CHITTA RANJAN Sukumar Ranjan Das _Price--12 annas._ Printed by the METCALFE PRESS 72, Boloram Ds St., Calcutta. * * * * * Dedication To The Sacred Memory of Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, The Prophet of Nationalism in India, This Life of a Noble son of Mother India is humbly dedicated CALCUTTA, } _December, 1921_. } SUKUMAR RANJAN DAS. * * * * * CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. Family connections and early life, 1 CHAPTER II. Choice of profession and career as a lawyer, 9 CHAPTER III. Chitta Ranjan's contributions to Bengali Literature, 16 CHAPTER IV. Chitta Ranjan in his private life, 19 CHAPTER V. Chitta Ranjan as a symbol of Neo-Hinduism, 26 CHAPTER VI. Chitta Ranjan's patriotism, 30 CHAPTER VII. Chitta Ranjan as a politician, 46 CHAPTER VIII. Chitta Ranjan's part in the Non-co-operation, 55 * * * * * CHITTA RANJAN CHAPTER I. Family Connections and Early Life. Encircled by the rivers Padma and Meghna lies the famous land of Bikrampur, once the pride of Eastern Bengal and the cynasure of the whole of Hindusthan. In its days of prosperity it not only supplied many fashionable articles of fine taste to the people of the East but also attracted scholars from all parts of India as it was then one of the greatest centres of culture of the Hindus. Round the land of Bikrampur sailed down the river Padma many a vessel loaded with merchandise when in its palmy days it carried on trade with Ceylon, Sumatra and Arabia. * * * * * In this land of learning and culture was born the great Brahmin prince Silavadra who was the teacher of the Chinese traveller Hiant-Chuang. It is this Bikrampur which can claim to be the birth-place of Dipankar Srignan, the great teacher of atheism. Here was also born Biravadra, the highest prelate of the famous Buddhist Temple at Nalanda. Lastly towards the beginning and end of the nineteenth century many a noble son of Bikrampur played a great part in the religious reform of the Brahmo Samaj and in the national awakening of the Swadeshi days.