ALTHOUGH DINABANDHU MITRA WAS AWARDED WITH ROY-BAHADUR TITLE BY ENGLISH BUT HIS DRAMA “NILDARPAN” ON INDIGO CULTIVATION OF BENGAL HAD SERVED AS INSPIRATION BEHIND FREEDOM MOVEMENTS. NILDARPAN WHICH WAS WRITTEN IN 1860 WAS PERHAPS THE FIRST EVER INDIAN PLAY WHICH WAS TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH . BUT DINABANDHU’S BIRTH PLACE IN CHAUBERIA OF NADIA DIST. IN WEST BENGAL IS REELING UNDER NEGLIGENCE.
A BRILLIANT STUDENT FROM CHILDHOOD DINABANDHU USED TO CARRY OUT THE EXPENDITURES OF HIS STUDY BY WASHING DISHES AND UTENSILS IN OTHER PEOPLE’S HOME. LATER HE JOINED PRESIDENCY COLLEGE.ALTHOUGH HE WAS A GOVT. SERVANT WORKING IN POSTAL DEPTT. HE STARTED WRITING AGAINST THEM WHEN HE CAME IN CONTACT WITH FAMOUS WRITER-JOURNO EESWAR GUPTA. AFTER NILDARPAN WAS PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH ( TRANSLATION WAS DONE BY MICHAEL MADHUSUDAN DUTTA ), FATHER REV. JAMES LONG WAS FINED BY ENGLISH FOR HIS ROLE IN PUBLISHNG THE PLAY. BANKIM CHANDRA HAD COMPARED ” UNCLE TOM’S CABIN” TO THIS PLAY .THIS PLAY HAS ACCOUNTS OF TORTURES EAST INDIA COMPANY OFFICIALS USED TO CARRY OUT ON POOR INDIGO FARMERS.
IN CHOUBERIA HIS PATERNAL HOME WAS ALMOST GONE . A VERY FEW ROOMS ARE STILL THERE COVERED IN THICK JUNGLE WITH A SMALL STATUE OF THE DRAMATIST INFRONT OF IT.
