Dharmamangal

The Dharmamangal (Bengali: ) is an important sub-genre of mangalkavya, the most significant genre of medieval Bengali literature. The texts belonging to this sub-genre eulogize Dharmathakur, a folk deity worshipped in the Rarh region of Bengal. According to tradition, the earliest poet of Dharmamangal was Mayura Bhatta. The Dharmamangal texts were meant for singing during the twelve-day ritual ceremony, known as Gajan. These texts are part of a larger group of texts associated with the worship of Dharma. In addition to the Dharmamangal texts, this larger group includes a number of works known as the Dharmapurans, which narrate the story of creation and the liturgical works known as the Samjatpaddhatis The texts of the Dharmamangal comprise two narratives, the narrative of the Puranic king Harishchandra, his queen Madana and Luichandra and the narrative of exploits of a folk hero of Bengal, Lausen. Most significant poets of Dharmamangal were Rupram Chakrabarty (17th century) and Ghanaram Chakrabarty (17th-18th century). Other poets of Dharmamangal include Khelaram Chakrabarty, Shrishyam Pandit, Dharmadas, Ramdas Adak, Sitaram Das, Yadunath or Yadavram Pandit, Maniklal Ganguli, Ramchandra Bandyopadhyaya, Narasimha Basu, Prabhuram Mukhopadhyaya, Hridayram Sau, Shankar Chakrabarty, Ramnarayan and Ramkanta Ray. The texts of Dharmapuran begin with narrative of creation. The other narratives included in these texts are the narrative about Shiva, the hagiographies of Minanatha and Gorakshanatha, the narrative of Ganga, the narrative of Sada Dom and Ramai Pandit, the description of the atrocities of Dharma in Jajpur and the narrative of king Harishcahndra. The significant poets of Dhramapuran or Anilpuran were Ramai Pandit and Sahadeb Chakrabarty. The most significant liturgical work is the Dharmapujavidhan, ascribed to Ramai Pandit as well as to Raghunandan. Another liturgical text, the Yatrasiddharayer Paddhati is a recent work.

Legend of Lord Dharma reveals the origin of Dharma Cult. The idea of voidness in its cosmology was derived from the popular misconception of the doctrine of impermanence of Nagarjuna. The Dharma existed in the tenth century and it was chiefly prevalent in Rarh in south-west Bengal. It is seen especially in the region lying to the south and west of the Damodar. Through this region flowed the now extinct River Champa which was the sacred river of Dharma-worshippers. On the bank of this river stood the village of Hakanda that is believed to be the original centre of the Dharma cult. Karnasen of Maynagar was a feudatory king who was under the suzerainty of the emperor of Gaur. Ichhai Ghos of Dhekurgar, a feudatory king, revolted against the emperor. Karnasen had sent his six sons to subdue the rebellion. The sons were killed and Karnasens wife died in grievance. The emperor gave Karnasen his sister-inlaw Ranjavati in marriage. Her brother Mahamad I was the emperors prime minister and opposed the marriage. Ranjavati was a devotee of Lord Dharmaand by the grace of Lord she bore her old husband a son who was called Lausen. Her brothers opposition took the form of hatred for his nephew and several attempts were made to kill him. However he was protected by Lord Dharma. He after attaining manhood set out for Gaur to present himself before the emperor. On his way travelling to Gaur Lausen fought a tiger and a crocodile. He was commended and rewarded by the emperor for the valour showed by him. Thereafter his trials began that were engineered by his hateful uncle. He was told to lead three dangerous expeditions: first was against the king of Kamrup against Kanara, the princess of Simul and second was against Ichhai Ghos of Dhekurgar.

In absence of Lausen Mahamad invaded Maynagar, Kalu Dom and Lakhiya. Lausens friends and Kalinga, one of Lausens wives were killed. Another friend of Lausen, Harihar Baiti who had witnessed the sunrise in the west was stabbed by Mahamad. However he was restored to life by Lord Dharma and thereafter he reigned happily in Maynagar.Many Dharma poets came from that region. The Dharma-mangal may be called the epic of Rarh.

Harishchandra

It is said that the great sage Vishwamitra, once approached Harishchandra and informed him of a promise made by the king during the sage's dream to donate his entire kingdom. (Accounts differ on how the sage had got the promise from the king. Some other legends say, it was by way of pacification when the king had once disturbed the sage's penance to his consternation.) Harishchandra was so virtuous, that he immediately made good his word and donated his entire kingdom to the sage and walked away with his wife and son. Since, the entire world was under the sage after he donated his kingdom, the king had to go to Varanasi, a holy town dedicated to Lord Shiva. This was now the only place outside the influence of the sage. But the sage proclaimed that for an act of donation to be completed, an additional amount as Dakshina (honorarium) had to be paid. Harishchandra, with no money in his hands, had to sell his wife and son to a Brahmin Grihastha to pay for the Dakshina. When the money collected still did not suffice for the purpose, he sold himself to a guard at the cremation ground, who was in charge of collecting taxes for the bodies to be cremated. The king, his wife and son had to sustain tremendous hardships doing their respective chores. The king helped the guard cremate the dead bodies, while his wife and son were used as household helpers at the house of the Brahmin. Once, the son had been to the garden to pluck flowers for his master's prayer, when he was bitten by a snake and he died instantly. His mother, having nobody to sympathise for her, carried his body to the cremation grounds. In acute penury, she could not even pay the taxes needed to cremate him. Harishchandra did not recognise his wife and son. He asked the lady to sell her golden mangalasutra and pay the tax. It is at this instance that his wife recognises the man as her husband. She has a boon that her husband only could see her mangalasutra. Harishchandra then came to her and recognised her as his wife and was stung by pangs of agony. But, Harishchandra, was dutybound by his job to perform the cremation only after the acceptance of the tax. So, he asked his wife, if she was willing to undergo further hardships and stand by him in this hour of calamity. The faithful wife readily gave assent. She had in her possession only a saree, a part of which was used to cover the dead body of her son. She offers half of her lone dress as the tax, which Harishchandra could accept and perform the last rites of his son. When she proceeded to remove her dress, miracles happened. Lord Vishnu, Indra and all Devas and the sage Vishwamitra himself manifested themselves on the scene, and praised Harishchandra for his perseverance and steadfastness. They brought his son back to life. They also offered the king and his wife, instant places in heaven. Harishchandra refused, stating that he was bound to his master, the guard. The Devas then reveal that the guard was none other than Yama. He again refused, saying that he cannot leave behind his subjects, by Kshatriya Dharma. He asked for a place in heaven for all his subjects. But the gods refused, explaining that the subjects had their own Karma and they have to undergo them. The king was then ready to forego all his virtues and religiousness for his people, so that they could ascend to heaven leaving him behind. The gods, now immensely pleased with the unassailable character of the great king, offered heavenly abode to the king, the queen and all their subjects. The sage Vishwamitra helped to populate the kingdom again and installed Harishchandra's son as the king. Rohitashwa was the son of Harishchandra. He founded the town of Rohtas Garh in Rohtas district, Bihar.

Baulowie

Baulowie (bengali , ang. baul) to synkretyczna heterodoksyjna tradycja pobonociowa aktywna w Bengalu Zachodnim i Bangladeszu o tantryczno-jogicznym zabarwieniu. Zawiera elementy przejte z bengalskich szk sufizmu i buddyzmu. Wspczenie mona j pojmowa jako baulw hinduistycznych i baulw muzumaskich. Sowo baul jest pochodzenia sanskryckiego. Wywodzone jest od sw wjakula (zmieszany) i watula (szalony). Czonkowie tej tradycji czsto doczaj do swoich imion tytuy pagal lub kszepa o bezporednim znaczeniu szalony gloryfikujc znaczenie szalony mioci do Boga. Historia Pocztkw tego ruchu poszukuje si w okresie midzy XV a XVII wiekiem. Szczeglny rozkwit i wzrost znaczenia osignli w XIX i w pocztkowych latach XX wieku. Naukow recepcj wsplnoty datuje si od 1870. Doktryna. W tej tradycji odrzuca si: indyjskie normy podziau kastowego wite teksty hinduizmu (w tym Wedy) i islamu (w tym Koran) zasug z odbywania pielgrzymek do miejsc witych (tzw. tirtha) kult witynny modlitwy przy grobach witych w dargah i mahasamadhi ascez, odosobnienie i celibat prawo szariatu tabu nieczystoci kobiety podczas okresu menstruacji moliwo wyzwolenia po mierci.

Siddhapurusza Wobec negacji kanonicznych ksig witych i znikomej twrczoci wasnej w zakresie pism doktrynalnych, najwaniejszy dla adepta na duchowej drodze staje si guru (Siddhapurusza czyli doskonay czowiek). Poprzez guru, ktry osign ju wyzwolenie, najpeniej manifestuje si Bg. Najwysza istota: Boga baulowie okrelaj wieloma imionami, wsplnymi dla religii obecnych w pnocno-wschodnich Indiach. (Allah, Kryszna, Sai, Czowiek Serca, Czowiek sahada, ...). Gosz jego andrygoniczno i tosamo ze wiatem, oddechem i jani. Droga duchowa W swoich sadhanach baulowie d do odnalezienia ("schwytania") czowieka wielkoci kciuka w akrze serca (Anahata) jako Boga w sobie, zgodnie z nauk o ciele jako mikrokosmosie (rwnowaniku jakociowym zewntrznego wszechwiata) (doktryn dehatattwy). Za siedzib pozbawionego cech Najwyszego atala Iwary uznaj akr sahasrara. Droga duchowa w tradycji baulizmu podzielona jest na trzy etapy. Kady z nich rozpoczyna si od wprowadzajcego rytuau dikszy: mantradiksza - adept przyjmowany jest do wsplnoty, otrzymuje duchowe imi i indywidualn mantr ikszadiksza - dalsze wprowaszenie w sadhan sanjadiksza - rozpoczynajca okres ascezy adepta.

Mio Szczegln cech doktrynaln, ktra wyrnia nauki baulw jest mio. Std rozdzielenie i tsknota, to motyw przewodni wielu ich pieni. Gosz, e sposobem na dowiadczenie mioci boskiej jest mio ludzka. Baulowie w wiosce Kult ciaa Baulowie nie buduj wity. Uwaaj ludzkie ciao za jedyny instrument prowadzcy do wyzwolenia, a wszelki kult niezwizany z ciaem ludzkim jako bezuyteczny. W ciele subtelnym sukszmaarira, podobnie jak inne ezoteryczne tradycje Wschodu, wyrniaj nadi i akry oraz kundalini. S przeciwni tumieniu instynktw pciowych, jako dziaaniu przeciw naturze ludzkiej. Praktykuj jogiczne poczenie seksualne (mithuna), wg wskazwek osobistego guru, w okresie menstruacji partnerki. Rwnoczenie za najwikszego wroga uwaaj podanie, ktremu patronuje bg Kama. Aby je przetransformowa w rodek wspierajcy sadhan, baul mczyzna wyobraa sobie siebie jako posta esk. Dziki temu przezwycia podanie i powstrzymuje wytrysk nasienia, a jego energi kieruje do akry sahasrara, aby akti osigna siedzib Najwyszego. Styl ycia Baulowie prowadz wdrowny styl ycia. Przemieszczaj si czsto dkami po delcie Gangesu. yj z jamuny lub opat za piewane pieni i poematw religijnych. Znani s ze swych niekonwencjonalnych zachowa i zwyczajw. Wygld Mczyni zawizuj na czubku gowy kok ze swoich dugich wosw. Ubieraj si w dugie, lune, szafranowe lub biae szaty. Ich wierzchnie nakrycie czsto stanowi narzuta zszyta z kawakw szmat. Pieni baulw Ich pieni religijne skadaj si zazwyczaj z trzech lub czterech zwrotek i refrenu. Wykonuj je przy akompaniamencie ekatary i dugi wdrujc po obszarze Bengalu. Tre najczciej jest dwuznaczna, aby przed nieinicjowanymi (zob. diksza) ukry rytualne znaczenie. Za najwybitniejszego poet tradycji baulw uwaa si Lalana Fakira. Typy pieni baulw : phuler gan (pieni kwiatu) - mithuna podczas pierwszych trzech dni menstruacji parer gan (pieni o przeprawie)

Znaczenie dla Bengalu Ich tradycja i pieni nale do istotnych elementw umacniajcych bengalsk tosamo narodow. Taki status symbolu kulturowego przyszed wraz z zaangaowaniem w popularyzacj ich religijnych poematw. Mentorami ich pieni tworzonych w bengali byli Rabindranath Tagore i Ksiti Mohan Sena. Corocznie odbywa si baulmela w miejscowoci Kenduli (okrg Birbhum w stanie Bengal Zachodni).

Nath

The Nath tradition is a heterodox siddha tradition containing many sub-sects. It was founded by Matsyendranath and further developed by Gorakshanath. These two individuals are also revered in Tibetan Buddhism[citation needed] as Mahasiddhas (great adepts) and are credited with great powers and perfected spiritual attainment. The Sanskrit word ntha is the proper name of a Hindu initiatory tradition and the word itself literally means "lord, protector, refuge". The related Sanskrit term Adi Natha means first or original Lord, and is therefore a synonym for Shiva, Mahadeva, or Maheshvara, and beyond these supramental concepts, the Supreme Absolute Reality as the basis supporting all aspects and manifestations of consciousness. The Nath tradition has many sub-sects, but all honor Matsyendranath and Gorakshanath as the founders of the tradition. The Natha Sampradaya (Devanagari: ), is a development of the earlier Siddha or Avadhuta Sampradaya, an ancient lineage of spiritual masters. Its founding is traditionally ascribed as an ideal reflected by the life and spiritual attainments of the Guru Dattatreya, the avatar of Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva all in one and born as the son of Rishi Atri and Anusuya Mata. Navnath The Navnath are the nine Hindu saints, Masters or Naths on whom the Navnath Sampradaya, the lineage of the nine gurus is based. They are worshipped collectively as well as individually. The nine teachers, collectively known as Navnaths, are considered representative of great teachers in this tradition or parampara: The lineage starts with Rishi Dattatreya, mythological deity-founder. Machindranath or Matsyendranath Gorakshanath or Gorakhnath Jalandharnath or Jalandernath also known as Jan Peer Kanifnath Gahininath also known as Gaibi Peer Bhartrinath or Bhartarinath or Raja Bhartari Revananath Charpatinath Naganath or Nageshnath

The nine Naths are the incarnations of Nine Narayanas who help Lord Narayan in taking care of the worldly activities. Lord Krishna had summoned the nine Narayans to his court for deciding the establishment of Nath Sampraday. Matsyendranath The establishment of the Naths as a distinct historical sect purportedly began around the 8th or 9th century with a simple fisherman, Matsyendranath (sometimes called Minanath, who may be identified with or called the father of Matsyendranath in some sources). One story of the origin of the Nath teachings is that Matsyendranath was swallowed by a fish and while inside the fish overheard the teachings given by Shiva to his wife Parvati. According to legend, the reason behind Shiva

imparting a teaching at the bottom of the ocean was in order to avoid being overheard by others. In the form of a fish, Matsyendranath exerted his hearing in the manner required to overhear and absorb the teachings of Shiva. After being rescued from the fish by another fisherman, Matsyendranath took initiation as a sannyasin from Siddha Carpati. It was Matsyendranath who became known as the founder of the specific stream of yogis known as the Nath Sampradaya. Caurangi and Gorakshanath Matysendranath's two most important disciples were Caurangi and Gorakshanath. The latter came to eclipse his Master in importance in many of the branches and sub-sects of the Nath Sampradaya. Even today, Gorakshanath is considered by many to have been the most influential of the ancient Naths. He is also reputed to have written the first books dealing with Laya yoga and the raising of the kundalini-shakti. There are several sites, ashrams and temples in India dedicated to Gorakshanatha. Many of them have been built at sites where he lived and engaged in meditation and other sadhana. According to tradition, his samadhi shrine (tomb) and gaddi (seat) reside at the Gorakhnath Temple in the city of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. However, according to the claims of the vaishnava Nityananda the samadhi shrines (tombs) of both Matsyendranath and Gorakshanath reside at Nath Mandir near the Vajreshwari temple about a kilometer from Ganeshpuri, Maharashtra, India. Initiation The Natha Sampradaya is an initiatory Guru-shishya tradition. Membership in the sampradaya is always conferred by initiation (diksha) by a diksha-gurueither the lineage-holder or another member of the sampradaya whose ability to initiate has been recognized by his diksha-guru. The Natha initiation itself is conducted inside a formal ceremony in which some portion of the awareness and spiritual energy (shakti) of the Guru is transmitted to the shishya (student). The neophyte, now a Nath, is also given a new name with which to support their new identity. This transmission or "touch" of the Guru is symbolically fixed by the application of ash to several parts of the body. In The Phantastikos, Shri Gurudev Mahendranath, a Guru of the Adinath Sampradaya, wrote; "The passage of wisdom and knowledge through the generations required the mystic magick phenomenon of initiation, which is valid to this day in the initiation transmission from naked guru to naked novice by touch, mark, and mantra. In this simple rite, the initiator passes something of himself to the one initiated. This initiation is the start of the transformation of the new Natha. It must not be overlooked that this initiation has been passed on in one unbroken line for thousands of years. Once you receive the Nath initiation, it is yours throughout life. No one can take it from you, and you yourself can never renounce it. This is the most permanent thing in an impermanent life." Literary influences According to Nayak the literature from Sonepur and its sandhya bhasa originated with Charyapada, Matsyendranath, Daripada : The growth of literature at Sonepur can be traced to Charyapada, to Matsyendranath and Daripada of the Natha cult. They wrote esoteric poetry in language known as Sandhya bhasa. The local idioms they used are still in currency in this area." According to Nayak the mystic poetry of the Natha influenced the medieval Oriya Panchasakha literature of Jagannath, Balarama, Yasowanta, Achyuta and Ananta: The mystic poetry of the Natha cult which flourished from 8th to 11th century largely influenced the Panchasakha literature of Jagannath, Balarama, Yasowanta, Achuyta and Ananta. The Nath literature of Sonepur seems to have set the tone and temper of the literature the successive ages pursued."

Nath Literature medieval bangla literature, based on the Nath cult or yoga-sadhana, and part of the ancient religious heritage of India. The main god of the Naths is shiva, who is also called Adinath. The five Nath siddhas (or enlightened ones), Minanath, Goraksanath, Hadipa, Kanupa and Chauranginath, are described as having been born from different parts of the body of Adinath. Nath literature was of two types, didactic and narrative. Didactic literature was in the form of doha, prahelika or chara, where secrecy was observed with the abundant use of code words and sentences. Instructive doha or verses by Kanupa and Jalandharipa are to be found in Charyagitikos. Other dohas are included in collections such as Goraksa-Sanghita and Yogachintamani. Minanath and Goraksanath left no individual texts. Goraksanath's compositions were mainly oral. Narrative Nath literature was based on legends and stories about the siddhas. The aim of the stories was to attract people to the cult. Narrative Nath literature follows dohas by about two centuries. Perhaps the most popular of these tales and legends was goraksavijay. Raja Manik Chandrer Git, Maynamatir Gan, and gopichandrer gan are different versions of the same story. Apart from Bangla, versions of these stories are available in different Indian languages such as Hindi, Oriya, Marathi, Gujrati, Nepali, and Tibetan.

Goraksa-Vijay is based on the contrast between Goraksanath, the perfect yogi, and his guru Minanath, who went astray. Minanath was cursed twice in his life: once, when in the shape of a fish at Jalatungi he secretly listened to the mahajnan recited by Shiva and the second time when he was attracted to Shiva's wife, Gauri. He was punished for listening to the mahajnan by losing his memory. For his second offence he was forced to spend an immoral life surrounded by 1600 women in Kadali. Minanath was rescued by his disciple Goraksanath in the guise of a female dancer.

Maynamati-Gopichandrer Gan is the story of Queen Maynamati and her husband, Manik Chandra, which propagates yoga-guidelines. Queen Maynamati, who was a disciple of Goraksanath, advised Manik Chandra to renounce the temporal world through accepting the life of sannyas (asceticism). Manik Chandra refused to listen to his wife and died prematurely. The queen then advised her son, Gopichandra, to accept the path of asceticism under the guidance of Hadipa, a stable sweeper. Gopichandra listened to his other and became Hadipa's disciple and lived the life of an ascetic for twelve years. Gopichandra had learned a number of magic tricks during his sannyas and, after returning home, he entertained his wives with these tricks. Hadipa rebuked his disciple, at which Gopichandra grew angry and, at the advice of his wives, buried his master alive. Kanupa, a disciple of Hadipa, rescued his master. Gopichandra repented and renounced his kingdom permanently and became a saint.

Seventeen versions of Goraksa-Vijay are extant in Bengal. nalini kanta bhattashali discovered one, abdul karim eight, Professor Ali Ahmed seven and Dr Panchanan Mandal one. Most of the manuscripts are incomplete. Three of these manuscripts have been edited and published: Minachetan edited by Dr Bhattashali, Goraksa-Vijay edited by Abdul Karim, and Gorkh-Vijay edited by Dr Mandal. It was believed that there were several writers of Goraksa-Vijay as the names of Kavindra, Bhimsen, and Shyamadas also occur in the bhanita (prefatory) along with that of Faijullah. Scholars today, however, generally agree that Faijullah was the writer of the poem while the others were singers. Three writers are believed to have written versions of Maynamati-Gopichandrer Gan: Durlabh Mallick, Bhabani Das and shukur mahmud. Durlabh Mallick's poem, titled Govinda Chandra Git, has been edited by Shib Chandra Shil. Dr Bhattashali edited and published two books from Dhaka Sahitya Parisat: Maynamatir Gan by Bhabani Das and Gopichander Sannyas by Shukur Mahmud. [Jayanta Banerjee]

Biharilal Chakravarty

Chakravarty, Biharilal (1835-1894) a pioneer of modern Bangla lyrical poetry and the poetic guru of rabindranath tagore, was born in Kolkata on 21 May 1835. His forefathers originally lived at Farashdanga and their original family name was 'Chattopadhyay'. Biharilal had little formal education, but was able to acquire considerable knowledge of Sanskrit, English and Bangla literatures. He began writing poems early in life. Although there was a tradition of lyrical poetry in Bangla, Biharilal modified its traditional form and transformed it into a medium that could express deep feelings. In this endeavour he was greatly influenced by Sanskrit and English literatures. Though his lyrics have been influenced by both eastern and western poets, his own style prevailed unmistakably. Biharilal introduced an interest in the self in place of interest in material things. He was the first to explore the depths of a poet's soul in Bangla poetry. His lyrics give a romantic view of nature in musical and simple language. Biharilal used a vocabulary composed of Sanskrit words as well as Bangla derivatives. His choice of poetic themes, individuality of expression, and acuteness of perception, as well as his focus on beauty and his unique use of rhythm distinguish him from others. Biharilal's well-known works include Svapnadarshan (1858), Sangitshatak (1862), Bandhubiyog (1870), Premprabahini (1870), Nisargasandarshan (1870), Bangasundari (1870), Saradamangal (1879), Mayadevi (1882), Devarani (1882), Baulbingshati (1887), Nisargasangit (1881), Sadher Asan (1888-89) and Dhumketu (1899). In Nisargasandarshan, Biharilal described the natural landscape of Bengal in vivid images and lively rhythms. In Bangasundari he portrayed the Bengali housewife as a symbol of beauty. Saradamangal is Biharilal's finest work and considerably influenced Bengali lyricists of the 19th century, including Rabindranath who described Biharilal as the 'bird of dawn'. Alongside his poetical work, Biharilal also edited journals such as Purnima, Sahitya-Sangkranti and Abodhbandhu, in which many of his poems appeared. His writings also appeared in bharati, somprakash, Kalpana. Biharilal died on 24 May 1894. The street on which his Calcutta house stood was renamed 'Biharilal Chakravarty Street' in his honour. [Md Masud Parvez]

Bengal Theater

Bengali theatre is rich, pregnant with its copious heritage. The beginning of the Bengali theatre can be traced to the construction of the Kolkata theatre back in the year 1779. However, nothing remarkable happened till the end of 1794. The year was 1795 and it was for the very first time the then intelligentsias of Kolkata witnessed Bengali theatre as the Russian dramatist Horasim Lebiediev along with a Bengali theatre connoisseur Goloknath Das staged the Bengali translations of two English comedies, "Disguise" and "Love is the best doctor" in Kolkata. That was the time since when Bengali theatre started its journey. With few unstable steps and later with long strides it was with time, Bengali theatre gained a redefined dimension. By the year 1831 Bengali theatre became a whole new art form to mirror the then Bengal amidst its artistry. It is with the establishment of "Hindu Rangamanch" at Kolkata by Prasanna Kumar Thakur further supported Bengali theatre to take that steady step towards maturity. Prasanna Kumar staged Wilsons English translation of Bhavabhutis Sanskrit Language drama "Uttar Ramacharitam" whilst laying the foundation for modern theatre in India. The history of Bengali theatre then gained a new diction. Other important attempts in developing Bengali theatre in the then Bengal include Nabin Basus Jorasanko Natyashala, the private stages of Ashutosh Deb and Ramjay Basak , Vidyotsahini Mancha , Metropolitan Theatre , Shobhabazar Private Theatrical Society and most importantly the Bagbazar Amateur Theatre. Bengali theatre, which was already rich as an art form by then, became a vehicle of mass education, an effort in reflecting the then society. Bengali theatre again in the 19th century witnessed a colossal change as the rich, young Bengalis of Kolkata started to write plays based on British realistic manikins whilst ideally weaving them with Indian songs, classical dance and music to add that little extra, Rabindranath Tagores Raktakarabi (Red Oleanders) and Raja (The King of the Dark Chamber) became an important part of this effort. At that time the works of William Shakespeare were also widely translated and adapted in the Bengali theatre whilst redesigning Bengali theatre to befit the Indian urban tastes. The history of Bengali theatre is thus the saga of changing tradition. Bengali theatre soon became a strong medium of expression to mirror the socio- political and contemporary issues to the common Indians. The main aim was then to make the mass aware of the then socio political scenario. Quite ideally therefore the playwrights, director and even the actors in Bengali theatre with their unparallel contribution illustrated the colonial fragrance in perhaps the right way. One such play of that time was Nildarpan, which depicted the misery of the indigo cultivators. Dinabandhu Mitra, with his refined creation like "Sadhabhar Ekadasi" and Lilabati, added to the maturity of the Bengali theatre whilst carrying it to the next level of maturity. With the establishment of Indian Peoples Theatre Association (IPTA), the history of Bengali theatre took a new turn. Theatre in Bengal then became even closer to the people. The famous in Bengali Theatre like the Girish Mancha and Star Theatre then witnessed a huge change in order to befit the requirement where the aura of the Indian Classical Dances was no more and on the contrary emerged a whole new concept of theatre -- "Peoples Theatre" which was definitely "for the people and by the people". Theatre continued to flourish in Bengal. Dwijendra Lal Roy, Girish Ghosh, Bijon Bhattacharya, Utpal Dutta, Balraj Sahni, Habib Tanvir and several others contributed to its maturity. It was much later the very concept of Bengali Theatre as the representation of the age-old British colonialism gradually faded away and theatre became lot more naturalistic. However, right after independence the very demand of the realistic theatre approach was so much vibrant that Famous theatre personalities like Utpal Dutta, Shombhu Mitra and  Badal Sircar designed a whole new concept - Realistic theatre in Bengali. That was just the beginning of a history. The trend then was to reflect the daily life, social issues, political turmoil and indeed the economic scenario of India in a realistic way. The post-Independence period offered a marked change in Bengali theatre whilst making it rather stylistic in its approach. With the coming of the

theatre personalities like Badal Sircar, Mohit Chattopadhyaya, Arun Mukherjee and others the timeline of Bengali theatre gained that desired contour.

Ramnarayan Tarkaratna

Ramnarayan Tarkaratna (1822-1886) playwright, was born on 26 December 1822 at village Harinabhi in 24Pargana district, west bengal. After his primary education in the village chatuspathi or Sanskrit school, he studied grammar, poetics, law and logic for 10 years (1843-53) at sanskrit college in Kolkata. After serving for two years as the chief pundit of Hindu Metropolitan College, he joined Sanskrit College where he taught for 27 years. After retirement in 1882, he opened a chatuspathi in his village and taught there until his death. His elder brother, Prankrishna Vidyasagar, was also a teacher at Sanskrit College. Ramnarayan was known essentially for his original plays in Bangla. He was nicknamed 'Natuke Ramnarayan' (Ramnarayan, the playwright) for writing the first well-structured plays. Kulin Kulsarbasva (1854) was his first and best play, which highlighted the ill effects of polygamy in Hindu society. His other works include Ratnavali (1858), Naba Natak (1866), Venisanghar (1856), Malatimadhab (1867), Rukmini Haran (1871), Kangsabadh (1875). Pativratopakhyan (1853) is a collection of his essays. He also wrote some farces such as Yeman Karma Teman Phal (1863), Ubhay Sangkat (1869) and Chaksudan (1869?) etc. Most of his plays and farces were staged many times at the Rangamancha in Belgachhia, the personal stages of the Calcutta aristocrats and the playhouse of the Tagores at Jorasanko. He received the Kavyopadhyaya title from the Bengal Philharmonic Akademi. He died at his village home on 19 January1886. [Wakil Ahmed]