Childhood Days: A Memoir

Delightful anecdotes from the life of one of the world's greatest film-makers who was Satyajit Ray, writer, director music composer and artist? Where did he make his beginnings? Who were the people he grew up with? In this charming collection of stories from Ray's childhood and film-making day, we get a glimpse into the life of a man who appeared serious and aloof to the world, and find a different, more accessible Ray-humorous, tender, affectionate. He tell us about his first taste of an ice cream, his initial understandings of the principle of photography, and the teasing he had to endure in school because of his famous father and grandfather. With unassuming grace he writes about his vast, talented family, where each member had his or her special quirks and eccentricities.

In this volume, Ray also shares some of hs experiences while shooting Pather Panchali - his epic debut, and subsequent films, particularly for children. He describes how an entire field of kaash flowers was eaten up by cows before he could shoot his famous scene with the train in Pather Panchali; and how a circus tiger let lose in a bamboo grove chased away a group of curious onlookers in the blink of an eye.

Frank and funny, these stories written originally for the Bengali children's magazine Sandesh, are an essential read for all Ray enthusiasts as well as those who want to know Ray, the writer and film-maker, better.

About the Translator

Bijoya Ray was born in 1918 and spent the first thirteen years of her life in Patna where her father worked as a barrister. She moved to Calcutta in 1931 along with her family, where she and Satyajit Ray happened to stay in the same house. She went on to become an accomplished singer and recorded her songs with Hindustan Records. After graduating, she joined the Bengali film industry and also went to Bombay. It was while she was in Bombay, in 1948, that she got married to Satyajit Ray. When Ray revived Sandesh in 1961, Bijoya became an occasional contributor. After her husband's death in 1992, she has became one of the editors of Sandesh, and has also written for other eminent Bengali journals.

Bijoya ray lives in Calcutta with her son, Sandip.