Sukanta Bhattacharjya

August 15, 1926 - May 13, 1947

Sukanta Bhattacharya is one of the most honored poets of Bangla literature. He studied at Kamala Vidyamandir in Kolkata, and then at Beleghata Deshbandhu High School. He became involved in students' movements and leftist political activities while still a student.

Among his outstanding poetical works are ছাড়পত্র (Chhadpatra - 1947), পূর্বাভাস (Purbabhas -1950), মিঠেকড়া (Mithekada - 1951), অভিযান (Abhijan - 1953), ঘুম নেই (Ghum Nei - 1954), হরতাল (Hartal - 1962), গীতিগুচ্ছ (Gitiguchchha - 1965). His complete writings were anthologised in সুকান্ত-সমগ্র (Sukanta Samagra). His poems, which describe the sufferings of the common people and their struggle for existence, look forward to an exploitation-free society. Sukanta died of tuberculosis in Kolkata on 13 May 1947 days before his first anthology, Chhadpatra was published.

হে মহাজীবন

(This is the last poem from ছাড়পত্র (Chhadpatra)

হে মহাজীবন, আর এ কাব্য নয়

এবার কঠিন কঠোর গদ্যে আনো,

পদ-লালিত্য-ঝঙ্কার মুছে যাক

গদ্যের কড়া হাতুড়িকে আজ হানো।

প্রয়োজন নেই কবিতার স্নিগ্ধতা -

কবিতা তোমায় দিলাম আজকে ছুটি,

ক্ষুদার জগতে পৃথিবী ঘদ্যময়:

পূর্ণিমা-চাঁদ যেন ঝলসানো রুটি।।

Oh! Great Soul ...

(Translated by Raktim Sen)

Oh! Great Soul, let's keep aside the poetic grace.

Bring to us the prosaic - hard and rough.

Get rid of the beauty and melody.

Hammer us with reality that is tough.

We do not need the calmness of a rhyme.

I bid you farewell, beautiful verse I dread.

In a world of hunger all is just a prose -

The moon is like a blistered slice of bread.

More on Sukanta Bhattacharya

	Profile as published in Wikipedia
	Click here to read his work as published by kolkata-online.com