Title: Balak

Editor(s): Gnanadanandini Devi

Publisher & Printer: Published and printed by Kalidas Chakraborty at the Adi Brahmosamaj Jantra, No 55, Chitpur road, Calcutta.

First issue: March-April 1885

Price: Not mentioned

About: A periodical conceived, edited and largely written by the Tagores of Jorashanko, Balak was never quite a mere circulating family journal. Gyanadanandini Devi, Rabindranath Tagore’s second sister-in-law felt the need of an illustrated periodical for children and to that effect, planned to start one with contributions of friends and family members. Apart from Gnanadanandini Devi and Rabindranath Tagore, some of the authors writing for Balak were Jyotirindranath Tagore, Balendranath Tagore, Sudhindranath Tagore, Satyendranath Tagore Satyaprasad Gangopadhyay, Srishchandra Majumdar, Narendrabala Devi, Pratibhasundari Devi, Sarala Devi and Swarnakumari Devi.
In its ephemeral life spanning one calendar year, Balak displayed a range of rich and innovative subjects and an invigorating linguistic style unprecedented in any earlier vernacular juvenile periodical.

Illustrations: Adorned with illustrations by Jyotirindranath Tagore, Harish Chandra Haldar and Satyaprasad Gangopadhyay.

Note: Merged with Bharati and published as Bharati o Balak from 1884

Pages: 58       

Genre: Periodical, Monthly.

Source: The National Library, Kolkata. (Rare Book Division)

Shelfmark: 182.Qb.885.1

Pages featured:

Pages from Balak, 1885