''Ruposhi Bangla'' (, Beautiful Bengal) is the most popular collection of poems by

Jibanananda Das Jibanananda Das (17 February 1899 – 22 October 1954) was a Bengali poet, writer, novelist and essayist in the Bengali language. Popularly called "Rupashi Banglar Kabi'' ('Poet of Beautiful Bengal'), Das is the most read Bengali poet after Rab ...

, the great modern Bengali poet.

History

It was written in 1934, the sixty-two sonnets - discovered in an exercise-book twenty years after Das wrote them - achieved instant popularity on their posthumous publication in 1957, becoming a totemic symbol of freedom in Bangladesh's 1971 War of Independence. In ''Ruposhi Bangla,'' Das seamlessly blends in both real and mythical historical figures, as well as mythical creatures such as the ''shuk'' bird, weaving a tapestry of a beautiful, dreamlike Bengal The poems celebrate the beauty of

Barishal Barisal ( or ; , ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal District and Barisal Divi ...

. In these poems infused with a scent of unrequited love, Jibanananda Das captured his country's soul through evocations of village life and natural beauty.

Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligraphy, calligrapher, and composer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influ ...

designed the cover of 1957 edition.

References

Bengali poetry 1934 poetry books Works by Jibanananda Das 1957 poetry books Indian poetry collections Bengali-language literature Books published posthumously Bengali-language books {{India-lit-stub