The renaissance in Bengal in the nineteenth century was a time of social, cultural, psychological and intellectual changes in Bengal. There were developments not only of thought but also discoveries being made in science and a greater emphasis being given to the culture of the Bengalis.

The Hindu College was established in Calcutta, the only place for the European style of education in Asia. Newspapers were being published, libraries were made. People were aware of their cultural heritage while at the same time were up to date with the happenings in Europe. 

The aid of some Orientalists, who were British by origin but neither imperialists nor nationalists, are notable in the architectural and historical progress during the times. William Jones, William Carrey, James Prinsep, HT Colebrooke and HH Wilson are amongst the few Orientalists who were the products of the eighteenth-century world of classicism, rationalism and Enlightenment.

The rapport between these Orientalists and Indians led to a hope for a better future. It must be remembered that the British rule did not allow the Indians much confidence to continue with their rise in various spheres and this is the comfort that the Orientalists could provide.

The social reformers like Raja Rammohan Roy and Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar worked to eradicate social evils that existed in the society. It was the former who was able to abolish the practice of Sati and the latter who led to the allowance of widow remarriage.

Swami Vivekananda inspired people for an enlightenment of spirituality and knowledge, along with its combination of science from the west. He revived humanism in Hinduism. Science in Bengal itself had great success with the scientists like Jagdish Chandra Bose, Satyendra Nath Bose, Meghnad Saha and Upendranath Brahmachari.

Bengali literature was another of the things that flourished during the times. While writers like Michael Madhusudan Dutt and Rabindranath Tagore could skillfully express themselves in English, they did so in Bengali as well and their works are popular even today. Tagore’s masterpiece Geetanjali even won the Nobel Prize after he translated it into English, a year after he wrote the original.  Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s writings were a nationalist detour to the Bengal Renaissance. 

The intelligentsia led to a class of people in the society who were known to be ‘bhodrolok’ and ‘bhodromohila’ which translates to gentleman and gentlewoman. It was the Bengali elite class that could easily mingle with the British. It was a result of the social, political and psychological metamorphosis which led to the development of this class.

These people were socially privileged and superior in that manner. They were economically dependent on land rent, professional and clerical employment. The formation of the Brahmo Samaj by Raja Rammohan Roy was one of the most significant transitions from this class in society. 

It was the eventual formation of Young Bengal from the students of the Hindu College who stood their ground to protest against the wrongs in what they were taught about their own culture, and then the subsequent younger generation that continued to uphold the values of the Bengal Renaissance. The spirit to celebrate one’s culture is in some ways lost today with modernization and a mixture of various cultures together.

However, Bengal is still proud of its rich cultural and social heritage that has raised it to think differently and progressively from their forefathers and to respect and honour our glorious past.