Stories of Satyajit Ray

 Today marks the 101st birth anniversary of India’s greatest storyteller, Satyajit Ray. His movies have themes varying from the independence of thought to the empowerment of the modern working woman. The ideas were strong and bold. He was brave and fearless. That is why his movies are relevant even today.

I have previously written about some of his best cinematic works. In this post, I would like to list some of his novels and short stories. These stories were so impactful and organic that I remember them even today.

While most of his fans and Bengali families have grown up listening to these stories, the rest of the country has had very limited exposure. Ray’s grandfather started a magazine for children known as Sandesh in 1913. In spite of consisting quality content, the magazine started running into losses. It was eventually revived in 1961 under the editorialship of Manikda (as his fans lovingly addressed him). Through this magazine, Ray wrote moving, nourishing and engaging stories for adolescents. It catered to the age group from 13 to 18 which faces a dearth of good quality literature even today. Every magazine issue had different stories with themes of fantasy, sci-fi and mystery that touched every reader's heart. They were written in Bengali and later translated to English by Gopa Majumdar.

I started my reading journey from Satyajit Ray’s short stories and quickly moved to Feluda and Professor Shonku.

1. Banku Babu r Bondhu: The first story from the short story collection is one of a great sci-fi adventure. Banku babu is visited by an extraterrestrial friend while walking back home after a tiring day. This story was very revolutionary during the time of space exploration.  
   
   
   
2. Fritz: This was the first Satyajit Ray short story that I read as a part of my school syllabus. It proved to be a gateway into Ray’s universe. It is a supernatural story with a lot of foreboding. I would not like to give away too much of this tale of a haunted doll.
3. Ananth Babu’s terror: It has been years since I read this story, but it still gives me goosebumps! I remember reading this story and narrating it with great detail to my friends and scaring the life out of them. This story has paranormal elements similar to most horror movies. It is the journey of a ghost hunter, Ananth Babu with a surprising twist at the end.
4. Indigo: Something very surprising about some of Ray’s works is the incorporation of metaphysical themes. This particular story brings out past birth memories of a traveller stranded in the middle of nowhere.
   
   
   
5.  Patol Babu, Film star: This is a distinct work among other tales of fantasy. Ray brilliantly brings out the ups and downs of Patol Babu’s acting journey, through this slice of life story. You are in for a treat if you enjoy reading stories filled with emotions.
6.  Feluda: Feluda is one of Ray’s most popular series. Encompassing over two volumes, these stories were regular in Ray’s magazine. Pradosh Chandra Mitra, also known as Feluda was every child’s favourite local detective. Feluda, his cousin Topshe and their friend Lal Mohan Ganguly alias Jatayu travel from one place to another investigating crimes big and small. After I finished reading the complete series, I was left yearning for more. Some of these stories have been made into movies. Sonar Khella and Joy Baba Felunath are Feluda movies directed by Ray himself. The late Soumitra Chatterjee did a brilliant job in bringing out the everyday hero to the big screen. If you are looking for good mystery novels, I would suggest Feluda. The stories are short, simple and rooted in India.
   
   
   
7.  Professor Shonku: Another favourite of the readers is the quirky Professor Shonku, his cat Newton, housekeeper Prohlad and robot Bidhushekhar. The four of them travel through the length and breadth of not just the earth but other planets as well! One of them is the Diary of the Space Traveller. It is a very imaginative story of Professor Shonku and his troupe, on a homemade spaceship to Mars and the adventure that follows.

 

During the first wave of the pandemic, Ray’s stories filled my day with curiosity and positive anticipation. Although I couldn’t travel, his tales took me to places far and near, earth and beyond. These unimaginable tales will surely fill anyone’s day with hope and happiness. Satyajit Ray continues to light up our lives even today.

Happy Ray Day everyone!