‘বঙ্গদর্শন’ : একটি সমীক্ষা/ Bangadarshan: Ekti Samiksha

Abstract

Bangadarshan was a pioneering Bengali monthly literary magazine founded and edited by the legendary novelist Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in April 1872. It is widely regarded as a watershed moment in the history of Bengali literature and the genesis of Indian nationalism. 

            The primary objective of the journal was to bridge the gap between the Western-educated Bengali intelligentsia and the common masses by creating a high-standard literary platform in the vernacular language. It aimed to ‘disanglicize’ the educated class and foster a distinct Bengali identity.

            The magazine served as the primary vehicle for Bankim Chandra’s major novels, including Vishabriksha (The Poison Tree), Krishnakanter Will, and Anandamath. It was in the pages of Bangadarshan that the iconic hymn ‘Vande Mataram’ was first published (1875), which later became the anthem of the Indian independence movement. Beyond fiction, it published scholarly essays on the Puranas, Vedas, science, and sociology, featuring contributors like Haraprasad Shastri and Akshay Chandra Sarkar. 

​            The ‘Naba Parjay’: After a hiatus, the magazine was revived in 1901 by Rabindranath Tagore, who used it to serialize his masterpiece Chokher Bali and promote his own nationalist and educational philosophies.