BTT #26 - Prof.Shanku, Pakkhiraj o Onnanyo...

 Prof. Shanku is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating character in the history of Bengali sci-fi stories! Few months back,there was a Satyajit-special issue in the Bengali-magazine 'Prothoma'(May issue)..

In that issue there was an article on Shanku where it has been discussed about Shanku's two friends-cum-occasional-side-kicks i.e. Abinash babu and Nakur babu! But somehow the article-writer missed a certain 'Bhobotosh babu'!! ;-)
 Yes,while many of the Shanku fans might haven't heard this name,but he was the very first neighbour mentioned in any Shanku story,that is,in the introductory Shanku story - Bomjatrir Dairy - in the original Sandesh issues from early '60s!  But later,when SR wrote the 2nd Shanku story,he introduced Abinash babu and when 'Bomjatrir Dairy' was reprinted in the book-form(Prof.Shanku),Bhobotosh babu was 'replaced' by Abinash babu.SR made this change might be to establish a continuity but I see no harm in keeping both names,as it's highly possible that Shanku had more than just one neighbour!

Anyway,after all these years,this seems one of those fun-facts in the Shanku universe!(check the images below):

Also check this Facebook post on the same!

Next is that short-yet-interesting write-up on Shanku's two friends...from Prothom May'14 issue :

DOWNLOAD Shankur Dui Bondhu

Between,besides this Shanku article,it has a reprint of vintage Satyajit-Roy interview which was taken by Aparna Sen - the editor of Prothoma -  on 1986.

And finally,there was a reprint of first Feluda story "Feludar Goyendagiri" from 1965.Incld. this there are three different versions of this landmarking Feluda story(original Sandesh print,book-version and this one)..

A special Shanku-ubach from SR(from that 1986-interview):

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Since childhood when I was introduced with several SR's creations,majority were from the Ananda publisher except the very first Shanku-book "Prof. Shanku" which was by NEW SCRIPT publisher. Later Ananda bought the right of that book and now the NS version is out-of-the-market.And then years after,on the last December I have come across a 'different' Shanku compilation from a publisher other than Ananda - 'Shaiba prokashon' - at a local Book Fair.The title was "Prof.Shankur Obhijan"..

It has seven Shanku stories by SR,all were already printed by Ananda.But the uniqueness of this particular book lies in two things : first, it has a SR interview and secondly,and most importantly,all of those seven stories have the original head-pieces drawn by SR at Sandesh issues which were later omitted by Ananda! So just for these things I have bought this book,and I have liked this quite a bit..I wonder whether there is a 2nd book of this kind??(This book was first printed on 2003 and the latest edition is actually 6th of the line,and it's bit strange that I have never heard about this book before that book-fair!)

DOWNLOAD the interview with S.Ray

Some head-pieces,reproduced from the vintage Sandesh issues...

For more original Shanku head-pieces from Sandesh,check this Facebook post...

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Next is.....the 'Albino'  Suktara..!!

Yes,the September 1978(Aswin 1385) issue of Sukatara was actually printed in 'two distinctly-different-colored' covers,one is completely white(without any back-ground colors) and other,with the usual yellow-patch!!

Well,one of the rarest 'printing error' that made it possible!! That is,DSK mistakenly published some issues with a half-done cover and then the actual version!

Check by yourself the rare albinism... ;o) 

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And finally,the last of the lot : Pakkhiraj pujabarshiki 1390(1983) which has a 'Brishchik' comics by Indranil Ghosh.It is one of the earliest,if not the very first Brischik story ever printed. So before appearing in the pages of Suktara and Kishore Bharati,Brischik was appeared in this magazine!

DOWNLOAD Brishcik