On Wednesday morning, 21st April 2021, highly reputed Bengali poet Shankha Ghosh (aged 89) passed away. He was in home isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 on April 14.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and other dignitaries expressed their condolences and paid their tribute on his passing.
Shri Shankha Ghosh will be remembered for his contributions to Bengali and Indian literature. His works were widely read and admired. Saddened by his demise. Condolences to his family and friends. Om Shanti.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 21, 2021
Ghosh had several comorbidities and was hospitalised a few months ago. After testing positive, he was reluctant to go to the hospital, following which his family decided to keep him in home isolation after consulting with the doctors.
Considered to be an authority on Rabindranath Tagore, his famous works include Adim Lata – Gulmomay and Murkha Baro Samajik Nay, among other books. The poet was vocal about contemporary issues and was also seen at the forefront during many political upheavals in the state including the Nandigram violence.
- In 2011, he was awarded Padma Bhushan and in 2016 he received the Jnanpith Award. In 1977, he received the Sahitya Akademi Award for his book ‘Babarer Prarthana‘.
According to a PTI report, poet Subodh Sarkar said COVID-19 snatched away Ghosh when he was needed the most as “the state was faced with the threat of fascism”. “He was soft-spoken but his pen was razor-sharp, always speaking against intolerance. He used to be a participant in all conventions and movements for free and liberal thinking,” Sarkar said.
He is survived by his daughters Semanti and Srabanti, and wife Pratima. Ghosh was born on February 6, 1932, at Chandpur in present-day Bangladesh.
We at the Su-Niti News pay our deepest condolences on the demise of the poet.
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