Editorial

The first Bengali Speculative Fiction Webmagazine, Kalpabiswa steps into the ninth year of its Autumn Edition, also popularly known as Sharodiya Pujabarshiki in Bengal, India. The season, Sharod is the Bengali equivalent of the Autumn which witnesses one of the biggest festivals in the world, Durga Puja (Worship of Feminine Deity, Durga). Durga Puja is a cultural phenomenon celebrating the best of humanity, i.e. Art. The Durga Puja Magazines have been a part of the cultural celebration for centuries in Bengal.

Scholars- Painters- Writers- Authors- Poets get their launching pad in Puja Barshiki, the Autumn Edition of Magazines. Kalpabiswa is the only Indian Magazine and publisher that publishes writings in Science Fiction- Fantasy and Horror. We owe a lot to Ujjwal Ghosh, the renowned illustrator who proves his artistic mettle by designing the cover of the current issue which depicts an endearing image of Durga Ma (Mother) and her four children, in one of the serene hamlets in Bengal. The Bengali section has been offering an enormous range of fiction and non-fiction since its inception in 2015 and it continues to do so with special attractions like the Bengali translation of critically acclaimed Iranian author Zoha Kazemi’s speculative non-fiction work by Sarban Bandyoapdhay, followed by the invigorating first-hand account of Dip Ghosh (founding member and editor) as the only Indian representative at Science Fiction World Con, Chengdu (2023). The special attraction also includes an open letter to the fans of Science Fiction in Western Countries written by the Hugo awardee Riverflow and aptly translated by Santu Bag (founding member and editor) and lastly an engaging article by Pradip Kumar Sengupta on Pop-Up Books of Science Fiction. The renowned Children’s author Swapan Bandyopadhyay contributes a fascinating Scientific story for our readers. The prominent Science Fiction author, editor, and translator Adrish Bardhan has been our constant source of inspiration. We are glad to publish one of his translated works along with the works of other distinguished authors like Ranen Ghosh, Niranjan Singh, and Siddharta Ghosh in Kalpabiswa Sharodiya. Yashodhara Raychowdhury graces our edition with the translation of eminent Iranian author Zoha Kazemi’s story. It is essential to note that Kazemi’s work has been instrumental in comprehending the position of women on foreign soil. Once more, Anushtup Sett writes a gripping short narrative. It’s also interesting that this issue has new authors in addition to well-known ones. We hope that readers’ ideas and brains may soon be stimulated by their words. Best wishes and love from the editors. Our magazine publishes original as well as translated works in Bengali and English with contributors in India and across the world. Kalpabiswa introduced the English section a few years back and since then it has grown in leaps and bounds. Slowly but steadily, it has been trying to reach the readers in the English language across the Globe. Due to the increasing demands of English readers in our nation and abroad as well as non-Bengali readers in India, the original editorial team decided to incorporate a full-fledged English section with an editorial. You will be able to enjoy short stories, stories, novella, and other non-fiction forms like literary articles, interviews, and book reviews in the English Section. Our young and dynamic author, Soham Guha presents an engaging English novella dealing with the creation of the world with a unique twist about the creators. We feel honoured to present a distinctively spirited story written by the veteran Science Fiction author, Dr. Sukayana Datta. The list of English stories grows with the bloodcurdling space-horror of Sayan Das, a futuristic post-apocalyptic world of nanobots by Abanti Pal, and an inimitable fantastic plot about the maiden hunting expedition of a youngling mentored by Gods in the work of Trinamoy Das. English Segment also witnessed some of the most stimulating articles in recent times. Aditya Banerjee analyses the hypnotizing dynamism of mother nature in the work of Anish Deb and Taradas Bandyopadhyay. Stuti Kute dons her sarcastic avatar while dealing with the rib-tickling joy of selected Horror Comedies of Hollywood as well as in India. Rupsha Barman dives into the dark world of Richard Flanagan’s depiction of ghosts in selected filmography with the aid of trauma and horror. When it comes to science-fiction and horror, the name of H.P. Lovecraft is bound to pop up, and Soumyajit Kushari establishes a chilling account of the scariest subgenre, the Cosmic Horror along the higher evil, Cthulhu. A book review of the first Indian Steam Punk Detective Thriller, Sumit Bardhan’s Avarice finds its place in this edition. Kalpabiswa is ecstatic to present a pioneering article by Arthur Liu, translated into English by Thu Sifan dealing with the work of the famed Chinese novelist, poet, and politician of the Ming Dynasty. The Editorial team hopes to expand the English Section in the upcoming issues. Our original editorial team of Dip Ghosh, Santu Bag, Goutam Mandal and Supriyo Das deserves a pat on the back for their holistic involvement in the constant development of our magazine aided by our talented team member Pramit Nandi. The words are not well equipped to assess their contribution to Kalpabiswa Magazine. We are also pleased to welcome Rakesh Kumar Das, a talented science fiction writer and translator, and Debraj Moulick, a science fiction enthusiast, to our editorial team. They have been crucial in giving the entire process of putting together the current issue its youthful vitality and unadulterated enthusiasm.

We hope this bilingual edition of speculative fiction will be able to quench your thirst for creativity, imagination, and scientific curiosity. Dear readers of Bengal, India, and the World, let me present to you; Kalpabiswa, The Autumn Edition 2024.

Thanking You

Editorial Team

Kalpabiswa

Tags: Editorial, English Section, নবম বর্ষ প্রথম সংখ্যা, সম্পাদকীয়