Bengali poet Nirendranath Chakraborty dead

Famous Bengali poet Nirendranath Chakraborty died at a hospital here Tuesday following a massive cardiac arrest, his family said.

Chakraborty was 94.

He was admitted to the private hospital on Monday due to age-related ailments including acute breathing problem and suffered the cardiac arrest at midnight, the family said.

He breathed his last at around 12.25 pm.

Chakraborty is survived by his two daughters. His wife had died in January this year.

Born in 1924 at Faridpur in undivided Bengal, Chakraborty was a dominant figure in the modern Bengali literary field.

His first book of poems 'Nil Nirjone' was published in 1954 when he was 30 years old.

He won the Sahitya Akademi award in 1974 for his poem 'Ulanga Raja' (naked king) which mocked the social set up.

His 'Amalkanti Roddur Hote Cheyechhilo' (Ammalkanto wanted to be the sunshine), 'Kolkatar Jishu' (Christ of Kolkata) and 'Pahari Bichhe' (Mountain scorpion) are considered his two other cult poems.

He remained active in literary activities till he became seriously ill.

Chakraborty had been associated with leading Bengali magazine 'Desh' and 'Anandamela' for children, whose editor he had been for years, and some well known other magazines.

In November, he had penned a poem for a magazine which will be published in its upcoming Kolkata Book Fair issue.

Chakraborty had penned more than 47 books, many of them for children, apart from 12 novels and numerous essays on different issues.

He was also a recipient of 'Ananda Purashkar' and was the president of Paschimbango Bangla Akademi.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed grief over the death.

"This is a big loss for all of us. His immense contributions to Bengali literature will keep him alive forever," the CM said in a tweet