Page 11 - Seniors Today - April Issue
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illustrations himself and this added t the
USP of his writings.
“I have myself made several feature films
and television serials revolving around
the adventures of Feluda who was an
action-oriented, very intellectual detective.
But looking back, the whole story of the
resurrection of Sandesh worked like a
trigger for my father’s very successful
Satyajit Ray later began to write and compose music for career as a creative writer. But for Sandesh,
his films himself. Photo by Nemai Ghosh
Baba might never have switched on his
two short stories. After all, writing ran writing pen, apart of course, from his
in his blood what with his grandfather film scripts and his innumerable features,
Upendra Kishore Roy Choudhury and articles and essays on films he wrote on the
father Sukumar Ray being renowned request of editors from various magazines.
authors. But those two short stories Volumes of Feluda’s adventures remain on
ended his affair with creative writing. the top selling list till today among children
But then, his close friend poet Subhash and teenagers of West Bengal.”
Mukhopadhyay persuaded him to revive Sandip goes on to inform that young
the children’s magazine Sandesh, first director Sagnik Chatterjee made a wonderful
founded by my great-grandfather and then documentary called Feluda – 50 Years of
revived by my grandfather Sukumar Ray. Ray’s Detective essaying different aspects
Baba agreed and he, along with Subhash of Feluda which sheds considerable light on
Mukhopadhyay, revived Sandesh in Ray’s literary talents. In 2017, Feluda turned
1961 and the two friends edited it jointly. 50.
They edited the magazine jointly and it
soon became extremely popular among Father, Son and Filmmaking
children.” Sandesh is now edited by Sandip “My first directorial film Phatik Chand
himself. (1983) received an award in the International
“Baba felt that as an editor, he also had Children’s Film Festival in Vancouver. It
to contribute to the creative content so he was based on my father’s story. Baba did
began translating the limericks of Edward not look at my script at all. He would watch
Lear and the writings of Louis Carroll.
But they were not his original creations
so he created Professor Shanku, the mad
scientist, now a literary icon, for the special
Pooja Number of Sandesh in 1961. He
created strange ideas for stories without
stopping. Then, in 1965, the famous Feluda,
the detective many say has similarities with
my father, was born and became one of the
most outstanding and memorable detective
characters in Bengali literature. He did the Satyajit Ray photographed by Nemai Ghosh
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #22 | APRIL 2021 11
