Bengal Renaissance From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Bengal Renaissance refers to a social reform movement during

the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the region of Bengal in undivided India during the period of British rule. The Bengal renaissance can be said to have started with Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1775-1833) and ended with Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), although there have been many stalwarts thereafter embodying particular aspects of the unique intellectual and creative output.[1] Nineteenth century Bengal was a unique blend of religious and social reformers, scholars, literary giants, journalists, patriotic orators and scientists, all merging to form the image of a renaissance, and marked the transition from the 'medieval' to the 'modern'[2]. Background During this period, Bengal witnessed an intellectual awakening that is in some way similar to the Renaissance in Europe during the 16th century, although Europeans of that age were not confronted with the challenge and influence of alien colonialism. This movement questioned existing orthodoxies, particularly with respect to women, marriage, the dowry system, the caste system, and religion. One of the earliest social movements that emerged during this time was the Young Bengal movement that espoused rationalism and atheism as the common denominators of civil conduct among upper caste educated Hindus. The parallel socio-religious movement, the Brahmo Samaj, developed during this time period and counted many of the leaders of the Bengal Renaissance among its followers[3]. In the earlier years the Brahmo Samaj, like the rest of society, could not however, conceptualize, in that feudal-colonial era, a free India as it was influenced by the European Enlightenment (and its bearers in India, the British Raj) although it traced its intellectual roots to the Upanishads. Their version of Hinduism, or rather Universal Religion (similar to that of Ramakrishna), although devoid of practices like sati and polygamy[citation needed] that had crept into the social aspects of Hindu life, was ultimately a rigid impersonal monotheistic faith, which actually was quite distinct from the pluralistic and multifaceted nature of the way the Hindu religion was practiced. Future leaders like Keshub Chunder Sen were as much devotees of Christ, as they were of Brahma, Krishna or the Buddha. It has been argued by some scholars that the Brahmo Samaj movement never gained the support of the masses and remained restricted to the elite, although Hindu society has accepted most of the social reform programmes of the Brahmo Samaj. It must also be acknowledged that many of the later Brahmos were also leaders of the freedom movement. The renaissance period after the Indian Rebellion of 1857 saw a magnificent outburst of Bengali literature. While Ram Mohan Roy and Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar were the pioneers, others like Bankim Chandra Chatterjee widened it and built upon it[4]. The first significant nationalist detour to the Bengal Renaissance was given by the brilliant writings of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. Later writers of the period who introduced broad discussion of social problems and more colloquial forms of Bengali into mainstream literature included the great Saratchandra Chatterjee. The Tagore family, including Rabindranath Tagore, were leaders of this period and had a particular interest in educational reform[5]. Their contribution to the Bengal Renaissance was multi-faceted. Indeed, Tagore's 1901 Bengali novella, Nastanirh was written as a critique of men who professed to follow the ideals of the Renaissance, but failed to do so within their own families. In many ways

Rabindranath Tagore's writings (especially poems and songs) can be seen as imbued with the spirit of the Upanishads. His works repeatedly allude to Upanishadic ideas regarding soul, liberation, transmigration and -- perhaps most essentially -- about a spirit that imbues all creation not unlike the Upanishadic Brahman. Tagore's English translation of a set of poems titled the Gitanjali won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. He was the first Bengali, first Indian and first Asian to win the award. That was the only example at the time but the contribution of the Tagore family is enormous. Comparison with European renaissance The word "renaissance" in European history meant "rebirth" and was used in the context of the revival of the Graeco-Roman learning in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries after the long winter of the dark medieval period. A serious comparison was started by the dramatis personae of the Bengal renaissance like Keshub Chunder Sen, Bipin Chandra Pal and M. N. Roy. For about a century, Bengals conscious awareness and the changing modern world was more developed and ahead of the rest of India.[citation needed] The role played by Bengal in the modern awakening of India is thus comparable to the position occupied by Italy in the European renaissance. Very much like the Italian Renaissance, it was not a mass movement; but instead restricted to the upper classes. Though the Bengal Renaissance was the "culmination of the process of emergence of the cultural characteristics of the Bengali people that had started in the age of Hussein Shah, it remained predominantly Hindu and only partially Muslim." There were, nevertheless, examples of Muslim intellectuals such as Saiyed Amir Ali, Mosharraf Hussain,[6] Sake Dean Mahomed, Kazi Nazrul Islam, and Roquia Sakhawat Hussain. Some scholars in Bangladesh, now hold Bengal Renaissance in a different light. As Professor Muin-udDin Ahmad Khan of the department of Islamic History and Culture of Chittagong University, observes:[7] During nineteenth century A.D., Bengal produced a galaxy of reform movements among the Hindus as well Muslims the Islamic reform movements such as Faraizi, Tariquah-i-Muhhamadiyah, and Taaiyni and Ahl-i-Hadith, occupied a conspicuous position amongst them. These Islamic movements were revivalist in character these Islamic movements were born of the circumstances, which had also given birth to the contemporary Hindu reform movements such as Brahmo Samaj and Arya Samaj, which thrived in Bengal side by side with them Raja Ram Mohan Roys movement is generally regarded as Renaissance movement. It is called by some as Hindu Renaissance and by others as Bengali Renaissance movement. It should nevertheless be observed that compared with the European Renaissance model, it was a Renaissance with a difference, especially, deeply inlaid by a revivalist make-up of pristine Hindu or Aryan religious spirit Raja Ram Mohan Roys Renaissance aimed at resuscitating the pristine Aryan spirit, Unitarianism of God, with the help of modern Western rationalist spirit. According to historian Romesh Chunder Dutt:[8] The conquest of Bengal by the English was not only a political revolution, but ushered in a greater revolution in thoughts and ideas, in religion and society... From the stories of gods and goddesses, kings and queens, princes and princesses, we have learnt to descend to the humble walks of life, to sympathise with the common citizen or even common peasant Every revolution is attended with vigour, and the present one is no exception to the rule. Nowhere in the annals of Bengali literature are so many and so bright names found crowded together in the limited space of one century as those of Ram Mohan Roy, Akshay Kumar Dutt, Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Hem

Chandra Banerjee, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Dina Bandhu Mitra. Within the three quarters of the present century, prose, blank verse, historical fiction and drama have been introduced for the first time in the Bengali literature... The Bengal Renaissance In 1765 the East India Company took possession of Bengal, Bihar and parts of Orissa from Shah Alam, the Mughal Emperor. As a result, Bengal and its surrounding lands became the first regions in India to experience the direct impact of British rule and the beginnings of modernization. For the remainder of the eighteenth century and throughout the early decades of the nineteenth century, the British laid the foundations for civil administration. They established communication and transportation systems, a modern bureaucracy, an army and police. They further instituted law courts, and opened schools and colleges. The nineteenth century became the high point of British-Indian interaction, particularly within Bengal. Historians refer to this era as the Bengal Renaissancea period of intense cultural and technological advancement as well as a time of great social, cultural, and political change. The basis of the Bengal Renaissance was East-West contact. With the spread of European colonial power around the world through the agency of the East Indian Company and similar organizations, many regions of Asia, including India, experienced tremendous upheaval to their traditional cultures. Bengal was perhaps the first region in Asia to have its culture radically transformed through this interaction with the West. In Bengal five important influences led to the Bengal Renaissance: the rise of British Bengali commerce, the introduction of English education, British Orientalism, Christianity, and perhaps most importantly how the Bengali intellectuals themselves responded to these influences. With the consolidation of political power in India came the rise of widespread trade and the establishment of large centers of administration and business. In particular, Calcutta became the focus of British administration, trade, and commerce. In the process a class of Bengali elite developed that could interact with the ruling British. This was the bhadraloka, a socially privileged and consciously superior group, economically dependent on landed rents and professional and clerical employment. During the second half of the eighteenth century this elite group became permanent residents of Calcutta. Some rapidly acquired fortunes by working as partners with the British. This group included such individuals as Rammohun Roy, Radhakanta Deb, and Dwarkanath Tagore. Later, in the early decades of the nineteenth century another generation of middle-income Bengalis arrived, which included small landholders, government employees, members of the professions, teachers, journalists and the like. This group included such personalities as Keshab Chandra Sen (18381884), Bankim Chandra Chattopadyay (18381884), Kedarnath Datta Bhaktivinoda (18381914), Sisir Kumar Ghosh and Michael Madhusudhan Dutt (18241873) to name just a few. Perhaps the most prominent member of the early bhadraloka, at least on the intellectual front, was Rammohun Roy (17721833). Rammohun Roy is often credited with being one of the initiators of the Bengal Renaissance and the father of modern India. While this may not be entirely accurate, it is a fact that his personality and intellect were among the primary factors that influenced the direction of Bengali thinking during the early nineteenth century. When the British government proposed to establish education through the medium of the regional languages including Bengali, Persian and Sanskrit, Rammohun Roy vigorously protested, insisting that education should be in modern subjects and through the medium of English. In this way the stage was set for the introduction of European ideas to the bhadraloka through the medium of English education.

In 1817, personalities such as Dwarkanath Tagore, Prasanna Kumar Tagore, and other members of the bhadraloka took a major step along the path of modernization by establishing the first institution of Western education in Asia, Hindu College. English was used as the prime medium of instruction. The teaching of Western sciences, philosophy, English literature and grammar, and other Western subjects was the hallmark of Hindu College. Accompanying the establishment of Hindu College and English instruction was the powerful influence of Henry Louis Vivian Derozio (18081831), a young professor at Hindu College. Under Derozios guidance the liberal writers of England and America Francis Bacon, David Hume, and Thomas Paine were introduced to the students of Hindu College, the more radical of whom became known as Young Bengal. Derozio encouraged his students to judge the customs, practices, and the rules of Hindu society according to the dictates of logic and reason alone. As a result, the members of Young Bengal condemned Hindu dietary laws, the authority of gurus and priests, caste divisions, womens status, image worship, and other traditional Hindu practices. Above everything, Derozio encouraged his students to think for themselves. Many members of Young Bengal ultimately grew to have a major influence on Bengali society. As the number of English language institutions grew, so did the number of English-educated bhadraloka. Gradually they became a strong and distinct class within Bengali society. In this way, no other institution even came close to the influence that Hindu College exerted in bringing about the awakening of Bengal to Western thought in the early nineteenth century. Through the efforts of Hindu College more than a thousand young men received education in English before the Government officially introduced its own program of English education in 1835. The influence of these early members of the bhadraloka was indeed behind many of the great changes in religious, literary, political, and intellectual life in Bengal during the early nineteenth century. British Orientalism was another important of factor that worked to shape the Bengal Renaissance during the nineteenth century, especially on religio-cultural matters. As much as English language education brought the ideas of the West to India, so did the era of Orientalism facilitate the transmission of new cultural attitudes to the bhadraloka. British Orientalism was a unique phenomenon in British Indian history that was inspired by the needs of the East India Company to train a class of British administrators in the languages and culture of India. In essence, the idea that traditional oriental learning could be combined with the rationalism of the West was the inspiration of British Orientalism. Intellectually it was one of the most powerful ideas of nineteenth century India. Through the researches of the Orientalists it became known that Sanskrit formed the basis of many European languages including Greek and Latin. It also became evident the ancient India had a vast tradition of linguistics, mathematics, astronomy, medicine and architecture. That the Mauryas ruled a vast empire and that classical civilization reached its peak under the Guptas, were also significant discoveries of Oriental scholarship. The fruits of British Orientalism although intended to serve the needs of company servants and European academics had a profound impact on the bhadraloka. For the first time the bhadraloka gained a systematic overview of its Sanskritic Hindu culture, making them keenly aware of the accomplishments of their cultural past. In direct contrast to British Orientalism came the introduction of Christianity into Bengal. In 1813 the

Charter Act opened the doors to Christian Evangelicals who quickly established themselves throughout Bengal and many other parts of India. They viewed Hindu culture as backward and profane. To them the strength of European culture was its Christian foundations. Their goal, therefore, was to obliterate as much of Hindu religion as possible and to replace it with Christian values, English education, and Western ideas. They attacked the very foundations of Hindu religious culture. Thus British Orientalism lit the fires of Hindu pride, while the attacks of the missionaries created a powerful impetus to reformulate and understand past Hindu religious traditions in the light of modernity. During those times Hindu religious life became vibrant and underwent great change. The impressive durability of Hinduism as a religion and a way of life remained unquestionable. But the educated Bengali elite felt the need of modernizing Hinduism. They wanted to clip off the superfluities and the superstitions for their own benefit. As a result, personalities such as Sisir Kumar Ghosh, Bhudev Mukhopadhyay, and Kedarnath Datta Bhaktivinoda attempted to redefine and defend Hindu ideas in modern terms. Many of the bhadraloka wrote in a way that was patterned after the ideals of British Orientalism. In the literary realm Bengali literature and drama took on a new vibrancy during this period. Writers such as Michael Madhusudhan Datta and Bhakim Chandra Chattopadhyay experimented with new literary forms. The Bengali novel patterned after English literature developed under the powerful pen of Bhakim Chandra and Kedarnath Datta. Bengali verse attained new heights under the inspiration of Michael Madhusudhan Datta. Bengali drama found new life through the works of Girish Chandra Ghosh (18441912). It is significant that traditional religious motives such as the Radha-Krishna stories continued to be used in spite of intense European influence. In the political field a huge number of debating societies and newspapers appeared. Personalities such as Kashi Prasad Ghosh (18091873), Kristo Pal and Sisir Kumar Ghosh openly voiced their political opinions and would not hesitate to use their newspapers to achieve political ends, often in direct defiance to British rule. Ultimately the roots of Indian independence can be traced back to the Bengal Renaissance. During this period it is a tribute to Bengals intellectual elite that they were keen enough to distinguish between the mere imitation of a foreign culture and the changes that they themselves desired to make. In other words, the bhadraloka had no desire to model their society as a copy of British or European society. Instead they wanted to build a distinctively Bengali society more in step with the prevailing trends of modernity and they did so in all areas of their religious, cultural and social life. Shukavak N. Dasa Copyright 2002 Sanskrit Religions Institute. All Rights Reserved. Bibliography: Kopf, David. (1969). British Orientalism and the Bengal Renaissance. Calcutta: Firma K. L. Mukhopadhyay. Majumdar, R. C. (1978). History of Modern Bengal, 1765 to 1905. Calcutta: G. Bharadwaj and Company. Bengal Renaissance is a period of awakening within Bengal in the fields of philosophy, literature, science and politics. The Bengal Renaissance initially was restricted within the educated Bengali society but later spread out to all socio-cultural strata including the resident Muslims. This period began with the emergence of Raja Rammohon Roy and lasted through the nineteenth century. The other architects of the Renaissance in Bengal were Pandit Iswarchandra Vidyasagar, poet Michael Madhusudan Dutta,

writer Pandit Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Maharshi Debendranth Tagore, Raja Radhakanto Deb, Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, Sri Ramkrishna Paramhansa and later Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vevekananda, scientist Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy, scientist Acarya Jagadish Chandra Bose, educationist Syed Amir Ali, dramatist Girish Ghosh and so on. Two prominent features of the Renaissance in Calcutta were: the formation of associations, societies and organizations; and emergence of numerous newspapers and magazines. Another important aspect of the Bengal Renaissance movement was the formation of reform movements in both religious and social fields. Western ideas and ideals influenced this Renaissance movement in Bengal considerably. Ideals of nationalism and independent governance derived from the west were spread by the educated elite to the masses through the various associations, movements, and magazines. Raja Rammohan Roy was the pioneer of the Renaissance in Bengal. Born in a wealthy family in 1772, Raja Rammohan Roy was well versed in Sanskrit, Persian, and Arabic. He formed the Brahmo Samaj, a religious society in 1828. Prior to that he set up the Hindu College (presently Presidency College) in 1817 with the assistance of David Hare and Raja Radhakanto Deb. In 1829 Raja Rammohan Roy was successful in putting an end to the heinous practice of 'satidaha' (widow burning) with the help of British Governor General William Bentinck. Subsequently, the Bengal Renaissance was carried forward by the likes of Pandit Iswarchandra Vidyasagar, Pandit Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and Michael Madhusudan Dutta. Pandit Vidyasagar introduced the practice of widow re-marriage. Scholar and social reformer Vidyasagar in association with Drinkwater Bethune established the Bethune School for imparting formal education to girls. Swami Vivekananda spread the essence of Hinduism and Indian traditional culture in the Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893. Swamiji a philosopher and philanthropist spread the spirit of brotherhood and humanity by traveling across Indian states and meeting kings and commoners. The first six decades of the nineteenth century saw an upheaval in the socio-cultural spheres of Bengal society. The next four decades witnessed the formation of political societies. The Hindu Mela was organized by Maharshi Debendranath Tagore with Rajnarayan Bose, Nabagopal Mitra between 1867 and 1881. Within the course of this Mela a seminar 'Hindu Dharmer Shresthatva' was arranged in 1872. The India League, the Indian Association, National Conference, and Indian National Congress formed in 1857, 1876, 1883, and 1885 respectively were the prominent political associations that emerged during the latter half of the eighteenth century. Bengal Renaissance is a golden phase in the social and cultural history of Kolkata. This period also witnessed the emergence of political associations which ultimately were instrumental in guiding India towards her independence in 1947.