Mitra, Rai Bahadur Dinabandhu

Mitra, Rai Bahadur Dinabandhu (1830-1873) a drama actor, was born in 1830 in Chouberia in Nadia, and was the son of Kalachand Mitra. His family name was Gandharva Narayan, but he changed it to Dinabandhu Mitra.

Dinabandhu Mitra's education began in the village pathshala. His father arranged for him to work in the mainland (1840). But he was too young to manage a job at a local restaurant, but he was too old to run away from home. He fled to Kolkata, where he started working at the house of his uncle, Nilmani Mitra. About 1846, he was admitted to a free school run by james long. Dinabandhu proved to be an outstanding student and won a scholarship. In 1850, he enrolled in a Hindu college and was awarded a scholarship for academic excellence. However, he did not appear in his final examination, and, instead, began working as a postmaster at Patna (1855). He has held various positions at the Post Office in Nadia, Dhaka and Orissa.

Mitra Rai Bahadur Dinabandhu

In 1870, he was made superintendent of Calcutta. In 1872, he joined the Indian Railway as an explorer.

Dinabandhu started writing in college. Inspired by ishwar chandra gupta, she began writing poems that were published in various journals. His poems attracted the attention of intellectuals, but his favorite genre was drama. His work in the post office brought him to various parts of the country where he met people from all walks of life. This experience was used in his games. Among his poetic books are Suradhuni Kavya (first part 1877, second part 1876), Dvadash Kavita (1872). His plays include Nildurpun (1860), Nabin Tapasvini (1863), Biye Pagla Budo (1866), Sadhabar Ekadashi (1866), Lilavati (1867), Jamai Barik (1872), Kamale Kamini (1873), and Jamalaye Jibanta Manus. He also wrote a novel entitled Poda Mahehshvar.

Dinabandhu, however, is best known for his Nildurpun game, which exposed the pressures of indigo farmers at the hands of indigo growers. Michael Madhusudan dutt translated the play into English and Pastor James published it for a long time, which is a 'case' when Long was fined. While playing the game, iswar chandra vidyasagar was emotionally disturbed by her impersonation. Bankimchandra chattopadhyay compared Nildurpun with Uncle Tom's Cabin for its role in raising public awareness of the evils of indigo landscapes. Dinabandhu was awarded by the British government the title 'Rai Bahadur' for the services rendered in the battle of Lushai. She died on November 1, 1873. [Badiuzzaman]