Kshirode Prasad Vidyavinode ( ''Kṣīrōda prasāda bidyābhinōḍa'') (12 April 1863 – 4 July 1927), born ''Kshirode Chandra Bhattacharya'' was a

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

Indian poet, novelist, dramatist and nationalist.

Early life and education

He was born as Kshirode Chandra Bhattacharya in

Khardah Khardaha is a city and a municipality of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). History Initially Khardah was a part of South Barrack ...

on 12 April 1863, to a

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

family. He had joined Khardah Banga Vidyalaya and passed his upper primary examination in 1874. Later he joined the Barrackpore Government School, after changing his middle name and became known as ''Kshirode Prasad Bhattacharya''. He passed his entrance examination under the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

in 1881, and joined

Vidyasagar College Vidyasagar College is a state government-aided public college, affiliated to the University of Calcutta, located in North Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The college offers both post-graduate and under-graduate courses in a number of subjects ...

and afterwards the General Assembly's Institution, (now known as the

Scottish Church College Scottish Church College is a college affiliated by Calcutta University, India. It offers selective co-educational undergraduate and postgraduate studies and is the oldest continuously running Christian liberal arts and sciences college in Asia. ...

). After earning his postgraduate degree from the

, he joined the Chandernagore Dupleix College as its chemistry teacher, and subsequently taught at his alma mater, the General Assembly's Institution.''Some Alumni of Scottish Church College'' in ''175th Year Commemoration Volume''. Scottish Church College, April 2008. page 589

Later life

After adopting a different surname ''Vidyavinode'', he embarked on a long and distinguished literary career, and wrote stories, dramas, novels and poems. The thespian on the Bengali stage,

Sisir Bhaduri Shishir Kumar Bhaduri or Sisir Kumar Bhaduri (2 October 1889 – 30 June 1959) was an Indian stage actor and theatre founder, commonly referred to as the pioneer of modern Bengali theatre. He was an actor, director, playwright and scenic desig ...

began his professional career with Kshirode Prasad’s play ''Alamgir''. Some of his notable plays were ''

Ali Baba "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" () is a folk tale in Arabic added to the ''One Thousand and One Nights'' in the 18th century by its French translator Antoine Galland, who heard it from Syrian storyteller Hanna Diyab. As one of the most popu ...

'', ''Banger Pratap Aditya'' (

Pratapaditya Pratapaditya Guha was a rebellious Kayashtha zamindar of Jessore of lower Bengal, before being defeated by the Mughal Empire. He was eulogized by 19th and 20th century Bengali historians as a resistor against Mughal in Jessore but the statements ...

of Bengal), ''Palashir Prayashchitta'' (The Remorse of

Plassey Palashi or Plassey, , ) is a town on the east bank of Bhagirathi River, located approximately 50 kilometres north of the city of Krishnanagar in Kaliganj CD Block in the Nadia District of West Bengal, India. It is particularly well kn ...

), ''Nabanarayan'' and ''Dada Didi'' (Brother and Sister). He also edited the journal ''Aloukik Rahasya'' (Tales of the Supernatural). The British colonial regime banned ''Palashir Prayashchitta'' and ''Dada Didi'' because of their anti-colonial stances. He had joined the movement protesting the partition of Bengal in 1905. He lived in

Bagbazar Bagbazar (also spelt Baghbazar) is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. The area, under Shyampukur police station of Kolkata Police, has been, along with neighb ...

, north Calcutta, and died on 4 July 1927 in

Bankura Bankura () is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura district. Etymology It comes from the old Austric word ráŕhá or ráŕho which means “land of red soil”.P.R. Sarkar Rarh - ...

Commemoration

The road ''Kshirode Vidyavinode Avenue'' in Bagbazar commemorates his name. Also his bust was installed on the premises of Sri Guru library on the initiative of this library in Khardah, the Khardah municipality and Sutanuti Boimela Committee on 12 April 2012.

References

External links

Kshirode Prasad Vidyavinode at Bengali wikisource
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vidyavinode, Kshirode Prasad 1863 births 1927 deaths Bengali-language novelists Bengali male poets Bengali theatre personalities Scottish Church College alumni University of Calcutta alumni Academic staff of Scottish Church College Academic staff of the University of Calcutta Writers from Kolkata Novelists from West Bengal 19th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian novelists