Satyajit Ray's scripts, illustrations in 'Sandesh' sell like hot cakes in Kolkata book fair

Film maestro Satyajit Ray's scripts, illustrations and other works published in children's magazine 'Sandesh' are selling like hot cakes in the 45th International Kolkata Book Fair, which concludes on Sunday.

The rare last edition of 'Bichitropatro', published to mark Ray's birth centenary, contains his unpublished letters, illustrations and film articles, and the first script of his masterpiece 'Ghare Baire', a spokesperson of the magazine's stall told PTI.

It contains 19 logos and advertisement sketches made by Ray, including those of Chelsea ink, Jabakusum hair oil, children's magazine 'Anandamela' and newspaper 'Aajkal'.

It also has the cover illustration of magazines like 'Parichay' and 'Visva-Bharati Patrika', Sourodip Bandyopadhyay, one of the persons manning the stall, said.

The Bichitropotro last edition and Sandesh special edition 'Satyajit 100' are selling like hot cakes. Other editions of Sandesh and Bichitropotro, and the memoir of late writer Leela Majumdar, are also in great demand, he said.

Ray's filmmaker son and Sandesh editor Sandip Ray said, ''Our family's ties with the magazine run for decades. The characters of detective Feluda and adventurer scientist Professor Shonku were born in the pages of the magazine.'' ''Baba (father) was one of the editors of the magazine. Besides editorial responsibilities, he had to wield the pen to write for children. Sandesh initially shaped his journey as a writer,'' he said. He added that Ray was strongly attached to the magazine with which the maestro's father Sukumar Roy, a popular writer, and grandfather Upendrakishore Roy Chowdhury, were associated.

Subroto Choudhury, an 18-year-old looking for 'Satyajit 100' in the stall, said, ''I am strongly rooted to our literature. I connect more with Feluda than with Sherlock Holmes.'' PTI SUS ACD ACD

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