Short stories from the 1970s - II
Ghanada turns mythologist with the 'Mahabharat' phase.
Story names permanently overshoot the two-syllable limit.
1974 - Shaanti Pawrbey Ghanada
1975 - Keechak Bawdhey Ghanada
1975 - Bharat Juddhey Pnipre
1975 - Gul-E Ghanada
1975 - Timitaaran Ghanada /
1976 - Khaandabdaahey Ghanada
1977 - Kurukshetrey Ghanada
1978/ Earlier - Ghanadar Phnu
Premendra wrote more such stories, all entitled 'Mahabharatey Nei' ('Missing from the Mahabharat'). Of course, Ghanada was missing too.
The longest epic's no match for our tall tale teller.
Like his namesake Krishna, Ghanada knows all the who, what, where, when of the Pandav secrets. And how the embarrassing bits were censored.
[Click to enlarge image]
Artist : Uday Deb
Epic Cure
. First story of Ghanada's 'Mahabharat' phase.
. Surya Roy's smart, lean, clean-shaven hero,
last seen in 'Knaata' (1971), appears once more.
First Published :
November 1974,
'Shaarodiyaa Kishore Bharati'
Illustration : Surya Roy
First featured in the book :
'Ghanadar Hij Bij Bij', 1983
Illustrations : None
'Shaanti Pawrbey Ghanada'
from 'Shaarodiyaa Kishore Bharati', 1974
Artist : Surya Roy
'Shaanti Pawrbey Ghanada'
('Ghanada on Mahabharat's Episode of Peace'), 1974
Blow-by-Blow
. From Ghanada's 'Mahabharat' phase.
. Surya Roy's headpiece bore an intentional likeness to
'Shaanti Pawrbey Ghanada' from the year before.
First Published :
April - May 1975, 'Kishore Bharati'
Illustration : Surya Roy
First featured in the book :
'Duniyaar Ghanada', 1976
Illustrations : Goutam Roy
'Keechak Bawdhey Ghanada'
from 'Kishore Bharati', April - May 1975
Artist : Surya Roy
'Keechak Bawdhey Ghanada'
('Ghanada on the Slaying of Keechak'), 1975
'Keechak Bawdhey Ghanada'
from 'Duniyaar Ghanada', 1976
Artist : Goutam Roy
'Keechak Bawdhey Ghanada' from 'Mahabharatey Ghanada'
Artist : Tutu Sarkar
Alter-Ant
. From Ghanada's 'Mahabharat' phase.
. First of Sudhir Moitra (1931 - 2006)'s two Ghanashyam ventures in 'Anandamela'.
'Bharat Juddhey Pnipre' from 'Ghanadar Phnu', 1978
Artist : Dhruba Roy
First Published : July 1975 / Aashaarh 1382, 'Anandamela'
Illustrations : Sudhir Moitra
First featured in the book : 'Ghanadar Phnu', 1978
Illustrations : Dhruba Roy
'Bharat Juddhey Pnipre' from
'Anandamela', July 1975
Artist : Sudhir Moitra
A bespectacled Mahabharat-addict Ghanada.
Artist : Sudhir Moitra.
From 'Bharat Juddhey Pnipre', 1975
'Bharat Juddhey Pnipre [ Mahabharatey Nei ]' ('Ants in the Mahabharat War'), 1975
'Anandamela', Year 1 Issue 3, July 1975
Cover : Kushal Chakraborty
From 'Mahabharatey Ghanada'
Artist : Tutu Sarkar
Shark Shirk
From 'Ghanadar Shongi Shaathi', 1986
Artist : Amal Chattopadhyay
From 'Sheraa Shankalan Gul Gawlpo', 2003
Editor : Abhijnan Roychowdhury
Artist : Gautam Dasgupta
From 'Haashir Phowaara', 2005
Editor : Sanjib Mukhopadhyay
Artist : Unknown
. Third Ghanada tale of 1975 deviates from the 'Mahabharat' series.
. Sudhir Moitra (1931 - 2006) maintains a continuity of sorts with 'Bharat Juddhey Pnipre' from a few months ago.
. 'Gul-E Ghanada' was christened 'Haashir Phowaara' in an eponymous mixed anthology, with an unrelated illustration to match !
. In this tale, Ghanada orders a new armchair for the chit-chat room from a local fair.
First Published : 1975, 'Anandamela Pujabaarshiki'
Illustrations : Sudhir Moitra
First featured in the book : 'Ghanadar Hij Bij Bij', 1983
No illustrations
'Gul-E Ghanada' from
'Anandamela' Pujabaarshiki, 1975
Artist : Sudhir Moitra
Ghanada From 'Gul-E-Ghanada'.
Artist Sudhir Moitra
'Gul-E Ghanada' ('Fibs à la Ghanada'), 1975
Flame Game
From 'Ghanadar Shongi Shaathi', 1986
Artist : Amal Chattopadhyay
From 'Mahabharatey Ghanada', 2003
Artist : Tutu Sarkar
. From Ghanada's 'Mahabharat' phase.
. Our hero appears in a Dev Sahitya Kutir Puja annual after 'Tawl', six years ago.
. The style of illustration & calligraphy leads us to suspect Ajit Gupta
as the artist of 'Khaandabdaahey Ghanada' in 'Aagomoni'.
However the annual credits Gupta only as the jacket designer.
First Published : 1976, 'Aagomoni',
Dev Sahitya Kutir Puja annual
Illustrations : Ajit Gupta [Probably]
First featured in the book : 'Ghanadar Phnu', 1978
Illustration : Dhruba Roy
'Khaandabdaahey Ghanada' from
'Aagomoni', Deb Sahitya Kutir Puja annual, 1976
Artist : Unknown
'Khaandabdaahey Ghanada' ('Ghanada on the Khaandab Fire'), 1976
List of Artists in 'Aagomoni', 1976
[Click to Enlarge]
Spurious Injurious
From 'Ghanadar Shongi Shaathi', 1986
Artist : Amal Chattopadhyay
From Premendra Mitra's
'Ek Kuri Gawlpo', 1989
Artist : Anjan Bose
From 'Mahabharatey Ghanada', 2003
Artist : Tutu Sarkar
. From Ghanada's 'Mahabharat' phase.
. As in 'Khaandabdaahey Ghanada', Ajit Gupta's trademark hero rubs shoulders
with mythological men in this headpiece reused in 'Ghanadar Shongi Shaathi', 1986.
. A sensational cover on the same theme shows Ghanashyam wielding the mace himself.
First Published : 1977, 'Mondiraa',
Dev Sahitya Kutir Puja annual
Illustrations : Ajit Gupta [Probably]
First featured in the book : 'Ghanadar Phnu', 1978
Illustration : Dhruba Roy
'Kurukshtrey Ghanada' from
'Mondiraa', Deb Sahitya Kutir Puja annual, 1977
Artist : Ajit Gupta [?]
'Kurukshetrey Ghanada' ('Ghanada on the Kurukshetra War'), 1977
'Ek Kuri Gawlpo' by Premendra Mitra.
Cover : Anjan Bose
'Kurukshetrey Ghanada'.
From 'Mondiraa',
Deb Sahitya Kutir Puja annual,
1977.
Artist : Ajit Gupta [?]
A Puff's Enough
. Can anyone inform us where & when this eponymous tale
from the book 'Ghanadar Phnu' (1978) first appeared ?
First Published : Unknown
Illustrations : Unknown
First featured in the book :
'Ghanadar Phnu', 1978
Illustration : Dhruba Roy
'Ghanadar Phnu' ('Ghanada's Puff'), 1978 / Earlier
'Ghanadar Phnu' from 'Ghanadar Phnu', 1978
Artist : Dhruba Roy
'Ghanadar Phnu',
Ananda Publishers Private Limited, 1978
Artist : Dhruba Roy
Ho-Ho-Bah !
. First published eight years before being renamed and incorporated in the eponymous book 'Ghanadar Hij Bij Bij' (1983).
. Artist Subrata Tripathi's hero appears to follow the Ajit Gupta prototype.
First Published : 1975, Shaaradiya Jugantar 1382
Illustrations : Subrata Tripathi
First featured in the book : 'Ghanadar Hij Bij Bij', 1983
Illustrations : None
'Timitaaran Ghanada / Ghanadar Hij Bij Bij'
('Ghanada's Jibber-Jabber'), 1975
'Timitaaran Ghanada' from
'Shaaradiya Jugantar', 1975
Artist : Subrata Tripathi
