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Harish Chandra Mukherjee (1824 – 1861) (popular as Harish Mukherjee or Harish Mukherji, also written as Harish Chandra Mukhopadhyay) was a pioneer nationalistic journalist, who fought tooth and nail for the indigo cultivators and forced the government to bring about changes.
Early life
Son of Ramdhan Mukherjee, the family hailed from Sridharpur in Bardhaman district but he was brought up in his maternal uncle’s place at Bhowanipur in Kolkata. As per the custom of the day, his father had three wives. Harish Mukherjee was son of the third wife Rukmini Devi. He was a free student at Union School but had to give up studies because of poverty. He started working in a small firm but later found employment, through competitive examinations, as a clerk in the office of the Military Auditor General. He gradually rose to a high position in that office and worked there all his life.
Hindoo Patriot A self-taught person he attained proficiency in history, politics, law and English. He severely criticised the government in such newspapers as Hindu Intelligencer edited by Kasiprasad Ghosh and The Bengal Recorder edited by Ramgopal Ghosh. He was associated with the Hindoo Patriot right form its start in 1853. In 1855, he secured the ownership and became the editor of the newspaper. Sambhunath Pandit used to write articles on legal matters in it.
When the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 struck, the political reaction in Bengal was not well defined. “There were, however, bold adventurers who could perceive dimly the inevitable trend in India’s political evolution.” On 14th January 1858, in connection with the proposal for transferring the Government of India to the Crown, he wrote in the Hindoo Patriot, “Can a revolution in the Indian government be authorised by Parliament without consulting the wishes of the vast millions of men for whose benefit it is proposed to be made? The reply must be in the negative. The time has nearly come when all Indian questions must be solved by Indians.” [1]
In 1852, he became a member of British India Association and soon became one of the members of its think-tank. He was one of the founders of the Bhowanipur Brahmo Samaj. [2]
Revolt of indigo cultivators Indigo cultivation had been extended in a big way from the 18th century. The cultivators were forced to undertake indigo cultivation for which they hardly got anything in return. The oppression gradually increased and when the cultivators could no longer bear it they revolted and refused to undertake indigo cultivation. It was then that the intelligentsia in Kolkata took up the matter. Harish Mukherjee played a vital pioneering role in that movement with his brilliant writing in the Hindoo Patriot. His writing roused public opinion and finally Dinabandhu Mitra came out with his play Nil Darpan in 1860. The indigo planters wanted to throttle the Hindoo Patriot first. The case fell through because Bhowanipur was outside the jurisdiction of the English Supreme Court then functioning in Kolkata. So great was the wrath of the indigo planters that even after his death, they wanted to punish his widow with court cases. Subsequently, James Long was jailed but the net benefit was the setting up of an Indigo Enquiry Commission by the government that went into the entire problem. It did not solve the problem but put in some checks on the untold misery.
The fall out of overwork during the period killed Harish Mukherjee in 1861. He died at a young age of only 37 years.
One of the main thoroughfares and a large public park in Bhowanipur, Kolkata, are named after Harish Mukherjee.
Notes - ^ History of the Bengali-speaking People by Dr. Nitish Sengupta.
- ^ See Sambhunath Pandit#Bhowanipur Brahmo Samaj for details.
References - Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan (Biographical dictionary) in Bengali edited by Subodh Chandra Sengupta and Anjali Bose
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