A Select Bibliography of books on eminent Indian Film Directors

Though there are a number of books on Satyajit Ray, only one has been listed here because, though concise, it covers his whole ouvre & is written by a fellow Bengali founder of the Calcutta Film Society.

1. The Cinema of Satyajit Ray by Chidananda Das Gupta, Published by National Book Trust, 1994.

2. Mrinal Sen - Sixty Years in Search of Cinema by Dipankar Mukhopadyay Published by Harper Collins India, 2009.

3. The Cinema of Tapan Sinha by Amitava Nag, Published by Om Books International 2021.

4. Cinema & I by Ritwik Ghatak (A representative volume of Ghatak's writings on Cinema) Published by Rupa & Co, 1987.

5. Face-to-Face The Cinema of Adoor Gopalakrishnan by Parthajit Baruah, Published by Harper Collins India, 2016.

6. Mysteries of the Mundane The Films of Girish Kasaravalli by John W. Hood Published by Orient BlackSwan, 2019

7. Shyam Benegal by Sangeeta Datta, Published by Roli Books, 2003.

Swami Vivekananda on Patanjali

In his book called "Raja Yoga", Swamiji comments on Patanjali Yoga Sutras. In Chapter 4, Verse 1, it states that the Siddhis (powers) are attained by birth, chemical means, power of words, mortification or concentration.

1. Birth. Swamiji says people may be born with powers which they have earned in their earlier incarnations. He opines that Kapila, founder of Sankhya philosophy was one such. Hindus & Christians also believe that  Lord Krishna & Jesus Christ (among others) also had powers from birth.

2. Chemistry began as alchemy & in India there was a sect called Rasayanas, who thought that bodies can even be made immortal so that one has the time to become spiritual. The drug taking of the west is a unwise byproduct of this. Even Aldous Huxley in his "The Doors of Perception" recounted his altered state of consciousness after consuming Mescaline.

3. There are certain sacred words called Mantras, which have power, when repeated under proper conditions to produce these extraordinary powers (e.g. like those used in rituals.)

4. In every religion, mortifications & asceticisms have been practised. Through such practices, it is believed that powers (Siddhis) can be attained.

5. Concentration is Samadhi, & that is Yoga proper; that is the principal theme of this science, & it is the highest means. Here concentration is defined in Chapter 1, Verse 2 as "Yoga Chittavrutti Nirodhaha" meaning "Yoga is restraining the mind-stuff (Chitta) from taking various forms (Vrittis)."

Ashta Siddhis or 8 supernatural powers

These are listed as follows:

1. Anima - Shrinking one's body.

2. Mahima - Enlarging one's body.

3. Garima - Increasing weight of body.

4. Laghima - Decreasing weight of body.

                       (One can fly!)

5. Prapti - Get things desired 

                  (out of thin air!)

6. Prakamya - longevity, teleportation, living

 underwater.

 7. Isitva - Control Nature.    

 8. Vasitva - Control others' minds.   

According to Patanjali Yoga Sutras (4.1), Siddhis can be attained by birth, herbs, power of words, austerities or concentration.

Examples of individuals possessing these Siddhis & using them where needed, are present in the Hindu epics, Ramayan & Mahabharat. Of course, these Siddhis are considered not possible as they violate the laws of physics.

Here it can be recollected that in Newtonian physics light travels in a straight line, but in Einsteinian physics, light rays can be deflected.

In the Sci-fi serial "Star Trek", teleportation was common. In Harry Potter's magical world, many similar powers were used. In  the case of spiritual leaders, many thousands of believers claim to have witnessed the Prapti Siddhi being performed. 

But it is also true that "Magic (or Siddhi) causes as much trouble as it cures" as put by J.K.Rowling in her "The Tales of Beedle The Bard."