Tapan Chattopadhyay ( Ph.D., D.Litt. ) :
 

Tapan Chattopadhyay is the author of some pioneering books of research in both English and Bengali. He has also written popular novels and short stories in Bengali. His earliest published work was a book of poems, Galita Periye (Crossing the Alley), Best Books, Kolkata, 1977. He has since mostly written prose and occasionally penned poems, some of which have been compiled in a volume, Akta Samay Ashe (A Time Comes), Patralekha, Kolkata, in 2005.

Chattopadhyay’s Bengali novels and short stories have a sizeable readership, but his works in English are well-known in India and abroad. Among them are: The Story of Lalbazar – Its Origin and Growth (Firma KLM, Kolkata, 1982), the first-ever history of Kolkata Police; Lepchas and Their Heritage (B.R. Publishing Corporation, Delhi, 1990), a study of the little-known tribe of Sikkim and Darjeeling; The INA’s Secret Service in Southeast Asia – Its Background, Infrastructure, Resources and Activities during World War II (Readers Service, Kolkata, 2011); Kolkata and Its Police – A History of City Police from Charnock’s to Present Day (Naya Udyog, Kolkata, 2013); The Horizon of Hope (Amazon Publishing, San Bernadino, 2017), a real-life spy fiction involving Home Minister Sir Francis Walsingham, ace spy Anthony Standen and the Spanish Armada (1587); Rivalry That Cost India – Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Bose, and Congress Politics 1921-1941 (HP Hamilton, London, 2023); and The Many Faces of Nehru – An Untrammelled Political Biography ( Rupa, New Delhi, 2024)

Born on 13 March 1946 in the well-known family of Pindira, now in Burdwan and earlier in Hooghly district, the author’s early life was spent at Guptipara, a village in Hooghly district, where his father Phanindranath had settled down after retirement and where Phanindranath’s maternal ancestor, the celebrated pundit Baneswar Vidyalankar, had lived. Chattopadhyay later came to Kolkata to study English literature first in Scottish Church College and then in the University of Calcutta. His mother Baruna (her maiden surname was Roy) also originally belonged to Hooghly district, being a descendant of the eldest son of Krishna Kanta Roy of Radhanagar; Krishna Kanta’s youngest son was the grandfather of Raja Ram Mohan Roy

From the beginning, Chattopadhyay showed inclination for literature and history. He was the English editor of the Scottish Church College magazine and later became the joint editor of the University journal Ekata. After a brief stint in teaching and research on completion of his studies, he joined the IPS (Indian Police Service) in 1970 and retired in the rank of Director-General after serving for over thirty-eight years in five organizations and seven States and having undergone training in England and the USA and visited a number of Asian and European countries. After superannuation, he was appointed Member of the West Bengal Public Service Commission. Chattopadhyay was awarded Ph.D. degree in history by Jadavpur University in July 2009 and D.Litt. degree in history by Vidyasagar University in March 2016 for his well-acclaimed historical theses. His varied experiences have impacted his literary and academic works.
 
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As a Writer :
 

Dr. Chattopadhyay has written interesting novels, short stories and articles on subjects as varied as Calcutta cops, liberation of Bangladesh, victimology for common man, spy helping Sir Francis Drake in destroying the Spanish Armada, exploits of Old Calcutta detectives, little known people of the North-East, untold accounts of the Indian revolutionary army INA, Aryan civilization in Ancient Mesopotamia, true location of Ravana's Lanka and so on.

Moreover, he was the founder vice- president of the Indian Mythological Research Centre, Kolkata, and the executive editor of its quarterly journal Pouraniki.
Chattopadhyay has received the Michael Modhusudan Award and Gold Medal, 2005, for his Bengali novel Nagar Rakshi (Guardians of the City) and the Uttar Banga Natya Jagat Award, 2007, for his book of poems Ekta Samay Ashe (A Time Comes). He has also been given the Bartabahak Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.
Chattopadhyay stays with his wife Jaya at Kamala Park, Dhakuria, Kolkata.

Some of Chattopadyay's works are mentioned below.

Poetry ( Bengali):

  • Galita Periye (Crossing the Alley), Best Books, Kolkata, 1977.
  • Ekta Samay Ashe (A Time Comes), Patralekha, Kolkata, 2005.

Novels (Bengali):

  • Nagar Rakshi (Guardians of the City), Bharati Book Stall, Kolkata, 2002. The first ever novel onthe intimate life of Calcutta cops.
  • Kolkatar Sherlock Holmes (The Sherlock Holmes of Calcutta), Das Gupta and Sons. Kolkata, 2003. A collection of short stories on the exploits of the detectives of Old Calcutta. Rich in historical content.
  • Ekattarer Agun (Fire of Seventy-One), Modern Column and Raysons, Kolkata, 1993 and 2003. A historical fiction on the freedom struggle in Bangladesh.
  • Kruddha Pahar, Trashta Manush (Angry Hills, Frightened People), Dasgupta and Sons, Kolkata, 2007. A collection of short stories on the inhabitants of the north­eastern hills.
  • Jayadeber Punthi Rahasya, Bharati Book Stall, M.G. Road,Kolkata,2003.An action- packed thriller revolving on the theft
    of the fictitious 12th century folio epic of Poet Jaydeb.
  • Nau Bijoyer Nepatheye (Behind the Victory over the Armada), Deep Prakashan, Bidhan Sarani, Kolkata, 2008. A fiction based on the real-life spy Anthony Standen who helped Sir Francis Drake in destroying the Spanish Armada.
  • Operation Kandahar, Patra Bharati, Kolkata.
 
 
His Other Works:
 
  • The Story of Lalbazar -Its Origin and Growth, Firma K.L.M Pvt.Ltd. Kolkata, 1982.The first -ever history of Calcutta (Kolkata) Police.
  • Lepchas and their Heritage, BR. Publishing Corporation, Delhi, 1990. A pioneering work on the Lepchas (actually, Rongs) of Sikkim and Darjeeling. Available on www. Amazon.com and other websites.
  • The INA’s Secret Service in Southeast Asia: Its Background, infrastructure, Resources  and  Activities during World War II, Readers Service, Kolkata, 2011
  • Kolkata and Its police - A History of City Police from Charnock's to Present Day, Naya Udyog, Kolkata, 2013
  • The Horizon of Hope, Amazon, San Bernardino, 2017
  • Article on The INA 's Secret Service available in Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Indian Freedom Struggle, Volume 2, edited by Ratna Ghosh, Deep and Deep Publications (P.) Ltd., Rajouri Garden, New Delhi, 2006.
  • Article titled Victory unto Defeat: the INA on the Kohima Front published in Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Birth Centenary Volume, Jayashree Patrika Trust, Kolkata, December, 1999.
  • Article titled The INA 's Kohima Offensive-An Untold Account published in the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Commemorative Volume published by Scottish College, Kolkata, 1998.
  • Article   on Rev. Lai Behari Day- A Lonely Rebel published in the 175th Year Commemorative Volume (1830-2005) of Scottish Church College, Kolkata, 2008.
  • Article captioned Valmiki 's Rama: A Historical Perspective in the Puja Number of Pouraniki, the quarterly journal of the Indian Mythological Research Centre, Kolkata, 2003.
  • Article on Aryan Civilization in Ancient Mesopotamia (in Bengali) in the Puja Number of Pouraniki and the monthly literary magazine Prantik, 2005.
  • Article captioned In Quest of the Location of Ravana's Lanka (in Bengali) in the Puja Number of the popular monthly Prasad.
  • Rivalry That Cost India - Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Bose and Congress Politics 1921-1941, HP Hamiltan, London, 2023.
 
 
His Published Books: