Hungry Generation

The  Hungry Generation (Bengali হাংরি জেনারেশান ) was a literary movement in the Bengali language launched  by what is known today as the Hungryalist quartet i.e. Shakti Chattopadhyay, Malay Roy Choudhury, Samir Roychoudhury and Debi Roy alias Haradhon Dhara, during the 1960s in Kolkata, India. Due to their involvement in this avante garde cultural movement, the leaders lost their jobs and were jailed. Dr Uttam Das, Reader, Calcutta University, in his dissertation 'Hungry Shruti and Shastravirodhi Andolan' has explained how they challenged and significantly changed the language and the vocabulary used by contemporary writers to express their feelings in literature and painting. The approach of the Hungryalists was to confront and disturb the prospective readers' preconceived colonial canons. According to Pradip Choudhuri, a leading philosopher and poet of the generation, whose works have been extensively translated in French, their counter-discourse was the first voice of post-colonial freedom of pen and brush. Besides the famous four mentioned above, Utpalkumar Basu, Binoy Majumdar, Sandipan Chattopadhyay, Basudeb Dasgupta, Falguni Roy, Subhash Ghosh, Tridib Mitra, Alo Mitra, Ramananda Chattopadhyay, Anil Karanjai, Saileswar Ghosh, Karunanidhan Mukhopadhyay, Subo Acharya, were among the leading writers and artists of the movement.

Origins
The movement was launched in November 1961 from Patna residence of Malay Roy Choudhury and his brother Samir Roychoudhury. They took the word Hungry from Geoffrey Chaucer's line "In Sowre Hungry Tyme" and they drew upon Oswald Spengler's idea of Non-Linear Time in a particular culture for philosophical inspiration. The movement was to last from 1961 to 1965. It is wrong to suggest that the movement was influenced by the Beat Generation, since Ginsberg did not visit Malay until April 1963, when he came to Patna. Poets Octavio Paz and Ernesto Cardenal were to visit Malay later during the sixties.

History
This movement is characterized by expression of closeness to nature and sometimes tenets of Gandhianism and Prudhonianism. Although it originated at Patna, Bihar and was initially based in Kolkata, it had participants spread over  North Bengal, Tripura and Benares. According to Dr. Shankar Bhattacharya, Dean at Assam University, as well as Aryanil Mukherjee, editor of Kaurab Literary Periodical, the movement influencedAllen Ginsberg as much as it influenced American poetry through the Beat poets who visited Calcutta, Patna and Benares during the Sixties decade. Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, now a professor and editor, was associated with the Hungry generation movement. Shakti Chattopadhyay, Saileswar Ghosh, Subhas Ghosh left the movement in 1964.

More than 100 manifestos were issued during 1961-1965. Malay's poems have been published by Prof P. Lal from his Writers Workshop publication. Howard McCord published Malay Roy Choudhury's controversial poem Prachanda Boidyutik Chhutar ie., Stark Electric Jesus from Washington State University in 1965. The poem has been translated into several languages of the world. Into German by Carl Weissner,in Spanish by Margaret Randall, in Urdu by Ameeq Hanfee,in Assamese by Manik Dass, in Gujarati by Nalin Patel, in Hindi by Rajkamal Chaudhary, and in English by Howard McCord.

Prof B. Dey of Assam University has been awarded Ph D for his 350 page seminal work on Malay Roy Choudhury and The Hungryalist Movement.

Impact
The works of these participants appeared in Citylights Journal 1, 2 and 3 published between 1964 and 1966, edited by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and in special issues of American magazines including Kulchur edited by Lita Hornick, Klactoveedsedsteen edited by Carl Weissner, El Corno Emplunado edited by Margaret Randall,  Evergreen Review edited by Barney Rosset, Salted Feathersedited by Dick Bakken, Intrepid edited by Alan De Loach, and San Francisco Earthquake, during the sixties. (See references).Hungry Generation also known as Hungryalism challenged the mainstream literary genres. The group wrote poetry and prose in completely different forms and experimented with the contents. The movement changed the literary atmosphere of Bengal altogether. It had influences in Hindi, Marathi, Assamese and Urdu literatures. (See references)

Dissertations

 * Hungry, Shruti And Shastravirodhi Movements by Dr Uttam Das, published by Mahadiganta Publishers, Baruipur, South 24 Pargana, West Bengal, India. (1986).
 * Hungryalist Manifestoes by Ebaul Haque, published by Abar Eshechhi Phirey Publishers, Murshidabad, West Bengal, India (2007).
 * Hungryalist Movement and Anti-Establishment by Prof Swati Banerjee from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata (2007).

US and South American periodicals

 * Citylights Journal #1 (1963)pp. 7–25;
 * El Corno Emplumado #9 (1964)pp. 153;
 * El Corno Emplumado #10 (1964)pp. 129–130;
 * Citylights Journal #2 (1964)pp. 117–130;
 * Kulchur #15 (1964)pp. 104–105;
 * TIME (November 20, 1964)pp. 44;
 * El Corno Emplumado #13 (1965)pp. 184–185;
 * Evergreen Review #5 (March 1965)pp. 10;
 * Salted Feathers #5 (May 1965)pp. 9;
 * Salted Feathers #8 & 9 (March 1967)pp. All pages;
 * Citylights Journal #3 (1966)pp. 21–45;
 * Trace #53 (1964)pp. 31–43;
 * El Rehelite #28 (1964)pp. 47–54;
 * Panaroma (February 1965);
 * Iconolatre#10 (1968).



Indian periodicals

 * Samprati #3 (1962);
 * Chatushparna #Winter (1963);
 * Mahenjodaro#Autumn (1963);
 * Link #June,2 (1963);
 * Link #June,30(1963);
 * Gyanodaya #Winter (1963);
 * Darpan #July, 18 (1964);
 * Jugantar July, 18 (1964);
 * Jugantar July, 19, (1964);
 * Jugantar September,7, Editorial, (1964);
 * Jugantar August, 7 (1965);
 * Jugantar September, 6 (1965);
 * Amrita Shravana,8 (1378)
 * Amrita August,7 (1964);
 * Ananda Bazar Patrika September, 4 (1964);
 * Adhikaran #1 (1964);
 * Ananda Bazar Patrika Septemcer, 5 (1964);
 * Dainik Basumati  September, 5 (1964);
 * Dainik Basumati September,7 (1964);
 * Ananda Bazar Patrika September,7 (1964);
 * Ananda Bazar Patrika September 8, Cartoon, (1964);
 * Ananda Bazar Patrika September,30 (1964);
 * Ananda Bazar Patrika May, 4 (1965);
 * Blitz September, 19 (1964);
 * Jalsa September, 30 (1964);
 * Janata  September,4 (1964);
 * Janata  September, 18 (1964);
 * Janata  October, Cartoon, (1964);
 * Bharatmail October, 22 (1964);
 * Desh Ashwin, 10 (1371);
 * Naranari Ashwin, (1371);
 * Now November, 20 (1964);
 * Darpan November, 27 (1964);
 * Ananda Bazar Patrika December, 2 (1964);
 * Now December, 18 (1964);
 * The Statesman December, 20 (1964);
 * The Statesman December, 30 (1964);
 * Tele Link December, 20 (1934);
 * Link May, 8 (1966);
 * Maral January (1965);
 * Lahar January, (1965);
 * Dharmayug January, 17 (1965);
 * Dharmayug February, 7 (1965);
 * Dharmayug February, 14 (1965);
 * Dharmayug March 7, (1965);
 * Dharmayug March, 18 (1965);
 * Dharmayug April, 18 (1965);
 * Dharmayug April, 25 (1965);
 * Dharmayug May, 23 (1965);
 * Dharmayug June, 27 (1965);
 * Krittibas (1965);
 * Jugantar April, 15 Editorial (1965);
 * The Statesman April, 20 (1965);
 * Sanmarg April, 20 (1965);
 * Gyanodaya April (1965);
 * Ananda Bazar Patrika April, 20 (1965);
 * The Statesman May, 4 (1965);
 * Yugaprabhat May (1965);
 * Pratibimba May–August (1965);
 * Ananda Bazar Patrika May, 14 (1965);
 * Dinaman May, 16 (1965);
 * Dinaman June, 6 (1965);
 * Saptahik Hindustan June, 13 (1965);
 * Saptahik Hindustan June, 27 (1965);
 * Saptahik Hindustan July, 4 (1965);
 * Saptahik Hindustan August, 22 (1965);
 * Janasatta July, 4 (1965);
 * Hindustan Standard August 10 (1965);
 * The Statesman September, 26 (1965);
 * Ingeet October, 3 (1965);
 * Anima #2 (1965);
 * Anima #4 (1965);
 * Chatushparna Chaitra (1371);
 * The Searchlight December, 25 (1965);
 * Desh Chaitra (1373);
 * Nayee Dhara December (1966);
 * Yugaprabhat February (1967);
 * Karuj#7, (2003);
 * Disha Autumn, (2003);
 * Kabitirtha July, (2003);
 * Amritalok November, (2003);
 * Ekaler Raktakarabi June, (2004);
 * Digangan Autumn, (2004);
 * Ebang August–October, (2004);
 * Kabitamancha#5 (2006)