Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay
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Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay (Bengali: Bibhutibhushon Bôndopaddhae) was a Bengali novelist and writer. He is most well known for the epic Pather Panchali (The story of the road), made into the memorable film trilogy by Satyajit Ray.
Life
Bibhutibhushan was born on 12 September, 1894 at his maternal uncle's house in Ghoshpara-Muraripur village, in the 24 Parganas of Bengal (now in West Bengal, India). His father, Mahananda Bandyopadhyay, was a sanskrit scholar and a 'Kathak', one who tells stories for a living.Bibhutibhushan's early days were spent in abject poverty. Fighting which, he completed his Bachelor's degree in History. However, since he could not afford it, he did not enrol for the Master's course. The economic burden of his family rested squarely on his shoulders. He had married in the meantime. but his wife, Gouri Devi died at child birth after only a year of conjugal life. The tragic theme of death and loneliness is a recurrent factor in Bibhutibhushan's early writings.
Before he became a writer, Bibhutibhushan took up various jobs to make ends meet. He taught school, became a secretary, managed an estate. Finally, in 1921 he published his first short story, 'Upekshita', in Probashi, one of the leading literary magazines of Bengal at that time. However, it was not until 1928, when his first novel, "Pather Panchali" was published, that Bibhutibhushan got critical attention. With 'Pather Panchali' Bibhutibhushan became, instantly, a prominent name in Bengali literature.
At the age of 46 Bibhutibhushan married Rama Chattopadhayay after an unlikely love affair between a woman and a man over double her age. In 1947 she gave birth to their son, Taradas.
Bibhutibhushan had a stout constitution and walked miles in the woods everyday. He usually took his notebook with him and loved to write surrounded by the wilderness.
On 1 November, 1950, Bibhutibhushan died from a coronary attack while staying at Ghatshila. He was fifty-six
Critical Acclaim
Pather Panchali is considered to be Bibhutibhushan's masterpiece. He has 16 novels and over two hundred short stories to his credit. It has been included in the ICSE syllabus for students choosing to study Bengali.
Humayun Azad opined that the novel is superior to its cinematic rendition. This is not necessarily a commonly held view, as the Apu Trilogy is considered to be among the finest films in the history of cinema. However, the unavailability of a proper translation of "Pather Panchali" makes it an issue hard to resolve. The current translation is a truncated version of the novel.
Bibhutibhushan's works are mostly concerned with the lives of people from rural Bengal. His writings come alive with vibrant and thoroughly normal characters from the countryside.
Bibhutibhushan is, without doubt, one of the most important Bengali novelists that Bengal ever produced.
Works
- Pather Panchali (The story of the road)
- Chander Pahar (Mountain of Moon)
- Aronyak (In the Forest)
- Aporajito (Unvanquished- Sequel to "Pather Panchali")
- Heera Manik Jwale
- Maraner Danka Baje
- Adarsha Hindu Hotel
- Ichhamoti
- Debayan
- Bipiner Sangsar
- MeghaMallar
- Mauriphool
- Jatrabadol
- Dristi Pradeep
External links
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