বিশশতকের পঞ্চাশের বাংলা কবিতা : প্রসঙ্গ দুই বাংলা/ Bengali Poetry of the 1950s in the Twentieth Century: The Context of the Two Bengals

Abstract

The decade of the 1950s occupies a unique and transformative position in the history of modern Bengali poetry. This article explores the poetic developments of the period by examining the literary trajectories of both West Bengal (India) and East Bengal (then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh) within their shared linguistic and cultural heritage as well as their distinct socio-political realities. The Partition of India in 1947 created two separate political entities, profoundly influencing the themes, sensibilities, and aesthetic orientations of Bengali poets on both sides of the border.

           In West Bengal, the trauma of Partition, the refugee crisis, post-Independence disillusionment, economic instability, and the search for individual identity shaped the poetic consciousness of the younger generation. While many poets were influenced by socialist and Marxist thought, the poetry of the decade gradually shifted from overt political commitment to a deeper exploration of personal experience, emotion, language, and artistic freedom. Literary journals such as ‘Shatabhisha’ and ‘Krittibas’ played a decisive role in introducing innovative poetic language and modernist sensibilities. The contributions of poets including Sunil Gangopadhyay, Shakti Chattopadhyay, Shankha Ghosh, Alokranjan Dasgupta, Binoy Majumdar, and others are examined in this context.

           The article also analyses the parallel yet distinct evolution of poetry in East Bengal. The Language Movement of 1952 emerged as the defining historical force behind the poetic imagination of the period. Bengali poets of East Pakistan transformed linguistic identity,

           nationalism, humanism, and cultural resistance into powerful poetic expressions. The works of Shamsur Rahman, Hasan Hafizur Rahman, Syed Shamsul Haq, Abu Zafar Obaidullah, Al Mahmud, and their contemporaries established a new poetic discourse rooted in both modernist experimentation and indigenous cultural consciousness.

           By adopting a comparative perspective, the article argues that despite differing political experiences, the poets of the two Bengals remained connected through a common literary tradition while simultaneously creating distinct poetic identities. The 1950s thus represent not merely a chronological phase but a decisive turning point in the evolution of modern Bengali poetry. The decade permanently reshaped Bengali poetic language, aesthetics, and sensibility, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to inspire subsequent generations of poets and readers across both Bengals.