Sulekha Sanyal

Sulekha Sanyal (15 June 1928 – c. 1962) was a Bengali writer and activist. She emerged as an early feminist in the region through her work Nabankur (The Seedling) in 1956. The work has been translated to English in 2001 by Gouranga P. Chattopadhyay.

Early life and career Sanyal grew up in Korokdi, now in Faridpur Bangladesh, in a decaying zamindar family that had once been indigo planters, and was to become a member of the Communist Party of India. An early influence on her was the Brahmo philosopher and reformer, Ramtanu Lahiri, who was related to her mother. Senyal passed the matriculation exam as a private candidate in 1944 and intermediate exam from Rajendra College, Faridpur, in 1946. She then went to Kolkata and enrolled herself in Victoria Institute. Late in life, she was awarded a degree in Bengali literature by the University of Burdwan.

Sanyal's first stories were accepted by the newspaper Jugantar. Sanyal also wrote a collection of short stories, Sindure Megh (Clouds Tinged with Red). Her Dewal Padma (Wallflowers) was published in 1964, after her death from leukemia in 1962.

Personal life Sanyal was married from 1948 to 1956. She had a sister Sujata Sanyal and an elder brother Abanti Kumar Sanyal.