He was extraordinarily popular with at least two generations of readers who may have found Tagore’s poetry and prose less accessible than Chattopadhyay’s family and social drama, replete with scheming characters, unrequited love, and societal repression. But Chattopadhyay inevitably took the side of the underdog, the people who would be considered losers, and brought their stories to life, aided by a keen eye and ear for human behavior.