Ghulam Murshid (1940–2024) thought, researched, and wrote extensively on themes related to renascent Bengal and it appears only fitting that he himself displayed an impressive versatility and openness, whether located in South Asia or elsewhere. He was a lexicographer, historian, biographer, teacher, literary critic, broadcaster, journalist, and a man with an abiding interest in music.

Murshid had once quipped that if the public appeal for Rabindrasangeet had been left to Tagore alone, it might not have grown much. Memorializing Bengali Lives, Legends, and Cultural Longings, authored by friends and admirers across continents, aptly seeks to commemorate the life and work of a gifted contemporary. It brings forth a fresh set of reflections on the two fields that excited and enthused Murshid most: the literary and linguistic history of modern Bengali, and the Woman Question in historical perspective. Also included in this collection is a section devoted to personal reminiscences on the man and scholar himself. This volume not only provides insights into Murshid’s oeuvre but also details what he was like as a scholar, a colleague, and a friend.

Contents

Preface by Nandan Dasgupta

Ghulam Murshid: A Man of Many Hats by Sarbari Sinha

Ghulam Murshid’s Contribution to Bengal Studies: Originality and Diversity by Swarochish Sarker

Introduction by Amiya P. Sen

Part I: The Rebel Poet

1. Verbs and Versatility: Diagnosing the Denominal Dead End in Michael Madhusudan Datta’s Diction by Probal Dasgupta
2. ‘What’s in a Name’ by Clinton B. Seely
3. Retracing Religion and Reimagining Michael Madhusudan Datta with Ghulam Murshid by Bennet DiDente Comerford
4. ‘Ram and His Rabble’: Michael Madhusudan Datta’s Take on Hindus and their Epics—Some Thoughts by Nandan Dasgupta

5. Madhusudan, Murshid, and Reading the Limits of an Epigonic ‘Bengal Renaissance’ by Amiya P. Sen

Part II: Cosmopolitan and the Cultural

6. Demetrios Galanos, 1760–1833: A Greek Linguist’s Indian Odyssey by Alexander Riddiford
7. European Impact on Bengali Cuisine by Jawhar Sircar
8. Bengali Children’s Magazines, 1883–1926: An Endeavour to Shape the Mental World of the Young by Gautam Chando Roy
9. Bipin Chandra Pal and the Tension between Universalism and Nationalism in Colonial Indian Thought by Rajarshi Dasgupta
10. Science in India: Swami Vivekananda’s Dichotomy by Ashish Lahiri
11. Rudyard Kipling’s Calcutta of ‘Dreadful Night’: Cityscapes and their People in 1888 by Ajanta Dutt
12. My Lord, My Love: Human and Divine in the Works of Rabindranath Tagore by Sukanta Chaudhuri

Part III: Bengal and the Woman Question

13. Daughters of Reform: Bengali Women in the Second Social Reform Movement by Bhaswati Chatterjee
14. ‘They were Idealists and Dutiful’: Brahmo Female Teachers of Colonial Calcutta and Beyond by Nandini Jana
15. The Dynamics of Limits and Trangression in the Memoirs of Dr Haimabati Sen, 1866–1933 by Chandrava Chakravarty
16. The Stirring of a New Life: Women in the Writings of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay by Shirshendu Chakrabarti
17. A ‘Proper’ Education for Women: Re-examining Bhadralok Ideologies in Late Colonial Bengal by Aparajita Dasgupta-Sengupta
18. Sarala Ray and the Making of a School for ‘Modern Indian Girls’ by Sarmistha Dutta Gupta

Part IV: Reminiscences of Murshid: Man and Scholar

19. Feathers in the Wind by Amita Murshid-Benedetti
20. Some Memories of My Friend Ghulam Murshid by Mahmudul Karim, translated from Bangla by Sarbari Sinha
21. The Murshids’ Bookshelves by Sarbari Sinha

Appendix. List of Ghulam Murshid’s Works Compiled by Swarochish Sarker

Notes on Editors and Contributors