Tarapada Ray () was a

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

writer of poems, short stories, and essays. He is especially known for his satirical sense of humour. He was born on 1 November 1936 in

Tangail Tangail (, ) is a city of Tangail District in central Bangladesh. A significant city in Bangladesh, Tangail lies on the bank of the Louhajang River, northwest of Dhaka, the nation's capital. Etymology ''Tangail'' originates from the Beng ...

, now in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. He lived in

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n state of

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

until his death on 25 August 2007.

Early life

He had his schooling in Bangladesh where he passed his matriculation from Bindubasini High English School. In 1951, he came to Calcutta to attend college. He studied economics in Central Calcutta College (presently

Maulana Azad College Maulana Azad College is a government college of liberal arts, commerce and science in India, located in central Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The college is fully government-administered. It is located near the junction of Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road an ...

). For a time he taught in a school in Habra in North 24 Parganas. Apart from numerous short stories and essays (mostly satirical), he wrote many poems as well. His first collection of poems, "Tomar Pratima" was published in 1960. He also wrote several short shorties commemorating his childhood days spent in East Bengal (Bangladesh). Among his most important works are novel like Charabari Porabari and travelogue like Neel Digante Tokhon Magic. He died on 25 August 2007. He was survived by a son and his wife. He was suffering from

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

for the last few months. He was so enthusiastic about writing, that it was reported that he even wrote several pieces from his hospital. Tarapada had close friendship with Hollywood actor

Wallace Shawn Wallace Michael Shawn (born November 12, 1943) is an American actor, essayist, playwright, and screenwriter. He is known for playing Vizzini in '' The Princess Bride'' (1987), Mr. Hall in '' Clueless'' (1995), Dr. John Sturgis in '' Young Sheldo ...

and famous author

Deborah Eisenberg Deborah Eisenberg (born November 20, 1945) is an American short story writer, actress and teacher. She is a professor of writing at Columbia University. Early life Eisenberg was born in Winnetka, Illinois. Her family is Jewish. She grew up in su ...

Selected bibliography

*''Kandogyan'' *''Bidda Buddhi'' *''Bhadralok(gentleman)'' *''Mandhata'' *''Buddhishuddhi'' *''Gyan gomyi'' *''Dodo tatai palakahini'' *''Swanirbachita Tarapada Roy'' *''Chilam bhalobashar neel potakatole shadhin'' *''Charabari Porabari'' *''Balish'' ;Poem Collection *''Tomar protima - 1960'' *''Chhiam Bhalobasar Nil Patatae Swadhin - 1967'' *''Kothay Jachchhen Tarapada Babu - 1970'' *''Neel Digante Ekhon Magic - 1974'' *''Pata O Pakhider Alochana - 1975'' *''Bhaobasar Kabita - 1977'' *''Daridrarekha - 1986'' *''Durbhikker Kabita'' *''Jaler Moto Kabita - 1992'' *''Din Ani Din Khai - 1994'' *''Tubeshishur Baba - 1995'' *''Bhalo Achho Garib Manus - 2001'' *''Kobi O Parashini - 2002''

Awards

*Shiromani award *Katha award (1995)

References

Bengali writers People from Tangail District 1936 births 2007 deaths Maulana Azad College alumni University of Calcutta alumni Writers from Kolkata {{India-writer-stub