I am, verily, no moon, nor can I bestow illumination;
I cannot elevate the aquatic abyss into the firmament.
(A Poem by Renowned Bengali Poet Binoy Majumdar, translated by Mrs. Sangita Kar)
Binoy Majumder
Binoy Majumdar was one of the major post-Tagore poets, who, despite his higher education in engineering, spent his life in a one-sided love with a woman. He was not only a poet but also a brilliant engineer, a social reformer, and a dervish-like individual with communist ideals, whose life is an astonishing story oscillating between brilliance and deep mental agony.
Binoy spent the last several years of his life away from the noise of Calcutta in a dilapidated house in Thakurnagar, where his only friends were butterflies, fish, and trees. He called himself India’s first “Chandal poet,” dismantling human arrogance to present a formula for equality with nature. He rejected offers to become a university professor, choosing instead to be a poet. He was hospitalized for psychiatric treatment multiple times, where he received electric shocks. Laughing at himself, he would say: “I am the Inspector General of all the mental asylums in West Bengal.”
Binoy Majumdar introduced the concept of “Green Romanticism” to Bengali poetry. This theory emphasizes a deep unity between humans and nature. Researchers refer to his works as Écriture Écologie, or ecological writing. While traditional romantic poets were limited to flowers and nightingales, Binoy used unconventional symbols such as fish, mosquitoes, insects, blood, and flesh.
Beneath The Sidereal Gleam
(Psalm of Disclosure 30.07.1957)
Thou art, indeed, the spoken word; life is each successive dawn,
And the afternoon, written in familiar prose, follows a predetermined path.
Thou dost incessantly tread the jagged edges of my interior,
Amidst the labyrinthine chambers of the soul.
When the morning unfurls its waking jubilation—that trembling awakening—
It brings forth burdened days, whose merciless subjects
Exacerbate the long-suffering heart through violent uprootings.
Hast thou ever grasped them with both hands,
Entreating their cadence, finding solace in melody,
Or summoned the torpid consciousness with a gentle invocation?
Canst thou traverse toward the sublime?
Throughout the diurnal sphere, one searches exclusively for that entity,
Elevating consciousness into the firmament, seeking to enshrine it.
I desire, with bewildered spirit and soul, to construct a bridge of fragrance
Across the transmundane expanse, that it might unlock the beyond.
Perchance, in a sudden tremor, she shall touch thee unaware—
An evanescent, receding shadow, suddenly startled into motion—
And within thy slumbering consciousness, enshrouded in half-closed eyes,
Thou shalt finally find a reciprocal echo.
I am, verily, no moon, nor can I bestow illumination;
I cannot elevate the aquatic abyss into the firmament.
Amidst the yearning clamor of avian voices and the supplicant forms,
Canst thou unfurl the petals of thy soul?
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নক্ষত্রের আলোয়
উন্মোচনের গান
তুমি তো কথা বলো, জীবন প্রত্যহ সকাল বিকেলের যে চেনা গদ্যে লিখিত একরূপে, তুমি তো অহরহ হাঁটছো রূঢ় সেই ভিড়ের মধ্যে।
সকাল চুমু খেলে যে সাড়া উদ্বেল, যে থম্ বোধ আনে দিনান্ত, যাদের নির্মম বিষয়ী উৎপাতে দীর্ঘ গুরুপাকে হৃদয় ক্লান্ত।
তাদের কখনো কি ধরেছো দুই হাতে, ছুঁয়েছো তার স্বর, পেয়েছো সুরকে কন্ঠে, অথবা এ-অবশ চেতনাতে ডাকতে পেরেছো কি কোনো সুদূরকে?
সারাটা দিন গেলো তারই তো সন্ধানে একটি চেতনাকে আকাশে তুলতে, তাকেই চাই আমি অবাক প্রাণে প্রাণে সেতুর পারাপার সে পারে খুলতে।
হয়তো চকিতে সে তোমাকে ছুঁয়ে যাবে অপস্রিয়মাণ ছায়ার নৃত্যে, হঠাৎ থরোথরো মিড়ের সাড়া পাবে নিমীল বর্ণালী ঘুমাবে চিত্তে।
আমি তো চাঁদ নই, পারি না আলো দিতে পারি না জলধিকে আকাশে তুলতে। পাখির কাকলির আকুল আকুতিতে পারবো কি তোমার পাপড়ি খুলতে?
৩০.৭.১৯৫৭
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Mrs. Sangita Kar is an author and researcher specializing in geopolitics and cultural history. She is a vibrant new voice in political and cultural literature. A proud alumna of Jadavpur University, she completed both her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in International Relations, graduating in 2020 and 2022 respectively. She also served as Unit Secretary of JUABVP and National Executive Member of ABVP. Hailing from the historic and illustrious Maju Bose Family of Howrah on her maternal side, Sangita seamlessly weaves her deep cultural heritage with her academic expertise. Her writing bridges the gap between ancient Indian ethos and contemporary statecraft. Her insightful commentaries on global politics, Hindu spirituality, and nationalism have been featured across numerous journals and publications. Currently preparing for the Civil Services, she lives in Kolkata, West Bengal, where she spends her leisure time immersed in the rhythms of Carnatic music and the grace of the Odissi dance form.
