Yesterdate: This day from Kolkata’s past, November 21, 1974

Writer Punyalata Chakraborty passed away on this day.
She was born in a family of illustrious writers.
Her father was writer Upendrakishore Roychowdhury and her mother, Bidhumukhi Debi, was the daughter of social reformer Dwarakanath Gangopadhyay.
Her elder brother was Sukumar Ray, considered by many the greatest humour writer in Bengali. Her sister Sukhalata Rao was also a well-known writer. Leela Majumdar, another illustrious writer, was Punyalata’s cousin.
Punyalata wrote delightfully for children. She was a regular contributor to the Ray family magazine Sandesh, where she would write a column on plants. Later in her life she wrote Chhelebelar Dinguli, a heartwarming account of her exceptional childhood, radiant with a gentle humour. She wrote simply, endearingly. A book of her stories, Chhotto Chhotto Golpo, are very small tales for small children and remains loved as ever. Her daughters, Kalyani Karlekar and Nalini Das, were educationists and writers.