This is my first article, written for my quaterly school magazine. I don't think the editorial board will accept it - the students are only interested in ' Let's Laugh', 'Results of Painting Competition', and 'Solve this Puzzle'.

Bengali Renaissance
In 1814, Raja Ram Mohan Roy came to Bengal to fulfil his literary ambitions. He established ‘Atiyo Sova’ (Club of Kins) in 1815, and started an Amitya Sabha - a philosophical discussion circle to debate monotheistic Hindu Vedantism and like subjects. He also formed Brahmo Samaj, and tried to instigated radical ideas in people. He opposed the custom of suttee, the act of burning the widow alive on her husband’s funeral pyre. His radical views and revolutionary ideas triggered off a spark what would later turn into the fire of Bengal Renaissance.

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, who was a frequent contributor to Roy’s Atiyo Sova, brought drastic changes in the Bengali alphabet; he made it more rational and simple. When he discarded the teachings of Vedanta and Samkhya, calling them “false systems of philosophy”, he drew in a lot of hostility from Sanskrit scholars. In the Sanskrit College, he debated that western philosophy – Fancis Bacon, John Stuart Mill – should be introduced in the syllabus. He was adamant on his decision till the end, and finally, won over his peers.
Shortly after his death, Rabindra Nath Tagore reverently wrote about him: "One wonders how God, in the process of producing forty million Bengalis, produced a man!" The influence of Vidyasagar over Rabindra Nath Tagore was persisting.
Despites its prominent achievements, the rising world of Bengali literature was fairly unknown in the West; this was changed by Rabindra Nath Tagore. He drew notable praises from the likes of Ezra Pound and W.B. Yeats. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1913 and Knighthood in 1915. He traveled all over the world, spreading the knowledge of Bengali culture and art.
The aftermaths of Bengali Renaissance on cinema were profound. Bimal Roy made Do Bigha Zamin, a neo-realistic movie based on the plight of farmers; it paved way for future cinema makers in the neo-realist movement, which was to start in the 70’s. Inspired by Italian neo-realism, his peer Satyajit Ray made Pather Panchali. The movie was made on a shoestring budget by new-comers, was included in The Village Voice’s list of the greatest movies ever made. Ray is often considered to be the greatest Indian director, a fact which can be justified when mentioned that he won an Academy Award in 1992.
Music was also a part of this Renaissance, though on a smaller scare. A popular name to have come out it is Pandit Ravi Shankar. He collaborated with the Beatles, Satyajit Ray and many other famous names, winning three Grammy Awards and fourteen honorary degrees.

These geniuses collaborated with national and international names and reached the masses. But they remained faithful to their native land, working in Bengali as well as other languages. Bengal still produces geniuses, but unfortunately, they no more work or live in Bengal. To ‘make their work known to the world’ they leave their native land, and work in other languages. The irony is that they leave by will but express nostalgia over it to the media. Are they to blame?
The truth is slightly different than what it appears: it is we to blame. We Indians have never valued true art. The West gives them better prospects, and their leaving Bengal is justified. When we go to a book shop, we pick up the latest Campus Fiction book written by someone fed up of his monotonous post-IIT life; but none of us look at the small book kept in the corner titled ‘Gitanjali’. If we are planning to buy some DVD’s this summer, how many of them are going to by Ray’s black and white masterpieces? How many of you knew there was a movie called Do Bigha Zameen or Pather Panchali ever made in India?
We may become the ‘superpower’ by 2030 – as some people predicted –, produce dozens of billionaires every year, take over all high-paid jobs in the West, but when it comes to admiring art and valuing intellectuals, the future of India seems a bit bleak. Art is a sphere where we can’t expect to win over the West.