Poet Nirendranath Chakraborty, the creator of ‘Calcutta’s Jesus’ passed away on the day of Jesus – December 25.A recipient of Sahitya Akademi award in 1974 for his poem ‘Ulongo Raja (The King is Naked)’, he emerged as one of the leading poetic voices in the 1950s, along with Sunil Gangopadhyay, Sankha Ghosh, Sakti Chattopadhyay, Manindra Ray, Samar Sen and many others, and became one of the stalwarts of Bengali poetry.An interesting aside – he was also the translator of Tintin to Bengali, the first translation of the popular comics in an Indian language. In doing so, he renamed Snowy “Kuttush”, and the name stuck. He also penned close to 50 children’s books, and a dozen novels. But it is poetry that has earned him a place forever in Bengali literature.Barely teenagers, we were introduced to his poetry and thinking by one of our iconic teachers. I feel privileged to have been introduced to the poet at that wondrous age – with poems like ‘Kolkatar Jishu (Jesus of Calcutta)’, ‘Ulongo Raja (The King is Naked)’ and ‘Amalkanti (The Sunbeam)’ becoming an integral part of my growing up. So perhaps I can be pardoned, if my mind travels to those diminutive wooden benches of St Lawrence High School when such poetry stirred something in us. Today, those school benches look ridiculously tiny. Perhaps, it is us who are not fit for those benches anymore. Perhaps it is us who have lost the sense of wonderment.There is an amazing simplicity in Chakraborty’s writing: everything is so familiar, yet its incongruity so stark, the human element so touching.Re-narrating the familiar tale of the ‘Emperor’s New Clothes‘, ‘Ulongo Raja’ not only made one think anew, but was a lyrical call to action. ‘Kolkatar Jishu’ (a poem about a naked kid crossing a busy intersection, and bringing the city to a halt) questioned the development delusion with its disdain for the human factor. And ‘Amalkanti’ (a poem about a worker who dreamt of being a ray of sunlight, but was forced to slog away in the darkness of a printing press) took on the theme of marginalisation that has become so ingrained in the modern-day polity. Chakraborty’s brilliance was that he dealt with such weighty issues without ever being didactic.Also read: The Unfinished Poem: Memories of a Child BrideChakraborty was a poet of humanity and humaneness, both elements that have gone conspicuously missing from today’s world of decadent capitalism – be it of the liberal, neoliberal or illiberal type. Its disregard for humankind is only matched by that of political leaders all around the world who vie with each other in rejecting everything enlightened. At a time when the authorities try to stifle dissent and criticism; when they create division, diversion and disinformation to prevent independent and progressive thinking, Nirendranth’s poem, ‘The King is Naked’, seems even more a metaphor for today’s world, even more relevant today than when it was first composed. More than ever before, we need that kid to confront the king and shout fearlessly: O King, where are your clothes?Yes, this world could do with more poets like Nirendranath Chakraborty.If only to awaken the child in us – fearless, authentic, and forthright.If only to warn us of an obsession with a development that is deeply anti-human.If only to give meaning to Amalkanti’s innocent dream – of being a beam of sunlight – so pure and so energising that it tears apart the cloak of darkness, decadence and decay that envelopes the world today.§‘Ulongo Raja’ by Nirendranath Chakaraborty সবাই দেখছে যে, রাজা উলঙ্গ, তবুওসবাই হাততালি দিচ্ছে।সবাই চেঁচিয়ে বলছে; শাবাশ, শাবাশ!কারও মনে সংস্কার, কারও ভয়;কেউ–বা নিজের বুদ্ধি অন্য মানুষের কাছে বন্ধক দিয়েছে;কেউ–বা পরান্নভোজী, কেউকৃপাপ্রার্থী, উমেদার, প্রবঞ্চক;কেউ ভাবছে, রাজবস্ত্র সত্যিই অতীব সূক্ষ্ম , চোখেপড়ছে না যদিও, তবু আছে,অন্তত থাকাটা কিছু অসম্ভব নয়।গল্পটা সবাই জানে।কিন্তু সেই গল্পের ভিতরেশুধুই প্রশস্তিবাক্য–উচ্চারক কিছুআপাদমস্তক ভিতু, ফন্দিবাজ অথবা নির্বোধস্তাবক ছিল না।একটি শিশুও ছিল।সত্যবাদী, সরল, সাহসী একটি শিশু।নেমেছে গল্পের রাজা বাস্তবের প্রকাশ্য রাস্তায়।আবার হাততালি উঠছে মুহুর্মুহু;জমে উঠছেস্তাবকবৃন্দের ভিড়।কিন্তু সেই শিশুটিকে আমিভিড়ের ভিতরে আজ কোথাও দেখছি না।শিশুটি কোথায় গেল? কেউ কি কোথাও তাকে কোনোপাহাড়ের গোপন গুহায়লুকিয়ে রেখেছে?নাকি সে পাথর–ঘাস–মাটি নিয়ে খেলতে খেলতেঘুমিয়ে পড়েছেকোনো দূরনির্জন নদীর ধারে, কিংবা কোনো প্রান্তরের গাছের ছায়ায়?যাও, তাকে যেমন করেই হোকখুঁজে আনো।সে এসে একবার এই উলঙ্গ রাজার সামনেনির্ভয়ে দাঁড়াক।সে এসে একবার এই হাততালির ঊর্ধ্বে গলা তুলেজিজ্ঞাসা করুক:রাজা, তোর কাপড় কোথায়?Everybody can see that the king is nakedbut everybody keeps clapping away.Everybody shouts: bravo, bravo.some are trapped in misbeliefs, some in fearyet others have mortgaged their brainssome are parasites, some deceitfulyet others are hoping to benefit from nepotismsome even think that the regal gown is so etherealthat it escapes our eyes,but it’s there alrightwhy, that’s certainly possible, isn’t it?The story is quite familiarbut that story didn’t only featuresycophants and bootlickersignoramus and cowardsswindlers and con-menthere was a child there tooyes a child – authentic, honest and daring.The king is out on the streets againand people burst into applauselackeys and toadies flock around him.But in this crowd of grovellersthe child is nowhere to be found.Where is the child?Is he being held hostagein a secret mountain cave?Or is it that while playing withsoil and grass and stoneshe has fallen asleepat a river-bank – distant and silentor perhaps under the shadow of a tree?Go find himany which way you can!Let him confront the kinglet him stand fearlessly in front of himlet his voice drown the din of the crowdand ring outHey king, Where are Your Clothes?(Copyright: Ananda Publishers, Kolkata, 1971)English translation by Bedabrata PainBedabrata Pain is an ex-NASA scientist and filmmaker. His film Chittagong won a National Award.