Shankha Ghosh

Shankha Ghosh (Bangla: শঙ্খ ঘোষ) (1932-) is a Bengali Indian poet and critic. Ghosh was born on February 6, 1932 at Chandpur of what is now Bangladesh. Shankha Ghosh is regarded a leading authority on Rabindranath in addition to being one of the most prolific writers in Bangla.

Life

He got his undergraduate degree in Arts in Bengali language from the Presidency College, Kolkata in 1951 and subsequently his Master's degree from the University of Calcutta. He taught at many educational institutes, including Bangabasi College, City College (all affiliated to the University of Calcutta) and at Jadavpur University, all in Kolkata. He retired from Jadavpur University in 1992. He joined the Iowa Writer's Workshop, USA in 1960's. He has also taught Delhi University, the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies at Shimla, and at the Visva-Bharati University.

Awards

• Narsingh Das Puraskar (1977, for Muurkha baro, saamaajik nay)
• Sahitya Akademi Award (1977, for Baabarer praarthanaa)
• Rabindra-Puraskar (1989, for Dhum legechhe hrit kamale)
• Saraswati Samman for his anthology Gandharba Kabitaguccha^[1]
• Sahitya Akademi Award for translation (1999, for translation of raktakalyaan)
• Desikottam by Visva-Bharati (1999)
• Padma Bhushan by the Government of India (2011)

Selected works

• Adim lata-gulmomay (Ancient vines and trees)
• Murkha baro, samajik nay (A fool, not social)
• Kabir abhipray (The poet's intention)
• Mukh dheke jay bigyapane
• Babarer prarthana (Babur's prayer)

Quotations from works

... Eto jodi buhya chakra tir tirandaj, tabe keno
Sharir diyechho shudhu, barmo khani dite gechho bhule

... if so abundant are arrows and ambushes, then why
Have you only given a body, forgetting the body armor.

From poem Barma in Murkha baro, samajik nay

• "Four years have elapsed after Independence,the news reached people, but not the food."
• "It is so scary to write on oneself, prose talks so directly, lets know so much."
• "These days people no longer live in the jungle,but in Kolkata."
• "Not the front page,our identity lies in the short news inside pages of the newspaper."
• "This life encircled by protest and death,is attached to beauty."
• "We hardly see the complete in completeness."

References