{{Short description|Bangladeshi poet (1938–2026)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox person | name = Sukumar Barua | native_name = সুকুমার বড়ুয়া | native_name_lang = bn | image = Sukumar Barua (4x5 cropped).png | birth_date = {{Birth date|1938|1|5|df=yes}} | birth_place = [[Raozan Upazila|Raozan]], Chittagong, Bengal Province, British India | death_date = {{Death date and age|2026|01|02|1938|1|5|df=yes}} | death_place = [[Chittagong]], Bangladesh | occupation = Poet | children = 4 }}
'''Sukumar Barua''' (5 January 1938 – 2 January 2026) was a Bangladeshi poet.<ref name=kabir>{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-207565|title=Sukumar Barua gets Kabir Chowdhury Shishu Sahitya Puraskar|date=23 October 2011|access-date=13 February 2017|newspaper=The Daily Star}}</ref> While working in various positions at the [[University of Dhaka]], Barua wrote critically acclaimed children's rhymes and literature. His works were mostly humorous in nature, with some carrying a political edge. For his works, he was awarded the [[Ekushey Padak]] by the [[government of Bangladesh]] in 2017.
==Early life== Sukumar Barua was born on 5 January 1938 to Sarbananda and Kiran Bala Barua in the village of Madhyam Binajuri in [[Raozan Upazila|Raozan]].<ref>{{cite news |date=5 January 2025 |title=ছড়ার জনক সুকুমার বড়ুয়ার জন্মদিন আজ |url=https://www.dainikshiksha.com/bn/news/today-is-the-birthday-of-sukumar-barua-the-father-of-rhymes-291344 |work=Dainik Shiksha |lang=bn |access-date=2 January 2026}}</ref><ref name="tft obit">{{cite news |date=2 January 2026 |title=Rhymester Sukumar Barua passes away |url=https://www.thefinancetoday.net/article/national/30765/Rhymester-Sukumar-Barua-passes-away |work=The Finance Today |access-date=2 January 2026}}</ref> His father disappeared when Barua was young. Soon after at the age of 6, his family abandoned their home to avoid the conflicts of [[World War II]].<ref name="kaiser">{{cite news |last=Kaiser |first=Omar |date=9 September 2022 |title=ছিলেন 'বাবুর্চি', ছড়া লিখে পেলেন একুশে পদক |url=https://www.prothomalo.com/onnoalo/8dgo2bfqs5 |work=Prothomalo |lang=bn |access-date=2 January 2026}}</ref> He was taught by his maternal uncle up until the first grade, where he shortly transferred to the Dabua School before leaving education all together.<ref>{{cite web |date=6 May 2017 |title=সুকুমার বড়ুয়া |url=https://www.protidinersangbad.com/todays-newspaper/khayal-khushi/63548/ |work=Protidiner Sangbad |lang=bn |access-date=2 January 2026}}</ref> While his education stopped, Barua continued to read books.<ref name="kaiser"/>
==Career== Barua worked various jobs throughout his life, including work as a housekeeper. He had heard about career opportunities in [[Dhaka]] and moved there in 1960. He worked as a chef for two years before becoming a fourth-class employee of the Department of Biochemistry at the [[University of Dhaka]]. He would later transition to the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science as a third class employee.<ref name=kabir/><ref name="kaiser"/> He retired from the university as a storekeeper in 1999.<ref name="dt obit"/>
Barua's literary career started in 1963 while renting his house in Dhaka.<ref name="na obit">{{cite news |date=2 January 2026 |title=Ekushey Padak-winning rhymester Sukumar Barua dies |url=https://www.newagebd.net/post/Country/286952/ekushey-padak-winning-rhymester-sukumar-barua-dies |work=New Age |access-date=2 January 2026}}</ref> His first poem was published in the newspaper in 1968. Two years later, his first book ''Pagla Ghora''{{efn|পাগলা ঘোড়া in Bangla}} was released. After these releases, Barua was encouraged by family and friends to quit his job to focus on his literature studies, but he refused as the pay from his job in Dhaka was too much to let go of.<ref name="kaiser"/> Barua would become best known for his children's poems, with his works "carv[ing] out a unique place in Bengali children's literature" and being featured in various magazines over his six decade-long career.<ref name="tft obit"/>
For his rhymes, Barua was awarded the [[Ekushey Padak]] for language and literature in 2017, the second-highest civilian honor in Bangladesh.<ref name="ekushey"/> He received other various awards throughout his career.<ref name="tfe obit"/> Barua's works were marked by [[satire]] and humor, with some carrying political messages reflecting sentiments from the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]].<ref name="na obit"/>
==Personal life and death== Barua was married to Nalibala<ref name="kaiser"/> and had four children. He suffered from age-related health complications later in his life.<ref name="tft obit"/> A stroke in 2006 left his leg paralyzed.<ref name="dt obit">{{cite news |date=2 January 2026 |title=Ekushey Padak-winning rhymester Sukumar Barua passes away |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/people/400091/ekushey-padak-winning-rhymester-sukumar-barua |work=Dhaka Tribune |access-date=2 January 2026}}</ref> After suffering from a medical episode and being discharged from the hospital, he died on 2 January 2026, at the age of 87.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rhymester Sukumar Barua passes away |url=http://www.daily-sun.com/bangladesh/849368/rhymester-sukumar-barua-passes-away |access-date=2 January 2026 |website=Daily Sun |language=en}}</ref><ref name="tfe obit">{{cite news |date=2 January 2026 |title=Sukumar Barua, whose rhymes shaped the childhoods of generations, dies at 87 |url=https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/national/sukumar-barua-whose-rhymes-shaped-the-childhoods-of-generations-dies-at-87 |work=The Financial Express |access-date=2 January 2026}}</ref>
==Awards== * Janakantha Pratibha Sammanana (1998)<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/news/well-done-janakantha|title=Well Done Janakantha|date=9 January 1999|access-date=13 February 2017|newspaper=The Daily Star}}</ref> * Shabdapat Medal (2006)<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/2006/04/30/d60430070480.htm|title=Sukumar Barua honoured|date=30 April 2006|access-date=13 February 2017|newspaper=The Daily Star}}</ref> * Kabir Chowdhury Shishu Sahitya Puraskar (2010)<ref name=kabir/> * Odommo Chattagram Award (2012)<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-229848|title=The Daily Star honours 19 living legends|date=11 April 2012|access-date=13 February 2017|newspaper=The Daily Star|author=Dwaipayan Barua}}</ref> * [[Agrani Bank Shishu Academy Children's Literature Award|Agrani Bank – Bangladesh Shishu Academy Shishu Sahitya Puraskar]] (2013)<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/news/agrani-bank-bangladesh-shishu-sahitya-puraskar-conferred|title=Agrani Bank- Bangladesh Shishu Academy Shishu Sahitya Puraskar conferred|date=7 October 2013|access-date=13 February 2017|newspaper=The Daily Star}}</ref> * [[Ekushey Padak]] (2017)<ref name="ekushey">{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/country/17-named-ekushey-padak-2017-1360108|title=17 named for Ekushey Padak 2017|date=12 February 2017|access-date=13 February 2017|newspaper=The Daily Star}}</ref>
==Notes== {{Notelist}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name| 12245949}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barua, Sukumar}} [[Category:1938 births]] [[Category:2026 deaths]] [[Category:Bangladeshi Buddhists]] [[Category:Bangladeshi lyricists]] [[Category:Bangladeshi male poets]] [[Category:People from Binajuri]] [[Category:Recipients of the Bangla Academy Award in Children's Literature]] [[Category:Recipients of the Ekushey Padak]] [[Category:20th-century Bangladeshi male writers]] [[Category:20th-century Bangladeshi poets]] [[Category:21st-century Bangladeshi male writers]] [[Category:21st-century Bangladeshi poets]]