Kolkata :
The father of modern Bengali language, in which books are written now, seems to have been relegated to the a mere footnote.
Wednesday was the 201st birth anniversary of Peary Chand Mitra, which passed unnoticed in the blaze of celebrations that are forever being added to Bengal’s calendar. Though Mitra’s name or his pseudonym, Tekchand Thakur, would not ring a bell among the youth, his ‘Alaler Ghare Dulal’ is the first Bengali book written in the “novel” form, a tradition taken up by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and others. The novel is said to be the first major experiment with the subaltern language.
A key member of Henry Vivian Derozio’s Young Bengal, that played a leading role in the Bengal Renaissance, Mitra was born on 22 July 1814, but the only people who remember the date are his successors. His bicentenary last year was observed without any fanfare. “A milestone that would have proponents of Bengali Asmita (pride) unfurling the flags on the streets has barely been acknowledged. Mitra’s achievement is all the more significant because he had strong public support,” said great great grandson Debabrata Mitra.
A year later, his family and the Kolkata Little Magazine Library and Research Centre have organized Mitra’s bicentenary celebration on Sunday at their ancestral property, “Madanmohan Jeu”, which was built at the behest of the writer’s aunt. Young Bengal members would meet at the historical venue to debate and thrash out ideas on how to usher in reforms in society.
His father, Ramnarayan, sent him to Hindu College where he was taught English by Derozio. David Hare, who was instrumental in spreading education in India, was also fond of him.
Despite his strong orientation in the English ways, it was Mitra’s role in vernacular that should be celebrated. In fact, Rev. James Long, who translated Dinabandhu Mitra’s Neeldarpan in English, had christened him the “Dickens of Bengal”. Mitra, indeed, had changed the course of the Bengali language, from the formal, pundit’s style (shadhubhasha) to the language of the masses (chalitbhasha).
Mitra’s family has drafted a charter of demands, including a research centre, a place where discussions on improving society and spreading education would be held, naming of College Street after him and an awareness campaign to spread Bengali language.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Ajanta Chakraborty, TNN / July 26th, 2015