HaJaBaRaLa facts for kids
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| Author | Sukumar Ray |
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| Translator | Jayinee Basu |
| Illustrator | Sukumar Ray |
| Country | India |
| Language | Bengali |
| Genre | Novella |
| Publisher | Nishtha at Lulu.com |
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Publication date
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1921 |
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Published in English
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2005 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 68 pp (Eng. trans.) |
| ISBN | 1-4116-3983-9 (Eng. trans.) |
HaJaBaRaLa (Bengali: হ য ব র ল) is a super fun children's book written by Sukumar Ray. Its name means something like 'Haphazard' or 'Nonsense' in Bengali. This book is one of the most famous 'nonsense stories' in Bengali literature. People often compare it to Alice In Wonderland because of its wild and imaginative adventures!
Story Summary
The story begins when a child, who is also the narrator, suddenly wakes up. They are surprised to find that the handkerchief they put next to them before sleeping has turned into a talking cat! The cat starts saying silly things about handkerchiefs and semicolons. Then, it suddenly disappears over a hedge.
The cat tells the child to find a character named Kakeshwar. It gives some confusing clues that eventually lead the child to a tree. There, the child finds Kakeshwar doing very strange math problems on a slate. The calculations are completely illogical and don't make any sense!
After a funny argument about math, a goat appears. This goat starts talking about its life and how it eats paper and other unusual things. Next, a character named Hijibijbij shows up. Hijibijbij laughs a lot at impossible situations and keeps changing the names of their family members.
Soon, many other animals appear, and everything becomes even more confusing! The child then wakes up from this very odd dream. They find their cat, but this time, it doesn't talk.
Main Characters
Many characters from HaJaBaRaLa have become famous sayings in the Bengali language. This is true for many of Sukumar Ray's other works too.
Here are some of the main characters you'll meet:
- Shree Kakkeshwar Kuchkuche (Bengali: শ্রী কাক্কেশ্বর কুচকুচে): This character is a raven or a crow. He wears a green eyeshade like a clerk and loves to do strange math problems.
- Gechhodada (Bengali: গেছোদাদা): This character is only mentioned by the cat and never actually appears in the story. The cat says he is very unpredictable. He can only be found by solving a super complicated and nonsensical math problem!
- Heejibeejbeej (Bengali: হিজিবিজবিজ): This person loves to imagine very unlikely situations and then laughs hysterically at them.
- Sheyal: This is a fox who acts as a lawyer in a court case against Kumir.
- Byakaran Shing BA Khadyabisharad (Bengali: ব্যাকরণ শিং বি,এ,খাদ্যবিশারদ): This is a goat who gives serious talks about silly topics. For example, he might lecture about all the things goats don't eat!
- Pyancha: This is an owl who acts as the judge in the court.
- Udhho and Budhho (Bengali: উধো আর বুধো): These are two small, dwarf-like creatures. One moment they are fighting, and the next moment they are hugging! The phrase "Udhor pindi Budhor ghare" is a common saying that means something like "the shoe is on the other foot."
- Shojaru: This is a porcupine who starts a court case because he feels insulted.
- Kumir: This is a crocodile who is the lawyer for Shojaru.
- Beraal: This is the nonsense cat who talks about strange things, like Gechodada (Grandpa Tree) and other people.
- Nera (Bengali: নেড়া): This person has no hair and loves to sing silly, nonsense songs.
- Gechhoboudi: She is the wife of Gechhodada and cooks, but she doesn't appear in the story either.
- Mejomama: This is the maternal uncle who thinks everything about the story is nonsense.
Images for kids
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First Signet Edition of HA JA BA RA LA by Satyajit Ray
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Shri Kakeswar Kuchkuche
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Udo
