In this article, as we observe the 76^th Independence Day of India, we will take a step back and dig into the Bengali Swadeshi companies. People with different backgrounds started these companies in Kolkata during the British era. Some are common household names, but we never consider when they started or by whom.

Swadeshi Companies Started in West Bengal

1.     Bengal Chemicals

Prafulla Chandra Ray, the father of chemical science in India, established Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (BCPL), formerly Bengal Chemical & Pharmaceutical Works Ltd. (BCPW), in 1901. The Indian Government now owns it. The story of this company started from a rented house in Kolkata to nurture the entrepreneurial spirit among the Bengali youth. Now it has three divisions – Industry Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals & Home Products.

Our regular products like naphthalene balls  & pheneol are some of the products of this brand.

2.     Boroline

Starting from chapped lips to burns & cuts, Boroline has been a one-tube solution for ages. It comes in a green tube with an elephant logo and can be found in most Bengali households from the onset of winter, if not throughout the year. In rural India, it’s also known as the “hatiwala cream”. But who started it? When the Swadeshi movement was at its peak, a Bengali merchant name Gourmohan Dutta launched the product. Today it also owns products like Suthol, Penorub & Eleen. To know more about Boroline and your nostalgia for the product, read our article The World of Boroline.

3.     Sulekha

In Bengali, Su-means good & lekha-means writing. Thus, giving the true meaning to Sulekha, the ink pot – good writing. Just pause, and think of your childhood – when you were first introduced to a pen, it was a fountain pen, not a ball pen. And that ink pen’s partner was no one other than the trusted Sulekha inkpot.

Another by-product of the Swadeshi movement –Sankaracharyya and Nani Gopal Maitra, both freedom fighters, started Sulekha in 1934 in the Rajshahi district. Sulekha suffered when people started choosing ballpoint pens over fountain pens, but now with a renewed interest in owning and writing in fountain pens, Sulekha has made a grand comeback.

Grab a Parker Fountain Pen at a discounted rate.

4.     Calcutta Chemicals Company

Remember the Neem soap Margo & the dark red packaging of the perfumed Aramusk soap? These, along with Chek Detergent & Lavender Dew Powder, are from the house of Calcutta Chemicals. On 28^th September 1916, K.C. Das, B.N. Maitra, and R.N. Sen started the Calcutta Chemicals Company as a pharmaceutical company. It was to make a mark against the British products and encourage the feeling of Indianization among the masses.

5.     C K Sen and Co. Pvt Ltd

The lineage of C K Sen and Co Pvt Ltd goes back to the time of Vaidyas (practitioners of traditional Ayurvedic medicines) when cosmetics didn’t need a special mention of “organic”. They were mostly “trees tales”, without the touch of commercialisation. Chandra Kanta Sen (C.K. Sen), who started this company in 1913, was from one such family of eminent ‘Vaidyas’. His business acumen motivated him to take the family knowledge to ordinary men. He started with Jabakusum hair oil and added other products like Basanta Malati lotion. The products are still available in the market, and the quality is just the same.

To know more, click here.

6.     K.C Das Pvt. Ltd.

Krishna Chandra Das, son of Nobin Chandra Das, who invented Roshogolla, started ‘Krishna Chandra Das Confectioner’ in 1930. He was the first sweet maker who pioneered making canned desserts in India in the pre-independence days. He invented Roshomalai and started selling Roshomalai and Roshogolla in vacuum-packed containers extending their shelf lives.

Craving for rosogollas already? Order from Amazon

Presently, the K.C Das Pvt. Ltd. Is known as K.C Das Grandsons and is regarded as one of the front runners of the Bengali Sweet making industry.

To Conclude

Swadeshi was not just a revolutionary movement; it was an emotion. As we get swayed by the aura of globalisation, at times, we must pause to contemplate the challenging journey of the Bengali Swadeshi Companies and the grit that helped them run their businesses for centuries. And which other time could be better than our Independence Day? If you know of some other products, share them in the comments box.

The post Pre-independence Bengali Swadeshi Companies, still in business appeared first on KolkataFusion.

The Ray Family

Each member of the Ray Chowdhury (they deleted Chowdhury from their surname later on) family contributed in some way or the other to the world of the Bengali children. Most of them were born writers, namely Leela Majumdar, daughter of Upendrakishore’s younger brother, Sukhalata Rao and Punyalata Chakraborty, both the daughters of Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury. While reading the memoirs written by Leela Majumdar, Punyalata Chakraborty and Satyajit Ray, we can gather that Upendrakishore passively encouraged his offsprings to write for children. He led the way by practicing – by writing for the Bengali kids himself. 

Bengali Literature

During the later half of the 19^th Century when the Bengali Renaissance period was underway, Upendrakishore realized the void in the Bengali children’s literature. Apart from the Bengali primer, Barnaparichay by Vidyasagar, the then Bengali children had no age-appropriate storybooks to read in their pastimes. As a result, the hobby of reading was neglected. 

He took up the cause and started writing epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata in simple Bengali, which the children could easily understand. However, after a print of his ‘Chheleder Ramayana’ was released, he was not happy with the printed copy. He felt that the illustrations could have been made far more detailed and attractive. Thus, he started learning about line blocks in printing by bringing books and equipment from Britain. 

After a lot of research, Upendrakishore introduced modern blockmaking. He used colour blocks and halftone blocks to add more clarity to the printed copies, becoming a pioneer in this technology all over South Asia. Later, he set up a printing press in his own house on Gorpar Road, Kolkata. Thereafter, from the printing press, gems of juvenile literature started getting published along with other books. 

Tuntunir Golpo

Read more about Children’s books

Upendrakishore pioneered in collecting the famous folklores of Bengal and compiling them in his own language in a book called ‘Tuntunir Boi.’ Until then, these stories remained oral heritage, passed down from one generation to another and told by grandmothers and mothers to their children during bedtime.

If we read the stories, we will come to know how prudently presented they were. The stories stressed the power of wisdom over the power of muscle. With a humble symbol like a small sunbird or Tuntuni as the protagonist of the Tuntuni’s stories, he showed how anyone with wisdom can win over any odds life brings to him/her. 

Buy Tuntunir Boi from Amazon

Invariably, his numerous ‘Bagher Golpo’ anthology’s tiger characters were naïve ones that other witty animals and humans could fool. Which, again, symbolized the power of brains over brawns.   

During the early years when mythology and epics were limited to fat books meant for adults, Upendrakishore single-handedly popularized the stories of Ramayana, Mahabharata, and other mythological characters among the children. He used simple sentences to narrate the stories. All of his stories had moral lessons. He chose to strengthen the conscience of the children through his engaging stories. 

Not only epics and folklores, but Upendrakishore Roy Chowdhury also wrote about geological and scientific topics for children. In those short essays, the scientific terms and concepts were lucidly explained so that the kids with a scientific bent of mind can relate and be inspired for their future scientific pursuits. 

Birth of Sandesh magazine

His literary contribution was not limited to publishing books. He founded a one-of-its-kind children’s magazine – ‘Sandesh,’ probably the first-ever children’s magazine in Bengali. Many eminent writers of that time, including his children, wrote stories and articles for children in the successive issues of ‘Sandesh.’ Unfortunately, he could not live to see the success of ‘Sandesh’ magazine. After his death, his worthy son, Sukumar Ray, his niece, Leela Majumdar, and his grandson, Satyajit Ray, took Sandesh to new heights and popularity. 

Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury was one of the eminent contributors to the Bengali Renaissance. He had interest in different forms of art and music. Along with stories, he also wrote two books on music. With his halftone block printing technology and use of the same while printing the books for the children, he had set a supreme standard of the Bengali juvenile literature which inspired many creative pursuits in our times and still continues to drift away our imaginations to a magical make-believe world.

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a chilly breeze indicates that Christmas is in the air and it’s time for some rock and roll with a platter of multi-cuisine delicacies followed by some rich fruit cake as dessert.

Park Street, Kolkata, with tons of famous restaurants, cafes, pubs, hawkers, becomes the central hub during Christmas. While one set of crowd gathers at Bow Barracks, the other rush to Park Street during Christmas time. And, undoubtedly, with Christmas bells lingering in the air and twinkling stars, both these places attract Christmas lovers from far and wide.

Read : Christmas Celebrations at Bow Barracks forever reminds of the traditional British celebrations in Kolkata

Christmas at Park Street

Christmas and Park Street are synonymous with each other. People from different communities, irrespective of their religion, come here to enjoy the Christmas carnival at Park Street. Our city of joy is all decked up with beautiful decorations during that time. And everyone in Park Street is dressed up in a party outfit wearing a Santa cap.

The street comes to life with glittering party lights, food stalls with lip-licking platters, fresh aroma of pastries and fruit cakes, Christmas songs, Christmas trees, rock music, gifts and presents.

Carols, Celebrations and Lighting   

Every inch of Park Street, starting from Russell Street to the end of Allen Park, is illuminated with thematic lighting, hanging overhead baubles, mini Santas, mistletoes and stars for the Christmas carnival.

A beautiful Christmas tree magnificently decorated with baubles, snowflakes, lights and stars is set up in Allen Park. It’s indeed a delightful sight to watch. In addition, Santa Claus distributes surprise presents to everyone to make their evening memorable. Besides, lots of fun activities are organized for the children. It’s heaven for the selfie-lovers!   

Gastronomic Exuberance

The Christmas carnival at Park Street is meagrely ten years old. But the gastronomic exuberance is a significant part of the celebration. The exceptional food of the renowned restaurants attracts food lovers from far and wide.

A meal in Kolkata is incomplete without fish. So, whole roasted bhetki with lemon butter sauce is common for all the mecho- Bengalis. Besides, roasted peking duck, roasted lamb shank, and stuffed apple pork are specialties available during Christmas.

If you have experienced queues outside the heritage restaurants and pubs like Peter Cat, Mocambo, Bar-B-Q, Trincas, and have thought, Oh My God! Visit Park Street on Christmas eve to meet the most enthusiastic and lively crowd standing in queues. You’ll get special Christmas buffets, including turkey and duck roasts, wine, fresh bread, fruit and plum cakes, at various places.

Christmas celebration at Park Street is incomplete without experiencing the flavour of mouth-watering dishes. The footpaths and lanes are full of food stalls serving multi-cuisine platters of all varieties to satisfy everybody’s taste buds. So along with mouth-licking delicacies, you can also have a wide variety of homemade foods, baked items and yummy snacks.  

Streets Crowded By Hawkers

On the occasion of Christmas, the hawkers come up with totally different items selling Christmas goodies like glitter hats, Christmas caps, laser lights, party shades and other things at reasonable rates.

Kids eye for the ideal treetop, Santas, reindeers and stars to take home. And the bustling shopkeepers fight for the best deals.

Also Read: This Christmas let’s take a tour around the heritage bakeries of my city Kolkata

Christmas Bakes and Cakes

Christmas celebration at Park Street seems incomplete without a taste of Flurys, the nostalgia in the city of Joy. The all-time favourite cake shop awaits with its bouquet of the authentic and unique collection of fruit cakes, plum and Dundee cakes; not to forget the Yule logs and pastries to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth. They also serve new dishes like Norwegian Salmon, surf n turf dishes!

St.Paul’s Cathedral

St.Paul’s Cathedral on Cathedral Road, the largest church in Kolkata and Asia’s first Anglican cathedral, is beautifully decorated to celebrate the auspicious occasion. Adorned with a Christmas tree, wreaths, silver bells and streamers, trinkets and lights, it holds the midnight mass with Christmas carols and music by children.  

Jingle All The Way

Christmas parties are a must at Christmas time. Several clubs and pubs are host grand parties throughout the night. Some of the most renowned performers hit the stage with their rocking performances for the listeners. Different youth bands and church groups charm the ambiance with their rocking performance. Everybody is ready to rock the dance floor and sway to the music.

2021 Christmas at Park Street

Kolkata is planning to celebrate this year’s Christmas safely by maintaining Covid protocols. The festivity at Allen Park, was set outside last year and drew a colossal crowd. However, this year it’ll be brought inside to ensure no mob. Several cops will be present at the entrance and exit points to manage the excessive public.

Only 300 seats will be provided inside the park to witness the Christmas program. In addition, the administration will not allow any food stalls at Park Street except for only three stalls inside the park.  

Christmas in Kolkata is unimaginable without Park Street. Although the celebration is just for one day, the festivities and decorations last until the new year.

The post The Grand Christmas Carnival At Park Street appeared first on KolkataFusion.

“Bohe nirontoro ononto anandadhara…….”

(The showers of eternal bliss flows forever)

(Rabindranath Tagore, Bhaanga Gaan, written on 1897)

However, my acquaintance with the famous bard, kobiguru, as most people call him, dates back to my toddlerhood when my mother used to sit with ‘Sanchayita’ (An anthology of Tagore’s well-known poems) and recite one poem after the other. I remember that I enjoyed the rhyme ‘Khantoburir Didishashuri’ a lot, then. Gradually, I learnt most of the children’s poems written by him thanks to my mother’s persuasion and the elocution tests in my school.

Rabindranath Tagore Poems

As I embarked upon the journey of teenhood, I felt his poems seeping into me slowly. We had ‘Sankalita’ as one of our Bengali textbooks. The best part of the ‘Sankalita’ books was that the poems were collated according to the age of the students. The poems like ‘Samanyo Khoti’, ‘Poroshmoni,’ ‘Nirjhorer Shopnobhongo’ had an immense impact on me.

Thereafter, I was introduced to his plays and novels, not to mention his songs which were the quintessential part of the mornings in our house. I remember the mornings when I used to run apprehensively to school whenever the radio channel aired “Dhwonilo Ahoban modhuro gombhiro probhat ambaro majhe….” lest I get late for the assembly bell. Frankly speaking; initially, I didn’t find his songs as interesting as his novels and plays (excluding dance dramas). They were no better than the opulent lullabies to me, the ones which the so-called samajhdaars listen to.

When people swore by the ‘Rabindrasangeets’ I was pretty content with revising and re-revising ‘Chirokumar Sabha’ and ‘Tasher Desh’,  the two of my favourite plays resplendent with sarcasm and dark humour.

The Bard Find Place in My Adulthood

How and when I was smitten by the ‘opulent lullabies’, I don’t know. Maybe during a stage of infatuation when somebody coincidentally sang ‘Pran chaay chokkhu na chaay’ or celebrating the first Doljatra in college with “Labonye purno praano praanesho he” or maybe when I was spending a restless night after my mother’s death and my mobile’s playlist offered me ‘Jete jete akla pothey‘.

When people go overboard with the Rabindrajayanti celebrations every year, I quietly remember him, my quintessential guardian, through his songs, poems and those long-lost evenings which resonated with my mother’s consecutive recitations of Tagore’s poems.

Happy Birthday, my dear Bard, my Rabi Buro! Your literary works are like an ocean to me, where every wave seems new, every single day.

I would like to sign off by remembering a poem written by Rabindranath Tagore which was my mother’s one of the favourites from Sanchayita……

মৃত্যুঞ্জয় (The Death Defier)

দূর হতে ভেবেছিনু মনে

দুর্জয় নির্দয় তুমি, কাঁপে পৃথ্বী তোমার শাসনে।

তুমি বিভীষিকা,

দুঃখীর বিদীর্ণ বক্ষে জ্বলে তব লেলিহান শিখা।

দক্ষিণ হাতের শেল উঠেছে ঝড়ের মেঘ–পানে,

সেথা হতে বজ্র টেনে আনে।

ভয়ে ভয়ে এসেছিনু দুরুদুরু বুকে

তোমার সম্মুখে

তোমার ভ্রূকুটিভঙ্গে তরঙ্গিল আসন্ন উৎপাত, —

নামিল আঘাত।

পাঁজর উঠিল কেঁপে,

বক্ষে হাত চেপে

শুধালেম, “আরো কিছু আছে নাকি,

আছে বাকি

শেষ বজ্রপাত?’

নামিল আঘাত।

এইমাত্র?  আর কিছু নয়?

ভেঙে গেল ভয়।

যখন উদ্যত ছিল তোমার অশনি

তোমারে আমার চেয়ে বড়ো ব’লে নিয়েছিনু গনি।

তোমার আঘাত–সাথে নেমে এলে তুমি

যেথা মোর আপনার ভূমি।

ছোটো হয়ে গেছ আজ।

আমার টুটিল সব লাজ।

যত বড়ো হও,

তুমি তো মৃত্যুর চেয়ে বড়ো নও।

আমি মৃত্যু–চেয়ে বড়ো এই শেষ কথা বলে

যাব আমি চলে।

The translation follows here

Death-defier
I thought from afar–
That you were invincible, merciless,
That the world trembled as you ruled,
That you were a frightful sight,
That your blazing flames burnt on the torn chest of the sufferer.
The weapon of your right hand raised towards the storm,
Drew thunder from the clouds.
I came before you in fear,
With a trembling heart.
Imminent danger rose in waves from your frown,
And there came the blow.
My ribs tottered,
I asked you pressing my hands to my breast,
“Do you have more for me,
Is there anything left,
The last stroke of thunder?”
Again came the blow upon me.

Only this? Nothing more?
My fear left me.
When your thunder was ready to strike,
I considered you mightier than me.
But with your blows you came down,
Here where I have my footsteps.
Today you have shrunk smaller than me,
Making me victorious over all my hesitations.
Mighty as you are,
You are not greater than death.
‘But I am more than death’, saying these last words,
Shall I go away.

(Courtesy: Blogliterary)

Photo Courtesy: Souptima Basu

Recommended Read: KolkataFusion’s review on Streer Patra, a short story from Tagore’s Golpoguccho

The post Rabindranath Tagore – The Bard whose works will never lose their relevance. appeared first on KolkataFusion.

From a very young age, when I have just learned to read Bengali, I used to be excited when I saw storybooks written by Satyajit Ray. Ray’s books used to be a common gift given on our birthdays or on achieving any special academic feats. The stories of the God of Indian cinema, Satyajit Ray fascinated me then and still do, now.

I had spent most of my school vacations reading about Feluda’s investigations, Professor Shonku’s adventures and Tarini Khuro’s enriching stories.

Satyajit Ray’s Films

After Satyajit Ray passed away, Doordarshan aired a retrospective. That was my first introduction to another world, – his films, for which the God of Indian cinema is better known for. The retrospective aired few of his acclaimed films – the Apu Trilogy, Devi, Jalsaghar, Shatranj Ke Khilari, Parash Pathor, Gupi Gyne Bagha Byne and Hirok Rajar Deshe. I was too young to understand the films then.

Amazon Prime features some of his best work. If you haven’t subscribed to Amazon Prime yet. Go for it now.

A few songs from Gupi Gyne Bagha Byne and Hirok Rajar Deshe got registered in my head so much so that I used to sing them out often. And there were a few catchy dialogues which I memorized instantly after seeing the films. A few of them were, – “Africay nekrer chaash achey (Wolves are raised in Africa)”…”Utera ki knaata bechhey khaay? (Do the camels sort out the thorns before eating cacti)” …”Era joto beshi porey, toto beshi jaaney, toto kom maaney (More the knowledge, less the allegiance)“

Recommended Read: Abanindranath Tagore – A multitalented gem from the Tagore Family of Jorasanko

It was actually quite late in my life when I really started watching his films and the experience has been quite enjoyable since then. The catchy dialogues which amused me in childhood unleashed their new meanings to me. The childhood fascination of reading about the characters of his stories transcended into a revering of his way of connecting the audience of his films with the characters from real life. I am neither a film critic nor a film buff, but his movies nourish my mind with the food for thought they offer.

I watch two of his films, – Agantuk and Hirok Rajar Deshe often. To me, these two films, especially Hirok Rajar Deshe always find relevance with the contemporary times in more ways than one. And professor Udayan’s character (played by Soumitra Chatterjee) always reminds me of the plight of anyone who wants to educate society in true ways. Having said that, I am yet to watch all his films in my own sweet time.

The God of Indian Cinema, Satyajit Ray and Soumitra Chatterjee

For Bengali film connoisseurs, Satyajit Ray’s favourite actor was Soumitra Chatterjee. And why wouldn’t they? These two stalwarts have done 14 films together (approximately 47% of Satyajit’s Bangla films). Even after his death, on November 15, 2020, we often refer to Mr. Chatterjee as Apu or Feluda.

Controversies

Many intellectuals argue that Satyajit Ray was a mediocre writer who stuffed information in his stories just to make them interesting. Many others say that he was a bit patriarchal (while saying this they forget, I feel, that Ray always portrayed women as the ones who stood by their male counterparts shoulder to shoulder in his films) as he introduced rare women characters in his Feluda or Shonku stories. He, however had his own reason, click on this link to know. Many opine that Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak were far better directors than him. I keep silent when they say because I feel I don’t understand much. I feel a tinge of bias for Mr. Ray and his body of work. But for his stories, my childhood would never have been the same.

The post Reminiscing the legacy of the God of Indian cinema Satyajit Ray appeared first on KolkataFusion.

During our school days, teachers told us not to mention the death (?) or disappearance (?) year of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose while writing about him. We were pretty young to understand then. But now, we can feel the enigma surrounding him. In this article, however, we are not going to discuss the mystery surrounding Subhash Chandra Bose. Instead, we will retrospect Netaji’s ideologies, what people still think about him, and trivia surrounding Netaji that still thrills us.

Subhash Chandra Bose’s Ideologies

While forming the Azad Hind Fauz (Indian National Army) to fight for India’s freedom, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose had a few strong ideologies which are still relevant. India, ridden with corruption as well as intolerance in the society, should look back and learn Netaji’s doctrines to propel herself for a better tomorrow.

He believed in sacrifice, sacrifice for his own country. Netaji left his ICS job even after securing 4^th position. Thus, was his love and zeal to fight for his country, India’s independence.

Subhash Chandra Bose strongly believed in these following ideologies. Throughout his life, he had striven to uphold these thoughts through his action as well. They are:

• Freedom is not given. Freedom is taken.
• History has been changed by revolutions and not mere discussions.
• One human can die for an idea. But if that idea is true, it will incarnate itself in thousands of living human beings after his/her death.
• If one compromises to injustice, that’s the greatest sin.
• All human beings are equal. All can equally fight for an idea, for freedom and their selves.

What do common Indians think about Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose today?

This year, we would be celebrating the 125^th Birth Anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. We, the team of KolkataFusion, had asked a few people around us about their thoughts on Netaji. People came up with interesting answers; here are a few of them:

Avik Das, an MBA Faculty in a Kolkata based Management College, says, “If Netaji lived, he would have been our first prime minister, and our India would be a different one. Certainly, there wouldn’t have been corrupt practices and religious intolerance. Who knows, India might not have got divided.”

According to Partha Basu, a telecommunication engineer, if Netaji succeeded in his mission, India would have achieved freedom much earlier, the general educational level would have improved.

A College Student, Chayanika, says, “I wish Netaji’s army succeeded in reaching Delhi, we would have got a different India”.

Arup sarkar, into 20+ years of IT services, feels, “Netaji is portrayal of passion. One of the tallest leader in India. He was an Indian pilgrim who sacrificed himself consciously.”

As we scrolled down the YouTube comment sections of the videos relating to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, songs dedicated to him, or documentaries about him, we found many answers typed by other fellow Indians resonating with what the three had said above. This proves how deeply the Indians, right from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, still admire and respect Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

Recommended Read: Abanindranath Tagore’s idea of nationalism.

Trivia surrounding Subhash Chandra Bose

• Rabindranath Tagore dedicated his play, ‘Tasher Desh’, to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Written in 1933, the play, is a satire on British tyranny upholding the celebration of freedom of speech, expression and thoughts.

• While studying in Scottish Church College and afterwards during his revolutionary days, Netaji, like any true Bengali, frequented to a ‘Telebhaja’ or Fritters shop just opposite to his college. The name of the shop is ‘Lakshminarayan Shaw (Sahu) and Sons’. This shop is one of the famous eateries in North Kolkata. The owners celebrate Netaji’s birthday every year by decorating their shop, paying floral respects to Netaji’s idol and distributing telebhajas or fritters among the customers visiting the shop on the day for free.

• There’s a famous statue of Netaji in the Shyambazar 5-point crossing. In the statue, he is shown to be mounting a horse whose one of the forelegs has not touched the ground. It is told that if any figure has a similar structure, it is believed that the person mounting the horse has an enigma surrounding the death. We are still solving the mystery of Netaji’s death, aren’t we? 

The post Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose – The Fearless Leader, The Enigma appeared first on KolkataFusion.

This year as we had observed the 149^th Birth Anniversary of the multitalented Abanindranath Tagore, KolkataFusion pays homage to him by retrospecting his life and works. 

Abanindranath’s growing up years

Abanindranath Tagore belonged to the illustrious Tagore family of Jorasanko, Kolkata. Through familial ties, Rabindranath Tagore was Abanindranath Tagore’s uncle. As he began his education, he was admitted to a formal school, but fled the school premises after being punished by his teacher for a wrong reason¹. Thereafter, he was homeschooled until he took admission in Sanskrit College. Since a tender age, Abanindranath Tagore showed an affinity towards sketches and paintings. And experimented with his father Gunendranath Tagore’s colour box and paintings tools.

It’s apt to mention here that Gunendranath Tagore studied Art for a couple of years in the Art School at Bowbazar, which later came to be known as the Government Art College. Abanindranath’s grandfather, Girindranath Tagore, was also an excellent painter who painted landscapes and portraits in the European Style².

There was a time when Abanindranath Tagore’s family moved to their garden house in Champdani, where his painting talents shaped up. He painted different birds he saw there and other natural sceneries.

Abanindranath Tagore came back to Jorasanko House after his father died and took admission in Sanskrit College. While studying at Sanskrit College, he composed a hymn on Goddess Saraswati, which was rewarded with first prize. He went ahead and started composing Bengali poems and illustrated those poems with moonlit sceneries or temples etc.

An Italian artist, Signor Gilhardi, taught Abanindranath Tagore the techniques of pastel drawing, life study, foliage drawing and cast drawing. After that, he attended the art studio of Charles Palmer, where he specialized in portrait painting in oils. In the meanwhile, he also studied the calligraphy works of Japanese Painters introduced to him by the Japanese Art Historian, Okakura Kakuzo.

Abanindranath’s contribution to the Swadeshi Movement and foundation of Modern Indian Art style and Bengal School of Art 

Around the year 1900, Abanindranath visited Monghyr (now called Munger). A change dawned upon him and he gave up oil paintings. In those years, painting in oils was exclusively associated with the European School of Art. He returned to Palmer’s studio and got formally trained in watercolour styles.

Thereafter, he returned to Monghyr and started painting landscapes and life studies using watercolour medium. 

It was around this time; he discovered an illustrated Indo-Persian manuscript in his ancestral library in Jorasanko House. This incident changed him. He forever shunned the European style of painting and started implementing the Persian and Mughal form of art and other traditional Indian styles in his paintings. It was the time of Bengal renaissance. Abanindranath wholeheartedly contributed to the Bengal Renaissance Movement by reviving traditional Indian Art through his works.

He painted a series on ‘Krishna Leela’ using the traditional Indian styles fused with the Persian Style of Art. The painted figures got more grace and life, which lacked in the European styles. He painted a picture of ‘Bharat Mata’ in the way he imagined the true nature of his motherland, India. The painting became one of the iconic identities of the Swadeshi Movement in India. His subjects ranged from Indian history to the then Indian society³.

Abanindranath as the writer who painted with his words

Abanindranath Tagore wrote many books for children. The most notable among them are ‘Khirer Putul’, ‘Nalak’, ‘Shankuntala’ and ‘Buro Angla’. I am not sure, though, whether his two other famous literary works, ‘Raj Kahini’ and ‘Bhut Patrir Desh’ can be tagged as only children’s literature because, through these stories, he had left a lasting appeal to the readers of all age groups alike.

If you start reading any of the books written by him, you will realise how beautifully he painted, not merely wrote, the stories with the different adjectives he chose while writing.

Legacy

With the help of his brother, Gaganendranath Tagore, Abanindranath Tagore established the Indian Society of Oriental Art in 1907 – a place that gave birth to the Bengal School of Art, the independent Bengal style of painting.

He taught students like Nandalal Bose, who was entrusted with the responsibility of illustrating our Indian Constitution. If you catch a glimpse of the illustrated Constitution, you will know how beautifully Nandalal Bose had used the styles of Bengal School of Art.

Abanindranath was the founder of Modern Indian Art Style, and inspired the later generations of Indian artists to embrace their own traditional identities and harmonize them with the Asian and European Influences.

Years have passed, but still, Abanindranath’s work and legacy continue to live and will live in the times to come. 

References:

1. Mukul Dey Archives: http://www.chitralekha.org/articles/abanindranath-tagore/abanindranath-tagore-survey-master%E2%80%99s-life-and-work
2. Mukul Dey Archives: http://www.chitralekha.org/articles/abanindranath-tagore/abanindranath-tagore-survey-master%E2%80%99s-life-and-work
3. http://www.hellenicaworld.com/Art/Paintings/en/AbanindranathTagore.html

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