Premendra Mitra (4 September 1904 – 3 May 1988)[Samsad Bengali Charitabhidhan Vol.II edited Anjali Bose, Published by Sagitta Samsad, Kolkata, Edition January,2019,Page-240 ] was an Indian poet, writer and film director in the Bengali language. He was also a practitioner of Bengali science fiction. His critique of humanity led him to believe that for it to survive, human beings had to "forget their differences and be united".
Birth and family
Premendra Mitra was born on 4 September 1904 at his father's workplace
Varanasi. His ancestral house was at
Rajpur Sonarpur in the district of South 24 Parganas of
West Bengal.
He belonged to the renowned Mitra family of
Konnagar (in
Hooghly district,
West Bengal).
His father's name was Gyanendranath Mitra and his mother was Suhasini Debi. He lost his mother at an early age.
Life
Premendra Mitra was born in
Varanasi, India where his father Gyanendranath Mitra was an employee of the
Indian Railways and because of that he had the opportunity to travel to many places in India. Having lost his mother, who died during his childhood, he was brought up by his grandparents in
Uttar Pradesh and spent his later life in
Calcutta (now Kolkata) and
Dhaka. He was a student of South Suburban School (Main) and enrolled for a BA at the Scottish Church College in Calcutta which he left prematurely to study agriculture in
Santiniketan with a friend of Rabindranath Tagore,
Leonard Elmhirst. Because it did not hold his interest, he returned to education first on an undergraduate course in Dhaka and in 1925 at
Asutosh College in Calcutta where he assisted the research of Dinesh Chandra Sen.
[Premendra Mitra Mindscape (Bengali), Sahitya Akademi, 2000] In particular, his creation of the character of
GhanaDa ঘনাদা (meaning: 'Elder brother Ghana' in Bengali) won him public recognition.
[Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature, Sahitya Akademi, 1992]
Bibliography
Poems
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Prothoma (First Lady)
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Somrat (The Emperor)
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Feraari Fouj (The Lost Army) Poetries: Fhyan ফ্যান
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Sagor Theke Fera (Returning From The Sea)
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Horin Cheeta Chil (Deer, Cheetah, Kite) Poetries: Khunt খুঁত (Wrong)
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Kokhono Megh (An Occasional Cloud)
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Ananya (One-of-a-kind, Unique)
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Khuda wahid (Allah)
Short story collections
Bengali
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PonchoShor পঞ্চশর (The Five Arrows)
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Benami Bandar বেনামি (Unknown Harbour)
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Putul O Protima পুতুল (Doll And Clay Image of Goddess)
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Mrittika মৃত্তিকা (Earthen image)
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Ofuronto অফুরন্ত (Endless)
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Dhuli Dhusor ধূলি (Fade As Dust)
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Mohanagar মহানগর (The Great City)
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Jol Payra (Water Pigeon)
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Sreshto Golpo শ্রেষ্ঠ (Best Stories)
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Nirbachita নির্বাচিত (Selected)
English
(Not actually written by him, later translated)
-
Snake And Other Stories
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Mosquito and Other Stories
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Adventures of Ghanada
For children
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MayurPankhi ময়ূরপঙ্খী
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SagorDanri সাগরদাঁড়ি
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MakorMukhi মকরমুখী
Rhymes
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Hariye হারিয়ে
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Borong বরং
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Misti Megh মিষ্টি (A Sweet Cloud)
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Onko অঙ্ক (Mathematics)
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Misti মিষ্টি (Sweet)
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Duti Banshi দুটি (The Two Flutes)
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Megher Ghurhi মেঘের (The Kite of Cloud)
Fairy tales, ghost stories and teenager stories
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Chorui Pakhira Kothay Jay চড়ুই
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Lighthouse-e লাইটহাউসে (At the Lighthouse)
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Satyabadi Suku সত্যবাদী (Suku the Truth Speaker)
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Hatir Danter Kaj হাতির (Work Done By the Tooth of an Elephant)
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Golper Swarge গল্পের (At the Paradise of Stories)
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Putuler Lorai পুতুলের (The Fight of the Dolls)
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Ramrajye Bidroha রামরাজ্যে
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Kurukshetre Bhaja Orfe Brihaddhaja কুরুক্ষেত্রে (Bhaja Alias Brihaddhaja at the Kurukshetra)
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Ratan Panjali রতন
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Ko-Aai কো-আই
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Porira Keno Ase Na পরিরা (Why the Fairies Don't Come)
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KalRakkhos Kothay Thake? কালরাক্ষস (Where does KalRakkhos Live?)
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Sanu O DudhRajkumar সানু (Sanu And DudhRajkumar)
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KaluSardar (Kalu the Leader)
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Gopon Bahini গোপন (The Secret Force)
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Mahuri Kuthite Ek Rat মাহুরি (One Night Stand at Mahuri Kuthi)
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Nishutipur নিশুতিপুর
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Vuturhe Jahaj ভূতুড়ে (The Ghost Ship)
Ghost stories
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Golper Sheshe (At the End of the Story)
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Rajputanar Morute (At the Desert of the Rajputana)
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Bromhadoityer Math (The Ground of Bromhadoityo (Ghost)
Fun stories
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Clue ক্লু (The Clue)
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Chor চোর (The Thief)
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Bhupaler Kopal ভূপালের (The Fate of Bhupal)
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BishwomvorBabur Bibortonbad বিশ্বম্ভরবাবুর (The Thesis of Evolution by BishwomvorBabu)
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Niruddesh নিরুদ্দেশ (Missing Person)
Science fictions
He was among the pioneers of Bengali science fiction. He started writing science fictions to make children and preteens familiar with science.
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Juddho Jakhan Thamlo যুদ্ধ (When the War Stopped)
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Pinpre Puran পিঁপড়ে (The Story of the Ants)
[Debjani Sengupta (2003). , Sarai Reader: Shaping Technologies 3.]
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Prithivir Shatru পৄথিবীর (The Enemies of the Earth)
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Kalapanir Atole কালাপানির
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Mangalbairi মঙ্গলবৈরী (The Martian Enemies)
[
]
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Koral Korkot করাল (Horrible Crab)
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Akasher Atonko আকাশের (The Danger from the Sky)
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Manusher Protidwondi মানুষের (The Rival of the Man)
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MoyDanober Dweep ময়দানবের (The Island of MoyDanob)
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Shomaoner Ron(g) Sada শমনের (The White Coloured Death)
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Shukre Jara Giyechhilo শুক্রে Those Who Went to Venus; previously named as Prithibee Chhariye পৃথিবী (Beyond the Earth)
Novels
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Paank (The Mud)
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Michhil (The Procession)
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Uponayon (The Ceremony)
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Protishod (The Revenge)
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Kuasha (The Fog)
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Protidhwoni Fere (Echo Returns)
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Haat Baralei Bondhu
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Ora Thake Odhare
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Path Bhuley
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Dabi
Characters
Ghanada
Ghanada (Original name:
Ghanada) is a middle-aged resident of a mess at 72, Banamali Naskar Lane in Kolkata, West Bengal with the four young members
Shibu,
Shishir,
Gour and
Sudhir (the narrator of the stories). He claims himself to be full of thrilling experience all over the globe (and, even in
Mars!) to tackle conspiracies. Also, some of the stories are about
Ganado (Original name:
Ghonoram Das ঘনরাম) in South America, and
Bachanram Das বচনরাম in
Agra at
Medieval India, his ancestors. First Ghanada story was
মশা (The Mosquito) published in 1945.
Mamababu
Mamababu (Maternal Uncle) lived in
Burma on account of his service. Original name of this middle-aged man is never stated. His expeditions are written in many novels and short-stories, such as:
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Kuhoker Deshe (In the Land of Illusion)
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Dryagoner Nishwas (The Breath of the Dragon)
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Mamababur Protidan (The Refund of Mamababu)
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Abar Sei Meyeti (That Girl Again)
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Paharer Nam Korali (The Hill Named Korali)
This character inspired Sunil Gangopadhyay to write his famous
Kakababu series.
Parashor Barma
Parashor Barma is a detective but he tries to be a poet.
First Parashor story is
Goyenda Kobi Parashor গোয়েন্দা (Detective Poet Parashor) in 1932. Some other stories are:
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Hippie Songe Parashor Barma হিপি (Parashor Barma in Hippie Company)
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Cluber naam kumati ক্লাবের (Club named Kumati)
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Nilem daklo parashor Barma নিলেম (Parashor called an auction)
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Premer Chokhe Parashor প্রেমের (Parashor in the Eye of Love)
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Parashor Barma O Bhanga Radio পরাশর (Parashor Barma and the Broken Radio)
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''Parashor Barma O Ashlil Boi পরাশর (Parashor Barma and the Book of Vulger)
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Parashor Ebar Johuri পরাশর
Two Ghanada tales also include Parashar Barma : Parasharey Ghanaday and Ghanada Phirlen.[from the 'Short stories from the 1980s' page of the Ghanada Gallery website : http://ghanada.wix.com/ghanada-gallery#!short-stories-from-the-1980s/c1gv5]
Mejokorta
Mejokorta is a ghost-hunter. Books featuring Mejokorta are collected in an anthology named
Bhoot Shikari Mejokorta Ebong...
Publishers of Mitra's writings
Leela Majumdar translated several Ghanada tales in a volume called
Adventures of Ghanada.
[from the 'Translations' page of the Ghanada Gallery website : http://ghanada.wix.com/ghanada-gallery#!translations/c14zm]
The latest English translation of his Ghanada stories (
Mosquito and Other Stories) was published by
Penguin Books in 2004.
Filmography
Direction
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Samadhan সমাধান (The Solution) Bengali,1943
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Bideshini বিদেশিনী (The Foreigner Lady) Bengali, 1944
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Path Bendhe Dilo পথ (The Way Is Closed) Bengali, 1945.
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Rajlakshmi राजलक्ष्मी Hindi, 1945.
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Notun Khobor নতুন (New News) Bengali, 1947: Starred by Dhiraj Bhattacharya. Story, Screenplay by Mitra.
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Kalo Chhaya কালো (Black Shadow) Bengali, 1948: Starred by Dhiraj Bhattacharya.
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Kuasha (1949) কুয়াশা (The Fog) Bengali, 1949: Based on his own novel, starring Nripati Chattopadhyay.
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Kankantala Light Railway 1950
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Setu 1951
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Hanabari হানাবাড়ি (The Haunted House) Bengali, 1952: A Dhiraj Bhattacharya and Nabadwip Halder starred film, where the mystery of a terrible creature in a haunted building was solved by a detective in disguise of a beggar. This movie was also produced by Mitra.
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Dui Biye দুই (Two Marriages) Bengali, 1953: Nripati Chattopadhyay and Dhiraj Bhattyacharya acted.
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Moyla Kagaj ময়লা (The Dirty Paper) Bengali, 1954: Cast by Anil Chatterjee and Nripati Chattopadhyay.
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Dakinir Char ডাকিনীর (The Island of Witch) Bengali, 1955
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Chupi Chupi Aashey চুপি (Silently He Comes) Bengali, 1960; an uncredited adaptation of Agatha Christie's 'The Mousetrap'.
Story, screenplay, lyrics and dialogues
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Bhabikaal ভাবী (The Future) Bengali, 1945 – Story: Directed by Niren Lihiri.
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Avijog অভিযোগ (The Complain) Bengali, 1947 – Story, Screenplay, Lyrics: Directed by Shushil Majumder.
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Digvranto দিগভ্রান্ত (The Lost Destination) Bengali, 1950 – Story, Screenplay: Directed by Shushil Majumder.
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Ora Thake Odhare ওরা (They Live That Side) Bengali, 1954 – Story, Screenplay, Lyrics: This funny movie is based on contemporary Ghati ঘটি and Bangal বাঙাল disputes of fifties. Starred by Uttam Kumar, Suchitra Sen, Bhanu Bandyopadhyay, Tulsi Chakrabarti, Chhabi Biswas and Dhiraj Bhattacharya. Directed by Sukumar Dashgupta.
External links
