Satyendranath Dutta (also spelt Satyendranath Datta or Satyendra Nath Dutta; ; 11 February 1882 – 25 June 1922) was a Bengali poet and is considered the "wizard of rhymes" (or 'ছন্দের জাদুকর'; chhonder jadukar in Bengali). Satyendranath Dutta was an expert in many disciplines of intellectual enquiry including medieval Indian history, culture, and mythology.

Early life and education

Satyendranath Dutta was the son of Rajaninath Dutta, who was a trader. He was born on 11 February 1882 at Nimta, Bengal Presidency, British India. The family hailed from Chupi in Purba Bardhaman district He was the only son of his parents. His grandfather, Akshay Kumar Datta, was a great thinker, Brahmo social reformer and writer who was the guiding spirit of the Tattwabodhini Patrika. After passing the school-leaving examination from the Central Collegiate School, he received his graduate-level education from the General Assembly's Institution in Kolkata. Although he left (what is now) Scottish Church College without taking a degree, his training there helped him immensely for the future. After unsuccessfully joining the ranks of his father in their family business, he quit that to devote his energies entirely to scholarly pursuits. He wrote poems like Jatir Pati.

Personal life

In 1903, Satyendranath Dutta married Kanaklata Devi, eldest daughter of Ishan Chandra Bose and Giribala Devi (her biological mother Noroda Sundari Devi, the first wife of Ishan Chandra Bose, died when Kanaklata and her siblings were young children). Kanaklata Devi was from a wealthy Hindu Kulin Kayastha family, originally hailing from Dhaka Nayabari and later settled at Howrah where the family owned estates. The marriage was fixed by their families, which was a common practice at that time. After Satyendranath Dutta's death in 1922, Kanaklata Devi lived a lonely life and died in December 1967.

Death

He died on 25 June 1922, aged 40. Rabindranath Tagore has immortalized Satyendranath in a poem written after his death. Kazi Nazrul Islam also wrote a poem titled 'Sayendranath' eulogizing his death. A street in South Kolkata has been named after him.

Works

Satyendranath Dutta composed poems and initially composed poems for the Bengali magazine Bharati. Although his stylistic nuances during this stage reflect the influence of Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Akshay Kumar Baral and Debendranath Sen, his later poetry illustrates a greater resonance with the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore. Dutta wrote under multiple pseudonyms, including Nabakumar, Kaviratna, Ashitipar Sharma, Tribikram Varman and Kalamgir.

Books of poems

Other works