Poka (novel)

The character of Ghanashyam Das alias GhanaDa was outlined as a bachelor, dark complexioned male with tall, boney and skeletal structure, having age “anywhere between thirty five to fifty five”, as described by the author himself in Mosha, the first story of the Ghanada series. He stayed in the third floor attic of a shared apartment (মেস বাড়ি) at no. 72, Banamali Naskar Lane, Calcutta, West Bengal, India, along with other boarders, who called him Ghana-da, while the term “da” is a suffix added to the name of an elder male in Bengal to convey reverence and affection. Though he was rarely found engaged in any activity or work other than telling fantastic tales to the boarders of the apartment, his stories engaged him with most of the major events happened in the world for last two hundred years and there was no place on earth which he didn't visit.[2]

গত দুশো বছর ধরে পৃথিবীর হেন জায়গা নেই যেখানে তিনি যাননি, হেন ঘটনা ঘটেনি যার সঙ্গে তাঁর কোনও যোগ নেই[2]

Premendra Mitra, the creator, described Ghana~da in an interview by A K Ganguly published in SPAN in 1974, as under:[3]

Ghana~da is a teller of tall tales, but the tales always have a scientific basis. I try to keep them as factually correct and as authentic as possible.[3]

GhanaDa was almost defeated. Almost, yes, because he had all capabilities to come out of the most difficult situations winning every time. All started on a Saturday night at no. 72, Bamamali Nasjar lane, when boarders went to sleep a little late after partying. At about midnight there was heard an inhuman blood chilling cry coming out of the third floor attic room of GhanaDa, followed by he himself recklessly running down the stairs. The worried boarders rushed out and asked eagerly, "What happened, GhanaDa?"

আমরা সবাই এখনও জেগে আছি, ঘনাদা বোধহয় ভাবেননি। আমাদের সকলের উৎকণ্ঠিত প্রশ্নের সামনে প্রথমটা একমুহূর্তের জন্য তিনি কেমন যেন একটু অপ্রস্তুত হয়ে পড়লেন. কিন্তু সে বোধহয় আমাদের মনের ভুল। পরের মুহূর্তেই আমাদের সকলকে একেবারে স্তম্ভিত করে দিয়ে তিনি চাপা গলায় বললেন, "ব্যাপার? ব্যাপার যা ভেবেছিলাম, তা-ই।" [4]

Upon careful inspection the cause of all hue and cry was found. It was an insect!! When everyone started rolling over with laughter, GhanaDa remained indifferent and calm. Then he asked gravely, "Did you ever have to run after an insect for eight thousand miles? Did you ever have to storm your brain thinking what you would do with three thousand tons of dead insect? Did you ever happen to carry out a desperate search for an insect in the deadliest forests of Africa with a paper and a closed phial?” "Was it this insect, GhanaDa?” “No, that was Schistocerca gregaria." GhanaDa continued, "It was the 22nd December of 1931. The Riga of Latvia was covered under heavy snow, when I was returning from my morning walk…" and the story continues. At the end it was revealed how GhanaDa reached the basin of the river Bahr al-Arab in Sudan, Africa, in the land of Dinkas, in search of the mad scientist Jacob Rothstein. GhanaDa used a contagious biological agent to eradicate the swarm of deadly African desert locust weighing three thousand tons, and yet it was another instance he saved the mankind from an impending disaster.” [4]

• Ghanashyam Das alias Ghanada
• Shibu
• Gour
• Shishir
• Author (anonymous in this story. However, now we know it was Sudhir)
• General Vornof
• Jacob Rothstein, the scientist