Shankha Ghosh is a Bengali Indian poet and critic. He was born on 6 February 1932 in Chandpur District, Bangladesh. He got his undergraduate degree in Arts in Bengali language from the Presidency College, Kolkata in 1951 and subsequently his Master's degree from the University of Calcutta. He taught at many educational institutes, including Bangabasi College, City College and at Jadavpur University, all in Kolkata. He retired from Jadavpur University in 1992. He joined the Iowa Writer's Workshop, USA in 1960's. He has also taught Delhi University, the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies at Shimla, and at the Visva-Bharati University.

Ghosh is lyrical, reflective, and introverted in some of his poems. Other poems reflect a sense of anguish towards the superficiality of our society and existence. His commitment as a poet is well-pronounced in many of his unforgettable creations such as Murkho baro, samajika naya, chapa srshti karuna, etc. Poems such as Dinaguli rataguli and Nihita patalachaya are examples of perfect application of control and proportion. His Babarera prathana won him the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1977. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the India's third civilian award.