Biography of Michael Madhusudan Dutt: A Poet's Journey from Europe to Bengal
Explore the fascinating life of Michael Madhusudan Dutt, a renowned 19th-century Bangalee poet and dramatist. Born in Sagordari, he initially aspired to be English in form and manner, embracing Christianity and traveling to Europe to compose English poems and plays. Despite initial setbacks, he found his true identity in Bengal, contributing significantly to Bangla literature with works like "Meghnad Badh Kabya." This unit delves into his literary evolution and the reasons behind his transition from English to Bengali writing.
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WELCOME Muhammad Faizur Rahman Instructor ( English) Parbatipur Govt. Technical School and College Parbatipur, Dinajpur
Class: Nine Unit: 12 Lesson: 3 The Return of the native
About Michael Madhusudan Dutt: Michael Madhusudan Dutt, was a celebrated 19th century Bangalee poet and dramatist. He was born in Sagordari on the bank of the Kopotaksho River, a village in Keshabpur Upazila under Jashore district. From an early age, Michael aspired to be an Englishman in form and manner. Though he was born in a sophisticated Hindu family, he converted to Christianity as a young man, much to the ire of his family, and adopted the first name Michael. In his childhood, he was recognised by his teachers as a precious child with a gift of literary talent. His early exposure to English education and European literature at home and his college inspired him to imitate the English in taste, manners and intellect. Since his adolescence he started believing that he was born on the wrong side of the planet, and that his society was unable to appreciate his talent. He also believed that the West would be more receptive to his creative genius.
Madhusudan was an ardent follower of the famous English poet Lord Byron. So after adopting Christianity, he went to Europe and started composing poems and plays in English. They showed his higher level of intellectual ability. However, he failed to gain the right appreciation. To his utter frustration he found that he was not esteemed as a native writer of English literature. Out of his frustration, he composed a sonnet in Bangla "Kopotaksha Nad" which earned him huge reputation in Bangla. Gradually he could realise that his true identity lay in Bengal and he was a sojourner in Europe. Afterwards he regretted his fascination for England and the West. He came back to Bengal and devoted himself to Bangla literature from this period. He has written the first Bangla epic Meghnad Badh Kabya.
The Return of the native The aim of this Unit is to understand another person associated with Hindu College, Calcutta, Madhusudan Dutt, a student who had to leave the institution prematurely because, as a result of the lessons he learnt there, he converted to Christianity from Hinduism. An account of his life and the new name he acquired under his new religion will be provided. The unit will also give details of his literary output in English, the language in which he began to write as an author. An analysis of why he subsequently switched to writing in Bengali, his native tongue, will also follow the discussion of his writings.
Michael Madhusudan Dutt is often rated as one of the greatest poets between Bharatchandra Ray and Rabindranath Tagore. He was responsible for innovating different forms and types that eventually altered the course of Bengali literature while enriching it tremendously. His contribution to the literary writings in Bengali has been the blank verse, the sonnet form, the first modem comedy and tragedy and the first epic. He is also regarded as the pioneer of westemised poetry and the new drama. His contributions as may have been noticed were largely in the field of Bengali literature. He was born Madhusudan Dutt in 1824 and educated at Calcutta Hindu College and Bishop's College. He is said to have converted to Christianity in order to avail himself of free education at Bishop's College, (Prasad, p. 18, 1999). These points of information help us to grasp the various shifts witnessed in his writing. They are also of use to specifically underline the important interventions Madhusudan Dutt made in the society of his time.
