Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in the News
The Prime Minister’s gesture honouring 150 years of India’s famous national song was recently acknowledged by the family of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, the renowned writer of Vande Mataram. The enormous literary and cultural legacy of Bankim Chandra is once again highlighted by this increased national focus.
Who Was Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay?
One of India’s most renowned novelists and poets is Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, sometimes referred to as Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. He is best known for authoring Vande Mataram, which influenced Indian nationalist thought as well as Bengali literature.
His family worked for the British government, and he was born on June 27, 1838, in Kantalpara in Bengal’s 24 Parganas region. Surprisingly, he was one of the first two graduates from the University of Calcutta. He went on to obtain a law degree before joining the administration.
A Literary Journey that Defined an Era
Before switching to fiction, Bankim Chandra wrote poetry. The Bengali romance genre began with his first significant work, Durgeshnandini (1865). He wrote important novels during the following 20 years, including:
- Kapalkundala (1866)
- Mrinalini (1869)
- Vishbriksha (1873)
- Chandrasekhar (1877)
- Rajani (1877)
- Rajsimha (1881)
- Chaudhurani Devi (1884)
His most famous book, Anand Math (1882), which took place during the Sannyasi Rebellion, gave India its enduring national anthem, Vande Mataram. Rabindranath Tagore sang the song in public for the first time during the 1896 Calcutta Congress session. It was written in Sanskrit. On January 24, 1950, the Constituent Assembly declared it to be India’s national anthem.
Legacy of a Literary Titan
Despite his death on April 8, 1894, Bankim Chandra’s contributions continue to influence Indian identity. Known as the “Sahitya Samrat” (Emperor of Literature), he brought cultural pride and literary brilliance to early Indian nationalism and revolutionised contemporary Bengali literature.
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About the Author: Jyoti Verma
