Swarnakumari Devi

Swarnakumari Devi (28 August 1855–3 July 1932) was an Indian ¹³ Bengali poet, novelist, playwright, composer and social worker from West Bengal. She was the first notable female Bengali writer from Bengal.^[1]

Biography

She was born to Maharshi Debendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi into the famous Tagore family of Jorasanko, Kolkata on 28 August 1855 . She was the sister of Rabindranath Tagore. Her husband was Janakinath Ghosal, a deputy magistrate. She achieved fame as writer and editor of the well-known literary monthly Bharati for 30 years. To help the orphans and widows, she established the 'Sakhi Samiti' with the help of the members of the Tagore family. She died on 3 July 1932.

Literary works

Novels

Dipnirban (The Snuffing Out of the Light), 1876

Mibar Raj, 1877

Chinna Mukul (A Picked Flower), 1879

Malati, 1881

Hughlir Imam Badi 1887

Bidroha (Revolt), 1890

Snehalata ba Palita (tr. as: The Uprooted Vine), 1892

Phulermala (tr. as: The fatal Garland), 1894

Kahake (To Whom?; tr. as: The Unfinished Song), 1898

Bichitra, 1920

Swapnabani, 1921

Milanrati, 1925

Phuler Mala

Plays

Koney Badal (Evening Dust Clouds / Time for Seeing the Bride), 1906

Pak Chakra (Wheel of Fortune), 1911

Rajkanya

Divyakamal

Opera

Basanta Utsav (Spring Festival), 1879

Poetry

Gatha

Basanta Utsab

Gitiguchha

Essays

Prithibi

Awards

University of Calcutta honoured her with the Jagattarini gold medal in 1927.

References