| Shibram Chakraborty | |
|---|---|
| Born | ২৭শে অগ্রহায়ণ, ১৩১০ (in Bangla calendar) Chanchal, Malda, West Bengal |
| Died | ১১ই ভাদ্র, ১৩৮৭ (in Bangla calendar) Kolkata |
| Occupation | Bengali Writer, Humorist |
Shibram Chakrabarty Bengali: শিবরাম চক্রবর্তী (13 December 1903–28 August 1980) was a popular Bengali writer, humorist and revolutionary who is best known for his humorous stories. His best known short stories and novels are renowned for their unique use of pun, alliteration, play of words and ironic humor. He was a prolific author who also wrote poems, plays, non-fiction and novels for mature audiences in his long career.
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He worked as a volunteer in the Swadeshi movement and came under the affection of Chittaranjan Das [চিত্তরঞ্জন দাস]. During this time he became involved with the magazine Bijli [বিজলী] and Forward as a journalist. He later became the publisher of a magazine called Jugantar [যুগান্তর].
He discovered his innerself during writing for a Child Magazine named "Mouchak" [মৌচাক].
His initial foray into literature was as a poet. His first book of poems was called Manush (Man). He worked as a feature writer in daily newspapers and magazines such as Basumati [বসুমতী], Ananda Bazar Patrika [আনন্দবাজার পত্রিকা] and Desh [দেশ]. These were tinged with humor and got him notice in the public eye. Subsequently he started writing stories and novels.
His writing is noted for use of literary puns as a key story vehicle - speculated to be a first in Bengali literature. He is also noted for his self-deprecating humor. An example of this is the convoluted way in which he would spell his name in Bengali in his stories: শিব্রাম চকরবরতি (Shee-bram Cho-ko-ro-bo-ro-ty). He would often put himself into his stories amongst fictional characters. The most famous and recurring characters in his stories are the brothers Harshabardhan [হর্ষবর্ধন] and Gobardhan [গোবর্ধন] and his sister Bini. Advertisements for his books often bill him as the King of Laughter. Aside from funny stories, his other notable writings include the dramatization of Sharat Chandra Chatterji's novel Dena Paona under the title Shoroshi [ষোড়শী] (Sixteen Year Old Girl), the political work Moscow bonam Pondicheri [মস্কো বনাম পন্ডিচেরি] (Moscow Versus Pondicheri; ) and the play Jokhon Tara Kotha Bolbe [যখন তারা কথা বলবে] (When They Will Speak). His (so called) autobiography Eeshwar Prithibee Valobasa [ঈশ্বর পৃথিবী ভালবাসা] (God Earth Love) is also regarded as one of his best works. During his 60-year career he authored more than 150 books.
Chakrabarty was born into the well-known Chachal Rajbari (royal house of Chachal) family, although his ancestral home was in Malda. He was born at his maternal uncle's house in Kolkata, the capital of British India. His father's name was Shibprashad Chakrabarty [শিবপ্রসাদ চক্রবর্তী]. A spirtualist by nature, Shibprashad would often take to the road. Shibram later inherited this wanderlust from his father. Shibram spent his early days in Paharpur and Chachal. In his boyhood days, he once ran away from home penniless. This experience would later inspire his novel Bari Theke Paliye [বাড়ি থেকে পালিয়ে] (Running Away From Home), which was made into a film by Ritwik Ghatak. While still in school he played an active role in the Swadeshi movement and as a result was sent to jail. Owing to these circumstances he could not sit the matriculation exam. His institutional education never progressed beyond this. However, he studied on his own and was knowledgeable in a variety of subjects.
He spent the most part of his life on the second-floor mess room of a bedsit in 134, Muktaram Babu Street in Kolkata. He put his personal touch on the room by turning its walls into a hand-written calendar, noting the time he had lived there. He never married. Shibram had a capricious nature and would often be broke. However he was known as a free spirit and generous to his friends. His Panjabi-clad frame and smiling countenance was a regular sight at the Coffee House in Kolkata. He did not even maintain proper record or preserve the manuscripts of some of his works. In the last phase of his life, he ran into serious financial difficulties and the West Bengal Government had to put him on a monthly allowance. He died in Kolkata in 1980.
Shibram Chakraborty's long stay at Muktarambabu Street is fondly recalled by the elderly resistants of that Street. The building has three floors and, when viewed from the street, looks haunted. Access is from Central Avenue, also called Chittaranjan Avenue. Proceed towards Mahajati Sadan from the Mahatma Gandhi Road station of the underground railway line, turn right into the wide lane adjacent to Mahajati Sadan; the lane leads to a park. Turn left along the park, and turn right at the boundary of the park and the first left thereafter. This two lane road is about 50 yards long and terminates at Muktarambabu Lane (not Street). At this junction, there is just one house with two beams protruding in the air. Shibram Chakraborty lived here.[1]