What is the name of the author of the historical novel 'Durgesh Nandini' written in Bengali language?
- (a)Devendra Nath
- (b)Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
- (c)Rabindranath Tagore
- (d)Hemchandra Bandopadhyay
Correct — B, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay). Durgesh Nandini, published in 1865, was his literary debut and is conventionally regarded as the first true novel written in the Bengali language — a historical romance set against Mughal-Pathan conflict in 16th-century Bengal. It launched Bankim Chandra as Bengal's foremost novelist, a reputation he cemented later with Anandamath (1882), the work that gave India the song 'Vande Mataram.'
- (a)Devendra Nath — Not associated with any established 19th-century Bengali historical novel; no major literary work titled Durgesh Nandini is credited to this name.
- (c)Rabindranath Tagore — Tagore was born in 1861 and so was only about four years old when Durgesh Nandini was published in 1865 — far too young to have written it; his own major novels (Gora, Chokher Bali) came decades later.
- (d)Hemchandra Bandopadhyay — A notable 19th-century Bengali poet remembered for patriotic verse, not the author of this historical novel.
Durgesh Nandini (1865) is treated as the first true novel in the Bengali language and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's literary debut — before it, Bengali prose fiction had not produced a full-length historical romance of this kind. It is set in 16th-century Bengal during Mughal-Pathan conflict, weaving a love story into a siege narrative.
Exams frequently pair a specific 19th-century vernacular 'first' with its author — the trap is defaulting to whichever Bengali author is most famous (Tagore) rather than checking which work and which era actually match.
- Durgesh Nandini (1865) — Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's debut novel, widely regarded as the first Bengali novel.
- Set in 16th-century Bengal during Mughal-Pathan conflict; a historical romance.
- Bankim Chandra later wrote Anandamath (1882), source of the song 'Vande Mataram.'
- Rabindranath Tagore (b.1861) belonged to a later literary generation; his major novels came decades after 1865.
- Confusing Durgesh Nandini (1865, debut) with Anandamath (1882, source of 'Vande Mataram')
- Assuming any famous Bengali litterateur (e.g., Tagore) could be the author without checking the dates
MPPSC/UPSC like pairing a specific 19th-century vernacular work with its author, sometimes framed as 'first novel/poem in language X.'
Which one of the following is an important historical novel written during the latter half of the nineteenth century?
- (a) Rast Goftar
- (b) Durgesh Nandini
- (c) Maharatha
- (d) Nibandhamala
Answer(b) Durgesh Nandini
Direct UPSC 1996 prelims question — identifies the same novel, Durgesh Nandini, as a landmark 19th-century historical novel.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's novel Anandamath (1882) is chiefly remembered for giving India which of the following?
- (a)The song 'Vande Mataram'
- (b)The Bengal Renaissance movement
- (c)The Swadeshi movement
- (d)The Ramakrishna Mission
Answer(a) The song 'Vande Mataram', which first appeared in Anandamath.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which of the following is conventionally considered the first true novel written in the Bengali language?
- (a)Anandamath
- (b)Durgesh Nandini
- (c)Gora
- (d)Devdas
Answer(b) Durgesh Nandini (1865) by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.