Professor Trilokeshwar Shonku (Bengali: প্রফেসর শঙ্কু) is a fictional scientist and inventor created by Satyajit Ray in a series of Bengali science fiction books of the same name published from 1965. He is the central protagonist of the series. Professor Shonku resides in Giridih. His house contains a laboratory, and he lives with his pet cat, Newton, named after Sir Isaac Newton and his man-servant, Prahlad. He was born in the year of 1912 but his year of death is unknown. Character development Introduction to the character Professor Trilokeshwar Shonku (known popularly as Professor Shonku) is the protagonist of Satyajit Ray's series "The Adventures of Professor Shonku." The first story of the series introduced him, in "ব্যোমযাত্রীর ডায়রি" (Byomjatrir Diary). Professor Shonku's father Tripureshwar was a physician. Professor Shonku was born on 16 June 1912. His nickname is Tilu. Professor Shonku passed matriculation examination of the University of Calcutta at the age of 12. At the age of 16, Professor Shonku received his BSc degree with honours in two subjects, Physics and Chemistry. In Satyajit Ray's last finished novel of the series, Swarnaparnee, that was initially published in the Special Puja issue of Anandamela children's magazine in 1992, it was mentioned that at the age of 20, Professor Shonku took his first job as a professor of physics in Calcutta's Scottish Church College. Professor Shonku is a polyglot who knows 69 languages. His pet cat 'Newton' is 24 years old. Inspiration Ray admitted that he had based Prof. Shonku on the character Professor Challenger, by Arthur Conan Doyle, and a character created by Ray's father Sukumar Ray named Hesoram Hushiar. Ray himself described Shonku as a “mild- mannered Professor Challenger”. Recurring characters Avinash Chandra Majumdar (referred to as Avinash Babu) – Shonku's neighbor and a non-believer in science. He never understands the magnitude of Shonku's scientific breakthroughs and often finds them amusing, humiliating or insignificant. Nakur Chandra Biswas— a man with several supernatural powers which he acquired from a ball lightning incident. He is a well-wisher of Shonku, and has the ability to see visions of the future along with reading minds. He lives in Makardaha. Jeremy Saunders - a British biologist residing in London, Shonku's closest friend. Wilhelm Crole - a German anthropologist with interests in paranormal activities. John Summerville - a British scientist and geologist, also residing in London. Prahllad- Shonku's trusted servant and housekeeper for about 27