Rajshekhar Basu (1880-1960) was a Bengali chemist, author and lexicographer. Rashekhar Basu was one of the most respected figures of 20th century Bengal, known for his humorous, artistic, intense and stunningly creative writing style. His notable works include Shri Shri Siddheshvari Limited (1922), Gaddalika (1924), Kajjali (1927), Hanumaner Svapna (1937), Galpakalpa (1950), Krsnakali (1953) and Anandibai (1957). Rajshekar Basu’s expertise is not only in linguistics but also in the fields of mechanical engineering, cottage industry and scriptures.
Wiki/Biography
Rajshekhar Basu, better known by his pseudonym Parashuram, was born on Tuesday 16 March 1880 (aged 80 years; died) in the British Raj At his uncle’s house in Bhamompala (now Purba Badaman), near Candosona, India. West Bengal region, India). His zodiac sign is Pisces. His ancestral home is located in the village of Ula in Nadia District. Rajshekhar Basu spent his childhood in Darbhanga, Bihar. Rajshekhar Basu went to Patna in 1897 for his FA degree, which was a cross-level degree upon admission. In 1899, he received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and physics from Presidency College. In 1900, Rajshekhar Basu was pursuing his master’s degree in chemistry from the same university. In 1902, he received his law degree and practiced law for only three days before retiring from the legal profession. He became interested in science and decided to pursue a career in science. In 1903, Rajshekhar Basu joined Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy’s Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Company as a chemist. Within a year, he was promoted to general manager and secretary of the company. During his three decades on the job, he built the company into a thriving research and manufacturing home. He retired in 1932 but remained associated with the company until his death. On Wednesday, April 27, 1960, he suffered a second heart attack and died in his sleep.
Rajshekar Basu leads a simple life
family
parents and siblings
Rajshekhar Basu’s father Pundit Chandrashekhar Basu belongs to the Basu family of Birnagar in Nadia district of West Bengal. He was a philosopher and the administrator of the Darbhanga Raj Estate. His mother’s name was Lakshmimani Devi. Rajshekar Basu has five siblings and he is the second son of his parents. Rajshekhar Basu’s younger brother, Girindrasekhar Bose, was a Freudian psychoanalyst who also wrote children’s books. He died in 1953. His older brother is Shashisekhar Basu, a Bangladeshi writer.
wife and children
Rajshekar Basu is married and has a daughter. He experienced many tragedies in his life. His son-in-law died of a terminal illness, and his only daughter died on the same day, when she was still very young. In 1942, his wife also died. After his wife died, he lived for nearly 18 more years. His great-grandson was named Dipankar Basu.
Rajshekar and his family
Rajshekhar Basu and his great-grandson Dipankar
Profession
In 1903, Rajshekhar Basu joined the Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works Company, the first chemical industry company in Bengal established by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray. Rajshekar was subsequently promoted to director. While working at the company, he was able to uncover the connections between chemistry and physiology. Rajshekhar Basu retired from the company in 1932, but he remained associated with the company till the end of his life. Rajshekar Basu entered the literary world in 1920. Besides doing his job well and doing scientific research, Rajshekar Basu compiled the Bengali dictionary “Chalantika” (1937), which is still widely used today. He succeeded in formulating Bengali equivalents of scientific and technical terms. He was active in the National Board of Education, established in 1906 by Satish Chandra Mukherjee in Bengal to promote science and technology as part of Swadesh’s industrialization movement. He was elected president of the Bengal Spelling Reform Association established by Calcutta University in 1935 and the Terminology Committee established by the government in 1948. Rajshekhar Basu served in the Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, a literary society in Maniktala, Kolkata. Rajshekhar Basu also played an important role in the printing history of Bengal. Rajshekhar Basu was Sureshchandra Majumdar’s chief assistant and is credited with creating the first typesetting of Bengali script. The second edition of Parashuram’s Hanumaaner Svapna Ityadi Galpa was the first book to be printed entirely in Bengali typography. Rajshekar Basu’s writing is artistic and intense. He wrote a total of 21 books, many of which were against social and religious superstition. His notable works include the satires Shri Shri Siddheshvari Limited (1922), Gaddalika (1924), Kajjali (1927), Hanumaner Svapna (1937) and Galpakalpa (1950) , as well as the short stories collected in Krsnakali (1953) and Anandibai. 1957), and selected papers in Laghuguru (1939), Bharater Khanij (1943), Kutirshilpa (1943) and Bichinta (1955). He also has many translations, including Meghdut (1943), Valmiki Ramayana (1946), Mahabharata (1949) and Hitopadesher Galpa (1950).
writer
dictionary
- Charantika(1937)
short story
- Krishna Kali Itiyadi Galpa (1953)
- Anand Dubai Itiadi Galpa (1957)
- Dusturi Maya Itiadi Galpa
- Chamat Kumari Itityadhi Galpa
Satire
- Sri Sri Sidhuswari Ltd. (1922)
- Hanuman Swapna Itiyadi Galpa (1937)
translate
- Khalidasur Megdut (1943)
- Valmiki Ramayana(1946)
- Krishnadeva Ipayan Vyas Krita Mahabharata (1949)
- Hithopadesh Galpa (1950)
- Bhagavad Gita
Proceedings
poetry
- Parashuramer Kabita (published posthumously)
children
Boys and old people live in the same world, but their eyes are different. Occasionally encountered strange things in childhood, and they will be forgotten when they grow up. By chance, some of them grew up retaining their childhood vision and were able to write valuable children’s literature. “
screen adaptation
- Two Bengali films, Palash Patal (Philosopher’s Stone, 1958), based on the story of the same name, and Birinchi Baba, based on the short story Birinchi Baba, directed by Satyajit Ray. Saint (1965) were both adapted from a short story written by Rajshekhar Basu.
- The film Chaar (2014) is based on four short stories written by different writers such as Parasuram’s Bateswarer Abodan, Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay’s Porikkha , Kagtarua by Satyajit Ray and Dui Bondhu by Satyajit Ray. These stories were adapted into a movie by director Sandeep Rae.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- In 1940 and 1945, Rajshekar Basu was awarded the Jagatarini Medal and Sarojini Medal by the University of Calcutta for his contributions to science and literature.
- In 1955, Rajshekar Basu was awarded the Rabindra Puraskar Award, awarded by the Indian state of West Bengal, for Krishnakali Ityadi Galpa (1953). Highest literary honor.
- In 1956, Rajshekar Basu was awarded the Padma Shri, the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India.
- In 1957, the University of Calcutta awarded him a doctorate, the highest postdoctoral degree awarded in the fields of arts and humanities.
- In 1958, Rajshekhar Basu was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for the Anandibai Ityadi Galpa.
die
In 1959, Rajshekar Basu suffered a severe stroke, leaving him physically and mentally weak. On April 27, 1960, he suffered a second stroke while sleeping and died in his sleep.
Facts / Trivia
- In 1937, when Rabindranath Tagore published his monolingual Bengali dictionary, Chalantika, he said:
Finally, we have a Bengali dictionary. The concise grammar of Bengali that you included in the appendix is also great. “
Rajshekar Basu and Rabindranath Tagore
- Rajshekar Basu’s short stories, which mainly include comedy and satire series, are considered to be one of the most famous literary works in Bengali literature.
- As a child, Rajshekhar Basu used to question everything. He often tests his toys by taking each one apart. In an article about Rajshekhar Basu, his brother Shashisekhar describes his growing interest in science. Rajshekhar Basu built a mini laboratory at home with two cabinets filled with various chemicals. He also tried to predict the weather by measuring the barometer on the wall. He also began prescribing cold and cough treatments to friends and family. Not only that, he often went to Temple Medical School to perform autopsies on cadavers.
- Rajshekhar Basu entered the world of Bengali literature when he traveled to Patna to study his BA degree. Earlier, his father taught him Hindi instead of Bengali as his first language. His interest in Bengali literature was aroused through discussions with friends on Bengali literature.
- During Rajsekar Basu’s lifetime, about 28 articles were published in various magazines but not in book form. In the book “Prabandhabali” (Collected Essays; Mitra o Ghosh, Kolkata, 2001), these essays were published under the categories of “uttar chalachchinta” and “bibidha” respectively.
- Rajshekhar Basu retold 12 stories from Hitopadesha, an ancient collection of Sanskrit fables in the bestiary tradition, and gifted the manuscript to his great-grandson Dipankar Basu in 1948.
Manuscripts of Rajshekar Basu
- Instead of writing his own name in the manuscript of Hitopadesher Galpo, Rajshekhar Basu drew a parrot in ink in the middle of the title page and wrote below it the name and address of his great-grandson – 72 Bagan Road, Baku, Kolkata Number. He started the manuscript on March 14, 1943, and finished it on February 25, 1948.
- A few years after the publication of Rajshekhar Basu’s dictionary Chalantika, Calcutta University formed a committee, with Rajshekhar Basu as its chairman, to come up with a set of guidelines to govern the spelling of Bengali words.
- In his paper Laghuguru (1939), he cites
The end of good and the beginning of evil cannot be determined. In one era, one group will call it good art, in another era, another group will condemn it, and society will forever be deprived of art. “
- Rajshekar Basu provided some covert help to the revolutionaries of the Indian independence movement in the form of finance, chemicals and his expertise in making bombs.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education