Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was an eminent Bengali poet, novelist, essayist and journalist , born on June

26 , 1838 His creation ' Vande Mataram ' became a source of inspiration for the revolutionaries during
the period of Indian Independence and was later declared a national song of India.

Chatterjee is considered a key figure in the rebirth of Bengali and Indian literature.

Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay was born in Kanthalpara village near Naihati town of present-day 24
Pargna district in West Bengal. Here he spent 6 years of his life. Bankimchandra was the third son of
Ramcharya Jadav Chattopadhyay and mother Durgasundari Devi. At the age of five, Bankimchandra was
introduced to the Kul-priest Vishambhar Bhattacharya. His extraordinary talent was found in his
childhood. Bankim's elder sister Purnachandra Chattopadhyay wrote, "Bankimchandra had mastered the
Bangla alphabet in a day."

His family was Orthodox, and his father worked as a government official. One of his brothers, Sanjeeb
Chandra Chatterjee , was also a novelist and became known for his book "Palamau". Although Bankim
did not visit any of the schools in the village. Gourmeshai Ramprun Sarkar of Pathsala was appointed his
home tutor at home.

In 1844, the work of Bankimchandra's father was brought to Medinipur , where his real education
started. Bankim also received English education for about one and a half years.

In 1849 , Bankim Chandra returned to Kaltapara again. Here he studied Bangla and Sanskrit . Bankim
Chandra was also very good recitation. He has memorized many poems in newspapers, news prabhakar
and news sakaturanjan . At this time he also came across Pandit Haldhara who taught him Mahabharata
and the life of Shri Krishna. This education was reflected in various works written in his later life.

After some time, in 1849, he was admitted in the Hooghly College. Here he studied for seven years.
Here, he obtained first place in the junior scholarship examination and was awarded a monthly stipend
of Rs eight. He also received twenty-two scholarships for two years, showing a special achievement in all
subjects. He also got admitted to Presidency College in Kolkata to study the law. He was one of the first
two graduates of the University of Calcutta along with Jadunath Basu. 2 Years later he obtained a
degree in Law, in 1869 .

His first published work was Rajmohon's Wife . It was composed in English . His first published Bengali
work ' Durgeshansini ' was printed in March 1865. This is a romantic composition. His next creation is
Kapalkundala (1866). It is considered one of his most romantic compositions. He also published the
monthly magazine Bangadarshan in 1872. In Krishnakantar Chatterjee satirized the English rulers.

Hios masterpiece Anandmath (1882) is a political novel. This novel describes the monastic revolt of 1773
in North Bengal . This book has a sense of patriotism . Chatterjee's last novel is Sitaram (1886). In this,
protest of a Hindu ruler has been shown against Muslim authority.
Among his other novels, Durgasthanini, Mrinalini , Indira , Radharani , Krishnakantar Office , Devi
Chaudhary and Mokirim Gaurer are included in the Biography . His poems were published in a collection
named Lalita O Manas . He also wrote many essays based on religion, social and contemporary issues.

Bankimchandra's novels were translated into almost all languages of India . In Bangla only, Bankim and
Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay have the distinction that their compositions are still read in all Indian
languages including Hindi, even today.

Bankim was a versatile creator. Most of their narrative literature is people of the urban middle class. His
characters struggle with the difficulties of modern life and difficulties related to the traditions of ancient
times. This problem comes to the urban middle class of any province of India. So the middle class reader
sees his image in Bankim's novels.

He worked in government service until 1891 , when he retired. His health was not very good in the last
days. In March 1894, he became a severe patient of leprosy because of which he died on April 8 , 1894.