Nagendranath Roy
A Rajbanshi-language poet and writer from Jalpaiguri, best known for his Rajbanshi Ramayana, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2025.
Nagendranath Roy writes in Rajbanshi, the language of the Rajbanshi people of North Bengal and the North East. In 2025 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of literature and education, from West Bengal [1].
Raised by his mother
Roy was born on 15 December 1953 in Bodapara Garalpara village, Jalpaiguri district [2]. His father died when he was a baby, and his mother raised him through great hardship [2]. He studied at local schools and Siliguri College [2].
The Rajbanshi Ramayana
His many books include translations, devotional works, children’s readers and a translation of Rabindranath Tagore’s Chandalika [2]. His best-known work is The Rajbanshi Ramayana, which retells episodes of the Valmiki Ramayana through the society and culture of the Rajbanshi people [2]. He is regarded as a major poet of North Bengal [2].
He is also a noted speaker who has given more than 1,000 talks [2]. The West Bengal government gave him its Shiksha Ratna award in 2011 [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2025: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2025: citation for Nagendranath Roy — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
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