Ganapati Chakraborty
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Ganapati Chakraborty | |
|---|---|
| গণপতি চক্রবর্তী | |
 Ganapati Chakraborty, showing his card tricks. | |
| Born | 1858 |
| Died | 20 November 1939 (aged 80–81) |
| Occupation | Magician |
| Known for | Pioneer of modern magic in Bengal |
Ganapati Chakraborty (Bengali: গণপতি চক্রবর্তী; 1858 – 20 November 1939) was a magician from Kolkata known for his mesmerizing tricks. He is considered to be the pioneer of modern magic in Bengal.[2] He was the mentor of P. C. Sorcar and K Lal.
Chakraborty belonged to a bengali brahmin zamindar family[3] in the village of Chhatra near Serampore of Hooghly district. Due to some internal property conflicts, his father Mahendranath Chakraborty moved to Salkia before the birth of his son. In 1858, Ganapati was born in Salkia, a small town in Howrah district. In his childhood, he was not at all interested in studies. He was rather interested in singing and music.
At the age of 17 or 18, he left his home for the company of Hindu monks in order to learn esoteric knowledge and supernatural healing techniques. In this period he also came in touch with Khestrapal Basak, his first magic teacher and a few other magicians like, Jawaharlal Dhar.[2]
