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Selected Stories
The stories display how a good humorist exposes social, moral et all evils without hurting our feelings. Rajshekhar Bose is a master par excellence in this respect. The stories are saturated with a rich variety of humour, satire and wit. Shri Shri Siddheshwari Limited, Brinchi Baba and A Medical Crisis portray bitter satire. The very first story Shri Shri Siddheshwari has a dig at social institutions as well as man’s lust for the yellow metal. Satire is again pungent in Brinchi Baba in which we are taken to the world of fraudulent god-men who rob the rich of wealth and hoodwink the innocent and illiterate devotees. In A Medical Crisis, again satire is fierce. Different systems of medicine are criticized jovially. On Bhushandhi’s Plani stands on an entirely new footing. Here the writer’s art of handling structure as well as theme together is superb. In the rest of the stories the tone is mild and relaxed. In The League of Tender Spirits, All in a Night and Choosing a Husband, the element of romance predominates. In the first two, the writer targets the follies of the youth light-heartedly. In The League of Tender Spirits the hero Peeshto evokes laughter with his strange dress and behaviour. Choosing a Husband is a hilarious romantic comedy. In Custard-Apple Pudding and Dr Jadua’s Patient the satire is lost in the exposition of the theme. In Bhushindi’s Plain, the element of fancy replaces strict commitment. Unlike the earlier stories in Pure God and Jayahar’s Zebra the plot overshadows character. We get a peep into the writer’s world of sheer fancy that is delightful as well as funny. Mesmerising depiction of character is a major attribute of Rajshekhar’s art. He has an eye for minute description of a character. He pinpoints some idiosyncrasy that makes him conspicuous or it becomes the trace of a class itself. For example Tinkari Babu’s sparse tobacco stained moustache (the colour of ripe dates) waved during speech like the antennae of a cockroach (Shri Shri Sideshwari Limited). Similarly, so vivid is the beard of Hekim (A Medical Crisis) "`85.fell to his waist, it was white at the base, ruddy in the middle and blue at the tip" Like Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales here too we come across a rich galaxy of portraits. From Sham Babu and his companions with their maddening race to earn more, medical practitioners at war with one another A Medical Crisis, Paresh Babu’s wife replying "Damn" to European scientists offering him Nobel Prize and the like, the youth with their fanciful ideas (All In A Night or The League of Tender Spirits) we move to Dr Jadua with his strange story, the garrulous child Ratanti Kumar et al. The writer with his sharp eye and fine strokes of pen creates lovable and memorable characters. Moreover, the dramatic manner stories end adds charm and unique appeal to them. Jatinder Kumar Sen’s black and white sketches add to the collection. Simple and racy language endears the book to the reader, No less worth mentioning are breezy dialogues. The book does not give impression that the stories have been The translators have
retained the spirit and flavour of the stories. They have done an
excellent job. In fact, stories are a sensitive portrayal of social and
individual problems. Hence their appeal to readers of all levels. The
book is a must for anyone who loves literature. It stays in our hearts
long after we have finished it.
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I don’t remember if ever
I laughed going through any book more than pursuing Selected Stories
by Rajshekhar Bose, a legend in Bengali short story of the 20th
century. One smiles, chuckles and quite often enjoys a hearty laugh. The
collection in hand presents an excellent glimpse of well-crafted stories
enriched with a marvellous variety of characters.