Samudra Gupta (poet)
Encyclopedia
Samudra Gupta was an Bangladeshi
poet
and journalist
. Gupta was a strong critic
of both communalism
and Islamic fundamentalism
, and expressed his opposition to these ideologies within his writings.
Gupta was born Abdul Mannan on June 23, 1946, in Hashil village in Sirajganj District
. Mannan adopted the pseudonym
of Samudra Gupta during the 1960s and was widely recognized by his pen name during his life and career. He took part in the start of the uprising against Pakistan beginning in 1969 and fought in the Bangladesh Liberation War
.
Gupta was originally a journalist by profession. He worked as different daily and weekly newspapers throughout Bangladesh. Gupta also served as the general secretary
of the country's National Poetry Council.
He wrote thirteen books of poetry
during his career, as well as one work of fiction
and an additionally book of poetry as a collaboration with another writer. he also released many articles and short stories and served as the editor of several books.
Gupta's most famous writings include Rode Jholshano Mukh, Swapnamongol Kabyo, Ekhono Utthan Achhey, Chokhey Chokh Rekhey, Ekaki Roudrer Dike and Shekorer Shokey. His writings have been translated from Bengali
into Chinese
, French
, Sinhalese, English
, Hindi
, Japanese
, Urdu
, Norwegian
and Nepali
.
He was a recipient of the Jessore Literature Award and the Humayun Kabir Award for literature
. Additionally, Gupta was also awarded the Poet Vishnu Dey Award and the Language Day Honour by the government of the Indian state of Tripura
.
Samudra Gupta died of gallbladder cancer
on July 19, 2008, at the Narayana Hridayalaya Hospital in Bangalore, India. He had been hospitalized in India
for treatment since July 3, 2008. Gupta, who was 62 when he died, was survived by his wife and two daughters. He was buried at Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard.
Tributes flowed for Gupta from across Bangladesh. The Primary and Mass Education Adviser Rasheda K Chowdhury was quoted in a statement as saying that, "The nation has lost a renowned poet." The leaders of the Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi noted that Gupta's "fervent writing against communalism
, fundamentalism
and imperialism
would remain alive for all the progressive people in the country" and hoped that his poems would continue to inspire democratic reforms throughout Bangladesh.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. Gupta was a strong critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
of both communalism
Communalism
Communalism is a term with three distinct meanings according to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary'.'These include "a theory of government or a system of government in which independent communes participate in a federation". "the principles and practice of communal ownership"...
and Islamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism is a term used to describe religious ideologies seen as advocating a return to the "fundamentals" of Islam: the Quran and the Sunnah. Definitions of the term vary. According to Christine L...
, and expressed his opposition to these ideologies within his writings.
Gupta was born Abdul Mannan on June 23, 1946, in Hashil village in Sirajganj District
Sirajganj District
Sirajganj is a district in Northern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Rajshahi Division .It's a beautiful district town which have a long tradition and very strong cultural trend...
. Mannan adopted the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Samudra Gupta during the 1960s and was widely recognized by his pen name during his life and career. He took part in the start of the uprising against Pakistan beginning in 1969 and fought in the Bangladesh Liberation War
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
.
Gupta was originally a journalist by profession. He worked as different daily and weekly newspapers throughout Bangladesh. Gupta also served as the general secretary
General secretary
-International intergovernmental organizations:-International nongovernmental organizations:-Sports governing bodies:...
of the country's National Poetry Council.
He wrote thirteen books of poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
during his career, as well as one work of fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
and an additionally book of poetry as a collaboration with another writer. he also released many articles and short stories and served as the editor of several books.
Gupta's most famous writings include Rode Jholshano Mukh, Swapnamongol Kabyo, Ekhono Utthan Achhey, Chokhey Chokh Rekhey, Ekaki Roudrer Dike and Shekorer Shokey. His writings have been translated from Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
into Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Sinhalese, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
and Nepali
Nepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
.
He was a recipient of the Jessore Literature Award and the Humayun Kabir Award for literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
. Additionally, Gupta was also awarded the Poet Vishnu Dey Award and the Language Day Honour by the government of the Indian state of Tripura
Tripura
Tripura is a state in North-East India, with an area of . It is the third smallest state of India, according to area. Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on the north, south, and west. The Indian states of Assam and Mizoram lie to the east. The capital is Agartala and the main languages spoken are...
.
Samudra Gupta died of gallbladder cancer
Gallbladder cancer
Gallbladder cancer is a relatively uncommon cancer. It has peculiar geographical distribution being common in central and South America, central and eastern Europe, Japan and northern India; it is also common in certain ethnic groups e.g. Native American Indians and Hispanics. If it is diagnosed...
on July 19, 2008, at the Narayana Hridayalaya Hospital in Bangalore, India. He had been hospitalized in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
for treatment since July 3, 2008. Gupta, who was 62 when he died, was survived by his wife and two daughters. He was buried at Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard.
Tributes flowed for Gupta from across Bangladesh. The Primary and Mass Education Adviser Rasheda K Chowdhury was quoted in a statement as saying that, "The nation has lost a renowned poet." The leaders of the Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi noted that Gupta's "fervent writing against communalism
Communalism
Communalism is a term with three distinct meanings according to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary'.'These include "a theory of government or a system of government in which independent communes participate in a federation". "the principles and practice of communal ownership"...
, fundamentalism
Fundamentalism
Fundamentalism is strict adherence to specific theological doctrines usually understood as a reaction against Modernist theology. The term "fundamentalism" was originally coined by its supporters to describe a specific package of theological beliefs that developed into a movement within the...
and imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
would remain alive for all the progressive people in the country" and hoped that his poems would continue to inspire democratic reforms throughout Bangladesh.