Although my journey through many alleys of life has not followed the desired routes, I have been pursuing even at this old age what I dreamt of in my childhood. After my entrance examination I thought if I failed I would learn oratory. Towards this end I would walk along the bank of canal Dashora in the evening and tried to deliver speeches in English, placing myself in the position of Demosthenes and using hands for gesticulation and voice for articulation.

While in the second year I wrote in a note book: ‘I shall become the greatest poet of Bengal, if that is not possible I shall become a historian. If my talent does not permit me to become a poet, who can resist me from becoming a historian on the basis of tireless efforts!” These words of Dineshchandra Sen can play a big part in creating an attitude of lofty ideals. A man of many part, educationist, researcher, specialist in folk literature, historian of Bengali literature, Sen was attracted to literature from his teens. He had deep love for folk culture.

This love led him to patriotism, admiration for folk poets and fascination for the past. While in Comilla, he started touring villages and collecting manuscripts of old Bengali writings. He delved into this laborious work and after considerable research published from Comilla in 1996 his Babgabhasa O Sahitya, a book of rich source material. It was a book of systematic research into the history of ancient and medieval Bengali literature which received appreciation This unique book fetched Sen recognition as a pioneer and scholar of the history of Bengali literature.

A new chapter opened in the literary life of Sen when at the invitation of vice-chancellor Sir Ashutosh Mookerjee, he became associated with Calcutta University. In 1911 his book History of Bengali Language and Literature was published. For this book he received praises from western researchers and literary critics. In 1913 he was awarded the University&’s ‘Ramtanu Lahiri Research Fellowship’ enabling him to collect and edit Maimansingha Gitika and Purbabanga Gitika and their English version Eastern Bengal Ballads.

He played a unique role in saving the rich folk literature of what was then East Bengal from extinction and presenting it to the world community in book form. His literary work enriched Bengali language and literature and brought for himself international fame. When in 1920 a new Bengali language and literature department was opened in Calcutta University, Sen was appointed its head and served with distinction. Apart from writing research-oriented and historical books on Bengali literature, composing narratives based on the Puranas, editing folk literature and writing history of the Bengalis, he wrote poems, novels and short stories. He wrote a total of sixty books.

Some other books of him are: Banga-sahitya Parichoy , The Vaisnavas of Medieval Bengal, Chaitanya and His Companions, The Folk Literature of Bengal, Glimpses of Bengal Life, Brihatbabgo, Ashutosh Smritikatha, Banglar Puronari and Prachin Bangla Sahitye Mussalmaner Abodan. Brihatbango is a cultural history of Bengal. Born in 1866 at Bagjuri in Manikgunge, now in Bangladesh, his birth anniversary was observed last week