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      Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833) was the precursor of modernism in India and the foremost personality in renascent Bengal. He studied Arabic and Persian, besides Muslim theology at Patna, Hindu theology at Banaras, and Buddhism in Tibet.

He wrote extensively in Bangla, English, Sanskrit, Hindi and Persian, and produced nearly thirty major works only in Bangla. He also edited the Brahmanical Magazine in English (1821), Sambad Kaumoudi in Bengali (1821), and Mirat-ul-Akhbar in Persian (1823).

Raja Ram Mohan Roy

      His translations of Kenopanishad and Ishopanishad into English and Bengali came out in 1816, followed by the translations of Kathopanishad and Mundakopanishad in 1817. These were part of his major attempt to place the vedantic knowledge within the grasp of common man. An abridgement of the Vedanta (1816) was another notable work in this regard. In 1817 he published his English pamphlet, The Defence of Hindoo Theism which was a strong vindication of monotheism. Interestingly, Ram Mohan never attacked Hindu religion but only its superstitions and blind beliefs. He admired the true spirit of Christianity in his books. Most of Ram Mohan's Bengali writings were prompted not only by socio-religious controversies but also by a spirit of truth and knowledge. Ram Mohan's books on the anti-sati campaign were written with a deep sense of respect for women. Apart from his socio-political writing, Ram Mohan published a grammar of Bengali language. He was the first to write Brahma songs in Bengali. Ram Mohan Roy is a unique personality in Indian literature. He happens to be the first English prose writer of his time in Indian-English literature. He will be ever remembered as the father of Bengali prose also.

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      The Fort William College, established by Lord Wellesley in 1800A.D. in Calcutta, has a place of distinction in the history of Bangla literature. Ramram Basu (Pratapadity-Caritra, Lipimala), Mrityunjay Vidyalankar ( Batrish Simhasan and Hitopodesa ), and William Carey ( Kathopakathan ) etc. made a significant impact on the growth of Bangla litereary prose. Though Ram Mohan Roy was simultaneously writing in Bangla prose he had no connection with the activity of Fort William College.

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      Though Vidyasagar was not a creative literary personality in the true sense of the term, his contribution in shaping Bangla language and literature in those early period can not be ignored either.

      His translations from Sanskrit, Hindi and English into Bengali , though contributed much in the making of a new Bangla prose, were also not devoid of a literary flavour at a time when his predecessor Ram Mohan Roy’s literary doctrines, heavily based on Saskritised Bangla, seems quite archaic in today’s context . But Vidyasagar is still acceptable to the modern readers both language and contentwise. Even now , his writings find a place in the school curriculum of Bangla. Betaal Panchabimshati, Abhijnaana Shakuntal , Sitar Banabas and Bhraanti Bilaas are his most notable contribution to Bangla literature.

      Bankimchandra is the first architect of modern Bangla literature. As he was familiar with the Western literary style, he assimilated many Western trends and created the form of Bangla novel in his own characteristic way. In his novels , Bangla readers tested the kind of literary dish they had been long awaiting for Publication of Bangadarshan, the literary magazine, by him, ushered a new era in the literary activity of the time.Young Rabindranath was captivated by the writings of Bankimchandra.

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      Born on 25th January, 1824, in a zamindar family of Jessore, now in East Bengal, Michael Madhusudan Datta was a man of extra ordinary genius, and a born rebel. To him Bangla owes our sonnets and blank verse. Madhusudan Datta entered Hindu College in 1883.

However he had to leave the college in 1843 when despite strong opposition from his father, he embraced Christianity. After spending a brief span at the Bishop’s College, he moved to Madras, where he studied Greek, Latin and Hebrew. In his early writing years, he wrote exclusively in English.

Michael Madhusudan Datta

      Even the letters which he wrote to some of his school friends were in English. The letters make very interesting reading and are full of vigour and humour. His English books of poetry - The Captive Lady and Visions of the Past were published in 1849. All his writings reflect Madhusudan’s eagerness with which he devoured the European classics. It was much later that he discovered his strength and niche in his mother tongue. He revolutionized Bengali poetry with ‘Amitrakkhar Chanda’ and the first Bengali sonnets. He also excelled as a dramatist and a journalist. One of his biggest achievements was the Meghnadbadh Kavya, which is actually a creative reader’s response to the Ramayana -followed by Brajangana Kavya, Veerangana Kavya. The focus of the work got shifted from Rama to Meghnad and Ravana in the rival camp. Madhusudan had a very eventful life. Though he achieved much success in his writings, his personal life was extremely distressing. His marriage with his first wife Rebecca , ended in divorce. In 1956 he married a French lady - Emilia Henrietta. He passed away on Sunday 29th June, 1873.

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      Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel laureate Bengali poet, short-story writer, song composer, playwright, essayist, painter and philosopher was born into a distinguished Bengali family in Calcutta on May 7, 1861.

His father Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, was a religious reformer and his mother was Sharada Devi. His grandfather Dwarakanath Tagore was a rich landlord and also a social reformer. Tagore’s early education started at home, as conventional education was unsuitable for him.

Rabindranath Tagore

      His love and yearnings were always different. Inspired by his older nephew, he wrote his first poem when he was eight. At the age of seventeen, he was sent to England for formal schooling in law. In 1879, he enrolled at University College, at London. While in England he wrote a poem, Bhagna Hriday. The poem depicts the sufferings of a broken heart away from home. After his return from England in 1880, he got married to Mrinalini Devi in 1883 and had two sons and three daughters. But Mrinalini Devi died in 1902 at the age of thirty. Tagore earned unusual success by the end of the 19th century. In 1891 Tagore went to East Bengal (now in Bangladesh) to manage his family's estates at Shilaidah and Shazadpur and stayed there for ten years in close communication with the village folks. This period from 1890 to 1900 was the time when Tagore’s literary genius was at its peak. The best of his works like, Manasi, Sonar Tari, Chaitali, Kalpana and Kadi O Komal came up during these years. In the novel, Naukadubi, Tagore gave clear images of upper middle-class life in Bengal. Similar kind of images were prevalent in Chokher-Bali, later in Gora and Ghare Baire. The last two, are interesting studies of the impact of Western ideas on Indian life. A great variety of types is represented in his plays: symbolical plays in prose, such as Raja, Phalguni and Rakta Karabi; social comedies in prose, such as Chirakumar Sabha, Goray Galad and Baikunther Khaataa; and short romantic and dramatic pieces such as Malini, Chandalika, and Natir Puja. Many of Tagore’s plays, in which music predominates are Valmiki-Pratibha, Mayar Khela etc. Mention should also be made of the dramatic dialogues in verse, such as Viday-abhishap and Karna o Kunti. Tagore also composed 3000 songs and excelled as a painter. In 1901, he founded a school at Shantiniketan for promotion of the creative and performing arts of India and also for those interested in the Western and Indian philosophy and education. The school started with five pupils and five teachers. It became a university in 1921. Tagore’s fame attained a luminous height with the publication of Gitanjali, which he started writing in 1909. He translated some of his poems/songs from Gitanjali to English in 1912, during his journey to London for the second time. This translated work was published under the auspices of Yeats and it was for this work, the Nobel Prize for literature was awarded to Tagore. Subsequently, he received Knighthood in 1915. But being an ardent patriot, he repudiated it in 1919 as a protest against the Amritsar Massacre. His patriotic poems and songs, particularly the latter, have passed into the common heritage of this country. The song "Jana gana mana adhinayaka jaya hey" is now sung all over India as the national anthem. In the later part of his life i.e. between the years 1916 and 1934, he traveled widely, with the aim of spreading the ideal of uniting East and West. After 1934, he went to Shantiniketan, where he lived in seclusion through the rest of his life. In August 1941, Tagore was moved from Shantiniketan to Calcutta. In the same year on 7th of August, he breathed his last.

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      The first half of Twentieth century is primarily regarded as the era of Rabindranath. After Bankimchandra, Rabindranath captured the centrestage of Bangla literary activities. Though he was primarily a poet, he touched all sections of Bangla literature and established the trends on solid footing.He received the Nobel Prize in 1913 for his Geetanjali (The Songs Offering ) .Bangla short story writing got the required impetus and form in the hands of Rabindranath. His short stories can be compared with that of Maupassant. Rabindranath was responsible for elavating the position of Bangla in world. Most notable among the other literary greats of Bengal were Bishnu De, Amiya Chakraborty, Sudhindranath Dutta in poetry and Tarashankar, Bibhutibhushan, Manik Bandopadhyaya, in novel.

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      Saratchandra (1876-1938) was one of the most eminent Bengali novelists whose popularity continued unabated all over India through the numerous translations into various Indian languages. Born in a poor Brahmin family, he had his education in both Bengal and Bihar, but could not continue his education because of financial difficulties.

He chose the life of a wanderer, and gained enormous experience which shaped the situations and characters in his short stories and novels. A short story called 'Mandir' (Temple) was one of his earliest writings to be published, for which he was awarded the Kuntalin prize.

Saratchandra

      Later in 1907, the Bengali literary magazine Bharati published his Baradidi (Elder Sister). From 1912 onwards (when he was still living in Burma), Saratchandra's short stories and novels started coming out in well-known Bengali magazines like Yamuna, Bharatvarsha, Bangabani, Narayan, Basumati and Bichitra. In 1913, he resigned his job in Burma and returned to Calcutta to devote himself entirely to writing. Of the fifty odd works of fiction that he wrote during his life time, the four volumes of Srikanta were autiobiographical novel. One of his most widely translated (into Indian languages) novels was Devadas, published in 1917. Charitrahin ( The Dissolute), published in November 1917, is about socially prohibited romance and in Shesh Prashna ( The Last Question ) published in May 1931, his pet theme on man-woman relationship outside the prevailing constraints of an orthodox society. The didactic tone is predominant also in Pather Dabi (Demand of the Road) published in 1926. In his last novel Sesher parichay he returned to his fond search for saintliness among ‘fallen’ women- this time the heroine was a woman who had left her husband and was ostracized by the society.

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      Jibanananda Das (1899-1954) was by far the most important Bengali poet of the post-Tagore era. A student of English literature, he taught it in several colleges in Calcutta. For some time he also worked in the editorial department of the daily Swaraj.

Both in form as well as content the originality of his poetry is so immediately and strikingly discernible that it marks him out as a unique personality in contemporary Bengali literature. He was essentially a poet of loneliness and found glory in being solitary. His use of supremely original word-images has secured for him an unparalleled place in Bengali literature.

Jibanananda Das

      When most of the poets of this period found it difficult, if not impossible, to overcome the impact of Tagore, in style and ideas, Jibanananda could easily evolve a poetic idiom which was at once traditional and strikingly new. His collections of his poetry included: Jhara Palak (1927), Dhusar Pandulipi (1936), Mahaprthivi (1944), Satti Tarar Timir (1948), Banalata Sen (1942, 1952), Rupasi Bangla (1957) and Bela Abela Kalbela (1961).

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      Manik Bandyopadhyay (1908-1956) was an eminent novelist and short-story writer, who came out with his first story, 'Atasimami' (Aunt Atasi) in 1928. He dedicated himself completely to creative writing and within nine years he wrote many novels and short- stories, e.g. Janani (The Mother. 1935), Divaratrir Kavya (Ballad of Day and Night, 1935), Putulnacher ltikatha (The Puppet's Tale, 1936), Padmanadir Majhi (Boatmen of Padma. 1936), Pragaitihasik (Primeval, 1937).

One of the significant characteristics of his writings is his scientific attitude. He noted with discerning eyes the vice, the injustice and the corruption in the middle class. Hollow sentimentalism and vile hypocrisy were the main characteristics of his novels.

Manik Bandyopadhyay

      His depiction of struggles of the boatmen on the Padma and the toiling labour in factories on the outskirts of Calcutta in Padmanadir Majhi and Sahartali (The Suburbs; Part I, 1940; Part II, 1941 respectively) made his novels memorable. He felt that Marxism alone could give us the true meaning of the past and the present with accuracy. This change can be seen in many of his writings - Darpan (The Mirror, 1945), Chintamani (1946), Aj Kal Parsur Galpa (Stories of to-day, to-morrow and the day after. 1946) and Paristhiti (The situation, 1946). Many of these also dealt with topics like war and famine. The reaction of the common man to the communal riots is very ably portrayed in his next novel Swadhinatar Swad (Taste of Independence). Some of his other novels deal with problems of the refugees and their settlement. His other major novels included Jibaner Jatilata (Tangles of Life, 1936), Amritasya Putra (Scions of the Immortal, 1938), Ahimsa (Non-Violence, 1941), Dharabandha Jiban (Routine Life, 1941), Pratibimba (The Reflection, 1943), Saharbaser ltikatha (Annals of City life, 1946), Chhanda Patan (Lapse from Rhythm, 1951), Itikathar Parer Katha (Post-Script to the Tale, 1952), Pasapasi (Side by Side, 1952), Paradhin Prem (Love in Bondage, 1953), Halud Nadi Sabuj Ban (Ochre River and Green Woods, 1956), and Matighensha Manus (Man of the Soil, Posthumous, 1957). He wrote quite a number of stories for the young.

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      Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay (1894-1950) is widely known as the author of Pather Panchali, his magnum opus and a contemporary classic. Right from his early life, he was steeped in the manner and lore of village life.

Throughout his active life, except for short interruptions, he was a school teacher. His early life was spent in abject poverty. Pather Panchali, originally published in 1929, was the author's very first novel.

Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay

      In about two decades of an intensely active literary life he produced more than fifty works including seventeen novels, twenty collections of short stories, travelogues, autobiographical compositions, children's literature, a Bengali grammar, a translation of Ivanhoe and some scattered writings relating to astrology and the occult which, as a subject, never ceased to fascinate him. Apart from the sequel of Pather Panchali, such as Aparajita (1932) and Aranyaka, his other works of fiction included Meghamallar (1931), Mauriphul (1932), Yatrabadal (1934), Dristipradip (1935), Kinnardal (1938), Adarsa Hindu Hotel (1940), Anuvartan (1942), and Ichhamati (1949). Bibhutibhushan presents the village as it is, without commentary or criticism, but very often with such sympathy for the people who live there that it has earned him a very special place in the annals of contemporary Bengali literature.

      The actual spoken language attained a quality in the early writings of Rabindranath Tagore. Now, the language reigns supreme in dramas and in conversational passages of novels. Despite the fact that Rabindranath Tagore made use of colloquial forms, literary language was also much in vogue in his writings. The Chalitbhasa was first seriously taken up by Pramatha Chaudhuri at the instance of Rabindranath Tagore during the early years of the First World War.The other writers Sudhindranath Datta and Mohitlal Majumder were all young men, who followed the lead to Tagore and attended the salon of Chaudhuri. The literateurs after Tagore tried earnestly to usher a new era in Bengali literature while Rabindranath Tagore was alive.

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      The rebel poet or ‘Bidrohi Kobi’, Nazrul was born on 24th May 1899 at Churulia in the Burdwan district of West Bengal. His father was Kazi Faqir Ahmad and mother Zaheda Khatun. Nazrul began his early education in the local Maktab (religious school).

In 1911 for a short period he attended the Mathrun High School in Burdwan. During that time the poet in order to sustain himself, worked at a bakery in Asansol. At the age of ten he also had to take up a job in a village school and became the muazzin of the local mosque. His father’s premature death forced him to take up odd jobs. Although Nazrul had to change schools two or three more times, he managed to continue up to class ten.

Kazi Nazrul Islam

      In 1917, in tenth standard only, he listed with the 49th Bengal Regiment. The regiment was not given a chance to face battle but Nazrul’s fighting gusto later-found expression in poetic effusion and warmth and published his first piece “The Autobiography of a Delinquent”(Saugat, May 1919). He created a new type of public poetry, vigorous and loud. He came to fame with a ballad like poem Bidrohi (The Rebel), during the non-cooperation movement, when the country was eagerly waiting to hear such a vibrant voice. His Agnibina (The Lute of Fire, 1922), Bisher Banshi (The Poison Flute, 1924) and several other poems have a frenzied rhythm of youthful exuberance. He responded to the freedom struggle with tremendous passion and equally attracted was he to the message of socialist revolution. In apparent contradiction with his wild fury of rebellious poetry, he wrote intoxicating lyrics of love with tremendous commercial success. He wrote the words and the music of fantastically large number of songs, exceeding two thousand. 1920 onwards his poems, essays and novels began to appear regularly and within a year or so Nazrul became well known in the literary establishments of Bengal. In 1924, he got married to Pramila Devi. Soon after his marriage, Nazrul became actively involved in political activities and a good number of his publications came out during this time. Nazrul’s musical creativity established him as the innovator of the Bengali Ghazal as well. 1962 to his death in 1976, he remained seriously ill, suffering from irreversible brain damage, started living a secluded life. Under the auspices of Bangladesh government the poet was moved to Dhaka, the capital of newly liberated Bangladesh. There only the poet breathed his last on 29th August, 1976.

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      During the early years of post- Tagore era, one was deeply inspired by contemporary English poetry. The English influence was permeating at an increasing pace. To stop the increasing influence of English, one group of writers gave birth to an entirely new school of poetry. The chief organ of this new modernistic movement in literature and language was Kallol, started in 1923 by Gokul Chandra Nag and Dineshranjan Das. The Dacca section of this ‘progressive’ group was led by Dr. Naresh Chandra Sengupta and Mohitlal Majumder. Bengali poetry got into the light of modernism in the 1930s. The great poets—Sailajananda Mukhopadhyay, Jibanananda Das, Buddhadev Bose, Sudhindranath Datta, Bishnu Dey and Amiya Chakravarty were the main characters who made a significant effort to reshape Bengali Poetry. Premendra Mitra, Achintyakumar Sengupta and Buddhadev Bose formed a trio that was made notorious by the detractors of the new ‘progressive’ school. Kallol was almost dead when Parichay was started in 1931 by Sudhindranath Datta. Parichay aimed at the furtherance of the new tendencies in literature by introducing the then current literary thoughts. The youngest writer of this new school of poetry was Samar Sen, who succeeded in catching something of the dispassionate and pessimistic view of the lower middle class society. Towards the end of ‘40s, Bangla saw emergence of a few very eminent women writers like Ashapurna Devi, Mahashweta Devi and Pratibha Basu. In addition, authors like Banaphool, Jarasandha, Syed Muztaba Ali, and Prabodh Kumar Sanyal became household names.

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      The modernist movement of modernizing Bengali literature was brought one step further during the 50s, especially with the emergence of the Krittivas magazine. Many of the contemporary poets and novelists- old and young have contributed to the embellishment of modern Bengali literature. Some of the illustrious names in poetry which deserve special mention in this regard are Shamsur Rahman, Al Mahmud, Birendra Chattopaddhay, Sukanta Bhattacharya, Subhash Mukhopadhyay, Arun Mitra, Nirendra Nath Chakraborty, Pranabendu Dasgupta, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Shakti Chattopadhyay, Sankha Ghosh, Aloke Ranjan Dasgupta, Binoy Mazumder, Shankar Chattopadhyay, Utpal Kumar Basu, Debesh Roy, etc. A few most outstanding novelists and short story writers who made their mark include Kamal Kumar Majumdar, Jyotirmay Datta, Amiyabhushan Majumdar, Dipak Majumdar, Jyotirindra Nandi, Narayan Ganguli, Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Atin Bandyopadhyay, Sandipan Chattopadhyay, Mati Nandi, Shyamal Gangopadhyay, and Sunil Gangopadhyay. In prose-writing of a distinct nature, especially in stories for the children, Satyajit Ray and Leela Majumdar became important figures.

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      From the ‘60s through the ‘80s several other poets and novelists -- primarily Humayun Azad, Nirmalendu Goone, Rafique Azad, Bijoya Mukhopadhyay, Kalikrishna Guha, Shamsher Anwar, Shamshul Haque, Ratneshwar Hajra, Tushar Ray, Bhagirath Mishra, Bani Basu, Afsar Ahmed, Abhijit Sen, Saikat Rakshit, Jaya Mitra and many others -- played a significant role in the advancement of modern Bengali literature.

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