Charan Kabi Mukundadas, poet, patriot and a leading figure in the Swadesi movement in Bengal, died on this day. He was 56.
Mukundadas was born Yajneshwar De in Bikrampur, Dhaka. His family migrated to Barisal and settled there. His father was a grocer.
Yajneshwar was a gifted singer from childhood. He showed a fierce independent streak from the start, refusing to pay attention to studies and spending time outdoors. He was a student at freedom fighter Ashwini Kumar Dutta’s Brojomohun School, but dropped out. Dutta then spoke to him, realised his potential and introduced him to the freedom movement.
Yajneshwar learnt kirtan and formed his own group. He also became the disciple of Vaishnav guru Haribolananda and came to be known as Mukundadas.
Charan means a preacher-poet.
During the Swadesi movement, born as a reaction to the Partition of Bengal (1905), Mukundadas, inspired by a speech by Dutta, composed his pala (folk theatre) Matripuja. His group performed this across Bengal and was received with great enthusiasm everywhere. His voice, his presence and the power of his poetry, simple but moving, electrified audiences. The play was banned by the British because of its popularity. Mukundadas was arrested and served a jail term.
Later he settled in Kolkata. His sudden death created a huge gap in the cultural and freedom movements of Bengal.