The master story teller- Satyajith Ray; stories that inspired him would have a minimum guarantee of quality and worth. I did not think twice before grabbing the book and did manage to read the book in spite of my fever. To read classics is a boon. To read classic stories that inspired someone who has a world class level of intellect is something that only the luckiest could achieve.


The stories were adapted into short films by the legendary stry teller himself. The stories are the classic works by Rabindranath Tagore, Tarasankar Bandopadhyay, Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay, Rajshekhar Basu and Premchand. Two stories are from the master himself. I am no one to review the literary finesse of these great writers but as a human being and a woman with some ideals, I would like to assess the crux of the stories in the current scenario.


The variant of genres is the highlight of the book. Each story is quite different from the others that it is impossible to compare one with the other. For a voracious reader, the book is the best gift one could get. If asked to find the favorite among these , it would be a nearly impossible task for me but still my heart goes out to Mrinmoy of ‘ The Conclusion’. Surprisingly Arti of ‘Prologue’ failed to incite that sympathetic and empathetic wave in me perhaps because the author has shown a misogynistic side while trying to incite sympathy to thee anglo Indian lady. This however failed to influence me and if not for the curiosity to know hat happens next, I would have ditched the story. ‘Gopi Gyne Bagha Byne’ is a story that I tell my little kids as a bedtime story and they are in love with these two foolish musicians. ‘Deliverance’ is a reflection of untouchability and the cruelty towards the downtrodden section of the society. ‘Manimalika’ is more into the symbolic side while ‘Philosopher’s stone’ and ‘Birinchi Baba’ are serious and funny at the same time. 


Each story has a lot of possibilities for a film maker and I am sure the legendary film maker would have utilised the possibilities to the maximum extent of his talent. The readers would get engrossed in the book and would not be able to connect real time with the world around them. The book is a treasure except for one or two stories, not because the literary flaws but due to clash of ideals.