Taranath Tantrik is a fictional character of

Bengali literature Bengali literature () denotes the body of writings in the Bengali language and which covers Old Bengali, Middle Bengali and Modern Bengali with the changes through the passage of time and dynastic patronization or non-patronization. Bengali h ...

created by the legendary

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

novelist

Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay (; 12 September 1894 – 1 November 1950) was a Bengali novelist and short story writer of Indian nationality. His best known works are the autobiographical novel ''Pather Panchali'' (''Song of the Road''), '' Apar ...

. Later his son Taradas Bandyopadhyay wrote several more stories featuring the character. The elder son of Taradas Bandyopadhyay, Tathagata Bandyopadhyay continuing the legacy of Taranath.

Character

Taranath Tantrik is a mystic figure and practitioner of occult. He lives with his daughter Chari in a house of Mott lane in central

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

after having lost most of his supernatural powers because of misuse of

Tantra Tantra (; ) is an esoteric yogic tradition that developed on the India, Indian subcontinent beginning in the middle of the 1st millennium CE, first within Shaivism and later in Buddhism. The term ''tantra'', in the Greater India, Indian tr ...

. The person looked like a man in his mid fifties. He is an astrologer by profession and had many encounters with the supernatural forces in his extensive travels throughout the

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

. He shares those experiences with two friends in his Mott lane house over cups of tea and cigarettes. It is stated that the writer is a regular visitor at Taranath's house, sometimes with his friend, sometimes alone.

Stories

Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay

In 1940,

created the character ''Taranath'' but he wrote only two short stories featuring this character and much of Taranath's life is displayed prominently through these two stories- # ''Tarnath Tantrik-er Golpo'' # ''Madhusundari Debi'r Abirbhab''

Taradas Bandyopadhyay

After Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, his son Taradas Bandyopadhyay continued writing stories featuring Taranath Tantrik. He wrote total six stories and novels. All the stories are supernatural and paranormal, based on dark arts, mystery and

magic realism Magical realism, magic realism, or marvelous realism is a style or genre of fiction and art that presents a realistic view of the world while incorporating magical elements, often blurring the lines between speculation and reality. ''Magical re ...

. # ''Taranath Tantrik (10 Stories)'' # ''Panchamundi'r Asan'' # ''Tinti Kaak-er Golpo'' # ''Brojobhushan-er Biswasprapti'' # ''Taranath Tantrik O Brahmapishach'' # ''Taranath Tantrik-er Aschorjyo Duniya'' # ''Alatchakra (Novel)'' # ''Abar Taranath'' Tathagata Bandyopadhyay After Taradas Bandyopadhyay, his son Tathagata Bandyopadhyay started writing stories featuring Taranath Tantrik. He wrote only one story so far. According to him, he wrote this story to stop fan fiction writers who are not doing justice to the character Taranath. # ''Bhondo Taranath''

Adaptations

Stories of Taranath was broadcast in Sunday Suspense at Kolkata

Radio Mirchi Radio Mirchi ("''Mirchi"'' in Hindi meaning red chilli), also known as 98.3 Mirchi, is a nationwide network of private FM radio stations in India. It is owned by the ENIL, EntertainmentNetwork India Ltd (ENIL), which is one of the subsidiarie ...

. Many stories of Taranath Tantrik were also aired later on ''Goppomir er Thek'' a podcast directed by

Mir Afsar Ali Mir Afsar Ali or Mir (born 13 February 1975) is an Indian radio jockey, television anchor, singer, comedian, actor and media personality. He was the host of Mirakkel, a Comedy show on Zee Bangla and Hi Kolkata on Radio Mirchi. He read on the sh ...

. Bengali filmmaker Q alias

Qaushiq Mukherjee Qaushiq Mukherjee (born 1975), popularly known as Q, is an List of Indian film directors, Indian film director known for his controversial ''Gandu (film), Gandu''. Though he is fond of classics like Ritwik Ghatak, Ritwick Ghatak, he despises Saty ...

has made Hoichoi web series named Taranath Tantrik based on the stories of ''Taranath''. Koushik Roy and Jayanta Kripalni played the title role. The character was reimagined as TNT for a series of graphic novels by Shamik Dasgupta. In the year 2016, actor

Tota Roy Chowdhury Tota Roy Chowdhury is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Bengali and Hindi cinema. He is also known for his versatile acting performances, fitness, martial arts and dance moves. His notable roles include Feluda in the Hoichoi web series ...

played as Taranath in Taranath Tantrik, a TV Series of

Colors Bangla Colors Bangla (previously known as ETV Bangla) is an Indian general entertainment pay television channel broadcasting in Bengali language owned by JioStar, a joint venture between Viacom18 and Disney India. It primarily telecasts programs su ...

References

External links

* TV series * Web series {{Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay Male characters in literature Magic realism novels