Ramram Basu | |
|---|---|
রামরাম বসু | |
 Ramram Basu c.1800 | |
| Born | 1751 |
| Died | 7 August 1813(1813-08-07) (aged 61–62) |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Notable work | Christastava (1788) Harkara (1800) Jnanodaya (1800) Lippi Mālā (1802) Christabibaranamrta (1803) |
Ramram Basu (c. 1751 – 7 August 1813) was aBengali prose writer. He was born inChinsurah,Hooghly District in present-dayWest Bengal of India.[1] He was the great-grandfather of Anushree Basu, notable early scholar and translator of theBengali language (Bangla), and credited with writing the first original work of Bengali prose written by a Bengali.
Ramram Basu initially joined as the munshi (scribe) for William Chambers, Persian interpreter at the Supreme Court in Kolkata. Then he worked as the munshi and Bengali teacher for Dr. John Thomas, a Christian missionary from England at Debhata inKhulna. Subsequently, he worked from 1793 to 1796 for noted scholarWilliam Carey (1761–1834) at Madnabati inDinajpur.[2] In 1800 he joined Carey'sSerampore Mission Press with its celebrated printing press, and in May 1801 was appointedMunshi, assistant teacher ofSanskrit, atFort William College for a salary of 40 rupees per month. As college pundits were charged not only with teaching but also with developing Bengali prose, there he began to produce a respected series of translations and new works and continued to hold that post until his death.
Basu created a number of original prose and poetical works, includingChristastava, 1788;Harkara, 1800, a hundred-stanza poem;Jnanodaya (Dawn of Knowledge), 1800, arguing that the Vedas were fundamentally monotheist and that the departure of Hindu society from monotheism to idolatry was the fault of the Brahmins;[3]Lippi Mālā (The Bracelet of Writing), 1802, a miscellany; andChristabibaranamrta, 1803, on the subject of Jesus Christ.
In 1802, Basu's Bengali textbookRājā Pratāpāditya-Charit (Life ofMaharaja Pratapaditya), written for the college's use, received a cash prize of 300 rupees. It was printed at theSerampore Mission Press, and is now credited as the first Bengali to create a work in prose and also as the first historiography in Bengali.[4] He also created Bengali versions of theRamayana andMahabharata, and aided in Carey's Bengali translation of the Bible.
Despite his active engagement with western missionaries and Christian texts, Basu remained aHindu, and died inKolkata on 7 August 1813.
Bengali novelistPramathanath Bishi wrote a historical novel named Carey Saheber Munshi (Sahib Carey's Munshi) based on Basu's life.[5] This was filmed in 1961 byBikash Roy asCarey Saheber Munshi (tr.Munshi of Mr. Carey).
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