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Short stories from the 1970s - II

Ghanada turns mythologist with the 'Mahabharat' phase.
Story names permanently overshoot the two-syllable limit.

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

'Shaanti Pawrbey Ghanada'

from 'Mahabharatey Ghanada'

Artist : Tutu Sarkar

'Shaanti Pawrbey', 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

'Keechak Bawdhey', 1975

Alter-Ant

From

'Awphuronto Ghanada' (1976)

Artist : Ajit Gupta

. 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

From 'Ghanada Gallery' website

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
From 'Ghanada Gallery' Website

'Anandamela', Year 1 Issue 3, July 1975

Cover : Kushal Chakraborty

From 'Mahabharatey Ghanada'

Artist : Tutu Sarkar

'Bharat Juddhey', 1975

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.

From 'Ghanada Gallery' website

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
From the 'Ghanada Gallery' website
'Gul-E Ghanada', 1975
'Khaandabdaahey Ghanada'

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

'Aagomoni',

Deb Sahitya Kutir

Puja annual, 1976

Cover : Ajit Gupta

'Khaandabdaahey Ghanada' ('Ghanada on the Khaandab Fire'), 1976
From 'Ghanada Gallery' website

'Khaandabdaahey Ghanada' from

'Ghanadar Phnu', 1978

Artist : Dhruba Roy

From 'Ghanada Gallery' website

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

'Kurukshtrey Ghanada' from

'Ghanadar Phnu', 1978

Artist : Dhruba Roy

From 'Ghanada Gallery' website

'Ek Kuri Gawlpo' by Premendra Mitra.

Cover : Anjan Bose

From 'Ghanada Gallery' website

'Kurukshetrey Ghanada'.

From 'Mondiraa',

Deb Sahitya Kutir Puja annual,

1977.

Artist : Ajit Gupta [?]

'Kurukshetrey Ghanada'
'Ghanadar Phnu'

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

From 'Ghanada Gallery' website

'Ghanadar Phnu',

Ananda Publishers Private Limited, 1978

Artist : Dhruba Roy

Ghanadar Hij Bij Bij, 1975

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
From 'Ghanada Gallery' website

'Timitaaran Ghanada' from

'Shaaradiya Jugantar', 1975

Artist : Subrata Tripathi

'Ghanada Gallery' Website
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