Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s5.t3.34

v2.c11.s5.t3.34

Satyajit Ray (May 2, 1921 - April 23, 1992) was an Indian director and film producer regarded as the pioneer of contemporary Indian films. Ray was born in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata) into a notable Bengali family. He often attended Brahma Samaj with his family at an early age. He enjoyed watching movies and collecting Hollywood news and posters when he was in middle school. After graduating from a local public school, Ray attended Calcutta’s Presidency College, majored in Economics and got his Bachelor’s degree in 1940. He then attended Visva-Bharati and majored in oriental arts. In 1943, he worked at a British-run advertising agency and later worked as a cover designer at Signet Press. He founded the Calcutta Film Society in 1947. He started shooting his first film *Pather Panchali* in 1952 and released it in 1955. This film won him 12 international film awards. *Pather Panchali*, together