The Sahitya Akademi (साहित्य अकादमी), India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India.^[1] Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government and situated at Rabindra Bhavan near Mandi House area.

The Sahitya Akademi organises national and regional workshops and seminars; provides research and travel grants to authors; publishes books and journals, including the Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature; and presents the annual Sahitya Akademi Award of Rs. 100,000 (approx. USD 2,200) in each of the 24 languages it supports, as well as the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship for lifetime achievement. The Sahitya Akademi Library is one of the largest multi-lingual libraries in India, with a rich collection of books on literature and allied subjects. It also publishes two bimonthly literary journals -- Indian Literature in English and Samkaleen Bharatiya Sahitya in Hindi.^[1][2]

Supported languages[link]

• Assamese
• Bengali
• Dogri
• English
• Gujarati
• Hindi
• Kannada
• Kashmiri
• Konkani
• Maithili
• Malayalam
• Meitei
• Marathi
• Nepali
• Oriya
• Punjabi
• Rajasthani
• Sanskrit
• Sindhi
• Tamil
• Telugu
• Urdu [1]

See also[link]

• Jnanpith Award
• Sahitya Kala Parishad
• List_of_Sahitya_Akademi_Award_winners_for_Tamil
• List of Sahitya Akademi Award winners for Bengali
• List of Sahitya Akademi Award winners for Oriya

References[link]

• Sahitya Akademi (India) at UNESCO

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sahitya Akademi

• Sahitya Akademi , official website

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Narayan Debnath নারায়ণ দেবনাথ
The Living Legend of Indian Comics
Born	photographed by Arijit Ghosh Shibpur, Howrah, Bengal, British India
Nationality	Indian
Area(s)	West Bengal
Awards	People's love for last 62 years. The "Hall of Fame - Lifetime Achievement SAHITYABRAMHA Award, 2010

Narayan Debnath (Bengali: নারায়ণ দেবনাথ) is the creator of popular Bengali comics including ‘HANDA-BHONDA’ (in Shuktara from 1962), ‘BATUL THE GREAT’(in Shuktara from 1965) and ‘NONTE-PHONTE’(in Kishore Bharati from 1969). His other creations include detective ‘Koushik Roy’ (in Shuktara from 1976), ‘Bahadur Beral’ (in Shuktara from 1983), ‘Danpite Khadu aar tar chemical dadu’ (from 1983 in Chotoder Ashore) etc. Having contributed to the early development of Bangla comics and its growth in a career spanning more than fifty years, he is still read in West Bengal, India and Bangladesh. Apart from comic books and strips, Narayan Debnath is also an artist who has illustrated several children's novels. Many of his comics are serialized in popular children’s magazines published from Kolkata including Shuktara and Kishor Bharati

In 2011 a large size (500 page) RESEARCH oriented Comics book on his lifetime art work named "NARAYAN DEBNATH COMICS-SAMAGRA" (edited and compiled by Santanu ghosh) was published which includes all his comics characters together for last 50 years. In April 2012 first English translated BANTUL THE GREAT book was published by Lalmati publication.

Early life[link]

Narayan Debnath was born and spent most of his life living in Shibpur, Howrah, India. His family hailed from Bikrampur in what is now Bangladesh but had migrated to Shibpur before his birth. In an interview published in ''NARAYAN DEBNATH COMICS-SAMAGRA'', published by Lalmati, Debnath confessed to being interested in the visual arts from a very early age. The family business was retailing gold and he had ample scope to design patterns for jewelry. Around the time of World War II, Debnath would study fine arts at the Indian Art College for five years. He did not continue to get his degree but instead discontinued in his final year. For the next few years he freelanced for advertising agencies creating movie slides and logos.

In 1950 he was introduced to Dev Sahitya Kuthir, a major publishing house through a friend. People such as Pratul Chandra Banerjee, Shailo Chakraborty, Balaibandhu Roy, and Purnachandra Chakraborti were associated with the press at the time. From 1950 to 1961 he illustrated a number of children’s books including adventure novels and Western classics in translation. His journey in Comics world started in 1962 with Handa-Bhonda in Suktara.

Introduction to comics[link]

The suggestion to work in comics in Bengali came from the editors at Dev Sahitya Kutir. Also the name Handa Bhonda was their suggestion. Debnath had been familiar with foreign made comics but comics in Bengali had, to his admission, yet to take off. Shiyal Pandit [শিয়াল পণ্ডিত], a comic strip created by Pratulchandra Lahiri for the Jugantar newspaper was one of the earliest ones. Handa-Bhonda became an instant success and continues to be printed in Shuktara every month . Handa-Bhonda was initially penciled and inked by Debnath and had no colored frames. Later it would be printed in grayscale.

Narayan Debnath’s first comic characters in color were for the comic strip and book Batul The Great. By Debnath’s admission, he thought up the idea of the superhero while returning from College Street, Calcutta. The name came to him instantly and he thought up the figure of the protagonist rapidly. Initially, he did not know what he foresaw as a future for Batul and did not give him any superpowers.

Narayan

Development of the genre[link]

When the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, closely associated with the Bangladesh War of Liberation flared up, he was asked by the editors and publishers to add an aura of invincibility. Debnath was reluctant at first because he was worried about legal implications. On assurance, he made Batul a superhero able to take on tanks, airplanes, and missiles. Bullets began to bounce off of him as in the case of Superman. Batul is still drawn by Debnath for Shuktara.

Later, Debnath was approached by Kishor Bharati for a Durga Puja special issue. The noted writer Premendra Mitra was editor at the time. Later, when Dinesh Chandra Chatterjee became editor, Debnath was asked to convert to strip form a detective thriller that he was writing. This metamorphosed into Black Diamond Indrajit Roy. The first serial strip that Debnath began to create for the Kishore Bharati monthly issues was Potolchand The Magician, which ran for about three issues. It seemed as if Dinesh Chatterjee was looking for something along the lines of Handa-Bhonda. Although not in the same mould, Nonte Phonte was born deriving inspiration from Handa Bhonda. Quickly, it developed into a separate storyline and also became published in comic book form.

He is also a great illustrator & an expert in serious drawing too. His work for Tarzan stories, Bengali translation of foreign novels etc. are among his great works of illustration.

Selected creations[link]

• Handa Bhonda, also referred to as Hada Bhoda, Handa-Bhonda and Hada-Bhoda [হাঁদা ভোঁদা]
• Batul The Great, also referred to as Bantul The Great [বাঁটুল দি গ্রেট]
• Nonte Phonte, also spelled as Nonte Fonte, Nonte-Phonte, and Nonte-Fonte [নন্টে ফন্টে]
• Black Diamond Indrajit Roy [ব্ল্যাক ডায়মন্ড ইন্দ্রজিৎ রায়]
• Potolchand The Magician
• Koushik Roy [কৌশিক রায়]
• Bahadur Beral [বাহাদুর বেরাল]
• Daanpite Khandu Ar Tar Chemical Dadu [ডানপিঠে খাঁদু আর তার কেমিক্যাল দাদু]
• Petuk Master Batuklal
• Sutki Mutki

Revised Cover VOL 1

Though it is often mistaken that Lalu-Bhulu & Katus-Kutus are also created by him,it is not the case. In 2011 his collection of eminent & rare works both is published from Lalmati Publication under the Name - "NARAYAN DEBNATH COMICS-SAMAGRA" (vol 1 & 2). This Compilation of works of the comic book artist in a first in the history of Indian comics, which includes Comics of different characters, Cartoon strips, unpublished comics like advertisements comics, adventure comics, horror comics, mystery comics, historical comics, pictorial puzzles, illustration, brief biography of the artist, research on his 50 years of art work.

Revised Cover VOL 2

Popularity[link]

Collections of Debnath’s comics have been published serially in Shuktara and Kishor Bharati and irregularly in Kishore mon, Chotoder asor, Pokhkhiraj etc.. His comic books featuring Handa Bhonda, Batul the Great and Nonte Phonte have been published since the early 1980s. Since the late 1990s, the Nonte Phonte comics have been anthologized and published in softcover format. From 2003 onwards, the earlier comics have been re-inked and published in full-color, Recently, Debnath gave permission for animation film based on the characters from Batul, Handa Bhonda and Nonte Phonte, and these provide access to the original stories to a whole new generation of children.

Debnath's style incorporating characters speaking in the typical language of Adda (quintessential Bengali gossip lasting hours) and hundreds of nonstandard yet most commonly used in daily life expletives like "Uls" (describing reaction to a delicious food) or Aoofs,Yiofs,arghhh(similar to ouch).

Subtle punning is also aplenty in his comics but the main source of comedy is Slapstick.

Though his comic characters have immense popularity, Narayan Debnath himself has rather lived reclusively, distancing himself from publicity and media.

Television[link]

Most of Narayan Debnath's work has been adapted for Bengali television. Nonte Phonte and Bantul the Great are animated shows today, while a television series called Handa Bhonda was briefly on air.

See also[link]

• Sufi cartoonist.

References and notes[link]

Online references are few and far between. Although often mentioned in English language blogs and on discussion forums, there is a scarcity of primary literature on Narayan Debnath or his creations in English. The best references are in Bengali and are the following two works (both available online)

• A lengthy interview in Bangla conducted by Parabaas by Chironton Kundu in 2001. Accessed on September 16, 2006
• Short biographical sketch and substantial body of original comics are available online at the Banglalive site. Accessed on September 16, 2006
• http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071111/asp/calcutta/story_8533502.asp (renowned Bengali cartoon-illustrator Debasish Deb on Narayan Debnath and Bantul...)
• http://www.indidir.com/webpage/1348.html

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Narayan Debnath

• Read Bantul, Hada Bhoda and Nonte Phonte comics created by Narayan Debnath on the internet
• http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071111/asp/calcutta/story_8533502.asp
• Read Batul comic series
• Read Nante Fante comic series
• Find Bangla comics online

Qurratul Ain Hyder
Qurratul Ain Hyder
Born	(1928-01-20)20 January 1928 Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died	21 August 2007(2007-08-21) (aged 79) Noida, India
Pen name	Ainee Apa
Occupation	Writer
Nationality	Indian
Alma mater	Lucknow University
Genres	novelist & short story writer
Notable work(s)	Aag ka Dariya (River of Fire) (1959)

Qurrat-ul-Ain Haider (Urdu: قرۃ العین حیدر; January 20, 1928 – August 21, 2007) was an influential Urdu novelist and short story writer, an academic, and a journalist. One of the most outstanding literary names in Urdu literature, she is most known for her magnum opus, Aag Ka Darya (River of Fire), a novel first published in Urdu in 1959, from Lahore, Pakistan, that stretches from the 4th century BC to post partition of India.^[1][2] Popularly known as "Ainee Apa" among her friends and admirers, she was the daughter of writer and pioneers of Urdu short story writing Sajjad Haidar Yildarim (1880–1943). Her mother, Nazar Zahra, who wrote at first as Bint-i-Nazrul Baqar and later as Nazar Sajjad Hyder (1894–1967), was also a novelist and protegee of Muhammadi Begam and her husband Syed Mumtaz Ali, who published her first novel.

She received the 1967 Sahitya Akademi Award in Urdu for Patjhar Ki Awaz (Short stories), 1989 Jnanpith Award for Akhire Shab Ke Humsafar,^[3] and the highest award of the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 1994.^[4] She also received the Padma Bhushan from the Government of India in 2005.

Biography[link]

Born on January 20, 1926 in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, (though her family were from Nehtaur, UP), Qurrat-ul-Ain Hyder is one of the most celebrated of Urdu fiction writers. She was named after a notable Iranian poet Qurrat-ul-Ain Tahira. Qurratul Ain, translated literally means 'solace of the eyes' and is used as a term of endearment. A trend setter in Urdu fiction, she began writing at a time when the novel was yet to take deep roots as a serious genre in the poetry-oriented world of Urdu literature. She instilled in it a new sensibility and brought into its fold strands of thought and imagination hitherto unexplored. She is widely regarded as the "Grande Dame" of Urdu literature.

After graduating from Lucknow University's Isabella Thoburn College, she moved to Pakistan in 1947, then lived in England for some time before finally returning to India in 1960. She lived in Bombay for nearly twenty years before shifting to Noida near New Delhi, where she had been staying till her demise. She never married.

She migrated along with her family members to Pakistan in 1947 at the time of independence, but some years later decided to go back to India, where she had since lived. She worked as a journalist to earn her living but kept publishing short stories, literary translations and novels regularly, by now almost thirty in number.She was Managing Editor of the magazine Imprint, Bombay (1964–68), and a member of the editorial staff of the Illustrated Weekly of India (1968–75). Her books have been translated into English and other languages

Hyder also served as a guest lecturer at the universities of California, Chicago, Wisconsin, and Arizona. She was visiting professor at the Urdu Department at Aligarh Muslim University, where her father had earlier been a registrar. She was also Professor Emeritus, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Chair at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

Literary works[link]

A prolific writer (she began to write at the young age of 11), her literary works include some 12 novels and novellas and four collections of short stories. Hyder has also done a significant amount of translation of classics. Her own works have been translated into English and other languages.

Aag Ka Duriya (River of Fire), her magnum opus, is a landmark novel that explores the vast sweep of time and history. It tells a story that moves from the fourth century BC to the post-Independence period in India and Pakistan, pausing at the many crucial epochs of history. Aamer Hussein in The Times Literary Supplement wrote that River of Fire is to Urdu fiction what One Hundred Years of Solitude is to Hispanic literature. Aag Ka Darya is essentially a novel written from the point of view of the believers of Pakistan and depicts their agony in detail, specially towards the climax of the novel.

Her other published works include: "Mere Bhi Sanam Khane", 1949; "Safina-e-Gham-e-Dil", 1952; Patjhar ki Awaz (The Voice of Autumn), 1965; Raushni ki Raftar (The Speed of Light), 1982; the short novel Chaye ke Bagh (Tea Plantations), 1965 (one of four novellas including Dilruba, Sita Haran, Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Na Kijo, exploring gender injustice) ; and the family chronicle Kar e Jahan Daraz Hai (The Work of the World Goes On).

Compared to her exact contemporaries, Milan Kundera and Gabriel García Márquez, the breadth of her literary canvas, her vision and insight, transcend time.

Amitav Ghosh writes that "hers is one of the most important Indian voices of the twentieth century."

Her first short story, Bi-Chuhiya (Little Miss Mouse), was published in children’s magazine Phool and at the age of nineteen wrote her first novel "Mayray Bhee Sanam khanay".

Awards and honours[link]

She received the Jnanpith Award in 1989 for her novel Aakhir-e-Shab ke Hamsafar (Travellers Unto the Night). She received the Sahitya Akademi Award, in 1967, Soviet Land Nehru Award, 1969, Ghalib Award, 1985. She won Sahitya Akademi Award for her collection of short stories Patjhar ki Awaz (The Sound of Falling Leaves) in 1967. The Urdu Academy in Delhi conferred upon her the Bahadur Shah Zafar Award in 2000. She was conferred Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1984, and in 2005 she was conferred the Padma Bhushan the third highest civilian honor awarded by the Government of India, for her contribution to Urdu Literature and Education.

Death[link]

Qurratulain Hyder died in a NOIDA hospital, near New Delhi, India on August 21, 2007 after a protracted lung illness. She has been buried in the Jamia Millia Islamia cemetery, New Delhi.

Her death has been condoled by the President and Prime Minister of India, and Chief Minister of her home state Uttar Pradesh.

Critics[link]

It is believed that due to her high stature in social circles no criticism about her vision emerged although she was not infallible. Eminent Urdu novelist Paigham Afaqui has pointed out in his well appreciated article 'Aag Ka Darya - chand sawalat' that because she wrote Aag Ka Darya at an early age and because she was encircled by those who did not stay back in India at the time of partition she could not appreciate the point of view of those who did not migrate. After this article of Paigham Afaqui, she indeed reviewed such content and deleted in the English translation of the novel.

Works[link]

In translation

• Sound of the Falling Leaves. Asia Publishing House, 1996. ISBN 0-948724-44-7.
• A Season of Betrayals: A Short Story and Two Novellas. Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-19-579417-6.
• River of Fire. Translated by Qurratulain Hyder. New Directions Pub., 2003. ISBN 0-8112-1533-4.
• Fireflies in the Mist. New Directions Publishing, 2010. ISBN 0-8112-1865-1
• The Exiles. tr. by Nadeem Aslam. Hesperus Press, 2010. ISBN 1-84391-854-4.

References[link]

• The text and the context: an encounter with Jnanpith laureates (Citation and Biography). Bharatiya Jnanpith. 1994. http://books.google.com/books?id=XfzZvNc6hPkC&pg=PA41&dq=%22Qurratulain+Hyder%22+-inpublisher:icon&cd=6#v=onepage&q=%22Qurratulain%20Hyder%22%20-inpublisher%3Aicon&f=false. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Qurratulain Hyder

• Remembering Ainee Aapa, Obituary published by Aaj
• Columns & articles about her at IBITIANS.com (Urdu)
• Library of Congress South Asian Literary Recordings Project
• Writer's Muse found at Jahane Rumi blog
• More information about her
• Zee News announcement of her death
• Deccan Herald announcement of her death
• Obituary published by the Friday Times, Pakistan

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