In the year 1860 on this day, Jaladhar Sen was born in Kusthia district of now Bangladesh. He was a Bengali writer, poet, editor of mag's and paper's and also a traveler, philanthropist, educationist, social worker and litterateur.
Jaladhar Sen was born in the Kumarkhali village of Nadia District (presently known as Kusthia district of Bangladesh) in a Dakshin-Rarhiya Kayastha family. His family originally hailed from Deganga, North 24 Parganas of present-day West Bengal, India. His great-grandfather migrated to Kumarkhali to work as a Diwan under the East India Company. They were known as "Degangar Sen" (Sens of Deganga).
He was conferred রায় বাহাদুর (Ray Bahadur) by the British government in 1929 for his contribution to Bengali literature and social reform. However, he never suppressed his inclination and support to the Indian patriotic movement.
He was elected twice as the Vice President of the Bangiya Sahitya Parishad.
In 1932 Jaladhar Sen was facilitated in a function held in Rammohan Library, presided over by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.
Jaladhar joined বঙ্গবাসী (Bangabasi - a weekly news paper) as an editorial help. Then he joined হিতবাদী (Hitabadi - a weekly news paper) as an editor and continued till 1907. He left Calcutta for a brief period and worked in the estate of Zamindar of Santosh in Tangail, Bangladesh firstly as a home tutor, and then as manager (দেওয়ান). Here he had written his travelogue to Himalayas. In 1911 he came back to Calcutta and joined a Government funded Bengali daily সুলঠসমাচার (Sulabh Samachar) as editor. In 1913 he joined in মাসিক à¦ারতবর্ষ (Masik Bharatbarsha - a monthly published bengaly compilation) as editor along with Amulyacharan Bidyabhushan which was published from the house of Gurudas Chattopadhyay in Cornwallis Street, and continued for next 26 years till he breathed his last. He was also associated as editor with news papers গ্রামবার্তা প্রকাশিকা (Grambarta Prakashija) and বসুমতী (Basumati).
Jaladhar Sen wrote about 42 books, including novels, travelogues, social messages, books for children and biographies. Story books - নৈবেদ্য (Naibedyo), কাঙালের ঠাকুর (Kangaler Thakur), বড় মানুষ (Baro Manush) etc.; Novels - দুঃখিনী (Dukkhini) (1909), অà¦াগী (Aubhagi) (3 parts, 1915–32), উৎস (Utsa) (1932) etc.; Travelogue - প্রবাস-চিত্র (Prabas Chitra) (1899) and হিমালয় (Himalaya) (1900); Children's literature - সীতাদেবী (Sita debi), কিশোর (Kisgore), শিব সীমন্তিনী (Shib Simantini), মায়ের পূজা (Mayer Puja), আফ্রিকায় সিংহ শিকার (Afrikay Singha Shikar), রামচন্দ্র (Ramchandra), আইসক্রিম সন্দেশ (Ice cream Sondesh) etc.; and Biography - কাঙাল হরিনাথ (Kangal Harinath) (2 parts, 1913, 1914), are worth to be mentioned. Kangal Harinath was the biography of Sri Harinath Majumdar, editor of Grambarta Prakashika, who was his teacher in the Goalanda School, and a philosopher and a guide to Jaladhar Sen. He also edited many books.
His travelogue titled "হিমালয়" (Himalaya) was an account of his perilous journey to Himalayas, which appeared in Bengali literary periodical "à¦ারতী" (Bharati) in installments during a span of about two years in 1903-04 while Smt Sarala Debi was the editor. It became extremely popular and sensitized Bengali society. Later it was published as a book in 1916 from Calcutta. This book, later, was included in the list of text books for Calcutta University. "Himalaya" was one of the pioneering literary works written in Bengali in the genre of travelogue, with an account of travel to the Himalayas, and contemporary to "Himaranya" written by Swami Ramananda Bharati describing his experience of travel to Kailsh and Manas Sarovar, published during 1901–02 in the Bengali literary magazine সাহিত্য "Sahitya", and followed by several noted Bengali travelogues writers in later years, such as Uma Prasad Mukhopadhyay, Shanku Maharaj etc. to popularize travel and expedition to Himalayas in Bengali society and psyche.
Bibliography
Sen, Jaladhar (1915). (Kabya-Granthabali) vol 1–3.
Sen, Jaladhar (1916). হিমালয় (Himalaya) (Bengali), Gurudas Chattopadhyay & Sons, Calcuta
Sen, Jaladhar (1920). ষোল আনি (Sholo Aani), Gurudas Chattopadhyay & Sons, Calcutta.
Sen Jaladhar (1920). আত্মজীবনী ও স্মৃতি-তর্পন (Atmo Jibani O Smriti Tarpan), Jiggasa Agencies Ltd. Calcutta 9.
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