Prabasi

Bengali literary magazine

Probasi
প্রবাসী

Prabasi magazines, 1st number, 1308 BS

Editor| Ramananda Chatterjee
Ashutosh Chakroborty (কার্য্যাধ্যহ্ম)
Frequency| Monthly
Publisher| Indian press
Founded| 1901
Country| British India
Based in| Allahabad
Kolkata
Language| Bengali

Prabasi (Bengali: প্রবাসী) was a monthly Bengali language literary magazine edited by Ramananda Chatterjee.

## History and profile

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Prabasi was founded by Ramananda Chatterjee in 1901 and ran for over 60 years.[1] It published many important Bengali authors, the most significant being Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore who published regularly in it from 1914 until his death.[1] "It is no exaggeration to say that [Tagore's] major creations reached Bengali homes through [Prabasi]."[1] There were over 350 contributors during its existence, including most of the major poet and prose writers of the day.[1] The National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh said "Prabasi's fame remains almost unsurpassed by any other Bengali periodical."[1] From 1901 to 1905 it was published in Allahabad.[2] Then it was headquartered in Kolkata.[2]

When Prabasi first appeared, it pioneered a mix of book excerpts, poetry and one-act plays, alongside reviews and essays.[3] It also included serialized fiction, including Rabindranath Tagore's Gora (1907-1909).[3] It also included articles on history, art, archaeology, sociology, education, literature and literary theories, scientific topics, and travelogues.[1] The magazine was known for its art and illustrations. It was the first ever periodical in Bengali to feature a reproduction of a photograph on its cover purely for the sake of illustration.[4][self-published source?] Prabasi gave the chance to women to prove themselves as writer.[4]

"Prabasi" literally means a "Bengali living outside Bengal",[5] which can be translated as "Exile". Chatterjee wrote in 1903, "In truth, we are Indians first and Bengalis next."[5]

The sister magazine of Prabasi was Modern Review. Because of the initial poor sales of Prabasi, Ramananda Chatterjee launched Modern Review in 1907, targeted to English-speaking Indians.[6] Modern Review was a great success and was read nationwide.[6]

## Authors and works

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Some of the authors and works featured in the magazine include:

* Premendra Mitra
* Rabindranath Tagore
* Nirad C. Chaudhuri
* Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay
* Dwijendranath Tagore
* Gopal Chandra Bhattacharya
* Aranyak by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay
* Sarasibala Basu
* Mukunda Das
* Jogesh Chandra Bagal
* Annapurna turkhud

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e f Chaudhuri, Indrajit (2012). "Prabasi". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
2. ^ a b Namia Akhtar (12 February 1919). "Tea advertisements and the ideal woman in 20th-century colonial Bengal". The Daily Star. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
3. ^ a b Asha Kasbekar (2006). Pop Culture India!: Media, Arts, And Lifestyle. ABC-CLIO. p. 118\. ISBN 978-1-85109-636-7. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
4. ^ a b Nantu Acharjya (2016). Women writers in Prabasi, a Bengali periodical: 1901-1920. Partridge India. ISBN 978-1-4828-7187-6. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
5. ^ a b Indian Book Reporter, volume 3, pp. 6-7
6. ^ a b Partha Mitter (1994). Art and Nationalism in Colonial India, 1850-1922: Occidental Orientations. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-44354-8. Retrieved 20 November 2012.