User:Smiti Majumdar

= Nalini Mohan Sanyal = Dr Nalini Mohan Sanyal (19 October 1861 - 4 July 1951) was a distinguished educationist, a versatile littérateur and a linguist versed in at least nine languages. He was a person whose interest spilled over his initial subject of expertise in Botany to almost all branches of learning. He developed a special liking to linguistics. He dissected the structure of all the languages he knew and made pioneering contributions to the field.

Family
Dr Sanyal was born in a Barendra Brahmin family (a division of Brahmins in Bengal) at Santipur, an ancient seat of culture and a famous religious centre in the district of Nadia in the undivided Bengal (now West Bengal) in India on 19 October 1861. He was the third son of Harimohun and Prasannamayee Sanyal. His father, Harimohun was the first to have introduced learning of English in the family. His two elder brothers were Kishorimohun Sanyal and Pyarimohun Sanyal.

Life
Nalini Mohan was sent to Aligarh when he was a boy. He received his secondary education in Aligarh, Agra and in Delhi. Nalini Mohan became proficient in Hindi and Urdu when he was in his teens. He completed his Bachelors degree from Metropolitan Institution under Calcutta University. He completed his MA in Botany from the same University in 1885.

Nalini Mohan was directly appointed as head master of government schools and served at the government secondary schools at various locations in West Bengal, namely, Taki, Barrackpore and Krishnagar and in Patna, namely, Gaya and Hazaribagh. He was later appointed as a member of the Indian Education Service and served as the Inspector of Schools. He retired from government service in 1918.

After retiring from government service he took up assignments as the head master in some of the well-known schools in Calcutta. He was the Head Master of Oriental Seminary, Shri Visuddhananda Saraswati Vidyalaya and South Suburban Main School at Calcutta in brief spells till 1926. He also served at University of Calcutta as a visiting Lecturer for seven years.

During his years of service Nalini Mohan intermittently published his works in Hindi journals of repute. After his retirement from the government service he devoted all his time and energy to linguistic study and writing. He mastered several trans-Indian oriental languages such as Arabic and Persian, Dravidian languages such as Tamil and European languages such as French, German and also Greek. He intensively studied several Hindi dialects such as Maithili, Bhojpuri, Marwari and analyzed their structure and grammar.

When Hindi was introduced as a language for the post-graduate course of study at the University of Calcutta, at the initiative of Vice Chancellor Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee, Nalini Mohan ranked first in the examination in 1921. At the time, University of Calcutta was the only university with a post-graduate course in Hindi. Nalini Mohan was thus the first M.A. in Hindi.

Nalini Mohan passed away on 4 July 1951 at Santipur, West Bengal, his place of birth.

Works
Nalini Mohan wrote on a variety of subjects in Hindi. One of his landmark contributions in the language was a book on comparative philology in Hindi—the first such treatise in the language entitled “Tulanamoolak Bhasa-vijnan ki Upakramanika”. The book was prescribed as a text book to post-graduate students in Hindi in University of Allahabad for several years.

One of his most significant contributions was his translation of “Kural”—considered by Tamils in South India as sacred as the Vedas—to Bengali. The Bengali translation of this Tamil classic on ethics was published in 1937.

His second outstanding contribution was a linguistic analysis of Bihar dialects. The research document titled “Bihari Bhasaon Ki Utpatti aur Vikas” was submitted as a doctoral thesis to University of Calcutta when Nalini Mohan was 82 years old. He received his doctoral degree in 1942. He was also the first to receive a doctoral degree in Hindi from the University of Calcutta.

Nalini Mohun started writing more in Bengali than Hindi in his later years. His work “Bharatbarshe Lipi-Vidyar Vikas” on development of epigraphy in India in Bengali was published from the University of Calcutta. It was also a pioneering work. He wrote two novels in Bengali based on historical anecdotes-“Subhadrangi” and “Kannaki”. Subhadrangi was based on the life of the wife of Ashoka the Great while theme of Kannaki was drawn from a Tamil classic “Silappatikaram”.

In English his major contribution was “Mira Bai”. It contains a faithful account of the life of the great woman mystic with a discourse on her Bhajans (devotional songs).

Nalini Mohan's prose was simple and lucid. He was one of the pioneers who wrote in Sanskrit-word (tatsama shabda) dominated Hindi which is recognized as the standard national language in India.

The other significant contributions of Nalini Mohun, besides the ones mentioned in the preceding, are stated below.

Books

 * Samalochana Tattwa, Kavya Rahasya, Kala Tattwa and Rahasys-bad Tattwa (published by Lala Ramnarayan Lal, Allahabad)
 * Bhakta Shiromani Makabi Surdas (--do--)
 * Uchchavisayak Lekhmala (--do-- one copy is available with Sh Tapobrata Sanyal)
 * Mohan Mala-Chhoti Galpen (published by the Indian Press, Allahabad)

Articles

 * Iswar ka Astitwa-visayak Sahaj Jnan (published from “Kalyan”, Gorakhpur)
 * Nabadwipa (published in “Saraswati”, January 1931)
 * Abahan (published in “Saraswati”, September 1931)
 * Bastu Jagat aur Bhava Jagat (published in “Saraswati”)
 * Charitra (published in ‘Sudha”, July 1936)
 * Prakrita Bhasa (published in “Madhuri”)
 * Sanskrita Bhasa (published in “Madhuri”)
 * Hindi Bhasa par Farsi aur Arbi Shabdon ka Prabhava (published in “Madhuri” March 1924)
 * Kirtilata (published in “Madhuri”)
 * Vidyapati—(Two separate articles –one published in “Madhuri” and the other in “Lekhamala”, Muzaffarpur)
 * Jivon ka Vivartan (published in “Saraswati”, January 1924)
 * Jiva ki Nityata (published in “Madhuri”)
 * Nri-Vijnana (published in “Madhuri”)
 * Jada Vijnan ka Navin Rupa (published in ‘Sudha”)
 * Apekshikatavada (published in “Saraswati”)
 * Padarthon ka Mula Tattwa (published in ‘Sudha”)
 * Kural (published in “Saraswati”)
 * Dasharatha Jataka (published in “Vina”)
 * Rabindranath ke Kavyo men Atindriyata (published in “Utthan, Raipur-1st Number)
 * Samasya-mulak Sarasa Sahitya (published in “Vina”)
 * Shakti Parichaya (published in “Akarshana”, Delhi)
 * Rabindranath Thakur (“Koshotsav” Memorial volume of Kashi Nagri Pracharini Sabha)
 * Suradas ka Kavya aur Siddhanta (Dwivedi Memorial volume of Kashi Nagri Pracharini Sabha)

Books

 * Srishti Rahasya –out of print
 * Vaidik o Paranik Alochana-not traceable
 * Alochana o Kalpana- not traceable
 * Bhakta-pravar Maha Kavi Surdas-not available
 * Mahatma raja Rammohan Roy-out of print
 * Vividha Prasanga- out of print
 * Vaijnanik Rahasya-out of print
 * Greek Upakhyan Mala- not traceable
 * Bankim Pratibha- out of print
 * Vanir Charane Antim Arghya- out of print. The introduction of this book was written by Hirendranath Datta, a philosopher of renown.

Some of his Bengali books are available with his grandson Tapobrata Sanyal.

On the occasion of his 150th birthday in 2011 AD, his book "Kural" has been reprinted.

A musical CD (by Bihaan Music) has been dedicated in his memory at the initiative of Santipur Ragini- a voluntary organization engaged in nurturing local musical talents.

Dr Nalini Mohan Memorial Lecture was delivered by Prof Subhas Bhattacharya at a function organized at Santipur on 11 & 12 September 2010. The function was presided over by ex-Chief Justice of Kolkata & Mumbai High Courts, Sri Chittatosh Mukhopadhyaya.

Sri Tapobrata Sanyal (grand son of Nalini Mohan Sanyal) spoke on his life and achievements at the function.