Bengalis without story books are like lions without manes, as if a thing of beauty but without the final touch of perfection.
The literary genius, Sunil Gangopadhyay contributed largely in keeping the story-book tradition in Bengali alive. His work Sontu o Kakababu series is a work of dexterity in Bengali literature. It is said that a creator remains alive in his creations even after his physical death. Going by that it will not be the slightest exaggeration to say that he will forever remain alive in the hearts of Bengali readers through his Sontu o Kakababu series.
In the autumn of 1979, Bhoyonkor Sundor,the first of the adventure series got published in Anandamela puja edition. This first story was about Kakababu hunting down the rarest Konishker mundu (the bust of the second century Emperor Kanishka) in Kashmir, while his beloved nephew known as Sontu, the narrator of the story, assists him.
Though they could not save the heritage treasure, the duo managed to root themselves firmly into the readers’ hearts. Until his death in 2012, more than 37 adventure stories of Sontu and Kakababu got published. Though it is a really tough job to choose, some of the most thrilling stories in the series are Bhoyonkor Sundor (1979), Sobuj Dwiper Raaja (1980), Paharchuray Aatonko (1981) and Mishawr Rohosyo (1984). The character of Kakababu is dynamic and electrifying even in his 60s.
In the story Kakababur Prothom Obhijaan (the first adventure of Kakababu, published in 1994), there is a detailed description of how he broke his left leg after jumping off a cliff in Afghanistan to save his friend Kaamal. Even though he remained handicapped and had to walk with a crutch, Kakababu overcame all the hurdles of his adventures with his acute mental strength.
Known as Raja Roychowdhury, he was the former director of Archaeological Survey of India. The Indian Intelligence Bureau often seeks his help in complicated criminal and archaeological cases. There never has been a case which Kakababu couldn’t solve. Often he faced dangerous circumstances while embarking on unpredictable adventures but rather than stopping him, such situations made him more excited. He has climbed the Himalayas, entered the wildest of forests, dived into seas and fought wild beasts and criminals, ignoring his physical limitations. There have been cold-blooded murderers, poachers, traffic agents and smugglers too. But Kakababu has always escaped such conditions with his cool mind and presence.
These altogether make him not just a detective, but an explorer of mysteries. His nephew and assistant Sunanda Chowdhury, popularly known as Sontu, is a promising and bright boy who is also physically adept, perfectly fitting to join Kakababu in his adventures. In a story, Kakababu said, “I lost my left leg. Sontu is the one who has fulfilled that inadequacy. Without him I could never be so successful.”
Other noteworthy characters in the series are Narendra Verma, a veteran IPS and top ranked CBI officer, also a good friend of Kakababu. There is Jojo, Sontu’s friend, who provides comic relief in times of anxieties. He is also very dear to Kakababu. Rini and Debolina, also Sontu’s friends, are present.
There is Kakababu’s neighbour, namely, Bimaan who is an Air India pilot and Siddhartha da, a professor of History, who is also Rini’s brother-in-law. Sunil Gangopadhyay’s unmatched storytelling skills makes them more than just fictional characters rendering with such life that teenagers look up to them as role models. Many films and TV series have been made on the adventures of Kakababu and the list goes really long. No new pen is needed anymore to promote this widely famous adventure series.
But my emotional attachment to the stories pushed me to write these few words as it made my childhood and still remains an all time favourite.
(Coordinator, Class XII, Belda Gangadhar Academy)