For Bengalis, sleuthing means Feluda

It is no surprise that we continue to look up to the West on many counts. We love their roads, their airports, underground transport networks, beautified parks and most of all the opulence. We have modeled our malls, which have become synonymous with development in Kolkata, on the Western model and follow Hollywood religiously. The Oscars and the Bafta are far more credible than our own awards and Lords is still cricket's mecca despite having a refurbished Eden Gardens at hand.There are more Kolkatans who now follow Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney than there are who follow Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. In an increasingly globalised world, which allows for free movement of capital and knowledge, we are true citizens of a global cosmopolitan city with unrestricted choice.
On the one count where we shun the West rather abrasively, however, is in our choice of sleuth. It is not for choice though. From the father of all detectives, Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie's little Belgian superman with grey cells Hercule Poirot to the quintessentially British, Inspector Morse, or the Swedish Kurt Wallander, detectives with impeccable credential have dominated the Western cultural imaginary for decades. For us, however, these men were never the primary draw. Yes we read Holmes or Poirot, watch Morse and Wallander but never do we want to become anyone but Feluda. While some Bengalis would prefer Byomkesh, there' little doubt that for the more globalised and progressive Bengali middle class intelligentia the choice is a non starter. Feluda is the quintessentially Bengali brand in the world detective supermarket. We love his mannerisms, his boy next door image, his sharp wit and sense of humour and finally his modesty. So much so that it is safe to suggest that Feluda will always be a flavor of Kolkata however much we globalize or appropriate things Western.
And there are very strong reasons for this. Sherlock Holmes, brilliant and agile as he may be, has his many quirks and mood swings. His experiments on his beautiful Saint Bernard, Gladstone, which are integral to the new Holmes movies, don't often go down well with dog lovers like me. Poirot on the other hand is a dandy and is fond of the real luxuries of life. He stays in the best of five star hotels and loves exotic food, things the middle class Kolkatan will find difficult to identify with. So while there is admiration for Poirot, he will forever remain the exotic Belgian, one we Bengalis will never aspire to be.
Morse on the other hand is an alcoholic, a clear 'no no' for us in Kolkata. You might well be brilliant but you can't be our idol if you are an alcoholic. Yes he drives a beautiful red Jaguar and fancies his single malt but Morse can never be the average Kolkatan that Feluda always was and will be. Finally, in Wallander we see a work obsessed detective who has no family to go back to in the evenings. A loner with a broken marriage, Wallander is no Feluda.
In Prodosh C Mitter we have every quality we aspire to. He is good looking, tall and handsome, well read and well mannered and is a man of the world. He is at ease in doing a Kung Fu stunt as he is in trying the exotic Chinese cuisine in Hong Kong. Yes he is pensive on occasions but never is he rude to Lalmohan Babu or Topshe and nor is he an alcoholic. He still uses public transport and never had a fancy for life on the fast lane. Importantly for the middle class Bengalis, Feluda was never a womanizer or an alcoholic and has the highest regard for family.
Finally, in Feluda we find the typical Bengali foodie, which we all are. From the traditional chanachur to his other culinary tastes, no Kolkatan will ever have a problem identifying with Ray's immortal Rajani Sen Road resident.
It will not be wrong to suggest that most Kolkatans have watched Sonar Kella a minimum of 20 times. Personally, Feluda will always be special. It was Feluda who had given me company on my way back from Oxford on 1 October 2000 when I had to rush back to Kolkata having lost my father. Again, it was Feluda who pushed me on when I made it back to Oxford in January 2001, nervous and apprehensive having missed a term. Feluda for me is an inspiration and suffice to say I am not alone. There are millions of Kolkatans like me who just love the man and his mannerisms.
So if the Kolkatans are asked the question "Who is the best detective of all?" pat will come the answer- "Elementary my dear Watson- It is Feluda. And always will be."