Dwijendralal Ray (19 July 1863 – 17 May 1913), also known as D. L. Ray was an Indian poet, playwright, and musician. He was known for his Hindu mythological and nationalist historical plays and songs known as Dwijendrageeti or the Songs of Dwijendralal, which number over 500, creating a separate subgenre of Bengali music. His son was a great philosopher & singer Dilip Ray
welled forth from his heart like a fountain. Sri Aurobindo highly praised two of his songs which he translated himself. One was Dwijendra Lal’s immortal song Bharat Amar:
He has written a score of beautiful patriotic songs. But this counts among his very best and remains a source of inspiration to all to this day. Even if he had written nothing else, it would have made him immortal for all time.
Many provinces in India have not only translated his exquisite dramas, but also staged them time and again quite successfully. Mebar Patan (Fall of Mewar) is perhaps the best of all the dramas written by him. It is a book of absorbing interest by which every son of the Motherland should feel inspired.
Dwijendra Lal was endowed with a many-modded personality. Virility, strength, lyric beauty and simplicity are four pillars on which rested the entire superstructure of his poetry. He had an admirable freedom of thought from the usual traditional ideas and sentiments. Also, he was rich in wit, humour, irony, sarcasm, comedy and parody.
One of the notable features in his dramas is the lucid expression of the sacrifice, love and inspiration of women. He says,
“I believe that the Bengalees, though fallen on evil times, can yet keep their heads erect because of the strength of character of their women.”
Rabindranath admired his genius profoundly as he himself wrote in the preface of his biography:
“The only thing worthy of note, so far as my relationship with him was concerned, is that I have always felt the profoundest admiration for his lofty genius.”
Neither are we to forget Roy’s high appreciation of Tagore:
“He stands head and shoulders above all his contemporaries in Bengal.”
“His was the feast in presence.”
This appreciation sprang out from the lips of a critic while describing Shakespeare. The very same quality D.L. Roy possessed. He died before his fiftieth birthday in 1913, mourned by thousands who had been inspired by his character and poetic gifts.
