The definitive biography of one of Indian cinema's biggest icons Arguably the greatest star of Bengali cinema, Suchitra Sen mesmerized audiences for years, before withdrawing from the public gaze and refusing to emerge in the limelight in the last decade of her life. In this nuanced biography, Shoma Chatterji unveils the two different dimensions of the Suchitra Sen persona: as a legendary romantic star with an audience pull spanning over two decades, and her slow but steady metamorphosis into a powerful performing artist through films like Deep Jele Jai, Hospital, Mamta and Aandhi who could seamlessly and effortlessly essay completely different characters without the on-screen partnership of Uttam Kumar. Award-winning author and film critic Shoma Chatterji presents a fascinating portrait of an icon of Indian cinema, addressing two significant elements that have not been touched by other writers: Suchitra Sen as a working woman in films and her wilful social seclusion.

The two were like Radha-Krishna on the silver screen. Madhabi Mukherjee She is a lovely human being with a fine sense of humour. I believe she has the right to choose her friends. She is very hospitable too, and if, in spite of all this, she chooses to guard her privacy, I don t think there is anything wrong in that. Gulzar Suchitra Sen is a great artiste. For the first time, in her, I came across an ideal blend of beauty and brains in a single woman. She is extraordinary. Dilip Kumar The opportunity to work with him came much later. By that time, Uttam Kumar had already become something of a legend. Every other Bengali film had him in the lead, usually paired with Suchitra Sen. This was a romantic team which for durability and width of acceptance had few equals in world cinema. Uttam was certainly a star in the true Hollywood sense of the term. Satyajit Ray When I was in college, I remember, the Uttam-Suchitra pair was a hit already. While my friends admired Suchitra Sen and her capabilities as an actress, I was an Uttam Kumar admirer. Soumitra Chatterjee

Sucitrā Sena, b. 1934, Bengali and Hindi motion picture actress.

Sharmistha Gooptu is a founder and managing trustee of the South Asia Research Foundation (SARF), a not-for-profit research body based in India. SARF’s current project SAG (South Asian Gateway) is in partnership with Taylor and Francis, and involves the creation of what will be the largest South Asian digital database of historical materials. She is also the joint editor of the journal South Asian History and Culture (Routledge) and the Routledge South Asian History and Culture book series.

Art, literature, music and other intellectual expressions of a particular society are together regarded as the culture of that society. Ideas, customs and social behaviour of a particular people or society are also its ‘culture’. Contrary to what we think, it is not easy to describe ‘culture’, nor is it easy to write the cultural history. Writing the history of Bengali culture is even more difficult because Bengali society is truly plural in its nature, made even more so by its political division. The two main religious communities that share this culture are often more aware of the differences between them than the similarities. Nonetheless, the people remain bound by history and a shared language and literature. Ghulam Murshid’s Bengali Culture over a Thousand Years is the first non-partisan and holistic discussion of Bengali culture. Written for the general reader, the language is simple and the style lucid. It shows how the individual ingredients of Bengali culture have evolved and found expression, in the context of political developments and how certain individuals have moulded culture. Above all, the book presents the identity and special qualities of Bengali culture. The book was originally published in Bengali in Dhaka in 2006. This is the first English translation.

'There is none like Uttam and there will be no one to ever replace him. He was and he is unparalleled in Bengali, even Indian cinema.'-Satyajit Ray, Oscar-winning Indian film-maker Actor and screen icon Uttam Kumar (1926–1980) is a talismanic figure in Bengali public life. Breaking away from established codes of onscreen performance, he came to anchor an entire industry and led the efforts to reimagine popular cinema in mid-20th-century Bengal. But there is pitifully less knowledge about Uttam Kumar in the learned circles-be it about his range of style and performance; the attractions and problems of his cinema; his roles as a producer and patriarch of the industry; or his persona, stardom and legacy. The first definitive cultural and critical biography of this larger-than-life figure engages meaningfully with his life and cinema, revealing the man, hero and actor from various, often competing, vantages. The conceptual aim is to locate a star figure within a larger historical and cultural context, and to enquire into how a towering image was mobilised for an ever-greater, wholesome, popular and even, at times, radical and progressive entertainment. A complimentary métier of this work is to explore why and how this star persona would go on to reconstitute the bhadrolok Bengali visual and cultural world in the post-Partition period. But above all, this is the story of a clerk who became an actor, an actor who became a star, a star who became an icon and an icon who became a legend.

West Bengal General Knowledge 2022 is essential for the various competitive examinations of the state. This book serves as a reference book for the student who appears in the West Bengal Public Service Commission (WBCS) and other state-level examinations. It covers all the aspects of History, Polity, Geography, Art & Culture, and other facts & figures of West Bengal and their in-depth explanations. The topics are comprehensively covered to make the aspirants understand the rich heritage of the state. • Introduction of West Bengal • State Symbols of West Bengal • History of West Bengal • Revolts and Rebellions in West Bengal • Major Movements in West Bengal • Administrative Setup in West Bengal • Geographical Structure of West Bengal • Drainage Systems of West Bengal • Climate of West Bengal • Types of Soil in West Bengal • Agriculture in West Bengal • Natural Vegetation of West Bengal • National Parks And Wild -life Sanctuaries • Minerals & Resources in West Bengal • Animal Husbandry in West Bengal • Industries of West Bengal • Transport System of West Bengal • Castes & Tribes in West Bengal • Art & Culture of West Bengal • Awards & Honours of West Bengal • Historical Places in West Bengal • Legends of West Bengal • Communication in West Bengal • Census 2011 in West Bengal • Social & Economic Schemes in West Bengal • List of all CM in West Bengal • List of all Governors in West Bengal