 Annada Shankar Ray was an acclaimed Bengali essayist as well as a Bengali poet and author who catapulted to the zenith of fame after translating a short story composed by Count Leo Tolstoy and an appreciation of the essay 'Narir Mulya' by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay at a tender age of 16. 'Tarunya', published in 2008 was his very first published book while 'Agun Niye Khela' and 'Asamapika' were two of his initial novels. Annada Shankar Ray was an extremely talented literary personality who blended the writing styles of Pramatha Chaudhuri and that of the nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in most of his literary creations. He is the recipient of Padma Bhushan and the Vidyasagar Smriti Award from the state government, along with the fellowship of the Sahitya Akademi Award in the year 1989.
Early Life of Annada Shankar Ray Annada Shankar Roy was born during 1904 in the region of Dhenkanal in the eastern Indian state of Odisha. He had pursued his graduation from Ravenshaw College, in the field of B.A. (Honors) in English, and the college is situated in Cuttack. His career was firmly launched through his writings in the Odiya language and he was a respected poet of 'Sabuja Yuga' in the sphere of Odiya literature. However, he had shifted his literary creativity to the Bengali language. He came to be India's first local citizen who was ranked first in the I.C.S. examination which is a significant milestone in the pages of history. Annada Shankar Ray's father had moved to Dhamnagar in Bhadrak, Odisha from Rameswarpur village immediately after a family dispute. He belongs to a family whose origin can be traced back to the 'Ghosh Mahashayas' who had migrated from Howrah's Kotarang to Rameswarpur as part of the contingent of Todarmal, during the regime of the Mughal emperor Akbar. Annada Shankar Ray was greatly inspired by Rabindranath Tagore and he was a follower of the principles of Mahatma Gandhi. During 1951, he retired from his administrative posts and devoted all his time to creating literary masterpieces. Works of Annada Shankar Ray Poetry as well as prose had been composed by the great author Annada Shankar Ray whose works have been included in the syllabus at school levels, graduation and higher secondary levels, especially in the country of Bangladesh. 'Pathe Prabasa', which is a diary of the Europe tour of the author was published in the year 1931, was a crucial breakthrough in his career. He has also earned enough recognition through his short stories. 'Katha', 'Kamini Kanchan' (1954), 'Man Pavan' (1946) and 'Prakritir Parihas' (1934) are amongst his popular collections. He rebelled against the Partition of Bengal during 1947 and his criticism against this political move which is manifested through his Bengali poem named 'Teler shishi bhaanglo bole khukur pare raag karo'. His poetry 'Sabita' has been included in the curriculum at college levels.
Personal Life of Annada Shankar Ray 'Banglar Renaissance' is amongst his notable essays which reflect the analytical history of the social revolution in Bengal. He married Alice Virginia Orndorf, who was an American pianist. However, she had later altered her name to 'Leela Ray' after marriage and she was a talented woman in terms of literary pursuits. On 28th October, 2002, Annada Shankar Ray died, in the city of Kolkata. Awards Received by Annada Shankar Ray Annada Shankar Roy was honoured with the Desikottama award by the Visva-Bharati, Rabindra Puraskar, Zaibunnisa Award of Bangladesh and the Ananda Puraskar Award twice. |
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