Prof. Prodyut Das 2

  The Betaal , specification and the alternate AMCA                   Prof. Prodyut Das Introduction The Betaal Panch Vingtsati, the five and twenty stories of King Vikramaditya and the Betaal have been popular across large parts of India for tens of centuries. The stories are set in that the valiant king, for reasons that have nothing to do with aircraft, carry the Zombie Betaal through the woods at night. Unlike the wheezing zombies of Hollywood, Betaal is wise, articulate and witty. As the King labours through the forest the Betaal presents case studies and in the end of the narration questions the King in a manner that tests the Kings sagacity of judgment in what today would be called multi- variate optimization. The catch is that should the King fail to answer correctly his neck would be immediately broken; if he answers correctly the Betaal flies back to hang up side down from that tree in the woods. Reading a good translation is recommended; default Sir Richard Burton’s. I h