| Bangla Literature |
Article Index for Bangla |
Website Links For Bangla |
Information AboutBangla Literature |
|
The first evidence of Bangla literature is Charyapada or Charyageeti, buddhist hymns or dohas from the 8th century. Iswarchandra Bandyopadhyaya (popularly known as "Vidyasagar" which means 'ocean of knowledge') was mainly known as a social reformer. But his contribution to the Bengali literature also plays a significant role. He laid the foundation of modern Bengali language. Vidysagar realized the need of educating women in the society. With his tireless effort to uplift the status of women in the society, he was able to establish some Girl's schools in different places of Bengal. But there was no good Bengali text book for basic Bengali education. He wrote Bengali books with basic language construct and fundamentals, like, "Barnaparichay", "Bodhoday", "Kathamala" etc. and then easy grammar books like "Upakramonika" and "Byakaron Kaumudi". He also introduced some basic books for Mathematical logic. Rabindranath Tagore called him as the father of modern Bengali language. Vidyasagar translated some masterpieces of Sanskrit and English literature into Bengali: "betaal panchabingshati"(Sanskrit Kathasarit sagar, "shakuntala", "bhranti bilaas" , "sitaar banabaas" and edited books like "raghubangsha", "kumarsambhab" etc. Possibly the most prolific writer in Bangla is Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore . Tagore dominated both the Bengali and Indian philosophical and literary scene for decades. His 2,000 ''Rabindrasangeets'' play a pivotal part in defining Bengali culture, both in West Bengal and Bangladesh. He is the author of the National Anthems of both India and Bangladesh , both composed in Bangla. Other notable Bangla works of his are '' Gitanjali '', a book of poems for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, and many short stories and a few novels. In a similar category is Kazi Nazrul Islam , a Muslim who was invited to post-partition Bangladesh as the National Poet and whose work transcends sectarian boundaries. Adored by Bengalis both in Bangladesh and West Bengal, his work includes 3,000 songs, known as both as ''nazrul geeti'' and "nazrul sangeet". He is frequently called the rebel poet mainly because of his most famous and electrifying poem "Bidrohi" or "The Rebel", and also because of his strong sympathy and support for revolutionary activities leading to India's independence from British Rule. His songs and poems were frequently used during the Bangladesh Liberation War as well. Michael Madhusudan Dutt , a Christian by conversion, is best known for his Ramayana -based masterpiece, "The Slaying of Meghnadh," (in Bengali "''Meghnadh Bodh Kabbo''" (মেঘনাদ বধ কাব্য)), which essentially follows in the poetic tradition of Milton 's ''Paradise Lost''. Those who have read it consider this work a world-class epic poem of the modern era. Michael Madhusudan Dutta is also credited with the introduction of sonnets to Bangla literature. Parichand Mitra (penname Tekchand Thakur), a 19th century author, is widely considered to be the first Bengali novelist for his novel "Alaler Ghore Dulal". Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay , another 19th century author, was also one of the earliest and leading Bengali novelists and is popularly known as the author of India's first ''national song'', "Bande Mātarom" (pronounced in Hindi " Vande Mātāram "). Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay was one of the most popular novelists of early 20th century whose speciality was exploring complex human psychology and drama. Tarashankar Bandopadhay was another famous novelist whose works feature a realistic picture of the many-colored fabric of life in rural Bengal in a pioneering modernish style of prose in fiction. Jibanananda Das was a famous poet who, along with Buddhadev Basu, marks the beginning of the move to transcend the Tagore legacy. The new genere of Bengali poets departed considerably from Tagore's ideological style and adoped realism in their writing more pronouncedly. Titled polli-kobi (''Poet of the Village'') for works relating to the villages and countryside of Bengal, Jasimuddin is particularly famous for his poems that have become major highlights for pedagogical purposes in both West Bengal and Bangladesh. Seminal Hindu religious works in Bangla include the many songs of Ramprasad Sen . His works (still sung today) from the 17th century cover an astonishing range of emotional responses to the goddess Kali , detailing complex philosophical statements based on Vedanta teachings and more visceral prouncements of his love of the goddess. There are also the laudatory accounts of the lives and teachings of the Vaishnava saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (the ''Choitanyo Choritāmrit'') and Devi Advaitist Shri Ramakrishna (the ''Ramakrishna Kathamrita'', translated roughly as Gospel of Ramakrishna). There is also a large body of Islamic literature, that can be traced back atleast to ''Noornama'' by Abdul Hakim . ''Bishad Sindhu'' depicting the death of Hussain in Karbala is very popular novel written by Mir Mosharraf Hossain . Later works influenced by Islam include devotional songs written by Nazrul, and popularized by Abbas Uddin , among others. The mystic Baul s of the Bengal countryside who preached the boundless spiritual truth of ''Sôhoj Pôth'' (the Simple, Natural Path) and ''Moner Mānush'' (The Man of The Heart) drew on Vedantic philosophy to propound transcendental truths in song format, traveling from village to village proclaiming that there was no such thing as Hindu, Muslim or Christian, only ''moner mānush.'' The literature discussed so far can be more or less regarded as the common heritage of both Bangladesh and West Bengal . Since the partition of Bengal in 1947, the east and west parts of Bengal have also developed their own distinctive literatures. For example, the Naxalite movement has influenced much of West Bengal's literature, whereas the Liberation War has had a similarly profound impact on Bangladesh i literature. Major literary figures in Bangladesh include Shamsur Rahman , Sufia Kamal , Hasan Azizul Huq , Akhtaruzzaman Ilias and Humayun Azad , to name a few. Some notable writers from West Bengal are Sunil Gangopadhyay , Shankha Ghosh , Shakti Chattopadhyay , Mahasweta Devi and Joy Goswami . See also |
|
|