Ashapurna Devi (8 January 1909 – 12 July 1995), also Ashapoorna Devi or Ashapurna Debi, was a prominent Indian novelist and poet in

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 ...

. In 1976, she was awarded the

Jnanpith Award The Jnanpith Award is the oldest and the highest Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature". Instituted in 1961, the award is bestowed only on Indian w ...

and

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

by the

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, D.Litt. by the Universities of

Jabalpur Jabalpur is a city situated on the banks of Narmada River in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. According to the 2011 census, it is the third-largest urban agglomeration in Madhya Pradesh and the country's 38th-largest urban agglomeration. ...

Rabindra Bharati Rabindra Bharati University is a public research university in Kolkata, India. It was founded on May 8, 1962, under the Rabindra Bharati Act of the Government of West Bengal in 1961, to mark the birth centenary of the poet Rabindranath Tagore. ...

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and

Jadavpur Jadavpur is a southern neighbourhood of Kolkata in the district of Kolkata of West Bengal, India. Jadavpur is one of the important junctions in South Kolkata. Jadavpur University and a number of research institutes of national and internation ...

. Vishwa Bharati University honoured her with Deshikottam in 1989. For her contribution as a novelist and short story writer, the

Sahitya Akademi The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...

conferred its highest honour, the

Sahitya Akademi Fellowship The Sahitya Akademi Fellowship is a literary honour in India bestowed by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters.Quote: "In his acceptance speech when India's National Academy of Letters (Sahitya Akademi) in 1997 conferred its h ...

, in 1994.

Biography

Ashapurna Devi was born in a

Baidya Baidya or Vaidya is a Hindu community located in Bengal. Baidyas, a caste ('' jāti'') of Ayurvedic physicians, have long had pre-eminence in society alongside Brahmins and Kayasthas. In the colonial era, the Bhadraloks were drawn primarily, b ...

family on 8 January 1909 in North

Calcutta 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, commer ...

. Her birth name was Asha Purna Devi (Gupta). Her early childhood was spent in a traditional and extremely conservative family. Female children of the house were not allowed to go to school. Private tutors were employed only for the boys. It is said that as a baby Ashapurna used to listen to the readings of her brothers sitting opposite to them and that was how she learnt the alphabets. Though Ashapurna had no formal education as such, she was self-educated. Ashapurna's father Harendra Nath Gupta was a famous artist of the time who worked for furniture makers C. Lazarus & Co. as a designer. Ashapurna's mother Sarola Sundari was a great lover of books. It was her "intensive thirst" for reading classics and story books which was transmitted to Ashapurna and her sisters in their early age. Due to shortage of space, Harendra Nath shifted his family to a new house at 157/1A Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road (beside the Khanna Cinema Hall), which provided freedom to Sarola Sundari and her daughters to read according to their heart's desires. To satisfy Sarola Sundari's tremendous urge of reading there had been a continuous flow of books and magazines from the libraries of the time. As there was no dearth of leisure for the daughters and no bar to reading adult books from a very early age, Ashapurna and her sisters built a love-relationship with books. The period in which Ashapurna was raised was socially and politically restless, a time of nationalist agitation and awakening. Though the children of Harendra Nath did not have direct contact with the outside world, they were quite sensitive to the restlessness going on throughout the country led by

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

and other political leaders who were ready to sacrifice their lives to bring independence. Thus different factors were responsible for nourishing the specific culture which guided Ashapurna from her early childhood to youth, and carried her to a definite platform through various experiences and ideals of life. According to Ashapurna, she and her sisters used to compete with each other by composing and reciting poems. This inspired Ashapurna to secretly send a poem to ''

Sishu Sathi The Four Books and Five Classics () are the authoritative books of Confucianism, written in China before 300 BCE. The Four Books and the Five Classics are the most important classics of Chinese Confucianism. Four Books The Four Books () ar ...

'' in 1922. Ashapurna was thirteen and her poem "Bairer Dak" (The Call from the Outside) was published. She also received a request from editor

Rajkumar Chakravorty Rajkumar or Raj Kumar may refer to: Title * non-ruling princely title for a son (sometimes more kin) of a Raja or equivalent royal prince in Southern Asia People * Raaj Kumar (1926–1996), Indian actor in Hindi films * Dr. Rajkumar (1929– ...

to send more poems and stories. That was the beginning which developed into a never-ending flourish for Ashapurna, culminating into a permanent place for her into the realm of Bengali literature. Ashapurna was sent to be married in 1924 when she was 15, leaving Calcutta for her betrothed's family residence in Krishnanagar. She was married to Kalidas Gupta, and the couple moved frequently as they established themselves. In 1927 they settled in Calcutta where they lived until 1960. They then had to shift to a separate flat near Golpark with their only son Sushanta, daughter-in-law Nupur, and a granddaughter Shatarupa. Later, in 1967, another granddaughter, Shatadeepa, was added to the family. In 1970, Kalidas Gupta and Ashapurna built their own house in Garia at 17 Kanungo Park. Ashapurna lived there until she died on 13 July 1995. In the beginning of her writing career, Ashapurna wrote only for children – ''Chhoto Thakurdar Kashi Yatra'' (''Great Uncle Goes to Varanasi'') was the first printed edition published in 1938, followed by others throughout her literary career. In 1936, she first wrote a story for adults, "Patni O Preyoshi", published in the Puja issue of ''

Ananda Bazar Patrika ''Anandabazar Patrika'' (Bengali: আনন্দবাজার পত্রিকা, ) is an Indian Bengali-language daily newspaper owned by the ABP Group. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1 million c ...

''. ''Prem O Prayojan'' was her first novel for adults, published in 1944. Her magnum opus, the trilogy ''

Pratham Pratishruti ''Prothom Protishruti'' (; ), also spelled Pratham Pratishruti, is a 1964 Bengali novel by Ashapurna Devi. Considered to be Devi's magnum opus, it tells a story of Satyabati who was given away in marriage at the age of eight to maintain the soc ...

'' (1964), '' Subarnolata'' (1967) and '' Bakul Katha'' (1974), symbolises an endless struggle for women to achieve equal rights. According to Somak Ghoshal, writing for ''

Mint MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaAE ...

'', "Ashapurna Devi wrote about women and men whose lives were claustrophobically restricted by social, economic and psychological conditions." Upon her death, she had been widely honoured with a number of prizes and awards. In January 2009,

Doordarshan Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest b ...

broadcast a documentary about her, and a two-day event was organized to celebrate what would have been her 101st birthday.

Accolades

*The Lila Prize from the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a public collegiate state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered one of best state research university all over India every yea ...

(1954) *The Bhuban Mohini Das Gold Medal (1966) *The Rabindra Award from the

Government of West Bengal The Government of West Bengal also known as the West Bengal Government, is the subnational government of the Indian state of West Bengal , created by the National Constitution as the state's legislative, executive and judicial authority. The ...

(1966) *The

(1976) from the Government of India, for the novel ''

Prothom Protishruti ''Prothom Protishruti'' (; ), also spelled Pratham Pratishruti, is a 1964 Bengali novel by Ashapurna Devi. Considered to be Devi's magnum opus, it tells a story of Satyabati who was given away in marriage at the age of eight to maintain the soci ...

'' *The Haranath Ghosh Medal from the

Bangiya Sahitya Parishad Bangiya Sahitya Parishat is a literary society in Maniktala of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Established during the time of the British Raj, its goal is to promote Bengali literature, both by translating works in other languages to Bengali a ...

(1988) *The Jagattarini Gold Medal from the

(1993)

Publications

Novels

# ''Aar Ek Ashapurna'' ( Mitra O Ghosh) # ''Agniparikha'' (Mitra O Ghosh) # ''Asha Purna Devir Rachanaboli n 10 volumes' (Mitra O Ghosh) # ''Asha Purna Bithika'' ( Nirmal Sahityam) # ''Anamaniyaa'' ( Karuna Prakashani) # ''Bakul Katha'' (Mitra O Ghosh, 1974) # ''Biswas Abiswas'' ( Deb Sahitya Kutir) # ''Chabibandha Sinduk'' (Mitra O Ghosh) # ''Chitrakalpa'' (Mitra O Ghosh) # ''Chosma Palte Jai'' (Deb Sahitya Kutir) # ''Dibyahasini'r Dinolipi'' (Mitra O Ghosh) # ''Drishya Theke Drishyantore'' (Mitra O Ghosh) # ''Dwitiyo Adwitiyo'' (Nirmal Sahityam) # ''Ei To Sedin'' ( Ananda Publishers) # ''Kalyani'' (Nirmal Sahityam) # ''Ka(n)ta Pukur Lane'r Komola'' (Deb Sahitya Kutir) # ''Laghu Tripodi'' (Puspo) # ''Lila Chirontan'' (Mitra O Ghosh) # ''Nakhyatrer Akash'' (Nirmal Sahityam) # ''Noksha Kata Ghor'' (Karuna Prakashoni) # ''Pancha Nodir Teere'' (Pal Publishers) # ''Prem O Proyojon'' (Punascha, Nirmal Sahityam) # ''Priyo Galpo'' (Nirmal Sahityam) # ''Prothom Pratisruti'' (Mitra O Ghosh, 1964) # ''Sashi Babu'r Sangsar'' ( Punascha) # ''Siri Bhanga Anka'' (Mitra O Ghosh) # ''Shrimti Sat(m)a Jibon'' (Karuna Prakashani) # ''Sthan Kaal Patra'' (Karuna Prakashani) # ''Subarnalata'' (Mitra O Ghosh, 1967) # ''Tin Prohor'' (Baluchori, Sunglass, Srinkholita) (Nirmal Sahityam) # ''Trimatrik'' (Nirmal Sahityam) # ''V.I.P Bari'r Lok'' (Karuna Prakashani)

Rochonaboli

Her ''rochonaboli'' (collected works) are published in 10 volumes from publisher Mitra O Ghosh.

Rochonaboli, Vol. 1

#"Boloygras" (1952) #"

Jog Biyog ''Jog Biyog'' is a popular Bengali language novel of Ashapurna Devi. This story initially named as ''Baje Khoroch'' was published by Calcutta Book Club in 1953 and the plot is adapted into number of Indian films. Plot The story revolves with th ...

" (1953) #"Nirjon Prithibi" (1956) #"Charpotra" (1960) #"Prothom Lagna" #"Samudra Neel Akash Neel" (1960) #"Uttorlipi" (1960) #"Teenchanda" #"Mukhor Ratri" (1961)

Rochonaboli, Vol. 2

#"Agni Parikha" (1952) #"Alor Sakhor" #"Jibon Swad" #"Aaar Ek Jhor" #"Nodi Deek Hara" #"Ekti Sondhya Ekti Sokal" #"Uttoron" #"Johuri" #"Mayajaal" #unpublished short stories #unpublished non-fiction

Rochonaboli, Vol. 3

#''Prem O Prayojan'' (1944) #"Nabajonma" (1960) #''Sashi Babu'r Sangsar'' (1956) #"Unmochon" (1957) #"Bahironga" #"Begboti" #"Abohosangeet" #unpublished short stories #unpublished poetries

Rochonaboli, Vol. 4

#"Nepothyo Nayika" #"Jonom Jonom ke Sathi" #''Laghu Tripodi'' #"Du ye Mile Ek" (Srinkholita and Sunglass) #"Suktisagar" #"Sukherchabi" #"Suyoranir Sadh" #"Surobhi Sopno" #unpublished short stories #unpublished non-fiction

Rochonaboli, Vol. 5

#"Mayadarpan" #"Brittopoth" #"Mittirbari" #"Atikranto" #"Sonar Horin" #"Uro Pakhi" #"Jugal Bondi" #"Sesh Raai"

Rochonaboli, Vol. 6

#''Kokhono Deen Kokhono Raat'' #''Baluchori'' #''Anobogunthita'' #unpublished short stories

Rochonaboli, Vol. 7

#"Bijoyi Basanta" #"Ditio Adhyay" #"Neel Porda" #"Durer Janla" #"Juganter Jobonika Pare" #"Dui Meru" #unpublished short stories

Rochonaboli, Vol. 8

#''Prothom Pratisruti'' (First Part) #"Polatok Sainik" #"Pratikhar Bagan" #"Jhinuk e Sei Tara" #unpublished short stories

Rochonaboli, Vol. 9

#''Prothom Pratishruti'' (Last Part) (1964) #''Subarnalata'' (1967)

Rochonaboli, Vol. 10

#''Bakul Katha'' (1974) #"Balir Niche Dhew" #unpublished short stories

Works for younger readers

# ''Aloy Adityer IcchaPatra Rahosyo'' ( Ananda Publishers, 1995) # ''Amorabatir Antorale'' (1994) # ''Byaparta Ki Holo'' (1993) # ''Bhaggi Juddho Bedhechilo'' (1986) # ''Bhagyolakhi Lotarry'' (1990) # ''Bhitore Ki Chilo'' (1985) # ''Bhuture Kukur'' (1982) # ''Bolber Moto Noi'' (1987) # ''Cha(j)jone Mile'' (1979) # ''Chutite Chotachuti'' (1982) # ''Chotoder Srestho Golpo'' (1955) # ''Chotoder Shresto Golpo'' (1981) # ''Chotto Thakurdar Kashijatra'' (1938) # ''Chotoder Bhalo Bhalo Golpo'' (1962) # ''Dakaat r Kobole Ami'' (1972) # ''Dibbosundarer Dibbogayan luv'' (1988) # ''Doshti Kishore Uponyas'' (Ananda Publishers) # ''Durer Basi'' (1978) # ''Ek Kuri Golpo'' (1988) # ''Ek Samudra onek Dheu'' (1963) # ''Eker Modhe Teen'' (1991) # ''Gaja Ukil Er Hatya Rahasya'' (Ananda Publishers, 1979) # ''Golpo Bhalo Aber Bolo'' (1958) # ''Golpo Holo Suru'' (1955) # ''Golper Moto Golpo'' (1961) # ''Half-Holiday'' (1941) # ''Hasir Golpo'' (1967) # ''Jibon Kalir Pakka Hiseb'' (1985) # ''Jugalratno Tiktiki Office'' (1992) # ''Kanakdeep'' (1962) # ''Karapaker Pakchakra'' ( Karuna Prakashani, 1997) # ''Kato Kando Railgarite'' (1985) # ''Kishore Amonibaas'' (1986) # ''Kishore Bachai Golpo'' (1999) # ''Kisor Sahityo Samagro'' (1983) # ''Kishore Sahitya Samagro'' (1–3) ( Mitra O Ghosh) # ''Kisor Sahityo Samvar'' (1980) # ''Kopal Khule Gelo Naki'' (1992) # ''Majarumama'' (1992) # ''Manikchand O Aro Choddo'' (1992) # ''Manuser Mato Manus'' (1986) # ''Mon Thaklei Mon Kamon'' (1996) # ''Nije Bujhe Nin'' (1987) # ''Nikharchai Amod'' (1982) # ''Onara Thakbeni'' (1982) # ''Pa(n)ch Bhuter Goppo'' ( Punascha, 1990) # ''Panchasti Kishore Galpo'' ( Nirmal Sahityam) # ''Pakhi Theke Hati'' (1983) # ''Planchet'' (Karuna Prakashani, 1999) # ''Poyela Doshra'' (1992) # ''Rajkumarer Poshake'' (Ananda Publishers, 1975) # ''Rahasyer Sandhaane'' (Nirmal Sahityam, 1981) # ''Raja Noi Rani Noi'' (1959) # ''Rajai Golpo'' (1976) # ''Rani Mayabatir Antardhyan Rahosyo'' (1993) # ''Ro(n)gin Molat'' (1941) # ''Sakaler Sapno'' (1994) # ''Sarojanter Nayak'' (1992) # ''Satyi Amod'' (1992) # ''Sei Sob Golpo'' (1967) # ''Sera Baro'' (1988) # ''Sera Rahasyo Samvar'' (1984) # ''Shanirbachito Chotoder Shesto Golpo'' (1996) # ''Shono Shono Golpo Shono'' ( Deb Sahitya Kutir, 1956)

Stories published in children's magazines

* "Anko Sir o Mozart" (Sarodiya Anondomela, 1995) * "Bhagye Thakle Kina Hoi" (Uponyas) * "Bishe Bishkhay" * "Bhut Namaibar Sahoj Podhdhoti" (Sarodiya Anondomela, 1986) * "Chutite Chotachuti" (Uponyas,Sarodiya Anondomela, 1981) * "Ghya(N)ch Kore" * "Kagaj To Paro Na" (Sarodiya Anondomela, 1985) * "Kichhu Korena Kichhu Korbe Na" (Agomoni, Deb Sahitya Kutir) * "Matra Ekkhana Than Eet" * "Muskil Asan er Kolkathi" (Sarodiya Anondomela, 1989) * "Parar chhele" (Sarodiya Anondomela, 1987) * "Swapner Railgari" (Boro Golpo, Sarodiya Anondomela, 1983) * "Tibboti Lamar Coffin" (Sarodiya Anondomela, 1993)

Pakhik Anondomela Golpo Sankalan

* "Tiktiki, Ateendriyo Shakti o Bedanto Bardhan" (11 January 1989, illustration – Krishnendu Chaki) * "Kopaal'er Naam Gopaal" (9 June 1993, illustration – Debashish Deb) * "Mojaru-Mama" (17 October 1984, illustration – Anup Roy) * "Ninkhonj Niruddesh Hote Gele" (7 January 1987, illustration – Krishnendu Chaki)

PujaBarshiki Anondomela Golpo Sankalan

* Bahadur (Sarodiya Anondomela, 1971) * Hoito Eirokomi (Sarodiya Anondomela, 1992) * Char Buror Adda (Sarodiya Anondomela, 1996)

Kishore Uponyas (preteen novels)

* ''Raajkumar Er Poshake'' (Anandomela) * ''Gaja Ukil Er Hotya Rohosya'' (Anandomela) * ''Bhuture Kukur'' (Anandomela) * ''Lonka Morich O Ek Mohamanab'' (Pakhyik Anandamela, March 1983) * ''Manusher Moto Manush'' (Sharodiya Kishormon) * ''Chara Pute Gelen Nantu Pise'' (Pakhyik Anandamela, 1987) * ''Bomar Cheye Bisham'' (Sharodiya Kishor Bharati) * ''Somuddur Dekha'' (Sharodiya Kishor Bharati, 1988) * ''Aloy Adityer Iccha Potro Rohosyo'' (Anandomela) * ''Harano Theke Prapti'' (Anandamela)

Works translated to English

* ''Matchbox'' (short story collection, translated by Prasenjit Gupta 2016) * ''Shake the Bottle'' (short story collection, translated by Arunava Sinha)

Television and film adaptions

Her novel ''Baluchori'' was adapted as a TV serial on

Deepto TV Deepto TV ( bn, দীপ্ত টিভি; ) is a Bangladeshi Bengali-language satellite and cable television channel, owned and operated by Kazi Media Limited, a subsidiary of Kazi Farms Group. It officially began broadcasts on 18 November 2 ...

named Aparajita. Subarnalata (TV series) on

Zee Bangla Zee Bangla is an Indian general entertainment pay television channel broadcasting in the Bengali language. It is owned by the Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It is the first Bengali-language satellite television channel in India, officially com ...

and ''Prothom Protisshruti'' on

Colors Bangla Colors Bangla, previously known as ETV Bangla, is an Indian general entertainment pay television channel broadcasting in Bengali language. It was launched in 2000 as ETV Bangla, owned by the Hyderabad-based ETV Network. It was later sold to TV ...

were adaptations of her novels by the same name. Devi's 1953 novel ''

'' inspired a number of films in various Indian languages. The 1954 Bengali film '' Agni Pariksha'' was based on her novel by the same name. The movie was simultaneously made into a 1959 Telugu - Tamil bilingual titled '' Mangalya Balam'' in Telugu and '' Manjal Mahimai'' in Tamil. Later it was remade in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

in 1967 as ''

Chhoti Si Mulaqat ''Chhoti Si Mulaqat'' (''English: A Brief Interaction'') is a 1967 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Alo Sarkar starring Uttam Kumar and Vyjayanthimala. It's a remake of 1954 Bengali film '' Agni Pariksha'' directed by Agrad ...

''. The 1976 film ''Tapasya'', produced by

Tarachand Barjatya Tarachand Barjatya (10 May 1914 – 21 September 1992) was an Indian film producer. He has produced many Hindi films from the 1960s through to the 1980s. He founded Rajshri Productions which continues to produce films even today. His mainstay w ...

, was based on one of her stories. Director

Suman Mukhopadhyay Suman Mukhopadhyay ( bn, সুমন মুখোপাধ্যায়; born 20 November 1966) is an Indian film director.His popular films are Herbert (film), Kangal Malsat, Shesher Kobita (2014). Career Suman Mukhopadhyay is currently v ...

adapted her story ''Chuti Nakoch'' into the Hindi feature film ''Nazarband'', which premiered at the New York Indian Film Festival in 2021.

References

Sources

External links

*
Ashapurna Devi
at *
Ashapurna Devi
at the West Bengal Public Library Network
Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Stories : Ashapurna Debi's Fiction

Ashapurna Devi and Feminist Consciousness in Bengal: A Bio-critical Reading
(Dipannita Datta, 2014, ) {{DEFAULTSORT:Devi, Ashapurna 1909 births 1995 deaths 20th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian poets Women writers from West Bengal Bengali detective fiction writers Bengali-language writers Indian women novelists Indian women poets Recipients of the Jnanpith Award Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education Recipients of the Rabindra Puraskar Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship University of Calcutta alumni Women crime fiction writers Writers from Kolkata 20th-century Indian women writers Indian crime fiction writers Novelists from West Bengal Poets from West Bengal