Well-known Bengali poet, academician, Tagore-scholar and theoretician, Sankha Ghosh (February 5, 1932 – April 21, 2021) was known for his mastery over language and an absolute control over the form of poetry that bestow his poems with an exemplary quality of proportion, grace and depth. His poems convey insight, message, and anguish but are refreshingly free of small polemics despite often being critical of establishment and government of all hues, hard-hitting and strident.

While Ghosh is lyrical, reflective, and introverted in some of his poems, some other poems reflect a sense of unease towards diverse failings of our society and shortcomings of existence. There is a third strain in his poems which builds a bridge between the inner world and the outer one—combining two apparently opposing forces, viz. the centrifugal and the centripetal. His commitment as a poet has always made him respond to contemporary socio-political events through poems written in sharp satirical language. His poems have been translated into a number of Indian and foreign languages.

His theoretical contribution includes a large oeuvre of critical prose on a variety of literary and cultural subjects as well as social transactions. He is considered one of the major Tagore-scholars critically assessing Tagore’s philosophy and his contributions to literature and society. His creations include a large body of translations and a considerable body of prose and poetry for the adolescents.

An iconic teacher, he has left behind hundreds of charmed students.

Sankha Ghosh was the recipient of many awards and honours.