Harindranath Chattopadhyay (2 April 1898 – 23 June 1990) was
an Indian English poet, a dramatist, an actor, a musician and a member of the
1st Lok Sabha from Vijayawada constituency. He was the younger brother of
Sarojini Naidu, the second woman President of the Indian National Congress and
first Indian woman to hold the position, and Virendranath Chattopadhyay, an
international communist revolutionary. The Government of India awarded him the
civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan in 1973.
He married Kamaladevi and shortly after their marriage,
Harindranath sailed to England, leaving behind his wife (who was later to join
him). Harindranath had published poems and written plays in India before he
arrived in London, and was helped to settle in Britain by friends of his famous
elder sister, Sarojini. He initially lodged in Gower Street and sent his poems
to Cambridge in order to gain admission as a research scholar. Harindranath
successfully gained admission into Fitzwilliam Hall and took up research work
on 'William Blake and the Sufis'.
As the Civil Disobedience movement gained momentum in India,
Harindranath and Kamaladevi decided to return to India and Harindranath
abandoned his Cambridge degree. They returned via Europe to visit with his
elder brother.
Harindranath maintained a successful career as poet,
playwright and actor upon his return to India. He died in 1990.
Sources:
http://www.open.ac.uk/researchprojects/makingbritain/content/harindranath-chattopadhyaya
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