Leela Majumdar | |
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| Born | (1908-02-26)26 February 1908[1] Calcutta,Bengal Presidency,British India |
| Died | 5 April 2007(2007-04-05) (aged 99) Kolkata,West Bengal,India |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Period | 1922–1994 |
| Genre | Children's books |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Leela Majumdar (26 February 1908[1] – 5 April 2007) was an IndianBengali-language writer.
Born to Surama Devi and Pramada Ranjan Ray (who was the younger brother ofUpendra Kishor Ray Choudhuri), Leela spent her childhood days atShillong, where she studied at the Loreto Convent.[2] Surama Devi had been adopted by Upendra Kishor Ray Choudhuri . Lila's grandfather had left his younger two daughters in care of his friends after his wife died. The eldest daughter was sent to a boarding house. Her maternal grandfather was Ramkumar Bhattacharya, who later became a sannyasi and was christened Ramananda Bharati. He was the first among Indians to visit Kailash and Mansarovar and wrote a travelogueHimaranya. In 1919, her father was transferred to Calcutta, and she joined St. John's Diocesan School from where she completed her matriculation examination.[1] She ranked second among the girls in the matriculation examinations in 1924. She stood first inEnglish (literature) both in her honours (graduation) andMaster of Arts examination at theUniversity of Calcutta. The family she belonged to made a notable contribution towards children's literature.[2][3]Sunil Gangopadhyay says that while theTagore family enthused everybody with drama, songs and literature for adults, the Ray Chaudhuri family took charge of laying the foundations of children's literature in Bengali.[4]
She joined Maharani Girls' School at Darjeeling as a teacher in 1931.[2] On an invitation fromRabindranath Tagore she went and joined the school atSantiniketan, but she stayed only for about one year. She joined the women's section ofAsutosh College inCalcutta but again did not continue for long. Thereafter, she spent most of her time as a writer. After two decades as a writer, she joinedAll India Radio as a producer and worked for about seven-eight years.[3]
Her first story,Lakhi Chele, was published inSandesh in 1922. It was also illustrated by her.[2] The children's magazine in Bengali was founded by her uncle, Upendra Kishore Ray Chaudhuri in 1913 and was later edited by her cousinSukumar Ray for some time after the death of Upendra Kishore in 1915.[5] Together with her nephewSatyajit Ray and her cousin Nalini Das, she edited and wrote forSandesh throughout her active writing life.[6] Until 1994 she played an active role in the publication of the magazine.[7]
An incomplete bibliography lists 125 books including a collection of short stories, five books under joint authorship, 9 translated books and 19 edited books.[1]
Her first published book wasBoddi Nather Bari (1939) but her second compilationDin Dupere (1948) brought her considerable fame from the 1950s, her incomparable children's classics followed. Although humor was her forte, she also wrote detective stories, ghost stories and fantasies.[1]
Her autobiographical sketchPak Dandi provides an insight into her childhood days in Shillong and also her early years at Santiniketan and with All India Radio.[2]
Apart from her glittering array of children's literature, she wrote a cookbook, novels for adults (Sreemoti,Cheena Lathan), and a biography of Rabindranath Tagore. She lectured onAbanindranath Tagore and translated his writings on art into English. She translatedJonathan Swift'sGulliver's Travels andErnest Hemingway'sThe Old Man and the Sea into Bengali.[6]
Satyajit Ray had thought of filmingPadi Pishir Bormi Baksha.[4]Arundhati Devi made it into a film in 1972.Chhaya Devi played the role of the young hero, Khoka's famed aunt Padipishi.[8]
For a special Mahila Mahal (women's section) series of All-India Radio, dealing with the "natural and ordinary problems" in the everyday life of a girl growing up in a typical, middle-class, Bengali family, she createdManimala, the story of a "very ordinary girl" whose grandmother starts writing to her from when she turns 12, continuing into her marriage and motherhood.[9]
In 1933 she married Dr. Sudhir Kumar Majumdar (1897-1984), a renowned dentist who was a graduate of the Harvard Dental School. Their son Ranjan was a medical doctor and a dentist. Daughter Kamala was married to Monishi Chatterjee, an oil engineer and grandson of the first female painter of the Bengal school,Sunayani Devi. Apart from her children, she had, at the time of her death, two grandsons, two granddaughters and three great-grandchildren.[1]
Holde Pakhir Palok won the state award for children's literature,Bak Badh Pala won theSangeet Natak Akademi Award from theGovernment of India in 1963,Aar Konokhane wonRabindra Puraskar from theGovernment of West Bengal in 1969. She had also won the Suresh Smriti Puraskar, Vidyasagar Puraskar, Bhubaneswari Medal for lifetime achievement,[1] and Ananda Puraskar.[6] She has been awarded the Deshikottama byVisva Bharati, and honorary D.Litt. by Burdwan,North Bengal andCalcutta Universities.[1]
In 2019, a documentary film has been made on Lila Majumdar entitled"Peristan - The World of Lila Majumdar ".[10]
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