Sukanta Bhattacharya: Young Poet with a Mature Hand in Bengali Literature

With the name of the poet Sukanta Bhattacharya the first thing that comes to mind is “Ranar”, the famous poem. I read it first in my Bengali textbook from class five. The poem was later sung as a song by Hemanta Mukhopaddhay.

Shukanta was born in Calcutta in 1926. When he grew up, World War II was underway and the heat of the war was also felt in British-ruled Bengal. It was a turning point in the history of Bengal. The anti-British movement was on the march and also the economy of Bengal was in very bad condition, resulting in a man-made famine in 1943. Sukanto was born, observed and described the problems of society and the suffering of the people. of that time. Sukanta during her school life became involved in the left-wing political movement. He was deeply influenced by Marxist thoughts and ideals.

In his poems he described contemporary social problems such as hunger, war, the suffering of the poor, especially farmers and day laborers. During the famine of 1943 he became a lifeguard for the peasants who came to Calcutta. He also worked with jute mill trade organizations. Sukanta died of tuberculosis when she was only twenty-one years old. In such a short time he wrote many poets and plays. Some of his works are Chhadpatra (1947), Purbabhas (1950), Mithekada (1951), Abhiyan (1953), Ghum Nei (1954), Hartal (1962), Gitiguchchha (1965).

In my writing I want to talk about two of his famous poems and they are also my favorites. The first is “Chhadpatra”, a poem where the poet speaks of an infant who has just been born and declares his arrival through crying. The poet says that the baby has come into this world and now we have to make room for this baby. The poet says that sometimes the baby cries, sometimes laughs and makes noise but nobody understands. People get irritated but the poet understands their language. It is the hope of a new world, a new place. People will die and this newborn baby will take their place and thus the cycle of human life will advance. Here the poet is actually referring to the contemporary condition of his time of war, piece, famine and instability in life. The poet did not lose faith in the human being. He hopes that the next generation will learn from the faults of their elders and try to make the world a better place. The newborn baby is that sign of hope.

Another poem is “Ranar”. It is the story of a simple postman or Daak Harkara. In those days the communication system was not very developed. The postman’s job is to move letters and money orders and other important messages from one post office to another. This was a very strenuous and risky job as well. The postman has to travel long distances and work at night. There are thieves and robbers hiding on the road. Ranar is a postman who risks his life every day and carries important letters and money for people. Ranar is a very poor person. He carries letters for everyone, but no one wants to hear from him. It lives from hand to mouth. Ranar here is the representative of the working class. The poet describes here the suffering of those poor people who go unnoticed but whose hard work contributes to human society.

Both poems are very wordy and well written. They are loaded with very emotional words. Both poems focus on the same theme: a new dawn of human society, a ray of hope. The hope of a new world where people do not oppress or destroy each other. It will be a world free from war, disease and famine. The newborn boy and Ranar are the messenger of that new world.