Upendrakishore Ray
Encyclopedia
Upendrokishore Ray also known as Upendrakishore Raychowdhury (উপেন্দ্রকিশোর রায়চৌধুরী Upendrokishor Raychoudhuri) was a famous Bengali
writer, painter, violin player and composer. He was born on 10 May 1863 in a little village called Moshua in Mymensingh District
in Bengal
, now in Bangladesh
. He spent most of his adult life in Kolkata
, where he died on 20 December 1915, aged only fifty-two.
He was the father of the famous writer Sukumar Ray
and grandfather of the renowned film-maker Satyajit Ray
. Upendrakishore Ray Chauduri was a product and leading member of the Brahmo Movement that spearheaded the cultural rejuvenation of Bengal. He collaborated with the Tagores whose family, in the arts, achieved world renown. As a writer he is best known for his collection of folklore; as a printer he pioneered in India in the art of engraving and was the first to attempt color printing at the time when engraving and color printing were also being pioneered in the West.
His son, Sukumar Ray, the father of Satyajit chose to abridge the family name. He wrote verse and children's rhymes with buoyancy, sparkling humor and flights of fancy, and commonly illustrated his writings himself. He remains today the most popular, oft-quoted Bengali poet after Rabindranath Tagore
. Upendrakishore launched the first illustrated monthly magazine for children in India which soon became an institution in Bengal. A lover of double entendre he named this magazine Sandesh
, after the popular Bengali sweetmeat which, in Sanskrit, also means "news." Sukumar took charg of Sandesh magazine after his father's death. Sukamar Ray died in his early thirties leaving his wife, Suprabha Das, the care of their son and the boy a legacy of two generations of remarkable artistic creativity.
His father had great linguistic talent. He was expert in English and Persian languages and in the traditional Indian and British Indian legal systems. He became a topmost expert for interpreting old land deeds written in Persian and in helping the landowners to get the best deal from the newly introduced British legal system in India. He became affluent and in due course the family was able to afford two elephants.
Upendrakishore Roy was adopted by a rich childless uncle whose title Raychowdhury he adopted.
Upendrakishore is still regarded for his Bengali short stories, science articles for children and a variety of other work greatly valued in Bengali literature
. Although the Ray family embraced the liberal religious movement of Brahmo Samaj
in the 1880s (and Upendrakishore was a deeply religious man), his scientific bent of mind is reflected in the numerous science articles he wrote for children.
He was also a pioneer in half-tone block making. When the woodcut line blocks of his illustrations for one of his books were very poor, he imported books, chemicals and equipment from Britain to learn the technology of blockmaking. After mastering this, he successfully set up a business of making blocks. He experimented with the process of blockmaking, and several of his technical articles about blockmaking was published in the Penrose Annual Volumes published from Britain. After being established as the leading blockmaker in this part of the world, he started publishing books, initially having them printed in other printing presses.
In 1913 he founded one of the finest early printing presses in Kolkata
, U. Ray and Sons
at 100 Garpar Road. Even the building plans were designed by him. He quickly earned recognition in India
and abroad for the new methods he developed for printing both black & white and color photographs with great accuracy of detail. It was with the intention of running this business that his son Sukumar Ray
spent a few years at the University of Manchester
's printing technology department. This press was also the early lifeline of Sandesh (magazine)
, a popular children's magazine in Bengali that is still published today. This was the magazine where Upendrakishore (and later his son Sukumar and grandson Satyajit) published most of his children's literature.
Upendrakishore's greatest contribution was in the field of children's literature in Bengali. His prominent works include the fantasy "Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne
"(Bangla: গুপী গাইন বাঘা বাইন) (on which Satyajit Ray
based his acclaimed children's movie with the same name), children's verses in "Ţunţuni'r Boi
"(Bangla:টুনটুনির বই), and the children's versions of the Hindu
epics - "Chheleder Ramayon
" and "Chheleder Môhabharot
". He did most of the illustrations of his books himself.
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
writer, painter, violin player and composer. He was born on 10 May 1863 in a little village called Moshua in Mymensingh District
Mymensingh District
Mymensingh is one of the districts of Dhaka division, Bangladesh, and is bordered on the north by Meghalaya state of India and Garo Hills, on the south by Gazipur district, on the east by districts of Netrokona and Kishoreganj, and on the west by districts of Sherpur, Jamalpur and Tangail...
in Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
, now in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. He spent most of his adult life in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, where he died on 20 December 1915, aged only fifty-two.
He was the father of the famous writer Sukumar Ray
Sukumar Ray
Sukumar Ray , , was a Bengali humorous poet, story writer and playwright who mainly wrote for children. As perhaps the most famous Indian practitioner of literary nonsense, he is often compared to Lewis Carroll...
and grandfather of the renowned film-maker Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
. Upendrakishore Ray Chauduri was a product and leading member of the Brahmo Movement that spearheaded the cultural rejuvenation of Bengal. He collaborated with the Tagores whose family, in the arts, achieved world renown. As a writer he is best known for his collection of folklore; as a printer he pioneered in India in the art of engraving and was the first to attempt color printing at the time when engraving and color printing were also being pioneered in the West.
His son, Sukumar Ray, the father of Satyajit chose to abridge the family name. He wrote verse and children's rhymes with buoyancy, sparkling humor and flights of fancy, and commonly illustrated his writings himself. He remains today the most popular, oft-quoted Bengali poet after Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
. Upendrakishore launched the first illustrated monthly magazine for children in India which soon became an institution in Bengal. A lover of double entendre he named this magazine Sandesh
Sandesh (magazine)
Sandesh is a Bengali children's magazine. The periodical was first published by Upendrakishore Raychowdhury in 1913 through his publishing company, M/s U. Ray and Sons. After the death of Upendrakishore Roychowdhury in 1915, his eldest son Sukumar Ray succeeded as the editor of the magazine in...
, after the popular Bengali sweetmeat which, in Sanskrit, also means "news." Sukumar took charg of Sandesh magazine after his father's death. Sukamar Ray died in his early thirties leaving his wife, Suprabha Das, the care of their son and the boy a legacy of two generations of remarkable artistic creativity.
His father had great linguistic talent. He was expert in English and Persian languages and in the traditional Indian and British Indian legal systems. He became a topmost expert for interpreting old land deeds written in Persian and in helping the landowners to get the best deal from the newly introduced British legal system in India. He became affluent and in due course the family was able to afford two elephants.
Upendrakishore Roy was adopted by a rich childless uncle whose title Raychowdhury he adopted.
Upendrakishore is still regarded for his Bengali short stories, science articles for children and a variety of other work greatly valued in Bengali literature
Bengali literature
Bengali literature is literary works written in Bengali language particularly from Bangladesh and the Indian provinces of West Bengal and Tripura. The history of Bengali literature traces back hundreds of years while it is impossible to separate the literary trends of the two Bengals during the...
. Although the Ray family embraced the liberal religious movement of Brahmo Samaj
Brahmo Samaj
Brahmo Samaj is the societal component of the Brahmo religion which is mainly practiced today as the Adi Dharm after its eclipse in Bengal consequent to the exit of the Tattwabodini Sabha from its ranks in 1859. It was one of the most influential religious movements responsible for the making of...
in the 1880s (and Upendrakishore was a deeply religious man), his scientific bent of mind is reflected in the numerous science articles he wrote for children.
He was also a pioneer in half-tone block making. When the woodcut line blocks of his illustrations for one of his books were very poor, he imported books, chemicals and equipment from Britain to learn the technology of blockmaking. After mastering this, he successfully set up a business of making blocks. He experimented with the process of blockmaking, and several of his technical articles about blockmaking was published in the Penrose Annual Volumes published from Britain. After being established as the leading blockmaker in this part of the world, he started publishing books, initially having them printed in other printing presses.
In 1913 he founded one of the finest early printing presses in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, U. Ray and Sons
U. Ray and Sons
U. Ray and Sons was a privately held printing and publishing firm in Calcutta founded by Upendrakishore Ray in 1895. At its inception the firm was christened U. Ray after its owner. The epithet Sons was added in 1900 when his son Sukumar Ray joined the firm. The family ownership of the firm...
at 100 Garpar Road. Even the building plans were designed by him. He quickly earned recognition in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and abroad for the new methods he developed for printing both black & white and color photographs with great accuracy of detail. It was with the intention of running this business that his son Sukumar Ray
Sukumar Ray
Sukumar Ray , , was a Bengali humorous poet, story writer and playwright who mainly wrote for children. As perhaps the most famous Indian practitioner of literary nonsense, he is often compared to Lewis Carroll...
spent a few years at the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
's printing technology department. This press was also the early lifeline of Sandesh (magazine)
Sandesh (magazine)
Sandesh is a Bengali children's magazine. The periodical was first published by Upendrakishore Raychowdhury in 1913 through his publishing company, M/s U. Ray and Sons. After the death of Upendrakishore Roychowdhury in 1915, his eldest son Sukumar Ray succeeded as the editor of the magazine in...
, a popular children's magazine in Bengali that is still published today. This was the magazine where Upendrakishore (and later his son Sukumar and grandson Satyajit) published most of his children's literature.
Upendrakishore's greatest contribution was in the field of children's literature in Bengali. His prominent works include the fantasy "Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne
Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne
Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne , directed by the late Satyajit Ray and based on a story by his grandfather Upendra Kishore Ray, is a popular Bengali children's film. It is sometimes released in the English-speaking world as The Adventures Of Goopy And Bagha...
"(Bangla: গুপী গাইন বাঘা বাইন) (on which Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
based his acclaimed children's movie with the same name), children's verses in "Ţunţuni'r Boi
Ţunţuni'r Boi
Ţunţuni'r Boi is a book by Upendrakishore Raychowdhury published in 1911....
"(Bangla:টুনটুনির বই), and the children's versions of the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
epics - "Chheleder Ramayon
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
" and "Chheleder Môhabharot
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
". He did most of the illustrations of his books himself.