'Chowringhee' written by a less-known name of then - Shankar. The
novel was based on a luxurious hotel of the city - Shahjahan. The name
was given by the author, but actually the Spence's Hotel was there at
Chowringhee area of Kolkata and counted as the most posh and luxurious
hotel of the then city. The author tried to
depict day-to-day life inside the hotel - he wrote true-to-life
stories of a few key characters of the hotel which brought him the
unprecedented success of an author he ever desire. In the year 1965,
the film version of the novel made in Bengali with a lead role by
Uttam Kumar. And it was a super hit movie. Inspired by the success of
the movie, some popular actors staged the novel and it was also a
success. The novel 'Chowringhee' translated in many Indian languages
and the book cover of it's English version is here. The book already
witnessed 137 editions in 50 years which is a record.
--
A. B.
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