Prodosh C Mitter aka Feluda  - Private Investigator

 

In the genre of world detective fiction, the main protagonist, i.e. the detective himself often finds very close identification with his audience. The win of the good over the evil with a razor sharp intelligence and often accompanied with an imposing physical personality captures the audiences’ heart and mind effortlessly. And add to it, your own city, your own locale, your own familiar idiosyncrasies and traits, you find yourself thinking like the hero.

 

In almost all languages where detective fictions have been written, there are detectives who become almost real life characters. Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Inspector Maigret, Detective Steve Carella are a few examples. Of them all, the undisputed detective in whom the difference between imagination and reality have become a blur is Sherlock Holmes. Indeed, the power of Doyle’s narration and characterisation continues to enthral audiences to this day. That is the reason that Holmes becomes real in today’s world with his home at 221B Baker Street meticulously recreated with his personal belongings and mementos and artefacts of his immemorial cases which withstand the ravages of time.

 

And that brings us to detective fiction in our own language Bengali. Our literature is rich in this and the very first detective fiction was written by a police officer about an officer of the law or ‘Daroga’ (Bankaulla) with an obvious parallel to Inspector Eugene Francois Vidocq, supposedly the earliest formalised detective in the world. As far as identification with the audience is concerned, Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay’s Byomkesh Bakshi struck a very close chord with the masses. However, the generation that identified itself with pre-independence, colonial Calcutta with its early morning corporation washed streets, less crowd and Bakshi’s abode at Harrison Road is slowly fading away.

 

Then came Prodosh C Mitter or Feluda who exploded on the scene in 1965. Satyajit Ray’s narrative was an instant hit for the universal audience and not only for young people. Feluda is possibly the only detective in fiction in any language, who can be compared to Sherlock Holmes as far as identification with the audience is concerned. Like his spiritual and moral mentor Holmes, he becomes real.

 

To pay a tribute to this identification, we have decided to bring Feluda to life by creating a virtual Feluda museum. This site will feature Feluda’s life and his personal effects. You will find mementos like the ‘Badshahi Angti’, the ‘Perigal Repeater’, the ‘Naulakha Har’ and Shamboo Churn Bose’s ancient manuscript. You will also discover snap shots of the different places that Feluda had been for his adventures.  And how can we forget Topshe and Jatayu? You will see some of their personal effects as well.

 

So sit back, relax and enjoy. Let your imagination smoothly transcend to reality and the identification be complete.

The journal Feluda was reading en route to Delhi, borrowed from Sidhu Jyatha as described in Sonar Kella