Ghanada
Created | Updated Feb 9, 2017
Ghana-da stories by Premendra Mitra
Ghanada is a fictional character based in Calcutta, known for his tall tales. The author of these stories is Premendra Mitra, a renowned Bengali short story writer, novelist and poet.
The main characters are Shibu, Shishir, Gour, and the narrator who all live in a shared mess at 72, Banamali Naskar Lane in Calcutta. Staying on a room on the highest floor is Ghanashyam Das, respectfully referred to as Ghana-da, a tenant older than the other four with a penchant for telling tall-tales. Banwari and Rambhuj, the two servants complete the list of recurring characters in Ghanada's world.
Stories featuring Ghana-da sometimes have the theme of the four junior characters trying to get the better of Ghanada, but often failing.
Other stories feature Ghanada telling nonsensical tales to the four. These stories are generally narrated in the sitting room, where all the inhabitants of the mess gather in the afternoon / evening. Occasionally the stories would be narrated in the small room on the terrace, where Ghana-da insists on staying.
Premendra Mitra has himself said: “Ghana-da is a teller of tall tales, but the tales always have a scientific basis. I try to keep them as factually correct and as authentic as possible.”
So you will find that although evidently the stories being narrated could not have happened, Ghana-da’s grasp of the relevant History, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, Biology is profound – a result of the painstaking research that Premendra Mitra put into each of these stories.
These stories do not classify as science fiction per se. Nor are they really tall tales in the tradition of tall tales. Among Tall Tale authors, the most renowned is Lord Dunsany, whose “The Gods of Pegana”, “A night at an Inn” etc are foremost examples of this genre. Among others we find several famous names as well, such as Mark Twain, Checkov, Conan Doyle, Ray Bradbury etc. You also must have read the chronicles of Baron Manchausen. In the Ghana-da stories, the events as narrated could always have happened – they have the ring of authenticity – except that Ghana-da himself could not have played a central part in them – as he claims he did.
Another of Mitra’s theme is the way we use science. Science is often misused out of greed or fear, and the character of Ghanashyam Das (Ghanada) who foils all such attempts is indeed memorable. He first appeared in a story called Mosha (“Mosquito” 1945) in which a mad scientist creates a new strain of mosquito, deadly and invincible. Ghanada’s timely appearance saves mankind from this virulent breed. By one slap of his powerful hands Ghanada kills this enemy of man. Ghanada is famous for his tall stories, but this lanky prankster also appears full of his own brand of courage and curiosity.
Ghanada is a personification of Premendra Mitra’s humanistic ideology and moral universe. Without greed and scrupulously honest, Ghanada is continually striving to rescue mankind from the apocalyptic failure of science. He is forever getting into escapades that make special demands on his human heart and virtues. He is sometimes outrageous in his tall stories but never unbelievable.
He is also very much a Bengalee, especially in his love of food. He is both an epicurean and a glutton where food is concerned, and often the four younger inhabitants of the mess eke out a story from him by bribing him with one or the other food item – be it sheekh kebab, “kabiraji” cutlettes, Chinese stuff, biriyani, hilsa fry or whatever else. Food is always a theme in these stories.
This lanky raconteur from the mess-bari at No. 72 Banamali Naskar Lane sits in his roof-top room in his favourite armchair smoking other people's cigarettes, telling his outrageous tales to his circle of incredulous hangers-on. It's impossible to guess his age. When asked, he replies, 'I was too busy going around the world to keep track! But--', and the story that he launches on may well be set in the time of the Sepoy Mutiny or the first Russo-Japanese War.
These stories within stories, told in first person by one of the denizens of the mess-bari, straddle the thin line between make-believe and truth. Ghana-da's bizarre narratives draw upon science, history and geography to conjure up exotic locales, other worlds and peoples., their habits, lifestyles and languages.
In 'Pebble' we find him trading in sandalwood in the new Hebrides; 'Glass' and 'Duck' explore nuclear science; in 'Hole' he tells his spellbound audience about the fourth dimension; and in 'Hat' he is dragged over Mount Everest by a runaway yeti. And that's just the beginning....
These accounts of travel and heroism, born of wild imagination and sound knowledge, make the teller and his tales simply irresistible.
Ghanada is a fictional character based in Calcutta, known for his tall tales. The author of these stories is Premendra Mitra, a renowned Bengali short story writer, novelist and poet.
The main characters are Shibu, Shishir, Gour, and the narrator who all live in a shared mess at 72, Banamali Naskar Lane in Calcutta. Staying on a room on the highest floor is Ghanashyam Das, respectfully referred to as Ghana-da, a tenant older than the other four with a penchant for telling tall-tales. Banwari and Rambhuj, the two servants complete the list of recurring characters in Ghanada's world.
Stories featuring Ghana-da sometimes have the theme of the four junior characters trying to get the better of Ghanada, but often failing.
Other stories feature Ghanada telling nonsensical tales to the four. These stories are generally narrated in the sitting room, where all the inhabitants of the mess gather in the afternoon / evening. Occasionally the stories would be narrated in the small room on the terrace, where Ghana-da insists on staying.
Premendra Mitra has himself said: “Ghana-da is a teller of tall tales, but the tales always have a scientific basis. I try to keep them as factually correct and as authentic as possible.”
So you will find that although evidently the stories being narrated could not have happened, Ghana-da’s grasp of the relevant History, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, Biology is profound – a result of the painstaking research that Premendra Mitra put into each of these stories.
These stories do not classify as science fiction per se. Nor are they really tall tales in the tradition of tall tales. Among Tall Tale authors, the most renowned is Lord Dunsany, whose “The Gods of Pegana”, “A night at an Inn” etc are foremost examples of this genre. Among others we find several famous names as well, such as Mark Twain, Checkov, Conan Doyle, Ray Bradbury etc. You also must have read the chronicles of Baron Manchausen. In the Ghana-da stories, the events as narrated could always have happened – they have the ring of authenticity – except that Ghana-da himself could not have played a central part in them – as he claims he did.
Another of Mitra’s theme is the way we use science. Science is often misused out of greed or fear, and the character of Ghanashyam Das (Ghanada) who foils all such attempts is indeed memorable. He first appeared in a story called Mosha (“Mosquito” 1945) in which a mad scientist creates a new strain of mosquito, deadly and invincible. Ghanada’s timely appearance saves mankind from this virulent breed. By one slap of his powerful hands Ghanada kills this enemy of man. Ghanada is famous for his tall stories, but this lanky prankster also appears full of his own brand of courage and curiosity.
Ghanada is a personification of Premendra Mitra’s humanistic ideology and moral universe. Without greed and scrupulously honest, Ghanada is continually striving to rescue mankind from the apocalyptic failure of science. He is forever getting into escapades that make special demands on his human heart and virtues. He is sometimes outrageous in his tall stories but never unbelievable.
He is also very much a Bengalee, especially in his love of food. He is both an epicurean and a glutton where food is concerned, and often the four younger inhabitants of the mess eke out a story from him by bribing him with one or the other food item – be it sheekh kebab, “kabiraji” cutlettes, Chinese stuff, biriyani, hilsa fry or whatever else. Food is always a theme in these stories.
This lanky raconteur from the mess-bari at No. 72 Banamali Naskar Lane sits in his roof-top room in his favourite armchair smoking other people's cigarettes, telling his outrageous tales to his circle of incredulous hangers-on. It's impossible to guess his age. When asked, he replies, 'I was too busy going around the world to keep track! But--', and the story that he launches on may well be set in the time of the Sepoy Mutiny or the first Russo-Japanese War.
These stories within stories, told in first person by one of the denizens of the mess-bari, straddle the thin line between make-believe and truth. Ghana-da's bizarre narratives draw upon science, history and geography to conjure up exotic locales, other worlds and peoples., their habits, lifestyles and languages.
In 'Pebble' we find him trading in sandalwood in the new Hebrides; 'Glass' and 'Duck' explore nuclear science; in 'Hole' he tells his spellbound audience about the fourth dimension; and in 'Hat' he is dragged over Mount Everest by a runaway yeti. And that's just the beginning....
These accounts of travel and heroism, born of wild imagination and sound knowledge, make the teller and his tales simply irresistible.
