Ghanada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ghanada (Bengali: ঘনাদা), also often spelled as Ghonada is a fictional character in Bengali literature created by Premendra Mitra primarily for children and teenagers. Literally, it means respected elder brother Ghana. The main characters are Shibu, Shishir, Gour, and the narrator who all live in a shared mess at 72 Banamali Naskar Lane in Kolkata, West Bengal. Staying on a room on the highest floor is Ghanashyam, respectfully referred to as Ghanada, a middle-aged tenant older than the other four with a penchant for telling tall-tales. Banwari and Rambhuj, the two servants complete the list of recurring characters in Ghanada's world. Stories featuring Ghanada sometimes have the theme of the four junior characters trying to get the better of Ghanada, but often failing in their attempts. Other stories feature Ghanada telling tales to the four, which they listen with rapt attention.
Although Ghanada stories are tall tales, they are amazingly accurate in the details of history, geography, physics, chemistry, zoology and other subjects. It is obvious that while Ghanada himself has not been involved in any of the adventures he claims to have taken part in, he is certainly a very learned man with an exceptional gift for storytelling.
Some Ghanada stories are:
1)Mosha (Mosquito): The first Ghanada story published. Here, Ghanada describes how he thwarted the plans of a megalomaniacal Japanese scientist hiding in Sakhalin, who was trying to conquer the world with the help of the genetically altered mosquitoes he has created.
2)Kach (Glass): Ghanada takes on Nazi Germany. His courage and bluff prevents the Nazis from manufacturing an atom bomb, which they were planning to drop on Britain. It is both humorous and thrilling to read how a piece of glass helps Ghanada in his quest.
3)Mach (Fish): Ghanada recalls the hair-raising adventure when, while trying to protect a scientist friend from a cannibalistic tribe located deep inside Africa, he himself is captured by them. Using his presence of mind and the friendly signal of a fish, he is able to save not only his own life but also his friend's.
4)Tupi (Cap): Ghanada's experience of witnessing, and his failed but gallant attempt of capture an yeti, the fabled monster of the Tibetan Himalayas.
5)Hash (Duck): The story of how Ghanada saved an invaluable scientific discovery from falling into the hands of a crook. Another memorable adventure in Tibet.
6)Ghanadake vote din (Vote for Ghanada): The younger boarders of the apartment Ghanada stays in plan a trick to make a fool of him by staging a drama that the local municipality has decided to select Ghanada as the candidate for the upcoming election. Ghanada, however, manages to turn the table on them by slipping out of the trap with yet another tall tale of his mission to find the El Dorado.
In retrospect, Ghanada may be seen as Mitra's parody or caricature of the Bengali urban middle class celibate intellectual, who is at home in the world of books and knowledge, but has little practical experience whatsoever. It is also interesting to note that not unlike Satyajit Ray's Feluda (perhaps more like Ray's Tarini khuro), the older Ghanada although not abhorring the opposite sex, is not entirely at ease with them either. He stays at an all-male hostel and maintains an almost frugal existence. Ghanada is a self educated person and his education is mostly due to time spent at the local libraries, including maybe, an occasional trip to the National Library of India in Kolkata. In a way, it could be argued that these stories also reflect larger patterns of social transformations.
[edit] Selected books featuring Ghanada
- Additiyo Ghanada
- Amar naam Ghanada
- Duniyar Ghanada
- Ghanada Samagra, Vol 1-3 (Collected stories with Ghanada)
- Ghanada Tasyo tasyo omnibus
- Ghanada-r chingri brittanto
- Ghanada-r golpo
- Ghanada-r juri nei
- Adventures of Ghanada, edited and translated by Leela Majumdar
- Mosquito and Other Stories: Ghana-da's Tall Tales, edited and translated by Amlan Das Gupta (Penguin, 2004)
