706. Sambhu Mukhopadhyay (1891-1977), 707. Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay (1876-1938)

Sambhu Mukhopadhyay took active part in national movement from his early age. He was acquitted for Dakshineswar Bomb case as a companion of Aurobindo Ghosh. Later he joined in non-violent movement introduced by  Gandhiji. He had close connection with Netaji and Deshabandhu. He was a bachelor.

Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay শরৎ চন্দ্র চট্টোপাধ্যায়
Born	15 September 1876 Debanandapur, Hooghly, Bengal Presidency, British Raj (now in West Bengal, India)
Died	16 January 1938 (aged 61) Calcutta, Bengal Presidency,British Raj (now Kolkata, West Bengal,India)
Pen name	Anila Devi
Occupation	Writer
Nationality	British India
Ethnicity	Bengali
Citizenship	British Indian
Period	19th century-Early 20th century
Genre	Novelist
Literary movement	Bengal Renaissance
Spouse	Shanti devi (died in plague in Burma), Hironmoyi devi (previously called Mokkhoda)
Children	One boy, who died in the Burma plague as a baby

Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay (Bengali: শরৎ চন্দ্র চট্টোপাধ্যায়; 15 September 1876 – 16 January 1938) was a Bengali novelist and short story writer of early 20th century. He was strong supporter of revolutionaries of Bengal.

Personal life

Sarat Chandra was born in Debanandapur, Hooghly, Bengal Presidency, British Raj. His family was occasionally supported by other family members and Chattopadhyay's lack of financial stability would influence his writing in years to come. He started his education at "Pyari Pandit"s" pathshala and then he took admission at Hooghly Branch High School. Although he began as a fine arts student, Chattopadhyay left his studies due to his persistent state of poverty. He received his early education while residing at his maternal uncle's house in Bhagalpur. He spent 20 years of his life in Bhagalpur and a significant portion of his novels were either written in Bhagalpur or based on his experience in Bhagalpur.

His work represented rural Bengali society and he often wrote against social superstitions and oppression. For a short period he was a sannyasi, a Hindu ascetic who abandons the material and social worlds. His first published story was"Mandir".

After the death of his parents, Chattopadhyay left his college education midway and went to Burma in 1903. There he found employment with a Government Office as clerk. He returned to India, but before his departure he submitted a short story for a prize competition under his uncle's name, Surendranath Ganguli. It won first prize in 1904.He came back home due to his deteriorating health in Rangoon in 1916. He stayed at Bajesibpur, Howrah for some time and later he passed many days in house at Panitras, Howrah.  At last he constructed a building at Aswini Datta Road , Calcutta.

He got Jagattarini Swrnapadak in 1923 from Calcutta University and D.Lit from Dhaka University in 1936. He became a member of Bangiya Sahitya Parishad in 1934.He was praised by Rabindranath . He became President of Howrah District Congress Committee and he became unstisfied with their activities and gave up Politics. Saratchandra was a supporter of armed revolution and always defied Gandhiji's compromising way .The following books bear the testimony of this truth .1. Taruner Bidroha, Swadesh O Sahitya, Pather Davi etc. His different lectures and statements also bear the same.  He was the first to arrange felicitation openly the revolutionaries state prisoners. 

Vishnu Prabhakar wrote a biography about Chattopadhyay. Prabhakar traveled for fourteen years to collect material.

He died in Kolkata of liver cancer in 1938.

House of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay

Sarat Chandra's house at Samta.

Room of Sarat Chandra in his house at Samta.

After returning from Burma, Chattopadhyay stayed for 11 years in Baje Shibpur, Howrah. Then he made a house in the village of Samtabere. He spent the later years of his lifetime as a novelist in Samtabere and in another house in Kolkata. His house in Samtaber is often called by and shown as Sarat Chandra Kuthi in the map of Samtaber or Samta, in theHowrah district of West Bengal.

The temple of Sarat Chandra in his house.

The Rupnarayan River then used to flow right outside the window of Sarat Chandra's ground floor study. Now, the river has changed its route and has moved far away. The two storied Burmese style house was also home to Sarat Chandra's brother, Swami Vedananda, who was a disciple of Belur Math. His along with his brother Swami Vedananda's samadhican still be seen there. Swami Vedananda was a disciple in Belur Math. The trees like that of bamboo, galoncho and the guava trees planted by the renowned author are still tourist attractions.

Inside Sarat Chandra's house.

The trees planted by Sarat Chandra.

Parts of the house-like the mud-walled kitchen-collapsed and the house was damaged in the 1978 floods, the Zilla Parishad undertook its repair spending 77000. After it was declared as a Heritage or Historical Site by the Clause 2 of the West Bengal Heritage Commission Act 2001 (Act IX of 2001) Act IX of 2001 in 2009 the whole house was renovated and the belongings of Sarat Chandra like his furniture, walking stick, shoes etc. were polished and are restored in showcases. The house's boundary has been extended until the Samadhis, surrounding them which earlier used to lie on the road.

Sarat Mela

The fair is held on the Panitras High School grounds some distance from Sarat Chandra's house but if it could be shifted to the open space where the Rupnarayan River once flowed right in front of the house people could link the two more easily. The Government of West Bengal does not provide funds, only private and public donations allow the villagers to hold the fair. However, sometime the number of people it draws is reduced due to unpleasant 

weather conditions

 like rainfall.