohan's Wife was published in 1864 as a serial novel in a weekly periodical, the Indian Field. (Image downloaded from Google Images.) By Mithu Das   March 28, 2017 Born in a Brahmin family in 1838 and grew up speaking Bengali, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee had had a big interest in the Sanskrit language as well as in English. A literary genius, Chatterjee started writing verse when he was in high school. He wrote his first novel—Rajmohan's Wife—in English language, when he was 26. By writin...

Pink-headed Duck: Is It Still Alive? Pink-headed duck has gone extinct due to hunting and habitat loss. It was last seen in the wild in 1949. An illustration of Pink-headed Duck by Carl D'Silva from Salim Ali's Book of Indian Birds. Courtesy of Bombay Natural History Society. By Mithu Das   September 18, 2016 The conclusion to be drawn is either that the Pink-headed Duck has indeed become extinct as was feared, or that if perchance there are any lingering survivors they keep strictly confined to the seclusion of some remote and inaccessible areas. Salim Ali Pink-headed duck Rhodonessa...

Majuli: An Island Too Good To Be True Land of the river and whispering wind Sweet rice and plenty of fish / Where the sun rises to the sound of hundred birds / And the evenings resonate to the music of cymbals and kirtans. Sanjay Ghose By Mithu Das   January 23, 2016 Majuli is not the world's largest river island. However, biologically as well as culturally it is the richest of all river islands in the world. Situated in the midstream of the Brahmaputra river in eastern Assam, with an area slightly larger than Singapore—or, 880 km²—the island is famous for  Neo-Vaishnavite  cu...