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Annada Shankar Ray

アンナダ・シャンカル・ロイ

Annada Shankar Ray

Aliases: Annadashankar Roy / অন্নদাশঙ্কর রায়

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1904-03-15 （Dhenkanal State (now in Odisha, India)）
Died
2002-10-28 （Kolkata, West Bengal, India） age 98
Nationality
Indian
Languages
Bengali, English, Odia
Residence History
Kotrung (present-day Uttarpara Kotrung) → Balasore district, Odisha → Dhenkanal → Kolkata, West Bengal

Career

Occupations
Writer, Poet, Essayist, Former civil servant
Active Years
1920-2002
Affiliations
Sahitya Akademi, Visva-Bharati
Influenced By
Rabindranath Tagore, Pramatha Choudhury
Influenced
Subsequent Bengali writers and critics

Education

Ravenshaw College
English / Department of English
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Period: 1922–1926
Year of Graduation: 1926
Country: India
Majored in English; later topped the Indian Civil Service examination from his region.

Awards

Padma Bhushan
Organization: Government of India
Result: 受賞
Fellow of Sahitya Akademi
1989
Organization: Sahitya Akademi
Result: フェロー
Desikottama
Organization: Visva-Bharati
Result: 授与（名誉称号）
Honorary D.Litt.
Organization: Visva-Bharati
Result: 授与（名誉学位）
Rabindra Puraskar
Organization: West Bengal related body
Result: 受賞
Ananda Puraskar
Organization: Ananda (literary award)
Result: 受賞（複数回）
Zaibunnisa Award
Organization: Bangladesh related organization
Result: 受賞
Vidyasagar Smriti Award
Organization: State government
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Pathe Prabaase (Potheprobashe)

1931 Travel diary / Essays

A diary of his 1931 trip to Europe combining travel observations and cultural reflections; an influential collection of essays.

TravelCultural observationSelf and society

Banglar Renaissance

Cultural history / Essays

An analytical history of cultural and social revolution in Bengal, discussing the background and impact of the Bengal Renaissance.

Bengal RenaissanceCultural historySocial change

Teler Sisi (poem)

Poetry

A poem criticizing the Partition of India and the violence and divisions it caused; one of his notable political poems.

PartitionSocial critiqueSorrow and nature

Bibliography

  • Tarunno
  • Rakhi
  • Prakritir Parihas
  • Man Pavan
  • Kamini Kanchan
  • Katha
  • Osomapika
  • Agun Niye Khela
  • Binur Boi
  • Japane
  • Prokritir Porihash
  • Du Kan Kata

Translations by Author

  • Bengali rendering/translation of a short story by Tolstoy

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Urbane essayistic proseBlend of Tagore-inspired lyricism and Pramatha-style crispnessCulture-oriented observational writing
Recurring Motifs
Connection between nature and human emotionSocietal and cultural changeDivision and reconciliation

Legacy

Annada Shankar Ray was a leading 20th-century Bengali poet and essayist whose travel writings, essays and poetry offered incisive cultural and social analysis. He achieved recognition in both Bengali and Odia and received multiple literary awards and honors, leaving a significant legacy in South Asian letters.

Academic Societies

  • Sahitya Akademi

Archives

  • West Bengal Public Library Network holdings
  • Open Library collections

In Popular Culture

  • Poems and essays are featured in academic studies and university curricula

Quotes

  • "Teler shishi bhaanglo bole khukur pare raag karo"
    Source: Poem (criticizing the Partition)

Trivia

  • Ranked highly in the 1927 Indian Civil Service exam (one of the first from his region).
  • Has poetic work in Odia included in university curricula, making him notable in two linguistic regions.
  • Took voluntary retirement from the civil service in 1951 to devote himself to literature.