Journalist, author Rabisankar Bal passes away in Kolkata

Kolkata: Renowned journalist and Bengali author Rabisankar Bal died at a hospital here on Tuesday following a brief illness, family sources said. He was 55.

Bal, a novelist and short story writer has penned over 15 novels, five short story collections, one volume each of poetry and literary essays over a period of 30 years.

According to sources, Bal was ailing for some time and was admitted to the railway run B.R. Singh Hospital on Monday.

The 1962 born Bal received West Bengal government's Sutapa Roychowdhury Memorial Prize for his novel "The Biography of Midnight".

"Dozakhnama", a much acclaimed novel, fetched him the state government's Bankimchandra Smriti Puraskar.

Bal has also edited a Bengali translation of Saadat Hasan Manto's writings.

IANS