It’s a parting gift from him to all the kids. A day before his demise, an animated series for children with rhymes from '
Abol Tabol
' recited by
Soumitra Chattopadhyay was released on Saturday.
The 85-year-old cultural icon had tested COVID-19 positive on October 5. Since then, his condition had been deteriorating. After a long battle with the illness, Ray’s Apu breathed his last on November 15, leaving a void in the heart of his countless fans.
The first episode of the animated series on 'Abol Tabol', rhymes recited by Soumitra before he was hospitalized, was released on YouTube celebrating Children's Day on November 14. The collection enriched with 53 rhymes, a timeless creation of
Sukumar Ray
, was first published in 1923. It continues to appeal to a wide range of Bengali readers irrespective of their age.
"Soumitra Chattopadhyay had said yes to the project the moment we approached him with our proposal during the lockdown. We were literally having goosebumps during the recording completed within two days. Watching Soumitra babu reciting the rhymes with such a great enthusiasm was a memorable experience," Shiladitya Chaudhury, the director of the YouTube channel on which the first of the four episodes was streamed, revealed.
Check out the video here:
The first episode has rhymes including 'Gnof Churi', 'Kath Buro', 'Khichudi', 'Sawt-Patro' and 'Ganer Gnuto'. The rest of the three episodes will be released in the subsequent weeks, he added.
Meanwhile,
Sandip Ray, grandson of Sukumar Ray said during the launch, "It is an interesting project to bring the literary works of Sukumar Ray to the present generation through virtual media. I recall how much I loved the characters depicted by my late grandfather in 'Abol Tabol' in my childhood."
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