Bengal is famous for its literature, poets and rich culture. I am also a big fan of Bengali literature. I am damn sure you must have heard the names of Rabindranath Tagore, Arundhati Roy, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Nirad C. Chaudhuri, Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay, Taslima Nasrin etc. But I am not going to talk about these notable literary figures of Bengal. Have you heard the name of Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay ? I guess, the answer will be “No”. He is the author of “Byomkesh Bakshi”. Byomkesh Bakshi is a fictional Bengali detective created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay in 1932. The character is inspired by Sherlock Holmes. However it is completely adapted to Bengali culture by the author. The stories were made into a popular television series (one of my favorites) by Basu Chatterjee featuring Rajit Kapoor as Byomkesh Bakshi. Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay wrote in total 33 stories of ‘Satyanweshi’ Byomkesh Bakshi.
“Saradindu Bandyopadhyay’s Byomkesh Bakshi mysteries heralded a new era in Bengali popular fiction. Set in the old-world Calcutta of the Raj, these stories featuring the astute investigator and his chronicler friend Ajit are still as gripping and delightful as when they first appeared.”
(from the cover page of “Byomkesh Bakshi” English translation)
Almost all the episodes of “Byomkesh Bakshi” are uploaded on YouTube. Search “Byomkesh Bakshi” there, you will get all the episodes. If you know Bengali, then you can download these 33 stories from esnips. in pdf format.
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