The Pendrive Mystery

Do you all remember Mitin aka Pragnya Paromita Mukherjee? The first female sleuth of Bengali literature created by the prolific writer Suchitra Bhattacharya?

I come back again with another of her adventures in the Mitin Mashi Series. Mitin’s sidekick is her fifteen year old niece Tupur (sister’s daughter). Tupur calls Mitin as Mitin Mashi. Mashi (Mausi in Hindi) in Bengali means maternal aunt or mother’s sister. Hence, the name of the detective series.

Mitin along with her husband Partho and son Bumbum and her sister Saheli and brother-in-law, Aboni and their daughter Tupur are on vacation to Kullu, Manali and Rohtang Pass.

Unable to get accommodation in the valley, Partho assisted by their resourceful, local driver, Tinku Singh, hires two rooms in a well furnished Cottage on the outskirts of Kullu for two nights.

It is here that Mitin’s son finds a pen drive in the drawer of a computer table. Exploring the content Mitin and Tupur find that the pendrive contains photographs of original paintings by the famous Russian artist, Nicholas Roerich, who spent a number of years in the valley till his death and who is still highly respected by the locals.

That night Mitin and Tupur are also privy to a heated argument between Bibhob Sarma, the owner of the Cottage and a local painter, Bajnath Rai. The latter threatens Sarma and leaves the premise in a fit of rage. On enquiry, Mitin learns that Baijnath was hired by two visitors previously staying in the same room in which Mitin and Partho are now staying. However, the visitors have left without paying Bajnath the full amount for the job.

The next day Mitin unexpectedly meets Baijnath in the Dussehra Festival held in Dhaalpur Maidan, Kullu. During a casual conversation Mitin learns that Baijnath was commissioned to make copies of three of Roerich’s paintings.

On Mitin’s insistence the family makes an impromptu detour to Nicholas Roerich’s Art Gallery in Naggar on the way to Manali. On reaching, the gallery is found to be closed as there has been an attempt to break into the premise the previous night. An investigation is under way.

Mitin introduces herself to the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr. Ashutosh Shah, who is in charge of the investigation. She hands over the pendrive explaining how she has got hold of it. She shows the content to him too. On Mitin’s request the paintings displayed on the first floor where the break-in has taken place are rechecked and three of Roerich’s original paintings are found to have been replaced by copies.

A badly shaken Gallery Manager, Kishanlal Duggar, asks Mitin to carry on a parallel investigation for expeditious closure of the matter. Thus a chase ensues from Naggar to Manikaran Sahab back to Kullu to ultimately nab the mastermind.

The USP of this detective story is how the authoress weaves the controversial figure of Nicholas Roerich and the historic Nicholas Roerich Art Gallery into the plot. She also brings in all the places of touristic importance – Kullu, Manali, Manikaran Sahab, Bhuntar – punctuated with apt descriptions of their scenic beauty and historical legacy into the vortex of the chase.

This is an audio story. I have heard it on ThrillerLand on YouTube. The presentation was very engaging. Puja’s voice over for Mitin exactly matches with that of Koel Mallick who has immortalized Mitin on the silver screen.

However on the flip side, audios always make me fall asleep. I had to rewind several times to complete the story.

Suchitra Bhattacharya’s books have been translated in many languages including English in case you are interested to read them. They are really enjoyable with contemporary flavour and relevance without being over the top.