A Scholar Between Languages
A scholar who is capable of corresponding in six European languages cannot be found easily. Even today, such a scholar is an absolute rarity. Dutt was perhaps the most amazing language prodigy of his region.
Born in 1824 in Jessore, Bangladesh, he took Persian as his first foreign language and later composed poems in it. At Bishopās College, he studied Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. In fact, he already had a solid foundation in Latin before entering the college. The surprising truth, however, was that he initially lacked proficiency in his mother tongue, Bangla.
India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh have produced many giants in the field of linguistics. They have Ram Mohun Roy, Dr Muhammad shahidullah and Harinath Dey. So why Madhusudan? The answer is simple: he was one of the few who could compose poetry in Persian, French, English, and Italian. Composing poetry in a foreign language is a true test of mastery, and Dutt knew that well. He even sent Italian and French poems to the King of Italy.
Dutt was a perfectionist and he did everything to master different languages. He married an Englishwoman named Rebecca, though their marriage did not last. Later, he formed a lifelong union with a Frenchwoman, Henrietta. Both were Christian, and Dutt had converted to Christianity as a young man. That was perhaps partly out of his deep fascination with European culture. His second wife, Henrietta, stayed by his side until her final days, even though Madhusudan could not offer her financial stability. She passed away in Alipore Hospital without proper medical care. The harsh truth was that although Madhusudan was born into a wealthy landlord family, he was notoriously reckless with his fortune.
He traveled to Europe and spent a significant amount of time in France while studying law. There, he fell into severe financial distress and narrowly escaped debtor’s prison through the timely assistance of his friend, Ishwar Chunder Vidyasagar.
Dutt immersed himself in Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit literature, while also studying Hebrew and Tamil. He then crafted ground-breaking works in Bangla by drawing from his deep knowledge of these classical traditions. Indeed, he stood as a rare scholar in the tres linguae sacrae, or the Three Sacred Languages (Greek, Latin, and Hebrew) in the area of the Indian subcontinent.
So, the final question can be āwhat were the six European languages he used in his correspondenceā? According to study his whole works, they were Greek, Latin, German, English, French, and Italian. Furthermore, he aspired to master Portuguese and Spanish as well. In this regard, he remains an incomparable genius. This man of letter left us on 29 June 1873.
