Mahalaya

Mahalaya marks the start of the 'Devipaksha' and the end of the 'Pitri-paksha'. The traditional six day countdown to Mahasaptami starts from Mahalaya. Goddess Durga visits the earth for only four days but seven days prior to the Pujas, starts the Mahalaya. The enchanting voice of Birendra Krishna Bhadra fills up the predawn hours of the day thus marking the beginning of "Devipaksha" and the beginning of the count-down to Durga Puja. 

Myth regarding Mahalaya: 

Pitri- Paksha is a 16 day period during which Hindus pay homage to their ancestors. As per legend, when Karna died in the epic Mahabharata, his soul transcended to heaven. There he was offered jewelry as food. Bemused, Karna asked Indra for the reason of this bizarre happening. Indra told him that because of the fact that he has never donated food to his ancestors in Shraddhas, during his lifetime, he was getting such treatment. Karna said that he was unaware of his ancestors and hence he had no chance of donating food to them. He was given a chance then to make amends. He returned to earth for a 16 day period and performed Shraddha and donated food in memory of his ancestors. This period is henceforth known as Pitri-Paksha. Goddess Durga starts her journey towards earth on the day of Mahalaya, i.e. on the first day of the Devi-Paksha.

This day bears immense significance for the Bengalis. According to Puranas, King Suratha used to worship goddess Durga in spring. Thus Durga Puja was also known as Basanti Puja. But Rama preponed the Puja and worshiped Durga in autumn and that is why it is known as 'Akal Bodhon' or untimely worship.

Actually, Sree Rama hastily performed Durga Puja just before he set for Lanka to rescue Sita from Ravana It was considered untimely as it is in the myths that puja was performed when the Gods and Goddesses were awake i.e “Uttarayan" and was not held when the Gods and Goddesses rested ie."Dakshinayan".

The ritual of Torpon- 

Sarat in its bloom, mingled with the festive spirit of Durga Puja reaches its pitch on the day of Mahalaya. It is the day when many throng to the banks of river Ganga, clad in dhotis to offer prayers to their dead relatives and forefathers. People in the pre-dawn hours pray for their demised relatives and take holy dips in the Ganges. This ritual is known as 'Torpon'. The eldest son is the one who generally performs the Shraddha. Any male relative of the paternal branch of relatives can also perform the rites. Some castes perform for only one generation, while others offer to more, commonly three generations.

The foods which are usually being offered to the ancestors are cooked in silver or copper vessels and are offered on banana leaves. The foods may vary but it must include rice, dal, kheer,lapsi, yellow gourd, and certain vegetables.

The one who performs the Shraddha is expected to take a holy bath and then should wear a dhoti. The Pinda –daan (offerings during the Shraddha) are made bare-chested. Then a cow and dog are also fed. The Brahmins are offered then with the food. Once all these are done with, the family members can begin their lunch.

Mahalaya on electronic media- Mahalaya is a special day which comes in the lives of all Hindus, especially Bengalees, once a year. 

 It was on the day of Mahalaya, the beginning of "devipaksha", the Gods and Goddesses woke up to prepare themselves for Durga Puja. Akashvani Mahalaya: During the early 1930s, Mahalaya was first broadcasted over the radio in Akashvani. The programme was organised by Premankur Aatorthi, Birendra Krishna Bhadra, Nripendra Krishna Mukhopadhya and Raichand Boral. It was broadcasted live then.

Sri Birendra Krishna Bhadra  (1905 -1991)

Later it was recorded and played. Bengal's cine star, Uttam Kumar had once recited Mahalaya while Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhya was the music director. But it was not popular among the mass and from then it has always been the voice of Birendra Kishna Bhadra, enthralling the listeners in the pre-dawn hours of Mahalaya. The voice of Birendra Krishna Bhadra has become a part of the life of all Bengalees. Along with the other trademarks of autumn, this too plays a pivotal role in indicating that happy times are arriving; the Durga Puja is in the doorsteps of every Bengali. The script was written by Bani Kumar, music was directed by Pankaj Kumar Mallik while  Dijen Mukhopadhya, Manobendra Mukhopadhya (Tabo Achinta....), Sandhya Mukhopadhya, Arati Mukhopadhya, Utpala Sen, Shyamal Mitra and Supriti Ghosh, (Bajlo tomar alor benu....) sang in their melodious voices. The audio CD of this broadcast is available through HMV. Also, Doordarshan shows a visual treat at the same time on the morning of the Mahalaya. After the advent of the satellite channels, most of the regional ones too joined the bandwagon, and that too quite successfully.

The night before Mahalaya is also a special and a short one! Earlier, people used to engage themselves in feasts through out that night and the crescendo was reached with the start of the programme on Radio. These things have faded away with the course of time, but the nostalgia and excitement which Mahalaya once created is still there.

The eye is given to the idol of Devi Durga on this auspicious day. It is an age old custom which is rather obsolete these days. Still, some age old houses which observe the Durga Puja abide by this custom, even today. 

Mahalaya is an important day, especially in Bengal. Many offices and all educational institutions remain closed on that day. People eagerly wait for this day, since it effectively marks the beginning of the biggest festive period of the year.

Photos: Sumit Kar

            (Sri Birendra Krishna Bhadra's Photo: Google Search)

Text: BengaliNet

Read More:  About.com, WikiPedia

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HokKolorob

The Jadavpur University campus continued to simmer on Thursday, a day after a series of protests, as students of all departments decided to boycott classes.

“We have decided not to attend classes till the vice chancellor Abhijit Chakraborty resigns,” said Disha Roychowdhury, one of the protesting students.

Another second year Production Engineering student said that at least the VC should have come up with an apology over the attack on students by police under his instructions.

Members of Students Federation of India (SFI), however, said they were not a part of the class boycott programme. “We have called for a day-long students strike and not class boycott. That is the unanimous decision of the students here,” said Debojyoti Das, state secretary, SFI.

The university authorities, on the other hand, in a bid to pacify the students had instructed the posters which were put up on Wednesday, to be torn off the university walls.

“It had actually backfired. When I went to take off the posters, I had to face the ire of the students. Although I didn’t get beaten up because they knew I was only carrying out instructions, they kept on chanting slogans against the university authorities,” said a member of the Group D staff.

Four Left-backed students have called a statewide students strike on Thursday and members of one of the unions, All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO) were seen demonstrating outside the university main gate.

Members of BJP’s Mahila Morcha, the women’s cell of BJP, will be visiting the university and the ailing students at KPC hospital and medical college. Members of different students’ unions would take out a procession from Dhakuria to Jadavpur 8B bus stand later during on Thursday.

The VC has gone on a leave citing health issues.

Text: Internet

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C Program to Implement Heap Sort

Algorithm:

hs( a[], n)

 {

  heap(a,n);

  for (i = n to 1)

   {

    temp<-a[1];

    a[1]<-a[i];

    a[i]<-temp;

    downheap(a,1,i-1);

   }

 }

heap(a[],n)

 {

  index <- n/2;

  for(i= index to 1)

    downheap(a,i,n);

 }

downheap(heap[], root, leaf)

 {

  lc<-2*root;

  rc<-lc+1;

  if(lc<=leaf)

   {

    max<-heap[lc];

    index<-lc;

    if(rc<=leaf)

    {

     if(heap[rc]>max)

     {

      max<-heap[rc];

      index<-rc;

     }

    }

    if(heap[root] < heap[index])

     {

      temp <- heap[root];

      heap[root] <- heap[index];

      heap[index] <- temp;

      downheap(heap,index,leaf);

     }

   }

}

Program

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>

void heap(int *, int);
void downheap(int*,int,int);
void hs(int *,int);


void main()
 {
  int a[20],i,n;
  clrscr();
  printf("Enter the number of Elements:");
  scanf("%d",&n);
  printf("Enter the elements:\n");
  for(i=1;i<=n;i++)
    {
      printf("Enter element [%d]:",i);
      scanf("%d",&a[i]);
    }


  hs(a,n);

  printf("The Sorted Elements are:");
  for(i=1;i<=n;i++)
    {
      printf("%d ",a[i]);
    }
 getch();
 }


void hs(int a[],int n)
 {
  int i,temp;
  heap(a,n);
  for (i=n;i>1;i--)
   {
    temp=a[1];
    a[1]=a[i];
    a[i]=temp;
    downheap(a,1,i-1);
   }
 }


void downheap(int heap[],int root,int leaf)
 {
  int index,lc,rc,max,temp;
  lc=2*root;
  rc=lc+1;
  if(lc<=leaf)
   {
    max=heap[lc];
    index=lc;
    if(rc<=leaf)
    {
     if(heap[rc]>max)
     {
      max=heap[rc];
      index=rc;
     }
    }
    if(heap[root]<heap[index])
     {
      temp=heap[root];
      heap[root]=heap[index];
      heap[index]=temp;
      downheap(heap,index,leaf);
     }

   }
}


void heap(int a[],int n)
 {
  int i,index;
  index=n/2;
  for(i=index;i>=1;i--)
    downheap(a,i,n);
 }

Output:

Enter the
number of Elements:5

Enter the
elements:

Enter
element [1]:5

Enter
element [2]:8

Enter
element [3]:1

Enter
element [4]:6

Enter
element [5]:65

The
Sorted Elements are:1 5 6 8 65







Conclusion:

The
elements are arranged in a Max Heap. The root element is popped out and the
leaf node is placed in the blank position. 

The
program has run correctly.

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Write a C Program to find the number of data in a linked list

#include <stdio.h>
#define newnode (struct node*)malloc(sizeof(struct node))

typedef struct node
{
 int data;
 struct node *next;
} node;

node *create_list();

void main()
{
    node *f;
 int len;
 f = NULL;

 f = create_list();
 len = find_len(f);
 printf("\n length = %d",len);
} // main

node *create_list()
{
 node *f,*c,*p;
 int tdata;
 f = NULL;
 printf("\n Enter data ( use 0 to exit ) : ");
 scanf("%d",&tdata);
 while( tdata != 0 )
 {
  c = newnode;
  if( c == NULL)
  {
   printf("\n Insuf. mem. ");
   exit(0);
  }
  c->data = tdata;
  c->next = NULL;
  if( f== NULL)
   f = c;
  else
   p->next = c;
   p = c;
   printf("\n Enter data ( use 0 to exit ) : ");
   scanf("%d",&tdata);
 } //while
 return(f);
} // create list

int find_len(node *f)
{
 int len=0;
 node *t;
 if( f == NULL)
 return(0);
 t = f;
 while( t != NULL )
 {
  len++;
  t = t->next;
 }
 return(len);
}

/*
Summary: Linked list is an ordered set of data elements, each containing a link to its successor. This program is to create a linked list. After creating the linked list ,the length of linked list is calculated.
*/

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Write a Program in C++ to find the Factorial of a Number

/*ITERATIVE*/
//Calling the Header File.
#include<iostream>


//Declaring the main function   
int main()    
{
 
//Tells the compiler that we'll be using all the standard C++ library functions
    using namespace std;    
    int num,factorial=1;
 //Ask for the number.
    cout<<"Enter a number to calculate it's factorial"<<endl;  
    cin>>num;
    for(int i=1;i<=num;i++)
    {
        factorial=factorial*i;
    }
    cout<<"Factorial of "<<num<<"="<<factorial<<endl;
    cin.get();
 
    return 0;
}



/*RECURSION */ 
#include<iostream>

using namespace std;

int fact(int);
int main(){
  int num,f;
  cout<<"\nEnter a number: ";
  cin>>num;
  f=fact(num);
  cout<<"\nFactorial of "<<num<<" is: "<<f;
  return 0;
}
//recursive function
int fact(int n){
   if(n==1)
       return 1;
   else
       return(n*fact(n-1));
 }


/*
Summary: Factorial is represented using '!', so five factorial will be written as (5!),n factorial as (n!).Also
n! = n*(n-1)*(n-2)*(n-3)...3.2.1 and zero factorial is defined as one i.e. 0! = 1.
*/

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Calculate Depreciation using C

#include<conio.h>
#include<stdio.h>
void main()
{
 float sv,pv,dep;
 int yos;
 clrscr();

 printf("Enter the purchase value :- ");
 scanf("%f",&pv);

 printf("Enter the year of service :- ");
 scanf("%d",&yos);

 printf("Enter the value of depreation :- ");
 scanf("%f",&dep);


 sv = pv - (dep * yos);
 printf("\n The salvage value equal to :- %f",sv);

 getch();
}

/*
Summary: Compute the yearly depreciation of the value of an item, given by Depreciation = (PURCHASE VALUE - SALVAGE VALUE) / YEAR OF SERVICE 
*/

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Decimal to Octal Conversion using C

#include<stdio.h>

int main(){

 long int decimalNumber,remainder,quotient;
 int octalNumber[100],i=1,j;

 printf("Enter any decimal number: ");
 scanf("%ld",&decimalNumber);

 quotient = decimalNumber;

 while(quotient!=0){
  octalNumber[i++]= quotient % 8;
  quotient = quotient / 8;
 }

 printf("Equivalent octal value of decimal number %d: ",decimalNumber);
 for(j = i -1 ;j> 0;j--)
  printf("%d",octalNumber[j]);

 return 0;
}

/*
Summary: Converts decimal which is  base 10 number system which uses the digits from 0 - 9 to octal which is base 8 number system which uses the digits from 0 to 7.
*/

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Decimal to Hexadecimal Conversion

#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
#include<math.h>

void main()
{
 long int num;
 clrscr();

 printf("Enter the decimal number : ");
 scanf("%ld",&num);
 
 long int rem[50],i=0,length=0;

 while(num>0)
 {
  rem[i]=num%16;
  num=num/16;
  i++;
  length++;
 }

 printf("Hexadecimal number : ");
 for(i=length-1;i>=0;i--)
 {
  switch(rem[i])
  {
   case 10:
   printf("A");
   break;
   case 11:
   printf("B");
   break;
   case 12:
   printf("C");
   break;
   case 13:
   printf("D");
   break;
   case 14:
   printf("E");
   break;
   case 15:
   printf("F");
   break;
   default :
   printf("%ld",rem[i]);
  }
 }

 getch();
}

/*
Summary: Converts decimal number which is base 10 number system 0-9 to hexadecimal which uses the digits from 0 to 9 and A, B, C, D, E, F..
*/

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Decimal to Binary Conversion

#include<stdio.h>


int main(){
 long int decimalNumber,remainder,quotient;
 int binaryNumber[100],i=1,j;

 printf("Enter any decimal number: ");
 scanf("%ld",&decimalNumber);

 quotient = decimalNumber;
 while(quotient!=0){
  binaryNumber[i++]= quotient % 2;
  quotient = quotient / 2;
 }

 printf("Equivalent binary value of decimal number %d: ",decimalNumber);
 for(j = i -1 ;j> 0;j--)
  printf("%d",binaryNumber[j]);

 return 0;
}

/*
Summary: Converts decimal number which is base 10 number system 0-9 to binary which is base 2 number system 0 and 1.
*/

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Write a C Program to compare two strings

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>

int main()
{
 char a[100], b[100];
 
 printf("Enter the first string\n");
 gets(a);
 
 printf("Enter the second string\n");
 gets(b);
 
 if( strcmp(a,b) == 0 )
  printf("Entered strings are equal.\n");
 else
  printf("Entered strings are not equal.\n");
 
 return 0;
}

/*
Summary: Compares two string for equality
*/

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CockTail Sort

#include <stdio.h>
#define MAX 8
int main()
{
 int data[MAX];
 int i, j, n, c;
 printf("\nEnter the data");
 for (i = 0; i < MAX; i++)
 {
  scanf("%d", &data[i]);
 }
 n = MAX;    
 do
 {
/*Rightward pass will shift the largest element to its correct place at the end*/
  for (i = 0;  i < n - 1; i++)
  {
   if (data[i] > data[i + 1])
   {
    data[i] = data[i] + data[i + 1];
    data[i + 1] = data[i] - data[i + 1];
    data[i] = data[i] - data[i + 1];
   }
  }
  n = n - 1;
/* Leftward pass will shift the smallest element to its correct place at the beginning*/
  for (i= MAX - 1, c = 0; i >= c; i--)
  {
   if(data[i] < data[i - 1])
   {
    data[i] = data[i] + data[i - 1];
    data[i - 1] = data[i] - data[i - 1];
    data[i] = data[i] - data[i - 1];
   }
  }
  c = c + 1;
 } while (n != 0 && c != 0);
 printf("The sorted elements are:");
 for (i = 0; i < MAX; i++)
 {
  printf("%d\t", data[i]);
 }
}

/*
Summary: Cocktail sort is a variation of bubble sort that is both a stable sorting algorithm and a comparison sort. The algorithm differs from a bubble sort in that it sorts in both directions on each pass through the list. This sorting algorithm is only marginally more difficult to implement than a bubble sort, and solves the problem of turtles in bubble sorts.
The various names of cocktail sort are bidirectional bubble sort, cocktail shaker sort, shaker sort, ripple sort, shuffle sort, shuttle sort or happy hour sort.
Complexity - O(n^2)
*/

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