West Bengal education minister and eminent theatre personality Bratya Basu have been appointed as the chairman of Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi, an autonomous body that promotes the study and research of Bengali literature.
Basu will be succeeding thespian Saoli Mitra, who breathed her last on January 15. In a notification issued on Thursday, the Information and Cultural Affairs Department said, "Bratya Basu is being appointed as the new chairman of Bangla Akademi from January 20 till further orders."
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Appointments in Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi are made only after the governor gives his assent to the names recommended by the state government. The department, in its notification, has also named eminent personalities such as poet Joy Goswami and writer Shirshendu Mukherjee as the autonomous body's 'invited members'.
Basu was conferred Sahitya Akademi Award last year for his book 'Mirzafar O Anyanya Natok' (Mirzafar and Other Plays).