Rajanikanta Sen
Encyclopedia
Rajanikanta Sen was a Bengali
(India
n) poet and composer, known for his devotional (bhakti
) compositions, as well as his patriotic songs. Born in the village of Bhangabari, Pabna
(present-day Bangladesh
), his father Guruprasad was an LLB from Dhaka University and served as sub-judge in many parts of Bengal, during which period he published a collection of 400 Vaishnava brajabuli
poems, padachintamAlA. His elder brother Govindanath was a successful advocate. However, much of the family wealth was unwisely invested, and Rajanikanta faced increasing poverty throughout his life. His mother Manomohini was a competent housewife, whose opinion was widely sought in culinary affairs.
Rajanikanta too graduated with a law degree (BL) from Calcutta City College in 1891, and started practicing in Rajshahi. However, his passion lay in music, the love for which he had inherited from his father. In this he was supported by friends like the noted historian Akshay Kumar Maitreya
, and also his wife.
His two successive collections of songs, vANI (1902) and kalyANI (1905) became popular for their devotional strain of music, set to a Hindustani classical style mixing tappa
and kirtan
. He also wrote in the nationalist cause, one of his songs, "mAyer deoyA moTA kApaR" urging the virtues of homespun clothes against Lancashire
mill imports. He came to be known as the kAntakabi, and his songs as kAntagIti.
His songs like "tumi nirmala kara mangala kare" brought a touch of modernity into the Bengali devotional genre of Kamalakanta and Ramprasad. He also composed humorous and satirical songs.
In 1909, Rajanikanta was diagnosed with throat cancer. He was forced to move to Calcutta despite very stringent financial conditions; some poetry lovers among the students of the Calcutta Medical College tended after him, but he died in increasing pain in the winter of 1910.
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
(India
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 and composer, known for his devotional (bhakti
Bhakti
In Hinduism Bhakti is religious devotion in the form of active involvement of a devotee in worship of the divine.Within monotheistic Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Svayam Bhagavan.Bhakti can be used of either...
) compositions, as well as his patriotic songs. Born in the village of Bhangabari, Pabna
Pabna
Pabna is a town in Rajshahi Division ofBangladesh and the administrative capital of eponymous Pabna District. It is located on the north bank of Padma river and has a population of about 138,000.-Name:...
(present-day 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...
), his father Guruprasad was an LLB from Dhaka University and served as sub-judge in many parts of Bengal, during which period he published a collection of 400 Vaishnava brajabuli
Brajabuli
Brajabuli is an artificial literary language developed in the sixteenth century. It was created primarily due to the influence of Vidyapati's lyrics on the love of Radha and Krishna on the Bengali poets of the medieval period....
poems, padachintamAlA. His elder brother Govindanath was a successful advocate. However, much of the family wealth was unwisely invested, and Rajanikanta faced increasing poverty throughout his life. His mother Manomohini was a competent housewife, whose opinion was widely sought in culinary affairs.
Rajanikanta too graduated with a law degree (BL) from Calcutta City College in 1891, and started practicing in Rajshahi. However, his passion lay in music, the love for which he had inherited from his father. In this he was supported by friends like the noted historian Akshay Kumar Maitreya
Akshay Kumar Maitreya
Akshay Kumar Maitreya was a noted Indian historian and social worker from Bengal. He was born in Nadia to Mathuranath Maitreya. Much of his education was in Kolkata and Rajshahi . He passed his B.L. examination from Rajshahi College...
, and also his wife.
His two successive collections of songs, vANI (1902) and kalyANI (1905) became popular for their devotional strain of music, set to a Hindustani classical style mixing tappa
Tappa
Tappa is a city and a municipal council in Sangrur district in the Indian state of Punjab.-Demographics: India census, Tappa had a population of 18,887. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Tappa has an average literacy rate of 57%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male...
and kirtan
Kirtan
Kirtan or Kirtana is call-and-response chanting or "responsory" performed in India's devotional traditions. A person performing kirtan is known as a kirtankar. Kirtan practice involves chanting hymns or mantras to the accompaniment of instruments such as the harmonium, tablas, the two-headed...
. He also wrote in the nationalist cause, one of his songs, "mAyer deoyA moTA kApaR" urging the virtues of homespun clothes against Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
mill imports. He came to be known as the kAntakabi, and his songs as kAntagIti.
His songs like "tumi nirmala kara mangala kare" brought a touch of modernity into the Bengali devotional genre of Kamalakanta and Ramprasad. He also composed humorous and satirical songs.
In 1909, Rajanikanta was diagnosed with throat cancer. He was forced to move to Calcutta despite very stringent financial conditions; some poetry lovers among the students of the Calcutta Medical College tended after him, but he died in increasing pain in the winter of 1910.