চন্দ্রনাথ বসু ও বঙ্গভঙ্গ : একটি পর্যালোচনা/ Chandranath Basu and the Partition of Bengal : A Review

Abstract

Born on 31st August 1844 in a small village of Hoogli, Chandranath had a remarkable career as a student and was also successful in his professional life. In his early youth, he became a prominent personality in the literary circle of Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay (1838-1894) and became a frequent contributor to Bankim’s Bangadarshan and Prachar.

           Chandranath is ‘first’ in many ways. he coined the term ‘Hindutva’ in 1892. After the establishment of Calcutta University (1857), he was the first, ‘first class first’ in history. He was the pioneer of economic nationalism of Bengal. actually the idea of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ is the brainchild of Chandranath.

           But in the present day, only scholars have some ideas about him. where they know Chandranath Basu as a ‘conservative’ or a ‘staunch’ or an ‘orthodox.’ Consciously or unconsciously the critics criticize him as an orthodox hindu.

           Researcher Apurba kumar Roy noticed him, as ‘directed by chauvinism’ (‘উগ্র জাতীয়তাবাদের দ্বারা পরিচালিত’), but we think, instead of sword, he picks pen against the British. In1905 when the whole Bengal were roaring against the partition, then some essays of him were intense whipping against British. He was explained in details and wrote an article in the ‘Bangabasee’ about how impractical Lord Curjon’s proposal of Bengal’s partition. Then it was published by ‘Bengal Medical Library’ namely Partition-Riddle (1906). Interestingly, Chandranath was not written a single word about the anti-partition movement of Bengal in the article. He explained the pointlessness of the Partition of Bengal. It was like an open letter in impersonal voice to the British Government.  In ‘The Swadeshi Movement in Bengal 1903-1908’, Sumit Sarkar specially mentioned five contemporaneous pamphlets against the partition of Bengal in first phase. Among of them, two are written by Mr. Basu alone.

           Chandranath Basu and the Partition of Bengal: A Review is about Chandranath's then highly praised ‘Partition Riddle’ (1906), which forced us to, re-thinking about Chandranath, instead of his well-known identity.