My Take - Topser Notebook by Koushik Majumdar

Topser Notebook by Koushik Majumdar is a fictional biography of Prodosh C. Mitter a.k.a Feluda as well as his family history purportedly written by his nephew Topesh Ranjan Mitra a.k.a Topshe. It is in the form of Topshe’s personal diary and begins by presenting the details of their family history. The diary also gives the readers the glimpses to the hitherto unknown cases solved by Feluda. It is basically a fan fiction which tries to assert Feluda and the other characters related to him as real flesh and blood humans by dismissing the fictitious nature of these characters. I think it is a praiseworthy attempt by the author and as far as I know a pioneering attempt as well, at least on a major scale (as a published book).

It took me a little while to get the hang of the writing style. Initially I found it a little haphazard and incongruent but gradually it started making sense. I found the initial few sections to be a little drag, however by the time I reached the middle of the book I was hooked to it. The notebook also informs the readers about Feluda’s last case and why he quitted his profession. Honestly, I am a bit disappointed by the end; I don’t want to imagine Feluda as a failed, embittered, withdrawn old man. I agree with the author’s justification that if we want to see Feluda as a real flesh and blood human we must accept his mortality as well. But I imagine the autumn of Feluda’s life differently, I simply can’t bring myself to imagine Feluda in his last days as the author wants us to imagine.

Nevertheless, since most Bengalis have grown up loving Feluda, I think Topser Notebook merits at least a one-time read for the simple fact that it allows us to meet Feluda once again. It was a quick and enjoyable read, one that will lead you to the by-lanes of your childhood enveloping you in the sweetness of nostalgia.

My Rating – 3 ⭐ 



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