The poet Binoy Majumdar, regarded as one of the most original voices in Bengali poetry, was born on this day.
Majumdar completated his Intermediate course from Presidency College and graduated from Bengal Engineering College, Shibpur. He worked at All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health and institutions such as Indian Statistical Institute, and Tripura Government Engineering College, but left his career to pursue poetry.
Majumdar, who, according to some, was a successor of poet Jibanananda Das, wrote poetry that is remarkable for its vivid imagery, showing a precision that is felt to reflect his love for mathematics, but is at the same time alive with the presence of nature, both in the form of animal and plant life, reminding one of Jibanananda. His poetry is mysterious, symbolical and explores the relationship between the animate and inanimate worlds. Its music creates a trance-like effect, again a reminder of Jibanananda.
Much of his poetry is about Gayatri. His most famous collection of poems, Phire Esho, Chaka (1960), is dedicated to Gayatri Chakravorty.
In the 60s, he had for a while been part of the Hungry generation, a radical group of Bengali poets and writers, but fell out with some of them. His poetry also stands out often for its explicit sexual imagery.
Majumdar had translated a few books from Russian into Bengali. He won many awards.
His last years, spent in Thakurnagar, were solitary, They were marked by obscurity and financial hardship.