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Banani Sikdar (Bengali- বনানী শিকদার) is an Indian Bengali novelist as well as an eminent short story writer. She was born on 12th February 1968. Banani Sikdar is an avid writer, painter and has dexterity for recitation. Her most applauded work is her autobiography Bastaber Arale which narrates her story as the only girl child born in a Bengali headmaster’s family after six children. It voices her anguish about the bullying and ignorance that she faced from the society. In her autobiography, she unfolds her journey of fighting all the odds and emerging victorious by following her passion for writing.

Early life
Banani Sikdar was born in Bengal’s South Dinajpur, Balurghat area. She hails from a traditional Bengali family, where education and cultural practices are considered the epitome of success. Her father is a headmaster by profession. From her childhood, she developed a passion for writing. Apart from writing she is a talented painter and takes recitation as her hobby.

Career
She completed her schooling in Balurghat. After successfully accomplishing her school life she did a Master’s degree in Journalism from Calcutta University. She also pursued an M.Sc degree in Zoology from Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu. And from Pune University she completed her B.Ed degree. She spent several years of her life in Maharasthra and various other states of the country. During her stay in Maharashtra she served as an assistant teacher in a school, meanwhile she also ardently followed her passion for writing by drafting features for some renowned newspapers. At present, she writes regularly for different magazines and newspapers published in Kolkata.

Literary works
Her bucket of literary works is enriched with novels, poems as well as short stories adding bounty to Bengali literature and culture. Her novels and stories are a depiction of some of the real-life characters. It may be the story of Tamas from Andhokare Bhalobasa or the story of a woman, Abhiggata from Pipasa Jakhan. The characters and the backdrop of the characters portray the reality of current society. Some of her palatial works are –

Fiction Bibaha Dot Com

Rili

Andhokarer Bhalobasa

Pipasa Jakhan Autobiography

Bastaber Arale

Samay Tomar Haat Dhore

Biography''' Mahaplaban

Samayer Dhape Jyotirmoy Datta. Short Stories Choto Galpo

Awards and recognitions
Banani Sikdar in a very short span of time earned several awards and recognitions for her pronounced literary works. She received Michael Madhusudan Smriti-Samman Award for her autobiography “Bastaber Arale”. The novel “Pipasa Jakhan” won Satyendranath Datta Award. To follow her passion for writing she quit the profession of teaching, and at present, she is a full-time writer and a renowned Bengali author.