I've often marvelled at the choice of the title that Ray chooses for his which aptly summarises the compilation in a book and serves as an illustration of the very popular but quite complicated essay that almost every student faces - explain how the title justifies what follows! Thus it was turn for the master professor to be faced under dire circumstances in three different scenarios that starts with a curious case of a damaging impersonation in Innsbruk titled Shonkur Shanir Dosha, continues with his three friends as they explore the mysterious alleways of alchemy in Shonkur Subarna Sujog - another apt double description of what follows and finally concludes with the dangerous and eerie Hipnogen in Norway where help comes from the most unexpected quarter.
As always the Ray charm was as green as ever but there were some interesting facts that I unearthed this time. The 1st of them is a confusing event that after getting invitation from a foreign land, Prof. Shonku could start on the journey in five days - is it that in the 70s the visa processed so quickly? This is more probable as I haven't come across a Ray composition compromising in details. The 2nd is that in the concluding episode there had been references of Odin and Thor and they had been correctly described as Greek Gods. But as I knew that Thor was the son of Odin, maybe this needs clarification as I cannot imagine that Shonku, and actually Ray who had always educated us with short explanations of even the mundane, never expressing this thought. The 3rd and the 4th which just came to me were Ray's appeal to Conan Doyle novel as the climax of Hipnogen bears a slight resemblance to that of "The Black Panther" and the protgonist professor is again a Bengali compliment to the fierce Challenger, the similarity being in their confidence in science and their love of adventure.
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