Chandra Shekhar (1875) is a novel by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. Recognized as a pioneering work of Bengali literature with universal romantic themes, Chandra Shekhar is a story that engages with the subjects of marriage, suicide, and heredity in Hindu culture. “On the bank of the Ganges, there was seated a boy under the green mantles of the mango groves, enjoying the evening melody of the flowing Bhagirathi. Under his feet lay, on the green bed of grass, a little girl, casting upon his face her lingering glances―silent and motionless.” Along the banks of the sacred river, two star-crossed lovers count the boats as they pass. Although they love one another, Pratap and Shaibalini cannot marry―they are distant relatives, and such a match is forbidden. Distraught, Pratap proposes they commit suicide together by slipping into the slow, silent water, disappearing in a marriage of death. As his head goes under, Shaibalini begins to have doubts, surfacing just in time to see the gallant Chandra Shekhar dive in to save Pratap. Unaware of his intentions, the older man makes sure the younger is alright, then sets his sights on the lovely Shaibalini. Tragic and timeless, Chandra Shekhar is a brilliant romance from a legendary figure in Bengali literature.
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Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (1838-1894) was an Indian novelist, poet, and journalist. Born into a Bengali Brahmin family, he was highly educated from a young age, graduating from Presidency College, Kolkata with an Arts degree in 1858. He later became one of the first graduates of the University of Calcutta before obtaining a Law degree in 1869. Throughout his academic career, he published numerous poems and stories in weekly newspapers and other publications. His first novel, Rajmohan’s Wife (1864), is his only work in English. Between 1863 and 1891, he worked for the government of Jessore, eventually reaching the positions of Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector. Anandamath (1828), a novel based on the Sannyasi Rebellion against British forces, served as powerful inspiration for the emerging Indian nationalist movement. Chatterjee is also known as the author of Vande Mataram, a Bengali and Sanskrit poem set to music by Bengali polymath and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
