A new documentary unravels the heritage of the century-old Bengali children's magazine Sandesh, the birthplace of Ray's Feluda
One of the initial covers of Sandesh
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'If everyone likes it and if there is any benefit, only then will its Sandesh name be successful,' wrote Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury in the inaugural issue of the Bengali children's magazine back in 1913. To say that it was merely successful would be an understatement. In circulation till date, the iconic periodical has shaped the childhoods of millions of Bengalis with its beautiful cover illustrations, sketches and short stories replete with humour, science fiction and literary values.
A 1961 cover of the first issue edited by Satyajit Ray
With a 104-year-old legacy, it is now the subject of a documentary, Sandesh 100, by Bengali photographer-filmmaker Soumyakanti Dutta. The 18-year-old director has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Wishberry to help complete the film's post-production. He says, "The idea is to archive its heritage, so that the future generations can learn about the role Sandesh has played in Bengali literature."
Blocks used to make Sandesh, seen in a still from the film
Past forward
Chowdhury launched Sandesh in 1913, presumably named after the favourite Bengali mithai as well as a moniker for news. Post his demise in 1915, the monthly magazine's reigns were taken over by his son and littérateur-humorist Sukumar Ray, who remained the editor for eight years.
Filmmaker Soumyakanti Dutta
After his death, the periodical stopped circulation until his son and legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray revived Sandesh with his poet-friend Subhash Mukherjee in 1961. In later years, the magazine's editors included Leela Majumdar and Nalini Das. His son, Sandip Ray, who has also provided his guidance to the young team for the documentary, now edits it. "I began my career in photography with Sandip Ray's film unit in 2014. He has helped us gain access into Sandesh's archives and is excited to see how the documentary has shaped up," says Dutta.
Actor Chiranjeet Chakraborty, who also designed a cover when he was just 18
Feluda for the young
The 75-minute documentary sheds light on the magazine's heritage through interviews with former writers for the magazine, including the popular Bengali novelist Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay. "They've shared several anecdotes about their writing experience. For instance, when Sandesh wasn't able to pay its writers and poets due to monetary problems, Satyajit Ray would send them invites for his film premieres as compensation," says Dutta, who also interviewed eminent Bengali actors Chiranjeet Chakraborty, who designed a cover of Sandesh as a cartoonist when he was just 18, and Sabyasachi Chakraborty, known for portraying Ray's Feluda on screen. That's because the iconic Bengali sleuth made his first appearance in Sandesh. "Satyajit Ray wrote over 100 short stories for the magazine," says Dutta, whose personal favourite is the first story, Feludar Goendagiri, published in 1965.
Sandip Ray, son of Satyajit Ray in a still from the film
Block adventures
According to Sandip Ray's interview in the documentary, Sandesh stood out for its unique covers. Replete with themes of children, animals and clowns, the colourful, half-tone covers were initially created using woodcut line blocks introduced by Chowdhury, arguably the first in south Asia to use the modern block-making technique. "Many of these blocks still exist in the archives at the Sandesh office. In the documentary, we have juxtaposed them with their corresponding covers to highlight how intricate the block designs were. Even non-Bengalis who haven't read Sandesh will be able to enjoy the documentary," sums up Dutta.
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