PROMOTHO NATH BISI

Pramathanath Bishi was born in to an aristocratic family on 11th June in 1901 (28th Joistha 1308, according to the Bengali calendar). This momentous event in the history of Bengali literature took place in a village called Joari, in Natore sub-division of Rajshahi district of present day Bangladesh. The proud father was Nalininath Bishi and the mother, Sarojini Devi. Pramathanath spent the first nine years of his life at the place of his birth before leaving for Santiniketan to study.

Although Nalininath was a zamindar (feudal landlord), he was more inclined towards patriotism than administering his estate. He joined the nationalist movement and was even imprisoned by the British. This strong, determined and free-willed son of Bengal was famous as a selfless freedom fighter. Because of her husband's indifference to material and financial matters, Sarojini Devi had to face considerable difficulties at times. But it must be admitted that Nalininath's courage and indomitable spirit sowed the seeds of a strong personality in Pramathanath.

Pramathanath went to study at Santiniketan at the tender age of nine. . His father chose Santiniketan 'Abode of Peace' as the school for his two sons - Pramathanath and Prafulla- on the advice of Akshay Kumar Mitra because Nalininath had more faith in the Indian system of education than the English one. The far-reaching consequence of this decision was the subsequent blossoming of Pramathanath as a litterateur and a critic. The profound influence of Rabindranath on his life can be attributed to his proximity to the Poet during his years in Shantiniketan. The liberal atmosphere of the institution helped in shaping his character and mentality. The seventeen years that he spent in Shantiniketan are chronicled in his own writing ('Santiniketan and Rabindranath') and in those of others. Pramathanath passed his matriculation and IA from Shantiniketan. Later he graduated with BA degree in English Honours from Rajshahi College. In 1932, he earned his MA in Bengali Honours, ranking First in the first Class from the Calcutta University, with record marks. Even though Pramathanath excelled in most subjects, the one subject that did not appeal to him at all was mathematics. The story goes that, at the age of twelve, he once wrote this prayer on his mathematics answer script: O kind Lord of the World, To me a few marks please grant, Seldom, but at exam time, Such favour do I want. Later, only at the instance of Tagore, was he able to clear his maths exam. The liberal and free climate of Shantiniketan encouraged Pramathanath to try his hand at in several co-curricular activities. His poetic flair came to the fore here when his presumably first venture "Vasant (Spring)" found a place in the hand-written magazine "Shishu". His debut anthology 'Dewali (Diwali)' was published from Shantiniketan in 1923. Tagore himself gave the title. Pramathanath was equally adept in editing and publishing. In fact, the children's magazine "Shishu" was his creation. Later, when a printing press was installed in Shantiniketan, he, along with his classmate Bibhuti Gupto, edited "Budhber", "Viswabharati" etc. As if these activities were not enough, Pramathanath showed great interest in plays too. From a very young age, he was involved in acting in plays. He wrote plays and scripts for Jatra (folk theatre) in the salubrious environment of Shantiniketan. Pramathanath rose to the status of a major playwright on the foundation laid in that haloed (?) seat of learning and culture. The driving force behind Pramathanath's indefatigable enterprise was, of course, Rabindranath Tagore. It was poetry that brought Pramathanath in the presence of Gurudev for the first time. Since that meeting, Pramathanath derived inspiration from Tagore at every step of his development as a luminary in the firmament of Bengali literature. Rabindranath did not show only affection and indulgence towards his favorite pupil. When the occasion warranted, he did not spare him from chastisement. While commenting on an essay written by Pramathanath when he was only ten years old, Tagore wrote: 'I have noticed his talent in writing. But, for goodness sake, don't praise him too much, else the boat will either sink or run aground prematurely.' The pupil, in turn, described his experience with his mentor in the early days of their association thus: 'Did I not get punished at his hands! His scathing criticism used to tear my 'masterpieces' into shreds. After getting home, I would try to lessen the pain through self-congratulation and then return to him within a week, undeterred, clutching a new path-breaking composition to start all over again." Like teacher like student. The wonderful and synergising relationship between these two lasted as long as Rabindranath was alive. Interestingly, Tagore gave immense importance to the criticism and writings of Pramathanath, as is evident from some of the letters written by Tagore to him. "A writer is best-known to the public not for his writing skills as much, but for the ideals he has set-forth and the influence he has had on the reader". And Pramathanath Bisi was one such writer whose literary reach and expanse were commendable for, one, his whole personae brimming with love for humanity, was reflected in all his works and two, his ideologies found favour not only with his contemporaries, but also the generations ahead. In fact, his literary works made him a legend in his own life to inspire people not merely for the purity of his mind and the love for the mankind, but also for values he proclaimed - peace, freedom, and justice on the one hand, religious and ideological harmony on the other. No words can adequately express the extent of the influence he had on the ones intellectually-associated with him for his critical stance on extremism or exploitation of any kind. His contribution to Bengali language, art, culture and literature and his novels and short stories have all been the embodiment of psychological realism, his warm?heartedness and his creativity. Many of his works have already been published, many more still need be the part of Bengal's glorious heritage. It will only be binding on every right-thinking people to spear-head the ideals set-forth by this great human being.

KERI SHAHEBER MUNSUI