Kaliprasanna Singha
Encyclopedia
Kaliprasanna Singha (23 February 1841{?} - 24 July 1870) is remembered for his two immortal contributions to Bengali literature viz. translation of Mahabharata
, the largest epic, and his book Hutom Pyanchar Naksha. He is also remembered as a philanthropist who helped several people and movements in distress.
Kaliprasanna was born in the renowned "Singha" family of Jorasanko
in North Kolkata.His father was Nandalal Singha. His grandfather Jay Krishna was one of the directors of Hindu College. Though the exact date of Kaiprasanna Singha's birth is debatable, on 24th February 1840, the Calcutta Courier published a news that celebrations were made on 23rd February 1840 on the occasion of the birth of the son of Nandalal Singha of Jorasanko. Kaliprasanna's father died when he was only six years old. Babu Hara Chandra Ghosh, a judge of the lower court, was appointed as the guardian after his father's death.
In his short span of life (1841–1870), Kaliprasanna was a man of unbelievable versatile qualities.
Kaliprasanna married the daughter of Loknath Basu of Bagbazar in 1854, but she died in a few years. Sometime later, Kaliprasanna married married Sharatkumari, the daughter of Chandranath Basu, who was a granddaughter of Raja Prasanna Narayan Deb.
, presently known as Presidency College
. In 1857 he left College. He continued his education in English, Bengali and Sanskrit at home. He enhanced his English knowledge under the guidance of an European teacher Mr.Kirkpatrick.
He had contribution in different fields as an author, editor, a publisher, a philanthropist, a social worker, and a great patron of art, literature and culture.
were associated with it. Vidyotsahini Sabha was mainly responsible for promoting Hindu theatre, and Bidyotsahini Mancha was set up in 1857 at Kaliprasanna's home. The members of this group performed "Shakuntala" in 1857. According to an witness " The performance of 'Sakuntala' at Simla was, however a faliure, This is not to be wondered at; for Sakuntala being a masterpiece of dramatic genius, requires versatile and consummate talent for its representation, rarely to be met with in this country."
Later on Kaliprasanna enacted the play "Benisanhar", which received a warm response and the performance was praised in Samvad Prabhakar. Young Kaliprasanna played the role of Bhanumati, a female character. Later in 1857 only, Kaliprasanna himself wrote the play "Vikramorvashi" based on the Sanskrit composition of Kalidas. Kaliprasanna played the role of Pururava while eminent personalities like Womesh Chandra Bonerjee also participated in the play. The drama was highly eulogised including the performance of Kaliprasanna as actor.
Through Vidyotsahini Sabha he felicitated Michael Madhusudan Dutt for introducing blank verse in Bengali poetry. Kaliprasanna awarded Michael Madhusudan with a certificate and a silver peg.
Kaliprasanna also wrote several other plays like Babu (1854), Sabitri Satyaban (1858), Malati Madhab (1856)
wrote, "He also started a first class vernacular daily newspaper, the like of which we have not yet seen." Bibidhartho Samgraha was first edited by Babu Rajendralal Mitra, the well known native gentleman. After him that magazine had been revived under the auspices of Kaliprasanna Singha.
In 1862 the most acclaimed "Hutom Panchar Noksha" had been published. In this book he criticised the activities of the then middle class societies in a humorous manner under the pseudonym "Hutom Pyancha".
He provided financial assistance to magazines like Tattabodhini Patrika, Somprakash, Mookerjee's Magazine, Bengalee, Doorbin and Hindu Patriot.
in prose form, which is still read and published widely. The whole project was supervised by Vidyasagar. The translation was completed in a house named "Sarswatashram" at Baranagar in North Kolkata. Kaliprasanna distributed Mahabharata without taking any cost. Kaliprasanna compromised his several mahals(owned lands)to bear the expenses. He dedicated his Mahabharata to Queen Victoria.
He also translated "Bhagavad Gita
" the Hindu
sacred scripture, which was published posthumously.
He had a contribution to Bengali theatre as well. His famous plays include "Vikramorvashi", "SabitriSatyaban", "MalatiMadhav" and "Babu". He also established the Vidyotsahini theatre and also acted in the play "Vikramaorvashi".
in 1861, the magazine dedicated to welfare of native Indians, was facing extinction due to want of money. Kaliprasanna, who revered Harish Chandra immensely, bought the ownership at a cost of fifty thousand rupees, and appointed Shambhu Chandra Mookerjee for management of the magazine. Kaliprasanna also contributed five thousand rupees for preserving the memorial of Harish Chandra, and also wished to dedicate a land for development of a memorial building, which however did not materialise due to lack of interest among others. He also donated to the fund for saving the editor of "Hindu Patriot" Harish Chunder Mukherjee's house from auction after Harish's death.
He also advocated widow remarriage, and after the enactment of Widow Remarriage Act
, to popularise the concept, he declared a reward of Rs 1000 to every man who married a widow.
When Rev. James Long, a priest of the Church Missionary Society was accused of sedition for translating the controversial "Nil Darpan", a drama, written by Dinabandhu Mitra, criticising the atrocities of British indigo merchants on native Indians, Kaliprasanna paid the entire amount of fine to be paid by Rev. Long.
Kaiprasanna was also appointed as a Honorary Magistrate and Justice of Peace in 1863. He also served as the Chief Presidency Magistrate of Calcutta for sometime. He was also elected as a Municipal Commissioner for Calcutta. Kaliprasanna however incurred huge financial crisis during the last few days of his life as he had no control on expenditure and there was no end to his donations.
in Kolkata were sold. He was also deceived by friends and relatives.
Kaliprasanna died before having any issue. After his death, his wife adopted Bijay Chandra Singha, who took over the Hindu Patriot.
After his death Krishnadas Pal wrote "But beneath the troubled waters of youth there was a silvery current of geniality, generosity, good-fellowship and high mindedness, which few could behold without admiring. With all his faults Kaliprasunno was a brilliant character and we cannot adequately express our regret that a career begun under such glowing promises should have come to such an abrupt and unfortunate close."
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
, the largest epic, and his book Hutom Pyanchar Naksha. He is also remembered as a philanthropist who helped several people and movements in distress.
Early Life
Though the exact date of Kaiprasanna Singha's birth is debatable, on 24th February 1840, the Calcutta Courier published a news that celebrations were made on 23rd February 1840 on the occasion of the birth of the son of Nandalal Singha of Jorasanko. The confusion about his year of birth is that initially researchers found his death announcement where it was said that he died at the age of 29 in 1840. However, if the news published in Calcutta Courier, found at a later date, is taken into account, his date of birth would be somewhere near 23rd February 1840.Kaliprasanna was born in the renowned "Singha" family of Jorasanko
Jorasanko
Jorasanko is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata. It is so called because of the two wooden or bamboo bridges that spanned a small stream at this point.-History:...
in North Kolkata.His father was Nandalal Singha. His grandfather Jay Krishna was one of the directors of Hindu College. Though the exact date of Kaiprasanna Singha's birth is debatable, on 24th February 1840, the Calcutta Courier published a news that celebrations were made on 23rd February 1840 on the occasion of the birth of the son of Nandalal Singha of Jorasanko. Kaliprasanna's father died when he was only six years old. Babu Hara Chandra Ghosh, a judge of the lower court, was appointed as the guardian after his father's death.
In his short span of life (1841–1870), Kaliprasanna was a man of unbelievable versatile qualities.
Kaliprasanna married the daughter of Loknath Basu of Bagbazar in 1854, but she died in a few years. Sometime later, Kaliprasanna married married Sharatkumari, the daughter of Chandranath Basu, who was a granddaughter of Raja Prasanna Narayan Deb.
Education
Kaliprasanna was admitted to Hindu CollegeHindu College
-India:*DRBCC Hindu College, Chennai*Gobardanga Hindu College, West Bengal State University, Gobardanga Dist., West Bengal*Gokul Das Hindu Girls College, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh*Hindu College, University of Delhi...
, presently known as Presidency College
Presidency College
Presidency College could refer to the following Indian institutions:* Presidency College, Chennai* Presidency College, Kolkata*Presidency College, Bangalore...
. In 1857 he left College. He continued his education in English, Bengali and Sanskrit at home. He enhanced his English knowledge under the guidance of an European teacher Mr.Kirkpatrick.
He had contribution in different fields as an author, editor, a publisher, a philanthropist, a social worker, and a great patron of art, literature and culture.
Vidyotsahini Sabha and Contribution to Bengali Theatre
Other than his contribution to literature, Kaliprasanna had immense contribution to Bengali theatre too. Kaliprasanna made He established the Vidyotsahini Sabha(a platform for those interested in education) at the age of 14. It was established most probably in 1855. Eminent gentlemen like Krishnadas Pal, Acharya Krishna Kamal Bhattacharya, Peari Chand Mitra, and Radhanath SikdarRadhanath Sikdar
Radhanath Sikdar was an Indian mathematician who, among many other things, calculated the height of Peak XV in the Himalaya and showed it to be the tallest mountain above sea level. Peak XV was later named Mount Everest.-Early life:Radhanath was born as youngest child of Tituram, a resident of...
were associated with it. Vidyotsahini Sabha was mainly responsible for promoting Hindu theatre, and Bidyotsahini Mancha was set up in 1857 at Kaliprasanna's home. The members of this group performed "Shakuntala" in 1857. According to an witness " The performance of 'Sakuntala' at Simla was, however a faliure, This is not to be wondered at; for Sakuntala being a masterpiece of dramatic genius, requires versatile and consummate talent for its representation, rarely to be met with in this country."
Later on Kaliprasanna enacted the play "Benisanhar", which received a warm response and the performance was praised in Samvad Prabhakar. Young Kaliprasanna played the role of Bhanumati, a female character. Later in 1857 only, Kaliprasanna himself wrote the play "Vikramorvashi" based on the Sanskrit composition of Kalidas. Kaliprasanna played the role of Pururava while eminent personalities like Womesh Chandra Bonerjee also participated in the play. The drama was highly eulogised including the performance of Kaliprasanna as actor.
Through Vidyotsahini Sabha he felicitated Michael Madhusudan Dutt for introducing blank verse in Bengali poetry. Kaliprasanna awarded Michael Madhusudan with a certificate and a silver peg.
Kaliprasanna also wrote several other plays like Babu (1854), Sabitri Satyaban (1858), Malati Madhab (1856)
Publications
He also edited/published several magazines like Vidyotsahini Patrika, Paridarshak, Sarvatattwa Prakashika, Bibidhartha Samgraha etc. Paridarshak was a Benagli daily newspaper started by Jaganmohan Tarkalankar and Madangopal Goswami. For improvement of the newspaper, Kaliprasanna took over editorship of the newspaper. The quality of the newspaper was ahead of its times and Kristo Das PalKristo Das Pal
Kristo Das Pal , was an Indian journalist, orator and the editor of Hindoo Patriot. In spite of being born of the Teli or oil-men's caste, which ranks low in the Hindu social hierarchy, he rose to be one of the important persons of his age....
wrote, "He also started a first class vernacular daily newspaper, the like of which we have not yet seen." Bibidhartho Samgraha was first edited by Babu Rajendralal Mitra, the well known native gentleman. After him that magazine had been revived under the auspices of Kaliprasanna Singha.
In 1862 the most acclaimed "Hutom Panchar Noksha" had been published. In this book he criticised the activities of the then middle class societies in a humorous manner under the pseudonym "Hutom Pyancha".
He provided financial assistance to magazines like Tattabodhini Patrika, Somprakash, Mookerjee's Magazine, Bengalee, Doorbin and Hindu Patriot.
Translation of Mahabharata
Under his editorship, the Mahabharata was translated to BengaliBengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
in prose form, which is still read and published widely. The whole project was supervised by Vidyasagar. The translation was completed in a house named "Sarswatashram" at Baranagar in North Kolkata. Kaliprasanna distributed Mahabharata without taking any cost. Kaliprasanna compromised his several mahals(owned lands)to bear the expenses. He dedicated his Mahabharata to Queen Victoria.
He also translated "Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
" the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
sacred scripture, which was published posthumously.
He had a contribution to Bengali theatre as well. His famous plays include "Vikramorvashi", "SabitriSatyaban", "MalatiMadhav" and "Babu". He also established the Vidyotsahini theatre and also acted in the play "Vikramaorvashi".
Social Contributions
After the death of Harish Chandra MukherjeeHarish Chandra Mukherjee
Harish Chandra Mukherjee , was an Indian journalist and patriot, who fought tooth and nail for the indigo cultivators and forced the government to bring about changes.-Early life:...
in 1861, the magazine dedicated to welfare of native Indians, was facing extinction due to want of money. Kaliprasanna, who revered Harish Chandra immensely, bought the ownership at a cost of fifty thousand rupees, and appointed Shambhu Chandra Mookerjee for management of the magazine. Kaliprasanna also contributed five thousand rupees for preserving the memorial of Harish Chandra, and also wished to dedicate a land for development of a memorial building, which however did not materialise due to lack of interest among others. He also donated to the fund for saving the editor of "Hindu Patriot" Harish Chunder Mukherjee's house from auction after Harish's death.
He also advocated widow remarriage, and after the enactment of Widow Remarriage Act
Widow Remarriage Act
The Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856, also Act XV, 1856, enacted on 25 July 1856, legalized the remarriage of Hindu widows in all jurisdictions of India under East India Company rule....
, to popularise the concept, he declared a reward of Rs 1000 to every man who married a widow.
When Rev. James Long, a priest of the Church Missionary Society was accused of sedition for translating the controversial "Nil Darpan", a drama, written by Dinabandhu Mitra, criticising the atrocities of British indigo merchants on native Indians, Kaliprasanna paid the entire amount of fine to be paid by Rev. Long.
Kaiprasanna was also appointed as a Honorary Magistrate and Justice of Peace in 1863. He also served as the Chief Presidency Magistrate of Calcutta for sometime. He was also elected as a Municipal Commissioner for Calcutta. Kaliprasanna however incurred huge financial crisis during the last few days of his life as he had no control on expenditure and there was no end to his donations.
Death
He died on 24 July 1870 at the age of 30, leaving behind his huge contributions. Kaliprasanna's extravagant ways most of which was dedicated to the welfare of the society however had toll on him in his last days. It was said that the distribution of several copies of Mahabharata alone cost him a huge sum of two and a half lakhs of rupees in those days. It has been also learnt, that though a major income of the zamindari family came from the revebnnue paid by peasants, Kaliprasanna thoughbeing a zamindar, fought for the cause of the peasants and freed several peasants from the revenue burden. In his last days, he was learnt to run into huge debts, and the large estates in Orissa and Bengal ClubBengal Club
Located in Kolkata, India, The Bengal Club was opened in 1827 as the Calcutta United Service Club. The club's first President was Lt. Col. The Hon. J. Finch...
in Kolkata were sold. He was also deceived by friends and relatives.
Kaliprasanna died before having any issue. After his death, his wife adopted Bijay Chandra Singha, who took over the Hindu Patriot.
After his death Krishnadas Pal wrote "But beneath the troubled waters of youth there was a silvery current of geniality, generosity, good-fellowship and high mindedness, which few could behold without admiring. With all his faults Kaliprasunno was a brilliant character and we cannot adequately express our regret that a career begun under such glowing promises should have come to such an abrupt and unfortunate close."