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As children, we all loved listening to bedtime stories. We would beg our parents to indulge in this activity, teleporting us to fantastic lands amidst mythical creatures and magic. One such pioneer of children's literature in Bengal had a similar impact when he wielded his pen to work his magic.
Died on 20th December 1915
The house that stands on 100 Garpar Road is the birthplace of Satyajit Ray, the famous filmmaker. But what most people don't know is that the same house once witnessed the revolution of the printing industry with all due credit to Upendrakishore Roy Chowdhury, Ray's grandfather. A pioneer of the printing press, children's literature and painting, Upendrakishore gave a lot to Bengal to live with and cherish.
Unfortunately for Ray, he never met his grandfather, which prompted him to put extra effort into tracing the roots of the legend through numerous modern-day publications in Sandesh magazine.
Born to a learned scholar, Kalinath Ray, Upendrakishore himself grew up to imbibe the essence and legacy of rich culture and education. While pursuing his BA, he also tried his hand at painting. Capturing the beauty of nature with oil paints was an effortless hobby for Upendrakishore. His best oil paintings include the Sal forest of Giridih, the Usri River, the hills of Darjeeling, amongst others.
If his oil paintings sing of nature's serenity, his illustrations are the complete opposite. The illustrations are a harmonious blend of his knowledge of the East and West, creating a wholesome impact on its audience. It was his keen interest in learning and developing the art of illustrating that earned Upendrakishore fame and recognition.
Apart from drawing and painting, Upendrakishore is credited to develop the method of blockmaking, which in turn facilitated him to explore the field of coloured printing. The word of his marvellous achievements spread in no time to the point where a foreign printing expert claimed that Upendrakishore produced better results when compared to his European and American contemporaries.
The pinnacle of his career was establishing the U. Ray and Sons printing press within the premises of 100 Garpar Road, later inherited by his son, Sukumar Ray, another famous exponent of children's literature.
From religious texts to science fiction, Upendrakishore left no genre unexplored to produce the best of books like Cheleder Ramayana (Ramayana for Children), Tuntunir Boi (The Tailorbird Book), Äakasher Katha and much more. His writings can rouse and stimulate the innocence of a child's mind, making his stories more and more enjoyable.
Upendrakishore's untimely death at 55, left a vacuum in the world of literature, only to be fulfilled by his illustrious son, Sukumar Ray, who followed in his footsteps to produce equally spell-binding children's literature. Coming from such a rich background, Sukumar Ray recalls the stories of his childhood and the quest to know his grandfather in 3 Rays: Stories from Satyajit Ray. And that's how **Upendrakishore's legacy continues to live at the heart of bedtime stories in every Bengali household.
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