Somai Kisku was born on 25th February, 1959 at Basantapur, a small village, under the district of Purba Barddhaman of West bengal in a peasant family of Rasiklal Kisku and Fulmani Kisku. He is the third son of his parents among the ten child. He received his early education from Basantapur Gourmohan Primary School.After the competition of his primary education, he studied at Jamalpur Higher Secondary School.
Later he was admitted at Boinchigram Bihari Lal High School in the ninth class. He passed Higher Secondary in 1976. He obtained bachelor degree from Haripal Vivekannda College, under the University of Burdwan in 1981. Thereafter he joined as an Inspector in the Department of West Bengal Essential Commodities Supply Corporation. He got retire after completing his long service career in 2019.
Extreme poverty, illiteracy, daily life struggles and the experience of the real situation at that time led him to write. He began to write in late eighties. He formed Hooghly Zila Santali Sahitya Parisad in 1988, which is now known as Santali Sahitya Baisi. He has been conducting Santali Sahitya Baisi with honesty, devotion and competence from beginning to till now.
Tapal, a quarterly Santali literary magazine is started to published under his supervision. This magazine carried the excellence of Santali literature. But it was only in 2002 he published his first book RATAN(Novel), which reflected the life struggle of a poor Santal farmer. His another publication is Kherwal Saota Re Ratan which published in 2005.
This two novels are specially popular in santal society and also included in the syllabus of Burdwan and Purulia Sidho Kanho Birsa University. He has recieved the prestigious Tagore Literature Awards in 2010, instituted by Samsung in collaboration with Sahitya Akademi for his novel entitled, “NAMALIYA”. Namalia describes and depicts the lifestyle of the Santal people of ‘Namal’.
Based on facts, it tells the story of the migration of these people to the rich paddy-growing region of ‘Namal’(Hooghly-Burdwan region) due to the construction of a dam on river Kangsavati. Namaliya is included in the syllabus of Vidyasagar University. His other published works are as follows:
●Sagun Thili (2003)
●Naren (2006)
●Kahni Kandhi (2010)
●Soporot (2011)
●Murut Baha Kapi (2013)
●Baha Mai (2014)
●Bagahi (2017)
He has founded a religious organization named, Bharat Jakat Saridharam Baisi with the aiming at propagating the SARIDHARAM (Religion of Santal Race) all over the world. Every year this religious organization arranged conferences in different parts of India to spread and promote the philosophy of santals’ holly scripture JAMSIMBINTI. Bharat Jakat Saridharam Baisi in collaboration with other 17 santal associations arranged a mass rally cum meeting which held on 7th February, 2021 at Ranirashmoni Road, Kolkata and placed their demand to the Chief Minister of West Bengal to place a Bill in West Bengal Assembly for allotment of separet religion code for SARIDHARAM. Thousand of santal people from different parts of India gathered there. Somai Kisku has also written many books on the philosophy of SARIDHARAM notable among them are ―
(1) Saridharam Reyak Sar Katha:-Thakur Ge Sari Sarjom(2009)
(2) Saridharam Samaj Darshan(2010)
(3) Saridharam Danshai Darshan (2012)
(4) Saridharam the religious philosophy of the Santal (2012)
(5) Saridharam Bongaburu (2018)
(6) Saidharam Serawa: ― Chatiyar ar Sagun Bapla (2019)
(7) Jom Sim Binti Itikotha (2022)
He has tirelessly dedicated every drop of his blood to Santal culture and literature. His efforts have attracted the attention of Santal society at various times. He received numerous awards, honours and recognitions notable among them are ―
●Literature Award by Hooghly Zila Santali Sahitya Parishad in 2003
●Literature Award by Kolkata Press Club in 2004
●Literature Award by Durgapur Akri Gaonta in 2006)
●Majhi Ramdas Tudu Raska Award by AISWA in 2009
●Sarada Prasad Kisku Memorial Award – 2017 by government of West Bengal in 2021
At present, Somai Kisku has devoted himself towards the promotion and upliftment of Santali language and literature as well as the propagation of SARIDHARAM. He resides at Boinchigram village under Pandua Block of Hooghly District of West Bengal.