ABSTRACT
The year 1757 is a turning-point in the political and literary history of Bengal. It was the year of the Battle of Plassey, which may be regarded as the beginning of the British rule. From this point onwards Bengal has been passing through a series of changes, both political and social, as remarkable as any to be found in the history of any other nation within a similar period. Dr. S. K. De 1 gives a very illuminating account of the rise and growth of British power in Bengal and analyses the actual causes and circumstances of the revolution in social and political ideas which has resulted from it. The noted Bengali historian Rames Chandra Datta remarked that" the conquest of Bengal by the English was not only a political revolution but involved a greater revolution in thoughts and ideas, in religion and society. We cannot describe the great change better than by stating that English conquest and English education may be supposed to have removed Bengal from the moral atmosphere of Asia to that of Europe. All the great events which have influenced European thought within the last hundred years have also told, however feeble the effect may be, on the formation of the intellect of modern Bengal." 2 The first effect of this impact of a new and alien civilization was almost paralysing. Upon this there followed a tendency to blind imitation of Western models. This, however, was a phase which could not last indefinitely. Bengalis began to reconsider their own national heritage in the light of their
new experiences and gradually arrived at a new appreciation of the achievements of the past and also a new realization of the possibilities of the future. They learnt to face the fresh facts by which they were confronted and fit them into a consistent scheme of thought. This new mental outlook naturally expressed itself in Ilew forms of creative art.
