The cover of a Professor Shanku book

Professor Shanku, the fictional scientist created by Satyajit Ray, is being made part of the Madhyamik board curriculum at the initiative of education minister Partha Chatterjee, who has recently had his hands full with another Shanku, Trinamul student leader Shankudeb Panda.

Six adventure-cum-science fiction stories of the brilliant inventor and polyglot will be included next year in the Class IX rapid reader textbook for students studying Bengali as first language.

The announcement was made by Chatterjee, who said he had met Ray’s film-maker son Sandip on Sunday and shortlisted the six stories.

“We all know that apart from being a great film-maker, Satyajit Ray was a great writer. We have decided to include six stories from Ray’s Professor Shanku series in the Bengali textbook of Class IX next year,” Chatterjee told Metro.

Sandip Ray had “verbally given his consent” on the introduction of the six stories at Sunday’s meeting. The government formally wrote to Ray on Monday seeking his approval, the minister said.

Education department officials said the move was the minister’s brainchild. “It was Chatterjee who had urged the chairman of the state school syllabus committee, Avik Majumdar, to consider introducing Shanku stories in the curriculum,” said an official.

The stories selected for the textbook are Professor Shanku O Ascharya Putul, Corvus, Byomjatrir Diary (the first Professor Shanku story), Mahakasher Doot, Swarnaparnee and Dr Sherin-er Sharan Shakti.

According to the Shanku stories, the inventor had passed matriculation at the age of 15, received a BSc degree with honours in physics and chemistry at 16 and became a physics professor at 20 before going on to become a world famous scientist.

His inventions include Annihillin, a pistol that can cause anything to disappear immediately; Miracurall, a drug that cures any ailment except common cold; Ornithon, a device to educate birds; Evolutin, a drug that causes humans to evolve 10,000 years in five minutes; Remembrane, a device that makes people recall forgotten things; and Somnolin, a sleeping pill which works in any condition.

Chatterjee’s party colleague has done more than enough to ensure top-of-the-mind recall for the name Shanku.

The president of the Trinamul Congress Chhatra Parishad, Shankudeb Panda, has been the face of disruptive protests and agitations across campuses over the past few months.

In July, he had led a sit-in by around 80 students shouting slogans on Calcutta University’s College Street campus, forcing the cancellation of a meeting of the syndicate, the highest decision-making body of the institution.

Shanku has also led a protest on the Rajabazar science college campus and allegedly warned some teachers against blaming his supporters for attacks on their colleagues.

Over the past two months, minister Chatterjee has been consistently expressing concern over disruptive politics on campuses and exhorting student leaders to stay away from such activities.

Student leader Shanku has shown scant regard for Chatterjee’s sermons so far, administrators on major campuses in the city feel.

Last month, when Chatterjee had said the state government would not support any agitation on campuses, Panda claimed the statement was aimed at the student wings of the BJP and the CPM.

When asked about the change in syllabus on Monday, Panda said: “Who knows one day the government can even introduce Feluda stories in school syllabus.”

The inclusion of the Shanku stories is part of the syllabus overhaul in all subjects being undertaken over the past two years.

In order to enhance the reading ability of students, the syllabus committee had recommended introducing a textbook — rapid reader — in Bengali for students of classes VI and IX.

At a recent meeting in Chatterjee’s room to discuss the content of the Class IX rapid reader, the education minister had urged the syllabus committee to consider Shanku stories for inclusion. The panel later consulted experts, who accepted the proposal.