Upendrakishore Roychoudhury (1863-1915) was an artist, musician and man of science (amateur astronomer) but it is his writing for children that is best remembered (says the blurb). Apart from Goopy and Bagha, we meet characters like Tuntuni, Majantali Sarkar and others. Sandesh was a magazine he started for children which was immensely popular - later continued by his son Sukumar Ray, who is a noted nonsense poet, and his grandson Satyajit Ray who made a film about Goopy and Bagha.
If the intro was fascinating, the stories are something else. He quickly takes you into a magical world of demons, witches, animals, kings, princesses and what not. And like all children's stories - there is betrayal, gore and cruelty - which seems to be compelling for children.
Goop and Bagha remind one of Cacophonix as they sing and drum away as if their lives depend on it much to the discomfort of most humans but which fully seduces the demons. This story is outstanding. Many stories end up with fellows who do wonderful feats and are given the princesses hand and half the kingdom - seems the lottery of those days. The foxes who eat up crocodile babies was something else - and the crocodile doesn't even get justice. But I am sure that kids would have loved reading about it.
Kids!!
Thanks Vinod for gifting Anjali this book. Loved reading it. Clearly Upendrakishore was a genius, a man ahead of his times. In children's writing, these stories are among the best.
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