Samir Chakraborty and Modern Bengali Poetry of North Bengal/ সমীর চক্রবর্তী ও উত্তরবঙ্গের আধুনিক বাংলা কবিতা

Abstract

Modernity entered the Bengali poetry of North Bengal during the post-independence period. In the pre-independence era, Bengali poetry here followed Rabindra. The main reason for this is the peaceful lifestyle of North Bengal. The major historical events of the pre-independence period such as the anti-partition movement, the First and Second World Wars, the Non-Cooperation Act, the Quit India Movement, etc. did not affect North Bengal that much. Even Western intellectualism, individualism, decay of social values, unemployment, depression, loneliness which formed the mindset of modern poetry were not so active in North Bengal. Therefore, till the 1950s, the poets of North Bengal wrote love-nature and romantic lyrical poems. The social conflict was not so evident in their writings.

            From the 1950s onwards, the poets of North Bengal became increasingly obsessed with the complexities of life. Already many expected independence dreams have been broken due to the pain of partition. As a result of partition, lakhs of refugees started taking shelter in different parts of North Bengal. As a result, there was a radical change in demographics. On the other hand, the trend of social movement which had mainly influenced North Bengal through Tevaga since the pre-independence period became more intense during this period. The impact and reaction of various programs of mobilizing the people of Leftist parties, food movement, farmers movement, railway workers movement, tea workers movement, Naxal movement etc. endangers the poets of North Bengal. Along with the improvement of communication with Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, the administrative needs of the capital with the districts, the expansion of education, the ideas of modern poetry began to gain clarity in the intellectual circles of North Bengal.

              As a result, modern Bengali poetry gradually began in the beginning of the sixties. And in this case Samir Chakraborty was the foremost poet. The signs of modernity are evident in his poetry as well as in his style. In Samir Chakraborty's poetry, the social problems like partition, refugee life suffering, Naxal movement etc. come directly. He has managed to create his own path and scope both in terms of style and language. It is through him that the Bengali poetry of North Bengal abandoned the old style and advanced in the direction of modernity.