Sunil Gangopadhyay

Friends, I want to share a bad news with you! Today is a black day in the literary-world of West Bengal as well as India! Eminent litterateur and Sahitya Akademi president Sunil Gangopadhyay died at his South Kolkata residence in the early hours of Tuesday following a massive heart attack. He was 78.

He was born in Faridpur in what is now Bangladesh, in 7^th September, 1974. He studied at the Surendranath College, Dum Dum Motijheel College, City College, Kolkata - all affiliated with the University of Calcutta. Thereafter, he obtained his Master's degree in Bengali from the University of Calcutta in 1954.

A prolific writer and winner of several awards, Gangopadhyay was the founder editor of 'Krittibas', a seminal poetry magazine that became a platform for a new generation of poets experimenting with many new forms.

Author of over 200 books, Sunil Gangopadhyay excelled in short story, novels, travelogues and children's fiction. Many of his work translated in other languages. He had won the Sahitya Akademi Award (1985), Ananda Puraskar (1989) and the Hindu Literary Prize(2011). He used the pen-names of Nil Lohit, Sanatan Pathak and Nil Upadhyay.

The novel 'Sei Samay' transleted in English

Though he has written all types of children's fiction, one character created by him that stands out above the rest, is Kakababu, the crippled adventurist, accompanied by his young adult nephew Santu, and his friend Jojo. Since 1974, Sunil Gangopadhyay has written over 35 novels of this popular series, most of which appeared in Anandamela magazine.

A collection of stories of 'Kakababu'

A book of 'Kakababu'

One of Sunil Gangopadhyay's cult poems, Smritir Shohor has been turned into a song for the film Iti Mrinalini (2011) directed by Aparna Sen.

After serving five years as the vice-president, he was elected the president of the SahityaAkademi on February 20, 2008.
Gangopadhyay is survived by wife and son.

Friends, good bye for now. Take care of your health and of course of your family. Namaskar.