Professor Shanku
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Professor Shanku(Professor Shonku) is a fictional scientist created by Satyajit Ray in a series of science-fiction books.
Contents |
[edit] Professor Shanku Books
Professor Shonku. New Script, Calcutta 1965.
Containing : Byomjatrir Diary (Sandesh September November 1961), Professor Shonku o Had (Sandesh, Jan. 1964), Professor Shonku o Macao (Sandesh, Autumn 1964), Professor Shonku o Ashcharya. Putul (Sandesh, Much 1965), Professor Shonku o Golok Rahasya (Sandesh, May 1965), Professor Shonku o Chi Ching (Sandesh, Autumn 1965). Later editions have two more stories: Professor Shonku o Khoka (Sandesh, July 1967), Professor Shonku o Bhoot (Ashcharya, Autumn 1966)
Professor Shonkur Kandokarkhana (Professor Shonku's Deeds). Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1970.
Containing; Professor Shonku o Reba (Sandesh, February and Much 1968), Professor Shonku o Kochabambar Guha (Sandesh, May 1969), Professor Shonku o Raktamatsya Rahashya (Sandesh, May and June 1968), Professor Shanku o Gorilla (Sandesh, Autumn 1969), Professor Shonku o Baghdad-er Baksa (Sandesh, March and April 1970)
Shabash Professor Sbonku (Bravo Professor Shonku). Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1974.
Containing: Ashcharya Pranee (Sandesh, Autumn 1971), Swapnadweep (Sandesb, May and June 1971), Moru Rahasya (Sandesh, May and June 1972), Corvus (Anandamela, Autumn 1972), Dr. Sering er Smaramsakti (Anandamela, Autumn 1974)
Mahasankatey Shonku (Shonku in Deep Peril). Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1977.
Containing: Shonkur Shanir Dasha (Anandamela, Autumn 1976), Shankur Subarna Sujog (Sandesh, April, May and June 1977), Hipnogen (Sandesb, April, May and June 1976)
Swayang Professor Shonku (None other than Professor Shonku). Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1980.
Containing: Monror Dweeper Rahasya (Aanandamela, Autumn 1977), Kampu (Anandamela, Autumn 1978), Ek Shringa Abhijan (Sandesh, December 1973 April 1974)
Shonku Ekai Aksho (Shonku, Worth a Hundred of them by himself). Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1983.
Containing: Mahakasher Doot (Anandamela, Autumn 1979), Shonku'r Congo Abhijan. (Anandamela, Autumn 198 1), Nakurbabu o El Dorado (Anandamela, Autmnn 1980), Professor Shonku o UFO (Anandamela, Autumn, 1982)
Punashcha Shonku (Shonku once again). Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1993.
Containing: Ashcharjantu (Anandamela, Autumn 1983), Shonku o Adim Manush (Anandamela, Autumn 1986), Shonkur Paralok Charcha (Anandamela, Autumn 1987), Professor Randy-r Time Machine (Anandamela, Autumn 1985)
Selam Professor Shonku (Hats off, Professor Shonku). Ananda Publishers, Calcutta, 1995.
Containing: Nefrudet er Samadhi (Sandesh, Autumn, 1986), Dr. Daniel er Abishkar (Sandesh, Autumn 1988), Shonku o Frankenstein (Anandamela, Autumn 1988), Don Christobaldir Bhabishyadbani (Anandamela, Autumn 1989), Swarnaparnee (Anandamela, Autumn 1990), Intelectron (Anandamela, Autumn 1992), Deksel Island er Ghatana (Anandamela, Autumn 1992)
[edit] The character
The real name of Professor Shanku is Trilokeshwar Shanku. He lives in Giridih beside the river Usri.He has a male-servant named Prahllad and a cat named Newton living in the house. In his story "The Astronaut's Diary"(Byomjatrir diary) Ray introduced Professor Shonku, the protagonist of his science-fiction stories.
[edit] Other frequent characters
- Abinash Chatterjee/Majumdar (Abinash babu) - the completely non-scientific person who often finds Shonku's scientific breakthroughs humiliating or amusing or nothing at all.
- Nakur Chandra Biswas - the man with super natural power of predicting the future which he had from a Ball-Lighning incident.
- Jeremy Saunders - the British scientist residing in London (as mentioned in Shornoporni).
- Wilhelm Krol - German scientist with interests on paranormal activities - quite unmindful (as described in Ekshringo Abhijan).
[edit] The inventions
He has his own laboratory there in his house where he researches for loads of new and fantastic inventions.
Some of his extra-ordinary inventions are:
- Miracurall - a drug capsule that cures any ailment except common cold
- Annihillin - a pistol that simply annihilates any living thing. It does not work on non living things(According to Shonku'r Congo Abhijan). However, in Shonkur Shanir Dasha he manages to annihilate a robot with it.
- Shankoplane - A small plane capable of vertical take-off and landing and magnificent mileage.
- Shankovite - the Anti-Gravity alloy by which shankoplane was made.
- Omniscope - a combination of telescope and microscope.
- Air-conditioning pill - a capsule that keeps the body temperature normal in extremes of climate.
- Somnolin - a sleeping pill that will work in any condition.
- Evolutin - a drug that makes people evolute 10 thousand years in 5 minutes.
- Compudium - short for Computerized Medium, a device to contact departed souls.
- Remembrane- a device that makes people remember the things he forgot.
- Robu - a robot able to answer any kind of question.
- Linguagraph - a device that translates any human language to any other.
- Compu - a computer with a self-dveloped mind.
- Intellectron - a device to measure intelligence.
- Linguagraph - another translator. This one translates all languages including that of cats, plants, ants and even viruses.
- Ornithon - a device to teach the birds. Professor Shanku was able to "educate" a crow named Corvus.
- Snuff Gun - a gun that causes snuffing for thirty three hours.
- Pill for Nightmade - causes sleep and makes the taker have terrible nightmares.
[edit] The adventures
Professor Shanku had many adventures, in both real and fantastical places, some with historical leanings and some with great revelations connected to human civilisation.
Excerpts of some interesting adventures follow:
- Professpr Shonku o Had:
Professor Shanku meets a fakir who has this ability to re-animate a living thing from its bones. Shonku tries to investigate, which enrages the fakir and the causes him to curse Shanku. Later in his life, Shanku discovers the remains of a dinosaur in a cave along with an assistant. The curse starts to take effect and the dinosaur comes back to life.
- Professor Shonku o Golok Rahasya:
Shanku gets hold of a mysterious sphere which changes its color spontaneously and emanates various sounds. In fact, the sphere is a planet from another solar system and it has brought extra-terrestrial life along.
- Swapnadwip:
The Professor is haunted by a repeating dream where he along, with his friends, are stranded on a beautiful exotic island without any inhabitants. His friends also experience the same dream. It is as if the mysterious island is beckoning great scientists of the world to it.
- Ek Shringo Avijan:
Shanku goes to Tibet, to find out about a Unicorn which is reported to be seen there. In the adventure, Shanku discovers a place where everybody's dreams come true... a Utopia.
- Mahakasher doot:
Shanku tries to prove that human civilization has prospered thanks to the help of some alien civilisation that comes to Earth every 5000 years and teaches them something extraordinary. What are they going to reveal this time?
- Nakurbabau o El Dorado:
Nokurbabu has the ability to make others see what he is thinking. He and Shanku are caught in a chain of events that lead them to the deep jungles of South America where El Dorado has always eluded discovery.
- Professor Shonku o UFO:
Several sightings of UFOs makes headlines worldwide. However, this news is outdone by the news of the demolition of some of the greatest monuments of mankind. The Eiffel Tower and the Angkor Wat are destroyed, and the aliens are blamed. Nokurbabu joins Shanku and other scientists who discover that the UFO has its base in the Gobi desert. They find the UFO and go aboard. They are captured immediately, not by the aliens, but by a mad scientist who is the present owner of the UFO and who is in fact the destroyer of the momuments, driven because he was denied his due honour in the scientific community. His next target is the Taj Mahal.
- Swarnaparnee:
This is the story of a young Shanku when he visited Germany on the eve of World War II. A fascinating story about how Shanku went on to meet Himmler and finally evaded the Nazis.
