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During British colonial rule Calcutta was a centre of opulence with its cultural, social, political, and commercial splendor. It was a city of contrasting juxtapositions a city of lapses and excesses a city of worth and futility, and of course the city of Gaganendranath.

When it comes to Indian art, Gaganendra was, and still is a creator par excellence with cubist fantasies. But at the same time he is a man little known for his acumen as one of the finest cartoonists of India. Birupa Bajra (1917), Adbhut Lok (1917) and Naba Hullod (1921) three crisp and punchy volumes with a delectable sense of satire evident in the unforgettable cartoons and caricatures by Gaganendranath are nowhere to be seen these days.

With some of these cartoons turning up here and there and people recalling having seen them, there was sense of a cultural and literary void among the most discerning collectors. The void was followed by silence, and the silence was deafening. It was then little wonder that I would be over the moon to have chanced upon those volumes one day at Anathnath Das’s place. I jumped at the idea of bringing all of the together in a single volume with the addition of some more cartoons by Gaganendranth, hitherto unpublished in a single volume.