Jaladhar Sen

Rai Bahadur Jaladhar Sen (13 March 1860 – 15 March 1939) was a Bengali writer, poet, editor, philanthropist, traveler, social worker, educationist, and littérateur. He was awarded the title Ray Bahadur by the British government.

Education and personal life Jaladhar Sen was born in the Kumarkhali village of Nadia District (presently known as Kusthia District of Bangladesh) in a Dakshin-Rarhiya Kayastha family. His family originally hailed from Deganga, North 24 Parganas District of present-day West Bengal (India). His great-grandfather migrated to Kumarkhali to work as a diwan under the East India Company. They were known as "Degangar Sen" (Sens of Deganga). His father, Sri Haladhar Sen, was an eminent person in society. In 1891 he came back from the Himalayas and joined as a teacher in Mahishadal Raj School. He remarried Smt. Haridasi Debi of the Datta family of Usti in 1893. In 1899 he left his teaching job and shifted to Calcutta to explore a new profession - journalism.

Profession

Jaladhar joined বঙ্গবাসী (Bangabasi - a weekly newspaper) as an editorial assistant. Then he joined হিতবাদী (Hitabadi - a weekly newspaper) as an editor and continued till 1907. He left Calcutta for a brief period and worked in the estate of Zamindar of Santosh in Tangail, firstly as a home tutor, and then as manager. Here he had written his travelogue to the Himalayas. In 1911 he came back to Calcutta and joined a government-funded Bengali daily, সুলভ সমাচার (Sulabh Samachar), as editor. In 1913 he joined মাসিক ভারতবর্ষ (Masik Bharatbarsha - a monthly published Bengali compilation) as editor along with Amulyacharan Bidyabhushan, which was published from the house of Gurudas Chattopadhyay in Cornwallis Street, and continued for the next 26 years till he died. He was also associated as editor with newspapers গ্রামবার্তা প্রকাশিকা (Grambarta Prakashija) and বসুমতী (Basumati). This book, later, was included in the list of textbooks for Calcutta University. "Himalaya" was one of the pioneering literary works written in Bengali in the genre of travelogue, with an account of travel to the Himalayas, and contemporary to "Himaranya" written by Swami Ramananda Bharati describing his experience of travel to Kailsh and Manas Sarovar, published during 1901–02 in the Bengali literary magazine সাহিত্য "Sahitya", and followed by several noted Bengali travelogues writers in later years, such as Umaprasad Mukhopadhyay, Shanku Maharaj etc. to popularize travel and expedition to Himalayas in Bengali society and psyche.

Acquaintances, friends, and personalities

Lalan Fakir (Lalan Shah) Jaladhar was acquainted with Lalan Shah (or Lalan Fakir) through his mentor Kangal Harinath (Harinath Majumdar). In his memoirs he wrote:

Kangal Harinath and the Phikir Chand Fakir Movement Harinath Majumdar, alias Kangal Harinath, was a close acquaintance of Haladhar Sen, father of Jaladar. Harinath had remarkable influence in Jaladhar's life, starting from the moment of his birth, when Harinath attributed the name Jaladhar to him. During the 1880s, when Harinath was editing and publishing "Grambarta" from his residence at Kumarkhali village, many young men were attracted to him, and a social group was formed. During this time Akshay Kumar Maitreya proposed the formation of a performing artists' forum (বাউলের দল) with Jaladhar and other close friends to compose and perform "Baul" songs, a form of folk music of Bengal. Akshay Kumar Maitreya, Prafulla Chandra Gangopadhyay with his brother Banwarilal and cousin brother Nagendranath, Jaladhar Sen himself, and many others under the patronage of Harinath formed this group. Collectively they created many Baul songs and used a common pseudonym, ফিকির চাঁদ ফকির (Phikir Chand Fakir), used in the last stanza of most of the songs. Soon the group became very popular, and a devotional movement was observed to be sweeping in many places far and near.

Awards and recognition Jaladhar Sen was awarded the title of রায় বাহাদুর (Ray Bahadur) by the British government in 1929 for his contribution to Bengali literature and social reform. However, he never suppressed his inclination and support for the Indian patriotic movement. He was elected twice as the vice president of the Bangiya Sahitya Parishad. In 1932 Jaladhar Sen was facilitated in a function held in Rammohan Library, presided over by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay