Kathashilpa (literally 'The Art of the Word') of 19 Shyamacharan De Street, Calcutta, 700073 (now Kolkata), was founded in 1959 by Abani Ranjan Ray (1932–2008) and friends, including Indranath Majumdar.
It became a rendezvous of radical intellectuals and artists of Calcutta, including those with extreme left sympathies.
Abani Ranan Ray founded Kathashilpa in 1959 as a publishing company and a creative hub for various cultural activities, including drama and folk music.
A special science fiction number of Anwesha carried translations of writers like Ray Bradbury, Richard Sheckley and Arthur C. Clarke.
The political and cultural atmosphere changed with the advent of globalization and the disappointment with leftism in general.