Question

The first Bengali Drama, written to highlight the brutality of the British indigo planters, was __________.
A. Rast Gofar
B. Neel Darpan
C. Shome Prakash
D. None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: The play was important to the Indigo revolt of 1859 in Bengal, when farmers refused to plant Indigo in their fields as a mark of protest against exploitative rules of the British Raj.

Complete answer:
Neel Darpan is a Bengali play written by Dinabandhu Mitra in 1858–1859 which is a drama depicting the pitiable condition of Bengal under the tyranny of Indigo planters. It was published from Dhaka in 1860.The Indigo farmers revolted in the Nadia district of Bengal by refusing to grow indigo.In April 1860, all the farmers in the Barasat division of the districts Nadia and Pabna went on a strike and refused to grow indigo.The play Nil Darpan (The Mirror of Indigo) by Dinabandhu Mitra showcased the farmers’ plight. It showcased how farmers were forced to plant indigo without adequate payments and benefits. The play became famous and it pushed the Bengali intellectuals to lend support to the Indigo revolt. Reverend James Long translated the play into English on the authority of the Secretary to the Governor of Bengal, W S Seton-Karr.Let's take a look at options.

Rast Gofar: Rast Goftar was an Anglo-Gujarati paper started in 1854 by Dadabhai Naoroji and Kharshedji Cama and it was operating in Bombay. Hence this is incorrect.
Neel Darpan: Neel Darpan was the famous play which showcased the plight of Indigo planters hence this is correct.
Shome Prakash: Shom Prakash was started by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar in 1859 hence this is incorrect.
None of the above: As option 2 is the correct option hence this is not the correct option.

Hence, the correct answer is option (D)

Note: The revolt gained popularity after it got mentioned in Neel Darpan and also in many other works of prose and poetry which led to the revolt taking center stage in the political atmosphere of Bengal which further impacted later movements in Bengal.