Kabita Sinha
Encyclopedia
Kabita Sinha, Bengali
poet, novelist, feminist and radio director. She is noted for her modernist stance, rejecting the traditional housebound role for Bengali women, a theme echoed later in the work of other poets including Mallika Sengupta
and Taslima Nasrin
.
Bimal Roy Choudhury, against the wishes of her family. A rebellious spirit,
she was involved in dissidence movements in the '50s.
In the process, she never finished her bachelors degree - this she would complete
many years later, from Asutosh College. She worked for some years as a
schoolteacher before joining the West Bengal
government as an editor. In
1965 she joined All India Radio
and was at one point station director at
Darbhanga
, Bihar
. In 1966 she started the poetry magazine dainik kabitA with her husband.
In 1981, she was invited to the Iowa International writer's workshop.
In the 80s she launched a number of programs involving the youth in All India Radio.
that she first entered Bengali literature.
Her first novel, chArjan rAgI JubatI (four angry young women) was published in 1956. This was followed by ekTi khArAp meyer galpa (story of a
bad girl, 1958), nAyikA pratinAyikA (heroine, anti-heroine, 1960).
In the meantime, she was also writing poetry in various magazines, but her
first volume of poetry, sahaj sundarI (easy beauty), was published only
in 1965. The 1976 collection kavitA paramesvarI (poetry goddess) became
particularly well known.
Many of her poems address the woman's place vis-a-vis man in poems like
AjIban pAthar pratimA (stone goddess, all my life), Iswarke Eve (Eve speaks
to God), or apamAner janya fire Asi (because I crave your
insults).
Other collections include hariNAbairI (enemy deer, 1985), and her
shreShTa kabitA (selected poems) which came out in 1987.
A novel on eunuchs, pauruSh (lit. manliness, English title: The Third
Sex, 1984), won the Nathmal Bhualka award in 1986.
In total, she published nearly fifty books, including some under the pen name
Sultana Choudhury. She has been anthologized in a wide range of poetry collections,
and has also been widely translated.
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
poet, novelist, feminist and radio director. She is noted for her modernist stance, rejecting the traditional housebound role for Bengali women, a theme echoed later in the work of other poets including Mallika Sengupta
Mallika Sengupta
Mallika Sengupta is a Bengali poet, feminist, and reader of Sociology from Kolkata, known for her "unapologetically political poetry".- Biography :...
and Taslima Nasrin
Taslima Nasrin
Taslima Nasrin is a Bengali Bangladeshi ex-doctor turned author who has been living in exile since 1994. From a modest literary profile in the late 1980s, she rose to global fame by the end of the 20th century owing to her feminist views and her criticism of Islam in particular and of religion in...
.
Life
Born into a literary family, she started writing as a child. In 1951, while a student of Botany at the Presidency College, Calcutta, she married author and editorBimal Roy Choudhury, against the wishes of her family. A rebellious spirit,
she was involved in dissidence movements in the '50s.
In the process, she never finished her bachelors degree - this she would complete
many years later, from Asutosh College. She worked for some years as a
schoolteacher before joining the 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...
government as an editor. In
1965 she joined All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
and was at one point station director at
Darbhanga
Darbhanga
Darbhangā is a twin city and a municipal corporation and the capital city of the Darbhanga district and Darbhanga Division in the state of Bihar, India. It is one of the most important districts of North Bihar situated in the very heart of Mithilanchal. According to the latest 2011 census, the...
, Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
. In 1966 she started the poetry magazine dainik kabitA with her husband.
In 1981, she was invited to the Iowa International writer's workshop.
In the 80s she launched a number of programs involving the youth in All India Radio.
Literary career
Although Kabita Sinha is primarily known for her poetry, it was as a novelistthat she first entered Bengali literature.
Her first novel, chArjan rAgI JubatI (four angry young women) was published in 1956. This was followed by ekTi khArAp meyer galpa (story of a
bad girl, 1958), nAyikA pratinAyikA (heroine, anti-heroine, 1960).
In the meantime, she was also writing poetry in various magazines, but her
first volume of poetry, sahaj sundarI (easy beauty), was published only
in 1965. The 1976 collection kavitA paramesvarI (poetry goddess) became
particularly well known.
Many of her poems address the woman's place vis-a-vis man in poems like
AjIban pAthar pratimA (stone goddess, all my life), Iswarke Eve (Eve speaks
to God), or apamAner janya fire Asi (because I crave your
insults).
Other collections include hariNAbairI (enemy deer, 1985), and her
shreShTa kabitA (selected poems) which came out in 1987.
A novel on eunuchs, pauruSh (lit. manliness, English title: The Third
Sex, 1984), won the Nathmal Bhualka award in 1986.
In total, she published nearly fifty books, including some under the pen name
Sultana Choudhury. She has been anthologized in a wide range of poetry collections,
and has also been widely translated.
Further reading
- Susie J. Tharu, K. Lalita, Women Writing in India: The twentieth century, v.2, CUNY Press, 1993. Includes Pritish Nandy's translation of Ishwarke Eve.
- the unsevered tongue: modern poetry by bengali women, tr. Amitabha Mukerjee, Nandimukh Sangsad Kolkata 2005. Includes bilingual translations of apamAner janya fire Asi, nA, Excerpts