Ramendra Sundar Tribedi
Ramendra Sundar Tribedi: A forgotten polymath
Durga Das held out the envelope to his brother, “Here’s a letter for you”.
Ramendra Sundar read the letter & kept it aside.
A curious Durga Das asked, “What is it about?”
“Oh nothing”, Ramendra Sundar said stoically, evidently wishing to brush the matter off, as if the splendour of the setting winter sun of December 1918, interested him more.
But Durga Das insisted on reading the letter & cried out in joy, “The Bharat Dharma Mahamandal of Varanasi has conferred the title of Vidyasagar on you…what an honour!”
A quite irritated Ramendra Sundar uttered, “There has been & can only be one Vidyasagar…Iswar Chandra…& what an idea!”
Ramendra Sundar Tribedi, born on 22 August, 1864, in Kandi, Murshidabad, is a forgotten polymath of the Bengal Renaissance. Even a cursory glance at his life never fails to amaze us. He had always been a meritorious student & always stood first in every exam, except one. When he stood first in the whole of Bengal in the Entrance Exams from Kandi English School (1882), he travelled straight to Calcutta to touch the feet of Vidyasagar, as was his ardent wish. Vidyasagar of course, was delighted to receive such a brilliant student from the very school he had helped to set up in Kandi. More so because he had been a family friend & had practically seen the boy grow up in front of his eyes. Ramendra Sundar was admitted to the Presidency College, from where he stood second (the only time in his life) in FA. But not the one to give up, he again stood first both in B.A. Honours in Physics & Chemistry (1886) & in M.A. in Physics (1887). After that he won the prestigious Premchand Roychand Scholarship (1888), with Physics & Chemistry as his main subjects. Eventually he became a very successful professor in Ripon College (1892) & later the Principal of Ripon College in 1903, a position he held till death, & also of Surendranath Law College in Calcutta. He was reverentially known as ‘Acharya’. But what he is remembered for is his books on varied subjects, showcasing his versatile talent & vast knowledge. He wrote on a variety of themes including popular science & the philosophy of science. His commitment was to share with everyone the fun, delight & ecstasy of science, especially the themes & findings of modern western science. He did this by simplifying the alien scientific jargon into simple comprehensive terms. He found examples from mythology, folklore & local traditions. He interspersed his prose with humour & domesticated them to the genre of adda of a Bengali middle-class ‘bhadralok’. He had extensive knowledge of linguistics, eastern & western philosophy, science, the Vedas & folklore. He began his literary career with articles published in the magazines Nabajiban, Sadhana & Bharati. As one of the best products of the Bengal Renaissance, his liberal thinking was manifest in his works. His major works include Prakriti (1896; a compilation on science), Banga Lakshmir Bratakatha (1905; patriotic piece in protest against the Partition of Bengal), Jigyasa (1906; a compilation on Philosopy), Aitareya Brahmana (1912; a part of Rig Veda), Karmakatha (1913), Charitrakatha (1913), Bichitra Jagat (1913), Shabda Katha (1917), Bichitra Prasanga (Part 1 in 1914 & Part 2 posthumously in 1927). His writings have been included in the school & college curriculum of West Bengal & Bangladesh. But, his activities were not confined to writing books & articles alone. The Bangiya Sahitya Parishad was established at his initiative in 1894, with a goal to promote Bengali literature. He edited the journal of the Parishad called ‘Bangiya Sahitya Parishad Patrika’ for two terms from 1899-1903 & 1917-1918. He was also elected its President in 1919.
Ramendra Sundar’s vast erudition spilled over to his sense of patriotism too. The British Government had passed the orders for the Partition of Bengal in August 1905. It came into effect on October 16, 1905, & Rabindranath chose that very day to hold the Raksha Bandhan Utsav in protest against the Partition of Bengal by Lord Curzon. Following Rabindranath’s call, hundreds of Hindus & Muslims in Calcutta, Dhaka & Sylhet came out in large numbers to tie the threads of Rakhi, as a symbol of unity. Rabindranath, along with his followers, tied Rakhi on the wrists of every person they met on the streets, irrespective of whether they were Hindus or Muslims, & hugged them. He was trying to spread the message of communal harmony & a feeling of united Bengali brotherhood. Ramendra Sundar went off to Kandi & did his bit in earnest. He declared the day of protest as the day of ‘Arandhan’ (a day when no food is to be cooked) & the whole of Kandi followed suit. He read out Banga Lakshmir Bratakatha in front of a huge congregation of Hindus & Muslims, sitting in a Vishnu temple adjoining his house. Large processions of protests on the streets were enough to send the sleepy local administration into a tizzy. It was a huge lesson in communal unity for the backward area & on that day, Ramendra Sundar was successful in igniting the flame of patriotism in his very hearth, which went on to become a considerable force to be reckoned with, in the succeeding years.
Rabindranath had received news from Ramendra Sundar that he desired to meet the poet but could not come down to Jorasanko as he was ill. So, the poet decided to pay him a visit. He had quite not expected what he saw. Ramendra Sundar was lying in bed, barely conscious. He sat down quietly on a chair beside the bed. After a while, Ramendra Sundar requested Rabindranath in a faint voice, “Could you please stand on the chair?”
A very surprised Rabindranath asked, “Why?”
“I would like to touch your feet”.
A very embarrassed Rabindranath said, “Why would you touch my feet? You’re such a great man”.
A look of sadness clouded his face & Ramendra Sundar answered, “Yes, that’s true…why would you let me? You’re as bright & incomparable as the mid-day sun”.
Rabindranath did not have the heart to refuse the man after this & he indeed stood on the chair while Ramendra Sundar stretched out his hand & touched his feet in reverence. While Rabindranath departed, he intuitively felt that the end was very near. A few moments after the poet’s departure, Ramendra Sundar slipped into a coma, from which he never recovered.
Ramendra Sundar read the letter & kept it aside.
A curious Durga Das asked, “What is it about?”
“Oh nothing”, Ramendra Sundar said stoically, evidently wishing to brush the matter off, as if the splendour of the setting winter sun of December 1918, interested him more.
But Durga Das insisted on reading the letter & cried out in joy, “The Bharat Dharma Mahamandal of Varanasi has conferred the title of Vidyasagar on you…what an honour!”
A quite irritated Ramendra Sundar uttered, “There has been & can only be one Vidyasagar…Iswar Chandra…& what an idea!”
Ramendra Sundar Tribedi, born on 22 August, 1864, in Kandi, Murshidabad, is a forgotten polymath of the Bengal Renaissance. Even a cursory glance at his life never fails to amaze us. He had always been a meritorious student & always stood first in every exam, except one. When he stood first in the whole of Bengal in the Entrance Exams from Kandi English School (1882), he travelled straight to Calcutta to touch the feet of Vidyasagar, as was his ardent wish. Vidyasagar of course, was delighted to receive such a brilliant student from the very school he had helped to set up in Kandi. More so because he had been a family friend & had practically seen the boy grow up in front of his eyes. Ramendra Sundar was admitted to the Presidency College, from where he stood second (the only time in his life) in FA. But not the one to give up, he again stood first both in B.A. Honours in Physics & Chemistry (1886) & in M.A. in Physics (1887). After that he won the prestigious Premchand Roychand Scholarship (1888), with Physics & Chemistry as his main subjects. Eventually he became a very successful professor in Ripon College (1892) & later the Principal of Ripon College in 1903, a position he held till death, & also of Surendranath Law College in Calcutta. He was reverentially known as ‘Acharya’. But what he is remembered for is his books on varied subjects, showcasing his versatile talent & vast knowledge. He wrote on a variety of themes including popular science & the philosophy of science. His commitment was to share with everyone the fun, delight & ecstasy of science, especially the themes & findings of modern western science. He did this by simplifying the alien scientific jargon into simple comprehensive terms. He found examples from mythology, folklore & local traditions. He interspersed his prose with humour & domesticated them to the genre of adda of a Bengali middle-class ‘bhadralok’. He had extensive knowledge of linguistics, eastern & western philosophy, science, the Vedas & folklore. He began his literary career with articles published in the magazines Nabajiban, Sadhana & Bharati. As one of the best products of the Bengal Renaissance, his liberal thinking was manifest in his works. His major works include Prakriti (1896; a compilation on science), Banga Lakshmir Bratakatha (1905; patriotic piece in protest against the Partition of Bengal), Jigyasa (1906; a compilation on Philosopy), Aitareya Brahmana (1912; a part of Rig Veda), Karmakatha (1913), Charitrakatha (1913), Bichitra Jagat (1913), Shabda Katha (1917), Bichitra Prasanga (Part 1 in 1914 & Part 2 posthumously in 1927). His writings have been included in the school & college curriculum of West Bengal & Bangladesh. But, his activities were not confined to writing books & articles alone. The Bangiya Sahitya Parishad was established at his initiative in 1894, with a goal to promote Bengali literature. He edited the journal of the Parishad called ‘Bangiya Sahitya Parishad Patrika’ for two terms from 1899-1903 & 1917-1918. He was also elected its President in 1919.
Ramendra Sundar’s vast erudition spilled over to his sense of patriotism too. The British Government had passed the orders for the Partition of Bengal in August 1905. It came into effect on October 16, 1905, & Rabindranath chose that very day to hold the Raksha Bandhan Utsav in protest against the Partition of Bengal by Lord Curzon. Following Rabindranath’s call, hundreds of Hindus & Muslims in Calcutta, Dhaka & Sylhet came out in large numbers to tie the threads of Rakhi, as a symbol of unity. Rabindranath, along with his followers, tied Rakhi on the wrists of every person they met on the streets, irrespective of whether they were Hindus or Muslims, & hugged them. He was trying to spread the message of communal harmony & a feeling of united Bengali brotherhood. Ramendra Sundar went off to Kandi & did his bit in earnest. He declared the day of protest as the day of ‘Arandhan’ (a day when no food is to be cooked) & the whole of Kandi followed suit. He read out Banga Lakshmir Bratakatha in front of a huge congregation of Hindus & Muslims, sitting in a Vishnu temple adjoining his house. Large processions of protests on the streets were enough to send the sleepy local administration into a tizzy. It was a huge lesson in communal unity for the backward area & on that day, Ramendra Sundar was successful in igniting the flame of patriotism in his very hearth, which went on to become a considerable force to be reckoned with, in the succeeding years.
Rabindranath had received news from Ramendra Sundar that he desired to meet the poet but could not come down to Jorasanko as he was ill. So, the poet decided to pay him a visit. He had quite not expected what he saw. Ramendra Sundar was lying in bed, barely conscious. He sat down quietly on a chair beside the bed. After a while, Ramendra Sundar requested Rabindranath in a faint voice, “Could you please stand on the chair?”
A very surprised Rabindranath asked, “Why?”
“I would like to touch your feet”.
A very embarrassed Rabindranath said, “Why would you touch my feet? You’re such a great man”.
A look of sadness clouded his face & Ramendra Sundar answered, “Yes, that’s true…why would you let me? You’re as bright & incomparable as the mid-day sun”.
Rabindranath did not have the heart to refuse the man after this & he indeed stood on the chair while Ramendra Sundar stretched out his hand & touched his feet in reverence. While Rabindranath departed, he intuitively felt that the end was very near. A few moments after the poet’s departure, Ramendra Sundar slipped into a coma, from which he never recovered.