The Posthuman Encounters in Satyajit Ray’s Short Stories by Mahasweta Sikdar

Satyajit Ray, born on 2nd May, 1921 in Kolkata is the son of Suprabha Roy, and the great Bengali writer Sukumar Ray. He is a world acclaimed filmmaker. He was also a prolific writer of detective fiction and fantasy fiction. He was inspired by the Kalpabigyan tradition established by his predecessors like Leela Majumdar and Sukumar Ray. Kalpabigyan is an umbrella term for different kinds of science writing in Bengali. In this paper, I am particularly interested in the genre that is closer to science fantasy. Kalpabigyan had its root in the conflict created in the Bengali ‘bhadralok’ between his traditional beliefs and the western imperial science. Debjani Sengupta notes that in kalpabigyan “we see a questioning of the paradigms of Neo-Enlightenment scientific principles and a critical understanding of humanism and science through the figure of the protean explorer/scientist” (Sengupta 74). The kalpabigyan literature of Bengal was involved with world-building and used mythic elements in a process to produce knowledge ‘gyan’ which is beyond scientific knowledge ‘vigyan’. Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay called it the ‘mythologerm’ (Chattopadhyay). This nature of the kalpabigyan genre allows the author to subvert the values and reality of the techno-world, and depict strange encounters with the Other to undermine established knowledge. It tries to show us the limitations of the reality of the world as we know it and “what the world could be” (Sengupta 74).
Strange encounters and processes are at the center of many of Satyajit Ray’s short stories. We met characters like Mriganka Babu (Mriganka babu-r Ghotona), Kaktarua (Kaktarua), Brownie (Asamanjababu-r Kukur), Professor Hijibijbij (Professor Hijibijbij), EA (Aschorjontu), Anukul (Anukul), Compu (Professor Shonku O Kompu), Bidhushekhar (Byomjatrir Diary), all who spill over the boundaries of the Other (animal, subhumans, machines). Ray investigates what happens to the human uniqueness when the Other threatens to trespass the line between the human and the Other. To understand our response to this transgression, I have chosen to study the short stories Professor Hijibijbij, first published in PujaBarshiki Anandamela magazine in 1971, and Aschorjontu, first published in PujaBarshiki Anandamela in 1983.
One of Satyajit Ray’s most famous fictional characters is Professor Trilokeshwar Shonku- a scientist from Giridih who has many inventions to his credit. Inspired by the diary writing style and the world-building of Heshoram Hushiar by Sukumar Ray, Satyajit Ray added short adventures to the diary of Professor Shonku after his first appearance in Byomjatrir Diary (1961). Aschorjontu is a short story in which Professor Shonku finds an ‘extraordinary animal’. And Professor Hijibijbij, is the story of Himadri Choudhuri’s encounter with a mad scientist named Professor Hijibijbij who works with extreme plastic surgery to recreate the hybrid fictional characters from the nonsense fantasy books Abol Tabol, and Haw Jaw Baw Raw Law written by Sukumar Ray.
Intruders:
The undiscovered ‘bizarre being’ of Aschorjontu, and the chimera creatures of Professor Hijibijbij ‘intrudes’ (Nancy) into our well categorized world. The first human reaction to such an encounter is of surprise. Professor Shonku tries to examine and find out the taxonomic position of the ‘beast’. This is an act of “normalizing” the being into our world and until then “the stranger’s coming will not cease being a disturbance and perturbation”(Nancy). We are given a detailed account of the strange being. The presence of a tail, pointy ears (also a characteristic of Professor Hijibijbij), and the presence of fur all over its body are all non-human characteristics. So Shonku decides to classify it as belonging to the class of monkeys. Monkeys are close relatives of the human species and have many things in common. By placing the creature in this category of animal, a line is drawn between it and the Human. But as days go by, the creature begins to act more and more like a human. So to make the binds of its animalness stronger, Shonku names it EA or Extraordinary Animal.
The surprise of seeing Professor Hijibijbij is more difficult to normalize. Here the human is stepping across the line in a kind of atavism. This intrusion is more horrifying because of the realization that the Other comes from within. We cannot simply categorize him as a nonhuman. The presence of the animal is also traced in Mriganka babu. It is terrifying because it threatens the idea of ‘progressive evolution’ of humans into beings of “greater complexity and superior ability” (Micali 19). This animal tendency is termed as ‘madness’ in both the stories- something to be feared, repressed, segregated from humanity (Foucault). The intruder, when cannot be normalized, must be banished.
Aschorjo Kimbhoot:
It is interesting to note that both Sukumar Ray and Satyajit Ray employ the same tools to arouse laughter and terror- the grotesque bodies or “aschorjo kimbhoot” (Ray, Professor Shonku Somogro 150). Badmington notes that there must be something human in the Other to arouse laughter or fear in us. I think there must be something human in the Other to even bring the Other under our consideration. Pity, fear, laughter, love, all these can only arise when we spot something that we consider as an attribute of the Human. We spot in EA all the three qualities listed by Micali which are necessary to be a human– self-awareness, sentience and morality; while the irrational quest of Professor Hijibijbij, and the greed of Eckhart’s son and his friend Gasper are linked to the Other. The robotic servant, Shashticharan, whom Professor Hijibijbij has created terrifies us because he follows orders like an automaton and has inhuman physical power. We only feel sympathy for him when we come to know that Shashticharan shouted in frenzied fear on seeing the final creation of Professor Hijibijbij. Thus, our sympathies are always with what we consider human. Professor Hijibijbij’s body is like a meaningless scribble or ‘hijibiji’(Bengali). This loss of meaning of God’s creation threatens human dignity and raises fear.
This final creation of Professor Hijibijbij has a human head and a hybrid body made of various animals. The creature finds no name in any of the texts. The poem Bhoy Peyona (Don’t Be Afraid) from which the character is inspired, plays with humour and fear. The narrator warns the reader to not be afraid of it or else it will bite. The creature wants communication. This reminds us of the attempts of Frankenstein’s monster to establish some sort of a connection with his creator. But the knowledge that such a subhuman character is self-conscious enough to want communication raises the fear. This is where the conflict arises. Humans have enjoyed their status of supremacy and a distinct human identity in the world by creating a gap between humans and the Other, allowing no negotiation. In both these stories, as in Frankenstein, the Other’s attempt to transgress this gap is responded with banishment from human society. EA must go into the forest and the nameless creature of Hijibijbij goes into the sea. Banished by humanity they can only find place among the less evolved or stay unnoticed. So “aschorjo kimbhoot” is not about the physical body but the threat they symbolize.
The Case of Evolution:
Eckhart informs us that his friends do not support the practice of Western science in India. For them India is still a country of tricks and snake charmers. Gasper considers EA to be an Indian trick. Ray points out the human is a eurocentric hierarchy- the white man, the barbarian, and the animal. EA’s inability to speak and similarities with a monkey, make us think that EA is less evolved than humans. But EA has an ability to communicate without verbal or physical means and is able to read minds. EA also demonstrates high adaptability with the changing environment and unique self-defence abilities. EA surpasses animals and even humans. The encounter with EA raises the question of what we consider to be ‘evolved’. The Eckhart (son of Dr. Eckhart), and Gasper want to view EA as a circus animal or as one of the stuffed animals put on demonstration in Eckhart’s castle. By turning the Other into the ‘object’(Badmington 96) humans are able to create their supremacy and their subjectivity.
What is in a name?
The act of naming is a peculiar characteristic of the human species. In Chemistry, we use names to know the structure of the molecule. In Biology the binomial nomenclature tells us the exact taxonomic position of the being and that helps us know how it is related to other beings in the world. To name is then to order and classify. The use of common nouns are different from proper nouns. Again, among all the proper nouns human names are quite different. We name our children, plants, cars and even our androids with human names. The bestowing of a human name not only works as a way of identification but also to incorporate the named one into our human world.
In both the stories, Professor Hijibijbij and Aschorjontu, we find a hesitation in naming because of the difficulty in classifying them as humans or non-humans. Professor Hijibijbij confesses that he had a name before (when he was human) but he has renounced it because it has no use now. Perhaps because his identity as a human is in doubt. On encountering him, a name pops up in the mind of Himangshu Choudhuri- ‘Hijibijbij’, a character in Haw Jaw Baw Raw Law. In it Hijibijbij is a character from the fantastical realms, or the realms of dreams where all characters have become ‘haw jaw baw raw law’ (meaning mixed up and confused). It is from these realms that Professor Hijibijbij had to derive his name. He can no longer be incorporated into the world of human reality. This is also evident in his residence which is outside the residential area of the humans.
Professor Hijibijbij, instead of using the human name keeps referring to the narrator with a descriptive word ‘shorangul mohashoy’ (Bangla: Mr. Six-fingers) for having an extra finger on the thumb. This name is to emphasize Himangshu’s deviation from the five fingered human. Himangshu responds to this with “ Yes, I am Himangshu Choudhuri” (Ray, Professor Shonku Somogro 144). This he does to assert that he is human. He is adamant to retain his human name almost as if the name is what is keeping him human.
Ray does not name EA with a proper noun, but a descriptive one. EA is an extraordinary animal but an ‘animal’ nonetheless. Ray uses EA as a pun. EA when pronounced in Bangla ‘iyea’ is an expression of hesitation or confusion in saying something. We do not know its name or its species. The animal is of a higher intelligence than an ordinary non-human animal so we cannot relegate it to the category of animal. It is almost close to being human but does not quite pass the mark. Being somewhere in the middle it threatens the boundaries between man and animal. The name Extraordinary Animal works to remind us that EA is an animal but different from what we think animals are. The name tries to affirm the image of a ‘man’ without mentioning it. For all the extraordinariness EA cannot be human. Whatever does not qualify as human is an animal and does not deserve a human name. And we are unable to classify to which order of animal he belongs to. For this purpose Professor Shonku writes to the renowned zoologist Dr. Fridrich Eckhart, who agrees to study EA and find the taxonomic position of EA and also find a suitable name of a species that will disindividualizing EA.
The Gap Between Us and Them:
Mike Cadden recalls a line from Robert Frost’s poem Mending Wall, “Something there is that doesn’t like a wall” (Cadden). The poem makes us muse upon the nature of Nature, and of human relationships. Nature tries to break down walls and create a synthesis. But “Good fences make good neighbours”(Frost). Cadden notes that this division is what allows relationships to occur.
In the poster of Aschorjontu for Radio Mirchi’s Sunday Suspense episode we see that while EA and Shonku extend their fingers towards each other, their fingers don’t really touch. The fondness with which the two figures reach out to each other confirms the will to bridge the gap. Shonku calls EA his ‘songi’ (Bangla: friend). This friendship is only possible if they respect their unique existence. The image brings to mind Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam in the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The Father creator on the upper right side of the painting extends his finger towards his creation on the lower left, granting him the last touch of life. I do not want to equate the relationship between the Father Creator and Adam with man and his creation of the Other. But what I find remarkable is the gap between their fingers. This gap is what keeps Adam human and the Creator divine. What mediates in this gap is unknown. This is the space where communication can occur. “We cannot touch without being touched” (Hewitt 82). To be touched is to allow synthesis to occur and that will only bring about destruction and betrayal (Cadden). The first animal experiment of Professor Hijibijbij was successful. But though the bodies form a synthesis, the mind betrays. EA is betrayed by Shonku when Shonku fails to protect EA.
The two extended hands also remind me of the hand stencils found in the caves of Lascaux, France. The intention behind the paintings are not known but they seem to reach out to us like ghostly hands as if saying “I was here” (Green 28). They try to reach us across time and space. The extended hand of EA is the Other trying to reach us out across this gap and say “you are not conscious alone” or perhaps our animal subconscious reaching out to the human consciousness.
Conclusion:
The non-human other is constructed in the “figure of the human as (an) Other” (Micali30). All that is undesirable in the human is defined as non-human. The two stories aim to show us the Other in Us and the Us in the Other. We are made to see through the human construct and by accepting the nonhuman in Us we are made to look at the space between the human and the nonhuman that can be a space of communication.
Works Cited:
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– Golpo 101.Ananda Publishers, 2002.
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