Lanterna Rally

Author: Banaphula

Publisher: Seagull Books Pvt Ltd

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 9788170461524

Balaichand Mukhopadhyay (1899-1979) adopted the pseudonym Banaphool, or wildflower, the name by which he is widely known to the Bengali reading public. A practising physician with a busy medical practice, he still succeeded in turning out an impressively large number of literary works, including novels, short stories, plays, poetry, essays, autobiographical writings and so on. But it was not the mere quantity of his outpourings which made him one of Bengal s most celebrated literary figures; it was their quality. The accolades came in many forms. He received several honours and awards, whilst leading figures including Rabindranath Tagore heaped praise on his writing. Banaphool, who was as uncompromising and individualistic in his personal life as one of his protagonists, seems to have taken all this praise with great composure: Such opinions were always received by me with total calm. They never agitated me. The only occasion when he was shaken was when a train driver reversed the engine in order to pick him up. The driver, a fan who recognized him, refused to leave him stranded on a remote country platform all night. Banaphool commented later, I had never expected that life would allow me such a gift. Later I was to receive an honorary D. Litt and the Tagore Prize. But never did I feel so honoured as on that day. These forty-five pieces by Banaphool are representative of his multifaceted talent. There are plainly whimsical tales, several ghost stories, a few morality fables, some bitterly critical political stories, and a number of stories which examine the consequences of religious belief when taken to levels of bigotry and exclusionism: in a word, communalism. In short, Banaphool retains a relevant and contemporary touch, writing about an India we can easily identify with even today. Anandjit Ray, the artist who has interpreted Banaphool s writing through his delicate but incisive visuals, has long been a Banaphool admirer. He has exhibited widely through the country; he resides at Baroda. Somnath Zutshi, who has translated these stories, is also an appreciative Banaphool fan. He is currently researching and writing on Indian cinema, and has several translations to his credit.