Published Paper Details:

Dinesh Chandra Sen (1866-1939), a stalwart name in the history of Bengali literature, structured the first successful book of the history of Bengali literature. His book was 'Bangabhasha O Sahitya' published in 1896. The publisher of the book was Chaitanya Press from Dhaka of undivided Bengal. It was a British Colony then. Many of our scholars had been loud in their voices for the native version of the then-Indian colonial history. Rather the so-called National History is called by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. Bankim wrote in Calcutta Review "if a Saheb shoots down a bird they register it, but we Indians, rather Bengali do not register or save or write our history." It was a historical remark which was made for the sake of nationalism. Bengali people have an advantage in that ground particularly. Kolkata, the British named Calcutta was the Rajdhani of British rulers. In that context, Bengali people were forced to know English as a great literature and as a language to communicate with their Masters. Babu Bankim Chandra was one of those in the privileged group. He was a servant in upper-class posts like Collector, the District Magistrate, etc., and a product of Nationalist Institute like Calcutta University. Here is the irony of the culture, because Dinesh Chandra was the privileged product of that mentioned University. However, Dinesh Chandra was not a student at Calcutta University. He was one of the Nationalist Project maker team of Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee. I prefer to say the circumstances were highly Nationalist and every scholar was a key figure in that Desi project of the so-called Nation. However, their agenda was different and unique. Dinesh Chandra was not the first historian of Bengali literature. This credit goes to Ramgati Nyayratna (1831-1894). Ramagati wrote the first history book on Bengali literature entitled 'Bangala Bhasha O Bangala Sahitya Bishayak Prostab'. The book was published in 1872, just the next year after the above-mentioned published essay written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. So, the History went on in her way. There was a compromising situation for both the rulers and the ruled. the Nationalism of Bengali people emerged in this vulnerable time frame of Nationalist history. Dinesh Chandra Sen and his written histories of Bangla literature is one of those examples. He wrote his remarkable history book entitled 'Bangabhasha O Sahitya' in 1896. The framing of the Nationalism was mostly in the 19th Century. The book was also not exceptional from them. But it was different in its own way as the critics claimed. Dinesh Chandra structures his history in a different view but with the same details. 'Bangabhasha O Sahitya' was a dedicated project of Dinesh Chandra Sen to satisfy the Nationalist minds of Bengali people. This book was a conscious project made by the great Nationalist historian Dinesh Chandra Sen. He maintained his ideology till his death.