He has translated Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Clandestine in Chile into Bengali, is said to be able to quote from memory 500 songs of Tagore, lives in a two-bedroom flat in south Kolkata with his librarian wife and daughter, doesn't have a cellphone, and is addicted to cigarettes. He is usually clad in white dhoti and kurta. Who?

Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, the former Chief Minister of West Bengal, is known for his intellectual pursuits including translating Gabriel Garcia Marquez's works into Bengali and his deep knowledge of Tagore songs. His simple lifestyle, traditional attire in white dhoti-kurta, and absence of a cellphone were well-documented traits that contrasted with modern political culture. While Sitaram Yechuri and Prakash Karat are also prominent CPI(M) leaders, they don't match the specific biographical details described.