Narayan Sanyal
Encyclopedia
Narayan Sanyal (26 April 1924, Calcutta - 7 February 2005) was a well-known & versatile writer of modern Bengali literature
as well as a civil engineer.
Although Sanyal is known mostly as a novelist, he was also an eminent civil engineer
by profession. After graduating in science from the University of Calcutta
, he passed Bachelor of Engineering from Bengal Engineering College in 1948. Thereafter he joined Public Works Department and later National Buildings Organisation, Ministry of Works and Housing, Eastern Region, Govt of India. He was a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (India) and a Fellow of the Association of Engineers (India). He also wrote books in Civil Engineering such as Vaastu Vigyan.
A biography of Narayan Sanyal was written by Pradip Dutta - Ami Narayan Sanyal Ke Dekhechi.
-related.
Interestingly, this talented author also preferred writing books on deep shadow of many world famous works. One of the most popular Sci-Fictions Nakshatraloker Debatatma [নক্ষত্রলোকের দেবতাত্মা], is based on the transformation of human race from primitive creature to civilized intelligent species controlling the whole earth. Then it deals with Jupiter exploration and a super intelligent Computer HAL. The three parted book is a inspiration of 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
. In his book, Sanyal named HAL as Jantra-Na, in his mother tongue Bengali, it ambiguously means 'not a machine' as well as 'pain'.
His most popular work is Biswasghatak [বিশ্বাসঘাতক] written about the Manhattan project that developed the first US Atom Bomb. This book is based on the shadow of Brighter than a Thousand Suns: A Personal History of the Atomic Scientists
(1970), by Austrian Robert Jungk
.
Another book Timi Timingil is on Whales. This stands on an article published in Readers Digest.
He also wrote a series of detective fiction called the Kanta[কাঁটা] (Thorn) series. All of the stories were inspired from various foreign novels.
Apart from this series, he wrote Bishupal Bodh: Uposonghar [বিশুপাল বধ: উপসংহার], which is basically a completion of Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
's unfinished Byomkesh Bakshi
story: Bishupal Bodh. NarayanBabu fulfilled some terms given by Bandyopadhyay's friend Pratul Chandra Gupta, who edited Bandyopadhyay's works. Samaresh Basu
, as the editor (also a friend of Sanyal) of Mahanagar, a magazine, published it in a Puja
issue .
It must be clearly mentioned that Sanyal did not just copy, he took the central theme and then adopted in proper Bengali atmosphere, so that the reader can find it as their homely incidents. For this reason some changes in the original plot and a few anachronisms (that suit, e.g. offering a chair to the accused & the witness at the courtroom in India—- which is not generally the practice) necessarily occur in his writings, and he was fully aware of that facts. Besides, he everywhere mentioned the source, the changes he made in his script and why these are necessary. He also tried to keep the nomenclature resembling the original ones so as to offer his gratitude. He often referred P. K. Basu to "the Perry Mason
of the East", as he was inspired to create Basu from this masterpiece of Erle Stanley Gardner
.
It is undoubtedly accepted by all that NarayanBabu was one of the finest authors in Bengali and he was a class apart from the flock of contemporary Bengali writers those who too dependent on sentiment and emotional overdose in their writings and too dependent on monopolist Bengali media/publication groups in commercial front.
(for Aporupa Ajanta in 1969), Bankim Puraskar (for Rupmanjari in 2000), and Narasingha Dutta Award. Many of his books were filmed and he won the Best Film Story Writer Award (for Satyakaam) by Bengal Film Journalists
.
This novel is the first P. K. Basu story by Sanyal, though he called it as a "trial ball". It was later adopted in a Bengali movie, Jodi Jantem in 1974.
After Jodi Jantem, he changed the character Basu to be an aged lawyer, whose wife Ranu is made invalid & Suborna alias Mithu, their only daughter is died in an accident. This novel marks the proper starting of the series. This is based on a murder of Ramen Guha, a policeman and some other incidents at The Repose, a hotel at Ghum
, Darjeeling, run by the Mitra couple, Sujata & Koushik Mitra.
Mitra couple returns Kolkata
, after selling the hotel and starts a private detective agency, named Sukoushali [সুকৌশলী] at Basu's residence at New Alipore
. This story revolves about Supriya Dashgupta [সুপ্রিয় দাশগুপ্ত], a manager of a Bombay based farm. At the end of the story, the caught person is proved to be different than the original culprit.
Old Jagadananda Sen lives with granddaughter Nilima Sen, nephew Jogananda and Jogananda's relative Shyamal. Mahendra, his ex-employee, whom he revoked, suddenly comes back and starts blackmailing Jagadananda. He, then seeks help from Basu. Meanwhile, police arrests Jagadananda in charge of killing his own nephew Jogananda. Joydeep, Nilima's fiance shadows another ex-employee of Jagadananda, Yu Siang, a Burmese, who is also supposed to come India to blackmail the old man. Finally, Basu succeeds to make him free catching the culprit.
Rabi Bosu, a police inspector, who is prevalent in some later stories, is introduced. This story is about a ticket of lottery and a murder. Basu makes Prakash Sengupta, a doctor free from all charges of killing his friend, Kamalesh Mitter.
Minati Roychaudhury, alias Minti, a lost granddaughter of GokulChandra Roychaudhury is found back. This story has a very little to do with Basu.
Mahadeo Prasad Khanna, an ex-M. P. was murdered in a lonely cottage in Kashmir
. A parrot is taught in such a way that Rama Khanna, a Bengali lady, supposed to be married by Khanna is kept in the lockup. Basu finally solves the issue by tracing some clues at the cottage, that includes a pair of wool knitting sticks (in Bangla, which are called Uler Kanta).
ChandraaChoor Chatterjee [চন্দ্রচূড় চ্যাটার্জী] of Chandannagar
was murdered by his brother in law Bikash Mukherjee. Bikash makes an excellent plan to put the blame on a retired Mathematics teacher ShibajeeProtap Chakraborty. Chakraborty has a bit psychological problems and has past records of attempt of murder unconsciously. Bikash takes full advantage of this, by sending some letters to Basu. These letters apparently seem to be a childish or lunatic job, as it contain quotations & pictures from Sukumar Roy's writings for children and some hotchpotch of Sanskrit
& English
, but the thing turns serious when murders are made in Asansol
and Burdwan (these two names are mentioned in the letters).
Miss Pamela Johnson of Merinagar, a hypothetical township near Kanchrapara
, West Bengal
dies at age 72. She donates all her belongings to her servants and non-profitable organizations, totally unexpectedly, as everyone anticipates that the old lady would give it to her relatives: Suresh Haldar, Smrituku Haldar alias Tuku & Hena Thakur. This novel is unique in a way as it is written in a first person speech of Koushik Mitra.
A distressed lady, Chhanda, is presently married to Tridib Narayan Rao, son of Tribikram Narayan Rao who is an aristocrat Rajput
and also a business tycoon. She is accused of a murder of her previous husband Kamalendu Biswas alias Kamalskha Kar alias Kamal Chandra Ghosh, who also had previous marriages. Basu saves the poor lady.
Bengali literature
Bengali literature is literary works written in Bengali language particularly from Bangladesh and the Indian provinces of West Bengal and Tripura. The history of Bengali literature traces back hundreds of years while it is impossible to separate the literary trends of the two Bengals during the...
as well as a civil engineer.
Biography
Narayan Sanyal was born to Chittasukh Sanyal and Basantalata Devi. His family consisted of wife Sabita Sanyal; elder daughter Anindita Basu, Son in law Amitabha Basu; Son Tirtharenu Sanyal, daughter in law Sharmila Sanyal; younger daughter Mou Sanyal Talukdar, son in law Soumitra Talukdar.Although Sanyal is known mostly as a novelist, he was also an eminent civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
by profession. After graduating in science from the University of Calcutta
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
, he passed Bachelor of Engineering from Bengal Engineering College in 1948. Thereafter he joined Public Works Department and later National Buildings Organisation, Ministry of Works and Housing, Eastern Region, Govt of India. He was a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (India) and a Fellow of the Association of Engineers (India). He also wrote books in Civil Engineering such as Vaastu Vigyan.
A biography of Narayan Sanyal was written by Pradip Dutta - Ami Narayan Sanyal Ke Dekhechi.
Overview of his works
Sanyal wrote numerous books that dealt with various topics, such as children, science, art and architecture, travels, psychiatry, technology, refugee problems, history, biographical pieces, encyclopedia of animals, social novel and DevadasiDevadasi
In Hinduism, the devadasi tradition is a religious tradition in which girls are "married" and dedicated to a deity or to a temple and includes performance aspects such as those that take place in the temple as well as in the courtly and mujuvani [telegu] or home context. Dance and music were...
-related.
Interestingly, this talented author also preferred writing books on deep shadow of many world famous works. One of the most popular Sci-Fictions Nakshatraloker Debatatma [নক্ষত্রলোকের দেবতাত্মা], is based on the transformation of human race from primitive creature to civilized intelligent species controlling the whole earth. Then it deals with Jupiter exploration and a super intelligent Computer HAL. The three parted book is a inspiration of 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
. In his book, Sanyal named HAL as Jantra-Na, in his mother tongue Bengali, it ambiguously means 'not a machine' as well as 'pain'.
His most popular work is Biswasghatak [বিশ্বাসঘাতক] written about the Manhattan project that developed the first US Atom Bomb. This book is based on the shadow of Brighter than a Thousand Suns: A Personal History of the Atomic Scientists
Brighter than a Thousand Suns: A Personal History of the Atomic Scientists
Brighter than a Thousand Suns: A Personal History of the Atomic Scientists , by Austrian Robert Jungk, is the first published account of the Manhattan Project and the German atomic bomb project. It studied the making and dropping of the atomic bomb from the view of the atomic scientists...
(1970), by Austrian Robert Jungk
Robert Jungk
Robert Jungk , also known as Robert Baum and Robert Baum-Jungk, was an Austrian writer and journalist who wrote mostly on issues relating to nuclear weapons....
.
Another book Timi Timingil is on Whales. This stands on an article published in Readers Digest.
He also wrote a series of detective fiction called the Kanta[কাঁটা] (Thorn) series. All of the stories were inspired from various foreign novels.
Apart from this series, he wrote Bishupal Bodh: Uposonghar [বিশুপাল বধ: উপসংহার], which is basically a completion of Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay was a well known literary figure of Bengal. He was also actively involved with Bengali cinema as well as Bollywood. His most famous creation is the fictional detective Byomkesh Bakshi.He wrote different forms of prose: novels, short stories, plays and screenplays...
's unfinished Byomkesh Bakshi
Byomkesh Bakshi
Byomkesh Bakshi is a fictional detective in Bengali literature created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. He is one of the most successful detective characters in Bengali Literature. Also, Bandyopadhyay once said that these stories can be thought as and read as social novels only...
story: Bishupal Bodh. NarayanBabu fulfilled some terms given by Bandyopadhyay's friend Pratul Chandra Gupta, who edited Bandyopadhyay's works. Samaresh Basu
Samaresh Basu
Samaresh Basu was an Indian Bengali writer based in Kolkata, India. He was born on December 11, 1924 and spent his early childhood in Dhaka, Bikrampur in what is today Bangladesh...
, as the editor (also a friend of Sanyal) of Mahanagar, a magazine, published it in a Puja
Puja
Pūjā or alternative transliteration Pooja, is a religious ritual performed by Hindus as an offering to various deities, distinguished persons, or special guests...
issue .
It must be clearly mentioned that Sanyal did not just copy, he took the central theme and then adopted in proper Bengali atmosphere, so that the reader can find it as their homely incidents. For this reason some changes in the original plot and a few anachronisms (that suit, e.g. offering a chair to the accused & the witness at the courtroom in India—- which is not generally the practice) necessarily occur in his writings, and he was fully aware of that facts. Besides, he everywhere mentioned the source, the changes he made in his script and why these are necessary. He also tried to keep the nomenclature resembling the original ones so as to offer his gratitude. He often referred P. K. Basu to "the Perry Mason
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...
of the East", as he was inspired to create Basu from this masterpiece of Erle Stanley Gardner
Erle Stanley Gardner
Erle Stanley Gardner was an American lawyer and author of detective stories, best known for the Perry Mason series, he also published under the pseudonyms A.A. Fair, Kyle Corning, Charles M. Green, Carleton Kendrake, Charles J...
.
It is undoubtedly accepted by all that NarayanBabu was one of the finest authors in Bengali and he was a class apart from the flock of contemporary Bengali writers those who too dependent on sentiment and emotional overdose in their writings and too dependent on monopolist Bengali media/publication groups in commercial front.
Accolades
He received several awards for literature including Rabindra PuraskarRabindra Puraskar
The Rabindra Puraskar or the Rabindra Smriti Puraskar is the highest honorary literary award given in the Indian state of West Bengal. This award is administered by the Government of West Bengal under the aegis of the Paschimbanga Bangla Academy , Kolkata.The award is given for creative...
(for Aporupa Ajanta in 1969), Bankim Puraskar (for Rupmanjari in 2000), and Narasingha Dutta Award. Many of his books were filmed and he won the Best Film Story Writer Award (for Satyakaam) by Bengal Film Journalists
Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards
The Bengal Film Journalists' Association is the oldest Association of Film critics in India, founded in 1937, by the inspiration and determination of the handful of pioneers amongst the then thin section of scribes that were drawn to film journalism with a lofty mission to serve the developing...
.
Adaptations in Movies
- Satyakam, his novel, was adapted into Hindi film, SatyakamSatyakamSatyakam is a 1969 Indian Hindi film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, based on a Bengali novel by the same name by Narayan Sanyal.. The film stars Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore, Sanjeev Kumar, and Ashok Kumar...
(1969), directed by Hrishikesh MukherjeeHrishikesh MukherjeeHrishikesh Mukherjee ) was a famous Indian film director known for a number of films, including Satyakam, Chupke Chupke, Anupama, Anand, Abhimaan, Guddi, Gol Maal, Aashirwad, Bawarchi, and Namak Haraam.Popularly known as Hrishi-da, he directed 42 films during his career spanning over four decades,...
, starring DharmendraDharmendraDharmendra Singh Deol |Punjab]]), better known as Dharmendra, is an award-winning Hindi film actor who has appeared in more than 247 Hindi-language films as of 2011. In 1997, he received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Hindi cinema and also another Lifetime...
, Sharmila TagoreSharmila TagoreSharmila Tagore is an Indian film actress. She has won National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards for her performances.She has led the Indian Film Censor Board from October 2004 till March 2011...
as Ranjana, Rabi GhoshRabi GhoshRabi Ghosh was an actor from India. He is best known for his comic roles in Bengali movies, though his versatile acting talent has stunned viewers and critics alike in various kind of roles. He was a regular in Satyajit Ray cinemas...
and Ashok KumarAshok KumarAshok Kumar also fondly called Dadamoni was an Indian film actor. Born Kumudlal Ganguly in Bhagalpur, Bengal Presidency he attained iconic status in Indian cinema...
. - His another novel, Nagchampa was turned into Jodi Jantem, a Bengali Film released on March 1, 1974. This film was directed by YatrikYatrikYatrik, an Indian film directed by Kartick Chatterjee, depicts a group of pilgrims on an arduous trek in the high Himalayas. It is the Hindi-language version of the Bengali film Mahaprasthaner Pathey, the film made from the book of the same name, written by Probodh Kumar Sanyal...
and starred by Uttam KumarUttam KumarUttam Kumar is one of the most famous names of Indian Bengali Cinema.Born Arun Kumar Chatterjee in 1926 at Ahiritola, North Calcutta he is widely known as Uttam Kumar and Mahanayak . He remains as much of a cultural icon as he had been in his lifetime...
as P. K. Basu, Ruma Guha ThakurtaRuma Guha Thakurta-Early life:She was born in 1934 as Ruma Ghosh. She hails from a Brahmo Bengali family. Her father was Satyen Ghosh and her mother was Sati Devi, a singer. Sati Devi's younger sister Bijoya married film director Satyajit Ray. Thakurta had her formal education in many places including Santiniketan...
as Ranu, Soumitra ChatterjeeSoumitra ChatterjeeSoumitra Chatterjee or Soumitra Chattopadhyay is an iconic Bengali actor from India, known among other things for his frequent collaborations with the great Bengali film director Satyajit Ray and his constant comparison with the Bengali screen idol Uttam Kumar.-Background:Soumitra graduated from...
as Koushik Mitra, Supriya Choudhury as Sujata, Basanta ChoudhuryBasanta ChoudhuryBasanta Chowdhury was an actor who had been playing a hero even before the era of Uttam Kumar.Basanta Chowdhury was born on 5 May 1928 in Nagpur. In 1945, he completed his Matriculation Examination from D.N.H. School. Afterthat, he finished his graduation from Morris College in 1949.His first film...
, Kamal Mitra and Haradhan Banerjee. Sanyal also wrote the dialogue . - The plot of Asheelotar Daye was adopted to a Chiranjit starred film with the same name (1983).
- Neelimay Neel was turned into a Tapas PalTapas PalTapas Pal born in 1960 in a remote village in Jalpaiguri district is a Bengali actor from Calcutta, the son of Dr. Ganash Pal of Chandannagar. He is a Member of Parliament having won in the 2009 Indian General Eelections on a Trinamool Congress ticket from Krishnanagar . His mother hails from a...
, Indrani HaldarIndrani HaldarIndrani Haldar is a Bengali actress. Indrani, also known as Mamoni, was born in Kolkata on January 6, 1971. Her father is Sanjoy Haldar. She finished her schooling from the Multipurpose Girl’s School and graduated from Jogamaya Devi College, an affiliated women's college of the prestigious...
& Anup KumarAnup KumarAnup Kumar is a Fiji Indian politician who won the Vanua Levu West Indian Communal Constituency, one of the 19 seats reserved for Fiji citizens of Indian origin, for the Fiji Labour Party during the 1999 elections for the House of Representatives...
starred film in 1991.
Children & Teenage Literature
- Sherlock Hebo [শার্লক হেবো] (1971)
- Origami (1982; with Pradip Dutta)
- Disneyland [ডিসনেল্যান্ড] (1985)—A delightful account on his trip to Disneyland, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The book contains some of his pencil sketches. - Nak Unchu [নাক উঁচু] (1985)
- Hati Aar Hati [হাতি আর হাতি] (1989)
Scientific Articles & Science Fictions
- Biswasghatak [বিশ্বাসঘাতক] (1974)—This is a book about the story of the Manhattan ProjectManhattan ProjectThe Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
in the US during the 1930s and has a good insight on the type of collective intellect that worked together to make the project a success. This book also displays the win of economics and politics over "common sense" and the disastrous aftermath of such an action.
- He Hansabalaka [হে হংসবলাকা] (1974)
- Obak Prithibee [অবাক পৃথিবী] (1976)
- Nakshatraloker Debotatma [নক্ষত্রলোকের দেবতাত্মা] (1976)
- Aji Hote Shatobarsho Pore [আজি হতে শতবর্ষ পরে] (1985)
Painting, Sculpture, Architecture
- Ajanta Aparupa [অজন্তা অপরূপা] (1968)
- La-jawab Dehli Aparupa Agra [লা-জবাব দেহ্লি অপরূপা আগ্রা] (1982)
- Immortal Ajanta (1984)
- Erotics in Indian Temples (1984)
- Bharatiyo Bhaskarje Mithun [ভারতীয় ভাস্কর্যে মিথুন] (1980)
- Prabanchak [প্রবঞ্চক] (1987)—This contains two articles, one on the original story of stealing the Mona LisaMona LisaMona Lisa is a portrait by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is a painting in oil on a poplar panel, completed circa 1503–1519...
& the other one is on the greatest forgery in the history of paintings.
Travel
- DandokShabori [দণ্ডকশবরী] (1962)
- Pother Mohaprosthan [পথের মহাপ্রস্থান] (1965)
- Japan Theke Fire [জাপান থেকে ফিরে] (1971)—This is an account of a trip to JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
during ExpositionExpositionExposition may refer to:*Exposition *Exposition *Trade fair*Exposition , the debut album by the band Wax on Radio...
, 1970.
Nostalgic
- Shat Ekshotti [ষাট একষট্টি] (1984)
- Abar Se Esechhe Firiya [আবার সে এসেছে ফিরিয়া] (1989)
Psychological
- Monami [মনামী] (1960)
- Antarleena [অন্তর্লীনা] (1966)
- Tajer Swapno [তাজের স্বপ্ন] (1969)
Detective
All books of the Kanta series are of Prasanna Kumar Basu (famously known as P. K. Basu), Bar at Law.- 1.Nagchampa [নাগচম্পা] (Published: 1968)
This novel is the first P. K. Basu story by Sanyal, though he called it as a "trial ball". It was later adopted in a Bengali movie, Jodi Jantem in 1974.
- 2.Sonar Kanta [সোনার কাঁটা] (Written:1974 Published:October, 1974; Inspiration: Mousetrap by Agatha ChristieAgatha ChristieDame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
; Dedication: Late Byomkesh BakshiByomkesh BakshiByomkesh Bakshi is a fictional detective in Bengali literature created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. He is one of the most successful detective characters in Bengali Literature. Also, Bandyopadhyay once said that these stories can be thought as and read as social novels only...
)
After Jodi Jantem, he changed the character Basu to be an aged lawyer, whose wife Ranu is made invalid & Suborna alias Mithu, their only daughter is died in an accident. This novel marks the proper starting of the series. This is based on a murder of Ramen Guha, a policeman and some other incidents at The Repose, a hotel at Ghum
Ghum, West Bengal
Ghum is a small hilly locality in the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region of West Bengal, India. Ghum railway station of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is the highest railway station in India. It is situated at an altitude of 2,225.7 m...
, Darjeeling, run by the Mitra couple, Sujata & Koushik Mitra.
- 3.Machher Kanta [মাছের কাঁটা] (Written:1974, Published:March, 1975; Dedication: Samarjit Gupta)
Mitra couple returns Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, after selling the hotel and starts a private detective agency, named Sukoushali [সুকৌশলী] at Basu's residence at New Alipore
New Alipore
New Alipore is situated just south of Alipore bordered by the Budge Budge section of the Kolkata Suburban Railway between Majherhat and Tollygunge stations - it is bounded by the above railway line to the North, the B.L.Saha Road to the East, Diamond Harbour Road to the West and by Behala to the...
. This story revolves about Supriya Dashgupta [সুপ্রিয় দাশগুপ্ত], a manager of a Bombay based farm. At the end of the story, the caught person is proved to be different than the original culprit.
- 4.Pother Kanta [পথের কাঁটা] (Written:1975, Published:January, 1976; Dedication: Mukul Chakraborty)
Old Jagadananda Sen lives with granddaughter Nilima Sen, nephew Jogananda and Jogananda's relative Shyamal. Mahendra, his ex-employee, whom he revoked, suddenly comes back and starts blackmailing Jagadananda. He, then seeks help from Basu. Meanwhile, police arrests Jagadananda in charge of killing his own nephew Jogananda. Joydeep, Nilima's fiance shadows another ex-employee of Jagadananda, Yu Siang, a Burmese, who is also supposed to come India to blackmail the old man. Finally, Basu succeeds to make him free catching the culprit.
- 5.Ghorir Kanta [ঘড়ির কাঁটা] (Written:1976, Published:January, 1977; Dedication: Suresh Prasad Lahiri Chaudhuri)
Rabi Bosu, a police inspector, who is prevalent in some later stories, is introduced. This story is about a ticket of lottery and a murder. Basu makes Prakash Sengupta, a doctor free from all charges of killing his friend, Kamalesh Mitter.
- 6.Kuler Kanta [কুলের কাঁটা] (Written:1977, Published:May, 1978; Dedication: Kamal Hossain)
Minati Roychaudhury, alias Minti, a lost granddaughter of GokulChandra Roychaudhury is found back. This story has a very little to do with Basu.
- 7.Uler Kanta [উঁলের কাঁটা] (Written: 1978, Published:May, 1980; Inspiration: The Case of the Perjured Parrot by Stanley GardnerStanley GardnerStanley Gardner was a Canadian pianist and music educator. As a performer he was best known as one half of a piano duo with Rose Goldblatt with whom he performed in concerts throughout Canada and on Canadian radio from 1936-1945...
; Dedication: Sheela & Gourdas BosuMallik)
Mahadeo Prasad Khanna, an ex-M. P. was murdered in a lonely cottage in Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
. A parrot is taught in such a way that Rama Khanna, a Bengali lady, supposed to be married by Khanna is kept in the lockup. Basu finally solves the issue by tracing some clues at the cottage, that includes a pair of wool knitting sticks (in Bangla, which are called Uler Kanta).
- 8.Aw-Aaw-Kaw Khuner Kanta [অ-আ-ক-খুনের কাঁটা] (Written: 1986, Published: Kolkata Book Fair, 1987; Inspiration: A. B. C. Murders by Agatha ChristieAgatha ChristieDame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
; Dedication: Prafulla Roy)
ChandraaChoor Chatterjee [চন্দ্রচূড় চ্যাটার্জী] of Chandannagar
Chandannagar
Chandannagar, formerly known as Chandernagore or Chandernagar , is a small city and former French colony located north of Kolkata, in West Bengal, India. It is head quarters of a subdivision in Hooghly District. It is one of the 6 municipal corporations in West Bengal. It is a part of the area...
was murdered by his brother in law Bikash Mukherjee. Bikash makes an excellent plan to put the blame on a retired Mathematics teacher ShibajeeProtap Chakraborty. Chakraborty has a bit psychological problems and has past records of attempt of murder unconsciously. Bikash takes full advantage of this, by sending some letters to Basu. These letters apparently seem to be a childish or lunatic job, as it contain quotations & pictures from Sukumar Roy's writings for children and some hotchpotch of Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
& English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, but the thing turns serious when murders are made in Asansol
Asansol
Asansol is a coal mining and industrial metropolis and one of the busiest commercial centres in India. It is the second largest city and urban agglomeration in West Bengal after Kolkata and the 19th largest urban agglomeration in India. Asansol is located in the western part of the Burdwan...
and Burdwan (these two names are mentioned in the letters).
- 9.Sarmeyo Genduker Kanta [সারমেয় গেণ্ডুকের কাঁটা] (Written: April, 1988, Published: Kolkata Book Fair, 1989; Inspiration: Dumb Witness by Agatha ChristieAgatha ChristieDame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
; Dedication: Late ProbodhChandra Basu)
Miss Pamela Johnson of Merinagar, a hypothetical township near Kanchrapara
Kanchrapara
Kanchrapara is a city and a municipality under Bijpur police station of Barrackpore subdivision. in North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority.-Geography:...
, West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
dies at age 72. She donates all her belongings to her servants and non-profitable organizations, totally unexpectedly, as everyone anticipates that the old lady would give it to her relatives: Suresh Haldar, Smrituku Haldar alias Tuku & Hena Thakur. This novel is unique in a way as it is written in a first person speech of Koushik Mitra.
- 10.Koutuholi Koner Kanta [কৌতূহলী কনের কাঁটা] (Published: 1993 from Ujjwal Sahitya Mandir; Dedication: Aloka & Ananta Prasad Tribedi) (ISBN-81-7334-007-2)
A distressed lady, Chhanda, is presently married to Tridib Narayan Rao, son of Tribikram Narayan Rao who is an aristocrat Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
and also a business tycoon. She is accused of a murder of her previous husband Kamalendu Biswas alias Kamalskha Kar alias Kamal Chandra Ghosh, who also had previous marriages. Basu saves the poor lady.
- Abhi Purbak Nee Dhatu Aw-er Kanta [অভি পূর্বক নী ধাতু অ-য়ের কাঁটা] (Inspiration: The Case of the Restless Redhead by Stanley GardnerStanley GardnerStanley Gardner was a Canadian pianist and music educator. As a performer he was best known as one half of a piano duo with Rose Goldblatt with whom he performed in concerts throughout Canada and on Canadian radio from 1936-1945...
). - Jadu Eto Boro Ronger Kanta [যাদু এতো বড় রঙ্গের কাঁটা]
- Ristedarer Kanta [রিস্তেদারের কাঁটা] (Published: 1992; Inspiration: The Case of the Beautiful Beggar by Stanley GardnerStanley GardnerStanley Gardner was a Canadian pianist and music educator. As a performer he was best known as one half of a piano duo with Rose Goldblatt with whom he performed in concerts throughout Canada and on Canadian radio from 1936-1945...
). - Dress Rehearsaler Kanta [ড্রেস রিহার্সালের কাঁটা] (Inspiration: Three Act Tragedy by Agatha ChristieAgatha ChristieDame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
). - NyayNishtha Nyasnasheer Kanta [ন্যায়নিষ্ঠ ন্যাসনাশীর কাঁটা] (Published: 1994).
- Sokol Kanta Dhyonyo Kore [সকল কাঁটা ধন্য করে]
- Kantay Kantay (in 6 volumes) [কাঁটায় কাঁটায়] -A collection of all Kanta books, published by Dey's PublishingDey's PublishingDey's Publishing, based in Kolkata, India, ranks among the top Bengali publishing houses of India. Dey's Publishing has popular titles from such top-of-the-line Bengali authors Dey's Publishing is led by Sudhangshu Shekhar Dey, who also happens to be the ground convenor of the Kolkata Book Fair...
.- Kantay Kantay 1 (Published: 1990): Sonar Kanta, Machher Kanta, Pother Kanta, Ghorir Kanta, Kuler Kanta.
- Kantay Kantay 2 (Published: 1990): Uler Kanta, Aw-Aaw-Kaw Khuner Kanta, Sarmeyo Genduker Kanta.
Research Related
- Netaji Rahasyo Sandhane [নেতাজি রহস্য সন্ধানে] (1970)
- Chin-Bharat Long March [চিন-ভারত লং মার্চ] (1977)
- Poyomukhm [পয়োমুখম] (1987)
Refugee Problems
- Bolmeek [বল্মীক] (1955)
- Bakultala P.L. Camp [বকুলতলা পি. এল. ক্যাম্প] (1955)
- AronyoDondok [অরণ্যদণ্ডক] (1961)
Historical
- Mohakaler Mondir [মহাকালের মন্দির] (1964)
- Hanseshwaree [হংসেশ্বরী] (1977)
- AnandaSwarupini [আনন্দস্বরূপিণী] (1978)
- Ladley Begum [লাডলী বেগম] (1986)
- RupManjari [রূপমঞ্জরী]
Biographical
- Ami Netajike Dekhechhi [আমি নেতাজিকে দেখেছি] (1970)
- Ami Rasbeharike Dekhechhi [আমি রাসবিহারীকে দেখেছি] (1973)
- Lindeberg [লিন্ডবার্গ] (1978)
Devdasi Related
- Sutonuka Ekti Devdasir Nam [সুতনুকা একটি দেবদাসীর নাম] (1983)
- Sutonuka Kono Devdasir Nam Noy [সুতনুকা কোন দেবদাসীর নাম নয়] (1984)
Dramas
- Muskil Aasan [মুস্কিল আসান] (1954)
- Ek Dui Tin [এক দুই তিন] —An adoption in Bengali of the play by George Orwell-Animal Farm.
Essay Collections
- Swargiyo Naraker Dwar Ebong... [স্বর্গীয় নরকের দ্বার এবং...] (1992)
- Leonardor Noteboi Ebong... [লেঅনার্দোর নোটবই এবং...] (1992)
Na Manush (Not Man) Related
- Gajomukta [গজমুক্তা] (1973)
- Timi Timingil [তিমি তিমিঙ্গিল] (1979)
- Raskel [রাস্কেল] (1984)
- Na-Manushi Bishwokosh (Ek) [না-মানুষী বিশ্বকোষ এক] (1988)
- Na-Manushi Bishwokosh (Dui) [না-মানুষী বিশ্বকোষ দুই] (1990)
- Na-Manusher Kahini [না-মানুষের কাহিনী] (1988)
Social Novels
- Bryatya [ব্রাত্য] (1959)
- Alokananda [অলকানন্দা] (1963)
- Neelimay Neel [নীলিমায় নীল] (1964)
- Satyakam [সত্যাকাম] (1965)
- Pashanda Pandit [পাষণ্ড পণ্ডিত] (1970)
- Asleelotar Daye [অশ্লীলতার দায়ে] (1975; Inspiration: Seven Minutes by Irving WallaceIrving WallaceIrving Wallace was an American best-selling author and screenwriter. Wallace was known for his heavily researched novels, many with a sexual theme. One critic described him "as the most successful of all the many exponents of junk fiction perhaps because he took it all so seriously, not so say...
). - Lal Trikon [লাল ত্রিকোণ] (1975)
- Parabola Sir [প্যারাবোলা স্যার] (1977)
- Aabar Jodi Ichcha Karo [আবার যদি ইচ্ছা কর]
- Milanantak [মিলনান্তক] (1985)
- Chonbal [ছোঁবল] (1989)
- Chhoytaner Chaoyal [ছয়তানের ছাওয়াল] (1989)
- Emonta To Hoyei Thake [এমনটা তো হয়েই থাকে] (1992)
- Amrapali [আম্রপালি] (1992)
- Maan Mane Kachu [মান মানে কচু] (1992)