Sukanta Bhattacharya
Bhattacharya in the 1940s
Born	(1926-08-15)15 August 1926 Kalighat, Bengal, British India (now West Bengal, India)
Died	13 May 1947(1947-05-13) (aged 20) Calcutta, Bengal, 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)

Sukanta Bhattacharya (Bengali: সুকান্ত ভট্টাচার্য) (Bhôṭṭācharjo^ⓘ; 15 August 1926 – 13 May 1947) was a Bengali poet.^[1]

He was called 'Young Nazrul' and 'Kishore Bidrohi Kobi', a reference to the great rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam for Sukanta's similar rebellious stance against the tyranny of the British Raj and the oppression by the social elites through the work of his poetry.^[2] He died from tuberculosis, three months before India achieved independence.

Works

As a poet as well as a Marxist he wielded his pen against the Second World War, the famine of 1943, fascist aggression, 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 poetry books are:

• Chharpatra (ছাড়পত্র) (1948)
• Ghum Nei (ঘুম নেই) (1950)
• Purbabhas (পূর্বাভাস) (1950)
• Abhijan (অভিযান) (1953)
• Mithe-Kadha (মিঠে-কড়া) (1951)
• Hartal (হরতাল) (1962)
• Giti Guccha (গীতিগুচ্ছ) (1965)

His works are deeply marked and influenced by his communist experience.^[3]

An excerpt from his poem Durmor (দুর্মর) signifies his love and passion towards his country.

Meaning in English: "Bravo Bangladesh! The world is amazed! fired, burned, died and destroyed, but never gave up!"^[4] Here 'Bangladesh' refers to the 'Undivided Bengal'.

Collections

• His complete writings were anthologised in Sukanta Samagra (সুকান্ত সমগ্র) (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 West and East Bengal.
• Patra Guchha (পত্রগুচ্ছ) (Letters).