The book might make you purr in delight
An illustration by Sukumar Ray
Chhilo rumal, hoye gelo beral [it was a handkerchief, that's turned into a cat]." Bengalis of a certain vintage will get a fuzzy feeling about their childhood when they read that line from Hojoborolo, Sukumar Ray's seminal book of nonsense literature, published in 1921. It's populated with characters like a talking raven who keeps accounts. There's a goat that gives jumbled-up speeches. An old man with a flowing beard argues that he's 13 years old. And as for the cat born of the handkerchief, it's out to pull the leg of the central character, an eight-year-old boy who can't make head or tail of what's going on.
ADVERTISEMENT
Now, a new English translation takes that child's befuddlement to a wider audience, giving Ray's fantastical world a global touch. Habber-Jabber-Law (Talking Cub) has Arunava Sinha capturing the humour with lines like, "There's no such thing as ledgedog." Pick it up for a window into the mind of the man who was Satyajit Ray's father. The book might make you purr in delight.
Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.
Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
