City bids adieu to Nabaneeta Dev Sen

Photo: SNS


The literary world of Kolkata today mourned the demise of veteran poet Nabaneeta Dev Sen with eminent personalities from different walks of life coming together to pay their last tribute to her.

After a career adorned with honours like Padma Shri and Sahitya Akademi Award for Bengali Writers, Sen passed away at the age of eighty one on Thursday evening at her residence in Hindustan Park.

This morning, Governor of West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankar visited her residence to pay homage to the late poet, after which her body was taken out for her last journey, accompanied by her family members and many others who wanted to catch a glimpse of her for the final time.

The journey started from her house in Hindustan Park and had its first halt at Jadavpur Univerity around noon, where Sen had served as a professor of Comparative Literature. After that, she was taken to the Rabindra Sadan complex, where several people came and paid their respects to the poet.

Finally, the journey came to an end at the Keoratala Burning Ghat near Kalighat, where the last rites were performed before cremating her body.

The departure of Dev Sen from has already created a huge vacancy in the heart of the literary world in Bengal, said her elder daughter, Nandana Sen.

“She took her last breath while resting her head on my shoulder,” said Nandana Sen.

She further added: “For all the years I have known her, I can say that I have never met another woman with such strong will power. Her absence, both as a poet as well as a doting mother, will be felt deeply”