Arnab Ray is an Indian novelist, blogger, podcaster who currently lives in the United States. While finishing his PhD at Stony Brook University,[1] he started his blog with the name Random Thoughts of a Demented Mind, in August 2004,[2] using Greatbong (bong is an Indian slang for Bengali) as his pen name. The blog focuses on satirical social and political commentary.
Arnab Ray | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kolkata, India |
| Pen name | Greatbong |
| Occupation |
|
| Language | English |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | BE, Jadavpur University PhD, Stony Brook University |
| Genre | Satire Horror Crime-thriller Drama |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Notable works | The Greatbong Blog May I Hebb Your Attention Pliss The Mine |
| Website | |
| greatbong | |
Ray embarked on his writing career with May I Hebb Your Attention Pliss, a non-fiction book that came out in 2010, and contained much of the commentary that Ray was known for by then through his blog. This was followed by The Mine, a psychological horror novel that came out in 2012, followed by books in the drama[3] and crime-thriller[4] genres. His last novel The Mahabharata Murders was adapted as a web series Mahabharat Murders on the Bengali OTT platform Hoichoi.[5][6]
In 2019, Ray renamed his blog as The Greatbong Blog and started a podcast called Attention Pliss!.[7][8][9]
Career edit
Ray was born and brought up in Kolkata.[1] His father Alok Ray is an ex-professor of IIM Calcutta. He graduated from Jadavpur University as a Bachelor in Computer Science and Engineering and went on to finish his PhD in Computer Science from State University of New York at Stony Brook.[10][better source needed]
He is known for his sarcastic takes on the Indian film industry, Indian politics and society in general. His blog, then called Random Thoughts of a Demented Mind, was awarded the "Indiblog of the Year" at Indibloggies in 2006[11] and 2008.[12] He has written for several media outlets such as The Washington Post'',[13] Outlook magazine[14] and Live Mint.[15]
He is an agnostic with moderate political beliefs as he has written about in his many blog posts.[16][17] His first book May I Hebb Your Attention Pliss, published by HarperCollins, was on India Today's Bestsellers list.[18] His second book, The Mine, has also been well received. His third book, Yatrik was published in September 2014.
His fourth book Sultan of Delhi: Ascension, first of a two-part crime-drama, was released in October 2016. It is being adapted as a web series Sultan of Delhi on the OTT platform Disney+ Hotstar, directed by Milan Luthria, starring Tahir Raj Bhasin, Mouni Roy, Vinay Pathak, and others.[19]
The print version of fifth book The Mahabharata Murders, published by Juggernaut Books was released in August 2017, even as the e-version of the book was released through the publisher's app in India. It was adapted as a web series Mahabharat Murders on the Bengali OTT platform Hoichoi.
Novels edit
- May I Hebb Your Attention Pliss, HarperCollins, 2010 ISBN 9788172239374
- The Mine, Westland (Amazon[20]), 2012 ISBN 9789381626382
- Yatrik, Westland, 2014 ISBN 978-9384030506
- Sultan of Delhi: Ascension, Hachette India, 2016 ISBN 9789351950929
- The Mahabharata Murders, Juggernaut Books, 2017 ISBN 9789386228369
- Shakchunni, Hachette India, 2024 ISBN 9789357318211
References edit
- ^ a b Basu, Dyuti (7 August 2017). "Meet internet's funniest Bengali". The Asian Age. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- ^ greatbong (20 August 2004). "Start of a new life". The Greatbong Blog & Podcast. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- ^ Varma, Nikhil (5 October 2014). "Back from the dead". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- ^ Dutta, Nirmalya (7 November 2016). "Book Review: Arnab Ray's Sultan of Delhi is a desi Godfather-style thriller". DNA India. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- ^ "Mahabharat Murders - Trailer". hoichoi.tv. 8 May 2022.
- ^ "Hoichoi's new content slate promises lots to explore". telegraphindia.com. 8 May 2022.
- ^ "On the Podcasting couch..." Deccan Herald. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- ^ Venkataramakrishnan, Rohan. "Podcast picks: These shows will guide you through India's hectic election season". Scroll.in. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- ^ "Attention Pliss! with Arnab Ray on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- ^ "arnabray". Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ "The 2006 Winners are here | Indibloggies - The Indian Weblog Awards | Indian Blog Awards". Indibloggies. 22 February 2007. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ "Results | Indibloggies - The Indian Weblog Awards | Indian Blog Awards". Indibloggies. Archived from the original on 10 July 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ "The Spider". The Washington Post. 18 November 2007.
- ^ "Acidwash Adonis | Arnab Ray". Outlookindia.com. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ "IPL2: Hits, ifs and misses". Livemint. 22 May 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ "Arnab Ray". Facebook. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ "The Question of Suffering « Random Thoughts of a Demented Mind". Greatbong.net. 24 July 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ "Bestsellers for April 2010". India Today. 1 May 2010.
- ^ "'Sultan of Delhi' trailer showcases power struggle amid high stakes". The TImes of India. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- ^ Agarwal, Anirban Sen, Sapna (28 October 2016). "Amazon to buy publishing business of Tata-owned Westland". Mint. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
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