Buddhadeb Bosu

Buddhadeva Bose (also spelt Buddhadeb Bosu) ( _bn. বুদ্ধদেব বসু ) (1908-1974) was a major Bengali writer of the twentieth century. Frequently referred to as a poet, he was a versatile writer, and like Rabindranath Tagore, wrote novels, short stories, plays and essays in addition to poetry [http://www.oup.com/uk/catalogue/?ci=9780195663358 OUP: UK General Catalogue ] ] . He was an influential critic and editor of his time. He is recognized as one of the five poets who moved to introduce modernity into Bengali poetry. It has been said that since Tagore, perhaps, there has been no greater talent in Bengali literature. [ Ashoke Mitra, "Calcutta Diary", 1977, India.]

Life

Buddhadeb Bosu (BB) was born in Comilla, Bengal, now in Bangladesh. His ancestral home was in the village of Malkhanagar in the Vikrampur region (in Munshiganj District, Bangladesh). His father's name was Bhudeb Chandra Bose and mother's name was Benoy Kumari. His mother died just few hours after his birth and his father for a year became a bereaved wanderer. He remarried few years later and settled down. So, Buddhadeva was brought up and raised by his maternal grandparents Chintaharan Sinha and Swarnalata Sinha. Literally they remained his soul parents. He was schooled at the Dhaka Collegiate School in Dhaka, in addition to high schools in Comilla and Noakhali. He passed the Matriculate examination in 1925. He secured the second place in the Intermediate examination. His early life was associated with Dhaka where he lived in a simple house at 47 Purana Paltan.

BB went to the University of Dhaka for studying English language and literature. He was a resident of the Jagannath Hall. After completing his MA in English from the University of Dhaka with distinciton marks that remains unsurpassed as yet (2007), he moved to Calcutta in 1931. Initially he had no regular job and resorted to 'private tuition' for livlihood.

While a student he became associated with the famous poetry magazine "Kallol". The modernist literary movement of 1930s is often referred to as the "Kallol" era. He was also worked as an editor of the literary magazine "Progoti" (started 1926).

He married Pratibha Basu ( 1914/1915 - October 4, 2006) (nee Shome) in 1934. They had three children, Meenakshi Dutta (b. 1936), Damayanti Basu Singh (b. 1940) and Suddhashil Bose (1945-1987). Pratibha Bosu was an accomplished singer in her teens but later concentrated on literature and became a distinguished writer in her own right.

Buddhadeb Bosu taught at the Ripon College (now Surendranath College) and later worked as a journalist in the capacity of an editor for The Statesman. In 1956 he set up the Department of Comparative literature in the Jadavpur University [ [http://www.complitju.org/Home.html ::Home:: ComplitJU ] ] , and was on its faculty for a number of years. He was also a visiting professor at many universities in the United States.

One of his most important contributions to the Bengali literary scene was the establishment of the "Kavita" (tr. Poetry) - the flagship poetry magazine in Bengali, which he published and edited for 25 years.

BB has been described a disciplined, almost obsessed, worker by Nabaneeta Dev Sen. [ [ http://www.labourfile.org/ArticleMore.aspx?ID=873] ] After meeting Buddhadeb Bosu, Clinton B. Seely remarked that Buddhadeva was a very intense person. He spoke quickly, with emotion. He laughed wonderfully. He was interested in everything... He was what I would come to refer to "jyanto," "alive," "vibrant," "energetic." Conversations were often at fever pitch. He was bubbling over with things to say. [ [ http://www.kaurab.com/english/interviews/seely.html ] ]

BB who grew up almost as an orphan showed deep since of love and care for his children. In a letter to his daughter Damayanti Basu Singh who just flew to the USA for studies he wrote: “Rumi, since this morning, I am really worried. Have you kept your money and traveller’s cheques in a safe and handy place? I should’ve checked everything at the airport, but just didn’t remember to do so. Exchange the pounds I gave you in England. For your small expenditures spend the loose change that you have in dollars. With the money I gave you and the first instalment of your scholarship, open an account in Bloomington. Don’t deposit the traveller’s cheques in the account. You’ll need those for your trips across the country. And make sure you don’t lose the slip with the cheque numbers written on it. ...Baba.” [ [http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060314/asp/atleisure/story_5965600.asp Letter from a father to a daughter] ] Damayanti wrote that '... And I remember that Dad used to write late into the night. He used to place books beside the table lamp to block the light so that it wouldn’t disturb our sleep.' [Letters from a father to a daughter, Buddhdeva Bose, 2006, Calcutta. ]

Literary life

His first book of poetry, namely, "Domoyonti" was published when he was only seventeen years old. Although he worked as a teacher at different colleges and universities, he devoted his whole life to literature. This is symbolized by the name of his residence in Calcutta which was "Kaviata Bhavan" (tr. 'The House of Poetry') [ [ http://www.oup.com/uk/catalogue/?ci=9780195663358] ] . His first novel was published in 1930. However, "Tithidore" was his first important novel which was published in 1949. He had published more than 160 titles during his life time. So far 200 books have been published. [ [http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2006/10/06/stories/2006100601610300.htm Discovering a genius] ] However, many pieces remain to be anthologized as yet. He was a hard worker and writing was his life. He would regularly work until 9:00 or so at night. Work, for him, meant writing. [ [http://www.kaurab.com/english/interviews/seely.html KAURAB Online :: Clinton Seely and Bengali Poetry ] ]

Literary style

Without undermining his genius, it can be said that Buddhadeb Bosu wrote poetry essentially under the influence of Western literature. In his early works he showed clear and very competent influence of Rabindranath Tagore. But both in terms of theme and style, he reflected the influence of renowned Western poets of whom Baudelaire should be named foremost. He was also influenced by Ezra Pound, William Butler Yeats and T. S. Eliot. Allegedly he believed in ‘arts for arts sake’ and emphasized on technical perfection of his works. Although he mostly wrote in free verse, he command of rhyme and rhythm was unmistakable. His prose style was also established on a diction developed by himself. His novels remain modern even by standards of the twentieth first century. He established a style of appreciative literary criticism that remains unparalleled.

Accusation of obscenity

"Raat bha're bR^ishhTi", 1967; M.C. Sarkar, Calcutta, 1st Ed. 1967; (7th Reprint 1990.)

While the literary circle of Bengal did not hesitate to recognize him as a leading post-Tagore literary personality, Buddhadeb Bosu achieved mass popularity when his novel (Raat bha're bR^ishhTi) was banned by the government on charges of obscenity. It was a short novel of triangular love in which the author explicitly allowed sex to play a critical role in human relationship. Eventually, the High Court relieved the novel of the charges of obscenity. "Raat bha're bR^ishhTi" has been translated by Clinton B. Seely. [ [http://www.salc.uchicago.edu/facultybios/Clinton_Seely_Vita.pdf] ] with the title "Rain through the Night" [ "Rain through the Night", New Delhi: Hind Pocket Books, 1973. ]

Literary organizations

In his school days BB took various literary initiatives. He was the editor, principal contributor and scriptor of the "Pataka", a hand-written literary magazine published by the school students. [ Buddhadeva Bose, "Amaar Chelebela", M.C. Sarkar, Calcutta, 1st Ed. 1973.] Since then he was continuously engaged and involved in many literary organizations inclduing publications of literary journals and books. While studying at the Dhaka University he was elected as the literary secretary of the students' associaiton of his hall of residence, namely the Jagannath Hall. In this capacity he edited the "Bashontika", the annual literary magazine of the Jagannath Hall. BB published one of his memorable poems, namely, 'Kankaboti' in the "Bashontika".

BB actively partiipated in the Progressive Writers' Association in the late 1930s. He also joined the Anti-Fascist Writers and Artists' Association in the early 40s. [ [ http://www.complitju.org/Home.html] ]

Pragati

The "Pragoti" was first published as an occasional hand-written literary journal. The print-version was launched as a literary monthly in 1929 when BB received a monthly scholarship of 20 rupees for distinctive result in the pre-university examination. The first issue was the June-July issue of 1927. Cost of publishing a literary magazine was estimated to be 100 rupees per month. So, BB organized a group of ten like-minded fellows who agreed to pay ten rupees a month for publishing the "Pragoti". The "Pragoti" was published from Dhaka. At that time BB was residing at 47 Purana Paltan which became the office of the "Pragoti". BB distinguished himself by his commitment to modernity as reflected in the post-first-World War western literature. At the same time he firmly asked his colleagues to refrain from following Rabindranath Tagore and to cultivate own creativity. He published a number of poems of poet Jibanananda Das in the "Pragoti". Also, he published a highly appreciative article on this promising poet to draw attention of the literary circle. The "Pragoti" was continued for about two years. The last issue was published in 1929.

Kavita

Four years after migrating from Dhaka to Calcutta in 1931, BB again embarked upon publishing a literary magazine. He was then living in 'Golam Mohammad Mansion' in Calcutta city. The first issue of the "Kavita" was published from there in the month of October of 1935. For the first two years, "Kavita" was co-edited by BB and Premendra Mitra while poet Samar Sen worked as an assistant editor. Kavita was a poetry magazine styled after the Poetry published by Harriet Monroe from Chicago. While discussing Bengali poetry, Edward Thomson referred to the first issue of "Kavita" in the Times Literary Supplement of 1st February 1936. "Kavita" continued for long twenty-five years. Its last issue was broguth out in March, 1961."Amaader Kobitabhavan", Buddhadeva Bose, 1973.]

Kavita Bhavan

Literally "Kavita Bhavan" (tr. 'The House of Poetry') is the name of the house at 202 Rasbihari Avenue where BB lived for a long time since 1937 (till 1966). 'Kavita Bhavan' which soon became a coveted hang-out for literary personalities including poets, novelists, magazine editors, publishers, intellectuals and professors, eventually emerged as a publishing house. After settling in Calcutta in 1931 BB realized that hardly there was any publishing house that was eager to publish a book of poetry. He himself published two poetry books, one of his own and the other of Achintyakumar Sengupta. Then he introduced a publishing house styled "Granthakar Mandoli". However, books published later on by BB carried the name "Kavita Bhavan" as the publishing house. Books published from Kavita Bhavn included BB's "Kankaboti", "Padatik" of Subhas Mukhopadhyay, "Koyekti Kobita" of Samar Sen and "Avijnan Basanta" by poet Amiya Chakravarty. While Kavita Bhavan published many other books, most remarkable was the slim poetry books of the "Ek poishay Ekti" series. These were a 16 page poetry book, the price being 1 rupee (16 poisha). The series continued for three years from 1942 to 1944 and published as many as 18 poetry books. The first version of "Banalata Sen" of Jibanananda Das belonged to this series, sponsored by BB.

Translation of Baudelaire

In 1961, BB published a carefully selected poems of French poet Charles Baudelaire translated by him into Bengali. It was titled "Charles Baudelaire O Taar Kobita". In the introduction to the translations, BB made a notable analysis of modernsim in Western literature.

Bengali Gastronomy

It may sound bizarre that a scholar like BB could write a book on Bengaly gastronomy. In fact it was a long essay that BB wrote in the "Ananda Bazar Patrika", serialised in 1971 (1 - 4 January) under the title "Bhojon Rashik Bangali". It is her daughter Damayanti Basu Singhwho in 2005 published the essay in the form a small book and herself provided recipes of the dishes referred to by BB. [ [http://www.parabaas.com/BB/articles/gastronomy.html Bengali Gastronomy - by Buddhadeva Bose (Parabaas - Buddhadeva Bose Section) ] ] Damayanti said, 'My father, Buddhadeva Bose, was a small man and a frugal eater. He was never greedy for food, but used to be upset if there wasn’t a generous spread on the dining table.' Quoting Goethe, BB would say, 'my eyes are larger than my appetite'. So there was always both variety and excess of food even for the daily meals. [ [http://anandsengupta.blogspot.com/ Tuppence Worth ] ] The essay was translated by BB himself into English and was published in The Hindustan Standard, published from Calcutta. [ [http://www.sundarban.com/BB/articles/gastronomy.html Bengali Gastronomy - by Buddhadeva Bose (Parabaas - Buddhadeva Bose Section) ] ]

Playwright

In his early days in the school in Noakhali, BB with his fellow mates had formed a 'drama group'. No wonder that he took special interest in writing plays. He wrote more than five plays. However, recognition as a playwright came late, after the death of the playwright in 1974. It is Salil Bhandopadhyaya of Thatron Theatre Group, Calcutta, who produced some of BB's plays like "Tapeswi-O-Tarangini", "Kolkatara Electra" and "Anamni Angana" and drew attention of people to BB as a playwright. The Hindi translation of BB's "Protham Partho", produced by Circle Theatre Company, has been described to be one of the best presentations on the Delhi theatre. [ [http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2006/10/06/stories/2006100601610300.htm Discovering a genius by Romesh Chander] ]

Recognition

Apart from formal recognition mentioned below, BB remains the most important literary personality of the twentieth century Bengali literature, after Rabindranath Tagore. Buddhdaeb became the central figure in a cluster of poets who came to embody Bengali modernism in early 20th century. In emphasizing BB's importance, Ashok Mitra commented, 'These days we buy tickets to hear a poet. There was a time 60-70 years ago when a poet was considered to be unemployed and mad. If Buddhadeva Bose had not come up with a poetry magazine, things would not have been the same. There would have been no Jibanananda Das but for Buddhadeva Bose.' [ [http://www.anothersubcontinent.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8252 Buddhadeva Bose - another subcontinent forums ] ]

Buddhadeb Bosu received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1967 for his verse play "Tapaswi O Tarangini", received the Rabindra Puraskar in 1974 for "Swagato Biday"(poetry) and was honoured with a Padma Bhushan in 1970.

Works

So far about 200 titles have been published, including 'collected works' in several volumes. Some of them are mentioned below.

Poetry

Mormorani [1924] , Bondir Bondona [1930] , Prithibir Pothe [1933] , Konkaboti [1937] , Notun Pata [1940] , Domoyonti [1943] , Droupodir Sari [1948] , Sreshto Kobita [1953] , Sheter Prarthona: Bosonter Uttor [1955] , Je Adhar Alor Odhik [1958] , Morche Pora Pereker Gan [1966] , Bloomington, Indiana [?]

Novel

Shara [1930] , Akormonnya [1931] , Momo Deya Neya [1932] , Jobonika Poton [1932] , Rhododrendron Guchho [1932] , Sanonda [1933] , Amar Bondhu [1933] , Jedin Futlo Komal [1933] , He Bijoyi Bir [1933] , Dhusor Godhuli [1933] , Lalmegh [1934] , Bashor Ghar [1935] , Kalo Haoa [1942] , Tithi Dore [1949] , Nirjon Swakhor [1951] , Moulinath [1952] , Sonpangshu [1959] , Shesh Pandulipi [1956] , Ratvor Brishti [1967] , Golap Keno Kalo [1967] .

hort story collections

Ovinoy, Ovinoy Noy, Rekhachitro, Era Ar Ora, Abong Aro Oneke, Odrisho Satru, Misses Gupta, Premer Bichitra Goti, Ghorete Bhromro Elo, Notun Nesha, Feriwala O Onnano Golpo, Khatar Shhesh Pata, Ekti Sokal O Ekti Shyandhya, Golpo Songkolon, Shreshtho Golpo, Hridoyer Joyogan, Vashao Amar Vela.

Play

Mayamalancha, Taposhi O Torongini, Kalshanhya, Punormilon, Kolkatar Electra

Essay

Hothat Alor Jhalkani, Uttor Tirish, Kaler Putul, Sahityacharcha, Rabindranath: Kotha Sahitya, Sanga Nishangata Rabindranath, Prabandha Sonkolon, Mohavarater Kotha, An acre of green grass - a review of modern Bengali literature, Tagore - portrait of a poet.

Works of translation

Kalidasa's Meghdut, Charles Baudelaire O Tar Kobita.

References

Further reading

* "The Selected Poems of Buddhadeva Bose", Translated and Introduced by Ketaki Kushari Dyson. New Delhi, OUP, 2003
* 'Comparative Literature in India' by Buddhadeva Bose, "Yearbook of Comparative and General Literature", Vol. 8 (1959), 1-10.
* [http://people.cis.ksu.edu/~ab/Miscellany/tagore.html Hard Times by Rabindranath Tagore, translated by Buddhadeva Bose]

* "The Ditiyo Chinta", Buddhadeb Bosu birth centenary issue, Ed. Iffat Ara, February 2008, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.

* "Three Mahabharata Verse Plays", Works of Buddhadeb Bosu Translated by Introduced by Kanak Kanti De, Published by WRITERS WORKSHOP, CALCUTTA, 1992. Copy Available in University of Chicago Library,Library of Congress, Oxford Bodelain Library, Harvard Library etc.