Unsung Bengali storytellers: Masters of mischief, wit, and wonder

Whenever one opts to dig into Bengali literature, they stumble upon the compulsory titans of Bengal-Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.

- BIDISHA GHOSH

Their contributions definitely require no retelling. But tucked away in quieter corners of the literary house live another set of writers-masters of mischief, imagination, and irresistible absurdity-whose works have delighted young readers for decades. They are the 'masters of mayhem'. Even though their tales aren't always acknowledged, they nevertheless continue to persist in playground discussions, schoolbag secret exchanges, and leisurely Sunday reading.Shibram Chakraborty: The wizard of wordplay

If humour had a home address, it would likely trace back to Shibram Chakraborty. His writing, though simplistic, was merged with a layer of brilliant humour. He illustrated characters like Harshabardhan and Gobardhan, concealing how ordinary people would succeed in producing extraordinarily bogus confusion, even tickling the inner soul.

His trademark style-a mix of innocent foolishness and clever linguistic twists-made children giggle and adults smirk knowingly. Shibram discovered magic in the ordinary, in contrast to many humourists who relied on exaggeration. Even the simplest sentence, once touched by his pen, became a miniature comedy of errors. Despite being adored by many, he is still deprived of the recognition he merits, particularly for a writer who could make a whole generation laugh without once raising his voice.

Narayan Debnath: The comic architect of our childhood