| Mosha (The Mosquito) | |
| Title Orig: | মশা |
| Author: | Premendra Mitra |
| Illustrator: | Protul Chandra Bandyopadhyay |
| Country: | India |
| Language: | Bengali |
| Series: | GhanaDa |
| Genre: | Science fiction |
| Publisher: | Deb Sahitya Kutir |
| Release Date: | 1945 |
| Media Type: | |
| Followed By: | নুড়ি (The Pebble) |
Mosha (Bengali: মশা) is a work of science fiction written in Bengali by the novelist Premendra Mitra. The story was first published by Deb Sahitya Kutir, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, in the Puja Annual titled Alpana (Bengali: আলপনা) in 1945. Ghanashyam Das alias GhanaDa, the fictional character and the protagonist of the GhanaDa series of science-fiction stories appeared for the first time in this novel.[1]
The character of Ghanashyam Das, also known as GhanaDa, is described as a bachelor with a dark complexion, tall and bony skeletal structure, and an age range of "anywhere between thirty-five to fifty-five." This description is provided by the author in Mosha, the first story of the GhanaDa series. He resided in the attic on the third floor of a shared apartment (Bengali: মেস বাড়ি) at No. 72, Banamali Naskar Lane, Calcutta, West Bengal, India. He lived alongside other boarders who affectionately called him GhanaDa, with "Da" being a Bengali suffix denoting respect and affection for an elder male. GhanaDa was rarely seen engaging in activities other than narrating fantastical tales to his fellow boarders. His stories encompassed most major world events of the past two hundred years, and he claimed to have visited nearly every place on earth.[2]
Premendra Mitra, the creator of the character GhanaDa, described him in an interview with A. K. Ganguly published in SPAN in 1974, as follows:[3]
| Sakhalin | |
| Map: | Russia |
| Area Km2: | 72492 |
| Area Footnotes: | [5] |
| Rank: | 23rd |
| Highest Mount: | Lopatin |
| Elevation M: | 1609 |
| Country Largest City Population: | 174,203 |
| Population: | 497,973 |
| Population As Of: | 2010 |
| Density Km2: | 8 |
| Ethnic Groups: | Russians, Ainu, Koreans, Nivkhs, Oroks, among many others |
One evening in Calcutta in 1945, the boarders of the shared apartment at No. 72, Banamali Naskar Lane gathered in the common room, engaging in casual conversation on various topics. Bipin, one of the boarders, mentioned the efforts to eradicate mosquitoes in his village. At that moment, GhanaDa appeared. He was respectfully offered the lone easy chair, the best seat available, and a cigarette from Shishir as a loan. GhanaDa humbly stated that he had only ever killed one mosquito in his lifetime, on August 5, 1939, on Sakhalin Island, Japan.
In the story narrated by GhanaDa, he recounted being employed by a company in Sakhalin to collect amber in 1939. When a Chinese laborer named Tanlin went missing with a bag of amber, GhanaDa, along with Mr. Martin, the doctor, initiated a search. A Gilyak tribesman directed them to a scientific laboratory operated by Mr. Nishimara, an entomologist. It was revealed that Mr. Nishimara was genetically engineering mosquitoes to become agents of biological warfare, and Tanlin had fallen victim to one of his experiments. When a genetically modified mosquito landed on Mr. Nishimara's face and stung him, sealing his fate, GhanaDa killed the mosquito by slapping Mr. Nishimara. This act eliminated a significant threat to humanity. GhanaDa declared that he never intended to kill another mosquito for the rest of his life.[2]
World War II is generally considered to have begun on 1 September, 1939, with Germany's invasion of Poland and the subsequent declarations of war on Germany by France and the United Kingdom. GhanaDa's appearance on Sakhalin Island on 5 August, 1939, occurred just before the onset of World War II. At that time, Sakhalin Island was divided into two parts: the northern part was controlled by Russia and the southern part by Japan. On 11 August, 1945, Russia invaded the Japanese-controlled part of Sakhalin, and Japan surrendered on 15 August, 1945, effectively ending World War II. This date corresponded with 28 Aashwin 1352 in the Bengali calendar, coinciding with Maha Navami during the Durga Puja festival in Bengal and India.
When Alpana, the Puja Annual of Deb Sahitya Kutir, was released in 1945, the events on Sakhalin Island were still recent news, making GhanaDa's story particularly resonant with readers. GhanaDa had anticipated the story's impact.