Ranchi, June 23: The state government plans to develop the Ghatshila residence of the renowned Bengali novelist, Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay, of Pather Panchali and Aranyak fame, into a museum. A team of officials of the culture department today left for Ghatshila for a feasibility study.

The move comes in the wake of Bibhutibhushan’s son Tara Das Banerjee’s proposal to convert the residence into a museum.

Banerjee, who is the deputy director of the information and cultural affairs department of the West Bengal government, in his letter to chief minister Arjun Munda, said the residence could be developed into a major tourist attraction.

Responding to Banerjee’s letter, the Jharkhand chief minister immediately asked the culture department to look into the matter.

The department then formed a team comprising deputy director Ajit Kumar Prasad and museum curator Umesh Chandra Dwivedi, who left for Ghatshila today.

The team was likely to submit its report in a few days after which the final decision would be taken.

A department official said the novelist’s house in Ghatshila was built on 10 acres of land. Banerjee has also offered to provide copies of all the publications and personal belongings of his father. The place can be developed both as a memorial/museum and as a library, he has pointed out in his letter.

“The team will study all the aspects of the proposal like the feasibility to convert the house into a memorial. The government has also asked the East Singhbhum deputy commissioner to prepare a feasibility report,” the culture department official added.

Bibhutibhushan’s famous novel, Aranyak (1939), featured Ranchi, Saranda and Palamau.

The novelist portrayed the face of rural Bengal where nature and human life existed in close harmony. His novels showed his deep understanding of life and nature. Bibhutibhushan breathed his last in Ghatshila in 1950.

The literary career of Bibhutibhushan started with the publication of a short story in Prabashi in 1921. In 1925, while serving at Bhagalpur, he started writing Pather Panchali, completing it in 1928. His other important works include Aparajita (1931), Meghamallar (1931), Mauriphul (1932), Yatrabadal (1934), Chander Pahad (1937), Kinnardal (1938), Adarsha Hindu Hotel (1940), Maraner Danka Baje (1940), Smritir Rekha (1941), Devayan (1944), Utkarna (1946), the award-winning Ichhamati (1950) and Ashani Sanket (1959).

Pather Panchali, Bibhutibhushan’s first novel, is considered to be his masterpiece. Its sequel was Aparajita.

Pather Panchali was translated into several Indian and European languages and was made into a film by Satyajit Ray. He also made two films based on Aparajita and Ashani Sanket.