In many ways Dosshu Mohon or Robber/Dacoit Mohon was ailing as the world reached the 70s decade and soon after died. So, several generations have grown up without any knowledge of such a character, the first Bengali Robin Hood of sorts who looted the rich and distributed it to the poor. He was born during the colonial era and went about his business much to the delight and admiration of his thousands of fans spread all over the Bengali speaking world.

On top of that he had a love interest- a rich, beautiful, delicate lady prone to fainting when shocked-called Roma who was the ideal Bengali maiden, the ultimate woman in the mind of a few million fans. What else could be needed to turn this person from a hero to the ultimate star of the landscape, a criminal who was not one, who could be excused for his intent as all criminals are ultimately judged by.

Beyond the crime

When Mohon arrived on the scene the region was experiencing pre-independence expectations, turmoil and jitters as well. The rules and laws were there but no one was sure. And of course there were the advantage takers and seekers and people felt helpless. And that's when Dosshu Mohon popped up. He fitted the bill of the hero of his time perfectly.

His counterparts were the law enforcers including the police and he made fools of them as he not only broke the law but also escaped each time after doing so. In other words, Mohon was the ultimate anti-establishment, the one who always got away. But he was selfless and gallant and that took away the stigma of crime from him.

He became a knight of Bengal's Sherwood Forest, the one who went against the king of England but more against the Sheriff of Nottingham making a fool of him and his horde and reigning supreme with his skills, brain and character. Mohon did the same with his foe as the local variants of colonialism.

Wikipedia

I searched the net to see if it had anything on him.

I was shocked by the so little info they had. The wikipedia entry was very weak. It says the following.

"Dasyu Mohan is a popular fictional character in Bengali literature whose creator is Shashadhar Dutta. Dasyu Mohan was modeled after Robin Hood. He acts almost like Superman. He robs the rich and gives it to the poor. Lalbazar detective tries to catch him every time and fails, because every time Mohan surprisingly escapes by cutting through the police net. Mohan's lover's name is Rama. Dasyu Mohan was adapted into a Bengali film in 1955 directed by Ardhendu Mukherjee. Actor Pradeep Kumar played the role of Mohan."

So I called my student Kusumita in Kolkata who is also a college teacher. She had not heard of him but did some searching for me. She however found a poster which she sent by messenger. A bit desperate, I posted on FB as a sort of last resort searching for info. The responses were much more positive as so many were from my 70s generation.

Facebook responses

Here are two very illuminating comments on my post. Swatee Sultana writes:

"My older brother brought the book. Read it first in the 60s decade. My parents didn't read them. My mother-law was a big fan. So my husband was called Mohon. After my marriage, she wanted to call me Roma."

This anecdote is very insightful as it shows how deep in the psyche lived Mohon. He became the ideal of the Bengali mind and a hero including in feminine eyes. The son is Mohon and so the daughter-in-law is obviously Roma.

Freedom Fighter Linu Haq tells another moving story. "I had saved some money to buy Mohon books. But I handed over the money to Imtiaj Ahmed Bulbul and my second brother when they went to join the war. "Mohon was important enough to save money for but the war was more important than all else. It's a telling recollection.

Author Mohiuddin Ahmed puts it well, "I remember Mohon calling out in his deep voice, Roma."

The later Mohon

But all good but naughty things come to an end and one day Mohon got hitched to Roma and the storyline took a dramatic turn. Having become a responsible husband Mohon gave up a life "noble" crimes and took on a far more respectable profession. What was it? He became a painter. Seriously. from a thug albeit a nice one to the most harmless soul of them all. Lots of proper respectable readers must have felt great knowing that Roma was in the best, safe and respectable and creative hands.

The writer Shashadhar Dutta certainly understood the Bengali psyche well. He knew that times had changed and in the more conservative and less dramatic 50s a change in profession was inevitable, never mind if Mohon remained an investigator. And that's how the story changed along with the profession but the fans carried on.