Ramapada Chowdhry was born during the turbulent times of the early 20th century in India. He is a talented and celebrated Bengali novelist, popularly known for his short stories and novels, some of which have also been translated into English. Several of his works have been made into films too. Today, 28th December, marks the author’s 101st birth anniversary. Let us dive into his life trajectory, works, and contributions to Bengali literature.
Early Life of Ramapada Chowdhury
Ramapada Chowdhury was born on 28th December 1922 in the state of West Bengal, formerly known as Kharagpur, Bengal Presidency, British India. Since his father worked in railways, an occupation that required him to be on the move, Chowdhury was exposed to different parts of India and their cultures. Some of these towns were Ranchi, Raipur, Bilaspur, Guwahati and Dibrugarh. He studied at Presidency College, Calcutta and got his master’s degree in English literature from the University of Calcutta. All throughout his life, Ramapada was a quiet, withdrawn and introverted person who would shy away from social gatherings and spaces such as college canteens. He rather preferred spending time with friends discussing literature.
Literary Life
Ramapada’s literary life began with short stories at the young age of 18. At this time, Ramapada didn’t see himself as a writer but only as someone who loved literature. His first short story, Udayasta, was written in a restaurant as a part of a friendly challenge among his friends. It was published in the newspaper Jugantor. Following this successful debut, more of his short stories were published in more newspapers and magazines, including Purbasha and Chaturanga.
Despite his success with his first short story, the following three self-published short story collections failed to attract a decent readership and engagement. However, it was his fourth collection, Darbari, which was a hit and gained him popularity as a writer once again. It was not only a successful book among readers, but it also earned him the contract for his debut novel, Pratham Prahar. Owing to the great influence of railways during his young years, his debut novel featured railways as the central element of the story.
Later, he got a job at Ananadabazar Patrika and wrote regularly for them and Desh. Over the years, Ramapada Chowdhury has received immense popularity for his short stories. The novelist had also started working on the editorial board of more contemporary popular magazines. By this time, Ramapada Chowdhury was a well-established writer and editor among the literary community. However, he received wider appreciation in the 1960s for his novel Banpalashir Padabali, which was published in the magazine Desh.
The violent times of World War II, the India-Pakistan partition and its riots, turbulent state affairs, and the humanitarian crisis in West Bengal were some of the major social-political issues that took a toll on Ramapada’s mental health. His struggle with themes of life, as stimulated by the violent times was rampant in his works.
“In a train in India, one has to sit with people from all castes, creeds and religions, people one can avoid in everyday life. Once you buy a ticket, you have to sit in an overcrowded compartment among any and everybody.”
Ramapada Chowdhury
Contributions
Ramapada’s last book, Harano Khata, was published in 2015 before his demise in 2018. His presence in Indian literature and works throughout the long span of 95 years of his life are widely celebrated. He was awarded the Ananda Puraskar in 1963, the Rabindra Puraskar in 1971 for Ekhoni and the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1988 for his novel Bari Badle Jay. In 2011, he was also awarded the Rabindranath Tagore Memorial International Prize. Many of his works have also been made into critically acclaimed Bengali and Hindi films, including Ek Doctor Ki Maut.
Ramapada Chowdhury’s literary legacy is a celebrated one within the entire Indian and Bengali community. Most of his works were central to the mundaneness of the urban middle-class life inspired by his own life. Lalbaii and Dwiper Naam Tiyarong were two novels that broke out of this theme. This Thursday, let’s celebrate the novelist, Ramapada Chowdhury with his lasting legacy and inspiring words.
