Subhadra Sen Gupta

Indian writer (1952–2021)

Subhadra Sen Gupta

Born| June 1952
Delhi, India
Died| 3 May 2021(2021-05-03) (aged 68)
Language| English
Education| Delhi University
Period| 1980s–2021[1]
Genre| historical fiction, non-fiction, travel, mystery, horror
Notable works| Mystery of the House of Pigeons

Subhadra Sen Gupta (June 1952 – 3 May 2021)[1][2] was an Indian writer. She was the winner of Sahitya Akademi's 2015 Bal Sahitya Puraskar[3] and wrote over 30 books. Her book, Mystery of the House of Pigeons, was adapted into a television series for Doordarshan as Khoj Khazana Khojher.[4] Most of her books are in the genres of historical fiction and non-fiction, but she also wrote travelogues, comic strips and detective and ghost stories.[5][6]

## Life and career[edit]

Sen Gupta was born in Delhi. She held a master's degree in history. She began writing in college, working as a copywriter for advertising agencies.[6]

Some of her works include Goodbye, Pasha Begum! from The Puffin Book of Spooky Ghost Stories (a horror story where a girl holidaying in Delhi finds herself as a slave in the Mughal era), Bishnu - The Dhobi Singer (a dhobi boy who is taken under the tutelage of Tansen) and A Mauryan Adventure (the daughter of a soldier in Ashoka's army finds herself travelling the world). The Secret Diary of the World's Worst Cook (the child of two physicists who is bad at physics himself finds a diary written by a boy in a similar situation coming from a family of cooks)[7] is part of a book series, World's Worst, written in the diary format. This series also includes The Secret Diary of the World's Worst Cook.[3] A Flag, A Song And a Pinch of Salt features 19 freedom fighters of India and their inspiring stories.[8]

She also wrote a book for TERI, Caring for Nature: Bapu and the Missing Blue Pencil.[3] Her 2015 book, A Children's History of India, was about the history of India written for children over the age of 10 years.[4] In 2020, she released The Constitution of India for Children (sourced from books written by Ramachandra Guha, Bipan Chandra, Granville Austin and Derek O'Brien)[9] and Mahal: Power and Pageantry in the Mughal Harem (about the social life of a harem in the Mughal era). She is also famous for her books A Bagful of History, The Teenage Diary of Jodh Bai and The Teenage Diary of Jahanara

Sen Gupta died of COVID-19 on 3 May 2021, at the age of 68, amid the COVID-19 pandemic in India.[1][10]

## Awards and accolades[edit]

Her book, Mystery of the House of Pigeons, was adapted into a six-part television series by Feisal Alkazi as Khoj Khazana Khojher on Doordarshan. Her works were also chosen as part of NCERT textbooks.[4] Three of her books, Twelve O'Clock Ghost Stories, The Teenage Diary of Jodh Bai and A Clown for Tenali Rama were included in the annual White Ravens catalogue at the Bologna Children's Book Fair.[5] In 2015, she was awarded the Bal Sahitya Puraskar by the Sahitya Akademi for her contribution to children's literature in the English language.[4]

## Works[edit]

### Stories[edit]

* Goodbye, Pasha Begum! (in The Book of Spooky Ghost Stories)
* Bishnu - The Dhobi Singer
* A Mauryan Adventured

### Novels[edit]

* Danger in Darjeeling: Satyajit Ray's Feluda Mysteries (2010)
* A Flag, A Song And a Pinch of Salt
* Marching to Freedom
* The Secret Diary of the World's Worst Cook
* The Secret Diary of the World's Worst Friend
* Caring for Nature: Bapu and the Missing Blue Pencil
* A Children's History of India (2015)
* The Constitution of India for Children (2020)
* Mahal: Power and Pageantry in the Mughal Harem (2020)

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c Shome Ghosh, Sudeshna (8 May 2021). "Subhadra Sen Gupta (1952-2021): A beloved children's author is taken away by Covid-19". Scroll.in. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
2. ^ "Acclaimed children's writer Subhadra Sen Gupta dies of Covid". The Indian Express. 5 May 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
3. ^ a b c Pisharoty, Sangeeta Barooah (28 January 2015). "In the world of children". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
4. ^ a b c d Raza, Asif; Ali, Darab Mansoor (1 July 2015). "Rewind with relish". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
5. ^ a b "Danger in Darjeeling: Satyajut Ray's Feluda Mysteries | Book by Subhadra Sen Gupta". Rediff Books. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
6. ^ a b "8 Things worth knowing about Subhadra Sen Gupta". Penguin Random House India. 10 June 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
7. ^ "Works of Subhadra Sen Gupta: our pick". The Hindu. BLPS. 10 March 2015. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
8. ^ Kurian, Nimi (10 August 2020). "In turbulent times". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
9. ^ Chakraborti, Paromita (12 March 2020). "A Home for Hope: Subhadra Sen Gupta's new book makes the Constitution accessible to children". The Indian Express. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
10. ^ Chakrabarti, Paromita (4 May 2021). "Acclaimed children's author Subhadra Sen Gupta passes away due to Covid-19". The Indian Express. Retrieved 4 May 2021.

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