Noni Bhoumik

Noni Bhoumik (1921–1996) was a Bengali writer and translator known for his translations of Russian literature into Bengali. Born in Rangpur, British India, he studied in Rangpur, Pabna, and Birbhum. A committed leftist from an early age, he joined the Communist Party and participated in anti-fascist activities, leading to his arrest and imprisonment. He witnessed significant historical events in Bengal during the 1940s, including the Bengal famine, 1946 riots, and Tebhaga movement, which inspired his literary works such as *Dhankana*, *Dhulomati*, *Choitrodin*, and *Agontuk*. He also edited the journal *Porichoy*.

In 1957, Bhoumik moved to Moscow at the invitation of Progress Publishers to translate Soviet and Russian books into Bengali. His translations included works by Pushkin, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and John Reed's *Ten Days that Shook the World*. He gained particular recognition for his masterful translations of Russian children's literature, including works by Nikolai Nosov, Arkadi Gaidar, Pyotr Manteifel, and Anatoly Aleksin. These translations remain popular to this day.

Despite his prolific translation work, Bhoumik wrote *Moru o Monjori*, a book about his travels in the Soviet Union. He married in Russia and spent the rest of his life there. He died in a road accident in 1996. Bhoumik also recruited translator Arun Shom to Moscow in 1974, and his contributions were commemorated in two editions of the West Bengal literary journal *Katharup*.