Premendra Mitra (4 September 1904 – 3 May 1988)Samsad Bengali Charitabhidhan Vol.II edited Anjali Bose, Published by Sagitta Samsad, Kolkata, Edition January,2019,Page-240 was an Indian poet, writer and film director in the
Bengali language
Bengali ( ), generally known by its endonym Bangla (, ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language native to the Bengal region of South Asia. It is the official, national, and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh and the second m ...
. He was also a practitioner of
Bengali science fiction
Bengali science fiction ( bn, বাংলা বিজ্ঞান কল্পকাহিনী ''Bangla Bigyan Kalpakahini'') is a part of Bengali literature containing science fiction elements. It is called ''Kalpabigyan'' ( ) or storie ...
. His critique of humanity led him to believe that for it to survive, human beings had to "forget their differences and be united".
Birth and family
Premendra Mitra was born on 4 September 1904 at his father's workplace
Varanasi
Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.
*
*
*
* The city has a syncretic t ...
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
. He belonged to the renowned Mitra family of
Konnagar
Konnagar is a town and a municipality of Hooghly district in the state of West Bengal in India. Konnagar has a railway station that connect with Howrah. It is under Uttarpara police station in Serampore subdivision. It is a part of the area c ...
(in
Hooghly district
Hooghly district () is one of the districts of the Indian state of West Bengal. It can alternatively be spelt ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli''. The district is named after the Hooghly River.
The headquarters of the district are at Hooghly-Chinsura (''C ...
,
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
). His father's name was Gyanendranath Mitra and his mother was Suhasini Debi. He lost his mother at an early age.
Life
Premendra Mitra was born in
Varanasi
Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.
*
*
*
* The city has a syncretic t ...
, India where his father Gyanendranath Mitra was an employee of the
Indian Railways
Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tot ...
and because of that he had the opportunity to travel to many places in India. Having lost his mother, who died during his childhood, he was brought up by his grandparents in
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
and spent his later life in
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
(now Kolkata) and
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
Scottish Church College
Scottish Church College is a college affiliated by Calcutta University, India. It offers selective co-educational undergraduate and postgraduate studies and is the oldest continuously running Christian liberal arts and sciences college in A ...
in Calcutta which he left prematurely to study agriculture in
Santiniketan
Santiniketan is a neighbourhood of Bolpur town in the Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in West Bengal, India, approximately 152 km north of Kolkata. It was established by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, and later expanded by his son ...
with a friend of
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...
, Leonard Elmhirst. Because it did not hold his interest, he returned to education first on an undergraduate course in Dhaka and in 1925 at
Asutosh College
Asutosh College (Bengali: আশুতোষ কলেজ) is a college affiliated to the University of Calcutta, situated in Southern Kolkata, close to the Jatin Das Park Metro Station, gate No. 2. It was established in 1916 as the South Subu ...
in Calcutta where he assisted the research of
Dinesh Chandra Sen
Rai Bahadur Dinesh Chandra Sen ( bn, দীনেশ চন্দ্র সেন) (3 November 1866 – 20 November 1939)Sengupta, Subodh Chandra (ed.) (1988) ''Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan'' (in Bengali), Kolkata: Sahitya Sansad, p.208 was a ...
. In particular, his creation of the character of GhanaDaনাদা(meaning: 'Elder brother Ghana' in Bengali) won him public recognition.
Bibliography
Poems
*''Prothoma'' (First Lady)
*''Somrat'' (The Emperor)
*''Feraari Fouj'' (The Lost Army) Poetries:''Fhyan'' ্যান*''Sagor Theke Fera'' (Returning From The Sea)
*''Horin Cheeta Chil'' (Deer, Cheetah, Kite) Poetries: ''Khunt'' ুঁত(Wrong)
*''Kokhono Megh'' (An Occasional Cloud)
*''Ananya'' (One-of-a-kind, Unique)
*''Khuda wahid'' (Allah)
Short story collections
Bengali
*''PonchoShor'' ঞ্চশর(The Five Arrows)
*''Benami Bandar'' েনামি বন্দর(Unknown Harbour)
*''Putul O Protima'' ুতুল ও প্রতিমা(Doll And Clay Image of Goddess)
*''Mrittika'' ৃত্তিকা(Earthen image)
*''Ofuronto'' ফুরন্ত(Endless)
*''Dhuli Dhusor'' ূলি ধূসর(Fade As Dust)
*''Mohanagar'' হানগর(The Great City)
*''Jol Payra'' (Water Pigeon)
*''Sreshto Golpo'' ্রেষ্ঠ গল্প(Best Stories)
*''Nana Ronge Bona'' ানা রঙে বোনা(Knit with Different Colours)
*''Nirbachita'' ির্বাচিত(Selected)
*''Telenapota Abishkar'' েলেনাপোতা আবিষ্কার(Discovering Telenapota)
English
(Not actually written by him, later translated)
*''Snake And Other Stories''
*''Mosquito and Other Stories''
*''Adventures of Ghanada''
*''Chorui Pakhira Kothay Jay'' ড়ুই পাখিরা কোথায় যায়*''Lighthouse-e'' াইটহাউসে(At the Lighthouse)
*''Satyabadi Suku'' ত্যবাদী সুকু(Suku the Truth Speaker)
*''Hatir Danter Kaj'' াতির দাঁতের কাজ(Work Done By the Tooth of an Elephant)
*''Golper Swarge'' ল্পের স্বর্গে(At the Paradise of Stories)
*''Putuler Lorai'' ুতুলের লড়াই(The Fight of the Dolls)
*''Ramrajye Bidroha'' ামরাজ্যে বিদ্রোহ*''Kurukshetre Bhaja Orfe Brihaddhaja'' ুরুক্ষেত্রে ভজা ওরফে বৄহদ্ধজ(Bhaja Alias Brihaddhaja at the Kurukshetra)
*''Ratan Panjali'' তন পাঞ্জালী*''Ko-Aai'' ো-আই*''Porira Keno Ase Na'' রিরা কেন আসে না(Why the Fairies Don't Come)
*''KalRakkhos Kothay Thake? '' ালরাক্ষস কোথায় থাকে?(Where does KalRakkhos Live?)
*''Sanu O DudhRajkumar'' ানু ও দুধরাজকুমার(Sanu And DudhRajkumar)
*''KaluSardar'' (Kalu the Leader)
*''Gopon Bahini'' োপন বাহিনী(The Secret Force)
*''Mahuri Kuthite Ek Rat'' াহুরি কুঠিতে এক রাত(One Night Stand at Mahuri Kuthi)
*''Nishutipur'' িশুতিপুর*''Vuturhe Jahaj'' ূতুড়ে জাহাজ(The Ghost Ship)
Ghost stories
*''Golper Sheshe'' (At the End of the Story)
*''Rajputanar Morute'' (At the Desert of the Rajputana)
*''Bromhadoityer Math'' (The Ground of Bromhadoityo (Ghost)
Fun stories
*''Clue'' ্লু(The Clue)
*''Chor'' োর(The Thief)
*''Bhupaler Kopal'' ূপালের কপাল(The Fate of Bhupal)
*''BishwomvorBabur Bibortonbad'' িশ্বম্ভরবাবুর বিবর্তনবাদ(The Thesis of Evolution by BishwomvorBabu)
*''Niruddesh'' িরুদ্দেশ(Missing Person)
Science fictions
He was among the pioneers of
Bengali science fiction
Bengali science fiction ( bn, বাংলা বিজ্ঞান কল্পকাহিনী ''Bangla Bigyan Kalpakahini'') is a part of Bengali literature containing science fiction elements. It is called ''Kalpabigyan'' ( ) or storie ...
. He started writing science fictions to make children and preteens familiar with science.
*''Juddho Jakhan Thamlo'' ুদ্ধ যখন থামল(When the War Stopped)
*'' Pinpre Puran'' িঁপড়ে পুরাণ(The Story of the Ants)Debjani Sengupta (2003). , ''Sarai Reader: Shaping Technologies'' 3.
*''Prithivir Shatru'' ৄথিবীর শত্রু(The Enemies of the Earth)
*''Kalapanir Atole'' ালাপানির অতলে*''Mangalbairi'' ঙ্গলবৈরী(The Martian Enemies)
*''Koral Korkot'' রাল কর্কট(Horrible Crab)
*''Akasher Atonko'' কাশের আতঙ্ক(The Danger from the Sky)
*''Manusher Protidwondi'' ানুষের প্রতিদ্বন্দ্বী(The Rival of the Man)
*''MoyDanober Dweep'' য়দানবের দ্বীপ(The Island of MoyDanob)
*''Shomaoner Ron(g) Sada'' মনের রং সাদা(The White Coloured Death)
*''Shukre Jara Giyechhilo'' ুক্রে যারা গিয়েছিলThose Who Went to Venus; previously named as ''Prithibee Chhariye'' ৃথিবী ছাড়িয়ে(Beyond the Earth)
Novels
*''Paank'' (The Mud)
*''Michhil'' (The Procession)
*''Uponayon'' (The Ceremony)
*''Protishod'' (The Revenge)
*'' Kuasha'' (The Fog)
*''Protidhwoni Fere'' (Echo Returns)
*''Haat Baralei Bondhu''
*''Ora Thake Odhare''
*''Path Bhuley''
*''Dabi''
Characters
Ghanada
'' Ghanada'' (Original name: '' Ghanashyam Das'') is a middle-aged resident of a mess at 72, Banamali Naskar Lane in Kolkata, West Bengal with the four young members ''Shibu'', ''Shishir'', ''Gour'' and ''Sudhir'' (the narrator of the stories). He claims himself to be full of thrilling experience all over the globe (and, even in
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...
!) to tackle conspiracies. Also, some of the stories are about ''Ganado'' (Original name: ''Ghonoram Das'' নরাম দাস in South America, and ''Bachanram Das'' চনরাম দাসin
Agra
Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is ...
at
Medieval India
Medieval India refers to a long period of Post-classical history of the Indian subcontinent between the "ancient period" and "modern period". It is usually regarded as running approximately from the breakup of the Gupta Empire in the 6th cen ...
, his ancestors. First Ghanada story was মশা (The Mosquito) published in 1945.
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
on account of his service. Original name of this middle-aged man is never stated. His expeditions are written in many novels and short-stories, such as:
*''Kuhoker Deshe'' (In the Land of Illusion)
*''Dryagoner Nishwas'' (The Breath of the Dragon)
*''Mamababur Protidan'' (The Refund of Mamababu)
*''Abar Sei Meyeti'' (That Girl Again)
*''Paharer Nam Korali'' (The Hill Named Korali)
This character inspired Sunil Gangopadhyay to write his famous Kakababu series.
Parashor Barma
Parashor Barma is a detective but he tries to be a poet. First Parashor story is ''Goyenda Kobi Parashor'' োয়েন্দা কবি পরাশর(Detective Poet Parashor) in 1932. Some other stories are:
*''Hippie Songe Parashor Barma'' িপি সঙ্গে পরাশর বর্মা(Parashor Barma in Hippie Company)
*''Cluber naam kumati'' ্লাবের নাম কুমতি(Club named Kumati)
*''Nilem daklo parashor Barma'' িলেম ডাকলো পরাশর বর্মা(Parashor called an auction)
*''Premer Chokhe Parashor'' ্রেমের চোখে পরাশর(Parashor in the Eye of Love)
*'' Parashor Barma'' O Bhanga Radio রাশর বর্মা ও ভাঙ্গা রেডিও(Parashor Barma and the Broken Radio)
*'' Parashor Barma O Ashlil Boi রাশর বর্মা ও অশ্লীল বই(Parashor Barma and the Book of Vulger)
*''Parashor Ebar Johuri'' রাশর এবার জহুরি
Two Ghanada tales also include Parashar Barma : ''Parasharey Ghanaday'' and ''Ghanada Phirlen''.from the 'Short stories from the 1980s' page of the Ghanada Gallery website : http://ghanada.wix.com/ghanada-gallery#!short-stories-from-the-1980s/c1gv5
Mejokorta
Mejokorta is a ghost-hunter. Books featuring Mejokorta are collected in an anthology named ''Bhoot Shikari Mejokorta Ebong...''
Publishers of Mitra's writings
Leela Majumdar translated several Ghanada tales in a volume called ''Adventures of Ghanada''.from the 'Translations' page of the Ghanada Gallery website : http://ghanada.wix.com/ghanada-gallery#!translations/c14zm
The latest English translation of his Ghanada stories (''Mosquito and Other Stories'') was published by
Penguin Books India
Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
Dhiraj Bhattacharya
Dhiraj Bhattacharya (5 November 1905 - 1959) was an actor of Bengali and Hindi cinema who began in silent films. He was also a theater personality and writer.
Early life
Bhattacharya was born in a zamindar family of Panjia village, near Jessor ...
. Story, Screenplay by Mitra.
*''
Kalo Chhaya
''Kalo Chhaya'' (Dark Shadows) is a Bengali suspense thriller film directed by Premendra Mitra and produced by Gouranga Prasad Basu. This film was released on 17 December 1948 in the banner of Eastern Studio.
Plot
A lady visited Mr. Surajit Ro ...
'' ালো ছায়া(Black Shadow) Bengali, 1948: Starred by
Dhiraj Bhattacharya
Dhiraj Bhattacharya (5 November 1905 - 1959) was an actor of Bengali and Hindi cinema who began in silent films. He was also a theater personality and writer.
Early life
Bhattacharya was born in a zamindar family of Panjia village, near Jessor ...
Hanabari
''Hanabari'' (The Haunted House) Bengali: হানাবাড়ী is a Bengali black and white thriller film released in 1952. Story, screenplay and direction were done by Bengali writer Premendra Mitra. The music director was Pabitra Ch ...
Dhiraj Bhattacharya
Dhiraj Bhattacharya (5 November 1905 - 1959) was an actor of Bengali and Hindi cinema who began in silent films. He was also a theater personality and writer.
Early life
Bhattacharya was born in a zamindar family of Panjia village, near Jessor ...
and Nabadwip Halder starred film, where the mystery of a terrible creature in a haunted building was solved by a detective in disguise of a beggar. This movie was also produced by Mitra.
*''Dui Biye'' ুই বিয়ে়(Two Marriages) Bengali, 1953: Nripati Chattopadhyay and Dhiraj Bhattyacharya acted.
*''
Moyla Kagaj
''Moyla Kagaj'' (English: ''The Dirty Paper'') is a Bengali social drama film directed by Premendra Mitra. This film was released in 1954 under the banner of Mitrani Limited.
Plot
Cast
* Anil Chatterjee
* Dhiraj Bhattacharya
* Nripati Chat ...
'' য়লা কাগজ(The Dirty Paper) Bengali, 1954: Cast by
Anil Chatterjee
Anil Chatterjee (Chattopadhyay) bn, অনিল চ্যাটার্জী (চট্টোপাধ্যায়) (25 October 1929 – 17 March 1996) was an Indian actor in the Bengali cinema during the early fifties through the mid-ni ...
Dakinir Char
''Dakinir Char'' (Island of Witch) is a Bengali crime thriller film directed and produced by Premendra Mitra based on the story of Mitra in the same name. This film was released on 28 January 1955 under the banner of Chitrani Films.
Cast
* Dhi ...
'' াকিনীর চর(The Island of Witch) Bengali, 1955
*''
Chupi Chupi Aashey
''Chupi Chupi Aashey'' (''Silently he comes'') is a 1960 Bengali murder mystery film directed by Premendra Mitra. This film was released by Aurora Film Corporation and music scored by Nachiketa Ghosh. Sandhya Mukherjee sings the title song. '' ...
'' ুপি চুপি আসে(Silently He Comes) Bengali, 1960; an uncredited adaptation of
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
's '
The Mousetrap
''The Mousetrap'' is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie. ''The Mousetrap'' opened in London's West End in 1952 and ran continuously until 16 March 2020, when the stage performances had to be temporarily discontinued during the COVID-1 ...
Ora Thake Odhare
''Ora Thake Odhare'' ( ''They Live That Side'') is a Bengali language romantic comedy film directed by Sukumar Dasgupta based on a story by Premendra Mitra. This film was released on 5 February 1954 in the banner of S. M. Productions. The music ...
'' রা থাকে ওধারে(They Live That Side) Bengali, 1954 – Story, Screenplay, Lyrics: This funny movie is based on contemporary '' Ghati'' টিand
Bangal
Bangal is a term used to refer to the people of East Bengal (usually from the areas of Mymensingh, Dhaka, Barisal and Comilla), now in Bangladesh (as opposed to the Ghotis of West Bengal). The term is used to describe Bengalis from the east, ...
Uttam Kumar
Uttam Kumar ( bn, উত্তম কুমার; born Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay; 3 September 1926 – 24 July 1980), popularly known as the Mahanayak, was an Indian actor, producer, director, Screenwriter, script writer, composer, and sing ...
Bhanu Bandyopadhyay
Bhanu Bandyopadhyay, also known as Bhanu Banerjee (born as Samyamoy Bandyopadhyay; 26 August 1920 – 4 March 1983), was an Indian actor, known for his work in Bengali cinema. He acted in over 300 movies, in numerous plays and performed freque ...
,
Tulsi Chakrabarti
Tulsi Chakraborty (also Tulsi Chakrabarti, bn, তুলসী চক্রবর্তী; 3 March 1899 – 11 December 1961) was an Indian actor and comedian who worked in Bengali cinema in the 1940s and 50s. His most notable role could be t ...
,
Chhabi Biswas
Chhabi Biswas (''Chabi Biśbās'') (13 July 1900 – 11 June 1962) was an Indian actor, primarily known for his performances in Tapan Sinha's '' Kabuliwala'' and Satyajit Ray's films '' Jalshaghar'' (''The Music Room'', 1958), '' Devi'' ...
and
Dhiraj Bhattacharya
Dhiraj Bhattacharya (5 November 1905 - 1959) was an actor of Bengali and Hindi cinema who began in silent films. He was also a theater personality and writer.
Early life
Bhattacharya was born in a zamindar family of Panjia village, near Jessor ...