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Children's magazines in Bengali have contributed to the growth of original writings and illustrations for Bengali children more than any other single factor. The history of these magazines is long and varied. In 1818, the British missionaries William Carey, John Clerk Marshman, and William Ward, of the Serampore Mission Press, began publishing Digdarshan (Path director) in Bengali, the first magazine in an Indian language. Addressed to the general reader, including young people, the magazine imparted moral instruction and knowledge through short essays on subjects like countries of the world, the usefulness of magnets and compasses, the importance of being honest, and the evils of smoking and drinking. Pashwabali (Animals), started in 1822 by the Calcutta School Book Society, was the first magazine specifically for children,' featuring short, descriptive essays on animals, accompanied by woodcut illustrations. These two magazines inspired several Indian educators to start similar magazines-such as Gyanoday (Dawn of knowledge; 1831) and Satya pradip (Light of truth; 1860)-whose purpose was instruction not entertainment.
With the spread of Western education and awareness of a child's world, magazines grew in number and variety. Balak bandhu (Child's friend; 1878), edited by Keshab Chunder Sen, was the first that aimed to provide reading pleasure by publishing poems, humorous stories, and riddles. What made it significantly different from the others was a special section for contributions by children. Other progressive magazines were Balak (Child; 1865), started by the Tagore family and edited by Gyanadanandini Devi, Rabindranath Tagore's sister-in-law, and Mukul (Bud; 1895), edited by Sibnath Shastri.2 These magazines entertained readers through stories, poems, novels, and plays; even their essays were written in a light, conversational style. Many of Rabindranath Tagore's best-known works first appeared in Balak, such as "Bristi pare tapur-tupur" (The rain falls pitter-patter); Rajarshi (hermit-king), a novel that was serialized; and the play Kaalmrigaya (The fatal hunt), based on an episode in the Ramayana. It was also the first...