Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
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Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was one of the great novelists of
nineteenth century Bengal. He was a literary pioneer and nationalist
who had an exceptional ability to communicate with and arouse the
masses.
Bankim Chandra was born on 26th June 1838 in the village of
Kathalpara, near Naihati, District 24 Parganas, West Bengal. He
belonged to a distinguished family. Bankim was the yongest of three
sons of Jadabchandra Chatterjee and Durgadebi. His father was a
Deputy Collector.
Even as a child Bankim showed great courage and virtuosity and never
had any fear of the 'gora sahebs'- (the British). He was
always brilliant in his studies and started writing poetry at a
young age. Bankim studied law from the Presidency College in
Calcutta and was one of the first two graduates of the Calcutta
University in 1858. He was immediately appointed- Deputy Magistrate
by the British colonial government - a job he grudgingly held for
three decades. |
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However,
Bankim continued his literary pursuits. He chose fiction as his
theme and the first novel by him to appear in print was
Rajmohan's Wife. It was written in English. His first Bengali
novel was Durgeshnandini, and was published in 1865. The next
novel Kapalkundala(1866) is one of the best romances written
by Chatterjee.
However Bankim Chandra wanted to stimulate the intellect of the
Bengali speaking people through his works and bringing about a
cultural revival. With this end in view he brought out and edited
the monthly Bangadarshan in 1872.
Bamkim was also a nationalist to the core. His goal was the revival
of national pride in protest against British rule. In 1882,
Anandamath was published. Anandamath became his most famous as
well as his most political novel and a source of inspiration for the
patriots fighting for the freedom of our country from the British
rule. The chant of "Vande Mataram", was coined in this novel
and it soon became a patriotic hymn that aroused the entire nation
to fight for their freedom. Vande Mataram was later adopted by the
Indian government as the nation's National Song. |
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Throughout his life, Bankim wrote on social and political issues facing
the society and the country at that time like widow remarriage,
education, lack of intellectual development and freedom. He believed
that by communicating with the masses he could unite them against the
British.
The British Government honoured him with the title "Ray Bahadur" in
1892. Bankim Chandra passed away on 8th April 1894. |
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