who played byomkesh bakshi?

Byomkesh Bakshi is a popular Indian sitocom, which ran on DD National between 1999 and 1997. The show is based on a fictional detective of the same name created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. On 28 March 2020, it was re-telecast on DD National amidst the nationwide lockdown in wake of Corona outbreak. Here’s the complete list of the cast and crew of “Byomkesh Bakshi”:

As: Byomkesh Bakshi

?Know more about him from here➡️ Rajit Kapur’s StarsUnfolded Profile

As: Ajit Kumar Banerji

Role: Byomkesh’s friend and sidekick

?Know more about him from here➡️ K.K. Raina’s StarsUnfolded Profile

As: Satyavati

Role: Byomkesh’s Wife

As: Madhumoy Sur in Kahen Kavi Kalidas

?Know more about him from here➡️ Aditya Srivastava’s StarsUnfolded Profile

As: Dr. Nagendra Pal in Chiriya Ghar (Part 1 & 2)

As: Himangshu Roy in Ret Ka Daldal/Quicksand

?Know more about him from here➡️ Anang Desai’s StarsUnfolded Profile

As: Nikhil in Veni Sanhar

As: Police Commissioner in Satyanveshi

As: Makrand in Veni Sanhar (credited as Ashish Roy)

?Know more about him from here➡️ Ashiesh Roy’s StarsUnfolded Profile

As: Nepa (Secretary) in Aadim Shatru (Part 1 & 2), and Banmali Chandra in Paheli Gatha

As: Beniprasad in Aag Aur Patanga

As: Arvind Haldar in Kahen Kavi Kalidas

As: Hotel Manager at Kamra No. 102

As: Prafulla in Rastey ka Kanta and Keshto in Aadim Shatru (Part 1 & 2)

As: Nand Dulal Babu in Makdi Ka Ras and Beni Madhav in Veni Sanhar

As: Inspector in Kamra No. 102

As: Inspector Sen in Wasiyat

As: Mohini in Kahen Kavi Kalidas

?Know more about her from here➡️ Dolon Roy’s StarsUnfolded Profile

As: Gopi in Satyanveshi, Nandlal Ghosh in Vansh Ka Khoon, and Neelkanth Adhikari in Amrit Ki Maut

As: Ramkishore Singh in Kiley Ka Rahasya

?Know more about him from here➡️ Govind Namdev’s StarsUnfolded Profile

As: Sujan Mitra in Sahi Ka Kanta

As: Uma in Necklace (credited as Indrani Dutt)

As: Biren in Anjaan Khooni and Dr. Sen in Veni Sanhar

As: Rakhal Das in Amrit Ki Maut (credited as Kalyan Chatterji)

As: Inspector Guha in Paheli Gatha (credited as Kedar Saigal)

As: Servant in AgniBaan and Sahdeb (Servant) in Vansh Ka Khoon

As: Hema in Anjaan Khooni

As: Madhubala in Aadim Shatru (Part 1 & 2)

As: Inspector Sukhmoy Samant in Amrit Ki Maut

As: Debashish in Sahi Ka Kanta

?Know more about him from here➡️ Milind Gunaji’s StarsUnfolded Profile

As: Jugal in Balak Jasoos

As: Prabal Gupta in Sahi Ka Kanta

?Know more about him from here➡️ Mukul Nag’s StarsUnfolded Profile

As: Kailash Chandra in Bhoot

As: Hemlvati in Pahari Rahasya

As: Ravi Verma in Balak Jasoos

As: Nilmani in Anjaan Khooni

As: Sukumar in Wasiyat, Sitanshu Das in Vansh Ka Khoon, and Sanat in Veni Sanhar

As: Laxmi in Chiriya Ghar (Part 1 & 2) and Shakuntala in Aag Aur Patanga

As: Habul’s mother in AgniBaan and Gayatri in Veni Sanhar

As: Badridas in Amrit Ki Maut (credited as Robi Ghosh)

As: Mahidhar Chowdhury in Tasvir Chor and Santosh Samaddar in Balak Jasoos

?Know more about him from here➡️ Rajendra Gupta’s StarsUnfolded Profile

As: Phani Chakraborty in Kahen Kavi Kalidas

As: Satyakam Das in Vansh Ka Khoon

?Know more about him from here➡️ Raju Shrestha’s StarsUnfolded Profile

As: Dr. Shobhana Roy in Kamra No. 102

As: Asutosh Mitra in Rastey Ka Kanta

As: Inspector Ratikant Chaudhry in Aag Aur Patanga

?Know more about him from here➡️ Rasik Dave’s StarsUnfolded Profile

As: Amar Raha in Tasvir Chor, and Inspector Sarkar in Chakrant, Dhokadhari, Sahi Ka Kanta, Veni Sanhar, and Lohe Ka Biscuit

As: Anadi Haldar in Aadim Shatru (Part 1 & 2) and Bishupal in Chakrant

As: Rajni in Tasvir Chor (credited as Sadia Siddiqui)

?Know more about her from here➡️ Sadiya Siddiqui’s StarsUnfolded Profile

As: Sunil in Adrishya Trikon

As: Inspector in Satyanveshi, Inspector Sanyal in Necklace, and Inspector Ramani Sanyal in Adrishya Trikon

?Know more about him from here➡️ Shakti Singh’s StarsUnfolded Profile

As: Tulsi in Kiley Ka Rahasya (credited as Shilpa Toraskar)

?Know more about her from here➡️ Shilpa Tulaskar’s StarsUnfolded Profile

As: Professor Nepal Gupta in Chiriya Ghar (Part 1 & 2) and Manik Mehta in Pahadi Rahasya

As: Naresh Mandal in Dhokadhari (credited as Suhas Palsikar)

As: Anukul Babu in Satyanveshi, and Anukul Babu disguised as Byomkesh Bose in Upsanhaar

As: Sir Digindra Narayan in Seemant Heera

As: Dr. Ghatak in Tasvir Chor

?Know more about him from here➡️ Virendra Saxena’s StarsUnfolded Profile

As: Manmath Rudra (Nantu) in AgniBaan

?Know more about him from here➡️ Yatin Karyekar’s StarsUnfolded Profile

As: Dr. Bhujangdhar Das in Chiriya Ghar (Part 1 & 2)

As: Punti Ram (Servant)

As: Murlidhar Singh in Kiley Ka Rahasya

As: Badridas’s servant in Amrit Ki Maut

As: Abhay in Makdi Ka Ras

As: Nakul (Servant) in Sahi Ka Kanta

As: Sheela in Bhoot

As: Dr. Manna in Aag aur Patanga

As: Vishwanath Mullick in Amrit Ki Maut and Dr. Gupta in Sahi Ka Kanta

As: Motilal in Wasiyat and Hotel Manager in Balak Jasoos

As: Ghanshyam in Satyanveshi

As: Ushanath Ghosh in Tasvir Chor and K.K. Mustafi (Lawyer) in Aadim Shatru (Part 1 & 2)

As: Chandni in Aag Aur Patanga and Lavani in Veni Sanhar

As: Uday in Balak Jasoos

As: Gaurishankar in Kiley Ka Rahasya and Manager in Aag Aur Patanga

As: Tridivendra Narayan in Seemant Heera and Ret Ka Daldal/Quicksand, and Ushanath in Vansh Ka Khoon

As: Vakil Sahab in Kiley Ka Rahasya, Darwan in Chakrant, and Landlord in Dhokadhari

As: Bhootnath in Satyanveshi

As: Dr. Ghoshal in Kahen Kavi Kalidas

As: Sadhu in Kiley Ka Rahasya and Brajadas in Chiriya Ghar (Part 1 & 2)

As: Inspector Sashank in Bhoot, Inspector Haldar in Wasiyat Ka Rahasya, and Gunadhar (Servant) in Kamra No. 102 (credited as Hanif Zahoor)

As: Debu Mandal in Anjaan Khooni and Gangadhar in Veni Sanhar (credited as Indrajit Sachdev)

As: Mother in Vansh Ka Khoon

As: Nakul Sarkar in Tasvir Chor

As: Inspector Bhawani Prasad in Vansh Ka Khoon and Someshwar Ghosh in Anjaan Khooni

As: Ujre Singh in Seemant Heera and Bhootnath in Necklace (credited as Kesto Mitra)

As: Inspector in Necklace

As: Ramanath Niyogi in Laal Neelam

As: Nitai in Aadim Shatru (Part 1 & 2)

As: Nimai in Aadim Shatru (Part 1 & 2)

As: Ataullah in Kiley Ka Rahasya

As: Inspector Biren in AgniBaan and Upsanhaar

As: Ishwar Babu in Satyanveshi (credited as Manik Chaudhury)

As: Gadadhar Singh in Kiley Ka Rahasya

As: Latika Chaudhury in Kamra No. 102

As: Bansidhar Singh in Kiley Ka Rahasya

As: Vijay in Chiriya Ghar (Part 1 & 2) and Bijoy Madhav in Sahi Ka Kanta

As: Harinath (Masterji) in Ret Ka Daldal/Quicksand

As: Lavanya in Wasiyat Ka Rahasya

As: Dr. Sen in Wasiyat Ka Rahasya

As: Habul in AgniBaan

As: Chingri in Balak Jasoos (credited as Pamela Mukherji)

As: Gopal in Amrit Ki Maut and Nengti in Balak Jasoos (credited as Pinaki Mukherji)

As: Jhilli in Veni Sanhar (credited as Piyali Mukherji)

As: Mukul in Chiriya Ghar (Part 1 & 2)

As: Sadanand Sur in Amrit Ki Maut and Dr. Sen in Sahi Ka Kanta

As: Falguni Pal in Tasvir Chor, Leeladhar in Aag Aur Patanga, and Kapil Bose in Sahi Ka Kanta

As: Dayalhari in Aadim Shatru (Part 1 & 2)

As: DSP Purandar Pande in Tasvir Chor, Kiley Ka Rahasya, and Aag Aur Patanga

As: Maharaj Ramendra Sinha in Laal Neelam

As: Panu Gopal in Chiriya Ghar (Part 1 & 2)

As: Secretary in Seemant Heera and Kusheshwar in Wasiyat Ka Rahasya

As: Master Ghosh in Tasvir Chor

As: Manilal in Kiley Ka Rahasya and Kharag Bahadur in Sahi Ka Kanta

As: Gangapada in Dhokadhari (credited as Rakesh Bidua)

As: Chunni Lal in Wasiyat, Prabhat in Aadim Shatru (Part 1 & 2), and Tapan Sen in Bemisaal

As: Malati in Tasvir Chor

As: Hotel Manager in Upsanhaar, Police Surgeon in Chakrant, and Hotel Manager in Paheli Gatha

As: Himangshu’s daughter in Ret ka Daldal/Quicksand

As: Damayanti in Chiriya Ghar (Part 1 & 2)

As: Ramapati in Kiley Ka Rahasya

As: Inspector Barat in Chiriya Ghar (Part 1 & 2) and Kahen Kavi Kalidas (credited as Shahnawaz)

As: Rameshwar in Wasiyat Ka Rahasya

As: Ashok Maity in Dhokadhari

As: Inspector A.K. Ray in Bemisaal and Balak Jasoos

As: Rampirit Singh in Kamra No. 102

As: Young Lady in Rastey Ka Kanta

As: Sharda Prasad in Bhoot and Hotel owner in Aadim Shatru (Part 1 & 2)

As: Bijoy Biswas in Pahari Rahasya

As: Deepa in Sahi Ka Kanta

As: Pranhari Poddar in Kahen Kavi Kalidas (credited as Sumant Mastkar)

As: Dr. Rudra in AgniBaan and Chintamani Kundu in Bemisaal

As: Bhupesh Chatterji in Paheli Gatha

As: Makhan Lal in Wasiyat

As: Jagabandhu Patra in Kamra No. 102

As: Ushanath Sen in Chiriya Ghar (Part 1 & 2) and Kamalkant Das in Lohe Ka Biscuit

As: Vilas in Anjaan Khooni

As: Harihar in Laal Neelam and Kalikinkar Das in Anjaan Khooni

Ajit Bandyopadhyay Ajit Bandyopadhyay is a longtime friend, associate, and narrator of Byomkesh Bakshi in the Byomkesh Series by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. His characterization is a substantial throwback to Dr. Watson in the Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Not much is told by the author about his background. Ajit himself says (as he is narrating Satyanweshi) that before dying his father left him a moderate fortune. After finishing his studies he decided to embrace celibacy and devote himself heart and soul to literature, with an intention of heralding a revolution in Bengali literature, which he mockingly identifies as not unlike the sublime youthful dreams people of his age often nurture, most of which are ultimately left unrealized. He meets Byomkesh for the first time in Satyanweshi and this becomes the beginning of their lifelong friendship.

Ajit may be regarded as the archetype sidekick. He accompanies Byomkesh in all his escapades; in fact he is the narrator of all but three stories. He is heavily addicted to cigarettes, just like Byomkesh. He narrates the mysteries from a layman's point of view, which enables the readers to identify with him. Often he is seen perplexed by a mystery seemingly impossible to solve until Byomkesh solves it, and he realizes how easy it really was.

He is often invited by Byomkesh to give his opinions about the case.Sometimes he gives intelligent opinions, for example in Pother Kanta he suggests that the assassin might be using an airgun, which would enable him to carry it anywhere and use it even in the middle of the road without being conspicuous. In Durgo Rohosshyo too, he delivers some startling insights into the mystery, which astonishes Byomkesh. But sometimes his naïveté compels hearty amusement from Byomkesh, like in Makorshar Rosh he decides that the only plausible explanation of Nandadulalbabu repeatedly intoxicating himself with Tarantula extract is that he devours those that stroll on the walls of his room. In Shaila Rohosshyo, even after the entire chain of events had taken place, he was yet to fathom that the servant was Vijay Biswas himself. In Sheemonto Heera, he unwittingly discloses the guise in which they had come to the mansion of Sir Digindranarayan Roy, though admittedly their guise had already been seen through by a manservant of Digindranarayan while they were en route by train. In Makorshar Rosh, Byomkesh asks him to try to solve the case on his behalf, citing that his involvement in another case will not give him time to do so. This leaves Ajit's friend (who came to solicit Byomkesh's help) visibly dejected. This acts as a catalyst for him, for he reasons that being with Byomkesh for quite some time, he surely has learnt a few nuggets of investigation, and thereby resolves to solve it all by himself. However after some time it becomes clear that the case is not as simple as it seems, and he concludes that he is not equal to this task, it will take the sharp faculties and uncanny detection skills of Byomkesh to solve it.

Occasionally he disagrees with Byomkesh over some issue, though most of the times he is unable to substantiate his opinion, not because he is overtly wrong, but because, as he himself unequivocally admits, his intellect is no match for his friend's. For example in Pother Kanta he refuses to accept the fact that detection banks more often on logical premises than on facts. However Byomkesh does prove his point, and he grudgingly acquiesces. But his skepticism still sustains itself in many instances, when Byomkesh relies heavily on premise. He is frequently nettled when Byomkesh withholds information from him until the opportune moment, which inevitably comes after the culprit had been caught. This feeling he shares with Byomkesh's wife Satyabati too, who calls him tortoise, alluding to his not speaking out easily. Ajit notes that Byomkesh does not like being called a tortoise, which gives him considerable pleasure. He maintains a somewhat mocking attitude towards marriage; when Byomkesh and Satyabati quarrel and then reconcile, he cannot fathom as to why they quarrel in the first place, or even more, why they patch up later. Married life according to him, is a farce.

Ajit is awed by the methods and intelligence Byomkesh often applies to solve a mystery, and this is vividly reflected in his narrations. He expertly portrays the mannerisms and traits of his friend, particularly on those not infrequent occasions when Byomkesh paces his room agitated and restless, because the epiphany is so near and yet so far. In such circumstances, Ajit, curious as he is, does not interrupt his friend's thoughts and lets him ponder. He also notes in Pother Kata that Byomkesh for all his brilliance, is somewhat queer, as evidenced by his going through only the advertisements in the newspapers instead of the main news, which he maintains is because he thinks it is the advertisements through which criminals often communicate their plans. Ajit refuses to buy this, however for that story at least it proves to be true, for it was a quaint ad that first excited Byomkesh's curiosity and it ultimately proved to be a rather important event as the story proceeded.Occasionally he punctuates the narration with his own insight and thoughts; for example in Chiriyakhana while he is hiding to keep a watch as to the night-time escapades of the residents, he reflects on the possible reasons of Damayanti Devi's actions and what might await her in the future. In Adim Ripu, when Byomkesh decides to burn all the money, stating that it will be their humble sacrifice at the altar of their beloved motherland on the day of her freedom, he finds it difficult to accept, even though his respect for Byomkesh is visibly increased. He does well to depict the internal struggle through which Byomkesh goes as he torments Ramanath to elicit the location of the diamond, stating that though he ultimately won the battle, it was by no means an easy one. He does not deem it justified and moral when Byomkesh accepts a munificent wage from the lawyer of one of the prime suspects in the murder case in Adim Ripu, saying that it is more a bribe than a wage. He maintains great attention towards the nuances, it does not escape his eyes, that the doctor seemed somewhat perplexed and ill at ease when he learned of the pregnancy of Shakuntala in Bahni Patanga, nor does he fail to notice how Vijay becomes agitated as Byomkesh interrogates Damayanti Devi in Chiriyakhana. Even though he is a celibate, he never fails to observe the physical attributes of a beautiful woman, and he goes to great length in describing them. In Chiriyakhana, he dreams about Bonolokkhi one night, which Byomkesh somehow divines. Though he initially refuses to admit, he ultimately does in the face of some humorously threateningly pressure from Byomkesh. Though this dream seems to allude to his having a crush on her, Byomkesh reveals that he had dreamt about her too, and as the mystery unfolds, we learn that these dreams were quite significantly associated with it. His narrations abound in witty humor. His descriptions of Sir Digindranarayan Roy in Sheemonto Heera or Nanibala Devi in Adim Ripu compels hearty laugh from the readers. While he lacks the uncommon skills of observation and deduction that his friend commands, his own candid observations, even if remotely actual, often throw considerable light on the matter. Thus even though he appears to be the stereotype foil to a brilliant character, closer observations suggest that this may not be the case.

His character is often compared to that of Dr. Watson. Both had been portrayed by their authors as faithful sidekicks to the main character. Both are intended to study the case from a layman's point of view. Each is assigned at least one case to try to solve of their own- Watson in The Hound of The Baskervilles and Ajit in Makorshar Rosh. Both meet the respective detectives in the course of a mystery. However Watson lives a married life in contrast to Ajit. While Watson is certainly not averse to adventures, and even shows a penchant for it, Ajit, a traditional Bengalee clad most of the times in Dhuti and Punjabi, is not exactly enamored with such ideas; in Sheemonto Heera even after Sir Digindranarayan Roy had granted them permission to search his mansion for the diamond, he refuses to go there again, stating that the gatekeeper Ujre Singh would surely stab him even though he surely had been instructed to let them in; he is even afraid to go out in disguise for an evening stroll (which, Byomkesh deems as necessary, and later as the story unfolds, it turns out that he was right) in Pother Kanta, fearing that the police might arrest him should they see through his guise. Closely associated with Holmes and his escapades as he is, Watson still maintains a healthy practice as a doctor. Ajit's literary works however do not do much to help him financially, which leaves him and Byomkesh in financial crisis when Byomkesh has not got a case in hand to procure some income. This is starkly portrayed in Adim Ripu, where their penury reaches such an acute state that they are unable to have even decent meals. However the author offers no explanation as to why his novels fail to gain popularity or critical acclaim. It might be that they may not be that rich in literary content, or it may also be that his novels, for all their goodness, did not tune to the zeitgeist, for those were the times of intense political unrest and furor, and few people would have had time or scope to fully appreciate literature. Saradindu admitted in a letter to his friend that in order to relieve him of his monetary problems, he had planned to let Ajit buy a second hand a car in his novel Bishupal Bodh (ultimately left unfinished due to the author's death), and earn some money by letting it on rent with him being the driver, and in the process, let Satyabati (who had long cherished a car) go to the market and other places in the same. However he soon gave up on the idea, for he found the idea of a novelist becoming a cab driver to earn money as kind of cheap.

Ajit's relation with Byomkesh is one of unalloyed love and brotherly affection, as he himself points out in Durgo Rohosshyo. He greatly respects Byomkesh for his superb faculties and investigative skills, and never refrains from extolling to others his wisdom and virtues. He is surprised when Byomkesh falls in love with Satyabati and decides to marry her; perhaps he expected that Byomkesh too will live a bachelor's life. However after they get married, he decides to leave, because he considers it his duty to allow the newly wed couple privacy and scope to let their marriage blossom. But they do not let him leave, and hence they continue to live together. He teaches Byomkesh how to play chess, but in a matter of days Byomkesh defeats him, which leads him to lose confidence in his intelligence. He takes solace in the fact that it was he who taught Byomkesh chess in the first place, his success thus is no more his than his. Whenever Byomkesh and his wife dispute over the question of superiority of male or female, he takes Byomkesh's sides, though admittedly for the losing cause mostly. He cannot bear the thought of living without Byomkesh, so much that when in Amriter Mrityu Byomkesh enters a house that is the site of a life claiming bomb-explosion just a few minutes ago, Ajit follows him into it even though Byomkesh instructed him to stay outside, thinking that if death is lurking inside, they might as well die together. In Amriter Mrityu, Byomkesh asks Ajit to interrogate the wife of one of the suspects, telling him he himself cannot do it as he has other pressing matters to attend to. Ajit is initially stunned at this assignment; he enjoys the astuteness with which Byomkesh often interrogates, but having never done that himself, he does not quite feel himself equal to the task. While this might suggest that Byomkesh does this because he believes Ajit is now competent enough to conduct a simple interrogation, as the story unfolds, it looks like he did this more to keep Ajit away from the proceedings he was going to institute than to get some clue from the aforementioned interrogation, for it is clear from Byomkesh's narration that by that time he was fully aware of who the culprit is, and those proceedings were in fact to ensure that he was correct in his judgement. The author never explains it, but it can be surmised that it was due to his habit of not letting Ajit into the denouement until the last moment. However this is in contrast with the fact that he explained the entire business to Ajit that very night, something he never does. Though Ajit does not mention it, or perhaps fails to note it, Byomkesh also loves Ajit like his own brother. When he is kept under house arrest for no reason at all in Heyalir Chhondo, Byomkesh becomes very angry, and he severely deplores the police officer who did so. Ajit himself mentions that they find it difficult to have tea without the company of the other.

Chiriyakhana aka The Zoo(1967) directed by Satyajit Ray and produced by Harendranath Bhattacharya of Star Productions was the first screen adaptation of the Byomkesh Bakshi. Shailen Mukherjee played the character of Ajit. The film boasted an ensemble cast of contemporary actors. In Shajarur Kanta(1974) directed by actress-turned-director Manju Dey and produced by Star Productions, Ajit was played by Shailen Mukherjee but Byomkesh Bakshi Character was played by Shyamal Ghoshal.Ajit was played by K.K. Raina in a critically acclaimed television adaptation of the series directed by Basu Chatterjee.Byomkesh Bakshi(2004) directed by Swapan Ghoshal was the second television adaptation of the series also aired on Doordarshan. Here Ajit was played by Debdut Ghosh.Adim Ripu(in-production) is first installment of anther upcoming Byomkesh-film-trilogy directed by Singer-Song-writer-Actor-Director Anjan Dutt and produced by Red Molecules. The trilogy is shooting in Black and White to capture the essence of the post-colonial Kolkata. The film is scheduled to release on December 2009. The series will be followed by the other two stories Chitrachor and Kohen Kobi Kalidas. Here Ajit will be played by Saswata Chatterjee, son of the veteran actor Subhendu Chatterjee.Director Rituparno Ghosh was also announced to make a film-trilogy on Byomkesh starting with Arthamanartham under the productions of Rose Valleys Motion Pictures. He has cast an ensemble cast for the series along with Prosenjit Chatterjee as Byomkesh, Tapas Paul as Ajit and Paoli Dam as Satyabati. Later the project was shelved.

Byomkesh Bakshi is an Indian-Bengali fictional detective created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. Referring to himself as a "truth-seeker" or Satyanweshi in the stories, Bakshi is known for his proficiency with observation, logical reasoning, and forensic science which he uses to solve complicated cases, usually murders, occurring in Calcutta. One of the most popular sleuths of Bengali literature, According to chronological order, Byomkesh Bakshi appeared for the first time in the story "Pather Kanta" — a story where Byomkesh shows that an assumption based on pure and simple logic is unbreakable and when we break down what is known in law as circumstantial evidence, there is nothing but logical assumptions. However his proper introduction is given in his third story, "Satyanweshi" — a story of murder dealing with illegal trafficking of cocaine. He appears in alias — under the pseudonym of Atul Chandra Mitra. It is here that Byomkesh meets Ajit Bandyopadhyay, a writer, who would become a constant companion of him and it is Ajit who narrates the Byomkesh stories.

Both of Byomkesh' names have since entered the Bengali language to describe someone who is both intelligent and observant. It is also used sarcastically to mean someone who states the obvious.

Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay's most well known fictional character Byomkesh Bakshi first appeared as a character in the story Satyanweshi (The Inquisitor). The story is set in 1932 in the Chinabazar area of Kolkata where a 'non-government detective' Byomkesh Bakshi, owing to the permission from the police commissioner, starts living in a mess in that area under the pseudonym of Atul Chandra Mitra to probe a series of murders.

Most of the stories are written from Ajit Kumar Banerjee's perspective, who meets Byomkesh in the mess at Chinabazar. Byomkesh later asks Ajit to live with him at his three-story rented house at Harrison Road as his assistant and chronicler. The only other person in his household is his attendant Putiram.

In the beginning of the stories, Byomkesh Bakshi is described as "a man of twenty-three or twenty-four years of age who looked well educated." Byomkesh is a Hindu and wears mostly a white shirt/kurta with a white dhoti, occasionally draping a shawl. He does not live in luxury but possesses numerous books. He travels frequently, and does not own a gun and does not consider himself to be an "expensive helper". He habitually smokes and drinks tea with milk. He is fluent in Bengali, Hindi, and English. Byomkesh does not like being called a detective, and thinks the word 'investigator' even worse. Thus he fashions a new name for himself which he inscribes on a brass plate in front of his house. The plaque read "Byomkesh Bakshi: Satyanweshi" (The Inquisitor).

Unlike other lead characters in similar detective fictional stories, Byomkesh Bakshi marries, ages, and also contemplates material things such as buying a car. Later, he also decides to buy land in Keyatala in South Kolkata and shifts to his new home. Byomkesh meets Satyabati, his future wife and the accused Sukumar's sister, in 'Arthamanartham'. The story 'Adim Ripu' provides some information about Byomkesh's early childhood. His father Mahadev Bakshi was a mathematics teacher at a school and practised Sankhya philosophy at home while his mother was the daughter of a Vaishnavite. When Byomkesh was seventeen years old, his parents died of tuberculosis. Later, Byomkesh passed University with scholarship. During the Second World War and after India's independence, Byomkesh, Satyabati and Ajit live in the mess house of Harrison Road. Byomkesh gradually ages through the series, and has a son called Khoka (Little Boy) in the series.

Saradindu Bandopadhyay penned 32 Byomkesh stories from 1932 to 1970 prior to his death. In his early stories, Ajit Kumar Banerjee is described as his companion, and chronicler of his stories. But in some cases Ajit also investigates in absence of Byomkesh (examples, Makorshar Rosh, Shoilo Rahasya). The stories are all written in traditional formal Bengali language. However, later the stories shift to more colloquial language. The later stories (Room Nombor Dui, Chhlonar Chhondo, Shajarur Kanta, Benisonghaar and Lohar Biskut) are not penned by Ajit, who was engaged in his publication business.

The stories are not very complicated but very engaging, with a long series of surprising events. The stories present a range of crimes from the first story, Satyanweshi, where Byomkesh destroys an international drug racket, to household mysteries and crimes like Arthamanartham and Makorshar Rosh.

Sharadindu did not want to continue the Byomkesh stories, due to which he stopped writing from 1938 to 1951. During that time he busied himself writing scripts for films in Bombay. After his return to West Bengal, Byomkesh stories were still in demand so he wrote Chitrachor (Picture Imperfect) in 1951 and other stories gradually on to 1970, when his last story "Bishupal Badh" (Killing of Bishupal) was left incomplete owing to his untimely death.

The Byomkesh Bakshi stories have been adapted into several television series, radio programs, audio dramas, films, and video games.

Chiriyakhana (1967) is an Indian Bengali-language crime thriller film based on the story of the same name, directed by Satyajit Ray and written by Bandyopadhyay and Ray, it starred Uttam Kumar as Byomkesh Bakshi.

The 1993-97 Byomkesh Bakshi television series, created by Basu Chatterjee, and starring Rajit Kapur as Bakshi, and K.K. Raina as Ajit respectively, became one of the most critically acclaimed and celebrated adaptation of the character.

There have been 20 Bakshi movies, with Abir Chatterjee portraying the character seven times.

The Satyanweshi audio drama series created by actor Aneesh See Yay adapted twenty two Byomkesh Bakshi novels and eight original audio drama in the Malayalam language.

In 2015, A Bollywood movie named Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! starring Sushant Singh Rajput in lead role was also released.

He was also referenced in The Big Bang Theory Season 7 Episode 18: The Mommy Observation where Sherlock Holmes is referred to as "English Byomkesh Bakshi".

Radio Mirchi has adapted several stories and novels of Byomkesh including- Satyanweshi, Pather Kanta, Durgo Rahasya etc. for their audio story programme Sunday Suspense starring RJ Mir as Byomkesh and RJ Deep as Ajit.

• Arindam Sil.
• Saradindu Bandopadhyay. Padmanabha Dasgupta.
• Abir Chatterjee. Paoli Dam. Arna Mukherjee.