Jyotirmoy Datta
Encyclopedia
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
as a lecturer, 1966–1968, and also did a residency at the University of Iowa
. He has published 2 books of verse, several novels and collections of essays and short stories. Datta currently lives in Hillsborough Township, New Jersey
, near New York City, where he works as a journalist with Desi Talk and as the Arts & Humanities Editor for News India Times. 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
in 1936, but grew up in various places in India, mostly South India
. 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 Bose plays an important role in the "Tagore Society of New York". Minakshi Bose is the daughter of another important figure in Bengali poetry, Buddhadev Bose. Her mother was the famous 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
in the late 1970s. He wrote a story critical of her in his magazine Kolkata
. 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
.
Datta is the father of two children. His daughter, Kankawati Datta, has written a few books and is the editor "Personae" 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
, Tarun Sanyal and Satrajit Datta were defense witnesses in the famous trial of Hungryalist poet Malay Roy Choudhury
, which shows his greatness, since he did not agree with the Hungryalist school of poetry.
Bengali literature
Bengali literature is literary works written in Bengali language particularly from Bangladesh and the Indian provinces of West Bengal and Tripura. The history of Bengali literature traces back hundreds of years while it is impossible to separate the literary trends of the two Bengals during the...
, journalist, poet, and an essayist. He worked for The Statesman
The Statesman
The Statesman is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper founded in 1875 and published simultaneously in Kolkata, New Delhi, Siliguri and Bhubaneswar. The Statesman is owned by The Statesman Ltd., its headquarters at Statesman House, Chowringhee Square, Calcutta and its national...
, Calcutta's oldest English-language daily, as feature writer, film critic, correspondent, and associate editor. He visited the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
as a lecturer, 1966–1968, and also did a residency at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. 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, New Jersey
Hillsborough Township is a Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 38,303....
, near New York City, where he works as a journalist with Desi Talk and as the Arts & Humanities Editor for News India Times. 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
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
in 1936, but grew up in various places in India, mostly South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. 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 Bose plays an important role in the "Tagore Society of New York". Minakshi Bose is the daughter of another important figure in Bengali poetry, Buddhadev Bose. Her mother was the famous 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 Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
in the late 1970s. He wrote a story critical of her in his magazine Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
. 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
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
Datta is the father of two children. His daughter, Kankawati Datta, has written a few books and is the editor "Personae" 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
Sunil Gangopadhyay , is a celebrated Indian poet and novelist.-Early life:...
, Tarun Sanyal and Satrajit Datta were defense witnesses in the famous trial of Hungryalist poet Malay Roy Choudhury
Malay Roy Choudhury
Malay Roy Choudhury is a Bengali poet and novelist who founded the "Hungryalist Movement" in the 1960s. His literary works have been reviewed by sixty critics in HAOWA 49, a quarterly magazine which devoted its January 2001 special issue to Roy Choudhury's life and works...
, which shows his greatness, since he did not agree with the Hungryalist school of poetry.