Sukanta Bhattacharya

Sukanta Bhattacharya (Sukāntô Bhôṭṭācārjô^ⓘ; 15 August 1926 – 13 May 1947) was a Bengali poet.^[1] He was called "Young Nazrul" and Kishore Bidrohi Kobi (lit. 'Teenaged Rebel Poet'), a reference to Kazi Nazrul Islam, for his similar rebellious stance against the British Raj and the social elites through the work of poetry.^[2]

Sukanta Bhattacharya
Bhattacharya in the 1940s
Born	(1926-08-15)15 August 1926 Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India (now West Bengal, India)
Died	13 May 1947(1947-05-13) (aged 20) Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India (now West Bengal, India)
Pen name	Kishore Kabi
Occupation	Poet, writer
Language	Bengali
Nationality	British India
Genre	Poet, short-story writer, playwright
Subject	Literature
Literary movement	Bengali Renaissance
Notable works	Chharpatra Purbabhash Ghum Nei Hortal Abhizan
Parents	Nibaran Chandra Bhattacharya (father) Suniti Devi (mother)
Relatives	Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee (nephew)

Poetic style and influence

As a Marxist poet, he wielded his pen against fascist aggression, the Second World War, the Bengal famine of 1943, communal riots etc. His poems, which describe the sufferings of the common people and their struggle for existence, look forward to an exploitation-free society.^[3] His works are deeply marked and influenced by his communist experience.^[3] His poetry books include:

• Chharpatra (1948)
• Ghum Nei (1950)
• Purbabhas (1950)
• Abhijan (1953)
• Mithe-Kadha (1951)
• Hartal (1962)
• Giti Guccha (1965)

An excerpt from his poem Durmor signifies his love and passion towards his country:

সাবাস বাংলাদেশ!
এ পৃথিবী অবাক তাকিয়ে রয়
জ্বলে পুড়ে মরে ছারখার
তবু মাথা নোয়াবার নয়।

Meaning in English: "Bravo Bangladesh!^[a] The world is amazed! fired, burned, died and destroyed, but never gave up!"^[4]

Death and legacy

Plaque dedicated to Sukanta Bhattacharya at Kadurkhil High School, Chittagong, Bangladesh.

He died from tuberculosis, three months before the Partition of India. He was a paternal uncle of Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, former Chief Minister of West Bengal.

Collections

• His complete writings were anthologised in Sukanta Samagra (Complete Works of Sukanta) (1967), published by the Saraswat Library, Kolkata was edited by Subhash Mukhopadhyay. This includes all the printed texts, some lesser known writings, his plays and stories, which include Khudha (Hunger), Durboddho (Incomprehensible), Bhadralok (Gentleman) and Daradi Kishorer Svapna (Dream of a Compassionate Adolescent), an article, Chhanda O Abritti and also a selection of letters. It was published posthumously from both the West and the East Bengal.^{[citation needed]}
• Patra Guchha (Letters).^{[citation needed]}