Who had translated the Bengali play, Nil Darpan into English?

Correct answer: (d) Michael Madhusudan Dutt

Explanation

Dinabandhu Mitra’s Bengali play Nil Darpan mentions the Indigo Revolt (1859–60) and highlights the exploitation of peasants. The English translation of Nil Darpan from the original Bengali was published in 1861 without naming the translator, and the translator was mentioned only as “A Native” (as written in the original text—“Translated from the Bengali by a Native”). James Long, who published and supervised the English edition, never revealed the translator’s identity. Contemporary scholars like Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and Shibnath Shastri believed that the translator was Michael Madhusudan Dutt. Although this belief is widespread, there has been no formal confirmation. It remains a matter of controversy even today.