Suchitra Bhattacharya Explained

Suchitra Bhattacharya
Birth Date:10 January 1950
Birth Place:Bhagalpur, India
Death Place:Dhakuria, Kolkata, India
Occupation:Writer
Alma Mater:Calcutta University
Notableworks:Hemanter Pakhi
Dahan
Kachher Manush

Suchitra Bhattacharya (10 January 1950 – 2015) was an Indian novelist,[1] known for works including Hemanter Pakhi, Kachher Manush, Aleek Shukh, Icche and Kacher Dewal.[2] [3] During her career as a writer, she composed over 20 novels and many short stories.[4] Her novel Dahan was adapted into the 1997 film Dahan,[4] [3] and her novels Iccher Gach, Alik Sukh and Ramdhanu Rang were adapted into films by Shiboprosad Mukherjee, and her novel Onnyo Bwasanto was adapted into a television film by Aditi Roy.[5]

Early life and education

Suchitra Bhattacharya was born in 1950 in Bhagalpur, Bihar.[2] She was interested in writing from her childhood.

Bhattacharya graduated from the Jogamaya Devi College, an affiliated undergraduate women's college of the historic University of Calcutta, in Kolkata.[6]

Career

Having taken many odd jobs in her early youth, she finally joined the public service, leaving in 2004 to become a full-time writer. She started writing in the late-1970s,[7] and novels in the mid-1980s, finding early success with her novel Kacher Dewal (Glass Wall).

Her writing focuses on contemporary social issues. Her life experiences are reflected in many of her stories and novels. Bhattacharya was enthusiastic about fellow contemporary women author Tilottama Majumdar, and was deeply influenced by Ashapurna Devi and Mahasweta Devi.[8]

Her novels and short stories have been translated into Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Oriya, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi and English. She has also written novels and short stories for children.

Her novel Dahan was made into the 1997 film Dahan by Bengali director Rituparno Ghosh.[4] The short story "Ichcher Gaach" was also made into a full-length feature film Icche, directed by Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy.[8] "Hemonter Pakhi" was also made into a feature film by Urmi Chakraborty.

Suchitra Bhattacharya also contributed to the Bengali adult crime fiction genre with her detective character Mitin Masi, one of the few female detectives in Bengali literature.[9] The first novel with Mitin Masi was Sarandai Saitan, followed by: Sarporahosya sundarbone, Jhau jhien hotyarorosya, Dussapno bar bar, Sander saheber Puthi and others. Other Mitin Masi novels were written for adults.

Suchitra Bhattacharya died on 12 May 2015, aged 65, due to a cardiac arrest at her home in Dhakuria, Kolkata.[10] [11]

Awards and accolades

Suchitra received many awards, including the Bhuban Mohini Medal from Calcutta University in 2004, the Nanjanagudu Thirumalamba National Award (1996), the Katha Award (1997), the Tarashankar Award (2000), the Dwijendralal Award in 2001 from Kalyani, the Sharat Puroshkar (2002), as well as the Bharat Nirman Award, Sahitya Setu Award and Shailajananda Smriti Puroshkar in 2004 and Dinesh Chandra Smriti Puroskar in 2015. She received the Mati Nandy award in 2012.

Selected novels

Films Based On Her Books

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Suchitra Bhattacharya, 1950. loc.gov. 15 July 2012.
  2. News: . Noted Bengali writer Suchitra Bhattacharya passes away . 23 June 2021 . . May 14, 2015.
  3. News: Suchitra Bhattacharya documented realities, aspirations and silences of modern women . 23 June 2021 . . Express News Service . May 14, 2015.
  4. News: Kolkata mourns writer Suchitra Bhattacharya's death . 23 June 2021 . ZeeNews . . May 13, 2015.
  5. News: Sen . Zinia . Tollywood mourns the death of Suchitra Bhattacharya . 23 June 2021 . . January 12, 2017.
  6. http://jogamayadevicollege.org/history.htm History of the College
  7. News: STP Team . Four books by Suchitra Bhattacharya you must read . 23 June 2021 . . May 13, 2015.
  8. News: Bhattacharya. Suchitra. Five Suchitra Bhattacharya novels that redefined feminist writing in Bengal. 28 May 2016. The Indian Express. 14 May 2015.
  9. News: Bhattacharya. Suchitra. Detective Mitin Mashi, not middle-class tales, might be Suchitra Bhattacharya's lasting legacy. 28 May 2016. 16 May 2015.
  10. Web site: Anandabazar Patrika. anandabazar.com/. 13 May 2015.
  11. Web site: Ei Samay. 13 May 2015.
  12. News: 5 Female Detectives in Indian Literature That Everyone Should Know About . 23 June 2021 . News18 . September 6, 2020.