Bijon Bhattacharya

Bijon Bhattacharya (1917-78) was a prominent theatre and film personality from Bengal.

Bijon was born in 1917 at Faridpur (now in Bangladesh), and was early a witness to the destitution and penury of the peasantry of that land. He became a member of the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA), a left-leaning group of artists who aimed at reflect the suffering of the poor in their work, so as to make a social impact for the betterment of that section of society.

One of Bijon's most celebrated plays, "Nabanna" (Harvest), based on Bengal famine of 1943 was an IPTA production, and an inspiration of the film Dharti Ke Lal, which he co-wrote with film's director Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, another IPTA member.

Few are aware that the Jnanpith award winning Bengali writer, Mahasweta Devi, was married to Bijon Bhattacharya. Bijon-da, as he was affectionately called, died on January 19, 1978

References

* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0080346/ IMDB entry for Bijon Bhattacharya]
* [http://revolutionarydemocracy.org/rdv5n2/devi.htm Interview with Mahashweta Devi]