Peary Chand Mitra

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Peary Chand Mitra (1814-1883), a member of Derozio’s renowned Young Bengal group, author and journalist, played a leading role in the Bengal renaissance with the introduction of simple Bengali prose which everybody could understand. His novel Alaler Gharer Dulal was a landmark publication published under the pseudonym Tek Chand Thakur.

Contents 1 Early life 2 ‘Dickens of Bengal’ 3 Other activities 4 References 5 Note 6 See also 7 External link

[edit] Early life

Son of Ramnarayan Mitra, he was born at Kolkata on 22 July 1814. As per the custom of the day, he started learning Persian at a young age and in 1829 joined the Hindu College, where he started learning English. While still a student he started a school in his own home in order that he could teach others in his locality what he learnt. At some point of time his friends Rasik Krishna Mallick, Radhanath Sikdar and Sib Chandra Deb joined him to bolster his efforts. David Hare and Derozio helped him. A brilliant student, he passed out with rewards and prizes, and joined the ‘Public Library’ as deputy librarian in 1835.

The Public Library was established that very year in the residence of an Englishman named Strong in the Esplanade. It was later shifted to the Fort William College and when the Metcalfe Hall was constructed to pay respect to the memory of Charles Metcalfe the library was shifted to the hall in 1844. Peary Chand Mitra rapidly rose up the ladder as librarian, secretary and finally curator, a position he held till his retirement.

[edit] ‘Dickens of Bengal’

While working in the library Peary Chand Mitra used it extensively to enhance his knowledge. He used to write widely in magazines then being published – Bengal Spectator, Bengal Harkara, Englishman, Hindu Patriot, Calcutta Review. Along with his Derozian friend Rasik Krishna Mallick, he edited the Jnananeswan. Another Derozian Ram Gopal Ghosh was associated with it.

That was the age when Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar was writing Bengali heavily loaded with Sanskrit words and Akshay Kumar Datta was experimenting with the language in Tattwabodhini Patrika. Both were masters of Sanskrit and it was natural that they should use all the ornamentation of that rich language. Bengali prose was in its infancy. Learned people used to poke fun at it and ridiculed the language, and a newspaper such as Iswar Chandra Gupta’s Sambad Prabhakar published all that.

In 1857, Peary Chand Mitra and Radhanath Sikdar started a small magazine Masik Patrika, which used simple spoken Bengali prose everybody could understand. It was a major breakthrough in the use of Bengali language and the magazine instantly became extremely popular even amongst women and children. His novel Alaler Gharer Dulal, also using simple Bengali prose was serialised in the magazine. It was one of earliest Bengali novels and became an instant success.^[1] So great was the popularity that the language style came to be known as ‘Alali’. That set the trend for Bengali prose then. In 1864, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay published his first novel Durgeshnandini to finally lay down the standard for Bengali prose. Alaler Ghare Dulal was translated into English in those days.

Rev. James Long, who was a keen observer of the literary scene in Bengal and was imprisoned and fined for the English translation of the controversial play Nil Darpan, used to call him ‘Dickens of Bengal’. Peary Chand Mitra wrote a number of books – Abhedi, Jatkinchit, Bamatoshini, Ramaranjika, Adhyatika, Mad Khaoa Baro Daey. He wrote a biographical sketch of David Hare in English.

[edit] Other activities

In later life, he was a successful businessman. Along with his Derozian friend Tarachand Chakraborty he was involved in export-import business. He was associated with a variety of social welfare activities of his day. He was a member of the Calcutta University Senate, the society for prevention of cruelty to animals, and Bethune Society. He was secretary of the British India Society (later Association). He was a Justice of the Peace.

He had great interest in the development of agriculture in the country. His criticism of the permanent settlement, The Zemindar and Ryots created a sensation. While a member of the Agricultural Society, he set an organisation for the translation of books on agriculture from English to Bengali.

In 1881, when Madame Blavatsky and Col Olcott visited India, he became involved with the Theosophical Society. He died on 23 November 1883 at Kolkata.

[edit] References

• Ramtanu Lahiri O Tatkalin Banga Samaj in Bengali by Sivanath Sastri, page 87.
• Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan (Biographical dictionary) in Bengali edited by Subodh Chandra Sengupta and Anjali Bose, page 292.

[edit] Note

1. ^ Hana Catherine Mullens wrote Phoolmani O Karunar Bibaran in 1852. This is regarded as the first novel in Bengali; Alaler Gharer Dulal was published in 1858, as per Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan page 423. Harinath Mazumdar wrote a novel Bijay Basanta at the same time as per Ramtanu Lahiri O Tatkalin Banga Samaj, page 88.

[edit] See also

[edit] External link

• Banglapaedia

Persondata
NAME	Peary Chand Mitra
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	'Dickens of Bengal'
SHORT DESCRIPTION	author and journalist
DATE OF BIRTH	22 July 1814
PLACE OF BIRTH	Kolkata
DATE OF DEATH	23 November 1883
PLACE OF DEATH	Kolkata