Sukumar Ray
Sukumar Ray: A Topsy Turvy Tale
Stew Much
A duck once met a porcupine; they formed a corporation
Which called itself a Porcuduck (a beastly conjugation!).
A stork to a turtle said, “Let’s put my head upon your torso;
We who are so pretty now, as Stortle would be more so!”
The lizard with the parrot’s head thought: taking to the chilli
After years of eating worms is absolutely silly.
[Original ‘Hans chilo sojaru’ (Bengali), translated by Satyajit Ray]
Silly it is & yet so absolutely pertinent. These nonsense rhymes have survived for the past hundred years & just refuse to die away. They have become the staple for Bengali childhood & every such child finds easy compatibility with Abol Tabol (The Weird & the Absurd), published continuously over time from 1914. Such a thing can be said of a very few children’s authors & on this score alone, Sukumar Ray can lay claim to his place among the pantheon of the greatest writers of the world.
The year 2021 marked the centenary of the cult work by Sukumar Ray, Haw Jaw Baw Raw Law (A Topsy Turvy Tale), which was published in 1921. It was influenced by Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol. Just like Alice, the main character falls asleep & reaches a wonderland of dreams which is peopled by strange humans & stranger animals & where nothing makes sense. The sharp observation, satirical wit & intellectual humour of Ray, combined with a command over words, produced a form of literature previously unheard of in Bengal. It was his last major work & maybe he wanted to escape his imminent death, of which he was quite aware of, by creating a dream world for himself. These nonsense rhymes have since then carved a prominent niche for themselves in the annals of Indian literature. Sukumar was always influenced by the limericks of Edward Lear & just like Lear, he too drew wonderful pictures which accompanied his works – a trend which was later pursued by his son, the acclaimed film director & writer of children’s fiction, Satyajit Ray.
The two most famous works of Sukumar Ray, Abol Tabol & Haw Jaw Baw Raw Law, showcased India’s pioneering efforts in illustration & print-making. Sukumar himself was well trained in the field. Infact, his father Upendra Kishore Raychowdhury was a famous writer, technologist & entrepreneur, besides being one of the luminaries of the Brahmo Samaj during the Bengal Renaissance & a close friend of Rabindranath Tagore. He had formed the firm M/S U Ray & Sons (1895), which introduced blockmaking – both half-tone & coloured, in South Asia. Several of his technical articles were published in the Penrose Annual Volumes published from Britain. Upendra Kishore started publishing the children’s magazine ‘Sandesh’, which was taken to newer heights by his son Sukumar & long afterwards by his grandson Satyajit. Initially, it was with the intention of running his business that he wanted to send his son Sukumar to England to learn printing technology. So, after Sukumar received the Guruprasanna Scholarship, he was sent to England, in around 1911, where he received training in photography & printing technology from the School of Photo-Engraving & Lithography, London. After this, he was sent to the University of Manchester to learn printing technology (1912). Before going to England, he had graduated with Double Honours in Physics & Chemistry from Presidency College in Calcutta. While in college in Calcutta, Sukumar had formed the ‘Nonsense Club’ & in they brought out a handwritten magazine called ‘Sare Bottrish Bhaja’ (Thirty two & a half fries). A couple of manuscripts now rests with the Ray family in Calcutta. It was certainly a precursor to the greatness Sukumar was to achieve later. Rabindranath arrived in England in 1912, with the manuscript of Gitanjali. Apart from Sukumar Ray, there was a group of students in England then, who were admirers of Tagore. Sukumar read out in a meeting, an article on Tagore written by him – The Spirit of Rabindranath Tagore, which was later published in the ‘Quest’ magazine. It introduced England to the poetics of Tagore. Sukumar returned to India in October 1913, after passing his examinations with distinction & receiving a bronze medal. While Sukumar was in England, Upendra Kishore had started publishing a monthly magazine for children, called ‘Sandesh’, from around April 1913. After the death of Upendra Kishore in 1915, the whole family gathered together to run the business, helmed by Sukumar. It became a huge blessing in disguise for him, for outpoured his famous literary works from his own press & on his own terms. He also involved himself in other areas of his choice – he established the ‘Monday Club’ in which the members were who’s who of the young & upcoming brigade of the cultural scene in Bengal. This club was lovingly bestowed with the pseudonym ‘Monda Club’, after a type of popular sweet in Bengal. But, destiny had other plans for this genius – he had only a short while to prove himself. It is a question of conjecture as to what heights he would have reached, had he been granted a longer lease of life. The complete Abol Tabol was published after his death as per the final draft prepared by him, of writings, drawings & of the cover, & it instantly became popular & has been going strong ever since.
Sukumar Ray passed away at the age of thirty-six at his house in 100 Garpar Road in Calcutta, on the morning of 10th September, 1923. His son Satyajit was only about two & a half years old at that time & had only faint memories of his father. He had only come to know his father through his works, like the rest of us. But he did remember that Calcutta was shaken by an earthquake on the day of his death. The approaching footsteps of death had been evident for quite sometime then, because Sukumar had been suffering from ‘Kalazar’ (Black Fever) for more than two years. Rabindranath, who had been to see him a short while ago, before he had come down to Santiniketan, paid a very poignant tribute to him in a memorial prayer meeting held at the Upasana Griha in Santiniketan on 12 September,1923:
I have witnessed a lot of deaths but this was a death with distinction. In the short while that he lived, he submitted sincerely to the Eternal Father in prayer. My young friend sang of immortal life while standing on the threshold of death. He seemed to remind me again & again that man is not just a living organism & despite his earthly sufferings, he is always born with the ability & the spirit to transcend death.
A duck once met a porcupine; they formed a corporation
Which called itself a Porcuduck (a beastly conjugation!).
A stork to a turtle said, “Let’s put my head upon your torso;
We who are so pretty now, as Stortle would be more so!”
The lizard with the parrot’s head thought: taking to the chilli
After years of eating worms is absolutely silly.
[Original ‘Hans chilo sojaru’ (Bengali), translated by Satyajit Ray]
Silly it is & yet so absolutely pertinent. These nonsense rhymes have survived for the past hundred years & just refuse to die away. They have become the staple for Bengali childhood & every such child finds easy compatibility with Abol Tabol (The Weird & the Absurd), published continuously over time from 1914. Such a thing can be said of a very few children’s authors & on this score alone, Sukumar Ray can lay claim to his place among the pantheon of the greatest writers of the world.
The year 2021 marked the centenary of the cult work by Sukumar Ray, Haw Jaw Baw Raw Law (A Topsy Turvy Tale), which was published in 1921. It was influenced by Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol. Just like Alice, the main character falls asleep & reaches a wonderland of dreams which is peopled by strange humans & stranger animals & where nothing makes sense. The sharp observation, satirical wit & intellectual humour of Ray, combined with a command over words, produced a form of literature previously unheard of in Bengal. It was his last major work & maybe he wanted to escape his imminent death, of which he was quite aware of, by creating a dream world for himself. These nonsense rhymes have since then carved a prominent niche for themselves in the annals of Indian literature. Sukumar was always influenced by the limericks of Edward Lear & just like Lear, he too drew wonderful pictures which accompanied his works – a trend which was later pursued by his son, the acclaimed film director & writer of children’s fiction, Satyajit Ray.
The two most famous works of Sukumar Ray, Abol Tabol & Haw Jaw Baw Raw Law, showcased India’s pioneering efforts in illustration & print-making. Sukumar himself was well trained in the field. Infact, his father Upendra Kishore Raychowdhury was a famous writer, technologist & entrepreneur, besides being one of the luminaries of the Brahmo Samaj during the Bengal Renaissance & a close friend of Rabindranath Tagore. He had formed the firm M/S U Ray & Sons (1895), which introduced blockmaking – both half-tone & coloured, in South Asia. Several of his technical articles were published in the Penrose Annual Volumes published from Britain. Upendra Kishore started publishing the children’s magazine ‘Sandesh’, which was taken to newer heights by his son Sukumar & long afterwards by his grandson Satyajit. Initially, it was with the intention of running his business that he wanted to send his son Sukumar to England to learn printing technology. So, after Sukumar received the Guruprasanna Scholarship, he was sent to England, in around 1911, where he received training in photography & printing technology from the School of Photo-Engraving & Lithography, London. After this, he was sent to the University of Manchester to learn printing technology (1912). Before going to England, he had graduated with Double Honours in Physics & Chemistry from Presidency College in Calcutta. While in college in Calcutta, Sukumar had formed the ‘Nonsense Club’ & in they brought out a handwritten magazine called ‘Sare Bottrish Bhaja’ (Thirty two & a half fries). A couple of manuscripts now rests with the Ray family in Calcutta. It was certainly a precursor to the greatness Sukumar was to achieve later. Rabindranath arrived in England in 1912, with the manuscript of Gitanjali. Apart from Sukumar Ray, there was a group of students in England then, who were admirers of Tagore. Sukumar read out in a meeting, an article on Tagore written by him – The Spirit of Rabindranath Tagore, which was later published in the ‘Quest’ magazine. It introduced England to the poetics of Tagore. Sukumar returned to India in October 1913, after passing his examinations with distinction & receiving a bronze medal. While Sukumar was in England, Upendra Kishore had started publishing a monthly magazine for children, called ‘Sandesh’, from around April 1913. After the death of Upendra Kishore in 1915, the whole family gathered together to run the business, helmed by Sukumar. It became a huge blessing in disguise for him, for outpoured his famous literary works from his own press & on his own terms. He also involved himself in other areas of his choice – he established the ‘Monday Club’ in which the members were who’s who of the young & upcoming brigade of the cultural scene in Bengal. This club was lovingly bestowed with the pseudonym ‘Monda Club’, after a type of popular sweet in Bengal. But, destiny had other plans for this genius – he had only a short while to prove himself. It is a question of conjecture as to what heights he would have reached, had he been granted a longer lease of life. The complete Abol Tabol was published after his death as per the final draft prepared by him, of writings, drawings & of the cover, & it instantly became popular & has been going strong ever since.
Sukumar Ray passed away at the age of thirty-six at his house in 100 Garpar Road in Calcutta, on the morning of 10th September, 1923. His son Satyajit was only about two & a half years old at that time & had only faint memories of his father. He had only come to know his father through his works, like the rest of us. But he did remember that Calcutta was shaken by an earthquake on the day of his death. The approaching footsteps of death had been evident for quite sometime then, because Sukumar had been suffering from ‘Kalazar’ (Black Fever) for more than two years. Rabindranath, who had been to see him a short while ago, before he had come down to Santiniketan, paid a very poignant tribute to him in a memorial prayer meeting held at the Upasana Griha in Santiniketan on 12 September,1923:
I have witnessed a lot of deaths but this was a death with distinction. In the short while that he lived, he submitted sincerely to the Eternal Father in prayer. My young friend sang of immortal life while standing on the threshold of death. He seemed to remind me again & again that man is not just a living organism & despite his earthly sufferings, he is always born with the ability & the spirit to transcend death.