‘If you hear this, you will find your heads are getting muddled. Some of you will fathom fully, some will stay befuddled’ The Bengali language has never been quite such a living, breathing creature of whimsy as in Sukumar Ray’s hands. His creations—wild and wicked, dreamy and delirious—have thrilled children and adults alike. This selection offers you the best of his world—pun-riddled, fun-fiddled poetry from Abol Tabol and Khai-Khai, stories of schoolboy pranks from Pagla Dashu, of madcap explorers from Heshoram Hushiyarer Diary and the unforgettable harum-scarum classic Haw-Jaw-Baw-Raw-Law—for the first time in its entirety. All the stories and poems are accompanied by Sukumar Ray’s inimitable illustrations. Sampurna Chattarji’s vibrant translation captures the freewheeling play of sound and sense we associate with Ray’s writings, and promises to win him a whole new generation of admirers.

&Lsquo;If You Hear This You Will Find Your Heads Are Getting Muddled, Some Of You Will Fathom Fully, Some Will Stay Befuddled.&Rsquo; The Bengali Language Has Never Been Quite So Much A Living, Breathing Creature Of Whimsy As In Sukumar Ray&Rsquo;S Hands, And His Creations&Mdash;Wild And Wicked, Dreamy And Delirious&Mdash;Have Thrilled Children And Adults Alike. T His Selection Offers You The Best Of His World&Mdash;Pun-Riddled, Fun-Fiddled Poetry From Abol Tabol And Khai-Khai, Stories Of Schoolboy Pranks (Pagla Dashu) And Madcap Explorers (Heshoram Hushiyarer Diary), And The Unforgettable Harum-Scarum Classic Of Haw-Jaw-Baw-Raw-Law, Presented Here For The First Time In Its Entirety. All The Stories And Poems Are Accompanied By Sukumar Ray&Rsquo;S Inimitable Illustrations. Sampurna Chattarji&Rsquo;S Lively Translation Captures The Magical Nonsense Groove Of The Bengali Original Through A Freewheeling Play Of Sound And Sense. With A Sparkling New Introduction By Ruskin Bond, This Book Is Sure To Captivate Sukumar Ray&Rsquo;S Fans And Win Him A Whole New Generation Of Admirers. Age Group Of Target Audience (Puffin): 10+ &Nbsp;

Bhaswati Bhattacharya Chakrabarti is a Professor of Philosophy, University of North Bengal is well-conversant in both Indian and Western philosophy. Her books and articles particularly on Buddhism and Jayar"a·si are well accepted and appreciated by the scholarly world. She has lectured at length in different Universities of India and published papers in many professional journals published from India and abroad apart from few books. In 2004, she has visited Paris under Indo-French Cultural Exchange programme sponsored by I.C.P.R. in connection with her post-doctoral work on `Philosophy of Language ¿ East-West Dialogue¿. Recently she has co-edited »Sabdapram"a]na in Indian Philosophy.

Welcome to the carnival of nonsense where hankies turn into mischievous cats, a messiah is born with her feet in her mouth, you can fave hun by socking on the ree-raw and your favourite corn cakes are made of . . . are you sure you want to know? For the last eighteen hundred years Indian arts have been seen in terms of strictly classified emotional effects known as the nine rasas. The Tenth Rasa: An Anthology of Indian Nonsense celebrates, for the very first time, what Sukumar Ray called the spirit of whimsy, or the tenth rasa, through the topsy-turvy, irreverent, melodic genre of nonsense literature. This fabulous selection of poetry and prose, brilliantly translated from seventeen Indian languages across India, includes works by Rabindranath Tagore, Sukumar Ray, Vinda Karandikar, Gulzar, Dash Benhur, Manoj Das, Navakanta Barua, Mangesh Padgavkar, Sri Sri, Vaikom Mohammad Basheer, Kunjunni and other known, lesser-known and previously unpublished authors. In forms as varied as stories and songs for children and adults, lullabies, folk tales, Bollywood song lyrics and medieval court verse, the writers open doors to wildly imaginative worlds populated by peculiar characters and fantastical creatures, where only nonsense makes perfect sense. Crackling with wit, wordplay and riotous rhymes, and frequently revelling in pure gibberish, this immensely entertaining collection will delight you from start to finish.

The Bengali language has never been quite so much a living, breathing creature of whimsy as in Sukumar Ray s hands, and his creations wild and wicked, dreamy and delirious have thrilled children and adults alike. This selection offers you the best of his world pun-riddled, fun-fiddled poetry from Abol Tabol and Khai-Khai, stories of schoolboy pranks (Pagla Dashu) and madcap explorers (Heshoram Hushiyarer Diary), and the unforgettable harum-scarum classic of Haw-Jaw-Baw-Raw-Law, presented here for the first time in its entirety. All the stories and poems are accompanied by Sukumar Ray s inimitable illustrations.

How do you stop yourself from being blown away all the way to China? How do you get top-notch services out of snooty Turkish bath attendants? Why do camels not have wings? As thirteen-year-old Shashank the Sad pores over his math homework, a little doodle appears and Mulla Nasruddin—MN to his friends—comes alive! MN’s never-ending stream of stories enthralls Shashank but make him wonder if his new friend is completely crazy. Then one day, Shashank finds himself trapped in a magic grid. Is there a connection between MN’s madcap stories and Shashank’s way out of the grid? Taking the much-loved tales of Mulla Nasruddin into a young boy’s richly imaginative world, Sampurna Chattarji’s retelling is one that will entertain and move both adults and children alike.

`Dashu got away with it because he was `mad?.? You never know what?s going to happen in Pagla Dashu?s world ? it?s an out-and-out romp. Life is never ordinary or dull when Dashu is around and this round-eyed, curly- haired schoolboy shakes up people and places till everyone and everything is as topsy-turvy as our hero. From his classroom antics to his playtime tactics, Dashu?s impish audacity has you rolling on the floor with laughter. Join him and his equally wacky company of madcap schoolboys and geniuses, show-offs and know-it-alls, scientists and explorers, and many other unforgettable characters who will take you on a crazy roller-coaster ride through poetry epidemics, strange robberies, chaotic school plays, and imaginary lands populated by magical creatures. These 25 classic stories by Sukumar Ray have been put together for the first time in English by the Jadavpur University Translators? Collective and feature rare illustrations by the father-son duo of Sukumar Ray and Satyajit Ray. PLUS! Book Mine Gems: 48 extra-special pages: Know more about the author, his work and his times. Plus things to think about and to do.'

Sukumar Roy is undoubtedly the finest writer of nonsense tales and verse in Bengali. This book presents his chief works--Rhymes without Reason and A Topsy-Turvy Tale--in English. The skillful translations convey the genial intimacy of Ray's creations and his original illustrations accompany the text throughout.