FELUDA SAMAGRA (Vol. I & II)

Pradosh Chandra Mitra (Mitter), the private detective, is the main character in a series of detective stories written by Satyajit Ray. More familiarly known by his nickname, Feluda, Pradosh Chandra Mitra is a Bengali detective who solves mysteries using his incisive intellect.

Feluda is characterized as a tall and athletic man, who is well-versed in martial arts and can handle firearms with ease. But, he seldom uses these skills, preferring to solve crimes with his analytical skills, aided by his keen powers of observation.

Feluda is the son of a professor who taught mathematics and Sanskrit. He too starts his career in the teaching profession before he decides to use his skills to solve crimes. His teaching experience leaves its mark on him as he likes to deliver scholarly lectures even at home.

Feluda has a faithful sidekick in his young cousin Tapesh Ranjan Mitra, who is commonly referred to as Topshe. Topshe is the perfect foil to Feluda, similar to the character of Watson in the Sherlock Holmes series. He diligently records all Feluda’s exploits, just like Watson, .

Another interesting character is Lalmohan Ganguli, who is a close friend of Feluda. He writes crime fiction under the pen name of Jatayu. He is the comic figure in the group, providing light relief in the stories.

Feluda made his debut in 1965, in the Bengali children’s magazine, Sandesh. His first adventure was titled Feluda Goendagiri. Satyajit Ray wrote a total of 35 Feluda stories, the last one was published in 1992. These novels are extremely popular in Bengal and filled with crime and suspense and fast-paced narratives. Many of the Feluda stories have been adapted into movies in Bengal.

The two volumes in Feluda Samagra has all the stories arranged in chronological order, and they are written in Bengali. Thus, the reader sees the gradual development of characters, especially that of Feluda. From his amateur debut in Feluda Goendagiri, he gradually evolves into a private investigator of a high calibre.

About Satyajit Ray

Satyajit Ray is considered to be one the greatest filmmakers of the twentieth century. His films and documentaries won critical acclaim from the international community and he was the recipient of many prestigious awards.

Ray has written other books, including Deep Focus: Reflections on Cinema, Our Films Their Films, and Speaking Of Films.

Satyajit Ray was born into a prominent Bengali family, in Kolkata, in the year 1921. He acquired a BA (Honours) degree in economics from the Presidency College of Calcutta University. He also spent some time at the Visva Bharati University in Santiniketan.  He started his career as a commercial artist and initially worked for an advertising firm and later joined a publishing firm, Signet Press. Ray’s first movie was Pather Panchali, which was based on a classic Bengali coming-of-age story of the same name. The film, which was released in 1955, won critical acclaim as well as brought fame for him, both in India and abroad. He directed 35 films over his lifetime, including short films and documentaries.