Surendranath Banerjee

Surendranath Benerjea was another prominent moderate leader of the early years of the national movement. He was born in Calcutta in 1848. He graduated from the Calcutta University in 1868, and subsequently proceeded to England to compete for the Indian Civil Services. After clearing the exam in 1871 he was appointed the Assistant Magistrate of Sylhet, however he was dismissed from his job due to some procedural irregularity in 1874.

Thereafter, Surendranath Banerjea started his teaching career as a professor of English at the Metropolitan Insttution, the Scottish Church College and the Ripon College.

In a teaching career that spanned more than three decades, Banerjee developed his ideas on nationalism and infused Indian students with a new spirit. He was instrumental in redirecting the Bengali youth’s interest and energy towards national movement. His other big contribution was the founding of the Indian Association in 1876. He also founded the newspaper, The Bengali.

It is generally accepted that the Indian National Conference which was held in Calcutta in 1883 under the leadersip of Surendranath Banerjee created an environment for the formation of the Indian National Congress.

Surendranath Banerjea played a pivotal role in the formative phase of the Indian National Congress and became its president twice in 1895 and 1902. A senior moderate, he used the platform of the Congress to protest against the partition of Bengal in 1905. He was one of the foremost leader of the Swadeshi Movement in Bengal.

He accepted the Morley Minto reforms and became a minister for Bengal. However he was defeated in the Bengal Legislative Assembly elections in 1922, which ended his political career. He died in 1925.