Remembering Cultural icon Nirendranath Chakraborty

Born in 1924 at Faridpur, Nirendranath Chakraborty was a prominent face in Bangla literature. His first book of poems, Nil Nirjone, was published in 1954, when he was only 30. At 94 years of age, the poet suffered a cardiac arrest and breathed his last in the early hours of Christmas Day at a private hospital in Kolkata. His body was kept at Rabindra Sadan till evening to let his admirers pay their last respects.

Through his powerful writings, he exposed the hypocrisy and violent nature of the society with satire. He remained sensitive to urban philosophy, alive to social change and injustice. His poem Ulanga Raja brought him the Sahitya Akademi award in 1974. Amalkanti Roddur Hote Cheyechhilo, Kolkatar Jishu and Pahari Bichhe are among his other noted poems. Alongside his poems, his short stories were also very popular.

In various interviews, he repeatedly mentioned that his reality provides him the fuel for his writing. Writing poems had always been a conscious decision for him. His writings portray a vivid, and often graphic pictures of the society, for example, his poem Jongole Ek Unmadini was written 25 years after he witnessed a crazy woman in his neighborhood, who was sexually abused by men from different walks of life.

The writer penned his last poem for a magazine in November this year, which will be published in its upcoming issue at the Kolkata Book Fair.