Nabinchandra Sen (Bengali: নবীনচন্দ্র সেন; 10 February 1847 – 23 January 1909) was a Bengali poet and writer, often considered one of the greatest poets prior to the arrival of Rabindranath Tagore.[1][2] He commented on the battle of Plassey and the arrival of British Rule in India as "A night of Eternal Gloom".[3]
Nabinchandra Sen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 10 February 1847 |
| Died | 23 January 1909 (aged 61) |
| Occupation | Poet |
Life
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Nabinchandra was born in Noapara, Raozan Upazila in Chittagong on 10 February 1847[4] in a Baidya family.[5] He studied at the Chittagong Collegiate School, clearing the school leaving Entrance examination in 1863, In 1865, he passed the FA exam from Presidency College, Calcutta. In 1868, he earned his BA from General Assembly's Institution (now Scottish Church College), and after teaching for a brief period at Hare School, he joined the colonial administrative services as a Deputy Magistrate. Sen retired in 1904, and died on 23 January 1909. He has been considered one of Bengal's greatest writers and poets.[1][2]
Works
editSen's earliest poems were published in the Education Gazette edited by Peary Charan Sarker, and his first volume of poetry, Abakash Ranjani, was published in 1871. A second volume of Abakash Ranjani was published in 1877. Palashir Juddha (1875), a long epic poem lamenting the betrayal of Siraj ud-Daulah by his followers and his defeat at the Battle of Plassey, was an evocative expression of Bengali nationalism in literature, and it established his reputation as a powerful Bengali poet. A contemporary to Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Nabichandra is also known for popularizing the epic narrative in the Bengali language through his reinterpretations of the Mahabharata in a three-volume epic:Raivatak (1887), Kuruksetra (1893) and Prabhas (1896), where Krishna serves as the protagonist and adventurer during the fall of kingdoms. He wrote biographies of Jesus, Buddha, and Cleopatra in the Bengali language, and made verse translations of the Bhagavad Gita and the Markandeya Purana. Nabindrachandra's Bhanumati (a novel-in-verse) and "Prabaser Patra" (a memoir of his travels) also brought him fame. His five-volume autobiography, Amar Jiban (My Life), is an important document chronicling the politics and social aspirations of the Bengali literati in the late nineteenth century.[1][2]
Bibliography
editEpics
editHis epic trilogy was based on New Mahabharata.
- Raivatak
- Kurukkhetra
- Provash[2]
Poetry
edit- Abakash Ranjani (1871)
- Palashir Juddha (1875)
Biographies
edit- Amitabha (biography of the Buddha)
- Khrishta'ra Jibani (biography of Jesus Christ)
- Cleopatra (biography of Cleopatra)[2]
Autobiography
edit- Probasher Potro
- Amar Jiban, in 5 volumes[2]
Poetic translations
edit- Geeta
- Chandi
Poetic novel
edit- Bhanumoti[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Guha, Bimal. "Sen, Nabinchandra". Banglapedia. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "Distinguished alumni of the University of Calcutta". University of Calcutta. Archived from the original on 21 November 2011.
- ^ "British Occupation of Bengal Indian History". 24 August 2016.
- ^ "Sen, Nabinchandra". Banglapedia.
- ^ Sen, Amiya P. (1993). Hindu Revivalism in Bengal, 1872–1905: Some Essays in Interpretation. Oxford University Press. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-19-563140-1.
External links
edit
- Works by Nabin Chandra Sen at Open Library
- Sen, Nabin Chandra at the West Bengal Public Library Network