With a flick of the mouse, readers will soon be able to explore the moonlit ridges of Africa’s Chander Pahar or pause at the fabled Adarsha Hindu Hotel—not through fragile, yellowed pages, but on screens alive with letters, manuscripts, and memories of Bengal’s eternal storyteller, Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay.

The School of Cultural Texts and Records at Jadavpur University has taken up the task of digitising the writer’s rare works, from unpublished manuscripts to personal correspondence, offering literature lovers and researchers unprecedented access to the master’s world.

Family’s initiative to open access

The initiative is being spearheaded by Bibhutibhushan’s grandson, Trinankur Banerjee, who emphasised the need for accessibility.

“The manuscript of Pather Panchali has long been in the National Library, but reaching it is like breaching a fortress. What use is a treasure if the people cannot touch it? Bibhutibhushan belongs to all Bengalis, not just our family,” Banerjee said.

Heritage home in decline

Beyond digitisation, the family is also battling to preserve the writer’s physical legacy. His ancestral home in Barakpur, near Bongaon-Gopalnagar in North 24 Parganas, has been listed as a heritage site. But years of neglect have left the structure crumbling. Renovation and conservation efforts are being planned, with the family raising funds to restore and maintain the homestead.

In Kolkata, nostalgia meets creativity through an exhibition at Jodhpur Park, open since August 29. On display are T-shirts inscribed with the names of Ichamati and Aranyak, dolls and magnets of the Pather Panchali family, floral tablecloths, and other memorabilia—all designed to evoke the spirit of Bibhutibhushan’s imagination.

Souvenirs for literature pilgrims

As September 12, the writer’s birth anniversary, approaches, the family plans to carry keepsakes to Barakpur—facsimile drafts of Pather Panchali and Aranyak, fridge magnets, and other mementoes—for the countless admirers who travel there in homage.

“This village is not just Barakpur—it is the very village of Pather Panchali, the soil where Apu played, the field of Ichamati, the house that nurtured Bibhutibhushan’s imagination,” said Banerjee, adding, “We dream of reviving every brick of this memory. But this legacy is not ours alone—it belongs to Bengal. We are merely its custodians.”

What began as a writer’s solitary musings in a village hut is now poised to ripple into the digital age. With a keystroke, future generations will be able to discover Bibhutibhushan anew. In this quiet transition from ink to archive, the storyteller returns—timeless, unforgotten, and within reach.

Long or Short, get news the way you like. No ads. No redirections. Download Newspin and Stay Alert, The CSR Journal Mobile app, for fast, crisp, clean updates!

App Store – https://apps.apple.com/in/app/newspin/id6746449540

Google Play Store – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.inventifweb.newspin&pcampaignid=web_share