Prabasi

Prabasi (Bengali: প্রবাসী) was a monthly Bengali language literary magazine edited by Ramananda Chatterjee.

Probasi
প্রবাসী
Prabasi magazines, 1st number, 1308 BS
EditorRamananda Chatterjee
Ashutosh Chakroborty (কার্য্যাধ্যহ্ম)
FrequencyMonthly
PublisherIndian press
Year founded1901
CountryBritish India
Based inAllahabad
Kolkata
LanguageBengali

History and profile

Prabasi was founded by Ramananda Chatterjee in 1901 and ran for over 60 years.[1] It published many important Bengali authors, the most significant being Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore who published regularly in it from 1914 until his death.[1] "It is no exaggeration to say that [Tagore's] major creations reached Bengali homes through [Prabasi]."[1] There were over 350 contributors during its existence, including most of the major poet and prose writers of the day.[1] The National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh said "Prabasi's fame remains almost unsurpassed by any other Bengali periodical."[1] From 1901 to 1905 it was published in Allahabad.[2] Then it was headquartered in Kolkata.[2]

When Prabasi first appeared, it pioneered a mix of book excerpts, poetry and one-act plays, alongside reviews and essays.[3] It also included serialized fiction, including Rabindranath Tagore's Gora (1907-1909).[3] It also included articles on history, art, archaeology, sociology, education, literature and literary theories, scientific topics, and travelogues.[1] The magazine was known for its art and illustrations. It was the first ever periodical in Bengali to feature a reproduction of a photograph on its cover purely for the sake of illustration.[4] Prabasi gave the chance to women to prove themselves as writer.[4]

"Prabasi" literally means a "Bengali living outside Bengal",[5] which can be translated as "Exile". Chatterjee wrote in 1903, "In truth, we are Indians first and Bengalis next."[5]

The sister magazine of Prabasi was Modern Review. Because of the initial poor sales of Prabasi, Ramananda Chatterjee launched Modern Review in 1907, targeted to English-speaking Indians.[6] Modern Review was a great success and was read nationwide.[6]

Authors and works

Some of the authors and works featured in the magazine include:

References
  1. Chaudhuri, Indrajit (2012). "Prabasi". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  2. Namia Akhtar (12 February 1919). "Tea advertisements and the ideal woman in 20th-century colonial Bengal". The Daily Star. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  3. Asha Kasbekar (2006). Pop Culture India!: Media, Arts, And Lifestyle. ABC-CLIO. p. 118. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  4. Nantu Acharjya (2016). Women writers in Prabasi, a Bengali periodical: 1901-1920. Partridge India. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  5. Indian Book Reporter, volume 3, pp. 6-7
  6. Partha Mitter (1994). Art and Nationalism in Colonial India, 1850-1922: Occidental Orientations. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.