The poet who relied on observation over imagination

Eminent Indian poet and Sahitya Akademi award winner Nirendranath Chakraborty passed away on December 25 at a hospital in Kolkata after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 94 and is survived by two daughters. His wife died in January this year.
Hospital sources said Chakraborty was admitted to the private hospital on December 24 due to age-related ailments and suffered the cardiac arrest at midnight. In November, he had penned a poem for a magazine, which will be published in its upcoming Kolkata Book Fair issue. Critic Shankha Ghosh said at the demise of the poet that he remained creative till the last days of his life.
Nirendranath was known for depicting the true vivid pictures of modern society. He once said, "I do not have access to imagination I pen poems based on what I see, hear and experience on my path."
Born in 1924 at Faridpur in undivided Bengal, Chakraborty spent his childhood in the present Bangladesh though his parents worked in Kolkata. The natural rural areas of this country fascinated him. His first book of poems, Nil Nirjone, was published in 1954 when he was 30 years old. He won the Sahitya Akademi award in 1974 for his poem 'Ulanga Raja' (naked king). 'Amalkanti Roddur Hote Cheyechhilo' (Ammalkanto wanted to be the sunshine), 'Kolkatar Jishu' (Christ of Kolkata) and 'Pahari Bichhe' (Mountain scorpion) are among his other noted poems.
The poet penned more than 47 books, many for children, apart from 12 novels and numerous essays. He was associated with leading Bengali magazine 'Desh' and 'Anandamela' for children, of which he had been the editor for years, and some other magazines. He was also a recipient of 'Ananda Purashkar' and was the president of Paschimbango Bangla Akademi.    -Indian Express