Shirshendu
Mukhopadhyay, a very
prominent presence in the realm of Bengali literature, was born in Bikrampur,
Dhaka of Bangladesh in 1935. With his father being a railway employee, his
childhood was spent in Bihar, Bengal and Assam. He graduated from Calcutta
University and went on to obtain a Masters in Bengali. His first novel, Ghunpoka, was published in the Desh magazine. In 1985, he was awarded
the Vidyasagar Puroshkar for his
commendable work in the genre of literature for young adults. His very popular
novel, Manabjameen was awarded the
Sahitya Academy Award in 1988. He has also received the Ananda Puroshkar a
couple of times. The vast and varied cache of his literary work includes novels
and short stories for all age groups. Kagojer
Bou, Ashchorjyo Pradip and Goynar Baksho have been adapted into
movies. Besides writing, he is a voracious reader and intensely passionate
about sports.