Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Birthplace May Become Tourist Attraction

Sumitro Chatterjee on Wednesday said he plans to develop the birthplace of legendary novelist Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay into a tourist destination where visitors can explore the writer’s ancestral home and learn about his literary legacy.

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, the creator of the patriotic song “Vande Mataram,” was born in 1838 in Kathalpara village near Naihati in the present-day North 24 Parganas district.

Chatterjee, who claims descent from the celebrated novelist, was sworn in as an MLA on Wednesday after winning the Naihati Assembly constituency on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket. He had joined the BJP shortly before the Assembly elections.

The MLA said preserving and promoting the cultural and historical significance of Bankim Chandra’s birthplace would help attract tourists, researchers, students, and admirers of Bengali literature from across the country.

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay remains one of Bengal’s most influential literary figures and is widely regarded as a pioneer of modern Indian literature. His song “Vande Mataram” later became a symbol of India’s freedom movement.