"Bangamata" ( bn, বঙ্গমাতা, English: "Mother Bengal"
) is a 14-line
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
poem written by
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...
as part of his 1896 poetry book ''
Chaitali''.
Background
Tagore wrote the poem "Bangamata" during the
British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was him ...
period in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, during which he perceived the Bengali's cultural heritage being erased. Unsatisfied with British rule, he wanted to encourage fellow Bengalis to perform national duties for
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
.
Transliteration
Present day
Tagore's Bangamata has seen a resurgence in popularity among groups wishing to preserve Bengali culture.
References
{{Reflist
External links
rabindra-rachanabali.nltr.orgBangamata poem (in Bengali)
Poems by Rabindranath Tagore
Bengali-language poems
Poems