Mrrajrumel at 21:00, 28 April 2026

2026-04-28T21:00:09Z

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{{Short description|1948 GhanaDa story by Premendra Mitra}}
{{About|the story by Premendra Mitra|other references|Ghori (disambiguation){{!}}Ghori}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox book|
| name = Ghari (The Clock)
| title_orig = ঘড়ি
| translator =
| image = Ghori GhanaDa Title Cover Shaila Chakraborty 1948.jpg
| caption = Illustration by Shaila Chakraborty in 1948
| author = [[Premendra Mitra]]
| illustrator = Shaila Chakraborty
| country = India
| language = Bengali
| series = GhanaDa
| genre = [[Science fiction]]
| publisher = Sarat Sahitya Bhaban
| release_date = 1948
| media_type = Puja annual
| preceded_by = [[Nuri (story)|নুড়ি (The Pebble)]]
| followed_by = [[Poka (story)|পোকা (The Insect)]]
}}

'''''Ghari ''''' ({{langx|bn|ঘড়ি}}) ({{translation|''' The Clock'''}}) is a work of [[science fiction]] written in [[Bengali language|Bengali]] by the novelist [[Premendra Mitra]]. This story was first published in Chhayapoth ({{langx|bn|ছায়াপথ}}), the Puja annual of ''Sarat Sahityo Bhaban'', [[Kolkata]], West Bengal, India, in 1948. It was the third story in [[Ghanada|GhanaDa]] series portraying Ghanashyam Das alias GhanaDa, the fictional [[Character (arts)|character]] created by [[Premendra Mitra]], and the [[protagonist]] of the ''GhanaDa'' series of science-fiction novels.<ref name = tfo>{{cite journal | url = https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17449855.2017.1332676 | title= The Insectesimal tall tale: Historical catachresis and ethics in the science fiction of Premendra Mitra|journal= Journal of Postcolonial Writing | first1= Atanu | last1 = Bhattacharya| first2= Preet |last2 = Hiradhar |access-date = 14 November 2020 | date=13 February 2012| volume= 54| issue= 2| pages= 174–186| doi= 10.1080/17449855.2017.1332676| s2cid= 164349172| url-access= subscription}}</ref>

==Characterization==
The character of Ghanashyam Das alias [[Ghanada]] was outlined as a bachelor, dark complexioned male with tall, boney and skeletal structure, and having age “anywhere between thirty five to fifty five”. It was described by the author in ''Mosha'', the first story of the Ghanada series. He stayed in the third floor attic of a shared apartment (মেস বাড়ি) at no. 72, Banamali Naskar Lane, Calcutta along with other boarders, who fondly called him Ghana-da. The term “da” is a suffix added to the name of an elder male in Bengal to convey reverence and affection.

Ghanada was rarely found to be engaging in any activity or work other than telling fantastic tales to the boarders of the apartment. His stories were relevant to most of the major events that happened in the world for the last two hundred years (18th and 19th century) and there was no place on earth which he did not visit. This is the reason why Ghanada pretended to not know of his age as it can expose him.<ref name=abp1>{{cite book|editor-first=Surajit|editor-last=Dasgupta|chapter= ঘড়ি |title=ঘনাদা সমগ্র - পর্ব ১|publisher=Ananda Publishers|year=2000|isbn=81-7215-395-3}}</ref> {{blockquote|গত দুশো বছর ধরে পৃথিবীর হেন জায়গা নেই যেখানে তিনি যাননি, হেন ঘটনা ঘটেনি যার সঙ্গে তাঁর কোনও যোগ নেই<ref name=abp1/>}}

[[Premendra Mitra]], the creator, described Ghana~da in an interview by A K Ganguly published in SPAN in 1974, as under:<ref name=span >{{cite book|first=A K|last=Ganguly|title= Premendra Mitra's science fiction|publisher=SPAN|year=1974}}</ref> {{blockquote|Ghana~da is a teller of tall tales, but the tales always have a scientific basis. I try to keep them as factually correct and as authentic as possible.<ref name = span /> }}

==Plot==
{{Infobox islands
| name = Samoan Islands
| image_name = Olosega Aerial AKK.jpg
| image_caption = Above: [[Ofu-Olosega|Olosega]] island in the [[Manu'a]] group, eastern Samoa Islands. Below: map of the Samoan Islands
| image_size =
| map_image = Samoa islands 2002.gif
| native_name = Motu o Sāmoa
| native_name_link =
| nickname =
| location = [[Polynesia]]
| coordinates =
| archipelago =
| total_islands =
| major_islands =
| area_km2 = 3030
| highest_mount = [[Mauga Silisili]]
| elevation_m = 1858
| country = {{flag|Samoa}}
| country_largest_city = [[Apia]]
| country_largest_city_population = 38,800
| country1 = {{flag|American Samoa}}
| country1_largest_city = [[Tafuna, American Samoa|Tafuna]]
| country1_largest_city_population = 9,756
| population = 249,839
| population_as_of = 2012
| density_km2 =
| ethnic_groups =
| additional_info =
}}
It was a day of [[Kolkata Derby|Derby]], ie, there was a scheduled football (soccer) match between two big clubs of West Bengal, [[East Bengal FC|East Bengal]] and [[Mohun Bagan Super Giant|Mohan Bagan]]. The four close friends, Shibu, Gaur, Shishir and Sudhir with the author, who were boarders of the shared apartment at no. 72 Banamali Naskar Lane, were getting prepared to leave for the football stadium while keeping a keen watch on the time. Sudhir gave his clock to Gaur and said, “Keep it with yourself. You won't need asking the time repeatedly then.” Here entered GhanaDa, with a warning that clocks should not be accepted without a proper check. It could be disastrous.

Getting inquisitive Shibu mentioned that GhanaDa was never seen having a clock. GhanaDa replied, “No, I do not have a clock, but once I received some.” “Received? How many, GhanaDa?” “As far as I remember”, GhanaDa replied indifferently, “Two lakh fifty three thousand three hundred and one only.” {{blockquote|শিবু তা সত্বেও জিজ্ঞাসা করেছে, "সে-সব ঘড়ি গেল কোথায় ঘনাদা? কোথায় রেখেছেন মনে নেই বুঝি?" <br />"না, মনে থাকবে না কেন, খুব মনে আছে I সেগুলো রেখেছিলাম ১২৫ ডিগ্রী দ্রাঘিমা যেখানে ৩৫ ডিগ্রী অক্ষ্যাংশকে কেটে বেরিয়ে গেছে ঠিক সেইখানেই, তবে সেগুলো এখন অচল" <ref name=abp1/>}}

GhanaDa reminded of a massive Tsunami and cyclone occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 17 September 1937. His story preceded the event by two months. At that time he was visiting an area covering from [[Hawaii]] to [[Fiji]] through [[Samoa]], carrying out an import-export business which was a cover hiding his actual identity. All of a sudden he received two telegrams from Neville and Frank on the same day, requesting him to undertake a secret service mission and to meet the sender at the earliest. They were understood to be [[Neville Chamberlain]], Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and [[Franklin Roosevelt]], President of the United States. “Were they your friends, GhanaDa?”, asked Shibu. {{blockquote|যেন অত্যন্ত সামান্য ব্যাপার, এইভাবে কথাটা হাত নেড়ে উড়িয়ে দিয়ে ঘনাদা বলেছেন, "যাক সে সব কথা" <ref name=abp1/>}}

The author, [[Premendra Mitra]], addressed the issue of international terrorism in this story. Some agencies in Asia distributed cheap clock attached with explosives and timer, that were distributed throughout Europe and the United States. Most of these clocks were programmed to explode at a particular time and date to destroy major infrastructure of these countries. With timely intervention of GhanaDa, a major impending world disaster was averted. However, the crucial Eastbengal club versus Mohanbagan club football match was eventually missed by all.<ref name=abp1/>

==Characters==
*[[Ghanada|Ghanashyam Das alias Ghanada]]
*Gouranga alias Gour
*Shibu
*Shishir
*Author (anonymous in this story. However, now we know it is Sudhir)
*Mr. Okamoto, representative of the Clock manufacturing Company
*Mr. Leyman, Police Chief of Samoa Island

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==

* [https://ghanada.com/club/ Ghanada Club]
* [https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-62933-4_3 Critical Analysis of Ghanada]

{{Premendra Mitra}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghori (novel)}}
[[Category:1948 short stories]]
[[Category:Indian short stories]]
[[Category:Science fiction short stories]]
[[Category:Short stories set in India]]
[[Category:Ghanada short stories]]

Ghari story - Revision history

Mrrajrumel at 21:00, 28 April 2026