Bengal Renaissance

The Bengal Renaissance was a movement marked by a sociopolitical awakening across the arts, literature, music, philosophy, religion, science, and other spheres of intellectual pursuit. The movement questioned the existing customs and rituals in Indian society – most notably, the caste system, and the practice of sati, idolatry – as well as the role of religion and colonial governance. In turn, the Bengal Renaissance advocated for societal reform – the kind that adhered to secularist, humanist and modernist ideals. From Rabindranath Tagore to Satyendra Nath Bose, the movement saw the emergence of important figures, whose contributions still influence cultural and intellectual works today. Although the Bengal Renaissance was led and dominated by upper caste Hindus, Bengali Muslims played a transformative role in the movement, as well as the shaping of colonial and postcolonial Indian society. Examples of Bengali Muslim renaissance men and women include Kazi Nazrul Islam, Ubaidullah Al Ubaidi Suhrawardy, and Rokeya Sakhawat Hussain. From the mid-eighteenth century, the Bengal Province, and more specifically, its capital city of Calcutta, was the centre of British power in India. The region was the base for British imperial rule until the capital was moved to Delhi in 1911. Prior to Crown control, British power was in the hands of the East India Company, which in course of time, became increasingly profitable and influential, politically, establishing diplomatic relations with local rulers as well as building armies to protect its own interests. During this time, partly through the 1757 Battle of Plassey against the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies, and in part through the fall of the Mughal Empire, the company was able to acquire extensive territory in the Bengal and Ganges basin. The expense of these wars, however, threatened the company's financial situation, and the Regulating Act 1773 was passed to stabilise the EIC as well as subject it to some parliamentary control. Further legislation over the next several decades progressively brought about tighter controls over the company, but the Indian Rebellion of 1857 forced the British parliament to pass the Government of India Act 1858, which saw the liquidation of the EIC and the transfer of power to the British Crown. ==Origins==

The Bengali Renaissance originated in the Bengal Presidency of the British Indian Empire, but more specifically, its capital city of Kolkata, then known as Calcutta. This colonial metropolis was the first non-Western city to use British methods of teaching in their school system. The city was also home to a public library, the Imperial Library, now the National Library of India, and newspapers and books were being published regularly in both Bengali and English. "Print language and literature played a vital role in shaping ideas and identities in colonial Bengal from the 18th century onwards," writes Anindita Ghosh, continuing that "… commercial print cultures that emanated from numerous cheap presses in Calcutta and its suburbs disseminated wide-ranging literary preferences that afforded a space to different sections of the Bengali middle classes to voice their own distinctive concerns." Many postcolonial historians source the origins of the Bengal Renaissance to these events, arguing that the movement was both a reaction to the violence and exploitation by the British Raj, as well as a product of the Empire's promotion of English education in the region as part of its "civilising missions". Moreover, Arabinda Poddar contends that the English education of Bengalis was intended to create "mere political slaves," arguing that, "the civilising role of English education, stressed the need of creating a class of Anglophiles who would have a somewhat in-between existence between the rulers and the ruled." Other historians cite the works of Raja Rammohun Roy as the start of the Bengal Renaissance. It was an influential socioreligious reform movement that made significant contributions to the renaissance, as well as the makings of modern Indian society. ==Education==

Among the many changes brought about by the Bengal Renaissance in India was the development of education, both in the Bengali language and in English. Colonial provisions at the time consisted mainly of village schools teaching literacy and numeracy, Arabic and Islamic studies being taught to Muslims in madrasas, and tols, where pandits instructed Sanskrit texts to Brahmins, which were supported by endowments. These institutions were exclusively male, and in the rare cases where girls could get an education, it was in the home. The work of Christian missions also had more of an influence on Indian students than the initiatives of the government. According to Dermot Killingley, the surplus mentioned in this Charter Act was "an aspiration, not a budget item," and even if the money had been provided for, there was uncertainty about how it should be spent. Missionaries began teaching young women in 1816, but a systematic education policy was not established until 1854. Other missionary societies followed soon after, working along similar lines. These missionaries, which were largely dependent on local, indigenous teachers and families, and the colonial government, which sometimes supported them with grants, were also cautious about introducing Christian teachings or the Bible. Education was also believed to be necessary in reversing the apparent moral decline many colonial administrators saw in Bengal society. To give an example, a British judge in Bengal recommended the London Missionary Society's schools, "for the dissemination of morality and general improvement of society among natives of all persuasion without interfering with their religious prejudices." Missionaries, however, were not the only channels through which education was promoted. For instance, individuals in Calcutta such as conservative Hindu scholar Rammohan Roy, Radhakanta Deb, atheist philanthropist Shib Chandra Sarkar, David Hare, and other British officials, often collaborated in the Calcutta School Book Society and the Calcutta School Society. Some of the other institutions of learning established during this period include the Chittagong College; Indian Statistical Institute; the Hindu School, the oldest modern educational institution in Asia; Jadavpur University; Presidency University, Kolkata; the University of Calcutta, the University of Dhaka, the oldest university in Bangladesh; and Visva-Bharati University. ==Science==

During the Bengal Renaissance, science was integrated into the broader intellectual and educational reforms. Institutions such as Presidency University, Calcutta Medical College, the University of Calcutta, and the IACS were pivotal in spreading modern scientific thought in British India. Lectures, Bengali-language textbooks, and the establishment of high schools such as the Hindu School, contributed to making science more accessible to urban and upper middle-class families. Major advancements were made during this time by scientists such as Satyendra Nath Bose, Ashutosh Mukherjee, Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, Anil Kumar Gain, Prafulla Chandra Ray, Debendra Mohan Bose, Jagadish Chandra Bose, Jnan Chandra Ghosh, Gopal Chandra Bhattacharya, Kishori Mohan Bandyopadhyay, Jnanendra Nath Mukherjee, Sisir Kumar Mitra, Upendranath Brahmachari, and Meghnad Saha, among others. Jagadish Chandra Bose (1858–1937) was a polymath: a physicist, biologist, botanist, archaeologist, and a science fiction writer. He pioneered the investigation of radio and microwave optics, made very significant contributions to botany, and laid the foundations of experimental science in the Indian subcontinent. He is considered one of the fathers of radio science, and is also considered the father of Bengali science fiction. He also invented the crescograph. == Arts ==

was an Indian motion-picture director, writer, and illustrator who brought the Indian cinema to world recognition with Pather Panchali. He was one of the pioneers of Parallel Cinema. The Bengal School of Art was an art movement and a style of Indian painting that originated in Bengal and flourished throughout British India in the early 20th century. Also known as 'Indian style of painting' in its early days, it was associated with Indian nationalism (swadeshi) and led by Abanindranath Tagore. Following the influence of Indian spiritual ideas in the West, the British art teacher Ernest Binfield Havell attempted to reform the teaching methods at the Calcutta School of Art by encouraging students to imitate Mughal miniatures. This caused controversy, leading to a strike by students and complaints from the local press, including from nationalists who considered it to be a retrogressive move. Havell was supported by the artist Abanindranath Tagore. ==Literature==

According to historian Romesh Chunder Dutt: ==Sports==

The Bengali Renaissance also led to religious reform movements. Some notable religious and spiritual leaders associated with these reform movements are Rani Rashmoni, Ram Mohan Roy, Debendranath Tagore, Keshab Chandra Sen, Bijoy Krishna Goswami, Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda, Aurobindo, Bamakhepa, Lokenath Brahmachari, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Paramahansa Yogananda, Lahiri Mahasaya, Nigamananda Paramahansa, Ram Thakur, Sitaramdas Omkarnath, and Anandamayi Ma. The religious reform movements and organizations associated with the Bengali Renaissance are: • Brahmoism (Brahmo Samaj) • Adi Brahmo Samaj • Sadharan Brahmo Samaj • Gaudiya Math • Mahanam Sampraday • Ramakrishna Mission • Ramakrishna Math • Sri Aurobindo Ashram • Yogoda Satsanga Society of India • Self-Realization Fellowship ==References==