Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay | |
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| Native name | বঙ্কিমচন্দ্র চট্টোপাধ্যায় |
| Born | 26 June 1838[1][2][3] |
| Died | 8 April 1894(1894-04-08) (aged 55) Calcutta, Bengal,British India |
| Pen name | Kamalakanta |
| Occupation | Writer, poet, novelist, essayist, journalist, government official |
| Language | Bengali, English |
| Alma mater | University of Calcutta |
| Literary movement | Bengal Renaissance |
| Notable works | Durgeshnandini Kapalkundala Devi Chaudhurani Anandamath Bishabriksha |
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| Bankim-Rachanabali administrated by eduliture | |
Bankim Chandra ChattopadhyayCIE (anglicised asBankim Chandra Chatterjee; 26 June 1838[4] – 8 April 1894[5]) was an Indian Bengali novelist, poet, essayist[6] and journalist.[7][8] He was the author of the 1882Bengali language novelAnandamath, which is one of the landmarks of modern Bengali and Indian literature. He was the composer ofVande Mataram, written in highlySanskritisedBengali,personifyingIndia as amother goddess and inspiring activists during theIndian Independence Movement. Chattopadhayay wrote fourteen novels and many serious, serio-comic, satirical, scientific and critical treatises inBengali. He is known asSahitya Samrat (Emperor of Literature) inBengali.[9][10][11][12][13]
Chattopadhayay is widely regarded as a key figure in literary renaissance of Bengal as well as the broaderIndian subcontinent.[7] Some of his writings, including novels, essays and commentaries, broke away from traditional verse-oriented Indian writings,and provided an inspiration for authors across India.[7]
Chattopadhayay was born in the village of Kanthalpara in the town ofNorth 24 Parganas, Naihati, in an orthodoxBengali Brahmin family, the youngest of three brothers, to Yadav Chandra Chattopadhayay and Durgadebi.His ancestors hailed from Deshmukho village inHooghly District.[14] His father, a government official, went on to become the Deputy Collector ofMidnapur.One of his brothers,Sanjib Chandra Chattopadhyay was also a novelist and is known for his book "Palamau".Bankim Chandra and his elder brother both went toHooghly Collegiate School (then Governmental Zilla School), where he wrote his first poem.He was educated at theHooghly Mohsin College and later atPresidency College, Kolkata, graduating with a degree in arts in 1859. He later attended theUniversity of Calcutta and was one of two candidates who passed the final exam to become the school's first graduates.[15] He later obtained a degree in law in 1869. Following his father's footsteps, Bankimchandra joined the Subordinate Executive Service. In 1858, he was appointed a Deputy Magistrate (the same type of position held by his father) ofJessore. After merging of the services in 1863, he went on to become Deputy Magistrate & Deputy Collector, retiring from government service in 1891. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was the first in-charge (Sub-divisional magistrate) of theArambag subdivision in its earlier days. The ruins of a fort atGar Mandaran provided the setting for Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's novelDurgeshnandini, published in 1865. His years at work were replete with incidents that brought him into conflict with the colonial government.He was, however, made a Companion of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire (CMEOIE) in 1894.[16] He also received the title of Rai Bahadur in 1891.
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Chattopadhyay's earliest publications were inIshwar Chandra Gupta's weekly newspaperSangbad Prabhakar.[17] He began his literary career as a writer of verse before turning to fiction. His first attempt was a novel in Bengali submitted for a declared prize. He did not win and thenovelette was never published. His first fiction to appear in print was the English novelRajmohan's Wife.[18]Durgeshnandini, his first Bengali romance and the first ever novel in Bengali, was published in 1865.[19] His essay ‘Shakuntala, Miranda ebong Desdemona’ (1873) is considered as the first attempt of comparative analysis of different literatures in Bengali and is studied closely in school of comparative literature of Jadavpur University.[20]
One of the many novels of Chattopadhyay that are entitled to be termed as historical fiction isRajsimha (1881, rewritten and enlarged 1893).Anandamath (The Abbey of Bliss, 1882) is apolitical novel which depicts a Sannyasi (Hindu ascetic) army fighting a British force. The book calls for the rise of Indian nationalism. The novel was also the source of the songVande Mataram (I worship my Motherland for she truly is my mother) which, set to music byRabindranath Tagore, was taken up by many Indian nationalists, and is now the National Song ; ultimately, however, he accepted that the British Empire could not be defeated.[21] The novel first appeared in serial form inBangadarshan, the literary magazine that Chattopadhyay founded in 1872.Vande Mataram became prominent during the Swadeshi movement, which was sparked by Lord Curzon's attempt to partition Bengal into a Hindu majority West and Muslim majority East. Drawing from the Shakti tradition of Bengali Hindus, Chattopadhyay personified India as a Mother Goddess known asBharat Mata, which gave the song a Hindu undertone.[22]
Bankim was particularly impressed by the historicalGaudiya Vaishnava cultural efflorescence of the 14th and 15th centuries in Bengal. Chattopadhyay's commentary on theBhagavad Gita was published eight years after his death and contained his comments up to the 19th Verse of Chapter 4.[23]In a long essay onSankhya philosophy, he argues that the central philosophical foundation of the overwhelming part of religious beliefs in India, including even Buddhism, lies in the philosophy of Sankhya. He was a critique of the philosophy in the sense of its emphasis on personalvairagya (renunciation) rather than political and social power.[24]
Bankim was highly educated and influenced by Oriental thoughts and ideas. Ramakrishna in contrast, did not have knowledge of English. Yet they had a nice relation between them. OnceSri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, playing on the meaning of Bankim (Bent A Little), asked him what it was that had bent him. Bankim Chandra jokingly replied that it was the kick from the Englishman's shoe for he was a well-known critic of theBritish government.
Tagore penned in the memory of his mentor:"Bankim Chandra had equal strength in both his hands, he was a truesabyasachi (ambidextrous). With one hand, he created literary works of excellence; and with the other, he guided young and aspiring authors. With one hand, he ignited the light of literary enlightenment; and with the other, he blew away the smoke and ash of ignorance and ill conceived notions"
Sri Aurobindo wrote in his memory:"The earlier Bankim was only a poet and stylist, the later Bankim was a seer and nation-builder"
After theVishabriksha (The Poison Tree) was published in 1873, the magazine, Punch wrote:
His novelAnushilan-Tattva inspired Pramathanath Mitra to startAnushilan Samiti.Bankim Puraskar (Bankim Memorial Award) is the highest award given by the Government of West Bengal for contribution to Bengali fiction.
Chattopadhyay'sdebut novel was an English one,Rajmohan's Wife (1864) and he also started writing his religious and philosophical essays in English.
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Media related toBankim Chandra Chatterjee at Wikimedia Commons
Quotations related toBankim Chandra Chatterjee at Wikiquote
Works ofBankim Chandra Chattopadhyay | ||
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| Bengali novels |
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| English novel |
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| Literary magazine | ||
| National song of India | ||
