Sukumar Roy is undoubtedly the finest writer of nonsense tales and verse in Bengali. This book presents his chief works--Rhymes without Reason and A Topsy-Turvy Tale--in English. The skillful translations convey the genial intimacy of Ray's creations and his original illustrations accompany the text throughout.

A classic Bengali children's story filled with funny characters and bizarre happenings.

‘If you hear this, you will find your heads are getting muddled. Some of you will fathom fully, some will stay befuddled’ The Bengali language has never been quite such a living, breathing creature of whimsy as in Sukumar Ray’s hands. His creations—wild and wicked, dreamy and delirious—have thrilled children and adults alike. This selection offers you the best of his world—pun-riddled, fun-fiddled poetry from Abol Tabol and Khai-Khai, stories of schoolboy pranks from Pagla Dashu, of madcap explorers from Heshoram Hushiyarer Diary and the unforgettable harum-scarum classic Haw-Jaw-Baw-Raw-Law—for the first time in its entirety. All the stories and poems are accompanied by Sukumar Ray’s inimitable illustrations. Sampurna Chattarji’s vibrant translation captures the freewheeling play of sound and sense we associate with Ray’s writings, and promises to win him a whole new generation of admirers.

Rhyme-accurate, line-accurate English translations of all 53 nonsense-verse poems from Indian Bengali author Sukumar Ray's Abol Tabol, with groundbreaking analyses of hidden satire against British rule in colonial India. Suitable for enthusiasts of humorous poetry, as well as students and academicians engaged in South Asian literature studies.

The Essence of Nonsense is a compilation of Nonsensical Rhymes which have been translated by the Author into English from a select few of the exceptional Poems present in the hilarious Abol Tabol, which had originally been composed in Bengali by the legendary but Late Sukumar Ray, in an attempt to convey at least a fraction of the side splittingly funny but yet incredibly provocative satire of Abol Tabol" to those readers, especially Children, who have so far been deprived of the satirical humor inherent in the magnificent verses of the marvelous Abol Tabol

Welcome to the carnival of nonsense where hankies turn into mischievous cats, a messiah is born with her feet in her mouth, you can fave hun by socking on the ree-raw and your favourite corn cakes are made of . . . are you sure you want to know? For the last eighteen hundred years Indian arts have been seen in terms of strictly classified emotional effects known as the nine rasas. The Tenth Rasa: An Anthology of Indian Nonsense celebrates, for the very first time, what Sukumar Ray called the spirit of whimsy, or the tenth rasa, through the topsy-turvy, irreverent, melodic genre of nonsense literature. This fabulous selection of poetry and prose, brilliantly translated from seventeen Indian languages across India, includes works by Rabindranath Tagore, Sukumar Ray, Vinda Karandikar, Gulzar, Dash Benhur, Manoj Das, Navakanta Barua, Mangesh Padgavkar, Sri Sri, Vaikom Mohammad Basheer, Kunjunni and other known, lesser-known and previously unpublished authors. In forms as varied as stories and songs for children and adults, lullabies, folk tales, Bollywood song lyrics and medieval court verse, the writers open doors to wildly imaginative worlds populated by peculiar characters and fantastical creatures, where only nonsense makes perfect sense. Crackling with wit, wordplay and riotous rhymes, and frequently revelling in pure gibberish, this immensely entertaining collection will delight you from start to finish.

`Dashu got away with it because he was `mad?.? You never know what?s going to happen in Pagla Dashu?s world ? it?s an out-and-out romp. Life is never ordinary or dull when Dashu is around and this round-eyed, curly- haired schoolboy shakes up people and places till everyone and everything is as topsy-turvy as our hero. From his classroom antics to his playtime tactics, Dashu?s impish audacity has you rolling on the floor with laughter. Join him and his equally wacky company of madcap schoolboys and geniuses, show-offs and know-it-alls, scientists and explorers, and many other unforgettable characters who will take you on a crazy roller-coaster ride through poetry epidemics, strange robberies, chaotic school plays, and imaginary lands populated by magical creatures. These 25 classic stories by Sukumar Ray have been put together for the first time in English by the Jadavpur University Translators? Collective and feature rare illustrations by the father-son duo of Sukumar Ray and Satyajit Ray. PLUS! Book Mine Gems: 48 extra-special pages: Know more about the author, his work and his times. Plus things to think about and to do.'