Anand Math: Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Bengali novel Anandamath (lit. The Abbey of Bliss) was released in 1882. It is considered one of the most important books in Bengali and Indian literature since it is inspired by and set in the context of the Sannyasi Rebellion in the late 18th century. [1] The Abbey of Bliss (literally, Ananda=Bliss and Math=Abbey) was the title of its first English publication.The first hymn to symbolise Bengal – as the Motherland – was Vande Mataram, which was published in this novel.

Anand Math: Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay

The story takes place during the Bengal famine of 1770 CE. It begins with an introduction to Mahendra and Kalyani, a couple trapped in their hamlet Padachinha during a famine with neither food or water. They make the decision to leave their hamlet and relocate to the next metropolis, where they will have a greater chance of surviving. The couple becomes separated throughout the course of events, and Kalyani is forced to run through the forest with her newborn to avoid being caught by robbers. She passes out on the brink of a river after a long chase.Jiban, a Hindu “Santana” (who were not actual sanyasis but common people who took the sign of sanyasis and deserted their households in order to rebel against the British East India Company), took the daughter to his home and handed her over to his sister while he relocated Kalyani to his ashram.

• Mahendra, the husband, is now more interested in joining the monastic brotherhood and helping the Mother Nation. Kalyani wants to assist him in realising his aspirations by attempting suicide and thereby releasing him of worldly responsibilities. Mahatma Satya joins her at this juncture, but before he can assist her, he is apprehended by East India Company soldiers, who believe that other monks are fueling the insurrection against Company control.He notices another monk who is not wearing his unique robes and sings while being carried away.
• The second monk decodes the song, saves Kalyani and the infant, and transports them to a rebel monk stronghold. The monks also provide shelter to Kalyani’s husband, Mahendra, and the two are reunited. The rebel leader depicts the three faces of Bongo Mata (Mother Bengal) as three goddess idols worshipped in three separate rooms to Mahendra:
• The rebels’ power grows with time, and their numbers increase. They relocate their headquarters to a modest brick fort, feeling more confident. With a huge force, the East India Company attacks the fort. The rebels have blockedade the adjacent river bridge, but they lack artillery and military skills. The East India Company makes a tactical retreat over the bridge during the conflict. The East India Company men are chased into the trap by the Sannyasis’ undisciplined army, who lacks military expertise. When the bridge is crowded with insurgents, the East India Company cannon opens fire, killing many people.Some rebels, though, manage to take some of the guns and return the fire on the East India Company’s lines.

This novel includes the song Vande Mataram. “I bow to thee, Mother,” Vande Mataram says. It inspired freedom warriors in the twentieth century, and the first two stanzas of the song became India’s national anthem after independence.

Novel characters

Mahendra – Mahendra is a zamindar from Padachina who eventually joins the independence movement.A wealthy Zamindar (landowner) resides in Padachihna with his wife (Kalyani) and daughter (Sukumari). They are compelled to leave the village in search of a new way of life. Mahatma Satya initiates Mahendra into the Anandamath. 

Mahatma Satya – The Guru instructs Mahendra to spend his fortune on ammunition for the Anandamath.Mahatma Satya is an ascetic who heads a rebel group. Anandamath was the founder and leading Guru of a rebel organisation in India that opposed British rule. His students must give up their affiliations until India is emancipated. Mahatma Satya was acting on the orders of his Guru, a mysterious saint who explains his true motives. The Guru instructs Mahatma Satya that Indians seek objective information from the East India Company in order to realise the profound truths of the ancient texts once more. Mahatma Satya travels to the Himalayas with his Guru to perform penances.

Bhavan – Anandamath’s courageous commander who died in the war against the East India Company.

JIBAN – Jiban is a fierce warrior and a member of the rebel band. Mahatma Satya’s most accomplished and devoted follower. He reunites Mahendra’s family after saving them. Shanti, his wife and lover, subsequently joins the Anandamath as the first and only woman and battles with Jiban. Jiban is severely hurt in battle, but Shanti is able to revive him.

The newlyweds make the decision to go on a pilgrimage and live as ascetics.

Nabin, also known as Shanti – She is a well-educated tomboyish daughter of a Brahmin. Shanti was an orphan who grew up to be physically healthy and muscular. Shanti met Jiban, who married her out of compassion because she had no one to look after her. Jiban left Shanti to battle for Anandamath and to renounce his attachments. Jiban’s married sister Nimmi is given responsibility of Shanti. Shanti, on the other hand, is completely in love with her husband and cannot live without him. She disguises herself as a man and becomes a liberation fighter with Anandamath. Mahatma Satya makes an attempt to prevent her from entering.

• When Shanti strings a powerful bow, he is astounded by her physical strength, as only he, Jiban, Bhavan, and Jnan were the only Sannyasis capable of doing so. Mahatma Satya allows Shanti to stay and gives her the name Nabin. Shanti saves Kalyani from the thugs. She obtains information from the East India Company and participates in wars alongside her spouse. Shanti finds Jiban’s purportedly dead body near the end of the battle, around dusk, and mourns him. Mahatma Satya gives Shanti a herb, which she uses to resurrect Jiban. Jiban hesitantly agrees to Shanti’s suggestion that they go on a pilgrimage and live as ascetics together in the wilderness.

Conclusion

Pankaj Mishra (as “the heir to Edward Said” by The Economist) describes Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay as a “high ranking officer in the Bengali bureaucracy” who “spun flamboyant fictional fantasies about In his best-selling book Age of Anger, he calls hardline Hindu saviours. Mishra’s opinions are the latest in a long line of Marxist intellectuals in India and abroad who have demonised Chattopadhyay’s literary masterwork and person.

Anandamath was first serialised in Bangadarshan (a Bengali literary magazine founded by Chattopadhyay himself) between December 1882 and July 1883, and it played a crucial role in concretizing and strengthening the national identity of a people who had been under foreign rule (Mughal and English) for as long as they could remember.