Byomjatrir Diary

2023-05-29T09:53:46Z

2401:4900:3141:F470:0:56:ECAD:D001: /* summary */

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox short story
| name = Byomjatrir Diary
| image =
| caption =
| title_orig = ব্যোমযাত্রীর ডায়রি
| translator =
| author = [[Satyajit Ray]]
| country = [[India]]
| language = [[Bengali language|Bengali]]
| series = [[Professor Shonku]]
| genre = [[Science fiction]] [[short story]]
| published_in = ''[[Sandesh (magazine)|Sandesh]]''/ <br/>[[Professor Shonku (book)|Professor Shonku]]
| publication_type = Print ([[Magazine]]/short story collection)
| publisher = New Script, Calcutta (1965)<br> [[Ananda Publishers]], [[Calcutta]] (1967)
| media_type = Print ([[Hardback]])
| pub_date =
| english_pub_date = 1961/1965
| preceded_by =
| followed_by = Professor Shonku o Egypsio Atonko
}}
'''"Byomjatrir Diary"''' ({{lang-bn|ব্যোমযাত্রীর ডায়রি}}, ''The Spaceman’s Diary'') was the first story of the [[Professor Shonku]] series by [[India]]n writer [[Satyajit Ray]]. It was first published in ''[[Sandesh (magazine)|Sandesh]]'', edited by Ray himself, in 1961. Ray included this story in his first collection of Shonku stories, ''[[Professor Shonku (book)|Professor Shonku]]'', in 1965. The story follows Professor Trilokeshwar Shonku, a scientist and inventor, who voyaged to [[Mars]] and after being attacked by the [[Martian]]s, fled to a planet named Tafa, where the inhabitants welcomed him and made him a citizen of their planet.

In "Byomjatrir Diary", 11 of Professor Shonku's 1093 fictional inventions<ref>Mukhopadhyay, Debashish (2001). p. 97</ref> are mentioned. Most notable of these inventions are a rocket to Mars, Bidhushekhar the Robot and a pill called ''Botika Indica''.<ref>Mukhopadhyay, Debashish (2001). p. 98-99</ref> Originally the story was not written as a part of the series as Ray did not have any intention to write a sequel of it. The next story of the series was published three years later.

== summary ==
The story begins as a poor man approaches the editor of ''Sandesh'' with a journal by Professor Shonku (a scientist who had disappeared 15 years ago). The editor learned from the diary that the scientist, despite being mocked by his neighbour Abinash''babu'', was getting prepared for a voyage to Mars. He also invented a robot called Bidhushekhar. Later the Professor, along with Bidhushekhar, his servant Prahlad and his pet cat Newton, landed in Mars, where they were attacked by an army of Martians. They escaped from Mars and subsequently lost their way in space. After many days of wandering, they arrived in Tafa, an unknown planet inhabited by the "first civilised humans of the solar system." Unlike the Martians, the inhabitants of Tafa welcomed the strangers in a hearty manner and made Professor Shanku their fellow citizen. The editor wanted to publish the journal in his magazine, but later copying the contents he found the diary was destroyed by a swarm of ants.

== Publication history ==
The story, written and illustrated by Ray, was originally published in ''[[Sandesh (magazine)|Sandesh]]'', a children's magazine from [[Calcutta]], edited by Ray himself, as a serial in monthly instalment that began appearing in September 1961 and continued to November 1961.<ref name = tathyapanji92>Mukhopadhyay, Debashish (2001). p. 92</ref> At the time of writing or serialisation of the story, Ray had no intention to write a sequel of it. The next story of the series, "Professor Shonku o Egypiso Atonko", was published some three years later.<ref name = tathyapanji92/> Ray included the story in his first collection of Professor Shonku stories, ''[[Professor Shonku (book)|Professor Shonku]]'', in 1965.<ref name = tathyapanji92/> It was later included in the ''Shonku Samagra'', the complete collection of Professor Shanku stories.

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book |last1= Mukhopadhyay |first1= Debashish |title= Satyajit Ray: Tathyapanji|trans-title= Satyajit Ray: A Database |edition= 1st |publisher= Srishti Prakashan|location=Kolkata |language=bn |isbn=81-7870-065-4}}

{{Professor Shonku}}

[[Category:Satyajit Ray]]
[[Category:Professor Shonku short stories]]
[[Category:Science fiction short stories]]

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Byomjatrir Diary