Palash Biswas
Pramoda Devi, the wife of Bangla Kavigaan legend Lokkavi Vijay sarkar
is no More. She had her last breath on 17 th october last. His
bereaved son Kajal Adhikari passed the information on telephone
belatedly. He had been in Delhi for a personal work and returned by
plain to find his mother dead. No news break,pardon. Pramoda Devi was
eighty two years old. She had two sons Kajal and Badal and a step
daughter. She was married to the poet after the death of his first
wife back in 1945, In Jassore district of Bangladesh. After partition
they shifted to Keutia. She died in her Keutia residence. She had
been ill for some time.
I knew the lady since 1973 when after my UP board highschool exams
were over, I came to visit my Cusin, himself a fpolk poet Nitai
sarkar in Keutia. My sister in law, the wife of Nitai da happens to
be the grand daughter of the poet. So we have a family realtion. I
visted the poet and his family as I knew about his contribution to
Bengali folk culture back in Naintal. My people there, the resettled
partition victims from estranged East Bengal could not forget the
melody.
Since then, I always met the old lady at her residence during my
occassional visit to Keutia.
In 2003, we organized a Lok Utsav in Netajee Indoor Stadium to
celebrate the birth centenary of the poet. In the Lok Utasav, the
ailing lady was brought and honoured in presence of thousands with
standing ovation. Artists foro Assam, Tripura and bengal paid tribute
to the poet on the occassion.
Only on 19 th february this year, Mr Subhash Chakrabarti, the sports
and transport minister of West Bengal Govt inaugruated The 104 birth
anniversary of
lok kavi Vijoy sarkar who with his melodious folklyrics stregthened
the heritage of Bengali folk culture accross the border. The lata
Mangeshkar of Bangladesh, the daughter of legendary Abbasuddin,Ms
firdausi Rehman was the guest of honour. Both Mr Chakrabarti and Ms
Rehman insisted to maintain the rich folk heritage to face the
dangers of globalisation. They said that only our folk can save our
mother language. They deplored the consumer deculturisation and
refered the Bangla Matribhash Struggle.Bangladesh TV star Nishad
kamal, vetern artists Amar Paul and Sanjeet Mandal and a number of
folk artists sang the songs of Vijay sarkar and Abbasuddin.
Director of Dhaka Bangla Academy Mr Shaqurrehaman informed the
audiance about the research worksof the academy on Vijay Sarkar in
particular and Bangla folk in general.
Deputy Registrar of Kolkata Univarsity Dr Nitish Biswas, novelist Mr
Kapil krishna Thakur,Chair person of Pather Panchaly Mrs
RamalaChakrabarti,kvi manoranjan Sarkar were other dignitariespresent
on the dias in Salt Lake Yuva Bharati Stadium.
Main function was celebrated in keutia on Kalyani highway,at the
residence of lokkavi Vijay sarkar on 20th and 21st Feb.All the
artists performed there, too. Particularly, the forgotten Jari Gaan
was sung by Mr rousan Ali, the son of the legendari Jaari singer
Moslem, Mr saiful and party.
Where once again , Pramoda Devi have been the main attraction.
CULTURAL AND FOLKLORE HERITAGE
2002 Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS)
CULTURAL AND FOLKLORE HERITAGE
The definition of folklore might look long and tedious if we
say "Whenever a lullaby is sung to a child; whenever a tongue twister
or a riddle or a countingout time is used in nursery or school;
whenever sayings or proverbs are told; whenever a mother shows her
daughter how to sew, spin, weave, embroider, bake an old-fashioned
pie; whenever a farmer on the ancestral plot trains his son in the
ways long familiar; whenever a village craftsman, carpenter, carver,
shoemaker, blacksmith trains his apprentice in the use of tools;
whenever in may callings the knowledge, experience, wisdom, skill,
habits and practices of the past are handed down by examples or
spoken world, by the elder to the new generation, without reference
to books or print, then that is called Folklore." However, in
Bangladesh, there is an enormous amount of influence of folklore in
our old and modern Bengali literature. Therefore, to analyse and
understand our culture and literature, we must be familiar with the
folkloric heritage of Bangladesh and how it was collected over the
years. Being a Bangladeshi, it is good to learn something about our
rich heritage.
On 19 th february Mr Subhash Chakrabarti, the sports and transport
minister of West Bengal Govt inaugruated The 104 birth anniversary of
lok kavi Vijoy sarkar who with his melodious folklyrics stregthened
the heritage of Bengali folk culture accross the border. The lata
Mangeshkar of Bangladesh, the daughter of legendary Abbasuddin,Ms
firdausi Rehman was the guest of honour. Both Mr Chakrabarti and Ms
Rehman insisted to maintain the rich folk heritage to face the
dangers of globalisation. They said that only our folk can save our
mother language. They deplored the consumer deculturisation and
refered the Bangla Matribhash Struggle.Bangladesh TV star Nishad
kamal, vetern artists Amar Paul and Sanjeet Mandal and a number of
folk artists sang the songs of Vijay sarkar and Abbasuddin.
Director of Dhaka Bangla Academy Mr Shaqurrehaman informed the
audiance about the research worksof the academy on Vijay Sarkar in
particular and Bangla folk in general.
Deputy Registrar of Kolkata Univarsity Dr Nitish Biswas, novelist Mr
Kapil krishna Thakur,Chair person of Pather Panchaly Mrs
RamalaChakrabarti,kvi manoranjan Sarkar were other dignitariespresent
on the dias in Salt Lake Yuva Bharati Stadium.
Main function was celebrated in keutia on Kalyani highway,at the
residence of lokkavi Vijay sarkar on 20th and 21st Feb.All the
artists performed there, too.
Prticularly, the forgotten Jari Gaan was sung by Mr rousan Ali, the
son of thelegendari Jaari singer Moslem, Mr saiful and party.
Where ,once again , Pramoda Devi was the centre of all activities.
CULTURAL AND FOLKLORE HERITAGE
2002 Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS)
CULTURAL AND FOLKLORE HERITAGE
The definition of folklore might look long and tedious if we
say "Whenever a lullaby is sung to a child; whenever a tongue twister
or a riddle or a countingout time is used in nursery or school;
whenever sayings or proverbs are told; whenever a mother shows her
daughter how to sew, spin, weave, embroider, bake an old-fashioned
pie; whenever a farmer on the ancestral plot trains his son in the
ways long familiar; whenever a village craftsman, carpenter, carver,
shoemaker, blacksmith trains his apprentice in the use of tools;
whenever in may callings the knowledge, experience, wisdom, skill,
habits and practices of the past are handed down by examples or
spoken world, by the elder to the new generation, without reference
to books or print, then that is called Folklore." However, in
Bangladesh, there is an enormous amount of influence of folklore in
our old and modern Bengali literature. Therefore, to analyse and
understand our culture and literature, we must be familiar with the
folkloric heritage of Bangladesh and how it was collected over the
years. Being a Bangladeshi, it is good to learn something about our
rich heritage.
If one is to make a historical survey of Bengali folklore,
covering all branches of formalised folklore, such as tales, songs,
ballads, proverbs, riddles, charms, superstitions, myths, legends and
similar traditional materials, he must be acquainted with social and
ethnic conditions of the country.
The folklore of Bangladesh is heavily influenced by different races
which were present years ago. The abundant folklore of the present-
day Bangladesh, therefore, contains a variety of elements, which is
partly to be explained by the historical forces.
>From the third century AD onwards, the Mouryas, the Guptas, the
Palas, the Senas and the Muslims came one after another to rule the
land. As a result, they grafted their ways of life and cultural
traits on the indigenous population. Subsequently, Portuguese, French
and English ships anchored in the harbours of Bengal. They left not
only their merchandise but also their customs. Of these foreign
traders, the British became the most powerful. They were able to
consolidate their authority at the expense of the fading empire of
the Mughal rulers. The battle of Plassy in 1757 ended with the defeat
of the Nawab of Bengal. The British victory ensured the supremacy of
the British East India Company over the entire sub-continent, which
included Bangladesh, for nearly 200 years. As a result, the folklore
of Bangladesh presents an interesting variety, both anthropological
and sociological.
Since a number of races established in Bengal, it only naturally
follows that each race left its own mark and it was not only physical
but also cultural, which collectively formed the basis of the future
higher culture. There is no denying the fact that the first phase of
folklore collecting was started by the British rulers of India,
though the purpose behind it was obviously political and
administrative. As soon as the British East India Company became
ruler of Bengal it requested the British civil officers to learn
about the people of the land through their culture and customs.
Consequently, under the directive of the Company, scholars like
William Jones, a judge of the old Supreme Court, Calcutta,
established the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal in the year 1784.
This Society promoted the study of the humanities, including the
materials later recognised as folklore.
Under the British initiative, the study of folklore was advanced
primarily by the British civil officers and European missionaries.
After the Sepoy Revolution of 1857, there followed more
congenial atmosphere to investigate folklore. In 1858, by a
proclamation of Queen Victoria, the administration was transferred
from the East India Company to a Viceroy, the representative of the
Queen of England. From then on, the English officials before leaving
England, were instructed to mix with the Indian people to try to gain
their confidence, and also to respect their religions, culture and
customs. The officials who came to India were clearly familiar with
the anthropology, ethnology and of course, folklore. The officials
launched many journals and publications, which richly contained
enormous quality of folklore materials.
Along with the civil servants, the missionaries of Great
Britain, Europe and the United States made important contribution to
the folklore collection and publication. Since their aim was to
preach Christianity among the natives, it was incumbent on them to
know the native customs. Among the missionaries, William Carey was
remarkable. He served in Fort William College from 1800-1831 and with
the help of native munshis he published a series of Bengali books,
edited newspapers and encouraged the translations of Sanskrit
folktales known in oral traditions.
Other missionaries, such as Caleb Wright and Right Rev.
Reginald, on the other hand, were causal travellers who kept
excellent information in their books about the customs and traditions
of our country. The missionaries were followed by the ontique
collectors such as Kanailal Ghosal, Rajendranath Benarjee and many
more.
The second phase of the folklore movement was introduced by
Bengali scholars of nationalistic tendencies. Rabindranath Tagore was
the pioneer during the period. From 1885 to 1899, he published four
essays showing the importance of Bengali folk literature. 'These four
essays were compiled in his book Loka-Sahitya (Folk Literature) in
1907. Tagore patronised others and he himself collected a large
number of folklore materials from his vast estate of East Bengal,
including Bangladesh. He himself wrote : "When I was at Selaidah, I
would always keep close contact with the Bauls (mystic folk singers)
and have discussion with them, and it was fact that I infused tunes
of Baul songs into many of my own songs". Many people say
that 'Tagore used numerous folklore themes in many of his poems,
songs, dramas, novels and short stories. Other scholars, who made
important contribution to folklore were Upendra Kishore Roy
Choudhury : Toontooni Pal (1910 Book on Toontooni) and Mitra Majumder
Takore: Thakur Mar Jhuli (1906 Grandmother Stories), Monsur Uddin
(collector of Baul songs), Jashim Uddin (who was famous for his
folklore themes in dramas and poetries) and Abbas Uddin(who made
folksongs popular).
The third phase of folklore movement began in Dhaka, then East
Bengal, in the year 1938, when the Eastern Mymensingh Literary
Society was established. This promoted the collection and study of
folklore. Folklore activities were, however, much accelerated when
the then government established the Bangla Academy in Dhaka in 1955
to promote research work on Bengali language and literature and
collected, preserved and published folklore materials. Folklore
candidates, appointed by the academy, worked in regions rich in
folklore. As a result, folklore materials of high quality poured in
on an unending stream. So far, the Bangla Academy has published many
books on folklore.
Bengali ballads which are called Gatha or Geetika in Bengali are
one of the earliest variety of folksongs. The dates of origin of
Bengali ballads will safely go to up to the Middle Ages, if not
earlier. Divergent opinions have been expressed as to the origin of
ballads. There are two contending groups : (1) communalistic, and (2)
individualistic.
The first group saw in ballads a continuing traditions from the
primitive ages and thought that these were made by a kind of communal
improvisations for communal recreation. Later, critic suggested that
people were too indefinite, too disorganised for such concerted
efforts, and that ballads were composed under the direction of a
leader who brought the necessary discipline in songs and who
functioned as the main organiser and guide. According to the critics,
after an individual ballad was composed, it passed on from people to
people, community to community through oral traditions. In the
process some were changed, improved and sometimes even deteriorated.
This individualistic theory has been accepted by the scholars at both
home and abroad.
Behind ever art is a man, behind the man is the race and behind
the race is the social and natural environment and these influences
are sure to be reflected on folklore. Bengali ballads give us an idea
of the Bengali society in the Middle Ages, its joy and sorrows,
laughter and tears. Bangladesh is the land of rivers -- almost all
villages are linked with rivers. There is a proverb which
says, "There is not a single village without a river or a rivulet and
a folk poet or a minstrel".
The struggle for existence was not as hard in Middle Ages as it
is today and the minstrels and folk poets had ample opportunity to
enjoy nature and pass care-free-time in composing songs and stories.
Moreover, they were always patronised by the local feudal lords.
It was, of course, Islam that gave the highest acceleration to
the development of the Bengali ballads. The Turks conquered Bengal at
the beginning of the 13th century. Muslims brought with them a huge
store of Persian literature. The low-caste Hindus for the first time
in their life had the opportunity to talk and mix with the conquering
race. They saw that there were no barriers to caste and creed among
Muslims and that all men were equal in Islam. In due course, the
influence of the Persian romances reached the remote corner of the
country. Gradually, the Hindu society also came to know of this and
humanism like the south wind blew over the literature of Bengal. Even
though these stories and songs were composed earlier, they were
unfortunately collected from the oral tradition only by the second
decade of the 20th century. It is quite obvious that these stories
underwent a great change. Earlier the poets were patronised by the
feudal lords, but in the later period probably when the poets lost
their patrons in the British period, they became the "property of the
masses rather than the classes". May be, for this reason the quality
of the folk stories and songs, composed in the later period,
deteriorated.
Many stories and songs have been collected till now. The ballads
are usually sung in accompaniment with tabors, drums, and other folk
instruments. Ballad stories are sung by a leader who is
called "Gayen' and he has a group of associate singers called 'Paile'
who join in the chorus in illustrating the episodes.
There are innumerable varieties of folk songs in the riverine
Bangladesh which are sung by different cultural groups in different
parts of the country. The most popular variety of songs can be
divided into many different classes.
The first class of songs can be divided into "Work songs"
or "Occupational songs". These songs include harvest songs, which are
sung at the time of harvest or cultivation; songs of the bullockcart
drivers or palan-quin-bearers sung at the time of carrying passengers
from one place to another; songs sung by labourers when they built
roofs of a house; 'sari-gaan', sung by boatmen in the month of
monsoon, at the time of boat race, etc.
Kavi, however, bases mostly Hindu myths and legends and is also
sung by two rival singers. They are usually sung at the time of Hindu
festivals. Kavi, like Jari, may also be sung throughout the year for
pure entertainment.
Both Kavi and Jari sometimes go beyond the limit of their
particular subject and in the course of singing introduces modern
topics or amusing national and local events. Sometimes when ritual
singers indulge in personal attacks through the exchange of sharp
wits, the audience bursts into laughter. We see that all the folk
songs and stories of Bangladesh inform us about the then society. It
depicts clearly how the people used to think, their customs, and what
the principles they used to follow. Through all the folk materials
collected over the years we can learn more about our country's
history and tradition. We learn that Bangladesh has rich cultural and
folklore heritage, which may be compared with any other country of
the world rich in folklore. Since folklore has already been accepted
as a social, cultural and ethnic study, Bangladeshi Folklore will
also have a distinct place in the study.
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