A renowned figure and a celebrated name amongst the Bengali literary arena, Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay was a critically acclaimed Bengali novelist and writer. He was born in 1894 in Kalyani, Muratipur village in Nadia, Pachim Bangla. He is mainly known for his autobiographical novel “Pather Panchali”, which got incorporated into “Apu Trilogy” films by Satyajit Ray.
Yesterday marked the 118th birth anniversary of the writer.
Bibhutibhushan completed his undergraduate degree in History at the Surendranath College, Kolkata. He was admitted to the masters (MA) and Law classes, but could not afford to enroll for the postgraduate course at the University of Kolkata, instead he took to teaching in Hughli.
Prior to becoming a writer, Bibhutibhushan worked in a variety of professions to support both himself and his family. His first job was as a teacher, but Bibhutibhushan also served as a traveling publicist for Goraksini Sabha, and later as a secretary for Khelatchandra Ghosh, a role that included the management of his Bhagalpur estate. He eventually returned to the area where he spent his childhood, accepting a job as teacher at the Gopalnagar School, which he continued until his death.
Bibhutibhushan was a man of simple living and simple words and his ideologies were very visible in his writings. Realism was one of the main plots of his writings apart from the themes he picked up from the happy and sad real life experiences. He was a writer who portrayed a beautiful combination of human beings and nature and showed the peaceful aspect of life. His works are largely set in rural Bengal. Many of his novels are set in the city of Bongaon, including “Pather Panchali”, “Adarsha Hindu Hotel”, “Ichhamati” and “Bipiner Sansar”.
In 1921, Bibhutibhushan’s first published short story “Upekshita” appeared in Probashi, at the time one of Kolkata’s leading literary magazines. “Pather Panchali” brought him to prominence in Bengali literature.
His literary works include “Aparajito”, “Aranyak”, “Adarsha Hindu Hotel”, “Ichhamati”, “Dristi Pradeep”, “Chander Pahar”, “Heera Manik Jale”, “Debjan”, “Bipiner Sangsar”, “Anubartan”, “Kedar Raja”, “Dampati” and others.
Bibhutibhushan died on November 1, 1950.
-With The Daily Star input
