Rasikendra Nath Nandi
Encyclopedia
Rasikendra Nath Nandi (also known as Rasik Nandi) a Vaishnav scholar, a social reformer and a zamindar
was born in the village named Bhat-bera in district Pabna of undivided Bengal (now in Sirajganj District
, Bangladesh
) in 1882. As a serious scholar of Vaishnavism
, he wrote several manuscripts explaining the Vaishnavism
in simple Sanskrit
. Apart from his scholarly activities, he established schools for spreading of modern education in Pabna and in Agarpara (near Kolkata
), where he died in 1962. Rasikendra Nath is one among those unsung stars of Bengal who was forgotten in the midst of political and economic turmoil of Bengal after Indian independence.
Kayastha
family of Pabna. His father Radhabinod Nandi, a follower of Gaudiya Vaishnavism
was a petty Zamindar
of Pabna district. Radhabinod’s family, originally belongs to Nandi family of Baghutia, was a staunch follower of Gaudiya Vaishnavism
. They used to worship Radha-Vinodhttp://vrindavana.dasya.com/index.php/Radha_Vinode (deities of Sree Radha and Lord Krishna). Their family vigraha (idols) of Radha-Vinod had been crafted in Jaipur
sometime between 1840 and 1850. This is a replica of the original vigraha of Radha-Vinod presently kept in Jaipur
, Rajasthan
. A portion of the Zamindari in Pabna was dedicated for the service of Radha-Vinod. The present members of the family of Rasikendra Nath still worship Radha-Vinod with great respect and devotion.
(now in Nadia district
, West Bengal
). He obtained Kavya Vyakarana Tirtha, a traditional diploma in Sanskrit grammar and poetics. Later he graduated from Bangabasi College
of the University of Calcutta
.
, Rasikendra Nath wrote several manuscripts in Sanskrit, explaining Vaishnav philosophy. Unfortunately, most of those manuscripts are lost today. Rasikendra Nath translated Ujjwal Neelmani, famous work of Sri Roop Goswami, into simple Bengali.
Rasikendra Nath Nandi was actively involved with the spread of education in rural Pabna. K.M. Institutionhttp://search.com.bd/banglapedia/HT/U_0012.htm, one of the earliest schools in the region, was set up by him in 1915 at Lahiri Mohanpur (now in Ullahpara Upazila
, Bangladesh). This school was established with the help of Kshitish Mohan Lahiri
of Lahiri Mohanpur. Rasikendra Nath provided his service as the Headmaster of the school for first twelve years. He was associated with the establishments of several other schools in that region of Bengal. The family of Rasikendra Nath migrated to Ushumpur, Agarpara in North 24 Parganas district
, near Kolkata with thousands of other refugee families after the partition of Bengal in 1947. In Agarpara, Rasikendra Nath established another school named Netaji Adarsha Vidyalaya. He died in the year 1962 at the age of 80 in Agarpara.
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
was born in the village named Bhat-bera in district Pabna of undivided Bengal (now in Sirajganj District
Sirajganj District
Sirajganj is a district in Northern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Rajshahi Division .It's a beautiful district town which have a long tradition and very strong cultural trend...
, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
) in 1882. As a serious scholar of Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....
, he wrote several manuscripts explaining the Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....
in simple Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
. Apart from his scholarly activities, he established schools for spreading of modern education in Pabna and in Agarpara (near Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
), where he died in 1962. Rasikendra Nath is one among those unsung stars of Bengal who was forgotten in the midst of political and economic turmoil of Bengal after Indian independence.
Family
Rasikendra Nath Nandi belonged to a VarendraVarendra
Varendra was a region of Bengal, now in Bangladesh. It included the Pundravardhana or Pundra Kingdom region.According to Cunningham the boundary of Varendra was the Ganges and the Mahananda on the west, the Karatoya on the east, the Padma on the south and the land between Koochbihar and the Terai...
Kayastha
Kayastha
Kayastha or Kayasth or Kayeth is a caste or community of Hindus originating in India. Kayastha means "scribe" in Sanskrit, and has traditionally denoted members of the writer caste....
family of Pabna. His father Radhabinod Nandi, a follower of Gaudiya Vaishnavism
Gaudiya Vaishnavism
Gaudiya Vaishnavism is a Vaishnava religious movement founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in India in the 16th century. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gauḍa region with Vaishnavism meaning "the worship of Vishnu"...
was a petty Zamindar
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
of Pabna district. Radhabinod’s family, originally belongs to Nandi family of Baghutia, was a staunch follower of Gaudiya Vaishnavism
Gaudiya Vaishnavism
Gaudiya Vaishnavism is a Vaishnava religious movement founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in India in the 16th century. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gauḍa region with Vaishnavism meaning "the worship of Vishnu"...
. They used to worship Radha-Vinodhttp://vrindavana.dasya.com/index.php/Radha_Vinode (deities of Sree Radha and Lord Krishna). Their family vigraha (idols) of Radha-Vinod had been crafted in Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
sometime between 1840 and 1850. This is a replica of the original vigraha of Radha-Vinod presently kept in Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
, Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
. A portion of the Zamindari in Pabna was dedicated for the service of Radha-Vinod. The present members of the family of Rasikendra Nath still worship Radha-Vinod with great respect and devotion.
Education
As per the family tradition, Rasikendra was educated in Sanskrit and Vaishnav literature at NabadwipNabadwip
Nabadwip is a city and a municipality in Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Its name means "9 islands" in the Bengali language. The islands are named Antardwip , Simantadwip, Rudradwip, Madhyadwip, Godrumdwip, Ritudwip, Jahnudwip, Modadrumdwip, and Koladwip...
(now in Nadia district
Nadia District
Nadia district is a district of the state of West Bengal, in the north east of India. It borders with Bangladesh to the east, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts to the south, Bardhaman district to the west, and Murshidabad district to the north....
, West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
). He obtained Kavya Vyakarana Tirtha, a traditional diploma in Sanskrit grammar and poetics. Later he graduated from Bangabasi College
Bangabasi College
Bangabasi College is a Kolkata based liberal arts, commerce and sciences college. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses of the University of Calcutta. It was founded by Acharya Girish Chandra Bose, the eminent educationist, social reformer and agriculturist in 1887...
of the University of Calcutta
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
.
Life
As a scholar of VaishnavismVaishnavism
Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....
, Rasikendra Nath wrote several manuscripts in Sanskrit, explaining Vaishnav philosophy. Unfortunately, most of those manuscripts are lost today. Rasikendra Nath translated Ujjwal Neelmani, famous work of Sri Roop Goswami, into simple Bengali.
Rasikendra Nath Nandi was actively involved with the spread of education in rural Pabna. K.M. Institutionhttp://search.com.bd/banglapedia/HT/U_0012.htm, one of the earliest schools in the region, was set up by him in 1915 at Lahiri Mohanpur (now in Ullahpara Upazila
Ullahpara Upazila
Ullapara is an Upazila of Sirajganj District in the Division of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Ullapara is known as the gateway to North Bengal as the intersection of Dhaka-Rangpur and Dhaka-Rajshahi highways at Hatikumrul falls within it.-Geography:...
, Bangladesh). This school was established with the help of Kshitish Mohan Lahiri
Kshitish Mohan Lahiri
Kshitish Mohan Lahiri was the Zamindar of Mohanpur in District Pabna . His family was known for nationalist activities against the British rule in India. His son Rajendra Nath Lahiri was a Bengali revolutionary. Ksitish Mohan Lahiri himself was involved in various developmental activities in Pabna...
of Lahiri Mohanpur. Rasikendra Nath provided his service as the Headmaster of the school for first twelve years. He was associated with the establishments of several other schools in that region of Bengal. The family of Rasikendra Nath migrated to Ushumpur, Agarpara in North 24 Parganas district
North 24 Parganas district
North 24 Parganas district is a district in southern West Bengal, of eastern India. North 24 Parganas extends in the [tropical zone] from latitude 22º11'6" north to 23º15'2" north and from longitude 88º20' east to 89º5' east...
, near Kolkata with thousands of other refugee families after the partition of Bengal in 1947. In Agarpara, Rasikendra Nath established another school named Netaji Adarsha Vidyalaya. He died in the year 1962 at the age of 80 in Agarpara.