Curtains fall on poet Nirendranath Chakraborty’s centenary celebrations

Kolkata: From his love for Kolkata to his role as a protector of the Bengali language, the special lecture on legendary poet and author Nirendranath Chakraborty by Prof Dipesh Chakraborty at Bangla Akademi on Saturday proved to be both enlightening and engaging for literary enthusiasts and students alike.

The centenary celebrations, which began in October 2024, concluded successfully at Bangla Akademi. On Saturday, the Poet Nirendranath Chakraborty Birth Centenary Celebratory Committee hosted the final event of the series at Bangla Akademi.

Tourism minister Indranil Sen, along with members of Nirendranath’s family, paid tribute to the legend. Renowned personalities such as acclaimed author Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, former West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, also Nirendranath’s son-in-law, poet Subodh Sarkar and author Pracheta Gupta also graced the occasion. A special calendar dedicated to the poet was unveiled.

Prof Dipesh Chakraborty shared personal anecdotes, mentioning how his mother knew the celebrated poet and novelist.

He also noted that Nirendranath’s son, Krishnarup, had been his classmate. During his lecture titled ‘Kobir Kaaj’, Prof Chakraborty read excerpts from ‘Kolkatar Jishu’, highlighting the poet’s strong connection with the city.

Earlier, Shirshendu credited Nirendranath for inspiring him to write for children, a turning point in his career.

Nirendranath, born on October 19, 1924, in the Faridpur district of undivided India, graduated from Calcutta University and began his career as a journalist. While he wrote fiction, memoirs, and essays, he is most celebrated for his poetry.

At the age of 30, in 1954, Nirendranath Chakraborty published his first poetry collection, ‘Neel Nirjan’, marking the beginning of an extraordinary literary journey. Nirendranath Chakraborty’s works, including ‘Kolkatar Jishu’ and ‘Batasi’, became widely loved, and in 1974, he was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for his iconic poem ‘Ulanga Raja’ (The Naked King).