Guwahati News Desk: Sahitya Akademi Award-winning Assamese poet Sananta Tanti passed away at a private hospital in New Delhi after a prolonged illness on Thursday. He was 69. Tanti is survived by his wife and two sons. He received several awards and recognitions, including the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 2018 for ‘Kailoir Dinto Amar Hobo’ (Tomorrow will be ours), a collection of his poems in Assamese.
Tanti was known as a chronicler of the times. He always raised his voice for the downtrodden. His unbridled optimism was reflected in his writings. In 2017, he was also conferred the Assam Valley Literary Award in recognition of his works. Born on November 4, 1952, in a tea garden family in Kalinagar Tea Estate of Karimganj District, Tanti completed his secondary education from a Bengali-medium school. However, his literary work was in the Assamese language.
Starting his poetic journey in the 1970s, Tanti used contemporary themes like corruption in public life, unemployment, poverty, hunger and frustration among the silent majority in his poetic works. Tanti started his professional career as an employee of the Assam Tea Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation in Jorhat in 1971.
Subsequently, he joined the Directorate of Information and Public Relation as a Sub-Divisional Information and Public Relations Officer in Guwahati. He then joined the Assam Tea Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation as an officer in the Public Relations department and became Senior Public Relations Officer. He retired from service in 2012 as the Deputy Provident Fund Commissioner.
Condoling the demise of Tanti, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in Twitter, “Saddened by the news of the demise of Sananta Tanti. The contribution of the Sahitya Akademi winner to Assamese poetry will be forever remembered. I pray for eternal peace of the departed soul and extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved family.”
Union Minister of Shipping, Ports & Waterways and AYUSH — Sarbananda Sonowal said in a statement, ‘Kailoir Dinto Amar Hobo’ has enriched Assamese literature with his unique poems. “Sananta Tanti’s poems depict the realistic scenes of life and society. He played the role of a conscious citizen through his writings. A shining star fell in his demise.”
BJP president Bhabesh Kalita, APCC president Bhupen Kumar Borah and AIUDF president Badruddin Ajmal, Assam Publication Board have also condoled the death of the Akademi Award winner. Both termed Tanti’s demise as “an irreparable loss to the Assamese literary world”.
