Anurupa Debi

Anurupa Debi was a Bengali writer and poet known prominently as one of the pioneers of women’s writing in Bengali literature. She was born on 9th September 1982. She primarily wrote against the societal institutions of her times and was ruthless in her critique. She wrote about the taboo subjects of dowry, widowhood, and forced marriages. She wrote over thirty-five books in her long-spanning career. In 1906 she published her first work Tilakuthi in the Nabanoor magazine under the pseudonym Rani Devi. The story was featured in the Kuntaleen Purashkar Granthamala and won the coveted Kuntaleen Award and. Debi gained popularity after her stories were published in popular Bengali magazines such as Bharati.

Her other works include Poshyaputra(1912), Jyotihara (1915), Mantrashakti(1915), Maa (1920), and Uttarayan (1923). Mantra shakti and Maa were adapted into successful films, while many of her other works have become popular in the Bengali theatre. Besides her writing, Debi remained vocal and critical of the social evils of the times and worked extensively to advance women’s rights. Debi and her sister Surupa Devi, another major literary figure who wrote under the pseudonym Indira Devi K R Indira Devi born in kanchipuram 1949-2017,as I >> Read More... , were instrumental in highlighting women’s issues and social position in society. She worked extensively to promote education and conduct among young girls and opened prominent education centers for the cause. Her work remains prominent and unparalleled in the Bengali literary canon.