“I shall come out like a tremendous comet,” Michael Madhusudan Dutt had written in a letter to a friend predicting his own future. 

Did he know that, like a comet, he would burn bright? Did he know that, like a comet, he would fall not long after? Did he know that, like a comet, his brightest days will be very numbered? He must have known because ‘comet’ is the most accurate description of his literary career, and when he fell from grace, like a comet, he didn’t just fall. He crashed hard. 

Born on 25 January 1824, over two hundred years ago, Madhusudan came into this world wanting nothing. Saying that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth will be an understatement, but when it was his time to go, Madhusudan died in worse condition than a homeless person. 

On 29 June 1873, the first rebel poet of Bangla literature died a romantic poet’s death at the age of 49. Today, we remember him and sigh in sorrow, wondering what could have been. 

A man with a vision

Like the great heroes of his writing, Madhusudan was almost like a warrior in training when it came to literature. “Am I not preparing for the great object of embellishing the tongue of my fathers?” he had asked rhetorically as he outlined his daily schedule. 

“6 to 8 Hebrew, 8 to 12 School, 12 to 2 Greek, 2 to 5 Telugu and Sanskrit, 5 to 7 Latin, 7 to 10 English,” Indeed, he was busier than a schoolboy. 

He was a polyglot in every sense of the word. Madhusudan studied English, Bengali, Hebrew, Latin, Greek, Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit and in addition he spoke a few more, including French, Italian, and German. His study of Greek and Latin is heavily reflected in his works. 

Homeric and Virgilian influences are found all over his notable works. He was even inspired by Roman poet Ovid. The Latin and Greek literature and Greco-Roman classics fused in Indian themes in the work of Michael Madhusudan Dutt, something which remains unmatched to this day. It certainly helped that he had an inherent interest in mythology from an early age, and he got the education to further invoke his interest. 

What could have been

While it’s true that Madhusudan Dutt created a revolutionary change in the course of Bangla literature with his immortal Medhnadabadh Kabya (The slaying of Medhnada), his prime lasted for a very short time. 

There remain a number of unfinished works of Michael Madhusudan Dutt, which, if finished, could have enriched Bangla literature even more. Unfortunately, due to his struggles with finances, his inability to make correct decisions based on situations, his short-sightedness in terms of finance and property and his ill health prevented that. 

Rizia, Empress of Inde, is one such example. 

Another one is Singhal Bijay, which was supposed to be another epic after Meghnada Kabya. Because, as Madhusudan wrote in his letter, he saw Meghnadabadh Kabya as an epicling. By the time he was thinking of Singhan Bijay, he had a lot more knowledge, more experience and he was already well-versed in blank verse. So, it would have been quite a piece of work, no doubt. 

Scholars have found few lines at the beginning of Singhal Bijay and a rough plot outlined for the work, but Michael never got past the first few verses. 

He also thought about writing on Muslim histories. Madhusudan mentioned that there are a lot of heroic stories for Muslim writers if anyone wanted to write an epic, and he particularly mentioned the incidents of Karbala. Which later became ‘Bishand Sindhu’ but Madhusudan had thought about it before anyone else. 

Mayakanon is another of his unfinished works, along with Hector Badh. Hector Badh (The slaying of Hector) was a prose retelling of Homer’s Iliad focusing on the slaying of Hector. Like Meghnadabadh, this could have been another revolutionary work, but Madhusudan was very ill by the time he started working on Hector Badh. Similarly, Birangana Kabya was supposed to have a second part that never got to see the light of day either. 

This is a recurring theme in Madhusudan’s life. He used to lose interest easily, and it certainly did not help that he was constantly plagued by financial issues. It’s a wonder that despite the sufferings that he had to endure, he could practise literature at all. 

Only human

The one thing that Madhusudan’s life teaches us is that poet Madhusudan Dutt and man Madhusudan Dutt were two different entities. 

Poet Madhusudan Dutt had all the power in the world. He could write epics that changed the course of Bangla literature. He introduced blank verse that was thought to be impossible in Bangla language, and he revolutionised Bangla natak (drama). In his hands, even Ravana got sympathies. 

Man Madhusudan Dutt was a different persona. He was spendthrift, and he spent more than he earned. He yearned for a luxurious lifestyle, and he was very short-sighted. Which is why even in the peak of his literary prowess and having a stable life, he had decided to go to London to study law. One of the few crucial decisions that are heavily blamed for his early demise. 

Writer Madhusudan was a lover, and he understood the human factor, which is evident in his humanisation of the mythical characters in Meghnadabadh. He understood the pain of separation – as we can see in Birangana Kabya. It’s surprising that this is the same Madhusudan who had abandoned his wife and four children in Madras just a few years before writing these masterpieces. 

Poet Madhusudan was second to none. Human Madhusudan not only suffered his whole life but also made decisions that make it difficult for people to have any sympathy for him. 

Forever an outcast

Madhusudan has always been a rebel. And we know what happens to rebels. 

They are cast out and ostracised. Madhusudan suffered a similar fate. Ever since he made the decision to convert to Christianity, the society turned on Madhusudan. 

It’s true that he made his place in the society with his literary prowess and made sure the society that once shunned him had no choice but to acknowledge him. 

From undesirable to undeniable – Madhusudan returned as the prodigal son of Bangla literature. But even after all he did, he was always an outcast. 

The Hindu society was naturally angry with him for converting. He thought that having a western education and value will ensure his acceptance but he was mistaken. Madhusudan faced racial abuse when studying abroad, and upon his death, it took a lot of convincing before the Christian society even allowed him a place to be buried. 

Today, on his death anniversary, we remember the first rebel with appreciation and lament his early demise. If he had had another few years in his hand, Bangla literature would have been blessed with many works of art that we can only imagine. 

Rest in peace, poet.