Life in Calcutta - with Tenida & Friends!

Tenida & Friends 

by 

Narayan Gangopadhyay

Drawings: Treya Mukherjee

Translation: Anisha Shekhar Mukherji

'Tenida and Friends' is a book of translations that we have been working on for some time. 

Tenida, the iconic leader of the quirky group of youngsters called Charmurti from Pataldanga — a neighbourhood in traditional North Kolkata — is a creation of the renowned writer, poet, essayist, Narayan Gangopadhyay (1918–1970). Narayan Gangopadhyay, through his works, remains a very influential writer of Bengali children’s literature.

It brings together two delightful short stories featuring the irreverent humour, mad dialogues, and crazy adventures that pepper the exploits of Tenida and his friends. Definitely in the realm of fiction, they are yet quite real too. And despite being quintessentially Bengali, they  strike a universal chord. As Arijit Gangopadhyay, the author Narayan Gangopdhyay’s son, writes in the Foreword to the book: ‘Tenida and his friends are sure to bring a smile to your face even in your darkest mood’. 

The book is also a window to parts of North Kolkata that form the setting for the fictional world of the Tenida stories—the neighborhood of PotolDanga, College Street, etc. The house where Narayan Gangopadhyay stayed on rent with his family, the roak where he reputedly met his friends for adda, still exist - and the book ends with a foray into the Tenida trail.

'Tenida and Friends' is available on Amazon @ https://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/8190359177; @ The Book Shop, Jorbagh; and @ a discounted price if you can collect it from 21 B Pocket C Siddharth Extension!