Sukumar Ray

Born: 30 October 1887

Died: 10 September 1923

• He was a Bengali poet, story writer, playwright and editor from the Indian subcontinent, who is remembered mainly for his writings for the children.
• He was the son of children’s story writer Upendrakishore Ray, the father of filmmaker Satyajit Ray and grandfather of filmmaker Sandip Ray.
• His creations such as the collection of poems Abol Tabol (Gibberish), novella HaJaBaRaLa, short story collection Pagla Dashu (Crazy Dashu) and play Chalachittachanchari are considered equal in stature to Alice in Wonderland.
• More than 80 years after his death, Ray remains one of the most popular of children’s writers in Bengali literature.
• He was also a leader of the reformist wing in the Brahmo Samaj.
• He wrote a long poem “Atiter Katha” (Bengali: অতীতের কথা), which was a popular presentation of the history of the Brahmo Samaj—it was published as a small booklet to introduce the rationale of the Brahmo Samaj to children.
• He also campaigned to bring in Rabindranath Tagore, the most famous Brahmo of his time, as a leader of the Samaj.

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