Kangal Harinath
| Kangal Harinath | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | কাঙ্গাল হরিনাথ |
| Born |
Harinath Majumdar 1833 Kumarkhali village, Kushtia District, Bengal Presidency, British India |
| Died | 16 April 1896 (aged 63) |
| Other names | Kangal Fikir Chand, Fikir Chand Baul |
| Ethnicity | Bengali |
Harinath Majumdar (c. 1833 – 16 April 1896), better known as Kangal Harinath, was a Bengali journalist, poet and Baul singer.[1]
Early life and career
Harinath was born in Kumarkhali village, Kushtia District, now in Bangladesh.[2] He took up journalism to promote the cause of the poor and oppressed.[3] He started writing in the Sangbad Prabhakar and in 1863 started publishing a journal, Grambarta Prakashika. The journal was funded by Swarnakumari Devi.[1] In 1873 Harinath set up a printing press for printing this journal.
He was a disciple of Lalon Shah. He established a Baul group named Kangal Fakir Chander Dal (Group of the Penniless Fakir Chand) in 1880. His songs had a profound influence on many thinkers of the day, including Rabindranath Tagore and Akshay Kumar Maitreya.
On his death, the Indian Mirror commented "The district of Nuddea has lost one its great men".
Notable works
Harinath wrote 18 books. Some of his works are:
- Bijoy Basanta (1859)
- Charu-Charitro (1863)
- Kavita Kaomudi (1866)
- Okkrur Sangbad (1873)
- Chittachapala (1876)
- Kangal-Fakir Chand Fakirer Gitabali (1293-1300 Bengali Year)
References
- 1 2 Shipra Dastider. "Harinath, Kangal". Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
- ↑ Amanur Aman (April 21, 2015). "Death anniversary of KANGAL HARINATH". The Daily Star. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
- ↑ Raha, B. (26 November 2013). "Harinath Majumdar and the Bengal Peasantry". Indian Historical Review 40 (2): 331–353. doi:10.1177/0376983613499683.