<i>Poet Sukanta still unknown to many at ancestral village</i>

13 August 2009, 17:00 PM

A Correspondent, Gopalganj

Today is poet Sukanta Bhattacharya's 83rd birth anniversary but there is no arrangement under government or private initiative to observe the day in his ancestral home at Unshia village under Kotalipara upazila of Gopalganj. Locals are hardly aware that the poet, during his short lifespan of 21 years, made great contribution to Bangla literature through his vigorous writings for the cause of the downtrodden. Sukanta was born on 30th Sraban in Bangla year 1333 at his maternal uncle's house at Mohima Halder Street in Kolkata. No member of the poet's family now live at Unshia village as they migrated to India after the 1947 partition, leaving property including dwelling house on over one acre of land. However, the authorities have recently evicted illegal occupiers from the poet's ancestral homestead and following the government initiative to set up a library there, the district administration has selected a contractor through tender. The structure of the house during the poet's lifetime does not exist now. The government should take steps to observe Sukanta's birth and death anniversaries in recognition to the poet's contribution to Bangla literature, said advocate Delwar Hossain Sarder, executive director of local NGO Kabi Sukanta Seba Sangha, and local college teacher Gouranga Chowdhury. Asked about observance of Sukanta's birth anniversary, Kotalipara Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mahmud Kabir said, “There is no directive from the higher authorities in this regard.” He, however, said this time the upazila administration will try to observe the day, at least on a limited scale.