# Hemchandra Bandyopadhyay

Hemchandra Bandyopadhyay (Bengali: হেমচন্দ্র বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়, romanized: Hēmacandra bandyōpādhyāẏa, April 17, 1838 – May 24, 1903) was a Bengali poet who contributed to the tradition of Bengali epic poetry. A student of Hindu College and a graduate of the University of Calcutta, he was among the poets succeeding Michael Madhusudan Dutt.

## Birth and early life

Hemchandra Bandyopadhyay was born in Gulita Village, near Rajbalhat. He was the eldest of four brothers and two sisters. His father, Kailashchandra Bandyopadhyay, faced financial difficulties. Kailashchandra married Anandamayi, the daughter of Rajchandra Chakraborty, a solicitor of the Kolkata court. After the death of Hemchandra's grandfather, the family's financial situation worsened, leading to the interruption of Hemchandra's education at Khidirpur Bangla School in Kolkata. However, in 1853, Prasannakumar Sarvadhikari, the principal of the Kolkata Sanskrit College, helped him secure admission into the senior school division of Hindu College in Kolkata, where he enrolled in the second standard. In 1855, Hemchandra placed second in the Junior Scholarship Examination. That same year, he married Kamini Devi. In 1857, he achieved fourth place in the Senior Scholarship Examination. When the scholarship tenure ended during his fourth-year studies, Hemchandra was forced to discontinue his education.

## Professional life

In 1859, Hemchandra began his career as a clerk in the Military Audit Office. Later, he transitioned to academia, serving as the headmaster of the Calcutta Training Academy. After earning his LLB degree in 1861, he commenced his legal practice at the Calcutta High Court. In 1862, he was appointed as a Munsif (a junior judicial officer). However, within a few months, he returned to practicing law at the High Court and completed his Bachelor of Laws (B.L.) degree in 1866. In April 1890, he was appointed as a government pleader.

## Poetry and literary pursuits

Hemchandra's first collection of poems was Chintatarangini (1861). He is known for the Vrittasamhara (The Slaying of Vritra), published in two volumes between 1875 and 1877. In July 1872, his poem Bharat Sangeet (The Song of India) was published in the Education Gazette, drawing attention from the colonial government. Through other works such as Bharatbilap (The Lament for India), Kalachakra (The Wheel of Time), Ripan Utsav (The Ripon Festival), Bharater Nidravanga (India's Awakening), Ganga (The Ganges), and Janmabhumi (The Motherland), Hemchandra wrote on themes of national identity. His other works include:
* Chintatarangini (1861) – his debut poetry collection
* Birbahu (1864)
* Ashakanan (1876)
* Sangarupaka Kabya
* Chhayamayi (1880)
* Bibidha Kavita (Various Poems, 1300 Bangla Year)
* Dash Mahavidya (The Ten Great Wisdoms, 1882)

## Short poems

* Jiban Sangeet (The Song of Life) – A philosophical adaptation of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's's A Psalm of Life
* Bharat Sangeet (The Song of India).
* Bharat Bilap (The Lament for India).
* Gangar Utpatti (The Origin of the Ganges).
* Padmer Mrinal (The Lotus Stem).
* Bharat Kahini (The Tale of India).
* Ashoktaru
* Kulin Kanyaganer Akhep (The Lament of Aristocratic Daughters)

## Death

Near the end of his life, Hemchandra lived in poverty and was nearly blind. On May 24, 1903, he died in Khidirpur, Kolkata.