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THE
MODERN ERA IN BENGALI LITERATURE
The modern man is the epitome of confidence and self-esteem. That confidence has been
deeply imprinted in modern Bengali literature. In the pre-nineteenth century literary works, the
'Payar' verses were widely in vogue in both poetry and prose formats.
'Payar' is a Bengali measure of verse consisting of 2 lines,
each containing 14 letters. Stupendous creations like 'Chaitanya
Charitamrita' or 'Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat' which were composed in prose formats
and mostly reflected the philosophical aspects of life were penned in 'Payar - Tripadi' verses. The history of notable
Vaishnava clans viz. 'Bhakti Ratnakara' or 'Narottam-Vilasha'
were composed in these verses. Moreover, the voluminous
Ayurveda texts in those days were also composed in Payar verses.
Bengali Prose started to blossom from the mid-16th century. The oldest specimen of Bengali prose
found till date, is a missive written by King Nara Narayan of
CoochBihar in 1515 A.D.
The language employed here, though not essentially modern, is not incomprehensible. However, Bengali Prose started to become more natural and spontaneous from the 17th century A.D. It was in
1778 that the first Bengali alphabet in metallic inscription appeared in 'A Grammar of the Bengali Language'. This was authored by a British employee of the then East India Company named
Halhead, During this time several Portugese missionaries started to learn and adore the Bengali
language and even composed a few books in this language. Two
such eminent figures were Manuel and Dome Antonio De Rozario.
Manuel had compiled the Bengali lexicon. The Portugese version of this book was named 'Vocabulario-Em-Idioma-Bengalia-E-Portuguez' (1743). The second book compiled by him was
Crepar Xaxtre Orth Bhed (1743).
The employees of the East India Company had prudently started to learn and grasp the Bengali
language for their technical convenience. At the concluding phase of the 18th century, some Christian missionaries started to spread and propagate Christianity. Under their guidance and instruction, William Berry and
Mr. Thomas established a mission at Srirampur in the vicinity of Calcutta. It was in the year 1800 A.D.
The 'Srirampur Mission had earnestly endeavoured for the overall amelioration of Bengali Prose. However, the candid fact which was concealed in the sleeves was to widely popularize and
spread Christianity in Bengal and mould the Bengali language
accordingly.
BENGALI PROSE
AND RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY
It was through the immense influence of a towering personality like Ram Mohan Roy (1774-1833) that Bengali culture,
society, education and literature took a giant step forward. It is an undeniable fact that Ram Mohan Roy had wielded his pen in Bengali Prose with the
prime motto of social reformation and purification. He had never intended to create immortal or classical
forms of literary extravaganza. But he used the Bengali
language, for the first time, as an effective medium of transliteration, discussion and debates. Among his notable transliterations from the ancient Sanskrit texts are - 'Bedanta Grantha' (1815), 'Bedanta Sara' (1815), 'The Upanishads' etc. His other commendable works were 'Gauriya-Vyakarana', 'Samvad
Kaumudi' etc.
ISHWAR GUPTA (1812-1859)
The poet Ishwar Gupta had cast an immense impact on Bengali culture and
poetry during the 3rd decade of the 19th Century. He was the editor of 'Samvad-Prabhakar'.
He had also redacted a few more newspapers and journals. He used to compose poetry with the intention of filling the vacant spaces in his newspapers. So his poems are not effulgent with a rich philosophical
tone. He has rather treated trifling affairs, humorous
incidents, jokes, riddles etc. in a joyous, superficial tone deliberately sidetracking the
sombre or austere facts of human life. But he had a
refinement and an innate poetic talent and was highly admired
by the elites and the learned people of Calcutta.
MADAN MOHAN TARKALANKAR (1817-1858)
Madan Mohan Tarkalankar was the last poet of the ancient 'gharana'
or school of poetry. He was highly educated and had earned great fame as a
professor and government employee. He composed the poem 'Vasavadatta' inspired by Bharatchandra's 'Vidyasundara'. In the
course of time, he stopped composing poetry save some rhymes and
humorous pieces exclusively for kids. He had composed 'Sishushiksha' in 3 volumes which had long remained popular among the children.
THE RENAISSANCE
IN BENGALI PROSE
At the inception of the 19th century, Bengali prose was confined within the limits of a handful of contemporary journals and magazines and sporadic debates and discussions hither and thither. Prose
did not have any worthy contribution in the broader literary activities. At this juncture,
two prose writers appeared in the scenario who are regarded as stalwarts in
Bengali Prose Literature of all times. They were Akshay Kumar Dutta and
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.
AKSHAY KUMAR DUTTA (1820-1886)
Akshay Kumar was a scientist, philosopher and a sociologist. Through out his life,
he had persevered in the quest for knowledge. He came in close affinity with 'Samvad Prabhakar' and was impelled to write journalistic prose. He composed several school texts viz. 'Bhugol' (1841), 'Charu
Pathya' (1853-59) etc. Apart from these, he authored a book based on 'The Constitution of Man' by Kumb. Besides, he
also composed another book entitled 'Dharma Neeti' (1856) on the
'Religious Principles' based on Kumb's 'Moral Philosophy'. An analysis of his books and creations reveals
him as an essayist of immense potential.
THE PROGRESS AND PROSPERITY OF BENGALI PROSE
BHUDEV
MUKHOPADDHAY (1827-94)
On account of the paucity of commendable texts on 'Science' and 'History', Bhudev
Mukhopaddhay tried his hand on these fields of writing. He also devoted himself to the writing of essays. His exceptional
calibre was conspicuous in the composition of historical novels. He published a newspaper entitled 'Education Gazette'.
PYARI CHAND MITRA OR TEKCHAND THAKUR (1814-1883)
Pyari Chand Mitra had authored several invaluable books. His pseudonym was Tekchand Thakur. His book 'Alaler Gharer Dulal'
had received mass popularity. In 1854, he published a journal named 'Mashik Patrika' for a transient period. A lot of articles
used to come out in that journal which were aimed at
eradicating illiteracy and also meant for those ignorant
women who were almost illiterates.
KALIPRASANNA SINGHA OR HOOTOM
PENCHA (184O-1870)
Kaliprasanna Singha had selected to write on the capricious, flamboyant and foppish aspects of the
prevailing opulent middle class society. His mode of writing was humorous. He has derided
contemporary Bengal under the nom de plume of 'Hootom Pencha'. His exquisite composition 'Hootom
Penchar Naksha' is regarded as an inimitable book in Bengali
literature.
THE ORIGIN OF BENGALI DRAMA
AND ITS PROGRESS
Drama is a mixed art. It is an exquisite pot-pourri of the
efforts of the playwright, actors, the stage or theatre
hall, audience, technicians and several other things.
Before 1753, an amphitheatre named 'Playhouse' was established in the north-eastern side of Calcutta's Lal Bazar. But that was primarily used for staging English plays.
Bengali Drama originally took off by imitating the English and Sanskrit Plays. In the initial phase of Bengali Drama,
Kirtibilas and Bhadrarjuna had carved a distinct niche for
themselves. During this time, Yogesh Chandra Gupta wrote 'Kirti Bilas'. In the middle of the 19th century, many plays were authored on burning issues
like widow remarriage, child marriage etc. Notable among them were 'Kali Kautuk Natak', 'Sapatni Natak', 'Bujhle
Kina' etc.
Ram Narayan Tarkaratna was the greatest playwright before Michael Madhusudan Dutta.
However, it was Madhusudan who brought a remarkable change in the art of playwriting. He introduced 'tragedy' in
drama inspired by the Greek school of drama. He was equally unrivalled in
writing comedies and satires. He introduced the famous 'Amitrakshar Chhanda'
or blank verses which added a new dimension to Bengali
literature. Some of his remarkable plays which are worth mentioning are 'Buro Shaliker Ghare Ron' (1860), 'Padmavati' (1860), 'Sharmistha' (1959), 'Ekei Ki Bale Sabhyata' (1860) etc.
Another distinguished playwright after Michael was Dinabandhu Mitra. His famous plays are 'Sadhaber Ekadashi', 'Nildarpan' etc.
After this Bengali drama was enriched with another novel style. This was the
'opera' style or musical drama with sung or spoken dialogues.
Manmohan Basu was the epitome of this school of playwrights.
In the next phase of Bengali drama, a romantic contemplative mood is
markedly conspicuous. Among the key figures of this school of drama were Jyotirindra Nath
Thakur, Kiran Chandra Bandyopaddhay, Pramatha Nath Mitra etc.
Between 1880-1900, Bengali Drama was predominated by an
unflinching religious faith and mythological themes. The towering name in this
school of plays is often regarded as the father of modern Bengali
drama. He was Girish Ghosh. One of his immortal creations was 'Abhimanyu
Badh'.
After Girish Chandra Ghosh, Amritlal and Dwijendralal earned immense popularity as satirists. Bengali
drama flourished the most and reached its golden phase since the time of Dwijendralal Ray. Among his comic
masterpieces, 'Kalki Avataar' (1895), 'Punar Janma' (1911)
etc. deserve special mention. He also authored some
outstanding mythological and historical plays viz. 'Pashani' (1900), 'Sita' (1908), 'Pratap
Singh' (1905), 'Shah Jahan' etc. 'Banga Nari' (1916) is a famous social play which was written by this maestro.
After Dwijendralal, the name of Kshiroda Prasad Bidya Binod is worth mentioning. Among his
notable plays 'Ashoke' (1908), 'Padmini' (1906), 'Chand Bibi' (1907)
etc. had gained tremendous popularity.
Then appeared in the vast expanse of the firmament of Bengali
drama, a stalwart named Rabindra Nath Tagore. He was a multi-dimensional, incredibly
talented, innate genius. He enriched Bengali drama with his symbolic and intricate plays. Some immortal
plays of this legendary poet were 'Balmiki Pratibha' (1881), 'Dakghar', 'Mukta Dhara',
'Rakta Karabi' etc. These have, in fact, enriched world literature
to a tremendous extent.
THE
USHER OF NEW ERA IN BENGALI POETRY - THE EPICS
Ishwar Chandra Gupta, the best known representative poet of the ancient
'gharana' of poetry passed away in 1859 A.D. His vaccum was
filled in by Michael Madhusudan Dutta, the towering figure of the new school of Bengali poetry. The educated, cultured elites were no longer
happy with the superficial outbursts of comic extravaganza which characterized the poetry of Ishwar Gupta. Due to the impact of British reign,
English education and customs, the new class of sober and
savvy Bengali readers desired to see the reflection of the vastness,
intricacies and colourful varieties of life in contemporary poetry. Eminent poets like Rangalal,
Michael Madhusudan, Hemchandra, Nabeen Chandra etc. composed narrative poems on various
topics like historical bravados, ancient culture and
tradition etc. Thus, they wrote historical poems and even
voluminous epics.
RANGALAL
BANDOPADDHAY (1827-1888)
Rangalal composed some poetic masterpieces based on historical events. Notable among these were 'Padmini
Upakhyan' (1858), 'Karma Devi' (1862), 'Kanchhi Kaveri' (1879), 'Moor Sundari' (1868) etc. He was fond of
historical events. He even translated a bit of 'Kumara Sambhava'. However, he has not left behind the imprints of much creative excellence in
the aforesaid compositions. His epics, although historical,
are steeped with patriotism and do not show all the necessary
epic virtues. Despite not reaching the creative zenith, he
had nicely done the work of building a rapport between Ishwar Gupta and
Michael Madhusudan
Dutta.
MICHAEL
MADHUSUDAN DUTTA (1824-1873)
The life-style and poetic virtues of Michael Madhusudan Dutta were not only unconventional but
awe inspiring. He is highly regarded in the history of
Bengali literature. The two towering figures who have glorified the Bengali language
like never before are Rabindranath Tagore and Michael Madhusudan Dutta.
In his tender days, Madhusudan had tried a hand at writing English poems. In the prime of youth, he was obsessed with composing English poems. But
those poems do not much reflect the originality and sparks of his poetic merit.
So, he started to drift away from composing English poems
and realized the tremendous potential of the rich Bengali
language which could give a proper outlet to his fertile
poetic ideas. He had a deep sense of remorse for neglecting
Bengali so long and henceforth started writing in his mother
tongue.
Michael will remain immortal in the history of Bengali literature as the founder of
'Amitrakshar Chhanda' or blank verse (rhymeless verse) and
as its best exponent. His first poem in this verse form was 'Tilottama Sambhava', which was published in 1860.
Almost all his poems, save 'Brajangana Kavya' (1861) were written by this blank verse pattern. His other notable poetic creations
were 'Meghnad Badh Kavya' (1861), 'Veerangana Kavya' (1862) etc.
Madhusudan used to collect ingredients for his poetry from the
Sanskrit Puranas and ancient epics. At times, he even explored foreign literature and collected his theme or ingredients
for poetry. Besides, he also composed a few sonnets and named them 'Chaturdash Padi
Kavita'.
HEM
CHANDRA BANDOPADDHAY (1838-1903)
Hem Chandra Bandopaddhay was highly influenced by Michael Madhusudan and deliberately
imitated his style and grandeur. His first poem 'Chinta Tarangini'
(1861) was composed on a true story of a heart-rending accident.
His famous poem 'Veer Bahu' (1864) was composed on the basis of
fiction. 'Chhalanamoyee' (1880) was another rhetorical poem influenced by Dante's 'Vivina Comedia'. Some of his other remarkable poems are 'Asha Kanara' (1876) 'Dasha Maha Vidya' (1882) etc.
NABEEN CHANDRA
SEN (1847-1909)
Nabeen Chandra Sen composed many opera-typed poems based on divine love and natural ecstasy. They
were published in two volumes in 1871 and 1878 and were entitled 'Avakaash Ranjini'.
Apart from these, he also wrote a few mythological poems viz. 'Raibatak' (1887), 'Kurukshetra' (1893), 'Prabasha' (1896) etc. These were fundamentally inspired
by the life and works of Lord Krishna and were based on
them. Nabeen Chandra also composed some biographies of great men like Jesus, Buddha and Sri Chaitanya. He also wrote a novel named 'Bhanumati' (1900) which is not held in high esteem
by the savants.
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