Abol Tabol Characters Explained: Ramgorurer Chhana, Hnashjaru, Kumropotash and Friends

Every Bengali child meets Abol Tabol at some point, usually through a parent or grandparent reciting it from memory, very dramatically, at bedtime. Then you grow up and realise that the book you thought was just silly is actually one of the cleverest things ever written in Bangla.

We've already written about Sukumar Ray and why his humour suits t-shirts so well. This post is a closer look at the creatures and characters themselves, for anyone who wants a refresher or is meeting them for the first time.

First, a little background

Sukumar Ray (1887–1923) came from a remarkable family. His father, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, was a writer, illustrator and printing pioneer who started the children's magazine Sandesh. Sukumar later edited the magazine himself, and many of his nonsense poems first appeared in its pages, often with his own drawings. His son was Satyajit Ray.

Abol Tabol was published as a book in 1923, the year Sukumar Ray died at only 35. The title roughly means "gibberish" or "nonsense", and the book opens by inviting the reader into a world where anything can happen and nothing has to make sense. That's half the fun. The other half is that, if you look closely, much of the nonsense pokes fun at very real people: pompous officials, show-offs, know-it-alls, and anyone who takes themselves too seriously.

Ramgorurer Chhana: the ones who mustn't laugh

Probably the most loved creatures in the book. The Ramgorurer Chhana are not allowed to laugh, ever. The poem describes them going about life in a state of grim seriousness, avoiding anything that might make them smile, even worrying that a joke might sneak up on them.

Every Bengali knows at least one person like this: the relative who frowns at every family joke, the boss who thinks smiling is unprofessional. That is why the phrase has stayed in everyday Bangla. Call someone a Ramgorurer Chhana and everyone instantly knows what you mean.

We drew ours as a grumpy cartoon cat sitting on colourful Bangla letters. See the red Ram Gorurer Chhana tee, the wash fabric version, and a kids version for the little ones who, thankfully, laugh all the time.

Khichuri: the Hnashjaru and other mix-ups

In the poem Khichuri, animals get mixed together like the dish itself. A duck (hnash) and a porcupine (sajaru) become a Hnashjaru, and the poem cheerfully admits that this breaks every rule of grammar. Then come more combinations: the Bokchhop (heron and turtle), the Hatimi (elephant and whale), the Giraphoring (giraffe and grasshopper).

Sukumar Ray's own drawings of these creatures are a big part of why children love them. They look exactly as ridiculous as they sound, and each one seems mildly annoyed about being half of something else.

Kumropotash: stay calm and follow the instructions

The Kumropotash is never quite described. Instead, the poem gives you a list of very serious instructions about what you must do if the Kumropotash starts dancing, or crying, or laughing. The instructions are absurd, and they're delivered in the tone of an official government notice.

It's a perfect example of how Sukumar Ray worked: the joke isn't the creature, it's the solemn adult voice telling you what to do about it.

Bombagarer Raja: a king with strange habits

The poem about the King of Bombagarh is a string of questions. Why does the king do this? Why does the queen do that? Each habit is stranger than the last, including the famous line about keeping fried aamshotto framed like a picture on the wall. Nobody in the poem ever gets an answer, which is exactly the point. Royal behaviour, it suggests, makes no sense, and nobody is brave enough to say so.

Our Bombagarer Raja tee puts the king's name in bold red Bangla with a little crown, on a textured black acid wash. There is also a kids version.

Gonph Churi: the case of the stolen moustache

In Gonph Churi, an important office babu becomes convinced that his moustache has been stolen. He makes a huge fuss, and the people around him try everything to convince him that the moustache is still on his face. He refuses to believe them.

It's one of the funniest poems in the book, and a sharp picture of a certain kind of self-important person who would rather be outraged than be wrong. Children love it for the moustache. Adults love it because they have met that babu. Our Goph Churi kids tee is a favourite with families.

Hnuko Mukho Hyangla

This sad-looking creature with a face like a hookah is one of the more melancholy characters, a reminder that Sukumar Ray could make you feel a little sorry for his creations even while you laughed at them.

Beyond Abol Tabol

If you enjoy these, read HaJaBaRaLa, Sukumar Ray's dreamlike story where a handkerchief turns into a cat and the logic only gets stranger from there. It's often compared to Alice in Wonderland, though it is very much its own thing. His Pagla Dashu stories, about a mischievous schoolboy, are another delight.

And of course, Sukumar's father Upendrakishore wrote Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, which Satyajit Ray later turned into a much-loved film, complete with the King of Ghosts. That's where our Bhooter Raja tee comes from.

Why these characters still work today

A hundred years later, people still quote Abol Tabol at work, in arguments and on social media. The reason is simple. Sukumar Ray wasn't really writing about imaginary animals. He was writing about human nature: vanity, rules for the sake of rules, the fear of looking silly. Those things haven't gone anywhere.

That's why his lines make such good t-shirts. They're instantly recognisable to Bengalis, a little mysterious to everyone else, and they start a conversation every time.

Our Abol Tabol and Sukumar Ray designs

• Abol Tabol t-shirt (adults) and Abol Tabol kids
• Ram Gorurer Chhana, in red, wash fabric and kids
• Bombagarer Raja and the kids version
• Goph Churi kids

For more Bengali nostalgia, the Ikir Mikir tee brings back the courtyard counting rhyme, and our post on Apu and Durga looks at another story every Bengali grows up with. Or browse the full Bengali t-shirts collection and the kids collection.