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96 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1975
বেনারস গিয়ে লালমোহনবাবু গল্পের প্লট পেয়েছিলেন ঠিকই; তবে ফিরে আসার দুমাস পরে বড়দিনে তার যে রহস্য উপন্যাসটা বেরোল, সেটার সাথে টিনটিনের একটা গল্পের আশ্চর্য মিল।
ফেলুদার কিন্তু গিয়ে সত্যিই লাভ হয়েছিল। তা না হলে অবিশ্যি এই বইটাই লেখা হত না। ফেলুদার জীবনে সবচেয়ে ধুরন্ধর ও সাংঘাতিক প্রতিদ্বন্দীর সঙ্গে তাকে এই বেনারসেই লড়তে হয়েছিল। ও পরে বলেছিল – ‘এইরকম একজন লোকের জন্যই অ্যাদ্দিন অপেক্ষা করছিলাম রে তোপ্সে। এ সব লোকের সঙ্গে লড়ে জিততে পারলে সেটা বেশ একটা টনিকের কাজ দেয়।’
Feluda is perhaps one of the most recognizable characters in Bengali fiction; someone has to have heard the name, be it due to movies, books, or shows. Joy Baba Felunath is one of the famous entries in the series. I remember watching the movie when I was little. had bought this book last year but didn't pick it up until now. I enjoyed it; it was fun.
"Feluda has come to Banaras for a vacation with his brother Topshe and friend Lalmohan Babu (Jatayu). They went to the Darbhanga Ghat of Banaras to see the famous Machhli Baba. There, he had a conversation with Umanath Ghoshal. Umanathbabu informs Feluda that a rare and expensive Ganesha idol has been stolen from his father's chest. Umanath Ghoshal's father, Ambika Ghoshal, entrusted Feluda with the task of rescuing the idol."
The start of the book was rather slow; it wasn't bad, but it was the slow burn of the start that didn't excite me much. The middle and the ending were good, and I had a good thrill from them. The main attraction would be the villain of the story, Meghraj, a classic Bengali antagonist-esque character; it had every cliché trait you could think of. It's not a negative aspect but rather the best part; from the introduction to the ending, Meghraj had a menacing presence in the story. The middle part of the story was very enjoyable to me; the constant cat and dog race and the sudden plot point had their effects on the experience.
The overall setting of the story was nice; it's not something out of the world, but rather mild and fun to read at leisure. The characters were good, and Captain Spark's imagination was wild. The ending was classic Feluda style; it brought back memories of watching the movies on Friday nights way back in my childhood.