Sat Dashak by Ananda Bazar Patrika Sangkalan [Hardcover]

The Anandabazar Patrika completed its glorious seventy years on March 13, 1992. This was a historic event in the history of Bengali daily newspapers. To mark this occasion, seven special supplements were published over seven weeks, each titled "Sat Dashak" (Seven Decades). This collection is curated from those supplements, selecting insightful essays, groundbreaking news, and unforgettable reports, along with some new writings and many photographs.

The main body of this book consists of seven long essays. Seven eminent writers - Neelmani Mukhopadhyay, Amalesh Tripathi, Sripanth, Amolendu De, Shipra Sarkar, Arbind Poddar, and Bhavatosh Dutta - have reviewed the history of seven decades, from the 1920s to the 1980s. The history discussed in these essays is not only of Bengal, or even India alone, but also includes an analysis of the country’s economic, social, and political history from an international perspective.

Naturally, the first three essays are connected to the course of India’s freedom struggle and national movement. The essays discuss the emergence of new leaders like Gandhiji, his non-violent strategy, the rise of armed resistance embodied by Masterda Surya Sen, and the complex struggle for freedom. The last of these essays also delves into the role of Subhas Chandra Bose as a war hero, the famine, the riots, the partition of the country, and the detailed analysis of a tired, disillusioned independence.

The next four essays focus on the story of post-independence India’s progress: the foundational years under Nehru, the struggles of Bengal during B.C. Roy’s leadership after the state's division, political turmoil and economic collapse during Indira Gandhi's rule, the dawn of independence in Bangladesh, Jayaprakash Narayan's total revolution and mass upheaval, the Emergency in India, and the eventual return of democracy. The narrative also covers the country’s internal turmoil after Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination.

In essence, the book provides a detailed and impartial history of the country's progress - its glory and shame, its successes and failures, its problems and potential. The historical context of these seven decades, as well as the events of the subsequent five years (marking fifty years of independence and seventy-five years of Anandabazar Patrika), are interwoven in the essays, with a concluding reflection by the distinguished historian Amalesh Tripathi. The prologue to the book, by Sreenirdachandra Choudhury, offers an unmatched and original evaluation of Anandabazar Patrika's vast and influential role in Bengali life.

In addition to these pioneering essays, the book also contains some special additions. First, there are sharp and concise evaluations of seven iconic national leaders, along with their colorful portraits painted by renowned artists. Second, significant and compelling events from each decade are highlighted with reports and news excerpts from Anandabazar Patrika's old pages, accompanied by many colorful photographs. Third, the long essays are enhanced by numerous black-and-white photographs and caricatures from the paper's own collection.

This comprehensive volume serves as both a continuous narrative of seven decades and an outline of Anandabazar Patrika's evolution and role during that period. It is not a traditional history, but rather an unparalleled depiction of the people’s lives, captured through the lens of a daily newspaper. The images that appear in the daily, only to disappear with time, are found in the pages of this collection - each line and section representing the pulse of the era. Such a compilation has never been done before in Bengali literature.