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 Bengali, also known by its endonym and exonym, endonym Bangla (, , ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language belonging to the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. ...

. 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 Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

. His ancestral house was at Rajpur in the district of

South 24 Parganas South 24 Parganas (Pron: pɔrɡɔnɔs; abbr. 24 PGS (S)), or sometimes South Twenty Four Parganas and Dakshin 24 Parganas, is a district in the Indian state of West Bengal, headquartered in Alipore previously, with its Zilla Parishad now in Ba ...

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

. He belonged to the renowned Mitra family of

Konnagar Konnagar is a town and a municipality of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The town is under the jurisdiction of the Uttarpara police station in Serampore subdivision. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan ...

(in

Hooghly district Hooghly district () is one of the districts of the Indian state of West Bengal. It can alternatively be spelt ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli''. The district is named after the Hooghly River. The headquarters of the district are at Hooghly-Chinsurah (' ...

). 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

, India where his father Gyanendranath Mitra was an employee of the

Indian Railways Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental undertaking of the Ministry of Railways (India), Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national railway system. , it manages the fou ...

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 Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

and spent his later life in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

(now Kolkata) and

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

. He was a student of South Suburban School (Main) and enrolled for a BA at the

Scottish Church College Scottish Church College is a college affiliated by Calcutta University, India. It offers selective co-educational undergraduate and postgraduate studies and is the oldest continuously running Christian liberal arts and sciences college in Asia. ...

in Calcutta which he left prematurely to study agriculture in

Santiniketan Shantiniketan (IPA: Help:IPA/Bengali, �antiniketɔn is a neighbourhood of Bolpur town in the Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in West Bengal, India, approximately 152 km north of Kolkata. It was established by Maharshi Devendra ...

with a friend of

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...

Leonard Elmhirst Leonard Knight Elmhirst (6 June 1893 – 16 April 1974) was a British philanthropist and agronomist who worked extensively in India. He co-founded with his wife, Dorothy, the Dartington Hall project in progressive education and rural reconstruc ...

. Because it did not hold his interest, he returned to education first on an undergraduate course in Dhaka and in 1925 at

Asutosh College Asutosh College, established in 1916, is a semi-government college in Kolkata. It is considered as one of the most prestigious educational landmarks in Kolkata .It offers undergraduate level courses in various arts, commerce and science subjects ...

in Calcutta where he assisted the research of

Dinesh Chandra Sen Rai Bahadur Dinesh Chandra Sen () (3 November 1866 – 20 November 1939)Sengupta, Subodh Chandra (ed.) (1988) ''Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan'' (in Bengali), Kolkata: Sahitya Sansad, p.208 was a Bengali writer, educationist and researcher of ...

. In particular, his creation of the character of GhanaDa ��নাদা(meaning: 'Elder brother Ghana' in Bengali) won him public recognition.

Bibliography

Poems

*''Prothoma'' (First Lady) *''Somrat'' (The Emperor) *''Feraari Fouj'' (The Lost Army) Poetries:''Fhyan'' ��্যান*''Sagor Theke Fera'' (Returning From The Sea) *''Horin Cheeta Chil'' (Deer, Cheetah, Kite) Poetries: ''Khunt'' ��ুঁত(Wrong) *''Kokhono Megh'' (An Occasional Cloud) *''Ananya'' (One-of-a-kind, Unique) *''Khuda wahid'' (Allah)

Short story collections

Bengali

*''PonchoShor'' ��ঞ্চশর(The Five Arrows) *''Benami Bandar'' ��েনামি বন্দর(Unknown Harbour) *''Putul O Protima'' ��ুতুল ও প্রতিমা(Doll And Clay Image of Goddess) *''Mrittika'' ��ৃত্তিকা(Earthen image) *''Ofuronto'' ��ফুরন্ত(Endless) *''Dhuli Dhusor'' ��ূলি ধূসর(Fade As Dust) *''Mohanagar'' ��হানগর(The Great City) *''Jol Payra'' (Water Pigeon) *''Sreshto Golpo'' ��্রেষ্ঠ গল্প(Best Stories) *''Nirbachita'' ��ির্বাচিত(Selected)

English

(Not actually written by him, later translated) *''Snake And Other Stories'' *''Mosquito and Other Stories'' *''Adventures of Ghanada''

For children

*''MayurPankhi'' ��য়ূরপঙ্খী*''SagorDanri'' ��াগরদাঁড়ি*''MakorMukhi'' ��করমুখী

Rhymes

*''Hariye'' ��ারিয়ে*''Borong'' ��রং*''Misti Megh'' ��িষ্টি মেঘ(A Sweet Cloud) *''Onko'' ��ঙ্ক(Mathematics) *''Misti'' ��িষ্টি(Sweet) *''Duti Banshi'' ��ুটি বাঁশি(The Two Flutes) *''Megher Ghurhi'' ��েঘের ঘুড়ি(The Kite of Cloud)

Fairy tales, ghost stories and teenager stories

*''Chorui Pakhira Kothay Jay'' ��ড়ুই পাখিরা কোথায় যায়*''Lighthouse-e'' ��াইটহাউসে(At the Lighthouse) *''Satyabadi Suku'' ��ত্যবাদী সুকু(Suku the Truth Speaker) *''Hatir Danter Kaj'' ��াতির দাঁতের কাজ(Work Done By the Tooth of an Elephant) *''Golper Swarge'' ��ল্পের স্বর্গে(At the Paradise of Stories) *''Putuler Lorai'' ��ুতুলের লড়াই(The Fight of the Dolls) *''Ramrajye Bidroha'' ��ামরাজ্যে বিদ্রোহ*''Kurukshetre Bhaja Orfe Brihaddhaja'' ��ুরুক্ষেত্রে ভজা ওরফে বৄহদ্ধজ(Bhaja Alias Brihaddhaja at the Kurukshetra) *''Ratan Panjali'' ��তন পাঞ্জালী*''Ko-Aai'' ��ো-আই*''Porira Keno Ase Na'' ��রিরা কেন আসে না(Why the Fairies Don't Come) *''KalRakkhos Kothay Thake? '' ��ালরাক্ষস কোথায় থাকে?(Where does KalRakkhos Live?) *''Sanu O DudhRajkumar'' ��ানু ও দুধরাজকুমার(Sanu And DudhRajkumar) *''KaluSardar'' (Kalu the Leader) *''Gopon Bahini'' ��োপন বাহিনী(The Secret Force) *''Mahuri Kuthite Ek Rat'' ��াহুরি কুঠিতে এক রাত(One Night Stand at Mahuri Kuthi) *''Nishutipur'' ��িশুতিপুর*''Vuturhe Jahaj'' ��ূতুড়ে জাহাজ(The Ghost Ship)

Ghost stories

*''Golper Sheshe'' (At the End of the Story) *''Rajputanar Morute'' (At the Desert of the Rajputana) *''Bromhadoityer Math'' (The Ground of Bromhadoityo (Ghost)

Fun stories

*''Clue'' ��্লু(The Clue) *''Chor'' ��োর(The Thief) *''Bhupaler Kopal'' ��ূপালের কপাল(The Fate of Bhupal) *''BishwomvorBabur Bibortonbad'' ��িশ্বম্ভরবাবুর বিবর্তনবাদ(The Thesis of Evolution by BishwomvorBabu) *''Niruddesh'' ��িরুদ্দেশ(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. *''Juddho Jakhan Thamlo'' ��ুদ্ধ যখন থামল(When the War Stopped) *'' Pinpre Puran'' ��িঁপড়ে পুরাণ(The Story of the Ants)Debjani Sengupta (2003). , ''Sarai Reader: Shaping Technologies'' 3. *''Prithivir Shatru'' ��ৄথিবীর শত্রু(The Enemies of the Earth) *''Kalapanir Atole'' ��ালাপানির অতলে*''Mangalbairi'' ��ঙ্গলবৈরী(The Martian Enemies) *''Koral Korkot'' ��রাল কর্কট(Horrible Crab) *''Akasher Atonko'' ��কাশের আতঙ্ক(The Danger from the Sky) *''Manusher Protidwondi'' ��ানুষের প্রতিদ্বন্দ্বী(The Rival of the Man) *''MoyDanober Dweep'' ��য়দানবের দ্বীপ(The Island of MoyDanob) *''Shomaoner Ron(g) Sada'' ��মনের রং সাদা(The White Coloured Death) *''Shukre Jara Giyechhilo'' ��ুক্রে যারা গিয়েছিলThose Who Went to Venus; previously named as ''Prithibee Chhariye'' ��ৃথিবী ছাড়িয়ে(Beyond the Earth)

Novels

*''Paank'' (The Mud) *''Michhil'' (The Procession) *''Uponayon'' (The Ceremony) *''Protishod'' (The Revenge) *''

Kuasha ''Kuasha'' (The fog) is a Bengali language, Bengali thriller film directed by Premendra Mitra based on his own novel. This movie was released under the banner of Mahabharati Limited on 19 August 1949. Plot Cast * Dhiraj Bhattacharya * Nripat ...

'' (The Fog) *''Protidhwoni Fere'' (Echo Returns) *''Haat Baralei Bondhu'' *''Ora Thake Odhare'' *''Path Bhuley'' *''Dabi''

Characters

Ghanada

'' Ghanada'' (Original name: '' Ghanashyam Das'') 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 Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

!) to tackle conspiracies. Also, some of the stories are about ''Ganado'' (Original name: ''Ghonoram Das'' ��নরাম দাস in South America, and ''Bachanram Das'' ��চনরাম দাসin

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

Medieval India Medieval India was a long period of post-classical history in the Indian subcontinent between the ancient and modern periods. It is usually regarded as running approximately from the break-up of the Gupta Empire in the 6th century to the star ...

, his ancestors. First Ghanada story was মশা (The Mosquito) published in 1945.

Mamababu

'' Mamababu'' (Maternal Uncle) lived in

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

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: *''Kuhoker Deshe'' (In the Land of Illusion) *''Dryagoner Nishwas'' (The Breath of the Dragon) *''Mamababur Protidan'' (The Refund of Mamababu) *''Abar Sei Meyeti'' (That Girl Again) *''Paharer Nam Korali'' (The Hill Named Korali) This character inspired

Sunil Gangopadhyay Sunil Gangopadhyay or Sunil Ganguly (September 7, 1934 – October 23, 2012) was an Indian poet, novelist, short story writer, and critic. He played a key role in modernizing Bengali poetry and co-founded the 1953 Avant-garde, avant-gra ...

to write his famous

Kakababu Kakababu, or Raja Roy Chowdhury, is a fictional adventurer created by Bengali people, Bengali author Sunil Gangopadhyay. The series debuted in the 1971 Puja issue of Anandamela, Anandamela magazine with ''Bhoyonkor Sundor'', and quickly became ...

series.

Parashor Barma

Parashor Barma is a detective but he tries to be a poet. First Parashor story is ''Goyenda Kobi Parashor'' ��োয়েন্দা কবি পরাশর(Detective Poet Parashor) in 1932. Some other stories are: *''Hippie Songe Parashor Barma'' ��িপি সঙ্গে পরাশর বর্মা(Parashor Barma in

Hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...

Company) *''Cluber naam kumati'' ��্লাবের নাম কুমতি(Club named Kumati) *''Nilem daklo parashor Barma'' ��িলেম ডাকলো পরাশর বর্মা(Parashor called an auction) *''Premer Chokhe Parashor'' ��্রেমের চোখে পরাশর(Parashor in the Eye of Love) *'' Parashor Barma'' O Bhanga Radio ��রাশর বর্মা ও ভাঙ্গা রেডিও(Parashor Barma and the Broken Radio) *'' Parashor Barma O Ashlil Boi ��রাশর বর্মা ও অশ্লীল বই(Parashor Barma and the Book of Vulger) *''Parashor Ebar Johuri'' ��রাশর এবার জহুরি 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 Leela Majumdar (26 February 1908 – 5 April 2007) was an Indian Bengali-language writer. Early life Born to Surama Devi and Pramada Ranjan Ray (who was the younger brother of Upendra Kishor Ray Choudhuri), Leela spent her childhood days at S ...

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 India Penguin Books Limited is a Germany, German-owned English publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers the Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the ...

in 2004.

Filmography

Direction

*''Samadhan'' ��মাধান(The Solution) Bengali,1943 *''Bideshini'' ��িদেশিনী(The Foreigner Lady) Bengali, 1944 *''

Path Bendhe Dilo ''Path Bendhe Dilo'' was a Bengali language, Bengali Drama Film, drama film directed by Premendra Mitra based on his novel. This film was released in 1945 under the banner of Deluxe Pictures. Plot Cast * Chhabi Biswas * Kanan Devi * Tulsi ...

'' ��থ বেঁধে দিল(The Way Is Closed) Bengali, 1945. *''Rajlakshmi'' ��ाजलक्ष्मी

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

, 1945. *''Notun Khobor'' ��তুন খবর(New News) Bengali, 1947: Starred by

Dhiraj Bhattacharya Dhiraj Bhattacharya (5 November 1905 - 1959) was an actor of Bengali and Hindi cinema who began in silent films. He was also a theater personality and writer. Early life Bhattacharya was born in a zamindar family of Panjia village, near Jessor ...

. Story, Screenplay by Mitra. *''

Kalo Chhaya ''Kalo Chhaya'' (Dark Shadows) is a Bengali suspense thriller film directed by Premendra Mitra and produced by Gouranga Prasad Basu. This film was released on 17 December 1948 under the banner of Eastern Studio. Plot A lady visited Mr. Suraj ...

'' ��ালো ছায়া(Black Shadow) Bengali, 1948: Starred by

. * ''Kuasha'' (1949) ��ুয়াশা(The Fog) Bengali, 1949: Based on his own novel, starring

Nripati Chattopadhyay Nripati Nath Chttopadhyay (; born 1907 – 27 May 1975) was a Bengali actor, known for his role in '' Teen Kanya'' (1961), '' Bhanu Pelo Lottery'' (1958) and ''Dui Bari'' (1963). He died on 27 May 1975 in India. Early life Nripati Chattopadhyay ...

. *''Kankantala Light Railway'' 1950 *''Setu'' 1951 *

Hanabari ''Hanabari'' (The Haunted House) Bengali: হানাবাড়ী is an Indian Bengali black and white thriller film released on 13 June 1952. Story, screenplay and direction were done by Bengali writer Premendra Mitra. The music director w ...

��ানাবাড়ি(The Haunted House) Bengali, 1952: A

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. *''Dui Biye'' ��ুই বিয়ে়(Two Marriages) Bengali, 1953:

and Dhiraj Bhattyacharya acted. *'' Moyla Kagaj'' ��য়লা কাগজ(The Dirty Paper) Bengali, 1954: Cast by

Anil Chatterjee Anil Chatterjee (also Chattopadhyay, ; 25 October 1929 – 17 March 1996) was an Indian actor in the Bengali cinema during the early fifties through the mid-nineties and is mostly remembered as a character actor. He acted or performed in about ...

and

. *'' Dakinir Char'' ��াকিনীর চর(The Island of Witch) Bengali, 1955 *'' Chupi Chupi Aashey'' ��ুপি চুপি আসে(Silently He Comes) Bengali, 1960; an uncredited adaptation of

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...

's '

The Mousetrap ''The Mousetrap'' is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie. The play opened in London's West End in 1952 and ran continuously until 16 March 2020, when the stage performances had to be temporarily discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemi ...

Story, screenplay, lyrics and dialogues

*'' Bhabikaal'' ��াবী কাল(The Future) Bengali, 1945 – Story: Directed by Niren Lihiri. *'' Avijog'' ��ভিযোগ(The Complain) Bengali, 1947 – Story, Screenplay, Lyrics: Directed by Shushil Majumder. *'' Digvranto'' ��িগভ্রান্ত(The Lost Destination) Bengali, 1950 – Story, Screenplay: Directed by Shushil Majumder. *'' Ora Thake Odhare'' ��রা থাকে ওধারে(They Live That Side) Bengali, 1954 – Story, Screenplay, Lyrics: This funny movie is based on contemporary ''

Ghati Ganthiya () are deep-fried Indian snacks made from chickpea flour. Along with Khakhra, Fafda, Dhokla, and Khandvi (among others), they are among the most popular snacks originating from the Indian state of Gujarat. They are a popular teatime ...

'' ��টিand

Bangal Bangal (; Purbô Bôngiyô; ) is a term used to refer to the Bengali people of Eastern Bengal now in Bangladesh, especially from the regions of Mymensingh, Dhaka, Barisal, Faridpur and Comilla. The term is used to describe Bengalis from the ...

বাঙাল disputes of fifties. Starred by

Uttam Kumar Uttam Kumar (born Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay; 3 September 1926 – 24 July 1980), widely known as Mahanayak (), was an Indian film actor, producer, director, screenwriter, composer, and playback singer who predominantly worked in Bengali cinema ...

Suchitra Sen Suchitra Sen, widely known as the Mahanayika (), was an Indian actress who worked in Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali and Hindi cinema. The movies in which she was paired opposite actor Uttam Kumar became classics in the history of Cinema of Wes ...

, Bhanu Bandyopadhyay, Tulsi Chakrabarti,

Chhabi Biswas Chhabi Biswas (''Chabi Biśbās''; 13 July 1900 – 11 June 1962) was an Indian actor, primarily known for his performances in Tapan Sinha's '' Kabuliwala'' and Satyajit Ray's films '' Jalsaghar'' (''The Music Room'', 1958), ''Devi'' (''The G ...

and

. Directed by

Sukumar Dashgupta Bandreddi Sukumar is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who works in Telugu cinema. He is known for his intricate screenplays and for depicting protagonists with grey shades. He is the third highest-grossing Indian film director ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitra, Premendra 20th-century Bengali poets Bengali Hindus Bengali-language poets Bengali film directors Bengali-language novelists Bengali male poets 1904 births 1988 deaths Bengali detective fiction writers Bengali-language science fiction writers Indian film directors Indian novelists Indian male novelists Indian male short story writers Indian poets Indian male poets Indian children's writers Indian science fiction writers Indian horror writers Indian fantasy writers Indian comedy writers Scottish Church College alumni University of Calcutta alumni Recipients of the Rabindra Puraskar Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Bengali 20th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian poets 20th-century Indian male writers 20th-century Indian short story writers Poets from West Bengal Writers from Kolkata Writers from Varanasi Novelists from Uttar Pradesh Novelists from West Bengal Film directors from West Bengal Film directors from Uttar Pradesh