Sukumar Ray Page #2
- Year:
- 1987
- 29 min
- 112 Views
Such convoluted verse and such pictures
could only have come from Sukumar Ray..
Was a duck, porcupine (to grammar I bow
not) Became Duckupine, but how I know not.
Stork tells turtle, it's a delight...
Our Stortle shape is exactly right!
The Parrot-Head Lizard feels very silly: Must
he spurn insects, for a raw green chili?
The goat now hatches a plan to wed... Mounts
scorpion's neck... body unites with head!
The giraffe's reluctant to wander nearby
With his grasshopper wings, he longs to fly.
Says the cow, What ails the pen
That my rear belongs to a rascally hen?
See the Whalephant: The Whale wants the sea;
The Elephant says, It's the jungle for me.
The lion has no horns, that's his woe...
He pairs with a deer; And antlers grow!
SANDESH.
The standards Upendra Kishore set for Sandesh
were never lowered in Sukumar's time.
The whole family contributed (and
some contributions have become classics)
Family apart, almost every well known writer
(Including Tagore) wrote for SANDESH.
But the bulk of pictures,
sketches and stories
were penned by Sukumar himself.
(They are still read 100 years later)
The versatility of Sukumar
and his thirst for new things was unending
he had given 7 names
to just one handwritten Notebook ..
The Unnecessary Notebook.
The Nonsense Notebook.
The Fanciful Notebook.
The Notebook for Drafts.
The Just-Like-That Notebook.
The Wasted Notebook.
The Collections Notebook.
This Wonderful Notebook with its
many scribbles, riddles and notes.
Gives us an insight
into the mind of Sukumar Ray.
Sukumar had a life outside Sandesh too..
He was the central figure among
the youth of the Brahmo Samaj.
When there was a dispute about
admitting Tagore to the Brahmo Samaj.
The youth, led by
Sukumar and Prashanto Maholanobis
stood up against the establishment.
Ultimately Tagore was admitted
by a popular vote.
In 1915 he founded the 'Monday Club'
young intellectuals of Bengal.
Some members were.
Satyendra Nath Dutta (Poet)
Ajit Kumar Chakrabarty.
Atul Prasad Sen.
Suniti Kumar Chattopadhyay.
Kalidas Nag.
Prashanto Chandra Maholanobis.
Hiran Sanyal etc.
The invitations to the Club Meetings were
unique in their contents and composition.
Sukumar personally composed them
and they were printed at U Ray and Sons.
Most were in verse
some have passed into folklore
(recitation in Bengali)
The discussions in this
club were on serious issues.
Poetry, literature, Art, philosophy,
politics Nothing was left out.
The poet Satyendranath wrote a poem
(Recitation in Bengali)
Sukumar wrote two plays for older audiences
One was 'Chalachitta Chanchari'
And the other 'Shabda Kalpa Droom'
In 1921, aged 33 Sukumar fell ill with a
tropical disease that knew no cure then.
His son Satyajit was born the same year.
Despite his illness
Sukumar kept writing for Sandesh.
'Haw Jaw Baw Raw Law'
(Absurdity) was written at this time.
This, his greatest creation, was inspired
by Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland.
The world of Haw Jaw Baw Raw Law
is a world of fantasy and dreams.
Whats your weight? I don't know
2.5 kilogram How can that be?
Patal is younger than me
and even he weighs 21 Kilograms.
Your measures are different.
Write down Weight 2.5 Kg, age 37.
That's nonsense.
My age is 8 years 3 months.
Is it increasing or decreasing?
What do you mean?
Is your age increasin or decreasing?
How can age ever decrease?
Are you saying
age can only increase?
40-50-60-70-80...
I'd grow old and die!
A person won't grow old at 80?
How idiotic!
Why should I let my age grow?
As soon as I age to 40, a
reverse countdown starts
40-39-38-37...
When it comes back to 10
it starts increasing again.
My age has increased and
decreased so may times.
Its now 13.
In 1922, Sukumar was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.
In 1923 he published "Ateeter Chhobi"
A history of the Brahmo Samaj.
His health was deteriorating
but his creativity was unabated.
He published printer's manuals.
A new book of verse was
taking shape in little pieces.
He was writing the Mahabharata in verse.
A recuperation visit to Sodhpur led to
this painting of a sunset on the Ganges.
A dummy copy of 'Abol Tabol'(Ridiculous)
was prepared with his own sketches.
Even the cover of the book
was painted by him - in color.
Sukumar did not live to see it in print.
In the last poem of Abol Tabol
He clearly foretells his death.
Today before I leave/I will speak out my heart Even
if it is meaningless/ Let people not understand
I have let my imagination flow today
Thee is no one who can stop it any more
and the last two lines...
Its now time to sleep,
my song is over today.
Tagore visited him at this time
10th September 1923 -
there was an eartquake in Calcutta.
That morning Sukumar Ray passed away
He was only 36.
Heraing of Sukumar's death, Tagore said.
I have seen many deaths. But I have never
seen anyone like this young man
who facing death,
nevertheless sang songs to life.
Sitting beside his death bed I have heard that
song and my heart is overflowing with it,
Early pictures of
Satyajit Ray, Sukumar Ray's son
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