Dineshranjan Das, one of the founder-editors of the literary magazine Kallol, passed away on this day. He was 53.
He drew from childhood. In 1931, he, with Gokulchandra Nag, among others, set up Four Arts Club in Hazra Road in the city to hold discussions on literature and art. In 1923, Dineshranjan and Nag started Kallol. The word meant the sound of waves.
The magazine ushered in a new wave in literature and eventually came to stand for a movement that tore itself away from tradition — and Tagore, quite often — and embraced modernism, electrifying the Bengali cultural establishment.
Leading young poets and writers were associated with it, including Nazrul Islam, Premendra Mitra, Sudhindranath Dutta, Bishnu Dey, Amiya Chakraborty, Buddhadev Bose and Jibanananda Das. Even as the new writing turned away from earlier idealism and romanticism to a realism or a style that could appear jarring, Tagore, too, responded to its challenges, participating in the famous literary debate between the old and the new. This period is called the “Kallol jug” (Kallol era) in Bengali literature.
It was not easy to publish Kallol. Dineshranjan got involved in cinema to make a living and joined New Theatres in 1934. He directed the film Alo Chhaya. He wrote fiction and satire. He had also been an illustrator of books. His house had been a much-loved place, where regular addas would be held.