“If I become the savage humanity of the primitive
I will raise the ashes of my relatives in the cremation ground
I will raise them up …..
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Sukanta Bhattacharya ___
Sukanta Bhattacharya (15 August 1926 – 13 May 1947) was a Bengali poet, playwright, short-story writer, journalist, editor, lyricist, and revolutionary activist, widely regarded as one of the key figures of modern Bengali poetry in the 20th century.
He is often called the “Young Nazrul,” “Kishore Bidrohi Kobi” (Teenage Rebel Poet), or “Kishore Kabi” for his rebellious, socially committed verse that challenged British colonial rule, fascism, World War II, the 1943 Bengal famine, communal violence, and social inequality. Despite a writing career of only about six years and death at age 20 (just three months short of his 21st birthday and India’s independence on his birthday), his posthumously published works made him one of the most popular Bengali poets of the era. His poetry blends Marxist-inspired social realism and humanism with romantic and lyrical elements, focusing on the struggles of ordinary people and a vision of an exploitation-free society.
Early Life and Background
Bhattacharya was born in Kalighat, Calcutta (now Kolkata), in the Bengal Presidency of British India, at his maternal uncle’s home. His ancestral roots were in Kotalipara (Faridpur district, now in Bangladesh). His father, Nibaran Chandra Bhattacharya, ran Saraswat Library (a publishing and bookselling business); his mother was Suniti Devi (who died of cancer when he was young). He was one of several siblings in a joint family environment that exposed him early to literature, including Rabindranath Tagore’s works, the epics (Ramayana and Mahabharata), and children’s rhymes.
He attended Kamala Vidyamandir and later Beleghata Deshbandhu (or Deshbandhu Beliaghata) High School. He showed little interest in formal schooling, preferring writing, radio, and play. He began composing poems as a child (around age 8–9), with early works appearing in school magazines. Family losses (including his sister Ranidi and mother) deeply affected him and appeared in his writing. He failed the Entrance examination in 1945 and dropped out of formal education.
Political and Literary Activism
From his early teens, Bhattacharya engaged in student movements and leftist politics. He participated in famine relief during the devastating 1943 Bengal famine (which killed millions) and formally joined the Communist Party of India in 1944 at age 18. He helped found or lead Kishore Bahini (Youth Brigade), a leftist organization for children and teens, and served as its first secretary. He edited the children’s section (“Kishore Sabha”) of the Communist Party’s Bengali daily Swadhinata and contributed to anti-fascist literary efforts, including editing the anthology Akal (Famine, 1944) for the Society of Anti-Fascist Writers and Artists.
His poetry responded directly to contemporary crises: the Second World War, Japanese advances and bombings in the region, fascist aggression, colonial oppression, and the suffering of workers, peasants, and the urban poor. He wrote while bedridden at times due to illness (including malaria after a trip to Banaras/Varanasi and later tuberculosis).
