Banerjee, Rangalal (1827-1887) patriotic poet and journalist, was born at Bakulia in Hughli, West Bengal. He lost his father when just a child. After studying at a local pathshala and missionary school, He was admitted to
Hughli Mohsin College. He was fluent in Bangla, English, and Sanskrit as well as Oriya. While still a student, his poems were published in the Sangbad Prabhakar of Ishwar Chandra Gupta. Rangalal edited the monthly Rasa Sagar (1852; later renamed as Sambad Sagar. and the weekly Bartabaha (1856). He was appointed as assistant editor of the newly published Education Gazze (1855) in which both as his prose writing as well as poetry were published. For some time he taught Bangla Literature in Presidency College, Kolkata. He joined Government Service and served variously as Income Tax Assessor, Deputy Collector and Deputy Magistrate. During his posting to Cuttack, Orissa, he published Utkal Darpan, a news paper in Oriya, in which he wrote a number of academic papers on the archeology of Orissa. and on the Oriya language.
Rangalal's first and perhaps most important , literary achievement is Padmini Upakhyan (1858), a historical romance based on
Todd's Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan . His lines from Padmini's Upakhyan "swadhinatahinatay ke bachite chay he ke bachite chay" inspired revolutionaries in their struggle for freedom. His other poetical works include Karmadevi (1868), Kanchi Kaveri (1879), In 1872 he rendered Kalidasa's ritusanghar and Kumarsambhava into verse. His another poetical translation in Sanskrit Nitikusumanjali (1872). he edited and published Mukundaram's Kavikankan Chandi (1882). He died on 13 May 1887.
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