Jyotirmoy Datta (; born 1936) is a Bengali writer, journalist, poet, and an essayist. He worked for '' The Statesman'', Calcutta's oldest English-language daily, as feature writer, film critic, correspondent, and associate editor. He visited the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

as a lecturer, 1966–1968, and also did a residency at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

. He has published 2 books of verse, several novels and collections of essays and short stories. Datta currently lives in

Hillsborough Township, New Jersey Hillsborough Township is a township in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located in the Raritan Valley region, the township is a suburban and exurban bedroom community of New York City within the New York Metropolitan Area. A ...

, near New York City, where he works as an Editor for South Asia Journal. He attends many poetry readings in Manhattan and Queens and is a famous figure among the Indians and New York poets. Datta was born in

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

in 1936, but grew up in various places in India, mostly

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

. He had nine siblings in all. He was brought up in forest areas and was 11 when India gained independence from the British. His wife, Minakshi Datta, is the past President of "

Tagore Society of New York Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renaissance. He ...

". Minakshi Datta is the daughter of another important figure in Bengali poetry,

Buddhadev Bose Buddhadeva Bose (;2 September 1908 – 14 August 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 ...

. Her mother was the singer and writer, Protibha Bose, many of whose novels have been bestsellers and have been made into hit movies. Datta was in conflict with Indian Prime Minister

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

in the late 1970s. He wrote a story critical of her in his magazine

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

. His family was watched by the Indian government in this time period. He had to become a fugitive for more than two years and once jumped from a three-story house to escape from the police. His ankle was badly injured because of this event. He was finally captured by the police and was imprisoned at the Presidency Jail in Calcutta. However, six months into his imprisonment, the elections were held and he was released. Indira Gandhi was defeated and all charges against him were dropped. After coming back to freedom in triumph, Datta went on an expedition on a sailing boat from Calcutta to

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. Datta is the father of two children. His daughter, Kankawati Datta, has written a few books and is the editor "

Personae A persona (plural personae or personas) is a strategic mask of identity in public, the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional character. It is also considered "an intermediary between the indiv ...

" magazine. His son, Mallinath Datta, is an executive at a large advertising agency and also an independent film director who directed Full Masti. Datta, along with

Sunil Gangopadhyay Sunil Gangopadhyay or Sunil Ganguly (September 7, 1934 – October 23, 2012) was an Indian poet, novelist, short story writer, and critic. He played a key role in modernizing Bengali poetry and co-founded the 1953 Avant-garde, avant-gra ...

Tarun Sanyal Tarun or Tharun is a word from Sanskrit. It is a male given name, meaning "Young man". Notable people with the given name Tarun include: * Tarun (Telugu actor) (born 1992), up coming hero & directors of world cinema * Tarun Arora, Indian actor in ...

and

Satrajit Datta Satrajit (), also rendered Satrajita, is a Yadava king in Hinduism. He had ten wives and three daughters named Satyabhama, Bratini, and Prasvapini who were all married to Krishna. He is described to be a great devotee of Surya, the sun god. He is ...

were defense witnesses in the trial of

Hungryalist The Hungry Generation () was a literary movement in the Bengali language launched by what is known today as the Hungryalist quartet, i.e. Shakti Chattopadhyay, Malay Roy Choudhury, Samir Roychoudhury and Debi Roy (''alias'' Haradhon Dhara), dur ...

poet

Malay Roy Choudhury Malay Roy Choudhury (29 October 1939 – 26 October 2023) was an Indian Bengali poet, playwright, short story writer, essayist and novelist who founded the Hungryalist movement in the 1960s. Early life and education Malay Roy Choudhury was ...

, which shows his greatness, since he did not agree with the

school of poetry.

References

External links

Datta's Poetry at Shabdaguchha: Bengali Poetry Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Datta, Jyotirmoy Indian male journalists Bengali male poets Indian male essayists 1936 births Living people People from Hillsborough Township, New Jersey Indian male poets 20th-century Indian essayists 20th-century Indian poets Writers from Kolkata 20th-century Indian male writers