This book tries to explore different areas of Bankim Chandra's novels. There are perceptive discussions on Bankim Chandra's so called Hindutva, his concept of Nationalism and Patriotism. Women, Love, Social taboos and Psychology are some areas in which our scholars have made insightful discussions. There is one essay which has made an eco-critical approach to Bankim Chandra's novels and two interesting essays deal with cinema and Bankim's novels and Bankim's concept of 'art'. These essays may inspire aspiring researchers to study Bankim Chandra from many new angles.
Dr Pradip Ranjan Sengupta taught literature in undergraduate and postgraduate classes for decades. Besides his experience of teaching in Behala College, Rabindra Bharati University and Aliah University Dr Sengupta taught at various other places as guest faculty and visiting professor. He is still now actively connected with teaching. He has written and edited more than twelve books and has published essays in scholarly journals and anthologies. He is a film maker, a poet, a novelist and a short story writer. He is associated with translation studies for twenty five years.
The nineteenth century in Bengal is often marked as the period of Renaissance because some outstanding personalities, in this period of hundred years, brought about definite changes in patterns of thought and education that included modernization of Bengali language, birth of a 'new' kind of Bengali literature, rediscovery of the classical learning (Ram Mohan's translation of the Upanishads in Bengali and later in English is an example of that) and a gradual emergence of a secular attitude towards religion (mainly because of the influence of Ram Mohan and Derozio). But some scholars are skeptical about the term 'Renaissance' and they argue that there was no 'Renaissance' in Bengal in the sense of the Italian Renaissance (fourteenth-seventeenth century) because the so called Bengal Renaissance was a movement led by the Bengali Hindus of the higher caste, who were patronized by the British Powers. The participation of the Muslim community in this so called Renaissance movement was minimal.
The eagerness to be introduced to Western education, Science and Philosophy was obviously connected with the change in political and social scenario of India and specially of Bengal and this happened with the gradual increase of importance of the East India Company. The outcome of the Battle of Buxar (1764) was politically more important than the Battle of Plassey because it was after Buxar, the East India Company started moving more confidently towards taking over the economic and administrative reins of Bengal; but the Company had no desire to take up the responsibility of providing Education to the people in the changed social and economic conditions of the land. Two significant things happened in the field of Education; one of them was the setting up of the Calcutta Madrasha in 1780 by Warren Hastings and the other was the foundation of the Asiatic Society of Bengal by William Jones in 1784. The languages taught in the Calcutta Madrasha were Arabic and Persian and there arose a controversy among the English men about the system to be followed for the education of the Indians. The Orientalist group which was headed by H.H. Wilson, H.T.Princep and their followers advocated for Sanskrit education for the Indians but the Anglicist group, headed by Charles Trevelyan pleaded for Western education in this country. Thomas Babington Macaulay's famous 'Minute of Education' strongly advocated for Education in English language for Indian students and Raja Ram Mohan Roy was determined to stand in favour of the Western/English education in this country.
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