Mukhopadhyay, Dhanagopal

Mukhopadhyay, Dhanagopal (1890-1936) poet, writer of children's books, Shawdeshi activist and a propagator of Indian culture in the United States and Europe, was born in Kolkata. His father Kishorilal Mukhopadhyay, was a lawyer and practitioner of music. His elder brothers, Jadugopal and Kshirodgopal, were revolutionaries. It was under their influence that Dhanagopal acquired revolutionary ideas while still in his teens.

Dhanagopal prime concern was how to free his country. In 1908 he left for Japan, ostensibly to study engineering after his Entrance examination but actually to set up a secret society. From there he went to the United States, where he married an American girl, Ethel Ray Duggan, and became an American citizen.

Dhanagopal graduated in comparative literature from Stanford University. On the advice of his brother, Jadugopal, Dhanagopal devoted himself to the task of drawing the sympathy of Americans to India through his writings, all of which are' in English.

Dhanagopal wrote in a variety of genres. His first book, Rajani, is in verse and his second book, Layla Majnu (1916), is a play. The book that created a stir in the western world and made him famous was A Son of Mother India Answers (1928), which he had written in reply to Catherine Mayo's Mother India. Some of his other popular books include The Face of Silence, My Brother's Face, Caste and Outcaste (1923) and Visit India with Me. The Face of Silence (1930) describes the greatness of Ramakrishna. After reading this book, Romain Rolland was inspired to write biographies of Ramakrishna and' swami vivekananda. My Brother's Face describes Jadugopal's revolutionary life, Dhanagopal's own childhood and a variety of family matters. Caste and Outcaste is an autobiography and includes Dhanagopal's description of his struggles abroad to establish himself. Visit India with Me describes different holy places and cities in India.

Dhanagopal also wrote children's books. In 1927 he was awarded the John Newberry prize for Gay Neck. His other books for children include Kari the Elephant, Jungle Beasts and Men, Ghond, The Hunter, Hari, The Jungle Lad, The Chief of the Herd (1929). His Devotional Passages of the Hindu Bible (1929) is a collection of passages from the gita and the upanisads. Dhanagopal's writings reflect his farsightedness, keen insight and spiritualism.

Unfortunately Dhanagopal became mentally sick in later life. In 1936 he committed suicide in New York. [Dulal Bhowmik]