In Bengali literature, the name Dinesh Chandra Sen means a lot. He was at the same time a scholar,researcher, folklorist, and historian of Bengali literature. He was also called Acharya, for his deep knowledge on his subject matter. The famous poet of rural Bengal, Jasimuddin, worked under his patronage to collect folk songs and tales of east Bengal. In the culture of East Bengal, there is a vast wealth of folk traditions intertwined with the thousand-year-old art, literature, and culture. With the passage of time, this literature of the common people was being lost as it lost appeal to modern Bengali of the 19th century. Therefore, there was an urgent need to collect and archive this invaluable folk literature and art. In the beginning of 20th century, Dr. Dinesh Chandra Sen took this great task of collecting this folk literature. He dedicated his life to the conservation of the folk literature of East Bengal. He traveled to numerous remote villages and collected and compiled the priceless gems of folk literature.
Early Life and Influences
Sen Raibahadur Dineshchandra was born on November 3, 1866. He was born at his maternal uncle’s house in village Bagjuri in Manikganj district. His father’s house was in the village of Suapur Dhmarai Manikganj, Dhaka district. His parents were Iswar Chandra Sen and Rupalata Devi. His father was a lawyer practicing at Manikganj Court. He passed entrance to Jagannath School in 1882 (current Jagannath University). Later, he graduated from Dhaka College in 1885. At this time, both of his parents had died. He started his career in 1887 as a teacher at Habiganj School of Sylhet. Later, he worked as headmaster at Comilla’s Shambhu Nath Institution (1889) and Victoria School (1890). He worked at the University of Calcutta’s Bengali department, first as a reader (1909–1913), then as a researcher (1913 onwards). From a young age, he had a strong enthusiasm for poetry, rhythm, and literature. At the age of seven, he wrote a hymn to the goddess Saraswati. Along with all this, he also had a deep interest in history. At an early age, he noticed another researcher. He was not a Bengali but an Englishman, Sir George Grierson. He was an employee of the English administration. However, he loved the culture of Bengal with all his heart. During his time in East Bengal, he traveled from village to village and collected ‘Songs of Manik Chandra Raja’. After the work was published in the Asiatic Society, Which caught the eye of young Dinesh Chandra Sen. And from then on, he started enthusiastically collecting manuscripts by traveling around rural Bengal. Dinesh Chandra was free from any snobbery from the beginning of his scholarly life. Despite being highly educated in Western education, he did not become infatuated with the West. Rather, that education inspired him to look toward his own home. The songs are also the story of the common man. There is no intervention of the deity in it. Even the poet does not recognize the difference between Hindu-Muslim or high-low.
As a Ramtanu Lahiri Research Fellow, Sen solidified Sen’s reputation as a pioneer in Bengali literary studies. The university recognised his achievements with a doctorate in 1921 and a gold medal in 1931. Beyond his academic achievements, Dinesh Chandra Sen was a prolific writer who enriched Bengali literature with his insightful works. His most notable creation, Bangla Bhasha o Sahitya (1896), stands as a landmark in Bengali literary history. This comprehensive treatise meticulously traces the evolution of Bengali language and literature, providing a foundational text for scholars and enthusiasts alike. In the groundbreaking study in the book Folk Literature of Bengal (1920), he shows the richness of Bengali folk traditions and oral literature. The multi-volume work of Bangla Sahityer Itihas (1926–1935) provides a comprehensive overview of Bengali literary history, spanning from ancient times to the early 20th century.
Family member:.
- Cousin Hiralal Sen ; Grandson, Samar Sen poet.
In 1882, Sen passed his university entrance examination from Jagannath University in Dhaka.
In 1885, he successfully completed his F.A. examination at Dhaka College.
In 1889, as a private student, he obtained his B.A. degree with Honors in English literature.
Sen served as the headmaster of Victoria School in Comilla during 1909–13.
He became a Reader in the newly established Department of Bengali Language and Literature at the University of Calcutta during the same period.
In 1913, he assumed the role of the Ramtanu Lahiri Research Fellow in the same department.
His scholarly contributions led to the University of Calcutta awarding him a Doctorate of Literature in 1921.
Sen’s dedication to Bengali literature earned him the prestigious Jagattarini gold medal in 1931
A Pioneer in Bengali Folk Literature
In the study of Bengali folk literature, Dinesh Chandra Sen was a pioneer. After joining the Department of Bengali Language and Literature at the University of Calcutta, he dedicated his life to collecting and studying Bengali folk songs and ballads. He was particularly interested in the folk literature of East Bengal, which he felt had been neglected by scholars. His most notable work is the Mymensingh Gitika, a collection of folk ballads from the Mymensingh region of East Bengal (now Bangladesh). Before his publication, the rich oral songs of Mymensingh Gitika were unknown to most people. After this publication, it immediately gained the attention of scholars and the general public. Meanwhile, Dinesh Chandra Sen came across Chandra Kumar’s essay, ‘Mahila Kavi Chandravati’ (‘Chandravati, the Poetess’). Dinesh Chandra was impressed by the essay and appointed Chandra Kumar as a folklore collector at Calcutta University. Chandra Kumar collected several ballads by the instruction of Dinesh Chandra Sen, many of which were subsequently edited by Dinesh Chandra Sen and included in Maimansingha Gitika (1923) and Purbabanga Gitika (1926). The ballads collected by Chandra Kumar in Maimansingha-Gitika are ‘Mahuya’, ‘Maluya’, ‘Chandravati’, ‘Dasyu Kenaram’, ‘Kamala’, ‘Rupavati’, ‘Kanka O Lila’, ‘Dewana Madina’, and ‘Dhopar Pat’. The ballads collected by him in Purbabanga-Gitika are ‘Bheluya Sundari’, ‘Maisal Bandhu’, ‘Kamalarani’, ‘Dewan Isha Khan’, ‘Firoze Khan Dewan’, ‘Ayna Bibi’, ‘Shyamaray’, ‘Shiladevi’, ‘Andha Bandhu’, ‘Bandular Baramasi’, ‘Ratan Thakur’, ‘Pir Batasi’, ‘Jibalani’, ‘Sonaramer Janma’, and ‘Bharaiya Raja’. Besides these, Chandra Kumar also collected some other ballads: ‘Adhuya Sundari’, ‘Suratjamal’, ‘Kajalrekha’, ‘Asma’, ‘Satyapirer Panchali’, ‘Chandravatir Ramayana’, ‘Lilar Baramasi’, and ‘Gopini Kirtan’. Most of these ballads were collected from Mymensingh and Sylhet.
Then their composition method. That’s amazing too. Whether it is in Mangal Kavya or Vaishnava Kavya, the poets have followed the old rhetoric. The songwriting poets are original in the use of similes and ornaments. Their language is as simple and elegant as it is unadorned. The word that first comes to mind in emotion, the exact use of that word, the selection of the verse where it fits, is a demonstration of the poets’ wonderful creativity. The poet of Mangalkavya has become a mole by climbing the ascent and descent of the
Sen’s work on the Mymensingh Gitika was groundbreaking. He was the first scholar to systematically collect and study Bengali folk ballads, and his work helped to establish the importance of folk literature as a source of insight into Bengali culture and history. Sen’s efforts earned him the admiration and praise of literary figures like Rabindranath Tagore and Haraprasad Shastri. Shastri appreciated Sen’s work as a “discovery of our literary heritage.” Sen’s contribution lies in his ability to showcase the interconnectedness of folk literature and mainstream Bengali literature. His research shows that folk literature is the collective creation of society. Folk literature has been eternal and everlasting in the mouths of people for centuries. People choose various mediums of fine art to express their imaginations, feelings of beauty, etc. Literature, like painting and sculpture, is one such distinctive medium. The work of Sen proved that folk literature was not a separate, isolated tradition but rather an integral part of the broader literary landscape of Bengal.
The work of Sen was not merely relying on the transcriptions of educated individuals rather he traveled village after village of rural Bengal oftenly by foot to gather folk tales and songs directly from the source. His dedication to preserving these oral traditions extended beyond the boundaries of Mymensingh Gitika and Purbabanga Gitika, two of his most celebrated works. Sen also dedicated himself to the painstaking collection of ancient manuscripts, known as “puthi”. For collecting these He traveled across Tripura, Noakhali, Chittagong, Dhaka, and Mymensingh. By his lifetime he unearthed over 150 songs dedicated to the goddess Manasa Devi written by at least 22 poets of rural Bengal who were unheard before his discovery.
Dr. Sen enriched Bengali literature with his invaluable contributions like “Ramayanikatha,” “Behula,” “Jara Bharat,” “Dhara Drona”, “Kashdhwaj,” “Sukatha,” and many more. His magnum opus, “Brihat Bangla,” stands as a timeless masterpiece. It is about the social, political, and cultural heritage of Bengal from the prehistoric era to the Battle of Plassey. This comprehensive and captivating work has the power to enthrall readers across generations. In 1911, Sen’s “Bangla Bhasha o Sahitya” was published in English, earning him widespread acclaim from renowned Western scholars. Before his research, the rich cultural heritage of Bengal was mostly unknown to western scholars. This monumental work solidified his reputation as a literary giant. Sen’s brilliance earned the admiration of distinguished European scholars including Senati, Rich, Davis, Barnett, Baron, and Berg. Sen’s profound understanding of Chaitanya and the medieval Vaishnava literature is evident in his works like “Bangla Sahitya Parichay,” where he precisely documents and analyzes the Vaishnava movement. His contributions extend to “Subal Sakhar Kand,” another noteworthy work. After a while, the University of Calcutta published Mymensingh Gitika as Eastern Bengal Ballads and Purbabanga- Gitika. This captivated the hearts of English literature lovers. Lord Ronaldshay, the then Governor of Bengal, wrote a foreword praising the English translation of Mymensingh Gitika.
Beyond Folk Literature: A Renowned Scholar
At that time, Dr. Sen was traveling across numerous villages in Bengal to collect many rural songs, folktales, and folk narratives. Among the best pieces of Purbanga Gitika are Chowdhury Lorai, Komol Sowdagar’s Pala, Ayna Bibi, Hati Khedar Gaan, Bheluya, Kafan Chor, etc. Here, the contribution of Chandra Kumar De must be acknowledged. Besides Mymensingh Gitika, Dinesh Chandra Sen collected many regional linguistic and cultural elements, further strengthening the foundation of Bengali folk literature. The huge work load from collecting, studying, and analyzing folklore affected the health of Dr. Sen in 1897, and he had to leave rural Bengal for Calcutta for treatment. After a while, the University of Calcutta appointed him as an examiner for the BA Bengali examination and as a reader in the same subject in 1909. In 1910, he was nominated as a member of the Calcutta University Senate. He took a fellowship at the Ramtanu Lahiri Research Institute. In 1920, the Department of Bengali Language and Literature was established at Calcutta University, and he was appointed as the head of the department. After serving with great distinction as the departmental head for twelve long years, he retired in 1932. In recognition of his work, the learned pandits of Nabadwip bestowed upon him the title of ‘Kavi Shekhar’, the Bharatiya Dharma Mahamandal honored him with ‘Prachyatattvabahushan’, and Calcutta University awarded him a D.Litt. degree for his contributions to Bengali folk literature. In 1922, when the Prince of Wales visited India, Dinesh Chandra was among the few who were awarded a doctorate degree. The sister of French literary giant Romain Rolland translated several poems from Dinesh Chandra Sen’s works into French. In 1939. Notably, the introduction to Sen’s book was written by Lord Ronaldshay, the former Governor of Bengal and Secretary of State for India. Dinesh Chandra Sen was awarded the title of “Rai Bahadur” by the British India government in 1921. This title was bestowed upon him in recognition of his significant contributions to Bengali literature and culture. Sen was also honored with the prestigious Jagattarini Award in 1939. This award, named after the goddess Jagattarini, is bestowed upon individuals who have made outstanding contributions to Bengali literature and society. Throughout his career, Dinesh Chandra Sen received patronage from various individuals and institutions. He published the first edition of his work, “Bangla Bhasha o Sahitya.” With the financial assistance of the Tripura Maharaja. On November 20, 1939, this literary luminary from Manikganj, Bangladesh, passed away at Roopeshwar Bhavan in Behala, Kolkata.
Collaboration and Controversy
The authenticity of “Mymensingh Gitika” and “Purbabanga Gitika” was questioned by some Bengali scholars. Sukumar Sen argued that the songs had been tampered with by the collector, Chandra Kumar De, and that the language of the songs did not represent the pure dialect of the region. In contrast, a Czechoslovakian scholar, Dusan Zbavitel, conducted extensive research in the Mymensingh region in the 1960s and concluded that the songs were authentic. He acknowledged that the language of the songs may not be perfectly representative of the dialect due to the passage of time, but he argued that this does not diminish their authenticity. Zbavitel’s work provided strong evidence to support the authenticity of the songs collected by Dinesh Chandra Sen and Chandra Kumar De.
Awards and Titles:
- Awarded title ‘Kavi Shekhar’ by pandits of Nabadwip.
- Awarded title ‘Prachyatattvabahushan’ by Indian Religious Foundation.
- Awarded D.Litt. degree by Calcutta University for contributions to Bengali folk literature.
- Awarded Doctorate degree by the Prince of Wales during his 1922 India visit.
Recognition and Legacy
The phenomenal work of Dinesh Chandra Sen challenged the snobbish attitude towards native culture by the elitist and colonialist class of society. At present, Dinesh Chandra’s books are studied at various universities abroad. Among them, his immortal fame “Eastern Bengal Ballad” and especially the editing of Mymensingh Geetika (1923), three volumes of Purvabanga Geetika (1926/1932) with Bengali and English translations. He championed the voices of the marginalized and oppressed, recognizing the rich cultural heritage and inherent values embedded within the lives of ordinary Bengalis. From the outside, Dinesh Chandra’s multifaceted work and talent, leadership, and importance may seem to us, but from the inside, he was a bright star in the soft heart of the folk Bengali, the savior of the essence. In his honor, two prominent institutions have been established: the Dr. Dinesh Chandra Sen Research Centre at the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh and the Acharya Dinesh Chandra Sen Research Society in Kolkata, India. Both the Dr. Dinesh Chandra Sen Research Centre and the Acharya Dinesh Chandra Sen Research Society are dedicated to preserving and promoting the rich heritage of Bengali literature, culture, and history. Their research and publications have made significant contributions to our understanding of these fields.