Barun Sengupta

The Sengupta family moved to Calcutta. He lived in a rented house near the Baithak Khana
market. Barun Sengupta was born on 23 January 1934 in Barisal (British India). His
primary school education was in Bengali. He used to study at BM School in Barisal. He
came to Calcutta and was admitted to the Town school in North Kolkata. Baba
Nirmalananda Sengupta was an artist of the Dhenkanal royal family of Orissa. His
grandfather also lived there. Barun Sengupta, his elder brother Arun Sengupta and
younger brother Tarun Sengupta spent some time in Dhenkanle. After finishing town
school, Barun passed B.Com from City College, Amherst Street.
He was attracted to politics from his student days. He also published a magazine called
'Bhavikal'. However, it lasted a short time. The students of Forward Bloc have written on
a fortnightly paper while organizing. After that he borrowed Rs.500 from Forward Block
leader Hemant Basu and started a political weekly called 'Bartman' by 1956. That paper
lasted three years. Towards the end of 1959, Barun Sengupta joined Anandabazar. That
was the beginning of his professional journalistic life.
In 1975 Barun became the political correspondent of Anandabazar. Before that there was
no post of political correspondent in any newspaper in Calcutta. As a political
correspondent, all his outstanding writings caused a stir among the people of Bengal.
Barun Sengupta, who was detained in Misa for protesting against the state of emergency,
had to go to jail. For ten long months he was kept in about four jails. He was sent from
Calcutta to Purulia Jail.
Barun Sengupta left his job at Anandabazar in 1964 and established his own paper
Bartman. First a daily newspaper and then a weekly weekly called a Saptahik Bartaman.
From the very beginning, he sought to give his paper an anti-institutional character.
He did not change the style of journalism even in the age of television and internet. This
tendency to present fluent news and interpret theories in the simplest language of the
people is the reason for the immense popularity of his newspapers and other journals
today. Death even consciously kept himself away from the television camera. "The print
journalist should be hidden from public view, otherwise the reader's perception of him
may be shaken," said a close associate. His writings and thoughts are reminiscent of an
abandoned genre of journalism. And that is why he is a milestone in the world of Bengali
journalism.
Composing and editing
Books: Palabadaler Pala, Indira Ekadashi, Ondhokarer Ontorale, Siddhartha Shankar:
Siddhi and Nirvana, Sob Charitra Kalpanik

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Bartaman, Saptahik Bartaman and Sukji Grihakon