Today is the 198th birth anniversary of the great poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt. Michael Madusudan Dutt was born on January 25, 1824 in the village of Sagardari on the banks of the Kopotaksh river in Keshabpur upazila of Jashore in the famous Dutt family.
Due to the corona situation, there will be no ‘Madhu Mela’ or wide range of events around Madhusudan Dutt's birthday. Today, however, the one-day program will be celebrated on a limited scale in keeping with the social distance. Among them, wreath-laying at the portrait of the great poet and discussion meeting on the life and works of the poet at Madhumancha of Sagardari organized by the district administration. There will be also recitation of poems.
Madhusudan's father Rajnarayan Dutt was a zamindar. Mother was Jahnavi Devi. His early education began with his mother Jahnavi Devi. At the age of thirteen, Madhusudan Dutt went to Kolkata and after a short stay at a local school, he was admitted to the then Hindu College (now Presidency University).
He was educated in Bengali, French and Sanskrit. He then studied at Bishop's College, Kolkata. There he learned Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit. He later went to England to study law.
Michael Madhusudan Dutt was the pioneer of sonnet and amitrakshara rhymes in Bengali. The world remembers this wise poet with gratitude for his outstanding contribution in Bengali literature as well as English literature. His greatest work is the epic poem Meghnadabadha epic based on the anecdote of Ramayana in Amitrakshara verse.
His other notable books are The Captive Lady, Sharmistha, Krishnakumari (Drama), Padmavati (Drama), Buro Shaliker Ghare Ro, Ekei Ki Bele Sabhyata, Tilottamasambhav epic, Birangana epic, Brajangana epic, Chaturdashpadi.
Due to the birth of this great poet, Sagardari and Kopotaksh river are world famous. Although the Kopotaksh River has lost its youth in the course of time, the Kopotaksh river in Michael's poetry has been flowing through the ages.
The great poet breathed his last on June 29, 1873 in Kolkata. He was buried in Kolkata.