Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay (19 July 1899 – 9 February 1979) was an Indian Bengali-language writer, physician, and playwright, best known by his pen name Banaphul, (meaning "Wild / Forest flower" in Bengali). His oeuvre spanned novels, poetry, plays, essays and over 400 short stories, the genre for which he is best remembered. For his contribution to literature, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1975, India's third-highest civilian honor.
Life
Mukhopadhyay was born in Manihari village of Purnia district (now Katihar District), Bihar on 19 July 1899. His family originally hailed from Sehakhala situated in Hooghly District of present-day West Bengal. His father, Satyacharan Mukhopadhyay, was a doctor, and his mother was Mrinalini Devi. He originally took the pen name Banaphul ("the wild flower") to hide his literary activities from a disapproving teacher.
He attended Hazaribagh St. Columba's College. Later he admitted into the Patna Medical College and passed MBBS in 1927. After that, he joined Murshidabad Azimganj Hospital as medical officer.
He is best known for his short vignettes, which were often just half-page long, and centered on a single powerful moment with sharp observation and unconventional perspective, but his literary career spanned sixty-five years and included thousands of poems, over 586 short stories (a handful of which have been translated to English), [bettersourceneeded] 60 novels, 5 dramas, a number of one-act plays, an autobiography called Paschatpat (Background), and numerous essays." His short stories often revolve around a single, powerful moment, defined by sharp observation, unconventional perspectives, and exceptional storytelling.
↑Ananta Ghosh, Great writersArchived 2 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine, Bengali Association of Greater Chicago Newsletter, Volume 25: Issue 2: April 2000. Retrieved 1 May 2007.
