Byomkesh Bakshi is a fictional detective created by Bengali author
Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay (30 March 1899 – 22 September 1970) was an Indian Bengali language, Bengali-language writer. He was actively involved with Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema as well as Bollywood. The creator of the Bengali dete ...
. A self-proclaimed "satyanweshi" (literally seeker of truth), Bakshi is known for his keen observation,
logical thinking, and knowledge of
forensic science
Forensic science combines principles of law and science to investigate criminal activity. Through crime scene investigations and laboratory analysis, forensic scientists are able to link suspects to evidence. An example is determining the time and ...
, which he uses to solve complex murder cases, mostly set in
Calcutta
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...
.
His first appearance was in the story ''
Pother Kanta'' (1932), where he demonstrates his deductive skills, but his formal introduction occurs in
''Satyanweshi'' (1934), a murder mystery involving
cocaine trafficking. Byomkesh adopts the alias Atul Chandra Mitra in this story, where he meets Ajit Bandyopadhyay, who becomes his close companion and the narrator of the Byomkesh stories.
The character's name has since become synonymous with intelligence and keen observation in Bengali vernacular. The ''Byomkesh Bakshi'' stories have been adapted into various media, including films, television series, and audio dramas. Notable portrayals of the detective include those by
Uttam Kumar,
Rajit Kapur, and
Abir Chatterjee
Abir Chatterjee (born 18 November 1980) is an Indian actor who mainly works in Bengali cinema. He is the son of theatre personalities Phalguni Chatterjee and Rumki Chatterjee. He started his career with Bengali television and made his debut i ...
. The stories continue to have a significant influence on
Indian detective fiction, contributing to the development of the genre.
Character
Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay's most well known fictional character Byomkesh Bakshi first appeared as a character in the story ''
Satyanweshi '' (''The Inquisitor''). The story is set in 1932 in the Chinabazar area of Kolkata where a 'non-government detective' Byomkesh Bakshi, owing to the permission from the police commissioner, starts living in a mess in that area under the pseudonym of Atul Chandra Mitra to probe a series of murders.
Most of the stories are written from Ajit Kumar Banerjee's perspective, who meets Byomkesh in the mess at Chinabazar. Byomkesh later asks Ajit to live with him at his three-story rented house at Harrison Road as his assistant and chronicler. The only other person in his household is his attendant Putiram.
In the beginning of the stories, Byomkesh Bakshi is described as "a man of twenty-three or twenty-four years of age who looked well educated." Byomkesh is a
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
and wears mostly a white shirt/
kurta
A ''kurta'' is a loose collarless shirt or tunic worn in many regions of South Asia, (subscription required) Quote: "A loose shirt or tunic worn by men and women." Quote: "Kurta: a loose shirt without a collar, worn by women and men from South ...
with a white
dhoti
The dhoti is an ankle-length breechcloth, wrapped around the waist and the legs, in resemblance to the shape of trousers. The dhoti is a garment of ethnic wear for men in the Indian subcontinent. The dhoti is fashioned out of a rectangular p ...
, occasionally draping a
shawl
A shawl (from ''shāl'') is a simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular piece of Textile, cloth, but can also be Square (geometry), square or tr ...
. He does not live in luxury but possesses numerous books. He travels frequently, and does not own a gun and does not consider himself to be an "expensive helper". He habitually smokes and drinks tea with milk. He is fluent in
Bengali,
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
, and
English. Byomkesh does not like being called a detective, and thinks the word 'investigator' even worse. Thus, he fashions a new name for himself which he inscribes on a
brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...
plate in front of his house. The plaque read "Byomkesh Bakshi: Satyanweshi" (The Inquisitor).
Family
Unlike other lead characters in similar detective fictional stories, Byomkesh Bakshi marries, ages, and also contemplates material things such as buying a car. Later, he also decides to buy land in Keyatala in South Kolkata and shifts to his new home. Byomkesh meets Satyabati, his future wife and the accused Sukumar's sister, in 'Arthamanartham'. The story 'Adim Ripu' provides some information about Byomkesh's early childhood. His father Mahadev Bakshi was a mathematics teacher at a school and practised
Sankhya
Samkhya or Sankhya (; ) is a dualistic orthodox school of Hindu philosophy. It views reality as composed of two independent principles, '' Puruṣa'' ('consciousness' or spirit) and ''Prakṛti'' (nature or matter, including the human mind an ...
philosophy at home while his mother was the daughter of a
Vaishnavite
Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...
. When Byomkesh was seventeen years old, his parents died of
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
. Later, Byomkesh passed university with a scholarship. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and after India's independence, Byomkesh, Satyabati and Ajit live in the mess house of Harrison Road (Currently
Mahatma Gandhi Road (Kolkata)). Byomkesh gradually ages through the series, and has a son called Khoka (Little Boy) in the series.
The Byomkesh Bakshi anthology
From 1932 until his death in 1970,
Saradindu Bandopadhyay wrote 32 Byomkesh Bakshi stories. Initially, Byomkesh's close friend and chronicler, Ajit Kumar Banerjee, serves as both companion and occasional investigator in Byomkesh's absence, as seen in stories like Makorshar Rosh and Shoilo Rahasya. While early tales use traditional Bengali, the language transitions to a more conversational style in later works. Notably, in later stories such as Room Nombor Dui, Chhlonar Chhondo, Shajarur Kanta, Benisonghaar, and Lohar Biskut, Ajit is absent as he focuses on his publication business.
The stories vary widely in their depiction of crime—from complex drug networks, as in
''Satyanweshi'', to domestic mysteries like Arthamanartham and Makorshar Rosh. Though Bandopadhyay ceased writing Byomkesh stories between 1938 and 1951 while working in Bombay's film industry, public demand led him to resume with Chitrachor (''Picture Imperfect'') in 1951. His last story, Bishupal Badh (''The Killing of Bishupal''), was left incomplete upon his passing in 1970.
List of stories
In media
The stories have been adapted into several television series, radio programs, audio dramas, films, and video games.
''
Chiriyakhana
''Chiriakhana'' or ''Chiriyakhana'' () is a 1967 Indian Bengali-language crime thriller film, based on the story of the same name by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. The film is directed and co-written by Satyajit Ray, starring Uttam Kumar as Byomke ...
'' (1967) is an Indian Bengali-language
crime thriller
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...
film based on the story of the same name, directed by
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligraphy, calligrapher, and composer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influ ...
and written by Bandyopadhyay and Ray, it starred
Uttam Kumar as Byomkesh Bakshi.
The 1993–97
Byomkesh Bakshi television series, created by
Basu Chatterjee
Basu Chatterjee (10 January 1927 – 4 June 2020) was an Indian film director and screenwriter in Hindi Cinema. Through the 1970s and 1980s, he became associated with what came to be known as middle cinema or middle-of-the-road cinema filmmaker ...
, and starring
Rajit Kapur as Byomkesh Bakshi, and
K.K. Raina as Ajit respectively, became one of the most critically acclaimed and celebrated adaptation of the character. These television series are cast by Doordarshan.
There have been 20 Byomkesh Bakshi films, with
Abir Chatterjee
Abir Chatterjee (born 18 November 1980) is an Indian actor who mainly works in Bengali cinema. He is the son of theatre personalities Phalguni Chatterjee and Rumki Chatterjee. He started his career with Bengali television and made his debut i ...
portraying the detective in seven of them.
The ''Satyanweshi'' audio drama series, created by actor Aneesh See Yay, adapted twenty-two Byomkesh Bakshi novels and produced eight original audio dramas in
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
.
In 2014,
Colors Bangla
Colors Bangla (previously known as ETV Bangla) is an Indian general entertainment pay television channel broadcasting in Bengali language owned by JioStar, a joint venture between Viacom18 and Disney India. It primarily telecasts programs su ...
aired a TV series titled ''
Byomkesh'', starring
Gaurav Chakrabarty
Gaurav Chakrabarty is an Indian Bengali-language film and television actor best known for his portrayal of the character Prodipto Lahiri in the Bengali musical television series '' Gaaner Oparey'' that aired on Star Jalsha from 28 June 2010 to ...
as Byomkesh and
Ridhima Ghosh
Ridhima Ghosh is an Indian Bengali-language film and television actress. She debuted on the big screen Sanghamitra Chaudhuri's ''Ratporir Rupkotha'' in 2007. She debuted on television in the Bengali television series '' Bou Kotha Kao '' in 200 ...
as Satyabati. Produced by
Dag Creative Media, the series was well received by audiences.
In 2015, the Bollywood film ''
Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!'' featured
Sushant Singh Rajput
Sushant Singh Rajput (21 January 1986 – 14 June 2020) was an Indian actor best known for his work in Hindi cinema. He earned acclaim for his performances in several notable films, including ''Kai Po Che!'' (2013), ''Detective Byomkesh Bakshy ...
as the lead, bringing Byomkesh to a national audience.
Byomkesh was also referenced in
The Big Bang Theory
''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady for CBS. It aired from September 24, 2007, to May 16, 2019, running for 12 seasons and 279 episodes.
The show originally centered on five charact ...
Season 7, Episode 18, where Sherlock Holmes is humorously dubbed the "English Byomkesh Bakshi."
Anupam Roy
Anupam Roy (born 29 March 1982) is an Indian Bengali singer-songwriter, music director, composer, writer, guitarist, playback singer, engineer from Kolkata, India. He made his debut with ''Amake Amar Moto Thakte Dao'' & ''Benche Thakar Gaan'', ...
refers to Byomkesh Bakshi in his song "Kolkata", for the Bengali film ''
Praktan''.
Radio Mirchi
Radio Mirchi ("''Mirchi"'' in Hindi meaning red chilli), also known as 98.3 Mirchi, is a nationwide network of private FM radio stations in India. It is owned by the ENIL, EntertainmentNetwork India Ltd (ENIL), which is one of the subsidiarie ...
’s ''Sunday Suspense'' has adapted several Byomkesh stories, including Satyanweshi, Pather Kanta, and Durgo Rahasya, with
RJ Mir initially voicing Byomkesh, later replaced by
Gaurav Chakrabarty
Gaurav Chakrabarty is an Indian Bengali-language film and television actor best known for his portrayal of the character Prodipto Lahiri in the Bengali musical television series '' Gaaner Oparey'' that aired on Star Jalsha from 28 June 2010 to ...
following Mir's departure.
See also
*
Feluda
Feluda is a fictional detective, private investigator created by Indian director and writer Satyajit Ray. Feluda resides at 21 Rajani Sen Road, Ballygunge, Calcutta, West Bengal, India. Feluda first made his appearance in a Bengali childre ...
*
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
*
Parashor Barma
*
Kiriti Roy
* Roy, Pinaki. ''The Manichean Investigators: A Postcolonial and Cultural Rereading of the
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
and Byomkesh Bakshi Stories''.
New Delhi
New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...
: Sarup and Sons, 2008.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bakshi, Byomkesh
Indian crime novels
Indian detective novels
Indian film characters
Fictional Bengali people
Fictional Hindus
Fictional Indian detectives
Fictional Indian people in literature
Fictional private investigators
Literary characters introduced in 1932