Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay (23 July 1898 – 14 September 1971) was an Indian novelist who wrote in the

Bengali language Bengali, also known by its endonym and exonym, endonym Bangla (, , ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language belonging to the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. ...

. He wrote 65 novels, 53-story-books, 12 plays, 4 essay-books, 4 autobiographies, 2 travel stories and composed several songs. He was awarded Rabindra Puraskar,

Sahitya Akademi The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of the Indian government. Its off ...

Award,

Jnanpith Award The Jnanpith Award is the oldest and the highest Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature". Instituted in 1961, the award is bestowed only on Indian ...

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

and

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

. He was nominated for

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

in 1971 and posthumously nominated in 1972.

Biography

He fought against the british during the non-cooperation movement and was later arrested for political activism. Turning to literature after his release in 1930, he published his first novel *Chaitali Ghurni* in 1932 and met Rabindranath Tagore. Over the years, he presided over major literary conferences and received several prestigious awards including the Rabindra Puraskar, Sahitya Akademi Award, JnanpitTarasankar Bandyopadhyay, a renowned Bengali writer, was born in Labhpur, Birbhum, in British India. Educated at St. Xavier's and South Suburban College, he became involved in theh Award, Padma Shri, and Padma Bhushan. He served in both the West Bengal Legislative Council and Rajya Sabha. Bandyopadhyay died in 1971. In 2021, his ancestral home was turned into a museum preserving his legacy. Bandyopadhyay was born at his ancestral home at Labhpur village in Birbhum district, Bengal Province,

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

(now West Bengal, India) to Haridas Bandyopadhyay and Prabhabati Devi. He passed the Matriculation examination from Labhpur Jadablal H. E. School in 1916 and was later admitted first to St. Xavier's College, Calcutta and then to South Suburban College (now Asutosh College). While studying in intermediate at St. Xavier's College, he joined the non-co-operation movement. He could not complete his university course due to ill health and political activism. During these college years, he was also associated with a radical militant youth group and was arrested and interned in his village. He was arrested in 1930 for actively supporting the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic ...

, but released later that year. After that he decided to devote himself to literature. In 1932, he met

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...

Santiniketan Shantiniketan (IPA: Help:IPA/Bengali, �antiniketɔn is a neighbourhood of Bolpur town in the Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in West Bengal, India, approximately 152 km north of Kolkata. It was established by Maharshi Devendra ...

for the first time. His first novel ''Chaitali Ghurni'' was published on the same year. In 1940, he rented a house at

Bagbazar Bagbazar (also spelt Baghbazar) is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. The area, under Shyampukur police station of Kolkata Police, has been, along with neighb ...

and brought his family to Calcutta. In 1941, he moved to Baranagar. In 1942, he presided over the Birbhum District Literature Conference and became the president of the Anti-Fascist Writers and Artists Association in Bengal. In 1944, he presided over the Kanpur Bengali Literature Conference arranged by the non-resident Bengalis living there. In 1947, he inaugurated Prabasi Banga Sahitya Sammelan held in Calcutta; presided over the Silver Jubilee Prabasi Banga Sahitya Sammelan in Bombay; and received Sarat Memorial Medal from the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

. In 1948, he moved to his own house at Tala Park, Calcutta. In 1952, he was nominated to be a member of the legislative assembly. He was a member of the West Bengal Vidhan Parishad between 1952–60. In 1954, he took Diksha from his mother. In the same year he scripted and directed a film, ''Naa'', based on his own story. In 1955, he was awarded the Rabindra Puraskar by the

Government of West Bengal The Government of West Bengal, also known as the West Bengal Government, is the Administrative division, principal administrative authority of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal, created by the Constitution ...

. In 1956, he received the Sahitya Akademi Award. In 1957 he visited

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

to join the preparatory committee of the Afro-Asian Writers' Association and later went to

Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...

at an invitation from the Chinese Government as the leader of the Indian Writers delegation at the Afro-Asian Writers' Association. In 1959, he received the Jagattarini Gold Medal from the University of Calcutta, and presided over All India Writer's Conference in

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

. In 1960, he retired from the West Bengal Legislative Assembly but was nominated to the

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

by the

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

. He was a member of

Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of the Parliament of India and functions as the institutional representation of India’s federal units — the states and union territories.https://rajyasabha.nic.in/ It is a key component o ...

between 1960–66. In 1962, he received

; but the death of his son-in-law broke his heart and to keep himself diverted he took to painting and making wooden toys. In 1963, he received Sisirkumar Award. In 1966, he retired from the Parliament and presided over Nagpur Bengali Literature Conference. In 1966, he won the

and in 1969, he received

and was honoured with the title of Doctor of Literature by the University of Calcutta and the Jadavpur University. In 1969, he was given the fellowship of

, in 1970 became the president of Bangiya Sahitya Parishad/ Vangiya Sahitya Parishad. In 1971, he gave the Nripendrachandra Memorial Lecture at

Visva-Bharati University Visva-Bharati (IAST: ''Viśva-Bhāratī''), () is a public central university and an Institute of National Importance located in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India. It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore who called it ''Visva-Bharati'', which ...

and D. L. Roy Memorial Lecture at the University of Calcutta. Bandyopadhyay died at his Calcutta residence early in the morning on 14 September 1971. His last rites were performed at the Nimtala Cremation Ground, North Calcutta. In 2021, Bandhopadhyay's ancestral home in Labhpur was converted into a museum in his memory by local residents as well as his family. It archives several personal artifacts, and photographs. non-cooperation movement and was later arrested for political activism. Turning to literature after his release in 1930, he published his first novel *Chaitali Ghurni* in 1932 and met Rabindranath Tagore. Over the years, he presided over major literary conferences and received several prestigious awards including the Rabindra Puraskar, Sahitya Akademi Award, JnanpitTarasankar Bandyopadhyay, a renowned Bengali writer, was born in Labhpur, Birbhum, in British India. Educated at St. Xavier's and South Suburban College, he became involved in theh Award, Padma Shri, and Padma Bhushan. He served in both the West Bengal Legislative Council and Rajya Sabha. Bandyopadhyay died in 1971. In 2021, his ancestral home was turned into a museum preserving his legacy.

Family members and relatives

Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay was married to Umashashi Devi in 1916. Their eldest son Sanatkumar Bandyopadhyay was born in 1918; the youngest son Saritkumar Bandyopadhyay was born in 1922; the eldest daughter Ganga was born in 1924; the second daughter Bulu was born in 1926 but died in 1932; the youngest daughter Bani was born in 1932.

Awards

* 1955 – Rabindra Puraskar for his novel '' Arogya Niketan'' * 1956 – Sahitya Akademi Award * 1966 –

for his novel '' Ganadebata''. * 1962 –

* 1969 –

* ---- – ''Sharat Smriti Puraskar'' * ---- – ''Jagattarini Gold Medal'' from the

Calcutta University The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

Bibliography

Poetry

*''Tripatra'' (1926)

Novels

Short story collections

Drama

Farce

*''Chakmaki'' (1945)

Discography

List of all songs for which Lyrics were composed by Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay

Screen adaptation

Film

TV series

References

External links

* *
''Kalapahar'', a short story by Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay translated from Bengali by Subhamay Ray
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bandyopadhyay, Tarasankar 1898 births 1971 deaths Indian novelists Indian autobiographers Indian memoirists Indian travel writers Indian lyricists Indian poets Indian male novelists Indian male short story writers Indian male dramatists and playwrights Indian male essayists Indian male poets Indian male film score composers Asutosh College alumni University of Calcutta alumni Bengali Hindus 20th-century Bengalis Bengali-language novelists Bengali poets Bengali-language lyricists People from Birbhum district Recipients of the Rabindra Puraskar Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in literature & education Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Bengali Recipients of the Jnanpith Award Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship 20th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian short story writers 20th-century Indian poets 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian male writers 20th-century Indian essayists 20th-century Indian composers Poets from West Bengal Novelists from West Bengal Dramatists and playwrights from West Bengal Writers from Kolkata Writers from West Bengal