Barun Sengupta
Encyclopedia
Barun Sengupta (23 January 1934–19 June 2008), the founder-editor of Bartaman
newspaper, was a Bengali journalist and popular political critic. He is remembered for his bold and simple diction of political analyzing that made him extremely well liked among the common readers in West Bengal
.
). Sengupta, along with his family, moved to Kolkata
before the partition of India
in 1947 and rented a house near Baithakkhana Market in north-central Kolkata
.
His education started in B.M. School. Barisal. Later he was admitted to Town School, Kolkata. After graduating in commerce from City College, Kolkata
, an undergraduate college affiliated with the University of Calcutta
, he founded a periodical named Bhabikal which lasted a few issues. In 1957, he founded another weekly named Bartaman with the aid of Hemanta Kumar Bose, a popular leader of Forward Bloc. He joined Anandabazar Patrika
in 1960 and became its first designated political correspondent in 1965.
In 1984, he left Anandabazar Patrika
to start his own journal and launched Bartaman
, a daily, on 7 December that year. Soon, for its straightforward and intrepid style, the journal became extremely popular among the common Bengali readers. Later Sengupta launched two more periodicals - Saptahik Bartaman, a weekly and Sukhi Grihokon, a monthly and this time too it was a success. These two journals are now widely read in West Bengal.
He wrote several books on India
’s political situation–Pala Badaler Pala, Sab Chatitra Kalpanik, Bipak-i-stan, Andhakarer Antaraley and Netajir Antardhan Rahasya being some of them.
He died in a south Kolkata nursing home after a brief illness.
Bartaman
Bartaman Patrika is an Indian Bengali language daily newspaper published in Kolkata by Bartaman Pvt. Ltd. Apart from the Kolkata edition, the newspaper has four other simultaneous editions, published daily from four major towns of West Bengal -- Siliguri, Burdwan, Malda and Midnapore...
newspaper, was a Bengali journalist and popular political critic. He is remembered for his bold and simple diction of political analyzing that made him extremely well liked among the common readers in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
.
Life
Son of Nirmalananda Sengupta and Ranibala Devi, Barun Sengupta was born in Barisal (now in BangladeshBangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
). Sengupta, along with his family, moved to Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
before the partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
in 1947 and rented a house near Baithakkhana Market in north-central Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
.
His education started in B.M. School. Barisal. Later he was admitted to Town School, Kolkata. After graduating in commerce from City College, Kolkata
City College, Kolkata
City College is a constituent undergraduate college of the University of Calcutta. Established in 1881, it is one of the heritage institutions of Calcutta which played a prominent social role in the wake of the Bengal Renaissance of the nineteenth century. The college is located at 102/1, Raja...
, an undergraduate college affiliated with the University of Calcutta
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
, he founded a periodical named Bhabikal which lasted a few issues. In 1957, he founded another weekly named Bartaman with the aid of Hemanta Kumar Bose, a popular leader of Forward Bloc. He joined Anandabazar Patrika
Anandabazar Patrika
Anandabazar Patrika is an Indian Bengali language daily newspaper published in Kolkata, New Delhi and Mumbai by the ABP Group. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.28 million copies making it the largest circulation for a single-edition, regional language...
in 1960 and became its first designated political correspondent in 1965.
In 1984, he left Anandabazar Patrika
Anandabazar Patrika
Anandabazar Patrika is an Indian Bengali language daily newspaper published in Kolkata, New Delhi and Mumbai by the ABP Group. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.28 million copies making it the largest circulation for a single-edition, regional language...
to start his own journal and launched Bartaman
Bartaman
Bartaman Patrika is an Indian Bengali language daily newspaper published in Kolkata by Bartaman Pvt. Ltd. Apart from the Kolkata edition, the newspaper has four other simultaneous editions, published daily from four major towns of West Bengal -- Siliguri, Burdwan, Malda and Midnapore...
, a daily, on 7 December that year. Soon, for its straightforward and intrepid style, the journal became extremely popular among the common Bengali readers. Later Sengupta launched two more periodicals - Saptahik Bartaman, a weekly and Sukhi Grihokon, a monthly and this time too it was a success. These two journals are now widely read in West Bengal.
He wrote several books on India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
’s political situation–Pala Badaler Pala, Sab Chatitra Kalpanik, Bipak-i-stan, Andhakarer Antaraley and Netajir Antardhan Rahasya being some of them.
He died in a south Kolkata nursing home after a brief illness.
External links
- News of Sengupta's Death and a short biography from The Telegraph -http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080620/jsp/bengal/story_9437783.jsp
- News of Sengupta's Death from Indian Express -http://www.indianexpress.com/story/325163.html
- Biography of Barun Sengupta from Yahoo News - http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20080619/812/tnl-barun-sengupta-was-an-uncompromising_1.html
Further reading
- Barun Sengupta Rachana Sangraha (Collected Works of Barun Sengupta in BengaliBengali languageBengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
), Ananda Publishers Pvt Ltd, Kolkata - 700009