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Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay
Born	(1898-07-23)23 July 1898 Labhpur,Birbhum district,Bengal Presidency, British India
Died	14 September 1971(1971-09-14) (aged 73) Calcutta,West Bengal, India
Occupation	Novelist Politician
Nationality	Indian
Notable awards	Rabindra Puraskar Sahitya Akademi Jnanpith Award Padma Bhushan
Spouse	Umashashi Devi ​ (m. 1916)​
Member of Parliament of theRajya Sabha
In office 3 April 1960 – 2 April 1966
Constituency	Nominated

Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay (23 July 1898^[1] – 14 September 1971) was an Indian novelist who wrote in theBengali language. He wrote 65 novels, 53-story-books, 12 plays, 4 essay-books, 4 autobiographies, 2 travel stories and composed several songs. He was awardedRabindra Puraskar,Sahitya Akademi Award,Jnanpith Award,Padma Shri andPadma Bhushan.^[2][3] He was nominated forNobel Prize in Literature in 1971 and posthumously nominated in 1972.^[4][5]

He fought against the british during the non-cooperation movement and was later arrested for political activism. Turning to literature after his release in 1930, he published his first novelChaitali Ghurni in 1932 and met Rabindranath Tagore. Over the years, he presided over major literary conferences and received several prestigious awards including the Rabindra Puraskar, Sahitya Akademi Award, JnanpitTarasankar Bandyopadhyay, a renowned Bengali writer, was born in Labhpur, Birbhum, in British India. Educated at St. Xavier's and South Suburban College, he became involved in theh Award, Padma Shri, and Padma Bhushan. He served in both the West Bengal Legislative Council and Rajya Sabha. Bandyopadhyay died in 1971. In 2021, his ancestral home was turned into a museum preserving his legacy.Bandyopadhyay was born at his ancestral home atLabhpur village inBirbhum district,Bengal Province,British India (now West Bengal, India) to Haridas Bandyopadhyay and Prabhabati Devi.^[6]

He passed the Matriculation examination from Labhpur Jadablal H. E. School in 1916 and was later admitted first toSt. Xavier's College, Calcutta and then to South Suburban College (nowAsutosh College). While studying in intermediate at St. Xavier's College, he joined thenon-co-operation movement. He could not complete his university course due to ill health and political activism.^[7] During these college years, he was also associated with a radical militant youth group and was arrested and interned in his village.^[8]

He was arrested in 1930 for actively supporting theIndian independence movement, but released later that year. After that he decided to devote himself to literature.^[9] In 1932, he metRabindranath Tagore atSantiniketan for the first time. His first novelChaitali Ghurni was published on the same year.^[7]

In 1940, he rented a house atBagbazar and brought his family to Calcutta. In 1941, he moved toBaranagar. In 1942, he presided over the Birbhum District Literature Conference and became the president of the Anti-Fascist Writers and Artists Association in Bengal. In 1944, he presided over the Kanpur Bengali Literature Conference arranged by the non-resident Bengalis living there. In 1947, he inaugurated Prabasi Banga Sahitya Sammelan held in Calcutta; presided over the Silver Jubilee Prabasi Banga Sahitya Sammelan in Bombay; and received Sarat Memorial Medal from theUniversity of Calcutta. In 1948, he moved to his own house at Tala Park, Calcutta.^[7]

In 1952, he was nominated to be a member of the legislative assembly. He was a member of the West Bengal Vidhan Parishad between 1952–60. In 1954, he tookDiksha from his mother. In the same year he scripted and directed a film,Naa, based on his own story. In 1955, he was awarded theRabindra Puraskar by theGovernment of West Bengal. In 1956, he received theSahitya Akademi Award. In 1957 he visitedSoviet Union to join the preparatory committee of theAfro-Asian Writers' Association and later went toTashkent at an invitation from the Chinese Government as the leader of the Indian Writers delegation at the Afro-Asian Writers' Association.^[7]

In 1959, he received the Jagattarini Gold Medal from the University of Calcutta, and presided over All India Writer's Conference inMadras. In 1960, he retired from the West Bengal Legislative Assembly but was nominated to theParliament by thePresident of India. He was a member ofRajya Sabha between 1960–66. In 1962, he receivedPadma Shri; but the death of his son-in-law broke his heart and to keep himself diverted he took to painting and making wooden toys. In 1963, he received Sisirkumar Award. In 1966, he retired from the Parliament and presided over Nagpur Bengali Literature Conference. In 1966, he won theJnanpith Award and in 1969, he receivedPadma Bhushan and was honoured with the title of Doctor of Literature by the University of Calcutta and theJadavpur University. In 1969, he was given the fellowship ofSahitya Akademi, in 1970 became the president ofBangiya Sahitya Parishad/Vangiya Sahitya Parishad. In 1971, he gave the Nripendrachandra Memorial Lecture atVisva-Bharati University and D. L. Roy Memorial Lecture at the University of Calcutta.^[7]

Bandyopadhyay died at his Calcutta residence early in the morning on 14 September 1971. His last rites were performed at the Nimtala Cremation Ground, North Calcutta.^[7]

Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay was married to Umashashi Devi in 1916. Their eldest son Sanatkumar Bandyopadhyay was born in 1918; the youngest son Saritkumar Bandyopadhyay was born in 1922; the eldest daughter Ganga was born in 1924; the second daughter Bulu was born in 1926 but died in 1932; the youngest daughter Bani was born in 1932.^[7]

• 1955 –Rabindra Puraskar for his novelArogya Niketan^{[citation needed]}
• 1956 –Sahitya Akademi Award^{[citation needed]}
• 1966 –Jnanpith Award for his novelGanadebata.^[10]
• 1962 –Padma Shri^{[citation needed]}
• 1969 –Padma Bhushan^[11]
• ---- –Sharat Smriti Puraskar^{[citation needed]}
• ---- –Jagattarini Gold Medal from theCalcutta University^{[citation needed]}

• Tripatra (1926)

^[12]

• Chakmaki (1945)

List of all songs for which Lyrics were composed by Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay

• Works by or about Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay at theInternet Archive
• Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay atIMDb
• Kalapahar, a short story by Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay translated from Bengali by Subhamay Ray

• 1898 births
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