Sandhyarater Shefali

🔹 Author: Miss Shefali
🔹 Genre: Autobiography - Biography - Memoir
🔹 Format: Hardcover
🔹 ISBN: 9789350404744
🔹 Pages: 236
🔹 Weight: 593 grams

📝 Book Summary:
Miss Shefali—just the name is enough to stir nostalgia, curiosity, admiration, and even controversy in Bengal’s cultural history. She was the first Bengali cabaret dancer, a figure both celebrated and scrutinized in equal measure.

From the lavish dance floors of elite hotels to the modest stages of Bengali theatre, Miss Shefali carved a space for herself that remains unforgettable. But beyond the glitter and glamour lies a story of resilience—an extraordinary journey of a refugee girl who defied all odds. Born into an impoverished family and forced into domestic work at a young age, she reinvented herself as an icon of dance and entertainment in Kolkata.

This memoir is not just about her rise to fame, but also about her struggles, survival, and eventual retreat from the limelight. Sandhyarater Shefali is a heartfelt, powerful narrative of an era, a profession, and a woman who lived on her own terms.

📚 About the Author

Miss Shefali, originally named Aarti Das, was born on March 4, 1947, in Narayanganj, East Bengal (now Bangladesh). After the Partition, her family migrated to Ahiritola, Kolkata.

At just 11 years old, she started working as a domestic help in an Anglo-Indian household. By 1959, at the age of 12, she made her debut as a cabaret dancer at Firpo’s Hotel, eventually earning her stage name, "Miss Shefali." Her career soared as she performed in prestigious hotels such as The Oberoi Grand (1963, 1969) and Hotel Hindustan (1967).

She was not just a dancer but also a noted actress. She performed in Bengali theatre, starring in famous plays like Chowringhee, Asami Hajir, Kari Diye Kinlam, Saheb Bibi Golam, and Samrat O Sundari. She also acted in films, including one directed by the legendary Satyajit Ray.

🌟 Awards & Honors:

• "Nritya Samraggi" (Empress of Dance) Title
• Dishaari Award (West Bengal Journalists' Association)
• Uttam Kumar Smriti Award
• Honors from Chitrojagat, Arts Forum & Bengal Film Promotion Association

After retiring from the stage, Miss Shefali lived a quiet life in her apartment in Satgachia, Kolkata.

📸 Photographs by: Nimai Ghosh