Alokeranjan Dasgupta (6 October 1933 – 17 November 2020) was a
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
poet who was the author of over 20 books of poetry. He translated
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
and Santal poetry and plays into English and German, and also translated literature from
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
and
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
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into
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
. He also published a number of books of essays, and was well known for his distinctive prose style.
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Education
Dasgupta was born in 1933 in Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
. He studied at Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, and then at St. Xavier's College
A multitude of schools and universities have been named after St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish Roman Catholic saint and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. This page lists notable educational institutions named after St. Xavier, arranged by country a ...
, the Presidency College, and finally at the University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate State university (India), state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered ...
, gaining a Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
for his studies on the lyric in Indian poetry. He used also to be associated vigorously with the little magazines and translate the original German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
works into Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
.
Career
After completing his Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
, Dasgupta taught comparative literature and Bengali at the Department of Comparative Literature (founded by Buddhadeva Bose
Buddhadeva Bose (; 1908–1974), also spelt Buddhadeb Bosu, was an Indian Bengali writer of the 20th century. Frequently referred to as a poet, he was a versatile writer who wrote novels, short stories, plays and essays in addition to poetry. ...
) at Jadavpur University from 1957 until 1971, when he went to Germany on a Humboldt Foundation Fellowship. Since 1971, he taught at the faculty of the South Asia Institute of the University of Heidelberg
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Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...
, Germany. He was closely associated with the Deutsche-Indische Gessellschaft (DIG), which is a premier institution for promoting close links between India and Germany.
A poet much admired by his fellow poets and the wannabes, his poetry is known for both thematic and technical innovations. The German government
The Federal Cabinet or Federal Government (german: link=no, Bundeskabinett or ') is the chief executive body of the Federal Republic of Germany. It consists of the Federal Chancellor and cabinet ministers. The fundamentals of the cabinet's or ...
felicitated him for his contribution to bring together two different cultures together by awarding him the Goethe Medal in 1985.
Awards
Dasgupta received many awards and honors including the Sudha Basu award from the University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate State university (India), state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered ...
(1983), the Goethe Prize in Germany (1985), the Ananda Purashkar (1985), the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (1985), the Rabindra Puraskar
The Rabindra Puraskar (also Rabindra Smriti Puraskar) is the highest honorary literary award given in the Indian state of West Bengal. This award is named after the famous Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore and is administered by the Government of W ...
(1987), the Sahitya Akademi Award
The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...
(1992) for his book of poems ''Marami Karat'' (translated as ''The Mystical Saw and Other Poems'') and the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (2005).
Bibliography
* ''Saranarthir Ritu O Shilpa Bhabna'', Ananda Publishers, 1993. .
* ''Bhramane Nay Bhubane'', Ananda Publishers. .
* ''Chayapathera Sandra Samlapika'', Ananda Publishers. .
* ''Ekhanao Nameni, Bandhu, Niukliyara sitera Godhuli'', Ananda Publishers. .
* ''Jvarera Ghore Taraju Kempe Yaya''
* ''Samabayi silpera Garaje''
* ''Tushara Jure Trisulacihna''
* ''Problems of Translation from South Asian Languages'' (by Universitat Heidelberg, Alokeranjan Dasgupta)
* ''The Lyric In Indian Poetry'' (1962)
* ''The Mystical Saw and Other Poems'' (by Roland Hindmarsh, Sahitya Akademi, Alokeranjan Dasgupta) (1996)
* ''Satabarshikira alochayaya'' (2000)
* ''The Shadow of a Kite and Other Essays'' (2004)
* ''Alo Aro Alo'' (Collection of poems) (Abhijan Publishers, 2009)
* ''Se Ki Khunje Pelo Iswerkana'' (Collection of poems) (Abhijan Publishers, 2012)
* ''Nirishwar Pakhider Upasonalaye'' (Collection of poems) (Abhijan Publishers, 2013)
* ''Ekhon Nabhonil Amar Tahabil'' (Collection of poems) (Abhijan Publishers, 2014)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dasgupta, Alokeranjan
20th-century Indian poets
20th-century Bengali poets
Bengali Hindus
1933 births
2020 deaths
20th-century Bengalis
21st-century Bengalis
Bengali male poets
Bengali poets
Bengali writers
Translators from German
Translators to Bengali
Translators from Bengali
Indian poets
Indian translators
Indian male poets
Indian male writers
Indian male essayists
20th-century Indian translators
21st-century Indian translators
20th-century Indian writers
21st-century Indian writers
20th-century Indian male writers
21st-century Indian male writers
21st-century Indian poets
20th-century Indian essayists
21st-century Indian essayists
Jadavpur University faculty
Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Bengali
Recipients of the Ananda Purashkar
Poets from West Bengal
Visva-Bharati University alumni
University of Calcutta alumni
Writers from Kolkata
Recipients of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman