In 1831, the India Gazette reported on the ‘Radicals’ or ‘Young Bengal,’ students of Henry Derozio at Hindu College who defied orthodoxy and authority, sparking scandal and transforming thought in Calcutta.
By 1843, these trailblazers were championing peasant rights, exposing corruption, fighting caste and gender discrimination, and filing a historic case against a British magistrate. They also founded India’s first political party, paving the way for modern political activism.
India’s First Radicals revisits the fearless Young Bengal, whose revolutionary actions shaped the foundation of modern India.
About The Author:
Rosinka Chaudhuri is director and professor of cultural studies at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta. Many of her journal articles, reviews and book chapters have been published worldwide, while her translation of Rabindranath Tagore’s letters, titled Letters from a Young Poet (1887–1895), was published as a Penguin Modern Classic in 2014.
The official release for the book is February 28th 2025.
