Jyotirmoy Datta
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Born: | 1936 Bengal, India |
|---|---|
| Occupation: | Journalist |
Jyotirmoy Datta is a Bengali writer, journalist, poet, and an essayist. He worked for The Statesman, Calcutta's oldest English-language daily, as feature writer, correspondent, and associate editor. He visited the University of Chicago as a lecturer, 1966-1968, and also did a residency at the University of Iowa. He has published 2 books of verse. Datta is a calm man who currently lives in Hillsborough, New Jersey, in New York City, where he works as a jounalist with "Desi Talk" and as an Arts Editor for "News India Times". He attends many poetry readings in Manhattan and Queens and is a famous figure among the Indians and New York poets.
Datta was born in West Bengal in 1936, but grew up in various places in India, mostly South India. He had nine siblings in all and his parents kept having children until he was about 45. He was brought up in forest areas and was 11 when India gained independence from the British. His wife, Minakshi Bose plays an important role in the "Tagore Society of New York". Minakshi Bose is the daughter of another important figure in Bengali poetry, Buddhadev Bose.
Datta was in conflict with Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the late 1970s. He wrote a story critical of her in his magazine "Kolkata". His family was watched by the Indian government in this time period. He was never caught during the period and jumped three stories once to escape from them. His ankle was badly injured because of this event.
Datta is the father of two children. His daughter, Kankawati Datta, has written a few books and is currently working on the launch of "Personae" magazine. His son, Mallinath Datta, is an independent film director who directed "Full Masti", an Indian comedy that got attention from the American community as a good film but from the Indian community as a so called "dirty movie".
