Why Hasn’t the World Discovered Bengali Detective Fiction?
Satyajit Ray immortalized the Bengali detective Feluda in the 1970’s. The world has yet to catch on.
Kolkata’s South Park Street Cemetery dates back to 1767, with 1600 massive tombs sprawling over eight acres. It also comes alive in Gorosthane Sabdhan (The Secret Of The Cemetery), a Feluda story made famous by the Bengali filmmaker Satyajit Ray.
While Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie enjoy global recognition, we Bengalis have our own detective icons: Feluda, Byomkesh Bakshi, or even predecessors that date back to Calcutta as British India’s capital. Their adventures have filled books, films, radio shows, and TV screens. Yet, why haven’t our famed stories traveled beyond the Bengali community?