Bilater Patra by Girishchandra Basu [Hardcover]

In the 19th century, many Bengalis traveled to Britain, and there was no shortage of Bengali authors who did so. However, "Bilet-er Patra" (Letters from England) claims distinctiveness for two reasons. First, while most Bengali authors were overwhelmed upon reaching Britain and began to regard everything they saw there as great, with everything back home seeming dull in comparison, Girish Chandra Bose humorously mocked Britain and the British. While making these witty remarks about the British lion's mane, the inferiority complex of the colonized never hindered him. Secondly, Girish Chandra Bose was a botanist who went to Britain to study botany. But he realized that the knowledge acquired in England was often not applicable to his homeland, as the local climate, population, and other factors required different knowledge—something the self-absorbed and colonialist British could not grasp.