Writing during the turbulent times of Nationalist freedom struggle, independence and partition, Mitra’s stories are adventure tales masking social injustices and the need to resist the corruption of power. Khagendranath Mitra was a prolific children’s writer. Here’s a sneak peek of the kinds of characters you will encounter in the book. This compilation brings together ghost stories by writers from both West Bengal and Bangladesh. There are some ghosts which are gentle, some are the dead spirits of Brahmins, some can disguise themselves as beautiful women and lure you, some take the form of different animals to haunt you. For Middle and Advanced Readers: Ghost Storiesĭui Banglar Shreshto Bhuter Galpo edited by Nurl Amin Rokonīengal has always had a tradition of ghost stories. Rajkahini (The Lore of the Kings) are stories that speak about the valour and romance, but does not shirk away from showing the sacrifices, the violence, the oppression and the tragedies that remain at the heart of the grandiosity of imperial stories. Abanindranath Thakur, who excelled in weaving stories about magical adventures and modern fantasy, here combines historical facts with mythical storytelling to narrate the lives of the Rajput kings. Partly because of the exoticism associated with miles of sand dunes and battles taking place amidst them, Rajput imperial history from the state of Rajasthan in India has lent itself to numerous legends, myths and stories. Rajkahiniby Abanindranath Thakur, translated by Kalyani Dutta Two stories from Tuntunir Boi translated by Indrani Chakraborty can be read here. He also retold the two epics Ramayana and Mahabharata for children, editions that retain the complexity of the original versions, in simple and narrative prose. Being a blockmaker, printer and publisher himself, Raychaudhuri’s illustration skills are superior. Not only this, he also illustrated this book himself - pictures which in the simplest craftsmanship express beautifully the allegorical and entertaining nature of his stories. Some have pointed out that many of his characters are tricksters, who enact an allegory of anti-colonial resistance by defeating the powerful. In this book, anthropomorphic animals have interesting and fun adventures. Upendrakishore Raychaudhuri, the author of Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, also retold some of the most beloved Bengali folktales in his extremely popular book Tuntunir Boi (The Tailor Bird’s Book). Selected stories translated and published in a volume called Majantali & Coby Madhuchhanda Karlekar (Thema) Tuntunir Boiby Upendrakishore Raychaudhuri. He also wrote a number of limericks in Bengali. Some of his rhymes such as this and “khokā o khuku” have been turned into songs. His most famous rhymes is probably the one where he condemns the Partition of Bengal - “Teler shishi bhanglo bole khukur pare raag koro/ Tomra je shob buro khoka Bharat bhenge bhaag karo/ Tarbela?” Here’s a translation of the entire poem into English. His rhymes collection, published in 1994, brings forth an eclectic variety of rhymes, at once charming listeners with their musical cadence, and making them think critically with their allegorical and satirical themes. He contributed most enthusiastically to popular twentieth-century children’s magazines, such as Mouchak. Growing up in Dhenkanal in the Indian state of Orissa, he wrote both in Bengali and Odiya. Novelist and essayist Annada Shankar is probably the most well-known for the many playful rhymes he wrote for children. Ha Ha Ho Ho, Selected Rhymes of Annada Shankar Ray, Translated into English by Sukanta Chaudhuri (Seagull Books)
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