It’s difficult to find anyone who has never heard a ghost story, whether he is an urban or rural person, native or foreigner. We have a lot of ghost stories in our stock like sandpaper tree, headless horse, someone tall with white clothes, sudden flashlight, passing a piece of fireball, losing fish during fishing and many more that could make a different genre of literature.
We grow by listening and scarring these ghost stories. We get scared alone in a silent place at night once we grow up and grow old by getting scared.
In a get together with cousins or friends, there must be a session of ghost story telling. Basically we love to get scared in a secured place, like to get frozen with fear.
That’s why we enjoy horror movies in our secured house by turning lights off, putting our body inside the blanket; we listen to horror stories on radio programs, it’s the luxury of fear!
Sometimes this fear appears as luxury and sometimes killer. Ghost fear is also a weapon; there are a lot of stories of eliminating enemies by using these tools. Killing enemies and imposing liabilities on ghosts! Author Abu Ishak’s ‘Surjo Dighol Bari’ is one of the literary examples of this weapon.
There are occurrences and gossips in our society, because it occurs and gossips! There is always the ‘behind the scene’ of an occurrence. We are the astringent and carrier of ghost stories in our society. But there are a few people among us who try to find out the ‘behind the scene’ of the occurrence or the ‘ghost story’.
Someone gets success in that effort, someone leaves the field, someone doesn’t get any reason, but someone is able to sum up an explanation of the story by using his talent, experience, observation and analytical qualification. Literally the ghost story gets its fulfillment through this explanation. Although ghost stories are a uncuttable part of our rural life or lived life, I don’t have any idea if there is enough analytical literature on this topic. Maximum, we could have some people who would close the case by saying- ‘hey, there is no ghost!’.
A. Zaman, an author from Jashore, once said, he wants to publish a book with a collection of ‘Chatam’. The word ‘Chatam’ means telling a false story. He will collect the ‘chatam’ by travelling in local areas. That was interesting to me at that time, but nowadays I find it’s relevant on top of interesting.
In Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2025, the upcoming book of author Abdul Mazed ‘Panchobhut’ is a hope creating book. There are a couple of dozen ghost stories in this book. But there are thousands of books on the market on ghost stories, so why is this book ‘Panchobhut’ special?
This is the main thing. If you want to provide a better hospitality to your guests with tea & biscuits, it’s your choice how would you present those, you could just give a cup of tea and a packet of biscuit; at the same time you have the option to present the tea & biscuit by using nice cups, plates and tray. It’s a matter of your taste. You have the option to enjoy a movie in a theater and on your mobile phone, it’s your decision what you want to choose. A lot of things depend on the presentation.
As a reader I have detected some sharp points after reading this book, those are- the author Abdul Mazed made the readers time travel through 3-4 more relevant stories while he told a story; and he made the reader land on the ending nicely. This trip is not only horror but also with a lot of wise humour, you would get a taste of spicy fuchka with sweet sauce. And at the end of every ghost story he explained the behind the scenes of the ghost stories that occurred about 4-5 decades ago.
He didn’t miss to joke with himself as well. You will need time to get back to sense when you come back to your town from the humor and ghost world.
Basically the author has created his own characteristics by his amazing technique of storytelling, making the readers time travel. There are a lot of tiny occurrences (Story) in the main occurrence (Story), he has enlightened his readers by revealing the real catalyst of the behind the scene.
I believe you heard about captivating ghosts in a bottle. And also about treatment by ‘Ojha or Kaviraj’ for chasing away ghosts! Most treatments like this are inhuman. Sometimes the patient gets a mental disorder due to permanent mental trauma, sometimes somebody dies.
The author has added a story in this book named ‘Bottle Bhut Rahasya’. It means ghost in a bottle mystery. He added a tag line with the story title, that is- ‘Dedicated to the members of the families harmed by the occurrences of captivating ghosts in a bottle.’ This dedication note made me think deeply. It’s just an expression of human values of a great hearted author. Real knowledge makes a man real human and humble. It’s a taste, a feeling of nobleness.
In the story ‘Bathanbarir Bhut’ when the author’s friend entered into the creeping jungle to steal date juice, the author described his friend’s entry. I believe you will watch the scene in front of you. You’ll feel after reading this story, you have spent a quality time and it will provoke you to take the decision to read all the stories in the book.
There are some foods with no side effects, it gives a good feeling after eating; there are some movies, it gives a good feeling after watching. ‘Ponchobhut’ is such a book that would make you feel that calmness. I wish Bengali literature would be enriched with this type of writing.
