Bengal Cultural Renaissance & People

Bengal Cultural Renaissance & People

“What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow”, was once remarked by Gopal Krishna Gokhale, the famous political leader and social reformer in India. The people of Bengal have always stood tall to a number of socio-political cataclysms. No wonder that Bengal has been regarded as the cultural and intellectual capital of India.  The socio-cultural and intellectual movement in Bengali region of the Indian subcontinent in 19th and 20th century during the reign of British Indian empire known as Bengali renaissance witnessed the uprising of some extraordinary personalities and erudite visionaries who shaped the revolutionary thinking and intelligent awakening of the people of Bengal and India. Raja Rammohan Ray, the father of modern India pioneered the social movement by questioning the then existing orthodoxies in the form of caste, marriage, dowry, and religion. Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar spearheaded the movement for widow remarriage and championed the cause of women empowerment in India. The logical reasoning and rational thinking among the students and youth were encouraged through the teaching of science and literature. The scientists like Jagadish Bose and Meghnad Saha played pivotal roles in the advancement of science and technology and the distinguished poets and authors like Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and Bibhutibhusan Bandyopadhyay ushered in newer thoughts and ideas about religion, caste, and society among the common people through their remarkable literary works. The one and only Rabindranath Tagore through the prowess, elegance, and magic of his legendary literary works, arts, and music had not only transformed Bengali literature and music but also had taken the Bengal cultural renaissance to an unprecedented and implausible height, so much so that Bengal emerged as the face of culture and progress in India, the legacy of which continued across the vistas of time with a resounding bearing even today.