Michael Madhusudan Dutta - Profile of an Epic Poet

Michael Madhusudan Dutta (1824-1873), the 19thoriginal epic and gave Madhusudan the status of an
century Bengali poet and playwright, was born on 25Epic Poet.
January 1824 in a landed family in the village ofThe years 1861-62 were Madhusudan's most fruitful
Sagardari in Jessore district, Bengal (now inperiod. These were the years of publication of
Bangladesh). He was the only son of a well-to-doMeghnad-Badh, Krishna-Kumari, Vrajangana, and
Kayastha Family. His father, Rajnarayan Dutta, was aVirangana-Kavya (1862). Virangana was modeled on
law practitioner in Kolkata. Madhusudan in his earlyOvid's heroic epistles, and contains some of
years, was taught at home by his mother, JahnabiMadhusudan's finest blank verses. Technically it is his
Devi, and later he joined Sagardari Primary School. Atbest work. Almost all his poems, except
the age of 7 he went to Khidirpur School, Kolkata. InBrajangana-Kavya (1861) were written in the blank
1843 he got admitted to Kolkata's famous Hinduverse pattern.
College. Here, amongst other subjects, he alsoMadhusudan worked briefly as Editor of the hindu
studied Bengali, Sanskrit and Persian.patriot before leaving for England on 9 June 1862 to
Madhusudan began writing while at Hindu College. Hestudy Law. In 1863 he went to Versailles in France,
drew everyone's attention at a college function whenstaying there for about two years. It was in France
he recited a self-composed poem. He won severalthat Madhusudan overcame the longing for England
scholarships in college exams as well as a gold medalthat had inspired his early works and realised the
for an essay on women's education. While a studentimportance of his motherland and mother tongue -
at Hindu College, Madhusudan's poems in Bengali andBengali.
English were published in Jnananvesan, BengalMuch of his time abroad, especially in Versailles, was
Spectator, Literary Gleamer, Calcutta Library Gazette,spent in abject poverty, as the money from his late
Literary Blossom and Comet. Lord Byron wasfather's estate on which he was relying did not come
Madhusudan's inspiration.regularly. His Indian friends who had inspired him to
Michael's exceptionally colourful personality and hiscross the ocean had by now managed to forget the
unconventional, dramatic and in many ways tragic lifebeggar Madhusudan altogether. He fell hopelessly into
have added to the magnetism and glamour of hisdebts and appealed for help to the great personality,
name. Generous in friendship, romantic and passionatethe scholar, social reformer, and activist
by temperament, he was also fond of the good life;Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar (this kind soul was known
he was financially irresponsible, and an incorrigibleto all as Dayar Sagar - the ocean of kindness, for his
spendthrift. He experimented not only in the field ofimmense generosity).
writing, but also in his personal life.Vidyasagar laboured to ensure that sums owed to
On 9 February 1843, Madhusudan ran away fromMichael from his property at home were remitted to
home and converted to Christianity, to escape ahim and sent him a large sum of money to France.
marriage his father had arranged and also to satiateHowever, as Madhusudan was still not in a position to
his fascination with everything English and Western.clear off all his debts, he was very often threatened
He took the name 'Michael' upon his conversion andby his creditors with the eventuality of prison-arrests.
wrote a hymn to be recited on the day of hisHe was deeply over head and ears in debt.
Baptism. However, on becoming a Christian,Madhusudan returned to England from Versailles in
Madhusudan had to leave Hindu College as Christians1865. In 1866 he became a Barrister. He returned to
were not allowed to study there during that time. InKolkata on 5 January 1867 and started practising Law.
1844, he got admitted to Bishop's College andBut his practice did not pick up and in June 1870, he
remained there until 1847. There, he also studiedwas obliged to give up his legal career to work as a
Greek and Latin.translator at the High Court on a monthly salary of
Madhusudan's conversion to Christianity estrangedRs 1000.
him from his family, and his father stopped sendingHowever, his habit of reckless spending ran up debts
him money. In 1848, Michael left for Madras where heagain. Despite all ups and downs, Madhusudan kept on
started teaching, first at Madras Male Orphan Asylumwriting. In 1871 he wrote Hectarbadh after Homer's
School (1848-1852) and then at Madras UniversityIliad. His last composition was Mayakanan (1873).
High School (1852-1856). Besides teaching,Madhusudan's last days were painful, because of
Madhusudan was also involved with a number ofdebts, illness and lack of treatment. He had no place
newspapers and journals. He edited the Eurasianof his own and had to take shelter in the library of
(later known as the Eastern Guardian), the Madrasthe Zamindars of UttarPara, Hooghly, W.B.
Circulator and General Chronicle and the HinduHis extravagant life-style, fickleness in money
Chronicle. He also worked as Assistant Editor of thematters, and reckless drinking to drown problems
Madras Spectator (1848-1856).conspired to wreck his health and happiness, and
While in Madras, Madhusudan married Rebeccalikewise the health and happiness of his second
Mactavys Thompson and had a family by her.partner Henrietta, who had also succumbed to
Meanwhile, his mother died and then his father. Afteralcoholism during her days of poverty in Versailles.
his father's death, Madhusudan abandoned RebeccaOn 29 June 1873, three days after the death of
and his first family due to a failed marriage andHenrietta, the greatest poet of the bengal
returned to Kolkata in February 1856 to live with arenaissance died in Calcutta General Hospital in a
Frenchwoman named Henrietta White and had amiserable condition at the age of only 49 years.
second family by her. She and Michael did not seemThus, he and his partner both died prematurely,
to have been formally married, presumably becausewithin 3 days of each other's demise, leaving behind
Rebecca had never granted him divorce. There is noorphaned children.
record either of their marriage or of Michael obtainingEven now after more than 100 years to his death,
a divorce from Rebecca.Michael Madhusudan Dutta is revered as the pioneer
In Kolkata, Michael first worked as a clerk at theof the new 19th century awakening of Bengal. With
police court and then as interpreter. He also startedhis unusual talent, he brought about revolutionary
contributing to different journals. His friends urged himchanges in Bengali language and literature. Drawing
to write in Bengali.profusely on Sanskrit themes for his poems and
Madhusudan realised the paucity of good writing inborrowing from western literature, he set a
Bengali as well as his own ability to fill this vacuum.completely new trend in Bengali literature.
While translating ramnarayan tarkaratna's playHe was a man of real, though somewhat erratic,
Ratnavali (1858) into English, he felt the absence ofgenius, and a courageous innovator of forms and
good plays in Bengali. He became associated with thetypes which altered the whole course of Bengali
belgachhiya theatre in Kolkata patronised by theliterature and added new dimensions to it. To his
Rajas of Paikpara. In 1858 he wrote theadventurous spirit, Bengali Literature owes its first
western-style play Sharmistha based on theblank verse and the sonnet , its first modern comedy
mahabharata story of Devayani and Yayati. This wasand tragedy, and its first epic.
the first original play in Bengali, making MadhusudanThe life-style and poetic virtues of Michael
the first Bengali playwright.Madhusudan Dutta were not only unconventional but
By dint of his genius, he removed the stagnation inawe inspiring. He would be always highly regarded and
bengali literature both in style and content. He wasremain immortal in the history of Bengali literature as
the first to use blank verse in 1860 in the playthe founder of Amitrakshar Chhanda or blank verse
padmavati based on a Greek myth. This use of blank(rhymeless verse) and as its best ever exponent.
verse freed Bengali poetry from the limitations ofMadhusudan used to collect themes for his poetry
rhymed verse. This success prompted Madhusudanfrom the Sanskrit Puranas, ancient Hindu epics and
to write his first Bengali poem, Tilottama-Sambhava inalso English and French literature.
blank verse in that very same year. It is based onHe also wrote poems about the sorrows and hurts
the Puranic story of the war waged on the Gods byof love spoken by women. He is considered as the
the demon brothers Sunda and Upasunda. This poemFather of Bengali Sonnet.
was written entirely in blank verse, and so were theHe was also a wonderful linguist. Besides Bengali,
two later poems Meghnad-Badh Kavya (Ballad ofSanskrit and Tamil, he studied Greek, Latin, Italian and
Meghnad's Demise in Ramayana) in 1861 andFrench and could read and write the last two
Virangana. The later poems silenced the critics andlanguages with perfect grace and ease.
detractors, and permanently established the vogue ofMadhusudan's life was a stupendous boon and also an
blank verse literature.enormous sorrow. Loss of self-control was mainly
Madhusudan's epic poem: Meghnad-Badh Kavya isresponsible for his life's financial and emotional
considered his all-time masterpiece till today. Writtensorrows and yet it was a God-gifted boon for his
in blank verse, this epic was based on the Ramayanaover-flowing poetic originality.
but inspired by Milton's Paradise Lost. MadhusudanThe all-inviting epitaph on his grave came from the
transformed the villainous Ravana into a Hero. Thispoet himself:
grand heroic-tragic epic was written in nine cantosStop a while, traveler!
which is quite unique in the history of Bengali Poetry.Should Mother Bengal claim thee for her son.
Meghnad-Badh Kavya was Bengali literature's first