Ramananda Chattopadhyay : The Pioneer of Indian Journalism
Santosh Bhattacharya
In 1307 Bangabda (Bengali year) Ramananda Chattopadhyay wrote in his Bengali monthly “Pradip” magazine that - “ If someone have to incur more than his earning for publishing an ideal paper, he should find out the way for its execution. Publication of weekly & monthly papers are equally essential as like as establishment of schools for mass education. For example the rich men finance for running of schools and colleges, similarly they should donate for good paper publication. ………… I don’t think that the work of the editors is less important than the professors & teachers”. (‘একখানি আদর্শ কাগজ চালাইতে হইলে যদি আপাততঃ আয়ের অতিরিক্ত কিছু টাকা ব্যয় হয়, তাহা নির্বাহ করিবার উপায় করা উচিত। বস্তুতঃ লোকশিক্ষার জন্য যেমন বিদ্যালয়ের প্রয়োজন, সাপ্তাহিক ও মাসিক পত্রিকার তদ্রূপ প্রয়োজন। যেমন স্কুল কলেজ চালাইবার জন্য বড়লোকেরা টাকা দেন, তেমনি ভাল কাগজ চালাইবার জন্যও দান করা উচিত। ......... আমি সম্পাদকের কার্যকে শিক্ষক বা অধ্যাপকের কার্য অপেক্ষা কম পবিত্র বা দায়িত্বপূর্ণ মনে করি না।’) When Ramananda Chattopadhyay wrote such lines, then the people was not habituated to hear the words ‘Paid News’, ‘Story’, ‘Video footage of the news’- like present days. Similarly the race of young media representatives with a boom of an electronic channel or News portal and the greedy eagerness of the political leaders to defeat opposition with their high voice, was not grown up. Yet if it is considered assessing with modern times, then it is needless to say that those lines of quotation of the great Indian Journalist Ramananda Chattopadhyay are most important and the editors & reporters should follow this with honour.
Ramananda Chattopadhyay was born on 29th May, 1865 at Pathakpara within the district of Bankura in West Bengal. His father was Srinath and mother Harasundari Devi.
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Primarily he started education at the Sanskrit Tol of his uncle Sambhunath. There was so many Sanskrit Tols at Bankura at that time. After some days Ramananda was admitted to ‘Bankura Banga Vidyalay’ (the then Bangla School) . At the age of ten years Ramananda successfully passed the Chhatrabritti examination with a scholarship of Rupees four and got the chance for admission to English School which is now called as Bankura Zilla School. He stood first in almost all class tests of that school with highest score. He stood fourth in the University Entrance examination in 1883 from Calcutta University and got a monthly scholarship of rupees twenty. He was very meritorious and cool & calm behaved with strong hearted personality from his childhood. He came in touch and much closer with Mr. Kedarnath Kulvi, Teacher of Mathematics of Zilla School. Mr. Kulvi was also the Acharya of ‘Bramha Samaj’. His advice, teaching and discussion about religion & various quotations of Thakur Sree Ramkrishna Paramhansa influenced Ramananda. Thus Ramananda became interested in ‘Bramha Samaj’.
Ramanada went to Calcutta for college education with the scholarship of rupees twenty only. His college life started at a Mess of Bankura born students at Sovaram Basak lane. He took admission at Presidency College. At that time Sir Asutosh Mukhopadhyay was a student of B.A. Class of Presidency. He had to maintain all expenditures depending on this scholarship. Rules & regulations of Presidency College were very hard. College authority deducted an amount of rupees thirteen from his scholarship as Ramananda could not attend college for some days due to his fever. Ramananda faced many difficulties for such deduction of scholarship. He helped the needy and destitute students from this rupees twenty. In such a situation Ramananda went to St. Xavier College. He had to learn Latin language as a pre-condition of that college. Ramananda stood fourth in F.A. Examination from Calcutta University with Latin as second language and awarded a monthly scholarship of rupees twenty five only. Again he came to Presidency College to admit in B.A Class. He failed to sit in all subjects in B. A. examination due to his illness as a result of which he could not pass the B.A. in 1887 and payment of his scholarship was stopped. After summer vacation in 1887 Ramananda went to City College and took admission in B.A. fourth year. He stood first in the B.A. (Hons.) in English at the Calcutta University in the year 1888. Ramananda was very affectionate to Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose, Prof. Bipin Behari Gupta, Prof. Tony Eliot, Prof. Pedlar, Prof. Booth, Prof. Heramba Ch. Maitraya, Prof. Umesh Ch. Dutta for his sharp merit.
At that time Pt. Sibnath Sastri, Anandamohan Basu & Surendranath Bandyopadhyay were the leader of young Bengali. They formed "Students’ Association". Ramananda was the follower of "Students’ Association". Ramananda told - “If we want to be a man for the beneficence of country we shall have to be diligent like him (Sibnath Sastri). There are many simple ways to be a Leader and also be Famous, but not to be a good Man and not do welfare of the country.”
In the meantime Ramannanda married with Manorama, the daughter of Haradhan Mishra of Onda Village of Bankura in the year 1886. Then Ramananda was of 21 years and the bride was of only 12 years old. Little learning Manorama became well educated with Ramananda’s own effort.
Ramananda refused to take opportunity for higher study in England availing State Scholarship which he was entitled for his outstanding result in B.A. Examination with English Honours. He could join as a Deputy Magistrate easily but as he was determined not to serve under British Govt., he refused to join as Deputy Magistrate. Ramananda joined the City College as an Asst. Professor in English without any remuneration as per advice of Prof. Heramba Ch. Maitraya depending on the scholarship of Rs. 40/- p.m. as he was awarded for being topper in B.A. Examination. Ramananda served as a voluntary Asst. Professor at City College from July, 1888 to February, 1890. Beside this Ramananda involved himself as a journalist/ Asst. Editor of ‘Indian Messenger’, ‘Indian Mirror’, ‘Sanjiboni’, ‘Dharmabandhu’ etc. During this hard laborious job Ramananda prepared himself for M.A. examination. In 1890 he passed M.A. in English and secured 1st class 4th in the University of Calcutta. Then as per advice of Prof. Heramba Ch. Maitraya the College authority appointed Ramananda as a full time Professor with a monthly pay of Rs. 100/-. During the time of teaching at City college Ramananda started three noble works. (1) Editing “Dharmabandhu” , (2) Direction of “Dasashram” & (3) Editing of “Dasi”. It should be remembered that Ramananda took the work of journalism & literature as main media of Social & Public service from this time. Beside this Ramananda began to earn more as an examiner of Calcutta University. Ramananda leaved the holy thread (Paita), the symbol of Bramhin and adopted the ‘Bramha’ religion in 1889. Sibnath Shastri was the ideal man of him. Ramananda became closed to Congress. He began to attend congress conferences. In 1890 he attended at the Allahabad Congress in 1892.
After two years his pay was fixed at Rs. 140/- per month. But he was not satisfied with this small amount of salary as he was in much trouble. Ramananda approached to the College authority to increase his pay. But College authority denied. Ramananda was invited to join at the Kayastha Pathsala of Allahabad established by Munsi Kaliprasanna. Resigning from City College he joined Allahabad Kayastha Pathsala as Principal in October, 1895 with the monthly remuneration of Rs. 250/- He served at Kayastha Pathsala for a period of eleven years. He resigned from that college in September1906 due to difference of opinion with the college trustee. Pt. Motilal Nehru, Madan mohan Malabya requested Raamananda to withdraw his resignation. But he did not hear their request. He published ‘Mukul’ & ‘Pradip’ monthly magazine in 1895 & 1896 from Calcutta & Allhabad respectively. Many poems of Rabindranath Tagore were published Pradip. .
In April, 1901 (Baishakh, 1308 Bangabda) Ramananda Chattopadhyay published the great monthly Bengali journal ‘Prabasi’ from 2/1 South City Road, Allahabad.
After the resignation from Kayastha Pathsala the owner of Indian Press Babu Chintamoni Ghosh proposed Ramananda to take the chair of President of that Press with a monthly remuneration of Rs. 1000/-. Beside this Chintamoni Ghosh offered an attractive package to Ramananda. He want to share 25% commission from the sale of books published by them. But Ramanandababu did not agree to join. He published a monthly English magazine ‘Modern Review’ in January, 1907.
Chintamoni Ghosh took the charge of printing ‘Modern Review’ from his press. He told that Ramanada was the ‘Mine of Information’ and a ‘Living Encyclopaedia’. Ramananda wanted to spread the demands of Indians and the revolution against the British rule in each and every corner of the world through Modern Review. The fearless writings of Ramananda influenced Sister Nivedita to write features in the Modern Review. She came in keen touch of Ramananda. Nevedita had high reverence towards Ramanand for his vast knowledge in all respects. He permitted Ramanandababu to change or revise his writings, if required for publication in Modern Review. Ramananda & Rabindranath both were best friends. Most of great writings of Rabindranath were published in Prabasi. As per request of Ramananda, Tagore agreed to translate his poems in English. Ramananda Chattopadhyay held the chair of Principal of Shantiniketan for some times to honour the request of Rabindranath Tagore. Famous columnist of America Mr J. T. Sunderland was most favourite fan of Ramananda. Ramananda published a book styled as ‘India in Bondage, Her right to Freedom’ which was a collection of essays of Mr Sunderland. All those books were ceased in the name of sedition and a fine of Rs. 2000/- was imposed on Ramananda. The Bengalis of Allahabad liked to create trouble & tease the British as per advice and active participation of Ramananda Chattopadhyay. For this the governor decided to punish some Bengalis. But his main target was Ramananda. In 1908 the government directed Ramananda, either he leave Allahabad or to stop publication of Modern Review. Ramananda returned to Calcutta in April, 1908 and began to publish ‘Prabasi’ & Modern Review from Calcutta. He published a book ‘Towards Home Rule’ comprising features & post editorials published earlier in Modern Review in 1917.
Ramananda invited to visit the work of League of Nation at Geneva and for this tour League liked to offer an amount of Rs. 6000/- to him. But Ramananda denied receiving. He travelled France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Czechoslovakia incurring his own earnings and came back to India after four to five months.
Though Ramananda was a national personality but he never forgot his motherland Bankura. He used to come Bankura regularly. He purchased a building at Schooldanga, Bankura adjacent to Bramha Temple in the name of his wife Manorama Devi.
He took active part for establishment of Bankura Sammilani Medical School, which is now famous as Bankura Sammilani Medical College & Hospital. Ramananda was not only the pioneer of Indian Journalism; he was an educationist, a social reformer & a great litterateur.
Ramananda took initiative to arrange a visit of Rabindranath Tagore at Bankura. Rabindranath came and stayed for three days at Bankura Hill House (D.M’s Bungalow) in March, 1940. In 1943 the residents of his country arranged to observe Ramananda Jayanti by honouring the man of genius. As he could not attend in any meetings due to his physical illness, several organisations came to visit him at his daughters residence at Basanta Roy Road of Calcutta and pay respect to Ramananda Chattopadhyay. In these team the mentionable persons were Abanindranath Tagore on behalf of Viswabharati, Prafulla Kumar Sarkar, on behalf of Bharatiya Sambadpatra Sevi Sangha, Yadunath Sarkar on behalf of Bangiya Sahitya Parishad and Dr. Shyamaprasad Mukhopadhyay on behalf of Ramanandaa Jayati Utsab Committee and Bankura Sammilani. Prafulla Sarkar described Ramanada as the grandfather of Indian Jaournalism in their address of honour.
The fearless pen, which was continuously fighting against British Rule and for social reforms, of Ramananda Chattopadhyay stopped to flow on 30th September 1943 evening at the residence of his younger daughter in Calcutta.
I pay my deep respect to the pioneer of Indian Journalism, the icon of my life on the auspicious occasion of his 160th birthday. I feel proud that this great man was our next door neighbour.
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