OPINIONS 539 And Dr. Sen throughout his long and successful career as discoverer, has never done his country greater service than by saving these stories that would have so soon faded out of the world.' The Oriental List (London)-' Great as Dr. Sen's other services to the cause of Bengali Literature have been, it is do btful wuether any of his previous work is a more valuable contrihution to our knowledge of Bengali life and thought than this collection of Ballads, which but for his enterprise and the praiseworthy effort of his collaborator, would in all probability in the course of the next few years have been lost beyond, recovery.' From a review by Mr. F. E. Pargiter (I.C.S., retired) in the Royal Asiatic Society's Journul, October, 1924 -" Tne stories are charning, both b Pppy and tragic and are told generall in simple language fresh vih countri scenes and feeling and illustrated with pretty sketches by a Bengali artist.' Romain Roland-" I was special v delighted with the touching story of Madina which although only two certuries rld is an antique auty and a purity of sentiment, which art has relidered faithfully without changing it, Chandravati is a very noble story and Mahua, Kanka and Luila are chi , !’’’, 4 1 g (to menion only those ones).' Dr. Sylvain Levi-- What shall I say of Dineshchandra Sen's Eastern Bengal Ballads. I aust confess that I have a peculiar fondness for the man and for all his publications. He carries all his work however to uhnical it may be, in such a rapture of enthusiasm He has such a love for whatever is Bengali, and his mystical love is not afraid of the most minute technicalities. No living man has probably contributed more to make Bengal understood, realised, felt, enjoyed by the Western mind.' Sir George Grierson-" I may say tilat they have been long waited for and that they entirely fulfil the expectations aroused by the publication of the first volume. They throw important light on the history of Bengali literature and language, and contain lauch charming poetly thb revives memories of my own happy days spent in India. Mr. Dineshchandra Sen's enthusiasm and scholarly treatment compel me to offer to him and to the Calcutta University my congratulations on the successful production of this valuable work.' William Rochenstein-'I plunged at once into your book and finished it only too quickly. It is of the greatest possible interest and full of beauty and of drama. Through every ballad moves that marvellous being-exalted, grave, shy and passionate, reserved and bold- and h w nobly beautifull-the Indian Woman, she has remained unchanged through all the phases of Indian culture, religious and social. Her lover carved her in stone and marble at Barhut, Sanchi and Amaravati, painted her sinuous, radiant and bejewelled at Ajanta and Bagh and delighted to honour her in thousands of humble studios in Jammu, Jaipur, Delhi and Agra, Muslim as well as Hindu well into the 19th century. I am interested to find some among your B2ngali ballads date from the middle of last century. Indian Art is unique in having preserved a robust primitive spirit, throughout what in Europe were late and sophisticated periods; I notice the same quality in the late literary examples you give. No revival seenus alle to preserve the strength and directness of the true Indian tradition which is still alive in your latest ballads.” Francis H. Skrine-"The Professor has rendercd eminent service to his country in rescuing the charming ballads of Eastern Bengal from oblivion. His labours indeed may well be compared with those of Sir Walter Scott, and Joseph Ritson who did the same for the melodious songs of the Scottish Border.' E. F. Oaten, LL.B., M.A. O.P.I.-' To the Western critic stumbling by good fortune upon Dr. Sen's book, these ballads, straight from the un sophisticated people's heart, come fresh and stimulant as the breeze that revives the jaded traveller from Calcutta as he sits in steamer and ploughs across the monsoon gust of Eastern Bengal.'
