Bankim Chandra Chatterjee or Chattopadhyay was one of the most celebrated novelists our country has ever seen. He was not only a novelist but also a poet, journalist, and inspiring activist. He gave us our evergreen National Song ‘Vande Mataram’. The song was originally a Sanskrit stotra glorifying our country as a mother goddess. And it was written during the Independence Movement to inspire and encourage the freedom fighters. Bankim Chandra was born to Yadav Chandra Chattopadhyaya and Durgadebi on June 27, 1838, in Naihati, Bengal Presidency, British India.

Now today, on his 183rd birth anniversary, several people across the country are pouring in wishes for him on Twitter. They are paying tribute to the great Indian novelist and the face of the Bengal renaissance. And thus, here we have also compiled a few interesting and lesser-known facts about the Sahitya Samrat who composed the national song 'Vande Mataram'.

  • Bankim Chandra Chatterjee is known as Sahitya Samrat (Emperor of Literature) in Bengali. He wrote 14 novels and several satirical, serious, scientific, and serio-comic treatises in Bengali.

  • He was married at the age of 11, which was a common practice at that time. After the death of Bankim Chandra’s first wife, he got married to Rajlakshmi Devi. They had three daughters together.

  • He wrote the famous political novel Anandamath, which was published in 1882. It has Vande Mataram; however, he penned the Indian national song much before he wrote Anandamath. The novel represents a Sannyasi rebellion standing up to the East India Company in the late 18th century.

  • Rabindranath Tagore was referred to as Viswakavi (Universal Poet) for the first time by Bankim Chandra.

  • In April 1972, he founded Bangadarshan, a monthly Bengali literary magazine. His two other novels - Durgeshnandini (1865) and Kapalkundala (1866) were translated into other languages.

  • He was one of the first two graduates from the University of Calcutta.

  • Before taking up the post of Deputy Magistrate, he served as the Deputy Collector of Jessore. In 1891, he retired as a civil servant.

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's contribution to Indian literature is unbelievable.  He will be always remembered as a great novelist, poet, and writer.  We all should pay tribute to him on his 183rd birth anniversary.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 27, 2021 12:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).