Mukhopadhyay, Bhubanchandra

Mukhopadhyay, Bhubanchandra (1842-1916) translator, editor and litterateur, was born on 10 July 1842 at village Shasan adjacent to Baruipur of 24-Pargana subdivision. Bhubanchandra received education mainly at a missionary school. He had to support himself from a very tender age. He took the job of a third-teacher at a government-aided school of Baruipur after finishing his school education.'

Bhubanchandra was outstanding among those prose writers and translators who had enriched the stock of Bangla language and literature towards the end of 19th century. He had a great skill in translation. His tireless writings added local flavour to foreign fictions for the Bangali readers.

Many of Bhuabanchandra's poems were published in the daily Paridarshan edited by kaliprasanna singha. He was appointed assistant editor of the daily in 1862. However, Kaliprasanna Singha stopped publication of the daily within a short time, mainly because it did not receive favour from the readership. But he was disposed favourably towards Bhubanchandra, whom he kept with him with the assurance that he would find a good job for Bhuban. After publication of the first volume of Hutom Pyanchar Naksha, Bhubanchandra once again got the patronisation of Khaliprasanina Singha. . After two year, he himself published a social sketch titled 'Samaj Koochitra' based on the ideals of Kaliprasanna's 'Hutom'. He dedicated the book to the 'Honourable Hutom', who was an unparalleled bastion of courage'. Although published with a pseudonym, it was the first published book of Bhubanchandra. Later, he discharged the responsibility of assistant editor of the periodical Somprakash Patra. It was probably in 1868 that he joined as assistant editor of Sangbad Prabhakar. He worked in that position for long 22 years. Alongside, he edited two monthly magazines Bidusak '(1870) and Purnashashi (1873). He got the job of editor of weekly Basumati (1896) in 1897. He transferred that responsibility to Panchkari Bandopadhyay in 1898 and moved on to the book publishing department of 'Basumati'. But he did not detach himself fully from the editorial section. Besides, he worked as the editor of a few issues of monthly Janmabhumi during 1309 BS (volume 11), which was first published in 1900. Many of his poems, stories and essays were published in that periodical.

Bhubanchandra has left his marks of distinction in many branches of Bangla literature. These include poetry, stories-novels, social sketches, satires, history, biography, travelogues, etc. His notable books were: Samaj Koochitra (1865), Tumi Ki Amar (novel, 1873-79), Modhu-Bilap (unrhymed poetry, 1873), Rahashya-Mukur (novel, 1883), Thakurpo (mockery, 1886), Tumi Ke (unrhymed poetry, 1887), Bankimbabur Guptakatha (novel, part-1, 1890; part-2, 1947), Guptachar (detective novel, 1898), Mahadever Maduli (satire), Ramkrishna-Charitamrita (1901), Chandramukhi (detective story, 1902), Dharmaraj (pictorial social-mystery, 1909). Bhubanchandra died in Kolkata on 18 July 1916. [Shamima Akhter]