KABIWALAS 383 capacity of making the common as though it were uncommon, then surely Ram Basu was a poet in the true sense of the term. After enumerating these greater names, which citation however does not exhaust the poetical riches of this remark- able period, we come to the lesser poets who accompanied or came behind them. It is, however, not necessary for us to embark ip detail upon the history of Kabi-poetry after this period ; for after 1830, Kabi- সা] poetry languished in the hands of the 1830, less inspired successors of Haru, Nitai and Ram Basu. If continued even up to 1880' to be a very popular form of entertainment ; but it rapidly declined, if not in quantity, at least in quality. Of this belated group, Nilu and Ram- prasad Thakur,? Anthony or Antonio the domiciled Portuguese songster,> Thakurdas Simha,! Thakurdas
' To what degraded state Kabi poetry had descended by that time may be realised by reading the vehemently denouncing article on Kabi- poetry which appeared in Bandhab, Pons, 1282 (1875), p. 267.
- Nilmani and Ramprasid Chakrabarti lived at Simla, Calcutta.
Nilu was the younger of the two brothers. Several songs sung in their party are given in Prachin Kabisamgraha at pp. 36, 48, 46, 72, 89 ete. » Anthony or Anthony Firingi is said by Rajndrayan Basu in his Ekal O Sekal to be of French extraction. He lived at Gareti near Chandannagar and at one time his Kabir dal was very famous. He is said to have fallen in love with a Brdhman woman whom he married and through whom he was converted into Hinduism. See for details Dinesh Chandra Sen, 73477211886 O Sahitya, 3rd Ed., pp. 627-628, Batiga Sahitya Parichay (some of his songs quoted), p. 1576; Nabyabharat, 1812, pp. 194-98; Barger Kabita, pp. 318-22; Baiigabhagar Lekhak, pp. 375-377.
- Not much is known about him but he was a contemporary and
rival of Anthony. See Nabyabha@rat, 1312, pp. 645-646. Ram Basu used to compose for bis party ; see Prachin Kabi Samgraha, pp. 38, 40, 59, 68,
