Prolific Bengali poet Shankha Ghosh passes away due to COVID-19 at 90

Renowned Bengali poet Sankha Ghosh breathed his last on April 21 due to coronavirus infection. The 90-year-old noted Bengali poet was already suffering from comorbidities and was admitted to the hospital a few months ago. Apart from being the recipient of Padma Bhushan, Ghosh has also been conferred with Ravindra Award, Jnanpith, and Sahitya Akademi Award, and many more.

As the country was trying to overcome the loss of writer-poet Saumitra Chatterjee, another legendary figure falls prey to the deadly virus and left for heavenly abode. Sankha Ghosh tested positive for coronavirus on April 14 and had quarantined himself at home. But, on April 20, his health conditions deteriorated leading to him being placed on ventilator support on April 21 after which he passed away. 

Bengali poet Sankha Ghosh passes away

Sankha Ghosh was born at Chandpur in present-day Bangladesh. belonged to the era of Bengali poets after Jibanananda Das. He is survived by his daughters Semanti and Srabanti, and wife Pratima. His ionic and memorable works have been translated into various languages including Hindi, English, and many more for the public to read and gain knowledge. Apart from being a prolific writer,  Ghosh had spent several years teaching at Delhi University, University of Iowa, and Visva Bharati.

Sankha Ghosh is the recipient of many awards including Narasimh Das Puraskar, 1977; Kumaran Asan Prize, 1982; Rabindra Puraskar, 1989; Kamalkumari Award, 1993, Saraswati Samman, 1998, Sahitya Akademi Award, 1977. He has contributed a lot to the Bengali literature by writing some unforgettable pieces like Dinaguli Rataguli and Nihita Patalachaya are examples of the perfect application of control and proportion. 

India's COVID-19 crisis

India's total tally of COVID-19 cases climbed to 1,53,21,089 with 2,59,170 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, while active cases surpassed the 20-lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday. The death toll increased to 1,80,530 with a record 1,761 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.
 

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