Misplaced Pages

#116883

47-685: Chhayavad Yug dates from 1918 to 1937. It was preceded by Bharatendu Yug (1868–1900) and Dwivedi Yug (1900–1918) and was followed by the Contemporary Period from 1937 onward. Chhayavad continued until the latter half of the 1930s, when the golden era of modern Hindi poetry was gradually replaced by social didacticism inspired by rising nationalist fervour. Some of the later poets of this era, like Dinkar, Mahadevi and Bachchan took nationalist and social critiquing within their poetry. Jaishankar Prasad , Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' , Sumitranandan Pant and Mahadevi Varma are considered as

94-531: A centre in Srirampur , West Bengal, from which it ran a network of schools that taught literacy, mathematics, physics, geography and other so-called "useful knowledge." Other missionary societies followed soon after, working along similar lines. These missionaries, which were largely dependent on local, indigenous teachers and families, and the colonial government, which sometimes supported them with grants, were also cautious about introducing Christian teachings or

141-510: A community. Well-known figures include the social reformer Raja Rammohan Roy , writer Rabindranath Tagore , and the physicist Satyendra Nath Bose . The main Muslim figures in the movement include members of the Suhrawardy family , poet and musician Kazi Nazrul Islam and writer Rokeya Sakhawat Hussain . The Bengal Renaissance was a movement characterised by a sociopolitical awakening in

188-711: A legal ban on cow slaughter on behalf of Maharaja of Benares , taking it to the Delhi Durbar . His petition on the same, according to Sahay ([1905] 1975: 84), had 60,000 signatories and was submitted to Lord Lytton. Even though no action was taken on the ban, he was given the title "Vir Vaishnava". Bharatendu Harishchandra soon became a director, manager, and playwright. He used theatre as a tool to shape public opinion. His major plays are: निज भाषा उन्नति अहै, सब उन्नति को मूल । बिन निज भाषा-ज्ञान के, मिटत न हिय को सूल ।। विविध कला शिक्षा अमित, ज्ञान अनेक प्रकार। सब देसन से लै करहू, भाषा माहि प्रचार ।। Translation: Progress

235-507: A systematic education policy was not established until 1854. However, Sengupta and Purkayastha point out that even during the 1860s and 1870s, "the project of female education was wholly tied to the purpose of enabling women to better discharge their domestic duties." Despite the East India Company's initial hostility to missionaries, the colonial government later saw the advantages of their contribution to educating and training

282-531: A vital role in shaping ideas and identities in colonial Bengal from the 18th century onwards," writes Anindita Ghosh, continuing that "… commercial print cultures that emanated from numerous cheap presses in Calcutta and its suburbs disseminated wide-ranging literary preferences that afforded a space to different sections of the Bengali middle classes to voice their own distinctive concerns." The Bengal Province

329-466: Is considered an important work of this school, followed by Mahadevi Varma 's Nihar (Mist, 1930) and Harivansh Rai Bachchan 's Madhushala (1935). Initially, Chhayavad was very well received by readers and critics alike. However, subsequent scholars have criticized Chhayavad for excessive use of decorative language, romanticism aloof from contemporary social and economic malaise, and setting stricter rules on meter and rhyme. This article about

376-412: Is made in one's own language (the mother tongue), as it the foundation of all progress. Without the knowledge of the mother tongue, there is no cure for the pain of heart. Many arts and education infinite, knowledge of various kinds. Should be taken from all countries, but be propagated in one's mother tongue. He also wrote the following famous lines, which are frequently cited, when someone laments

423-475: Is often considered as the father of modern Hindi Literature and Hindi theatre . He has been hailed as a Yug Charan for his writings depicting the exploitative nature of the British Raj . Writing under the pen name "Rasa", Harishchandra picked themes that demonstrated the agonies of the people. For instance, the country's poverty, dependency, inhuman exploitation, the unrest of the middle class and

470-606: The Bengali Renaissance , was a cultural, social, intellectual, and artistic movement that took place in the Bengal region of the British Raj , from the late 18th century to the early 20th century. Historians have traced the beginnings of the movement to the victory of the British East India Company at the 1757 Battle of Plassey , as well as the works of reformer Raja Rammohan Roy , considered

517-1154: The Chittagong College ; Indian Statistical Institute ; the Hindu School , the oldest modern educational institution in Asia; Jadavpur University ; Presidency University, Kolkata ; the University of Calcutta , the University of Dhaka , the oldest university in Bangladesh; and Visva-Bharati University . During the Bengal Renaissance science was also advanced by several Bengali scientists such as Satyendra Nath Bose , Ashutosh Mukherjee , Anil Kumar Gain , Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis , Prafulla Chandra Ray , Debendra Mohan Bose , Jagadish Chandra Bose , Jnan Chandra Ghosh , Gopal Chandra Bhattacharya , Kishori Mohan Bandyopadhyay , Jnanendra Nath Mukherjee , Sisir Kumar Mitra , Upendranath Brahmachari and Meghnad Saha . Jagadish Chandra Bose (1858–1937)

SECTION 10

#1732782800117

564-654: The Freedom of Intellect Movement was established in 1926 to challenge the social customs and dogmas in Bengali Muslim society. From the mid-eighteenth century, the Bengal Province , and more specifically, its capital city of Calcutta , was the centre of British power in India. The region was the base for British imperial rule until the capital was moved to Delhi in 1911. Prior to Crown control, British power

611-919: The Indian Rebellion of 1857 forced the British parliament to pass the Government of India Act 1858 , which saw the liquidation of the EIC and the transfer of power to the British Crown. The Bengali Renaissance originated in the Bengal Presidency of the British Indian Empire, but more specifically, its capital city of Kolkata , then known as Calcutta. This colonial metropolis was the first non-Western city to use British methods of teaching in their school system. In 1817,

658-457: The crescograph . The Bengal School of Art was an art movement and a style of Indian painting that originated in Bengal and flourished throughout British India in the early 20th century. Also known as 'Indian style of painting' in its early days, it was associated with Indian nationalism ( swadeshi ) and led by Abanindranath Tagore . Following the influence of Indian spiritual ideas in

705-450: The "Father of the Bengal Renaissance," born in 1772. Nitish Sengupta stated that the movement "can be said to have … ended with Rabindranath Tagore ," Asia's first Nobel laureate . For almost two centuries, the Bengal renaissance saw the radical transformation of Indian society, and its ideas have been attributed to the rise of Indian anticolonialist and nationalist thought and activity during this period. The philosophical basis of

752-568: The Bible. Education was also believed to be necessary in reversing the apparent moral decline many colonial administrators saw in Bengal society. To give an example, a British judge in Bengal recommended the London Missionary Society's schools, "for the dissemination of morality and general improvement of society among natives of all persuasion without interfering with their religious prejudices." Missionaries, however, were not

799-607: The Brahmo Sabha movement, which was later renamed the Brahmo Samaj by Debendranath Tagore . It was an influential socioreligious reform movement that made significant contributions to the renaissance, as well as the makings of modern Indian society. Among the many changes brought about by the Bengal Renaissance in India was the development of education, both in the Bengali language and in English. Colonial provisions at

846-599: The Empire's promotion of English education in the region as part of its " civilising missions ". For instance, Sivanath Sastri notes that Charles Grant , a British politician influential in Indian affairs who also served as Chairman of the East India Company, "moved "that a thorough education be given to the different races inhabiting the country, [and] that the Gospel be preached to them… ."" Moreover, Arabinda Poddar contends that

893-432: The English education of Bengalis was intended to create "mere political slaves," arguing that, "the civilising role of English education, stressed the need of creating a class of Anglophiles who would have a somewhat in-between existence between the rulers and the ruled." Other historians cite the works of "Father of the Bengal Renaissance," Raja Rammohun Roy, as the start of the Bengal Renaissance. Roy, by 1829, co-founded

940-416: The English was not only a political revolution, but ushered in a greater revolution in thoughts and ideas, in religion and society ... From the stories of gods and goddesses, kings and queens, princes and princesses, we have learnt to descend to the humble walks of life, to sympathise with the common citizen or even common peasant … Every revolution is attended with vigour, and the present one is no exception to

987-606: The West, the British art teacher Ernest Binfield Havell attempted to reform the teaching methods at the Calcutta School of Art by encouraging students to imitate Mughal miniatures . This caused controversy, leading to a strike by students and complaints from the local press, including from nationalists who considered it to be a retrogressive move. Havell was supported by the artist Abanindranath Tagore . According to historian Romesh Chunder Dutt : The conquest of Bengal by

SECTION 20

#1732782800117

1034-491: The arts, literature, music, philosophy, religion, science, and other fields of intellectual inquiry. The movement questioned the existing customs and rituals in Indian society – most notably, the caste system, and the practice of sati, idolatry – as well as the role of religion and colonial governance. In turn, the Bengal Renaissance advocated for societal reform – the kind that adhered to secularist, humanist and modernist ideals. From Rabindranath Tagore to Satyendra Nath Bose ,

1081-464: The company was able to acquire extensive territory in the Bengal and Ganges basin . The expense of these wars, however, threatened the company's financial situation, and the Regulating Act 1773 was passed to stabilise the EIC as well as subject it to some parliamentary control. Further legislation over the next several decades progressively brought about tighter controls over the company, but

1128-580: The development of modern forms of the Hindi language. He used Vaishnava devotionalism to define a coherent Hindu religion, using the Kashi Dharma Sabha as his institutional base, started in the 1860s by the Maharaja of Benares as a response to more radical Hindu reformist movements. Harishchandra insisted on the value of image worship and interpreted Bhakti as devotion to a single god; this

1175-646: The first time in the Bengali literature. The Bengali Renaissance also led to religious reform movements. Some notable religious and spiritual leaders associated with these reform movements are Ram Mohan Roy , Debendranath Tagore , Keshab Chandra Sen , Bijoy Krishna Goswami , Rani Rashmoni , Ramakrishna , Sarada Devi , Swami Vivekananda , Aurobindo , Bamakhepa , Lokenath Brahmachari, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati , Bhaktivinoda Thakur , Paramahansa Yogananda , Lahiri Mahasaya , Nigamananda Paramahansa , Ram Thakur , Sitaramdas Omkarnath , and Anandamayi Ma . The religious reform movements and organizations associated with

1222-500: The four pillars of the Chhayavadi school of Hindi literature. Other important figures of this literary movement were Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar' , Harivansh Rai Bachchan , Makhanlal Chaturvedi and Pandit Narendra Sharma . Harivansh Rai Bachchan became excessively critical of Chhayavad later in his career and was associated with other genres like Rahasyavaad , Pragativaad and Haalaavaad . Jaishankar Prasad 's Kamayani (1936)

1269-492: The initiatives of the government. While the East India Company Act of 1813 allotted 100,000 rupees from the government's surplus to be "applied to the revival and improvement of literature, and the encouragement of the learned natives of India, and for the introduction and promotion of a knowledge of the sciences," it did not lead to any coherent provision of public education. According to Dermot Killingley,

1316-483: The literature of India is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Bharatendu Harishchandra Bharatendu Harishchandra (9 September 1850 – 6 January 1885) was an Indian poet , writer and playwright . He authored several dramas , life sketches and travel accounts , using new media such as reports, publications, letters to editors of publications, translations, and literary works to shape public opinion. 'Bharatendu Harishchandra'

1363-483: The local population. This was especially because, as Killingley noted, "in the innovations of the early nineteenth century, government initiative had less impact than the work of Christian missions, and of individuals … who responded to the demand for literacy, numeracy and related skills created by growing commercial and administrative activity." In 1800, the Baptist Missionary Society established

1410-483: The loss of patronage, or to introduce a new system based on Western education. Rammohan Roy contributed to this last debate by writing to the Governor-General in 1823 expressing his opposition to the establishment of a Sanskrit College that would foster traditional learning and advocating for Western scientific education; this effort failed without effect. Missionaries began teaching young women in 1816, but

1457-533: The movement saw the emergence of important figures, whose contributions still influence cultural and intellectual works today. Although the Bengal Renaissance was led and dominated by upper caste Hindus, Bengali Muslims played a transformative role in the movement, as well as the shaping of colonial and postcolonial Indian society. Examples of Bengali Muslim renaissance men and women include Kazi Nazrul Islam , Ubaidullah Al Ubaidi Suhrawardy and Rokeya Sakhawat Hussain . When it came to cultural and religious reform,

Chhayavad - Misplaced Pages Continue

1504-516: The movement was its unique version of liberalism and modernity. According to Sumit Sarkar , the pioneers and works of this period were revered and regarded with nostalgia throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, however, due to a new focus on its colonialist origins, a more critical view emerged in the 1970s. The Bengali renaissance was predominantly led by Bengali Hindus , who at the time were socially and economically more affluent in colonial Bengal, and therefore better placed for higher education as

1551-566: The only channels through which education was promoted. For instance, individuals in Calcutta such as Rammohan Roy, the conservative Hindu scholar, Radhakanta Deb to the atheist philanthropist, David Hare, and other British officials often collaborated in the Calcutta School Book Society and the Calcutta School Society. Some of the other institutions of learning established during this period include

1598-780: The pathetic situation in which India often finds itself. The lines exhort all Indians to work together to end this situation. रोवहु सब मिलि के आवहु भारत भाई । हा। हा। भारत दुर्दशा न देखी जाई ।। The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of India gives the Bharatendu Harishchandra Awards since 1983 to promote original writings in Hindi mass communication . Bengal Renaissance Lores Genres Institutions Awards Folk genres Devotional Classical genres Modern genres People Instruments Dance Theater Organizations People The Bengal Renaissance ( Bengali : বাংলার নবজাগরণ , romanized :  Bāṅlār Nôbôjāgôrôṇ ), also known as

1645-407: The pseudonym Girdhar Das. He was titled "Bharatendu" ("The moon of India") at a public meeting by scholars of Kashi in 1880 in recognition of his services as a writer, patron, and moderniser. Ram Vilas Sharma refers to the "great literary awakening ushered in under Bharatendu's leadership" as the "second storey of the edifice of renascent Hindi", the first being the Indian Rebellion of 1857 . He

1692-456: The rule. Nowhere in the annals of Bengali literature are so many or so bright names found crowded together in the limited space of one century as those of Ram Mohan Roy, Akshay Kumar Dutt, Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, Isvar Chandra Gupta, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Hem Chandra Banerjee, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Dina Bandhu Mitra. Within the three quarters of the present century, prose, blank verse, historical fiction and drama have been introduced for

1739-432: The surplus mentioned in this Charter Act was "an aspiration, not a budget item," and even if the money had been provided for, there was uncertainty about how it should be spent. Recurring questions arose over whether to invest on a few advanced institutions or to promote widespread elementary education, what language to use, and particularly whether to support traditional methods of learning in India, which had declined due to

1786-452: The time consisted mainly of village schools teaching literacy and numeracy, Arabic and Islamic studies being taught to Muslims in madrasas , and tols, where pandits instructed Sanskrit texts to Brahmins , which were supported by endowments. These institutions were exclusively male, and in the rare cases where girls could get an education, it was in the home. The work of Christian missions also had more of an influence on Indian students than

1833-757: The urban elite led by Raja Ram Mohan Roy cofounded the Hindu or Presidency College in Kolkata, now known as the Presidency University , the only European-style institution of higher learning in Asia at the time. The city was also home to a public library, the Imperial Library, now the National Library of India , and newspapers and books were being published regularly in both Bengali and English. "Print language and literature played

1880-458: The urgent need for progression of the country. Referred as a fearless journalist, Harishchandra refuted the prevailing orthodoxy of the time and revealed the machination of the mahants , pandas and priests . He was an influential Hindu "traditionalist", using Vaishnava devotionalism to define a coherent Hindu religion. Bharatendu Harishchandra was born in Benaras . His father Girdhar Das

1927-486: Was a polymath : a physicist , biologist , botanist , archaeologist , and writer of science fiction. He pioneered the investigation of radio and microwave optics , made very significant contributions to botany, and laid the foundations of experimental science in the Indian subcontinent . He is considered one of the fathers of radio science, and is also considered the father of Bengali science fiction . He also invented

Chhayavad - Misplaced Pages Continue

1974-524: Was a poet. His parents died when he was young. His ancestors were landlords in Bengal , and he was born into a wealthy family. Gopal, Madan (1985). "Remembering Bharatendu Harishchandra" . Indian Literature . pp. 101–109. Acharya Ramchandra Shukla has described Bharatendu's journey to the Jagannath temple in Puri, Orissa with his family in 1865, at the young age of 15. During this trip he

2021-540: Was deeply moved by the Bengal Renaissance and decided to translate the genres of social, historical, and Puranic plays and novels into Hindi. This influence reflected in his Hindi translation of the Bengali drama Vidyasundar , three years later, in 1868. By age 17, Harishchandra was known for his literary talents. Harishchandra edited the magazines Kavi Vachan Sudha , Harishchandra Magazine , Harishchandra Patrika and Bal Vodhini. He wrote under

2068-436: Was in response to Orientalist and Christian critiques of Hinduism. Although Urdu was used as the lingua franca across North India since the 18th Century, Harishchandra espoused the cause of reviving Hindi as part of his cultural and nationalist activities. He "combined pleas for [the] use of Swadeshi articles with demands for replacement of Urdu by Hindi in courts and a ban on cow slaughter ". He continued his campaign for

2115-519: Was in the hands of the East India Company, which in course of time, became increasingly profitable and influential, politically, establishing diplomatic relations with local rulers as well as building armies to protect its own interests. During this time, partly through the 1757 Battle of Plassey against the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies, and in part through the fall of the Mughal Empire ,

2162-606: Was married and had one daughter. According to Barbara and Thomas R. Metcalf , Bharatendu Harishchandra was a powerful Hindu "traditionalist" in North India, promoting the continuity of received tradition and self-conscious participation with the modern world. He rejected the authority of those engaged with Western learning and institutions over Hindu religious matters and recommended they be left to traditionally educated Hindu scholars. He used new media, especially publications to shape public opinion. In doing so, he contributed to

2209-561: Was the base for British East India Company rule until the overthrow of the Nawab of Bengal at the Battle of Plassey in 1757, which marked the Crown's consolidation of power in India. Many postcolonial historians source the origins of the Bengal Renaissance to these events, arguing that the movement was both a reaction to the violence and exploitation by the British Raj , as well as a product of

#116883