Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay (19 July 1899 – 9 February 1979) was an Indian
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
-language novelist, short story writer, playwright, poet, and physician who wrote under the pen name of Banaphul (meaning "the wild flower" in Bengali). He was a recipient of the civilian honour of the
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
.
Life
Mukhopadhyay was born in
Manihari
Manihari is a town and a notified area in Katihar district in the Indian state of Bihar. Pincode of Manihari is 854113.
Geography
Manihari is located at . It has an average elevation of 31 metres (101 feet).
This place is well kno ...
village of
Purnia district
Purnia District is one of the thirty-eight districts of the Indian state of Bihar. The city of Purnia is the administrative headquarters of this district. The city of Purnia has continued its tradition of hoisting the national flag at 12:07 am o ...
(now
Katihar District),
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
on 19 July 1899. His family originally hailed from
Sehakhala situated in
Hooghly District of present-day
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
. His father, Satyacharan Mukhopadhyay, was a doctor, and his mother was Mrinalini Devi. He originally took the pen name Banaphul ("the wild flower") to hide his literary activities from a disapproving teacher. He attended
Hazaribag
Hazaribagh is a city and a municipality, municipal corporation in Hazaribagh district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Jharkhand. It is the divisional headquarters of North Chotanagpur division. It is considered as a he ...
College and was later admitted in the
Calcutta Medical College
Calcutta Medical College, officially Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, is a public medical school and hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is the oldest existing hospital in Asia. The institute was established on 28 January 1835 ...
. He was assigned to
Patna Medical College and Hospital
Patna Medical College and Hospital (abbreviated as PMCH) was established in 1925 and originally known as Prince of Wales Medical College, is a medical college located in Patna, the state capital of Bihar, India.
It is located on the southern b ...
after completing his medical degree, and later practised at Azimganj Hospital and worked as a pathologist at
Bhagalpur
Bhagalpur is a city in the Indian state of Bihar, situated on the southern banks of the river Ganges. It is the 2nd largest city of Bihar by population and also the headquarters of Bhagalpur district and Bhagalpur division. Known as the Si ...
. He moved to Lake Town, Calcutta, in 1968, and died there on 9 February 1979. He is the elder brother of famous Bengali film Director
Arabinda Mukhopadhyay
Arabinda Mukhopadhyay (18 June 1919 – 10 February 2016) was an Indian filmmaker, film director and editor, who directed all-time classics like Nishi Padma (1970), Dhanyee Meye (1971) and Mouchak (1974). He also wrote stories and screenplays.
...
.
Literary works
He is most noted for his short
vignettes, often just half-page long, but his body of work spanned sixty-five years and included "thousands of poems, 586 short stories (a handful of which have been translated to English), 60 novels, 5 dramas, a number of one-act plays, an autobiography called ''Paschatpat'' (''Background''), and numerous essays."
Novels
* ''Trinokhondo'' তৃণখণ্ড
* ''Boitorini Tire'' বৈতরণীর তীরে
* ''Niranjana'' নিরঞ্জনা
* ''Bhuban Som'' ভুবন সোম
* ''Maharani'' মহারাণী
* ''Agnishwar'' অগ্নীশ্বর
* ''Manaspur'' মানসপুর
* ''Erao achhe'' এরাও আছে
* ''Nabin Dutta'' নবীন দত্ত
* ''Harishchandra'' হরিশ্চন্দ্র
* ''Kichukshan'' কিছুক্ষণ
* ''Se O Ami'' সে ও আমি
* ''Saptarshi'' সপ্তর্ষি
* ''Udai Asta'' উদয় অস্ত
* ''Gandharaj'' গন্ধরাজ
* ''Pitambarer Punarjanma'' পীতাম্বরের পুনর্জন্ম
* ''Nayn Tatpurush'' নঞ তৎপুরুষ
* ''Krishnapaksha'' কৃষ্ণপক্ষ
* ''Sandhipuja'' সন্ধিপূজা
* ''Hate Bajare'' হাটেবাজারে
* ''Kanyasu'' কন্যাসু
* ''Adhiklal'' অধিকলাল
* ''Gopaldeber Swapna'' গোপালদেবের স্বপ্ন
* ''Swapna Sambhab'' স্বপ্নসম্ভব
* ''Kashti Pathar'' কষ্টিপাথর
* ''Prachchhanna Mahima'' প্রচ্ছন্ন মহিমা
* ''Dui Pathik'' দুই পথিক
* ''Ratri'' রাত্রি
* ''Pitamaha'' পিতামহ
* ''Pakshimithun'' পক্ষীমিথুন
* ''Tirther Kak'' তীর্থের কাক
* ''Rourab'' রৌরব
* ''Jaltaranga'' জলতরঙ্গ
* ''Rupkatha ebang Tarpar'' রূপকথা এবং তারপর
* ''Pratham Garal'' প্রথম গরল
* ''Rangaturanga'' রঙ্গতুরঙ্গ
* ''Ashabari'' আশাবারি
* ''Li'' ৯
* ''Sat Samudra Tero Nadi'' সাত সমুদ্র তেরো নদী
* ''Akashbasi'' আকাশবাসী
* ''Tumi'' তুমি
* ''Asanglagna'' অসংলগ্ন
* ''Simarekha'' সীমারেখা
* ''Tribarna'' ত্রিবর্ণ
* ''Alankarpuri'' অলংকারপুরী
* ''Jangam'' জঙ্গম
* ''Agni'' অগ্নি
* ''Dwairath'' দ্বৈরথ
* ''Mrigoya'' মৃগয়া
* ''Nirmok'' নির্মোক
* ''Mandanda'' মানদন্ড
* ''Nabadiganta'' নবদিগন্ত
* ''Koshtipathar'' কষ্টিপাথর
* ''Sthabar'' স্থাবর
* ''Bhimpalashri'' ভীমপলশ্রী
* ''Pancha Parba'' পঞ্চপর্ব
* ''Lakshmir Agaman'' লক্ষ্মীর আগমণ
* ''Dana'' ডানা
Short stories
* Pratibaad
* swadhinata
* "Bonofuler Golpo"
* "Bonofuler Aro Golpo"
* "Bahullo"
* "Bindu Bishorgo"
* "Adrisholok"
* "Anugamini"
* "Tonni"
* "Nobomonjori"
* "Urmimala"
* "Soptomi"
* "Durbin"
* "Bonofuler Sreshto Golpo"
* "Bonofuler Golpo Songroho-1"
* "Bonofuler Golpo Songroho-2"
* "Banaphooler Chhoto Galpa Samagra—1 & 2"
* "Fuldanir Ekti Ful"
Film adaptation of his literature
* ''
Agnishwar
''Agnishwar'' (অগ্নীশ্বর) is a 1975 Indian Bengali-language drama film about the life and career of a patriotic, idealistic doctor. The story is inspired by the Bengali novel ''Agnishwar'' written by Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay, ...
''
* ''
Bhuvan Shome
''Bhuvan Shome'' is a 1969 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Mrinal Sen based on the story of Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay. The cast includes Utpal Dutt (Mr. Bhuvan Shome) and Suhasini Mulay (Gauri, a village belle). Sen based his film ...
''
* ''
Ekti Raat
''Ekti Raat'' ( ''One Night'') is a 1956 Indian Bengali-language comedy film directed by Chitta Basu and produced by Harendranath Chattopadhyay based on, ''Bhimpalashree'', a story of Bengali novelist Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay. Film starring U ...
''
* ''
Alor Pipasa
''Alor Pipasa'' is a Bengali drama film directed by Tarun Majumder and produced by Debesh Ghosh based on a same name novel of Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay. This film was released on 15 January 1965 under the banner of D.R. Productions. Music of the ...
'' (1965)
* ''
Hatey Bazarey
''Hatey Bazarey'' or ''Hate Bazare'' (Bengali: হাটে বাজারে; English: The Market Place) is a 1967 award-winning art film by noted Bengali director Tapan Sinha and produced Asim Dutta, the story revolves around the conflict betw ...
''
* ''
Arjun Pandit'' (He received the
Filmfare Award for Best Story for this film)
* ''Tilottama''
* ''
Paka Dekha
''Paka Dekha'' is a Bengali comedy drama film directed by Arabinda Mukhopadhyay and produced by Mohan Mallick based on a story of Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay in the same name. This film was released in 1980 in the banner of Reba Films. Hemanta M ...
''
Postage stamp
On the 100th anniversary of his birth, the Government of India issued a postage stamp featuring his image.
India, 1999
. ''Postbeeld.com'', Retrieved 1 May 2007.
See also
* Bengali literature
Further reading
* ''বনফুলের ছোট গল্প সমগ্র'' (Complete Short Stories of Banaphul), published by Banishilpa, Kolkata in January 2003
* ''উপন্যাস সমগ্র'' (Complete Novels), published by New Bengal Press (Private) Limited, Kolkata in July 1999
* ''পশ্চাৎপট'' (Background), the autobiography of Banaphul, published by Banishilpa, Kolkata in 1999
References
Writers from Kolkata
External links
*
*
*
Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay
at the West Bengal Public Library Network
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mukhopadhyay, Balaichand
1899 births
1979 deaths
20th-century Bengali poets
Bengali writers
Poets from West Bengal
Recipients of the Rabindra Puraskar
University of Calcutta alumni
20th-century Indian poets
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in literature & education
Bengali male poets
Indian male poets
20th-century Indian male writers
Best Story National Film Award winners
20th-century pseudonymous writers
Writers from West Bengal