Eminent Bengali poet Nirendranath Chakraborty passes away

Veteran  Bengali poet Nirendranath Chakraborty has passed away. He died in a Kolkata hospital on Tuesday afternoon. He was 94 years old and was suffering from breathing problem in the last few months. Chakraborty suffered a massive heart attack in the morning and couldn't recover from it. 

Alongside poetry, Nirendranath Chakraborty was well known for his short stories and novels. But it is his iconic lines like Amalkanti Amar Bandhu. she roddur hote cheyechilo ( Amonlkanti is my friend, he wants to sunrays), which are frequently used even now has ensured that Chakraborty's legacy will endure the test of time in Bengali literature. He also gained critical acclaim for his poetry book Ulongo Raja (The naked king). It exposed the hypocrisy and back-scratching of the contemporary society with biting satire. He won the prestigious Sahitya Academy prize for Ulongo Raja. Kolkatar Jishu was another of his well-received work. 

West Bengal chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her sorrow at the passing away of eminent poet. 

Saddened at the passing of poet Nirendranath Chakrabarty. It’s a great loss to us all. His contribution to Bengali literature was immense and he will be always remembered through his works. We had felicitated him with 'Banga Bibhushan' award in 2017.Condolences to his family

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 25, 2018

Apart from Banga Bibhushan, Chakraborty won other notable awards include Ananada Shiromani award, Tarashankar award.  He also got an honourary Doctorate degree from Calcutta University. Born in Faridpur, Nirendranath came to Kolkata in 1930. His first book of poem Nil Nirjon was published in 1954. Nirendranath never looked back after that earning a prominent place in the rich heritage of Bengali literature.