প্রমথনাথ বিশী ও পরশুরামের পৌরাণিক ছোটগল্পে হাস্যরস : সাদৃশ্য ও স্বাতন্ত্র্য/ Mythological Humour in the Short Stories of Pramathanath Bishi and Parashuram: Similarities and Distinctive Features

Abstract

Humour gradually attained the status of a distinct artistic mode in twentieth-century Bengali short fiction, emerging as an important literary medium for representing human nature, social incongruities, the hollowness of established values, and institutional contradictions. Within this tradition, Parashuram and Pramathanath Bishi occupy two distinctive positions. Both writers transcend mere entertainment by transforming humour into an art of intellectual engagement and reflection through wit, satire, irony, unexpected situations, and the creative reworking of mythological elements. Yet their aesthetic perspectives, satirical orientations, and artistic techniques reveal significant differences. This paper undertakes a comparative reading of selected mythological-humorous short stories by the two writers in order to examine these affinities and distinctions.

         The discussion focuses primarily on Parashuram’s Jabali and Hanumaner Swapna, and Pramathanath Bishi’s Na-Na-Lau-Ba-Li, Atha Krishnarjun Sangbad, and Kurukshetra Juddher Mul Karan. It examines how Parashuram’s mythological characters generate humour through their association with rationalism, human frailties, domestic concerns, and the ordinariness of everyday life, whereas Bishi’s mythological characters and narratives become vehicles for exposing black-market practices, corruption, moral degeneration, social hypocrisy, and the contradictions of contemporary life. Particular attention is given to the dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna in Atha Krishnarjun Sangbad and its allegorical conclusion— “everyone is Arjuna and everyone is Krishna” — to demonstrate how a mythological narrative is transformed into a symbolic representation of contemporary moral crisis. The paper also considers the comparative significance of their use of sadhubhasha, the tension between linguistic gravity and thematic lightness, dialogue, and diction in the creation of humour.

         The study demonstrates that although Parashuram and Pramathanath Bishi belong to the same broader tradition of mythological humour, the underlying vision of their humour is not identical. Parashuram’s humour is marked predominantly by humanistic wit and intellectual subtlety, whereas Bishi’s humour more strongly foregrounds social satire, ethical questioning, and the critical pressure of contemporary reality. Their comparative study thus reveals the artistic diversity of Bengali humorous short fiction and provides a significant framework for understanding the distinctive comic and satirical sensibility of Pramathanath Bishi.