Atul Prasad Sen

Atul Prasad Sen (Bengali: অতুলপ্রসাদ সেন; 20 October 1871 – 26 August 1934) was a Bengali composer, lyricist, singer, writer, lawyer, philanthropist and educationist.

Atul Prasad Sen was born as the eldest child of Ram Prasad Sen and Hemanta Shashi, in a Vaidya family from the village Magor in South Bikrampur, Faridpur District, presently located in Bangladesh.

Atul was born in his maternal uncle's house in Dhaka, following the custom at that time. His maternal grandfather Kali Narayan Gupta initiated Atul Prasad into music and devotional songs. Atul Prasad's mother later married Brahmo Samaj reformer Durga Mohan Das in June 1890.

Initially Atul Prasad could not accept this marriage. In time, his relationship became very congenial with Durga Mohan and Hemanta Shashi. Sarala Devi recounted in her diary জীবনের ঝরাপাতা (fallen leaves of life) that Durga Mohan, after the death of his wife Brahmoamoyee, in spite of his busy outward life, took great care of his children. It was his elder daughter Abala, whose eager and consistent effort towards the wellbeing of her aging father convinced Durga Mohan to marry Hemanta Shashi. Durga Mohan extended every possible care to his step children too, and treated them as his own children.

After passing the Entrance examination in 1890, Atul Prasad was admitted to Presidency College in Kolkata, and in November the same year took a voyage to England to study law.

In London he befriended Sri Aurobindo Ghosh, Chittaranjan Das, Sarojini Naidu and Dwijendralal Ray.

After becoming a Barrister, he returned to Bengal in 1894 and joined with Satyendra Prasanno Sinha, (Lord Sinha), as a Bar-at-Law. Successively he opened up law practice in Kolkata in a rented apartment in 82, Circular Road. When his step-father Durgamohan died on 19 December 1897, he opened practice in Rangpur court.

The High Court at Calcutta, which used to be known as the High Court of Judicature at Fort William in Bengal, was established and formally opened on 1 July 1862. Atul Prasad was called to the Bar in Calcutta High Court in 1895. He was a member of the Bar Library Club of Calcutta High Court.