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 unlock his heart. is the of Bengal. 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' freed the negroes of Africa from their state of slavery. 'Nil Darpan' went a long way in freeing the Indigo slaves from their bondage. When Dinabandhu wrote his Nil Darpan, there was a complete fusion of his experience and sympathy, and that is why of all his dramas this seems to be the most powerful one. His other dramas might claim many other virtues, but not the power which Nil Darpan can claim. None of his dramas can so much overpower the readers or the spectators as Nil Darpan. Many a drama have been written in Bengal with the idea of remedying social ills. Most of them are pieces of bad art. The chief purpose of art is the creation of beauty. If the purpose of social reform is allowed to dominate a literary work the purpose of art itself is foiled.

But Nil Darpan, even though its chief purpose is social reform, excels even as a piece of art. That is because the enthralling sympathy of the writer has lent a tender sweetness to everything in that work.

Translated by: Sailesh Sen Gupta

Notes:

1. Lathial: (Bengali word) one wielding a lathi.

2. Lathi: a stout bamboo-stick, native weapon of defence in India.

3. Sympathy: the word used in this context means the artist's capacity for 'feeling into a subject.' The word used in modern art-criticism is 'Empathy' instead of 'Sympathy.'

4. Bauti: a piece of ornament worn in the past by the womenfolk of Bengal. It resembles a bangle.

5. Paicha: a piece of ornament, usually of silver, worn around the waist by the womenfolk of Bengal in the past.