Ashapurna Devi was a renowned Bengali poet and novelist. She was born on 8 January 1909 in Potoldanga, Calcutta. She was born to Harendra Nath Gupta and Sarola Sundari. Her father was a furniture artist and worked for C. Lazarus & Co. (British Company). Her interest in books and writing came from her bibliophile mother. Her family was orthodox regarding women's education. The most crucial factor was the nationalist agitation against the British dominion. At 13, her poem Bairer Daak (The Outside Beckons) was published secretly by Sihu Sathi magazine.
Devi was only 15 when she was married to Kalidas Gupta. However, her writing career continued to flourish. In 1936, she wrote Patni O Preyoshi for Ananda Bazar Patrika. In 1938, she authored a children's book titled Chhoto Thakurdar Kashi Yatra which translates to Great Uncle Goes to Varanasi. Her first adult novel, Prem O Prayojan, was published in 1944. In the 60s and 70s, Devi focused her writing on addressing the issues faced by women in society and the political arena. Thus, it is evident in Prothom Protishruti Prothom Protishruti is a serial in the Bengali lan >> Read More... (1964), Subarnolata (1967), and Bakul Katha (1974).
Her work was honoured with numerous awards. In 1954, the University of Calcutta presented her with The Lila Prize. In 1966, the Government of Bengal honoured her with The Rabindra Award. The Government of India honored her novel "Prothom Protishruti" with the Jnanpith Award in 1976. In the same year, she received the Padma Shri honour. In 1993, Devi got The Jagattarini Gold Medal from the University of Calcutta. Devi, at the age of 86, was laid to rest on 12 July 1995.
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