The legacy of Sandip Datta’s little magazine library

“That’s why he took it upon himself to build a library that would provide a space for these magazines,” interjected Snigdha Bandopadhyay, 58, an associate professor and the joint secretary of the library. She gestured towards a small room filled with thousands of little magazines collected over the years, “This very room we are sitting in is the ground floor of Sandip’s house. He started housing his collection in this room which, as you can see, grew immensely and became a library.”

Beginning as an alternative modernist voice during the independence movement, the term little magazines does not refer to their size or importance but instead signifies a departure from mainstream magazines and publications.

Animesh Dutta, 26, an independent journalist and documentary filmmaker currently working on a film about the impact of little magazines in Bengal’s literary world, said, “No one can actually define what a little magazine is. But if we consider mainstream magazines, which thrive on advertisements, aim for profit, and face no questions from the government, then little magazines are the exact opposite. Their main aim is not profit but spreading alternative ideas and ideologies through poetry, drama, short stories, and essays. And that’s why you will notice that the selling prices of the magazines are also quite low so that more people can afford them.”

Despite being a lifelong reader of these magazines, Animesh didn’t grasp the richness of this literary practice until he started working on the film which is scheduled for an early 2024 release. After talking to authors, publishers, editors and readers of little magazines, he believes that each subject — from class-caste questions to feminism, the queer movement, cinema, music, and everything in between — are dealt with such nuances that they deserve recognition either as part of educational curriculum or by encouraging scholars to work on them.

Little magazine in Dutta’s library (Credit: Shashi Ghosh)

“You could argue that little magazines serve as a protest against big publishing houses. They provide a platform for diverse voices that may never find a place in mainstream publications,” elaborated Premangshu Dasgupta, one of the convenors of the Little Magazine Samannay Mancha, a collective of little magazine publishers, authors, and readers.

Between the 1930s and 1960s, these little magazines emerged as symbols of anti-establishment and spaces for highlighting socio-political issues in Bengal. Apart from young, unknown authors or activists, renowned authors such as Rabindranath Tagore, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Manik Bandopadhyay, and Shakti Chattopadhyay would also often contribute to or be associated with various magazines. Tagore, for example, used to write in Sabuj Patra in the early 1900s. Gangopadhyay was one of the editors of Krittibas in the mid-90s.

“Another crucial characteristic of little magazines is their lack of sufficient capital, which often leads to their closure within a few years. Take the example of Kallol,” Animesh continued. “Esteemed authors like Kavi Nazrul Islam and Buddhadeb Basu used to write for Kallol when it began in the early 1920s. However, it shut down within seven years. This is the fate many little magazines suffer from.”

As a consequence, numerous magazines have been lost to the passage of time, taking with them a piece of Bengal’s history.

Sandip Dutta believed that these magazines are the testaments of a certain period in history, and people are ignoring them. Hence, his idea of starting a library that would exclusively house magazines excluded by mainstream institutions.

Thus began the journey of the Little Magazine Library and Research Centre in a small unassuming room in the by-lanes of central Kolkata, near the famed College Street.

Sandip, who passed away in March at the age of 72, began collecting these magazines in 1972. He would wander around College Street, a hub of booksellers in the city, in search of old magazines, paying for them from his own pocket. To afford his collection, he started saving his lunch money, quit smoking cigarettes, and took up temporary or part-time jobs.

“On a rainy morning in June 1978, he inaugurated the library we are in now, with 750 little magazines,” Snigdha informed.

Even though the library started with 750 little magazines, it quickly grew in size. More and more people began to associate with the library, and editors of little magazines would send their publications not only from across Bengal but also from different states and even Bangladesh and until his death, the library’s team amassed more than 80,000 little magazines.

“His unmatched role in ensuring that these voices don’t get lost cannot be overstated. This library made sure that none of these gems are lost,” Premangshu said while talking about the importance of the library.

In fact, Sandip personally visited various places, especially remote areas, in search of magazines. Animesh added, “Kolkata certainly has a rich history and a vibrant little magazine culture. However, rural Bengal is also teeming with various publications that provide us with an in-depth view of the area, its history, culture, and issues not often found in publications from Kolkata. Because of the library, those magazines also found a permanent home.”

“We never sought help from the government or any corporate houses to maintain the library,” Snigdha informed, adding that although the government offered financial assistance, they chose to remain independent.

The library also boasts of some rare collections, such as the first edition of Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay’s magazine Bangadarshan, published in 1873.

“There is also a fascinating story. Satyajit Ray was in search of an essay on music published in a little magazine called Samasamayik, and the only place that could help him was this small library. We have that essay,” said a grinning Saha.

Establishing the library was not his sole contribution to the world of little magazines. Continuing with the tradition of anti-establishment, in 2006, when a group of little magazine publishers joined forces to establish a collective as a protest against the then Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM) government in West Bengal, following the arrest of two young publishers during the Singur movement, Sandip worked tirelessly to bring that dream to fruition. This effort led to the formation of the Little Magazine Samannay Mancha, which now organises a yearly Little Magazine Fair in Kolkata.

“As far as my knowledge permits, there isn’t a single collective like this in India. We tried, but we couldn’t bring people together as we could in Bengal,” Premangshu explained. “In fact, the library itself is one of a kind.”

Animesh added, “Any form of creative work, any mode of communication, whether it’s about cinema, theatre, music, protest, or politics, it’s important to archive them because we never know when we might need to revisit them. Editors or publishers of various little magazines didn’t place much importance on documentation. They would publish an edition, circulate it, and that would be it. But because of Sandip Dutta, we now have an archive that can be accessed by everyone.”

In recent years, the library has become a go-to destination for scholars researching little magazines. However, it also receives visitors and readers who simply want to sit and delve into the world of different magazines.

After his passing, the library experienced a setback mainly because of his unique way of cataloguing the magazines.”Only he knew how he catalogued the magazines. And only he could find the magazines from these shelves,” Snigdha said. “We are at a loss right now. We have to start from scratch.”

To safeguard his life’s work and preserve the treasure trove of a collection from going to waste, Dutta’s peers formed a new committee. This committee has taken on the mammoth task of meticulously going through the entire collection, re-cataloguing, and reshelving the magazines. The goal is to ensure that scholars, readers, and little magazine enthusiasts can once again visit the library and access its valuable resources.