Kamal Kumar Majumdar ( bn,
কমলকুমার মজুমদার) (17 November 1914 – 9 February 1979) was a major fiction-writer of the
Bengali language
Bengali ( ), generally known by its endonym Bangla (, ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language native to the Bengal region of South Asia. It is the official, national, and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh and the second m ...
. The novel ''Antarjali Jatra'' is considered his most notable work.
Early life
Majumdar was the son of Prafullachandra Majumdar and Renukamoyee Majumdar. Prafullachandra used to serve in the police department. Renukamoyee had keen literary interest and thus Kamalkumar was exposed to modern literary thoughts and trends from his childhood.
His parents were originally from
Taki, a town in the
24 Parganas
24 Parganas district (''cabbiś pargaṇā jēlā'') is a former district of the Indian state of West Bengal. The district was split into two districts — North 24 Parganas district and South 24 Parganas district, with effect from 1 March 1 ...
district (now in
North 24 Parganas district
North 24 Parganas (abv. 24 PGS (N)) or sometimes North Twenty Four Parganas is a district in southern West Bengal, of eastern India. North 24 Parganas extends in the tropical zone from latitude 22° 11′ 6″ north to 23° 15′ 2″ north and f ...
), but the family shifted to Rikhia. Kamalkumar spent his childhood and adolescence in
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
, India. He started his studies in a school called "Bishnupur Shiksha Sangha" in
Bishnupur Bishnupur or Vishnupur may refer to:
Administrative divisions
* Bishnupur district in Manipur, India
* Bishnupur district, West Bengal in West Bengal, India
* Bishnupur subdivision in West Bengal, India
Municipal division
* Bishnupur Rural Munic ...
but dropped formal studies before completing high school. For sometime, he studied
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
in a ''
Tol'' and learned
sitar
The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in ...
from a local maestro. In 1937 he established a magazine called "Ushnish" where he used to write under his real name as well as a number of
pen name
A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen na ...
s. But during 1944–45 he devoted himself mostly to painting. During 1937–38 he got numerous offers for going abroad which he refused.
Kamal Kumar was married to Dayamayee Majumdar and his younger brother was a renowned painter,
Nirode Mazumdar. Their younger sister
Shanu Lahiri
Shanu Lahiri (23 January 1928 – 1 February 2013) was a painter and art educator who belonged to one of the most prominent and culturally elevated families of Kolkata and a first-generation modernist who emerged post independence. She was one ...
(1928 – 2013) was also a noted painter and art educator.
Works
Stories
* Lal Juto (The Red Shoes)
* Madhu (Honey)
* Jal (Water )
* Teish (Twenty Three)
* Mallika Bahar
* Matilal Paddi
* Tahader Katha (Their Tale)
* Fauji Banduk
* Neem Annapurna (19kamalkumar65)
* Kayed Khana
* Rukminikumar
* Lupta Pujabidhi
* Khelar Bichar (Rules of the game)
* Khelar Drishyabali (Scenes of the game)
* Anitter Dayvag
* Konkal Eleigy (Elegy of the skeletons)
* Dwadash Mrittika
* Pingolabat
* Khelar aromvo (Start of the game)
* Bagan Keyari
* Aar chokhe jol
* Bagan Poridhi
* Kal e aatotai
* Justice Justice
* Prem (The Desire)
* Babu
* Princess
* Amod Bostumi
* Koschito Jibonchorit : tinti khosra
Novels
* Antarjali Jatra (The Final Passage, 1962)
[
* Golap Sundori
* Anila Smorone
* Shyam-Nouka
* Suhasinir Pometom
* Pinjare Bosiya Shuk
* Khelar Pratibha
* Shoborimangal
]
Other work
* Number of paintings
* Number of wood cut sculptures
* Edited a notable magazine named ANKA BHAVNA
A notable article on ANKA BHAVNA by mathematician Narayan Chandra Ghosh has been published in the December 2015 issue of Sristir Ekosh Satak Patrika. Before that he wrote articles on ANKA BHAVNA in Pratibimbha, Samakal 0 Bibriti. A book titled KAMAL KUMAR MAJUMDER o Anka Bhavan Edited by Narayan Ch Ghosh is most popular one.
Movies based on his work
The movies such as '' Neem Annapurna'' directed by Buddhadev Dasgupta
Buddhadeb Dasgupta (11 February 1944 – 10 June 2021) was an Indian filmmaker and poet best known for his Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali-language films like ''Bagh Bahadur'', ''Tahader Katha'', ''Charachar'' and ''Uttara (film), Uttara''. Five ...
, ''Antarjali Jatra
''Antarjali Jatra'' ( bn, অন্তর্জলী যাত্রা), also known as ''Antarjali Yatra'', is a 1987 film directed by Kolkata based Indian film director Goutam Ghose based on a novel, ''Mahayatra'' by Kamal Kumar Majumdar. It ...
'' by Gautam Ghosh
Goutam Ghose (also spelled Gautam Ghosh born 24 July 1950) is an Indian film director, Actor, music director and cinematographer, who works primarily in Bengali cinema. He is the only Indian to have received the "Vittorio Di Sica" Award, Italy ...
, ''Sati
Sati or SATI may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Sati'' (film), a 1989 Bengali film by Aparna Sen and starring Shabana Azmi
* ''Sati'' (novel), a 1990 novel by Christopher Pike
*Sati (singer) (born 1976), Lithuanian singer
*Sati, a character in ''Th ...
'' by Aparna Sen
Aparna Sen (, ''Ôporna Shen'') is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actress who is known for her work in Bengali cinema. She has received several accolades as an actress and filmmaker, including nine National Film Awards, five Filmf ...
and ''Tahader Katha
''Tahader Katha'' () is a 1992 Indian Bengali-language drama film directed by Budhhadeb Dasgupta, starring Mithun Chakraborty, who won the 1993 National Film Awards for Best Actor for the film, while the film won the National Film Award for B ...
'' by Buddhadev Dasgupta were based on the novels and stories written by Majumdar. Gautam Ghosh made a Hindi movie named ''Mahayatra'' based on Majumdar's novel ''Antarjali Jatra''.
''Lal Juto'', a Bengali film made by a student and based on Majumdar's short story of the same name, won the Best Creative Idea Award at the 11th Shanghai International Film Festival
The Shanghai International Film Festival (, French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai''), abbreviated SIFF, is one of the largest film festivals in East Asia.
"China's biggest film festival" according to the Hollywood Reporter. Nex ...
.
References
External links
* Shoaib Gibran (2010), Kamalkumar Choritom, Shuddhassha
www.shuddhashar.com
* Shoaib Gibran (2009), Kamalkumar Majumdarer Upannayasher Karankaushal,Bangla Academy,
* ANKA BHAVNAR ANKA (2015) Narayan Ch Ghosh, December 2015 issue of Sristir Ekosh Satak Patrika.
* ANKA BHAVNA (2013) Narayan Ch Ghosh,Pratibimbha
* ANKA BHAVNA (2013) Narayan Ch Ghosh, Samakal 0 Bibriti
{{DEFAULTSORT:Majumdar, Kamal Kumar
Bengali writers
Bengali-language writers
Writers from Kolkata
1914 births
1979 deaths
20th-century Indian short story writers
20th-century Indian novelists
People from North 24 Parganas district
Novelists from West Bengal