Byomkesh
Byomkesh
Byomkesh Bakshi
Byomkesh Bakshi (or Byomkesh Baksi) (Bengali: ) is a fictional detective in Bengali literature created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. He is one of the most successful detective characters in Bengali literature. Bandyopadhyay once said that these stories can be thought as and read as social novels only. In Bengali, Byomkesh means "the sky".
Overview
The advocate-turned-littrateur Bandyopadhyay was deeply influenced by Sherlock Holmes[1] of Arthur Conan Doyle, Hercule Poirot of Agatha Christie and Father Brown of G.K.Chesterton as well as the "tales of ratiocination" involving C. Auguste Dupin produced by Edgar Allan Poe. He was, however, concerned with how the Indian and Bengali fictional detectives created between 1890 and 1930 had failed to exist as something other than mere copies of the Western (and particularly English) fictional detectives. The stories of Dinendra Kumar Ray's Robert Blake, Panchkari Dey's Debendra Bijoy Mitra or Swapan Kumar's Deepak Chatterjee were almost always set in London or in Kolkata which was identifiably the British metropolis. It was almost as a postcolonial response that Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay introduced the Bengali "Bhadrolok" (gentleman) sleuth Byomkesh Bakshi and Ajit Bandyopadhyay (Byomkesh's associate and narrator) in Pather Kanta in 1932. He began to write of them as investigating in an Indian metropolisthe capital of British India until 1911that has had been thoroughly Indianised. Apart from Byomkesh, there are only two other detective characters who can be thought as purely Bengali of that time: Hemendra Kumar Roy's Jayanta [] and Nihar Ranjan Guptas Kiriti Roy [ ], though in the view point of complexity and importance of crimes, Byomkesh is much more ahead. Initially serialized in the literary magazine Basumati, the stories and novels were all eventually published in hardcover editions, the first being Byomkesher Diary. In all, Sharadindu wrote 33 stories featuring Byomkesh, one of which remained incomplete due to his death. At first, he wrote in Sadhu Bhasha, but later he preferred Chalit Bhasha while writing Byomkesh. Byomkesh is one of the most popular characters in Bengali literature, along with Feluda of Satyajit Ray, Kakababu of Sunil Gangopadhyay, Parashor Barma and Ghanada of Premendra Mitra and Tenida of Narayan Gangopadhyay.
Development
Although the story Satyanweshi, in which Byomkesh and Ajit meet for the first time, is often the first story in most Byomkesh anthologies, the first Byomkesh story written was Pother Kanta in 1932, followed by Seemanto-Heera in the same year. Sharadindu started writing the stories regularly. By 1936 he had written ten stories, all of which were published by Calcutta publishers Gurudas Chatterjee and Sons in three collections. Sharadindu stopped writing Byomkesh stories for 15 years, during which time he lived and worked in Bombay, writing screenplays for Bollywood films, including Durga, Kangan and Navjeevan (all 1939). On returning to Calcutta in 1951, Sharadindu began writing Byomkesh stories again after friends asked why he had stopped and published Chitrochor in the same year. He wrote a further 21 stories, including one, Bishupal Bodh, left incomplete by his death in 1970.
Byomkesh Bakshi with him for the last two weeks he would find it difficult to live alone. Ajit consents, and since then they live there along with their devoted servant Puntiram [], until in Arthonamortham Byomkesh gets married to Satyaboti who henceforth lives there too.
Early life
Not much is known about Byomkesh's background and early life. Ajit mentions in Adim Ripu that his father used to be a mathematics teacher in a local school, while his mother busied herself in reading scriptures. Both died of tuberculosis when he was very young. His relatives never cared to look after him, leaving him to fend for himself. He earned scholarships from universities which enabled him to complete his studies. Though his relatives are still living, Byomkesh isn't interested in keeping any contact with them.
Byomkesh Bakshi of the latter in most cases. Since Byomkesh isn't interested in cases involving petty thefts or murders as they don't provide much space to exercise his intelligence, most of the times he remains at home idling away his time in newspapers and his personal library. He ascribes this to brilliant criminals being few and far between. He often paces his room relentlessly while cogitating on a mystery, consuming endless number of cigarettes. He knows that sound contribution from the police is essential to solving any case, and hence maintains a cordial relation with most police officers. When this doesn't work out, for example in Arthonamortham, finding that the officer in charge is adverse to him, Byomkesh blandishes him to elicit a thorough description of the entire event. Although he is supposed to determine the culprit and hand him (or her) to the police, Byomkesh refrains from doing so on more than one occasion. In Adim Ripu, he lets the murderer go scot-free, stating that even criminals have a right to freedom on the auspicious day of their nation's freedom (the timeline of the said story coincides with the last phase of Indian independence movement) and concluding that the knowledge of his parentage obviates having him to go through any further punishment. In Rokter Dag, he lets the murderer off on moral grounds, arguing that the act, while not acceptable in the eyes of the law, works for the greater well and hence he is worthy of pardon. He repeats this act in Hneyalir Chhondo and Achin Pakhi.
Methods of detection
In most of the story we find that Byomkesh banks more on instinct and intuition when concrete proof is unavailable. Sharadindu never expresses it explicitly through Ajit; however in Seemonto-Heera the boastful and condescending Sir Digindranarayan Roy mentions it while he pretends to make an analysis of Byomkesh's faculties from his appearance only. Ajit visibly is unable to agree with the fact that intuition can supplant material proof, though he acquiesces after Byomkesh does solve the case. In Bahnni-Patanga we see that Byomkesh is somewhat perplexed by the seemingly trivial fact that in a painting depicting Dushmanta stealing a glance at Shakuntala, the artist had chosen to paint the iris of the latter in blue. Based on this fact alone, he constructs the entire case, which we later we find accurate. Achin Pakhi perhaps provides the best example of his intuitive skills, here just in the act listening to an unsolved case as recounted by a retired police officer, he realises that the perpetrator of the crime in question is none other than the person recounting it. Byomkesh keenly focuses on the most quotidian events and facts, and many a time we find that such a fact proves all important in the solution of the mystery. He encourages his clients to state everything they can remember while they recount their experiences, insisting that nothing is unimportant to him. In Pother Kanta, this leads to the client stating that just prior to his being attacked; he heard the ringing of a bicycle bell. Later this turned out to be the most crucial piece of clue in deciphering the mystery. In "Arthonamortham", he correctly guesses that Sukumar returned from cinema at exactly 12 am. In fact there are very few stories where concrete proof does materialise to help him solve the case; for example in Chiriyakhana and Benisanghar he gets substantial help from the police. Many times we see that even though he already knows who the culprit is, he waits for an opportune moment to catch him flagrante delicto, such as in Pather Kanta, Lohar Biscuit and Shojarur Kanta.
Byomkesh Bakshi
Trivia
The customs and manners of Calcutta during the British Raj are very well portrayed in the earlier books, from street names to the names of the shops. Interestingly, the bridge spanning the Hooghly river, was a pontoon bridge as mentioned by Byomkesh twice in Pother kanta. This was prior to the current Howrah Bridge, construction of which began three years after the publication of the first edition of the novel. In the foreword to the first anthologized edition of stories featuring Byomkesh, Byomkesher diary, published by Gurudas Harrison Road and Strand Road intersection c. Chottopadhyay & Sons, which contained Pother Kanta, 1945. Byomkesh and Ajit spent most of the years Satyanweshi, Seemanto-Heera and Makorshar Ros, Sharadindu in an apartment not far from here. Bandyopadhyay wrote: "Many will be anxious to know whether these are original stories or merely transcreated from foreign novels. For the interest of the general reader, I'd like to make it known that these are completely my own creations" Although Pother Kanta was the first novel featuring Byomkesh that Sharadindu wrote, since Satyanweshi is the novel in which the character of Byomkesh Bakshi is established, it is considered by readers to be the first in the series. Byomkesh received M.Sc. in Physics from Calcutta University. Byomkesh learned to play chess from Ajit. Byomkesh learns to love poetry on reading Sukumar Ray's Abol Tabol, a book presented to his son by Ajit. Byomkesh's father was a mathematics teacher by profession. Byomkesh reads the personal advertisements in a newspaper as if they were the real news. In stories like Pather Kanta, cases are partially introduced through the personal advertisement section of the newspaper. Although most stories are penned by Ajit, somewhere through the second book of Byomkesh stories, he gives up writing Byomkesh's accounts. Though, in a few of the last stories, the narrator is the author himself, i.e., these stories are written in a third person speech.
Stories
The following list is arranged chronologically of publishing. 1. Satyanweshi () 2. Pother Kanta ( ) 3. Seemonto-Heera ( ) 4. Makorshar Ros ( ) 5. Arthonamortham () 6. Chorabali () 7. Agniban () 8. Uposonghar () 9. Raktomukhi Neela ( ) 10. Byomkesh O Boroda ( ) 11. Chitrochor () (later translated as Picture Imperfect) 12. Durgo Rahosyo () 13. Chiriyakhana () 14. Adim Ripu ( ) 15. Banhi-Patanga (-) 16. Rokter Dag ( )
Byomkesh Bakshi 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. Monimondon () Amriter Mrityu ( ) Shailo Rahosyo ( ) Achin Pakhi ( ) Kohen Kobi Kalidas ( ) Adrishyo Trikon ( ) Khunji Khunji Nari ( ) Adwitiya () Mognomoinak () Dushtochokro () Hneyalir Chhondo ( ) Room Nombor 2 ( ) Chholonar Chhondo ( ) Shojarur Kanata ( ) Benishonghar () Lohar Biscuit ( ) Bishupal Bodh ( )
The last one, i.e., Bishupal Bodh is incomplete. Narayan Sanyal once wrote Bishupal Bodh: Uposonghar [ : ], which is basically a completion of this novel. Sanyal fulfilled some terms given by Pratul Chandra Gupta, who edited Bandyopadhyay's collected works. Samaresh Basu, as the editor of Mahanagar, a magazine, published it in a Puja issue.[2]
Regular characters
Recurring characters in the Byomkesh series include: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Ajit Bandyopadhyay [ ]: Byomkesh's close friend and narrator of most of his stories. Satyaboti []: Byomkesh's wife. The two first meet in Arthonamortham. Khoka []: Nicknames of Byomkesh's son. His original name is nowhere mentioned. Sukumar []: Satyaboti's elder brother. Byomkesh saves him from a murder charge in Arthonamortham. Puntiram []: Home servant. He is seen in every story which takes place in Calcutta. Rakhal []: Policeman. AnukulBabu []: He is first seen as doctor as well as the landlord in Satyanweshi, later he is found in Uposonghar. 8. Tridibendra Narayan Roy [ ]: Jamindar of a certain territory of North Bengal, seen in Seemonto-Heera & then in Chorabali. 9. Ashwini Ghatak [ ]: This doctor is found in Chitrochor & Durgo Rohosyo.
Byomkesh Bakshi Byomkesh Bakshi Stories (Rupa & Co.) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Raktomukhi Neela (The Deadly Diamond) Seemonto-Heera (The Hidden Heirloom) Achin Pakhi (The Avenger) Shaila Rahasya (The Phantom Client) Chholonar Chhondo (The Man In The Red Coat) Chorabali (Quick Sand) Room Nombor 2 (Room Number 2)
The Menagerie and Other Byomkesh Bakshi Mysteries (Penguin Books) 1. 2. 3. 4. The The The The Menagerie Jewel Case Will that Vanished Quills of the Porcupine
The Mystery of the Fortress & Other Stories (New Age Publishers) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The invisible Triangle Iron Biscuits The Crooked Circle Thus Spoke Kavi Kalidasa The Mystery of the Fortress
Byomkesh Bakshi its predecedors. The series did not get the success. The DVDs of the series was released by Mosearbear again. 7. Magna-Mainak (2009) directed by Swapan Ghosal again who also directed the two Bengali TV series on the sleuth. The film is featuring several TV actors. TV actor Shuvrajit Dutta is playing Bakshi. The film did not run fare. Though the director-producer have announced that they will make at least a trilogy on Byomkesh with stories such Bonhi-Potongo and Rokter Dag. 8. Byomkesh Bakshi is first installment of another Byomkesh-film-trilogy directed by singer-songwriter-actor-director Anjan Dutta and produced by R P Techvision Pvt Ltd. The film was released on 13 August 2010 and turned out to be quite popular with the audience. This movie is scheduled be followed by the other two film-adaptations of Chitrochor and Kohen Kobi Kalidas. The second film adaption is titled "Abar Byomkesh". Like several successful films of Dutta, this trilogy is also expected to be enacted by some young and relatively lesser-known actors. In the first film, Abir Chatterjee plays Bakshi while Ushoshi Chakrabarty plays Satyboti. The character of Ajit is played by the veteran actor Saswata Chatterjee. Three of them are going to reprise their roles in the second film. Coincidentally, Chatterjee also played the role of Topse - the juvenile assistant of another Bengali private investigator, Feluda (played by Sabyasachi Chakraborty) in Baksho Rahashya (film) in 1996 and a T.V. miniseries Feluda 30 (19972001). 9. Director Shaibal Mitra had approached the experienced Hindi film actor Naseeruddin Shah for the role of Bakshi in his 60s for a Hindi film adaptation of Shajarur Kanta. 10. Prabir Chakroborty, a Mumbai-based film director, has had negotiated for the Hindi rights of six Byomkesh Bakshi stories, including that of Arthonamortham. This information was supplied by Malabika Chakroborty, the director's wife who has the power of attorney for dealing with Bandopadhyays works, to The Times of India, 21 February 2009. 11. Director Rituporno Ghosh announced his intention to make a film-trilogy on Byomkesh, starting with Arthamanartham, under the productions of Rose Valleys Motion Pictures. It was decided that the Bengali film-actor, Prosenjit Chatterjee would enact Bakshi, Tapas Paul as Ajit, and Paoli Dam as Satyaboti. The project was, however, shelved. Besides, many small scale productions have been made by drama organizations throughout West Bengal and Bangladesh.
Byomkesh Bakshi 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. Aag Aur Patanga Vansh Ka Khoon Necklace Amrit Ki Maut Pahadi Rahasya Anjaan Khooni Kahin Kave Kalidas Adrishya Trikon Wasiyat Ka Rahasya Bemisal Balak Jasoos Chakrant Paheli Gatha Kamra No 102 Dhokhadhadi Sahi Ka Kanta Veni Sanhar
References
[1] http:/ / byomkesh. com/ 2010/ 01/ 17/ byomkesh-v-sherlock/ [2] From the introduction of Kantay Kantay 1 by Sanyal himself.
External links
For a complete critical overview of the Byomkesh Bakshi stories, with special reference to their postcolonial aspects, see the Maldah College-Assistant Professor Pinaki Roy's The Manichean Investigators: A Postcolonial and Cultural Rereading of the Sherlock Holmes and Byomkesh Bakshi Stories, published by the New Delhi-based Swarup Book Publishers in 2008 (ISBN 978-81-7625-849-4). Byomkesh.com - a fan-site (http://byomkesh.com/) An outline of Bengali fictional detectives (http://www.banglalive.com/ipatrikaa/sanglap/ SanglapDetail16_8_2004.asp) An English translation of a few stories (http://www.parabaas.com/bookstore/bookpage/sreejata_picture.html) (ISBN 0-14-028710-8) Byomekesh Bakshi (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0157217/) at the Internet Movie Database
License
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