Shakti Chattopadhay(November 25, 1934 - March 23, 1995) was among the greatest of Bengali poets. Shakti started writing in 1950s, but is usually associated with the generation of poets in 1960's. Regarded with great acclaim in Bengali Literature, Shakti is equally well known for his legendary bohemian lifestyle. Most of Shakti's life was spent in Kolkata, India. During Allen Ginsberg’s stay in India, the American poet is said to have developed a close friendship with Chattopadhay, and both are said to have influenced each other in various ways. Shakti Chattopadhyay’s first collection of poems, named (Hay Prem, Hay Noihshôbdo (O Love, O silence) came out in 1962. These poems were written at Chaibasa, Singbhum district in Bihar (now in Jharkhand) where he was guest of Samir Roychoudhury for a few years and fell in love with Samir's sister-in-law, which changed Shakti from a novelist to the best lyrical poet after Rabindranath Tagore. In the next thirty-two years, he wrote around two thousand five hundred poems which were published through forty-five books. Along with Sunil Gangopadhyay, Shakti remains the most famous poet of his generation. He was the leader of the Hungryalists, also known as the Hungry Generation poets. Shakti also became a close friend of Sunil Gangopadhyay and both worked tirelessly for Bengali legenadry poetry Magazine Krittibas. With Sunil, he was instrumental in the influential Krittibash magazine. These two poets are often referred together as "Sunil-Shakti" due to their friendship, poems and personal exploits. Shakti Chattopadhyay also enriched Bengali poetry through his collection of translated poems fromvarious languages. He was the co-editor of 1st Negro Poetry Collections in Bengali. In 1983, he received the Sahitya Akademi Award for his collection of entitled (Jete Pari Kintu Kêno Jabo (I can go but why?).
POETRY BY SHAKTI CHATTOPADHAYA
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