Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (also Chattopadhayay) CIE (26 or 27 June 1838 – 8 April 1894) was an Indian novelist, poet, Essayist and journalist.

Staff writer In journalism, a staff writer byline indicates that the author of the article is an employee of the periodical, as opposed to being an independent freelance writer. In Britain, staff writers may work in the office instead of traveling to cover a b ...

"Bankim Chandra: The First Prominent Bengali Novelist"
''The Daily Star'', 30 June 2011 He was the author of the 1882

Bengali language Bengali ( ), generally known by its endonym Bangla (, ), is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Bengal region of South Asia. It is the official, national, and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh and the second most widely spoken o ...

novel ''

Anandamath ''Anandamath'' ( bn, আনন্দমঠ ''Anondomôţh'') ( The Abbey of Bliss) is a Bengali fiction, written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and published in 1882. It is inspired by and set in the background of the Sannyasi Rebellion in ...

'', which is one of the landmarks of modern Bengali and Indian literature. He was the composer of '' Vande Mataram'', written in highly sanskritized Bengali, personifying

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

as a mother goddess and inspiring activists during the

Indian Independence Movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

. Chattopadhayay wrote fourteen novels and many serious, serio-comic, satirical, scientific and critical treatises in Bengali. He is known as ''Sahitya Samrat'' (Emperor of Literature) in Bengali.

Biography

Chattopadhayay is widely regarded as a key figure in literary renaissance of Bengal as well as the broader Indian subcontinent. Some of his writings, including novels, essays, and commentaries, were a breakaway from traditional verse-oriented Indian writings, and provided an inspiration for authors across India. Chattopadhayay was born in the village of Kanthalpara in the town of North 24 Parganas, Naihati, in an orthodox

Bengali Brahmin The Bengali Brahmins are Hindu Brahmins who traditionally reside in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, currently comprising the Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh. The Bengali Brahmins, along with Baidyas an ...

family, the youngest of three brothers, to Yadav Chandra Chattopadhayay and Durgadebi. His ancestors hailed from Deshmukho village in Hooghly District.Chattopadhyay, Sachishchandra, ''Bankim-Jibani'', 1952, Pustak Bipani, p 9 His father, a government official, went on to become the Deputy Collector of

Midnapur Medinipur or Midnapore (Pron: med̪iːniːpur) is a city known for its history in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the West Medinipur district. It is situated on the banks of the Kangsabati River (variously known as '' ...

. 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 to Hooghly Collegiate School (then Governmental Zilla School), where he wrote his first poem. He was educated at the

Hooghly Mohsin College Hooghly Mohsin College (HMC) began on 1 August 1836 as the New Hooghly College. It was established by Muhammad Mohsin, who also started other colleges. On its 100th anniversary it was renamed Hooghly Mohsin College. It became affiliated to Unive ...

and later at

Presidency College, Kolkata Presidency University, Kolkata (formerly known as Presidency College, Kolkata) is a second major public state aided research university located in College Street, Kolkata. Considered as one of best colleges when Presidency College was affili ...

, graduating with a degree in arts in 1859. He later attended the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a public collegiate state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered one of best state research university all over India every year, ...

and was one of two candidates who passed the final exam to become the school's first graduates. 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) of

Jessore Jessore ( bn, যশোর, jôshor, ), officially Jashore, is a city of Jessore District situated in Khulna Division. It is situated in the south-western part of Bangladesh. It is the administrative centre (headquarter) of the eponymous district ...

. After merging of the services in 1863, he went on to become Deputy Magistrate & Deputy Collector, retiring from government service in 1891. 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. He also received the title of Rai Bahadur in 1891.

Literary career

Chattopadhyay's earliest publications were in

Ishwar Chandra Gupta Ishwar Chandra Gupta ( bn, ঈশ্বরচন্দ্র গুপ্ত; 6 March 1812 – 23 January 1859) was a famous Indian Bengali poet and writer. Gupta was born in Kanchrapara, in Bengal. Early life Ishwar Chandra Gupta was born in ...

's weekly newspaper '' Sangbad Prabhakar''.Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay (Chatterjee)
from BengalOnline. 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 the novelette was never published. His first fiction to appear in print was the English novel ''Rajmohan's Wife''. '' Durgeshnandini'', his first Bengali romance and the first ever novel in Bengali, was published in 1865. 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. One of the many novels of Chattopadhyay that are entitled to be termed as historical fiction is ''Rajsimha'' (1881, rewritten and enlarged 1893). ''

'' (The Abbey of Bliss, 1882) is a political 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 song '' Vande Mataram'' (I worship my Motherland for she truly is my mother) which, set to music by

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

, was taken up by many Indian nationalists, and is now the National Song of India. The plot of the novel is loosely set on the Sannyasi Rebellion. He imagined untrained Sannyasi soldiers fighting and defeating the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

; ultimately, however, he accepted that the British Empire could not be defeated. The novel first appeared in serial form in '' Bangadarshan'', 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 as

Bharat Mata Bhārat Mātā ( Mother India in English) is a national personification of India ( Bharat ) as a mother goddess. In the visual arts she is commonly depicted dressed in a red or saffron-coloured sari and holding a national flag; she sometimes ...

, which gave the song a Hindu undertone. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee 1969 stamp of India

Bankim was particularly impressed by the historical

Gaudiya Vaishnava Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnavism, Vaishnava Hindu denominations, Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region o ...

cultural efflorescence of the 14th and 15th centuries in Bengal. Chattopadhyay's commentary on the Bhagavad Gita was published eight years after his death and contained his comments up to the 19th Verse of Chapter 4. In a long essay on

Sankhya ''Samkhya'' or ''Sankya'' (; Sanskrit सांख्य), IAST: ') is a dualistic school of Indian philosophy. It views reality as composed of two independent principles, '' puruṣa'' ('consciousness' or spirit); and ''prakṛti'', (nature ...

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 personal ''vairagya'' (renunciation) rather than political and social power.

Meeting with Ramakrishna

*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. Once Sri 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 the British government.

Legacy

* Tagore penned in the memory of his mentor: "Bankim Chandra had equal strength in both his hands, he was a true ''sabyasachi'' (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 the ''Vishabriksha'' (''The Poison Tree'') was published in 1873, the magazine, Punch wrote: ::"You ought to read the Poison Tree ::of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee." :: :: :: :: :: :: *His novel ''Anushilan-Tattva'' inspired Pramathanath Mitra to start

Anushilan Samiti Anushilan Samiti ( bn, অনুশীলন সমিতি, , bodybuilding society) was an Indian fitness club, which was actually used as an underground society for anti-British revolutionaries. In the first quarter of the 20th century it su ...

. *Bankim Puraskar (Bankim Memorial Award) is the highest award given by the Government of West Bengal for contribution to Bengali fiction.

Bibliography

;Fiction *'' Durgeshnandini'' (March 1865) *'' Kapalkundala'' (1866) *''Mrinalini'' (1869) *''Vishabriksha'' (The Poison Tree, 1873) *''Indira'' (1873, revised 1893) *''Jugalanguriya'' (1874) *''Radharani'' (1876, enlarged 1893) *''Chandrasekhar'' (1875) *''Kamalakanter Daptar'' (From the Desk of Kamlakanta, 1875) *''Rajani''(1877) *''Krishnakanter Uil'' (Krishnakanta's Will, 1878) *''Rajsimha'' (1882) *''

'' (1882),

Orient Paperbacks The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of ''Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the c ...

, *'' Devi Chaudhurani'' (1884) *''Kamalakanta'' (1885) *''Sitaram'' (March 1887) *''Muchiram Gurer Jivancharita'' (The Life of Muchiram Gur) ;Religious Commentaries *''Krishna Charitra'' (Life of Krishna, 1886) *''Dharmatattva'' (Principles of Religion, 1888) *''Devatattva'' (Principles of Divinity, Published Posthumously) *''Srimadvagavat Gita'', a Commentary on the Bhagavad Gita (1902 – Published Posthumously) ;Poetry Collections *''Lalita O Manas'' (1858) ;Essays *''Lok Rahasya'' (Essays on Society, 1874, enlarged 1888) *''Bijnan Rahasya'' (Essays on Science, 1875) *''Bichitra Prabandha'' (Assorted Essays), Vol 1 (1876) and Vol 2 (1892) *''Samya'' (Equality, 1879) Chattopadhyay's

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

was an English one, '' Rajmohan's Wife'' (1864) and he also started writing his religious and philosophical essays in English.

References

External links

* * * * * * https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Chattopadhyay,_Bankimchandra 1838 births 1894 deaths Bengali writers Bengali-language writers Bengali novelists Bengali Hindus 19th-century Bengalis Bengali-language lyricists Presidency University, Kolkata alumni University of Calcutta alumni Hooghly Mohsin College alumni Indian civil servants Indian male writers Indian male poets Indian male novelists Indian male essayists Indian male composers Indian lyricists Indian historical novelists Indian literary critics Indian magazine editors Indian newspaper editors Indian male journalists People from North 24 Parganas district Writers from Kolkata Writers of historical romances 19th-century Indian novelists 19th-century Indian male writers 19th-century Indian poets 19th-century Indian essayists 19th-century Indian composers 19th-century Indian journalists Neo-Vedanta Novelists from West Bengal Poets from West Bengal Journalists from West Bengal Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire {{West Bengal