Jagadish Gupta
Encyclopedia
Jagadish Gupta (July, 1886 - 15 April, 1957) was an India
n poet
, novelist and short story
writer. Known for his realistic view of life, strange character portrayal and unique narrative style, he was one of the major exponents of modern Bengali literature
.
Born as Jagadish Chandra Sengupta in Kushtia, Bengal Presidency
, he studied in Calcutta and later took up work as a ‘job-typist’ at the Judge’s Court in Seuri. He also worked at Executive Engineer’s office in Sambalpur
, Orissa
, at Patna High Court
and at Bolpur
Chawki Adalat as a typist. After retirement from his job, he settled in Calcutta. The Government of India
granted him a ‘Distinguished Man of Letters Allowance’ in 1954.
Gupta’s stories had been published in periodicals like Bharati, Bijoli, Uttara, Kali-Kalam and Kallol. His first novel Asadhu Siddhartha was published in 1928. Some of his other notable works include Binodini, Udaylekha, Meghabrito Ashani, Dulaler Dola, Nishedher Patabhumikay, Loghu Guru etc.
(now in Kushtia district
, Bangladesh
) to Kailash Chandra Sengupta and Saudamini Devi. His birth name was Jagadish Chandra Sengupta which he never used in his literary career. He was born on July, 1886; but the exact date of his birth is unknown. As a child Gupta went to the village pathshala (primary school) run by Ramlal Saha. Later he came away to Calcutta and was admitted into City Collegiate School from where he passed Matriculation Examination in 1905 and admitted to the Ripon College
(now Surendranath College
). He started writing poems in this time. After passing First Arts Examination, he started learning stenography and typing. He got married to Charubala Sengupta of Osmanpur, Nadia
in 1906. He gave up his studies at Ripon College in 1907 and he took up a job as a ‘job-typist’ at Seuri District Judge’s Court in 1908. That was not a regular salaries job but he would be paid remuneration against the work he did. In 1912, he was appointed as a regular salaried typist in the office of the Executive Engineer in Sambalpur
, Orissa
. In 1918, he took up the job of a salaried typist at Patna High Court
but resigned from the job in 1924 and vowed never to took up a job again though his financial condition compelled him to take up a typist’s job in Bolpur
Chowki Adalat in 1927. In 1944, he retired form his job and left Bolpur to settle in Calcutta where he stayed at the house of Kshitish Gupta at the Lake Market area. In 1950, he shifted to his own house at Jadavpur
and started bringing up a girl named Sukumari. In 1954, the Government of India
granted him a ‘Distinguished Man of Letters Allowance’ of Rupees 150 which was later reduced to Rupees 75. He died of a head injury in his Calcutta residency on 15 April, 1957.
movement of modern Bengali poetry, which was the trend of his times, although he imitated none. His first Collection of poems, Akshara was published in 1932. Kashyap o Surabhi, a collection of twelve narrative poems featuring Achyutananda, an ordinary man who expresses the poet’s wishes and unfulfilled desires, is another notable work by Gupta. Many of his later poems appeared in the journals Hindu and Jugantar
. His last published work Bishakto Bandar appeared in the annual autumnal issue of Jugantar. It is known that Gupta wished to publish another collection of poems titled Tulsi, but whether this collection was ever published is unconfirmed.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, novelist and short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer. Known for his realistic view of life, strange character portrayal and unique narrative style, he was one of the major exponents of modern Bengali literature
Bengali literature
Bengali literature is literary works written in Bengali language particularly from Bangladesh and the Indian provinces of West Bengal and Tripura. The history of Bengali literature traces back hundreds of years while it is impossible to separate the literary trends of the two Bengals during the...
.
Born as Jagadish Chandra Sengupta in Kushtia, Bengal Presidency
Bengal Presidency
The Bengal Presidency originally comprising east and west Bengal, was a colonial region of the British Empire in South-Asia and beyond it. It comprised areas which are now within Bangladesh, and the present day Indian States of West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Meghalaya, Orissa and Tripura.Penang and...
, he studied in Calcutta and later took up work as a ‘job-typist’ at the Judge’s Court in Seuri. He also worked at Executive Engineer’s office in Sambalpur
Sambalpur
Sambalpur is a city in Sambalpur district in the Indian state of Orissa.It lies at a distance of 321 km from the state capital Bhubaneswar. In the year 1876, Sambalpur was established as a municipality. It is currently the headquarters and the largest city of Sambalpur district. It is also...
, Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, at Patna High Court
Patna High Court
Patna High Court is the High Court of the state of Bihar. It was established on 3 February 1916 and later affiliated under the Government of India Act, 1915. The court is headquartered in Patna, the administrative capital of the state.-History of Court:...
and at Bolpur
Bolpur
Bolpur-Santiniketan is a municipality in Birbhum District in the state of West Bengal, India. It is 145 km north of Kolkata and is best known for the proximity to Visva Bharati, the university set up by Rabindranath Tagore the Nobel laureate poet...
Chawki Adalat as a typist. After retirement from his job, he settled in Calcutta. The Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
granted him a ‘Distinguished Man of Letters Allowance’ in 1954.
Gupta’s stories had been published in periodicals like Bharati, Bijoli, Uttara, Kali-Kalam and Kallol. His first novel Asadhu Siddhartha was published in 1928. Some of his other notable works include Binodini, Udaylekha, Meghabrito Ashani, Dulaler Dola, Nishedher Patabhumikay, Loghu Guru etc.
Life
Jagadish Gupta was born at Kushtia, Nadia districtNadia District
Nadia district is a district of the state of West Bengal, in the north east of India. It borders with Bangladesh to the east, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts to the south, Bardhaman district to the west, and Murshidabad district to the north....
(now in Kushtia district
Kushtia District
Kushtia, Kushtia district or Kushtia Zila is a district in the Khulna administrative division of western Bangladesh. Kushtia has existed as a separate district since the partition of India. Prior to that, Kushtia was a part of Nadia District under Bengal Province of British India. Kushtia was home...
, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
) to Kailash Chandra Sengupta and Saudamini Devi. His birth name was Jagadish Chandra Sengupta which he never used in his literary career. He was born on July, 1886; but the exact date of his birth is unknown. As a child Gupta went to the village pathshala (primary school) run by Ramlal Saha. Later he came away to Calcutta and was admitted into City Collegiate School from where he passed Matriculation Examination in 1905 and admitted to the Ripon College
Ripon College
Ripon College can refer to:*Ripon College - US college*Ripon College, North Yorkshire - secondary school*Ripon College Cuddesdon, Oxfordshire - theological college...
(now Surendranath College
Surendranath College
Surendranath College is an undergraduate college affiliated to the University of Calcutta, in Kolkata, India. It was founded in 1884 by the nationalist leader Surendranath Banerjea....
). He started writing poems in this time. After passing First Arts Examination, he started learning stenography and typing. He got married to Charubala Sengupta of Osmanpur, Nadia
Nadia District
Nadia district is a district of the state of West Bengal, in the north east of India. It borders with Bangladesh to the east, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts to the south, Bardhaman district to the west, and Murshidabad district to the north....
in 1906. He gave up his studies at Ripon College in 1907 and he took up a job as a ‘job-typist’ at Seuri District Judge’s Court in 1908. That was not a regular salaries job but he would be paid remuneration against the work he did. In 1912, he was appointed as a regular salaried typist in the office of the Executive Engineer in Sambalpur
Sambalpur
Sambalpur is a city in Sambalpur district in the Indian state of Orissa.It lies at a distance of 321 km from the state capital Bhubaneswar. In the year 1876, Sambalpur was established as a municipality. It is currently the headquarters and the largest city of Sambalpur district. It is also...
, Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
. In 1918, he took up the job of a salaried typist at Patna High Court
Patna High Court
Patna High Court is the High Court of the state of Bihar. It was established on 3 February 1916 and later affiliated under the Government of India Act, 1915. The court is headquartered in Patna, the administrative capital of the state.-History of Court:...
but resigned from the job in 1924 and vowed never to took up a job again though his financial condition compelled him to take up a typist’s job in Bolpur
Bolpur
Bolpur-Santiniketan is a municipality in Birbhum District in the state of West Bengal, India. It is 145 km north of Kolkata and is best known for the proximity to Visva Bharati, the university set up by Rabindranath Tagore the Nobel laureate poet...
Chowki Adalat in 1927. In 1944, he retired form his job and left Bolpur to settle in Calcutta where he stayed at the house of Kshitish Gupta at the Lake Market area. In 1950, he shifted to his own house at Jadavpur
Jadavpur
Jadavpur is a southern neighbourhood of Kolkata, India. It is bounded by Dhakuria to the north, Tollygunge to the west, Santoshpur to the east and Garia to the south...
and started bringing up a girl named Sukumari. In 1954, the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
granted him a ‘Distinguished Man of Letters Allowance’ of Rupees 150 which was later reduced to Rupees 75. He died of a head injury in his Calcutta residency on 15 April, 1957.
Works
Jagadish Gupta started his writing career as a poet and later, became a famous short story writer.Poems
Jagadish Gupta started his literary career as a poet. He contributed poems to journals like Uttara, Prabasi, Bharatbarsha and Sonar Bangla. He had written many poems throughout his life, but little of these were published. He did not represent the Anti-TagoreRabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
movement of modern Bengali poetry, which was the trend of his times, although he imitated none. His first Collection of poems, Akshara was published in 1932. Kashyap o Surabhi, a collection of twelve narrative poems featuring Achyutananda, an ordinary man who expresses the poet’s wishes and unfulfilled desires, is another notable work by Gupta. Many of his later poems appeared in the journals Hindu and Jugantar
Jugantar Patrika
Jugantar Patrika was a Bengali revolutionary newspaper founded in 1906 in Calcutta by Barindra Kumar Ghosh, Abhinash Bhattacharya and Bhupendranath Dutt. A political weekly, it was founded in March 1906 and served as the propaganda organ for the nascent revolutionary organisation Anushilan Samiti...
. His last published work Bishakto Bandar appeared in the annual autumnal issue of Jugantar. It is known that Gupta wished to publish another collection of poems titled Tulsi, but whether this collection was ever published is unconfirmed.
Short stories
Gupta’s first short story Paying Guest appeared in Bijoli in 1904 and his first collection of stories, Binodini was published in 1927. Only nine of his collections of stories now survive: Udaylekha, Upayan, Pike Sri Mihir Pramanik, Binodini, Meghabrita, Ashani, Ruper Bahire, Shashanka Kabiraajer Stree, Srimati and Jagadish Guptar Swa-Nirbachita Galpa. “The stories he wrote on psychological themes,” observes Chattopadhyay, “are as subtle as they are varied. Moreover he wrote stories based on some strange tendencies of human nature about which we are not always aware, and which are illuminated only by the light of subtle observation.” He wrote one hundred and twenty five stories. Some of his notable stories are "Payomukham", "Chandrasurya Jatadin", "Asha o Ami", "Har", "Pike Sri Mihir Pramanik", "Ami o Debrajer Stree" etc.Books
- Binodini
- Ruper Bahire
- Srimoti
- Swanirbachito Golpo
- Osadhu Sidhartho
- Dulaler Dola