Bankim Chandra Chattopadhay Death Anniversary: Lesser-known Facts About the ‘Vande Mataram’ Writer

BANKIM CHANDRA CHATTOPADHYAY DEATH ANNIVERSARY: Bankim Chandra Chattopadhay was a famous writer, novelist and poet in Bengali literature. Born on June 27, 1838, in the pre-independent India, he spearheaded the literary and cultural revolution in West Bengal, known as the Bengal Renaissance. He is also known as the Sahitya Samrat (Emperor of literature) of Bengali literature due to his vast body of literary work spanning nearly four decades.

His novel Anand Math brought him immense popularity across India as the Vande Mataram song from this literary work was later adopted as India’s National Song.

Bankim Chandra passed away at the age of 55 on April 8, 1894. On his 129th death anniversary let us explore some lesser-known facts about the iconic writer from West Bengal.

1. Bankim Chandra got married at an early age of 11, according to the customs prevailing in the society during those days. After his first wife passed away, he later married Rajlakshmi Devi, with whom he had three daughters.
2. Bankim Chandra was a close aide of the revered Bengali social reformer and saint Ramakrishna Paramhansa. Once Ramakrishna asked him what had bent him (Bankim means ‘the bent one’ in English). Being a strong critique of British rule, Bankim replied it was the Englishman’s shoe.
3. Prior to accepting the position of Deputy Magistrate, Bankim Chandra was the Deputy Collector of Jessore. In 1891, he resigned his job and stopped working for the government.
4. Bankim’s famous patriotic novel, which contained the poem Vande Mataram, was adapted into a Hindi movie in 1952 starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Geeta Bali and Bharat Bhushan.
5. Bankim thought that the cultures of the East and the West were actually complementary to one another and did not have to be mutually exclusive. He believed both cultures could learn from the other and create a better society
6. The title of Vishwakavi (Universal poet) was conferred upon Rabindranath Tagore by Bankim Chandra.
7. Another novel of Banking Chandra, titled Krishnakanter Will, was adapted into a Bengali movie starring Jeet and Swastika Mukherjee.
8. Beginning in April 1872, Bankim published a literary journal called Bangadarshan on a monthly basis. It used an epochal approach and included pieces on religion and devotional topics along with amusing sketches, historical studies, and miscellaneous essays.
9. He was one of the first graduates of the University of Calcutta.
10. His first two significant publications were Durgeshnandini and Kapalkundala. Both novels garnered positive reviews and were also translated into other languages.

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