Special thanks to Semanti_Debnath for the recommendation.
"Innocent pen, innocent ink [and Muse]
On an innocent page scribbles abuse"
~ Sukumar Ray
Sukumar Ray was a Bengali humorous poet, story writer and playwright from the Indian subcontinent. He is remembered mainly for his writings for children.
He was the son of acclaimed children's writer, artist, musician and printing pioneer Upendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury, the father of Oscar winning writer and filmmaker Satyajit Ray and grandfather of Indian filmmaker Sandip Ray.
Born in 1887 in Calcutta, British India, he grew up during the Bengal Renaissance, surrounded by artists and encouraged to write from an early age. His first poem “Nodi” or “River” was published in the magazine Mukul when he was barely eight years old.
As perhaps the most famous Indian practitioner of literary nonsense, he is often compared to Lewis Carroll.
His works such as the collection of poems Aboltabol (The Weird and the Absurd), novella HaJaBaRaLa (Mumbo-Jumbo), short story collection Pagla Dashu (Crazy Dashu) and play Chalachittachanchari are considered nonsense masterpieces equal in stature to Alice in Wonderland, and are regarded as some of the greatest treasures of Bengali literature.
Reigned as the king of Indian nonsense and the father of Indian graphic novels for he created a unique Indian brand of nonsense and established standards of writing for children and its illustration that would inspire many writers and artists to enter this field.
An amazing sense of humor, sharp power of observation and unfathomed wit merged with a profound command on selection of words produced a class of humor in his works which was equally approachable by children as well as the grown ups.
Many critics remark that Ray's writing seems to be created for children but underlying the simplicity and humour of his language lies a powerful social commentary and satire.
He wrote about common people doing everyday things and showed how the human psyche worked in various situations.
His works give a clear picture of Bengal in the 19th century.
He also frequently used animals and other mythical, made-up creatures in his poems, rhymes, plays and stories. This made it easier for him to control their attitude and make them say whatever he wanted, thus, making his work engaging and humorous.
His stories, poems and plays continue to be widely read, recited and performed to this day. For non-Bengali readers, most of his classic works are available in English translation. His son, filmmaker Satyajit Ray, continued the family tradition of writing quality fiction for children and translated some of his father’s writing.
Sukumar Ray died on 10 September 1923, at the age of 35 at his Garpar residence in Kolkata of severe infectious fever, leishmaniasis, for which there was no cure at the time.
Yet, in the short span of his lifetime, Sukumar Ray left an inimitable stamp on Bengali and indeed Indian literature.
More than 80 years after his death, Ray remains one of the most popular of children's writers in both West Bengal and Bangladesh.
Discussion Questions
Literature expresses emotions, ideas and feelings with mere words. When combined with elements from other art forms, its appeal rises tenfold. Words are brought to life. Do you think it's true? In your opinion, what makes a literary piece outstanding? Is it the writing, or the illustrations within the book that entice you?
Upon translation, literary works lose their true essence as the beauty of the original language cannot be replicated in the other versions. What are your thoughts about translated works? Do you like to read them or do you avoid them?
Children's literature plays a crucial role in the development of a child in terms of language skills, vocabulary, memory as well as creativity, so quality is important. However, in present times, the quality has deteriorated. The cost of printing is high and it's difficult to afford proficient illustrators. What elements should be incorporated to improve quality?
Always open to additional comments and discussions on Sukumar Ray and his works.
If there is another author you would like to see a discussion on, please post your suggestion in the comments below for a chance to be featured in a future chapter!
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