Manoranjan Bhattacharya
Author Manoranjan Bhattacharya (Bengali : মনোরঞ্জন ভট্টাচার্য, 1903 - 1939 in Faridpur), wrote Bengali children's literature.[1]
Early life
Manoranjan studied in Hindu School & Presidency College, Calcutta. He earned a first-class first in Economics and Political Science followed by an M.A. & B.L. Degree. He served as a professor at Ripon College, Calcutta.[1]
Literary works
As a student, Manoranjan contributed poems to various magazines. He switched to literature for youngsters after Ramdhanu was born (1928).
His father, District Magistrate Bishweshwar Bhattacharya, founded the teen periodical, Ramdhanu ('The Rainbow').[2] For eight years until his untimely demise, he took over editorship from Bishweshwar. His teen detective fiction, starring the Japanese sleuth 'Hukakashi', deviated from the prevalent sensational, melodramatic style, and was admired by the likes of Premendra Mitra and Satyajit Ray.[3]
Manoranjan filled the pages of Ramdhanu with school stories, humorous tales, poems and informative articles. He penned a series of humorous pseudo-mythological sketches, later labelled Nutan Puraan.[4] Other story anthologies include Chaayer Dhnowaa, Haashyo O Rahashyo, Apriloshyo Prothom Dibawshey (co-authored with Shibram Chakraborty). His major works, including three Hukakashi novels and five short stories,[5] a translation of The Channings[6] were anthologized in Manoranjan Bhattacharya's Chhotoder Omnibus.
Author and younger brother Kshitindranarayan followed him as editor of Ramdhanu.
Blog
The Manoranjan Museum blog displays the original illustrations accompanying Manoranjan Bhattacharya's writings, as they appeared in Ramdhanu and other periodicals : http://manoranjan-museum.blogspot.in/
References
- 1 2 Sengupta, Subodhchandra (1998). Sansad Bangali charitabhidhan. Sahitya Samsad. ISBN 978-81-85626-65-9.
- ↑ from the 'Ramdhanu' post of the Manoranjan Museum blog : http://manoranjan-museum.blogspot.in/2015/12/Ramdhanu.html
- ↑ from the 'Hukakashi' post of the Manoranjan Museum blog : http://manoranjan-museum.blogspot.in/2015/12/Hukakashi.html
- ↑ from the 'Nutan Puraan Tales' post of the Manoranjan Museum blog : http://manoranjan-museum.blogspot.in/2015/12/Nutan-Puraan-Tales.html
- ↑ from the 'Hukakashi Short Stories' post of the Manoranjan Museum blog : http://manoranjan-museum.blogspot.in/2015/12/Hukakashi-Short-Stories.html
- ↑ from the 'Translated Novel' post of the Manoranjan Museum blog : http://manoranjan-museum.blogspot.in/2015/12/Translated-Novel.html
Sources
- Samsad Bangali Charitabhidhan, the Bengali Biographical Dictionary published by Sahitya Samsad, Kolkata (1976)