Birth centenary of poet Nirendranath Chakraborty celebrated with aplomb

Kolkata: The birth centenary of legendary poet and novelist Nirendranath Chakraborty, celebrated by Bangla Akademi on Saturday, revealed many lesser-known aspects of the literary giant. Known as the ‘guardian of Bengali literature’, Nirendranath’s interests ranged from watching English Premier League and Mohun Bagan and East Bengal matches to a deep fascination for William Shakespeare.

Renowned author Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, artist Shuvaprasanna, author Madhushree Sen Sanyal and Binata Roy Chowdhury were present to celebrate the birth centenary of the iconic poet at Bangla Akademi. One of the event’s key moments was the release of a book dedicated to the poet’s centenary, edited by Alapan Bandyopadhyay, Chief Advisor to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and the poet’s daughter, Sonali Chakraborty Bandopadhyay. The book has been published by Parul Boi.

For Mukhopadhyay, Nirendranath was more than just a mentor, he was like an elder brother. “I learned so much from him about words, rhythm and the intricacies of Bengali language. His mastery of the language was truly remarkable. The guidance and care I received from him throughout my writing career were unmatched,” said the author. After graduating from Calcutta University, Nirendranath briefly worked as a journalist and even travelled to Lucknow to interview Satyajit Ray on the set of ‘Shatranj Ke Khilari’. In 1954, at the age of 30, he published his first collection of poems, ‘Neel Nirjan’, marking the start of an illustrious literary journey. His works, such as ‘Kolkatar Jishu’ and ‘Batasi’, gained widespread popularity and in 1974, he received the Sahitya Akademi Award for his poem ‘Ulanga Raja’ (The Naked King).