Send us a textSatyajit Ray was a multidimensional genius who showed his talent in many fields and genres besides films. He was an author, lyricist, illustrator, calligrapher, and music composer. Ray was born in Calcutta in 1921. He was only three when his father passed away, and he was raised by his mother, Suprabha Ray. He was educated at the Presidency College, Calcutta, and Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan. His first job was at a book publishing company where he designed book covers. This work got him interested in films and literature. Ray was greatly influenced by the Italian film Bicycle Thief in 1948 and determined to be a filmmaker. Starting with a low-budget film Pather Panchali, Ray went on to produce such classics as The Apu Trilogy, Devi, Charulata, and his only non-Bengali movie Shatranj Ke Khiladi. Ray won several prestigious national and international awards, including Bharat Ratna and an honorary Academy Award. While most of us know Satyajit Ray as a filmmaker, his work as an author of several novels and short stories is less known. Detective fiction and science fiction were two genres where Ray showed his talent as a writer. Ray's short story, "Big Bill," selected for this episode, combines detective and science fiction elements.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related