Madan Mohan Tarkalankar

Infobox Person
name = Madan Mohan Tarkalankar


image_size =
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birth_date = 1817
birth_place = Bilwagram, Nadia
death_date = 9 March 1858
death_place = Kolkata
occupation = Poet, Sanskrit scholar
spouse =

Madan Mohan Tarkalankar ( _bn. মদন মোহন তর্কালঙ্কার) was a Bengali poet and Sanskrit scholar. He also developed Bengali text-books for children. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Akshay Kumar Datta and Tarkalankar were the first “to envisage texts that would build the character of the new generation without sacrificing literary sensitivity. Virtually, the entire mental make-up of the late nineteenth century Bengali society was structured through these text books.” [ Majumdar, Swapan, "Literature and Literary Life in Old Calcutta", in "Calcutta, the Living City", Vol I, edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, pp112-113, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0195636961.]

Early life

The son of Ramdhan Chattopadhyay of Bilwagram in Nadia district, he was a class-mate of Ishwar Chandra Vidysagar at Sanskrit College, Kolkata, and later studied at Hindu College. He was conferred the title of "Kabyaratnakar" by his teachers and professors because of his exceptional poetic talents. His friends conferred the title of "Tarkalankar". Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), 1976/1998, "Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan" (Biographical dictionary) Vol I, Bn icon, p391, ISBN 8185626650 ]

While still a student he composed two volumes of poetry, namely "Rasatarangini" and "Vidyaratna".

Achievements

He taught at Fort William College and Krishnanagar College, before joining Sanskrit College, as professor of literature in 1846. He went to Mushidabad as judge-pandit in 1855 and was promoted as deputy magistrate in 1855. He established a printing press in Kolkata and published many old Bengali and Sanskrit books.. "Basabdatta" is one of his important works.

Bethune’s school

In the 19th century, the educated elite or middle class did not send their daughters to school. John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune first achieved success in this respect with the support of Dakshinaranjan Mukherjee, Ramgopal Ghosh and Madan Mohan Tarkalankar. He also wrote the first modern Bengali primer, "Sishu Siksha"(completed in three parts), for the school, and his two daughters (Kundamala and Bhubanmala) were amongst the first students of the school. [ Acharya, Paramesh, "Education in Old Calcutta", in "Calcutta, the Living City", Vol I, edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, p87, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0195636961.] He taught in the school without any remuneration.

References

Persondata
NAME=Madan Mohan Tarkalankar
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Poet, Sanskrit scholar
DATE OF BIRTH=1817
PLACE OF BIRTH=Bilwagram, Nadia district, West Bengal, India
DATE OF DEATH=9 March 1858
PLACE OF DEATH=Kolkata