Kumud Ranjan Mullick

Kumud Ranjan Mullick (1883-1970) was a Bengali writer and poet. He was one of the most eminent poets of the Tagore era of Bengali literature. He was an early mentor and coach to the famous poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.

Biography

He was born on March 3, 1883 in a Vaidya-Brahmin family in a village named Kogram in Burdwan district of West Bengal, India.

He graduated from the Scottish Church College of the University of Calcutta^[1] in 1905 and won the prestigious Bankimchandra Gold Medal. He started his teaching career at Mathrun High School in Burdwan where he later became the headmaster.

Kumud Ranjan's poetry was greatly influenced by Vaishnavism. His poetry is also a portrait of rural Bengal. He died on 14 December 1970.

Main works

• Shatadal
• Bantulsi
• Ujani
• Ektara
• Bithi
• Banamallika
• Rajanigandha
• Nupur
• Chunkali
• Tunir
• Ajay
• Swarna Sandhya
• Dwarabati
• Kuheli
• Mukhoser Dokan

One memorable music album named Kumud Kabya Geeti was released by the then Gramophone Co. of India, comprising some of his poems like 'Ajayer buke saradin', 'Ruper laagi jodi amaare bhalobasho', 'Jhapsa hoye aaschhe kromey', 'Latar bedona' & many more beautiful poems set to music by famous Bengali musical icons like Hemanta Mukherjee, Anup Ghoshal, Haimanti Shukla, Tarun Banerjee and many more.

One of his students,at the Mathrun Navinchandra Vidyalay, Burdwan where Kumud Ranjan was the Headmaster,later rose to become Bengal's best known Rebel poet, Kazi Najrul Islam.

Awards

• Jagattarini Gold Medal of the University of Calcutta.
• Padma Shri of the Government of India in 1970.

References