Toru Dutt (1856-1877) was an Indian Bengali translator, linguist and model poet. Her major works include “A Sheaf Gleaned from a Field in France” (1876); Bianca, or the Spanish Maid (1878); Le Journal de Mademoiselle d’Arvers (1879); Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan (1882);. Toru Dutt published translations of French poetry in the Bengal Magazine (1874-1877). Toru Dutt is one of the outstanding figures who contributed to the creation of Indo-Anglo literature. Themes of longing, patriotism and nostalgia can be seen throughout Dutt’s work. Toru Dutt died of tuberculosis on August 30, 1877 at the age of 21.
Wiki/Biography
Tarulatha Dutt was born on Tuesday, March 4, 1856, at No. 12, Maniktola Street, Calcutta, Bengal, British India (now Calcutta, India) (age 21; at time of death). Toru Dutt’s family was one of the first families in Calcutta to be deeply influenced by Christian missionaries and ideas. In 1862, when Toru Dutt was six years old, her father converted to Christianity. Toru Dutt and her siblings were first educated at home by private English tutors. In 1869, Toru Dutt and his family moved to France, where Toru Dutt studied history, art, and languages. Toru Dutt and her sister Aru joined a French school in Nice where they studied French. In 1870, Toru Dutt’s family moved to England, where he studied French language and literature. They lived in Paris and Italy before moving to the UK. Later, they began translating French poetry into English. The family then moved to London for a year, where Tolu Dutt and her sister Alu studied history and music. In 1871 they moved to Cambridge University, where they studied for two years, where Toru Dutta met Mary E Martin and the two formed a close friendship. At Cambridge, the Dutt sisters studied in a series of “Ladies’ Lectures” by educators Millicent Garrett Fawcett and Henry Sidgwick (which later became Newnham College in 1871). In September 1873, Toru Dutt returned to Calcutta with his family.
Miss Martin’s girlhood
family
Toru Dutt was born into a Bengali family and later converted to Christianity.
Parents and siblings
Tolu Dutt’s grandfather Razamey Dutt and father Govind Chandra Dutt were important parts of India’s colonial government. Her father was a linguist and published several poems. Her mother Kshetramoni Dutt was also very fond of literature, especially Hindu mythology. She translated the book “The Blood of Christ” into Bengali. Toru Dutt is the youngest child of her parents. She has an older sister, Aru, and a younger brother, Abju. Toru Dutt’s brother Abju died at the age of 11, and Aru died of consumption on July 23, 1874 at the age of 20. Dutt’s cousin Romesh Chandra Dutt served as an Indian civil servant. He is also a writer.
Russomoy Dutt – Toru Dutt’s grandfather
Tolu Dutt’s father Govind Chandra Dutt
Toru Dutt’s mother Kshetramoni Dutt
Toru Dutt, her brother Abju and sister Aru
Tolu Dutt and her sister Alu
Religion/Religious Views
Toru Dutt was born into a Bengali family and later converted to Christianity. The Toru Dutt family was one of the first families in Calcutta to be deeply influenced by Christian missionaries and ideas. Although she was a devout Christian throughout her life, she always had a respect and love for the Hindu faith, which can be seen in much of her work, which was deeply influenced by Hinduism.
Profession
In the same year, Toru Dutt’s sister Aru died and she began publishing her own works. In 1874, her first works – articles on Henri Derozio and Leconte de Lisle and “A Eurasian Poet” – appeared in the Bengal Magazine. After her sister’s death, Tohru wrote:
Of all the sad words spoken and penned / the saddest are these – it may be. “
From March 1874 to March 1877, Tolu Dutt published a series of English translations of French poems in the Calcutta Review and the “Poets’ Corner” section of the Bengal Magazine. Toru Dutt’s work Scenes from Contemporary History was published in the Bengal Magazine in 1875, with translations of M Adolphe Thiers and Victor Hugo Hugo’s political speech. During Che’s lifetime, Sheaves Gleaned from a French Field (1876) was the only collection of French poetry translated into English. It was published by a small publishing house in Calcutta without any preface or introduction. Her other works, such as “Bianca, or the Young Spanish Maiden”, serialized in the Bengal Magazine from January to April 1878, unfinished, “Le Journal de Mademoiselle d’Arvers”, 1879, and “Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan” and 1882 are his posthumous works. Her popular poems include “Sîta”, “Lotus”, “Lakshman”, “Our Casuarina Tree”, “Tree of Life” and “Buttoo”. In 1921, Harihar Das published Toru Dutt’s biography, The Life and Letters of Toru Dutt.
favorite
Tolu Dutt’s favorite writers are French writers Pierre-Jean de Bélange and Victor Hugo.
die
Toru Dutt died of tuberculosis on August 30, 1877 at the age of 21.She was buried at Maniktala Christian Cemetery in Kolkata
Tomb of Tolu Dutt – Maniktala Christian Cemetery
Facts/Trivia
- Toru Dutt and her sister became among the first Bengali girls to travel to Europe by sea.
- She is hailed as a literary genius who blended the three literary traditions of India, England and France.
- Tolu Dutt’s grandfather was the co-founder of the Calcutta Hindu School and an educator in British India.
- Toru Dutt wrote several letters to Mary Martin, which she later provided to Hariha Das. This book is included in her biography Dutt’s Life and Letters.
- Toru Dutt’s grave is located at the same spot as her family members’ graves at Maniktala Christian Cemetery in Kolkata.
Toru Dutt and her family’s grave at Maniktalla Christian Cemetery
Abuju Dutt’s Tombstone – Maniktala Christian Cemetery
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education