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Rajshekhar Basu

ラジシェカール・バス

Rajshekhar Basu

Aliases: Parashuram / Parasuram / Rajsekhar Bose
Pen Names: Parashuram（Pen name used for publishing humorous and satirical short stories）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1880-03-16 （Bamunpara (near Kandorsona), Bengal Presidency, British India (now Purba Bardhaman district, West Bengal, India)）
Died
1960-04-27 （Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal, India） age 80
Nationality
Indian
Languages
Bengali, Hindi, English
Residence History
Bamunpara (childhood) → Darbhanga (childhood) → Patna (education) → Calcutta/Kolkata (career and death)

Career

Occupations
Chemist, Author, Lexicographer, Humorist
Active Years
1903-1960
Affiliations
Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, National Council of Education
Memberships
National Council of Education, Bangiya Sahitya Parishad
Influenced By
Rabindranath Tagore
Influenced
Satyajit Ray (film adaptations of his stories), Sandip Ray (used his stories in films)

Education

Presidency College, Calcutta
Faculty of Science (Chemistry) / Department of Chemistry
Degree: BA/MA (化学)
Country: British India (now India)
Completed BA and MA; also studied law but did not pursue a legal career
Law studies (associated with Calcutta University)
Faculty of Law / Department of Law
Degree: LL.B（受講）
Country: British India (now India)
Studied law and obtained degree but attended court for only a short time before leaving the legal profession

Awards

Rabindra Puraskar
1955
Work: Krishnakali Ityadi Galpo
Organization: Government of West Bengal (Rabindra Puraskar committee)
Result: 受賞
Padma Bhushan
1956
Organization: Government of India
Result: 受賞
Sahitya Akademi Award
1958
Work: Anandibai Ityadi Galpa
Organization: Sahitya Akademi
Result: 受賞
Jagattarini medal
1940
Organization: University of Calcutta
Result: 受賞
Sarojini medal
1945
Organization: University of Calcutta
Result: 受賞
D.Litt. (honorary)
1957
Organization: University of Calcutta
Result: 授与
D.Litt. (honorary)
1958
Organization: Jadavpur University
Result: 授与

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Chalantika

1937 Dictionary / Linguistics

A monolingual Bengali dictionary including a concise grammar appendix and proposals for rationalising Bengali orthography.

LanguageOrthographyLexicography

Gaddalika

1924 Short stories (humor / satire)

An early collection of short stories published under the pen name Parashuram, containing humorous and satirical pieces.

SatireEveryday lifeHuman relationships

Anandibai Ityadi Galpa

1957 Short stories (satire)

A collection of fifteen satirical stories on love, family and politics; won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1958.

LoveFamilyPolitical satire

Krishnakali Ityadi Galpo

1953 Short stories

A short story collection which won the Rabindra Puraskar in 1955.

SocietyCustomsHuman emotion

Parash Pathar / Mahapurush (film adaptations)

Film adaptations (based on short stories)

Film adaptations by Satyajit Ray based on his short stories, including Parash Pathar and Mahapurush.

FilmAdaptation of short fiction
Adaptations
  • [Film] Parash Pathar / Satyajit Ray (1958)
  • [Film] Mahapurush / Satyajit Ray (1965)

Bibliography

  • Sri Sri Siddheswari Limited
  • Gaddalika
  • Kajjali
  • Hanumaner Svapna Ityadi Galpa
  • Galpakalpa
  • Dhusturi Maya Ityadi Galpa
  • Krishnakali Ityadi Galpo
  • Nil Tara Ityadi Galpo
  • Anandibai Ityadi Galpa
  • Chamatkumari Ityadi Galpo
  • Asmani choti
  • Jaliyat
  • Bangla bhasay bigyan
  • Chalantika (dictionary)

Adaptations

  • Parash Pathar (dir. Satyajit Ray)
  • Mahapurush (dir. Satyajit Ray)
  • Chaar (one story used in screenplay, dir. Sandip Ray)

Translations by Author

  • Kalidas's Meghdut (translation)
  • Valmiki Ramayan (translation)
  • Mahabharat (translation)
  • Hitopadesha stories (translation)
  • Shrimad Bhagavat Gita (translation)

Translations of Works

  • Some works have been translated into English and other languages (details variable)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Concise, witty proseSatirical narrationStrong interest in vocabulary and orthography
Recurring Motifs
Absurdities of everyday lifeSatire of bureaucracy and social customsNuances of family and romance

Health

  • Stroke
    1959–1960
    Suffered a stroke in 1959 but continued writing; suffered a second stroke in 1960 and died.

Legacy

Rajshekhar Basu (Parashuram) is regarded as one of the foremost Bengali humorists of the 20th century; he contributed to lexicography and orthography reform and left a lasting cultural impact through adaptations of his short stories.

Academic Societies

  • Bangiya Sahitya Parishad
  • Academic bodies associated with University of Calcutta

Archives

  • Parabaas (online resource)
  • Archived works and materials in university libraries and special collections

In Popular Culture

  • Film adaptations by Satyajit Ray (Parash Pathar, Mahapurush)
  • Adaptations and references to his short stories in contemporary theatre and film

Quotes

  • “At long last, we have a dictionary for Bengali. The concise grammar in the appendix is also wonderful.”
    Source: Rabindranath Tagore's comment on Chalantika (around 1937) (1937)

Trivia

  • His pen name Parashuram was reportedly borrowed from the surname of a local goldsmith, Tarachand Parashuram.
  • As a youth he set up a home laboratory and conducted chemical experiments.
  • There are accounts that he covertly assisted Indian independence revolutionaries with money and chemicals.
  • His younger brother Girindrasekhar Bose was an early Freudian psychoanalyst in the non-Western world.