Hemchandra Bandyopadhyay

Hemchandra Bandyopadhyay
Hemchandra Bandyopadhyay
হেমচন্দ্র বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়
Born	April 17, 1838; Gulita Village, Rajbalhat, Hooghly
Died	May 24, 1903 (aged 65); Khidirpur, Kolkata
Citizenship	British Raj
Occupation(s)	Poet; Clerk; School teacher; Lawyer
Known for	Bengali poet

Hemchandra Bandyopadhyay (Bengali: হেমচন্দ্র বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়, romanized: Hēmacandra bandyōpādhyāẏa, April 17, 1838 – May 24, 1903) was a Bengali poet who made contributions to Bengali epic poetry. Educated at Hindu College and the University of Calcutta, he was one of the poets who followed Michael Madhusudan Dutt.

Birth and early life

Hemchandra Bandyopadhyay was born in Gulita Village, near Rajbalhat.^[1] He was the eldest of four brothers and two sisters. His father, Kailashchandra Bandyopadhyay, struggled financially. Kailashchandra married Anandamayi, the daughter of Rajchandra Chakraborty, a solicitor of the Kolkata court. After the death of Hemchandra's grandfather, the family's financial situation worsened, interrupting Hemchandra's education at Khidirpur Bangla School in Kolkata. In 1853, Prasannakumar Sarvadhikari, the principal of the Kolkata Sanskrit College, helped him gain admission to the senior school division of Hindu College in Kolkata, where he was enrolled in the second standard. In 1855, Hemchandra placed second in the Junior Scholarship Examination and married Kamini Devi. In 1857, he achieved fourth place in the Senior Scholarship Examination. When the scholarship tenure ended during his fourth-year studies, Hemchandra was forced to discontinue his education.^[2]

Professional life

In 1859, Hemchandra started his career as a clerk in the Military Audit Office. Later, he became the headmaster of the Calcutta Training Academy. After earning his LLB degree in 1861, he began practicing law at the Calcutta High Court. In 1862, he was appointed as a Munsif (a junior judicial officer). However, after a few months, he returned to practicing law at the High Court and completed his Bachelor of Laws (B.L.) degree in 1866. In April 1890, he was appointed as a government pleader.^[3]

Poetry and literary pursuits

Hemchandra's literary career began with his first poetry collection, Chintatarangini (1861). He is known for Vrittasamhara (The Slaying of Vritra), published in two volumes between 1875 and 1877.

In July 1872, his poem Bharat Sangeet (The Song of India) was published in the Education Gazette, drawing attention from the colonial government. Through his works such as Bharatbilap (The Lament for India), Kalachakra (The Wheel of Time), Ripan Utsav (The Ripon Festival), Bharater Nidravanga (India's Awakening), Ganga (The Ganges), and Janmabhumi (The Motherland), Hemchandra explored themes of national identity.^[4]

His other literary contributions include:

Birbahu (1864)
Ashakanan (1876)
Sangarupaka Kabya
Chhayamayi (1880)
Bibidha Kavita (Various Poems, 1300 Bangla Year)
Dash Mahavidya (The Ten Great Wisdoms, 1882)^[5]

Short poems

Jiban Sangeet (The Song of Life) – A philosophical adaptation of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's's A Psalm of Life
Bharat Sangeet (The Song of India).
Bharat Bilap (The Lament for India).
Gangar Utpatti (The Origin of the Ganges).
Padmer Mrinal (The Lotus Stem).
Bharat Kahini (The Tale of India).
Ashoktaru
Kulin Kanyaganer Akhep (The Lament of Aristocratic Daughters)

Death

Toward the end of his life, Hemchandra lived in poverty and was nearly blind.^[4] He died on May 24, 1903, in Khidirpur, Kolkata.

References

^ "আনন্দবাজার পত্রিকা - হাওয়াবদল| Anandabazar Patrika - Travelogue, Photography, Recipe, Cuisine, Travel News". archives.anandabazar.com. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
^ Hossain, Selina; Islam, Nurul, eds. (February 1997). বাংলা একাডেমী চরিতাভিধান [Bangla Academy Biographical Dictionary] (in Bengali). Bangla Academy. pp. 442–443.
^ Sengupta, Subodh; Basu, Anjali, eds. (November 2013). সংসদ বাঙালি চরিতাভিধান [Sangsad Bengali Biographical Dictionary] (in Bengali). Vol. 1. Sahitya Sangsad. pp. 873–874. ISBN 978-81-7955-135-6.
^ ^a ^b Chattopadhyay, Abhik, ed. (2019). হেমন্ত মুখোপাধ্যায় -আনন্দধারা [Hemanta Mukhopadhyay - Anandadhara] (in Bengali). Kolkata: Saptrishi Prakashan. p. 91. ISBN 978-93-8270-654-0.
^ Islam, Rafiqul; Zafar, Mohammad Abu; Haque, Abul Kashem Fazlul, eds. (July 1990). কবিতা সংগ্রহ [Poetry Collection] (in Bengali). University of Dhaka. pp. 451–452.

[1] "আনন্দবাজার পত্রিকা - হাওয়াবদল| Anandabazar Patrika - Travelogue, Photography, Recipe, Cuisine, Travel News". archives.anandabazar.com. Retrieved 2024-11-19.

[2] Hossain, Selina; Islam, Nurul, eds. (February 1997). বাংলা একাডেমী চরিতাভিধান [Bangla Academy Biographical Dictionary] (in Bengali). Bangla Academy. pp. 442–443.

[:0-3] Sengupta, Subodh; Basu, Anjali, eds. (November 2013). সংসদ বাঙালি চরিতাভিধান [Sangsad Bengali Biographical Dictionary] (in Bengali). Vol. 1. Sahitya Sangsad. pp. 873–874. ISBN 978-81-7955-135-6.

[:1-4] Chattopadhyay, Abhik, ed. (2019). হেমন্ত মুখোপাধ্যায় -আনন্দধারা [Hemanta Mukhopadhyay - Anandadhara] (in Bengali). Kolkata: Saptrishi Prakashan. p. 91. ISBN 978-93-8270-654-0.

[5] Islam, Rafiqul; Zafar, Mohammad Abu; Haque, Abul Kashem Fazlul, eds. (July 1990). কবিতা সংগ্রহ [Poetry Collection] (in Bengali). University of Dhaka. pp. 451–452.

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