The Princess Royal made Daniel Craig a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George at Windsor Castle

Daniel Craig is an actor who made a name for himself by portraying the role of James Bond. He is a British spy codenamed 007 who has full authority to tackle anyone engaged in espionage activities against Britain. How he accomplishes it is his prerogative. It is a fictional character created by Ian Fleming and has been around since the 1960s. Craig has now received the same honor as his character James Bond. It was a CMG for services to film and theatre. Daniel Craig (54) starred in the last five Bond films. His first appearance as 007 was in Casino Royale in 2006 and the last one was No Time To Die in 2021. The versatile actor also appeared in Knives Out (2019) alongside Chris Evans, Ana de Armas and Jamie Lee Curtis. He will return in the film's sequel, due to premier at the end of next month. Daniel Craig receives same honour as James Bond.

Paul Greengrass, film director, producer and screenwriter also received honors. He has directed a number of Hollywood blockbusters. These included three of the Bourne franchise films and Captain Phillips (2013). Dame Emily Lawson will also receive recognition for services to the NHS. She headed the vaccine rollout scheme in the UK, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another personality to receive recognition is street dancer and TV personality Ashley Banjo. He will receive an MBE for services to dance following his rise to fame following the win of his dance troupe Diversity's Britain's Got Talent in 2009 against Susan Boyle. Another person to win an MBE is six-time triathlon world champion Jonny Brownlee. He is the younger of the Brownlee brothers. He will receive an MBE alongside James Guy, two-time gold medal swimmer at Tokyo 2020. Yet another recipient of the MBE is tennis coach Louis Cayer. It will be for his services to sport. He is senior performance adviser for the Lawn Tennis Association. He has also worked extensively with men's doubles players including Jamie Murray, as well as Emma Raducanu.

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The magazine that published me first

Here is the third unforgettable character in my life …

Let me now mention about another Editor who played a major role in encouraging me in my writings. His was the magazine that published my first Bengali short story in 1967 - I came to know about it when I bought a copy of the magazine from the Howrah Station railway book stall on my way to Nashik for the first time!
The magazine was a creation of his father who was associated with the Calcutta station of All India Radio. As a result, the magazine boasted of a group of well-known writers who had links with the cinema as well. I was proud to be a part of this elite group.

The office of this magazine was located in the residence of the Editor’s family. It was a narrow lane in North Calcutta - the width of the lane was not enough for two cars to pass side by side. The letter press facilities was within the premises and the office had cupboards chock full of their publications – not just bound volumes of the magazines but mystery books also.
The Editor was a soft spoken gentleman and his advice to me has helped me in my endeavors. Be bold, he would say, write on subjects that others have not handled. Inspired by him, I created a super spy on the lines of James Bond – most of the exploits of this character appeared in the pages of his magazine. He even arranged for one of the selected stories to be reprinted in a best seller of a reputed publishing house. But, in due course of time, his magazine suffered the fate of many language magazines. They lost out on competition from publishers who had plenty of money and who threw scruples to the winds – they let loose a whole lot of gimmicks to gain cheap popularity and quality of the final product took a back seat. The magazine is dead from lack of patronage.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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