Rassegna storica del Risorgimento

Italy and Vreedom movement in ìndia 325
in 1879 by Jegendranath Vidyabhushan (1845-1904); the title o the book was Joseph Mazzini 0 Navya Italy (Joseph Mazzini and New Italy). The same author also penned out the biography of another great Italian nationalist leader, Garibaldi, in 1890, entitled Joseph Garibaidir Jivan Vrittantl0) (Life of Joseph Garibaldi). These books were full-scale historical biographies and not merely collection of historical data. The two Italian leaders have been depicted in their true colours which happen to be the crkeria of a true biography. Surendranath Banerjea, the doyen of Indian nationalist movement, had first requested Rajani Kant Gupta (1849-1900) to translate into our language (Bengali) the life and works of Mazzini , but on declining the offer, since Jogendranath Vidyabhushan had already taken up the project, Surendranath Banerjea encouraged Jogendranath Vidyabhushan to finish the work.ll) Jogendranath Vidyabhushan also portrayed the life of Anita, wife of Garibaldi, a heroine in the battle of Italian freedom from the Austrian Empire as a worthy sahadharmini (wife) in his book Virangana (Heroine) with great esteem.
Other biographies of Italian patriots in Bengali language12* puMished until the dawn of Indian independence include: Yogendranath Bandho-padhyay's Italyr itivrtta Samvalla - Mazzinir Jivanvrtta (Mazzini's Life History) published in 1927; Karu Chandra Ghos's Mazzini published in 1923; Sanjiv Chandra Lahidi's Mazzini O Manav Kartavya (Mazzini's Duties of Man) published in 1924; Yogendranath Gupta's Mazzini published in 1929; Vinaya Kumar Sarkar's halite Barkeyek published in 1932.
These biographies of Italian patriots appeared at a time when the process of arousing national consciousness among Indians had just started. During this period Surendranath Banerjea travalled the whole India delivering lectures on Mazzini and Garibaldi inspiring thousands of students in the country's cause. Surendranath Banerjea was a great Indian nationalist. He was dismissed from the Indian Civil Services on a very minor offence of technical character. He went in appeal to the higher authorities in England. During his stay in England he made a special study of the history of the Italian Risorgimento and Young Italy of Mazzini which made a deep impression on his mind.,4) Mazzini and Garibaldi, who gallantly
Ibid., p. 97.
W Jbid.
M S.N. BANERJEA, A Nation in Making, London, 1925, p. 1, S.P. SEN, op. cit., p. 87.
i> S.P. SEN, op. eh., p. 87.
*3) The list was provided by the Librarian, National Library, Calcutta in Aprii 1977.
"> R.C. MAJUMDA, op. cit., pp. 481-482.