Tarapada Ray was a Bengali

Bengali language

Bengali 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...

 writer of poems, short stories, and essays. He is especially known for his satirical sense of humour. He was born on November 17, 1936 in Tangail

Tangail

Tangail is a town in Tangail District located in central region of Bangladesh. It consists of 5 corporations, 8 municipalities, 72 wards, 211 mahallas. It is located on the banks of Louhajang River, and is part of the Dhaka Division.-Education:...

, now in Bangladesh

Bangladesh

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...

. He lived in 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...

 in the 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...

n state of 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...

 till his death on August 25, 2007.

He had his schooling in Bangladesh where he passed his matriculation from Bindubasini High English School. In 1951, he came to Calcutta to attend college. He studied Economics in Central Calcutta College (presently Maulana Azad College

Maulana Azad College

Maulana Azad College is located in central Calcutta, West Bengal, India. It is located near the junction of Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road and SN Banerjee Road, popularly called "Lotus crossing".It is a Government college and affiliated to the University of Calcutta...

). For a time he taught in a school in Habra in North 24Parganas.

Apart from numerous short stories and essays (mostly satirical), he wrote many poems as well. His first collection of poems, "Tomar Pratima" was published in 1960. He also wrote several short shorties commemorating his childhood days spent in East Bengal (Bangladesh). Among his most important works are novel like Charabari Porabari and travelogue like Neel Digante Tokhon Magic. Sadly, he died on 25 August, 2007. He was survived a son and his wife. He was suffering from renal failure for the last few months. He was so enthusiastic about writing, that it was reported that he even wrote several pieces from his hospital.

Tarapada had close friendship with Hollywood actor Wallace Shawn and famous author Deborrah Eisenberg.

Select bibliography

• Kandogyan
• Gyan gomyi
• Dodo tatai palakahini
• Swanirbachita Tarapada Roy
• Chilam bhalobashar neel potakatole shadhin
• Charabari Porabari
• Balish

Poem Collection

• Tomar protima - 1960
• Chhiam Bhalobasar Nil Patatae Swadhin - 1967
• Kothay Jachchhen Tarapada Babu - 1970
• Neel Digante Ekhon Magic - 1974
• Pata O Pakhider Alochana - 1975
• Bhaobasar Kabita - 1977
• Daridrarekha - 1986
• Durbhikker Kabita
• Jaler Moto Kabita - 1992
• Din Ni Din Khai - 1994
• Tubeshishur Baba - 1995
• Bhalo Achho Garib Manus - 2001
• Kobi O Parashini - 2002

Awards

• Shiromani award
• Katha award (1995)