By Satyaki Paul
The date June 27, 2021 marks the 183rd birth anniversary of Bengali poet Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, the “Sahitya Samrat”. He is renowned for this composition of “VandeMataram” in his novel “Anandamath” (1882). Later, in January 24, 1950 the constituent assembly adopted “VandeMataram” as the National Song of India.
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was born on June 27, 1838 in the Naihatiregion of the North24 Paraganas District of Bengal. He belonged to a family of orthodox Brahmins. The term“Bankim Chandra” in Bengali means “the moon on the second day of the bright fortnight”. His father Yadav Chandra Chattopadhyay was in government service under the then British Raj. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee received his initial education in Midnapur where his brillianceemerged. After his initial education in Midnapur,he joined the Mohsin College at Hoogly and studied there for 6-years. Apart from his study related textbooks, he used to read other books in his leisure time. Furthermore, he was very much inclined in the study of Sanskrit language. His study of Sanskrit language aided him a lot in terms of the books he wrote books in Bengali.
In 1856, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay joined the Presidency College in Calcutta. In 1857, there was a strong revolt against the rule of East India Company (Sepoy Mutiny of 1857), but Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaysustained his studies and passed his B.A. Examination in 1859. The then Lieutenant Governor of Calcutta appointed Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay as Deputy Collector in the same year. Later, he retired in 1891 after 32 years of service under the British Raj. He also received the title of “Rai Bahadur” in the same year from British Raj.
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was married when he was only 11. He was also the victim of conventional child marriage system of that time. His wife was only 5-years old. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was only 22 when his wife died. In due course, he got re-married toRajlakshmi Devi. They had three daughters.
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay began his literary career as a writer of poetry. He then turned to fictional stories. Durgeshnandini, his first Bengali romance, was published in 1865. His famous novels include Kapalkundala (1866), Mrinalini (1869), Vishbriksha (1873), Chandrasekhar (1877), Rajani (1877), Rajsimha (1881), and Devi Chaudhurani (1884). Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wasrenowned for his novel was Anand Math (1882)—It was a political novel which depictedthe Sanyasi rebellion against the British Raj which took place from 1760s to 1800s.
He wanted to initiate cultural revival of Bengal by motivating the intellect of the Bengali speaking people through various literary movements. To fulfill such ambitions, he introduced a monthly magazine called “Bangadarshan” in 1872—which would act as a medium of communication between educated and uneducated individuals.Bankim Chandra died on April 8, 1894. In his lifetime, he wrote numerous novels (mostly in Bengali), stories and essays.Later, his works were also translated into several languages.
Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s nationalistic writings inspired masses to rise up against the then British Raj. His works also inspired numerous women to rise and embrace the notions of modernity by sidelining the patriarchal system.
The author works as a Ph.D. Research Scholar at the Department of Anthropology, University of Calcutta, and the co-author of the book Anthropology For All (2021).