Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay (30 March 1899 – 22 September 1970) was an Indian Bengali-language writer. He was actively involved with Bengali cinema as well as Bollywood. The creator of the Bengali detective Byomkesh Bakshi, Sharadindu composed stories of a wide array of varieties including: novels, short stories, crime and detective stories, plays and screenplays. He wrote historical fiction like Kaler Mandira, Gourmollar (initially named as Mouri Nodir Teere), Tumi Sandhyar Megh, Tungabhadrar Teere, Chuya-Chandan, Maru O Sangha (later made into a Hindi film named Trishagni), Sadashib series and stories of the unnatural with the recurring character Baroda. Besides, he composed many songs and poems.
He was born to Tarabhushan and Bijaliprabha Bandyopadhyay at his maternal grandparents' home in Jaunpur, United Province, India on 30 March 1899. The Bandyopadhyay family's residence was at Purnia, Bihar, India, where his father worked but the family originally hailed from Baranagar, North Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He completed his matriculation in 1915 from a school in Munger, in Bihar. He wrote his first story 'Pretpuri', a Boroda story, when he was only 15 years. After matriculation, he joined the Vidyasagar College, Kolkata. Sisir Bhaduri, the doyen of Bengali stage, was his English professor there. After completing graduation, he went on to study law in Patna. He was only thirty years old when he gave up his practice and started working as a writer. In 1928, Himangshu Roy invited him to Bombay to write screenplays. Till 1952 he wrote films, and then settled down in Pune to pursue a full-fledged career as a writer.
Byomkesh Bakshi is a detective who calls himself Satyanweshi or the truth-seeker. He is known for his proficiency with observation, logical reasoning, and forensic science which he uses to solve complicated cases, usually murders.
Boroda is a ghost-chaser, obsessed with life-after death and in writer's words Bhootanweshi. Like the Mejokorta of Premendra Mitra, he has direct interactions with ghosts. He recounts his many encounters with spirits much to the chagrin of his friends. In Byomkesh O Boroda, the two characters met each other. This series of short stories provide great examples of spine-chilling atmosphere and last-minute twists. The list of stories in chronological order:
Sadashib, or Sadashib Rao, is a fictional character of a young lad starring in a series of short stories of Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. The protagonist of the series Sadashib is a Marathi soldier hailing from the village Dongarhpur. This character was created with the backdrop of 16th century Maharashtra when the Maratha-Adil Shah-Mughal antipathy was at its pinnacle. The conflict of Chhatrapati Shivaji and Aurangzeb provided the series with its own distinctive plot.
As per the pretext of the series, the Mughals were residing on Daulatabad north of Maharashtra and Sultan Adil Shah was in the charge of Bijapur fort in the south. Although at the time of the story's beginning the forces of Shivaji had not yet earned the total trust of entire mass, they were on the rise to end the daily oppression of the simple villagers and the common people in the hands of the tyrant rulers. During this time Sadashib, an orphan boy of around seventeen to eighteen was growing up in his maternal uncle's house in the village Dongarhpur with his uncle and aunt who strongly despised him. One day, his maternal uncle Sakharam decides to throw him out of his home after consulting with the villages head and other elders citing the reason that he is unable to provide sustenance to his household in the time of war and crisis. Sadashiv, who has nobody in the village to turn to leaves, but his friend Kumkum, the daughter of village elder Biththal Patil, advises him to go and join Shivaji's troops. Later, Kumkum helps him escape on the ailing horse of her father. Sadashiv sets course for Puna, but he encounters Shivaji's forces en route, eventually helps them unknowingly. They take him to Torna, where Shivaji was camping and he joins Shivaji's force and gets popular by the day on the merit of his young as well as cunning stature. In the passage of time, he becomes the go-to-man of Shivaji and helps to tide him over of different problems.
List of Novels in Sadashib series
Sadashib – Protagonist of the series, an orphan boy of around seventeen dwelling in the village Dongarhpur on the Paschim ghat mountain range with his maternal uncle Sakharam. He is driven out of the village by his uncle and soon after he joins Shivaji's forces and becomes one of his loyal soldiers.
Kumkum/Kunku – Daughter of village elder Biththal Patil and Sadashib's childhood friend, his only well-wisher in the village. It is on her advice that Sadashiv sets out to join Shivaji's forces. After the first story of the series, they again meet each other in the story, 'Sadashiber Hoi Hoi Kando'.
Shivaji – The national hero of Maharashtra, but during the narration of the stories he was considered as a bandit by the commoners.
Shahji Bhonsle – One of the feudal lords of Bijapur, Shivaji's father.
Jijabai – Shivaji's mother and the wife of Shahji Bhonsle. She is the prime inspiration behind Shivaji's long-cherished dreams of an independent Maharashtra. She takes care of Sadashib as her own son.
Tanaji – Tanaji Malsare, Shivaji's minister and childhood companion.
Jesaji – Jesaji Kank, another childhood pal and minister of Shivaji.
Ratnaji – Shivaji's childhood friend and the spy of him. Disguised as a foot soldier of Bijapur.
Sakharam – The miser and heartless uncle of Sadashib whom he strongly despises.
Biththal Patil – One of the village elders of Sadashib's native village and Kumkum's father. Sadashb stole his ailing horse when he was escaping the village.
Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay was advised and motivated to write about Shivaji through the view of a young soldier by his friend and fellow author, Rajshekhar Basu. There were four more drafts or incomplete stories obtained from Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay's notebook, which are —