Ishwar Chandra Gupta

Infobox Person
name = Ishwar Chandra Gupta


image_size =
caption =
birth_date = March 1812
birth_place = village Kanchanpolli or Kanchrapara, Chabbis Pargana (currently in the state of West Bengal, India)
death_date = January 23, 1859
death_place = Kolkata
occupation = Poet, scholar and writer
spouse =

Ishwar Chandra Gupta ( _bn. ঈশ্বরচন্দ্র গুপ্ত, March 1812 - January 23,1859) was a Bengali poet and writer. Gupta was born in the village "Kanchanpolli" or "Kanchrapara" Chabbis Pargana (currently in the state of West Bengal, India). [http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/G_0231.htm Biography] , from Banglapedia.]

Early life

Ishwar Chandra Gupta was brought up in his uncle's house after the death of his mother. Gupta spent most of his childhood in Kolkata. At that time, poets were named "Kobiwala" and the "kobiwalas" were not so civilized in language. Sexual words and clashes were common. But Ishwar Chandra Gupta created a different style of poetry.

He started the newspaper "Sambad Prabhakar" with Jogendra Mohan Tagore on on January 28, 1831. which finally became a daily on June 4, 1839. Many Bengali writers of the 19th century started their career with that magazine. He revolutionized Bengali poetry by introducing a new style with double meaning:

::"Ke bole Ishwar Gupta, byapta charachar," ::"Jaar prabhate prabha paye Prabhakar".

'Ishwar' means God, 'Gupta' means hidden and 'Prabhakar' was the journal he ran:

::Who says God is hidden? He is omnipresent ::Whose luminescence makes the "Prabhakar" luminiscent.

Also, 'Prabhakar' is the sun. So a second meaning of the poem is:

::Who says God is hidden? He is omnipresent ::From Him the Sun gets its luminescence

Literary style

He brought modern era of poetry in Bangla. He did not describe the life of Gods and Goddesses, but the daily life of human beings. He also wrote biographies of many Bengali poets and musicians.

Ishwarchandra Gupta always satires the so called modern class who blindly followed the colonial British power.

His literary works were included in the curriculum of school level, secondary and higher secondary Bengali Literature in Bangladesh.

Political views

In the early days he was a conservative, opposing the Young Bengal movement as well as frowning on widow remarriage. His views on widow remarriage put him at odds with Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. He was one of the earliest advocates of a Hindu view of Indian society. Later in his life, his views began to change and he championed the cause for the remarriage of virgin widows and women's education.

Important works

*Life of Bharat Chandra Roy
*Probodh Pravakara
*Kobitabolir Saar Sangraha

ources

*Bangla Sahitya (Bengali Literature), the national text book of intermediate (college) level of Bangladesh published in 1996 by all educational boards.

References