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Tantricism and Medieval Bengali Literature/ তান্ত্রিকতা ও মধ্যযুগের বাংলা সাহিত্য
No full textIn a large country like India, Tantra is very ancient. Not only in India, but in almost all countries of the world, this Tantra is very ancient. Bengal is considered a special part of India. Therefore, like the whole of India, the influence of Tantra can be found in Bengal as well. In a multinational country, people of different religions and religious affiliations live. However, there is no direct influence of any religion at the root of the emergence of this Tantricism. It began in the distant dark ages of Indian history. The general meaning of the word Tantra is - by which knowledge increases. With this knowledge obtained through various physical activities, people can protect themselves. However, many religions have been followed according to the Shastras at some point or the other. Among these religious scriptures, notable religious sects are Shaktas, Shaivas, Vaishnavism mainly. The root of this diversity is the taste of the people. Various branches have been created in the diversity of Tantric worship centered on different gods and goddesses. This information seeking has spread its influence in Bengali in various ways, as a result of which the direct or indirect influence of this Tantra practice is clearly seen in different branches of Bengali literature at different times. This is basically the method of practice. Although the method of practice that was prescribed for obtaining the possible objects was different, its nature was one of joy or great happiness. Although it took the form of different terminology in different sectors, the universe exists within the human body and its nature can be realized through simple practice by asking the Guru.  
Sanjib Chandra’s Palamau: A Vivid Ethnographic Narrative of the Kol Community/ সঞ্জীবচন্দ্রের পালামৌ : কোল জনগোষ্ঠীর প্রাঞ্জল জীবনালেখ্য
No full textSanjib Chandra Chattopadhyay’s (1834–1889) travel narrative Palamau (1880–1883) stands as a unique ethnographic document in Bengali literature, portraying the life of the Kol community. Written in the late nineteenth century, the text depicts how the everyday existence of the Kol people is intricately interwoven with nature. Palamau remains a milestone in Bengali travel writing, vividly representing both the natural beauty of the Palamau district (present-day Jharkhand) and the multifaceted life of its indigenous inhabitants. During his official visit to Palamau, Chattopadhyay was deeply moved by the community’s simplicity, industriousness, and their symbiotic relationship with the natural environment. In his portrayal, the Kols emerge as “children of nature,” a vision encapsulated in his celebrated observation, “The wild are beautiful in the forest, just as children are in their mother’s lap.”
Despite its literary and stylistic significance, Palamau has seldom been examined through a comprehensive sociological or anthropological lens. This paper seeks to fill that gap by analyzing the narrative both literarily and ethnographically. It examines aspects of Kol life including physical appearance, festivals, marriage customs, humor, daily activities, social structures, occupations, patterns of economic exploitation under Hindustani moneylenders, and their relationship with the natural world. While Chattopadhyay’s account is infused with romantic literary sensibilities, it simultaneously preserves the cultural identity of the Kols as a colonial-era ethnographic record. The text also reveals the inherent limitations of the colonial gaze, even as it serves as a valuable archive of indigenous culture.
Furthermore, this study contextualizes the historical and contemporary struggles of the Kol community, highlighting issues such as land dispossession, displacement, poverty, and cultural erosion. Comparative analysis enriches the discussion by situating Palamau alongside landmark Bengali novels that engage with specific indigenous communities— Mahasweta Devi’s Aranyer Adhikar (Munda), Amiya Bhushan Majumdar’s Mahishkurer Upakatha (Baudiya and Rajbanshi), Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay’s Hansuli Banker Upakatha (Kahar), Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s Aranyak (Santhal), and Advaita Mallabarman’s Titas Ekti Nadir Naam (Malo).
Ultimately, the article underscores the need to preserve the cultural continuity of the Kol people while negotiating the pressures of modernization. By revisiting Palamau in both literary and ethnographic dimensions, the study invites readers and scholars to rethink the place and rights of the Kol community within the broader discourse of indigenous identity and survival in the present era
Mahashweta Devi’s ‘Hulmaha’ : A search for Indianness/ মহাশ্বেতা দেবীর ‘হুলমাহা’ : ভারতীয়ত্বের অনুসন্ধান
No full textMahashweta Devi’s widespread influence in literature. Not only in Bengal, but also in regions outside Bengal like Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, etc., her influence is vast. Her literature naturally features the existence of deprived, vulnerable people who are denied social, economic and political rights. With a compassionate heart, she reached the homes, doors, and innermost hearts of the oppressed, governed, exploited, weak, marginalized, and helpless people in society. The novel ‘Hulmaha’ (1982) is a testament to this exceptional life and work. The burning story of the Santal rebellion is the main subject of its narrative. Under the rule, exploitation, and oppression of the colonial, zamindari, and moneylender classes, the Santal community was in danger and lost its way. Under their rule and exploitation, the tribals lost their freedom, rights, and the honor and dignity of their women. The exploitative class created its own empire by taking advantage of the Santals weakness and helplessness. There, burdened with debt, the Santals were reduced to bonded labor and serfdom. Additionally, Santals faced various forms of social and economic oppression and exploitation. To escape this oppression and exploitation, they initiated a rebellion. The main goal of the rebellion was to establish an independent Santal kingdom. Sidhu and Kanu led the rebellion. ‘Damin-i-Koh’ was formed across the vast regions of Bhagalpur, Murshidabad, and Birbhum. Besides the Santal community of these areas, Santals from Hazaribagh and Manbhum also joined this rebellion. Not only people from the Santal community, but also the oppressed and exploited Shabar, Munda, and lower-caste Hindus participated in this rebellion. Everyone’s dream was that their lives would be free from any company, government, zamindar, owner, or moneylender’s oppression and exploitation. Everyone, all classes, all castes, especially the Santal community, aimed to live together in unity. In this way, Mahashweta Devi has woven various contexts and tendencies of Indianness into the layers of her novels. In her narratives, the eternal national tradition and the taste and dream of Indianness are directly or indirectly revealed. She sought to establish that all people in India are equal and everyone has equal rights. Her thoughts and methods of work are solely aimed at destroying inequality and establishing equality. She did not accept caste discrimination and racial disparities. Her narratives contain a call for unity or oneness to protect one\u27s own caste, religion, race, language, culture, and above all, the existence of the country. Mahashweta Devi has tried to highlight this through various narratives. From this perspective, every Indian citizen can feel the subtle pulse of life in Mahashweta Devi’s novel ‘Hulmaha’
Milan Kundera\u27s \u27Being\u27: The Historical Significance of a Transitional Era and an Alternative Path/ মিলান কুন্দেরা-র ‘সত্তা’ : যুগসন্ধিক্ষণের ঐতিহাসিক তাৎপর্য ও এক ভিন্ন মার্গ
No full text“And What can life be worth if the first rehearsal for life is the itself?”
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being
In 1984, when ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being’ was published, the author himself had no doubt about the title. However, his friends, translators, and publishers reportedly requested him multiple times to remove or change the final word of the title - Being. They felt that the use of the word ‘being’ in the novel\u27s name unnecessarily initiated a philosophical heaviness. There were concerns that this might negatively affect the book’s sales. But the author remained adamant. As a result, the word Being (or Sattā in Bengali, meaning ‘existence’) remained in both the French and English translations, and eventually, its presence carried through into other European languages as well. From 1979 to 1981, though he spent a few years in France, he was, in the truest sense, homeless and stateless at that time. He clearly stated that he never intended to write psychological or philosophical novels. At the Canter of all of Kundera’s works lies a single word: Being or Existence. That is the concept he sought to explore from different angles.
According to him, only those literary works are meaningful to humanity that reveal some previously unknown aspect of existence. After being officially exiled by the Communist government, he began, during those few years, to write anew about the existence of modern humans. What made his style distinctive was the way he examined human existence from various perspectives - often through irony or absurdity. Although in interviews he mentioned that humour, irony - the most sublime flavors of literature - were more prominent in earlier writings, and that people today seem to have forgotten how to laugh. His name: Milan Kundera. A writer who spun bizarre tales out of the visible and invisible elements of human life, and made his readers laugh through them - but a writer whom scholars of literature are reluctant to categorize simply as dark humour. At the same time, his works don\u27t fit neatly into parody or comedy either. So what makes Milan Kundera unique? This piece will attempt to shed light on that very question
The Contemporary Relevance of the Gajon Festival as a Carrier of Folk Culture/ লোকসংস্কৃতির ধারক-বাহক গাজন উৎসবটির বর্তমান প্রাসঙ্গিকতা
No full textGajon is a traditional folk festival celebrated in parts of Bangladesh and West Bengal, particularly in rural areas. This multi- dimensional festival is the festival of the low – born or Antyaja people. It is usually held at the end of the Bengali month of Chaitra, just before the Bengali New year (pohela Boishakh). The festival typically lasts for several days and involves a combination of devotional rituals, folk performances, and acts of penance. Participants, known as Gajon sannyasis or bhoktas, often dress in saffron clothes, fast, and take part in rituals such as dancing, singing, fire – walking, or even body- piercing, to show their devotion and seek blessings. Gajon is not just a religious event – it is a celebration of faith, tradition, and cultural unity in rural Bengali life. Given the socio- economic context of this agriculturally centered festival, its relevance in the current era of globalization, especially in the context of the development of the mechanical civilization, deserves special discussion
Bengali Little Magazine: When poets are cover artists/ বাংলা লিট্ল ম্যাগাজিন : কবির প্রচ্ছদ
No full textThe relationship between poetry and images is timeless. But isn\u27t the connection between poets and images also long-standing? Poets have often created self-portraits, designed book covers, or illustrated little magazines. My essay focuses specifically on the covers designed by poets for Bengali little magazines. I\u27ve attempted to understand the style of these covers, the poets\u27 calligraphy, artistic vision, and more. The essay explores what makes these covers unique and the originality behind them. Sometimes, it also touches on the stories behind the creation of these covers. Even in recent times, poet-designed covers for Bengali little magazines continue to thrive, making this aspect a lasting legacy in the world of Bengali little magazines.
The essay showcases the cover designs of poets like Shakti Chattopadhyay, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Tarapada Roy, Binoy Majumdar, Manindra Gupta, and Purnendu Pattrea, among others. It discusses not only the colour and layout of the covers but also the typography and calligraphy. The essay asks: How different are the covers designed by poets, who may not have formal training in art, from those designed by professional artists? Did the poet-designed covers change the face of Bengali little magazines? These questions are explored in the essay.  
Editing of the Sadhanamala : An Evaluation/ সাধনমালা-র সম্পাদনা : একটি মূল্যায়ন
No full textThis paper critically examines the editorial approach to the Buddhist text Sadhanmala with a focus on its publication history, manuscript sources, and the principles guiding its modern edition. Drawing upon Binayatosh Bhattacharya’s pioneering two-volume edition, the study highlights how a corpus of nearly three hundred Buddhist ritual manuals and iconographic texts was consolidated to form a foundational source for the study of Vajrayana Buddhism and Indo-Tibetan iconography. The paper first clarifies the theoretical basis of ‘editing’ within Indian philological traditions, showing how etymology and textual criticism intersect to produce a ‘standard’ or ‘critical’ reading of a text. It then outlines the provenance of Sadhanamala: manuscripts held in the Asiatic Society of Bengal, the Central Library of Baroda, and the National Archives of Kathmandu. The study emphasizes the fragmentary nature of these manuscripts, their varying scripts, and the necessity of collating incomplete or late copies to recover earlier readings. Special attention is given to Bhattacharya’s editorial method—his decisions on variant readings, orthography, and ritual descriptions—and how these choices shaped the presentation of Vajrayana deities such as Tara, Avalokitesvara, and Hevajra. The paper also situates Sadhanamala within the larger framework of Buddhist ritual and iconography, showing how it reflects a living tradition of visualization, mantra, and mudra practices that transcended regional boundaries from Bengal to Nepal and Tibet. By reconstructing the text’s historical layers, the paper underscores its value not only as a compendium of tantric rituals but also as a document of social, artistic, and theological exchange in medieval South Asia. Finally, the study argues that understanding the editorial history of Sadhanamala is essential for future scholarship on Buddhist art, as critical editions provide the foundation for iconographic identification and ritual interpretation. This paper thus contributes both to textual studies and to the broader field of South Asian religious and cultural history
Neighborhood life and culture in the periodical Magazines: Special Reading ‘Prabha’ 1412 Ashwin issue/ সাময়িক পত্রে প্রতিবেশী জীবন ও সংস্কৃতি : বিশেষ পাঠ ‘প্রবাহ’ ১৪১২ আশ্বিন সংখ্যা
No full textThe entire literary practice of the Northeast is basically based on newspapers. \u27Prabha\u27 is a representative local newspaper in the field of prose literature practice of the Barak Valley. For a long time, Prabha has been doing research-based work, especially on various aspects of the traditional culture of the Northeast. More than 250 ethnic groups live in our Northeast, called the Seven Sisters. Their economic, social and cultural traditions and conditions are also different. Among them, the neighboring state of Manipur is also a rich state in art and culture. Manipur\u27s tradition, agriculture, personal-social or religious reforms have their own uniqueness in every field. This state, which is unwavering in its ancient religious beliefs and takes great care of its heritage, has enriched not only the art of Manipur but also the art of the whole of India with its traditional art. Therefore, in our article, based on the 1412 Ashwin special issue of Prabha magazine, we will try to explore the diverse aspects and forms of life and culture of the neighboring Manipuri state
The wonderful role of minor characters in Chandidas\u27s Padabali/ চণ্ডীদাসের পদাবলীতে অপ্রধান চরিত্রবৃন্দের অপূর্ব ভূমিকা
No full textVaishnava Padavali are primarily love-filled devotional songs about the two main characters, Radha and Krishna. In their love affairs, countless side characters have aided them. While these characters haven\u27t become dramatic figures, they have certainly emerged from the poetic realm, developing as much as the poetic needs required. Typically, side characters in literature exist for the evolution and development of the main characters, a responsibility that often leads them to lose their own identity. Yet, within the Vaishnava Padavali, poets and writers have spontaneously depicted small, poignant moments from the lives of these side characters. In this context, my discussion will focus on the various side characters portrayed in the Padavali of Chandidas, a leading poet and Padavakarta from the pre-Chaitanya era of Vaishnava Padavali literature
Selina Hossain\u27s novel \u27Nil Mayurer Jouban\u27: The Reconstruction of Charyapad and the Struggle for Self-Establishment of the Common Man/ সেলিনা হোসেনের ‘নীল ময়ূরের যৌবন’ উপন্যাস : চর্যাপদের পুনর্নির্মাণ ও সাধারণ মানুষের আত্মপ্রতিষ্ঠার লড়াই
No full textThe novel ‘Neel Mayurer Jauban’ written by Selina Hossain. In this novel, the author has reconstructed the events of Charyapad. Charyapad- a symbol of the ancient Bengali language. The language movement in Bangladesh took place in 1952. Then in 1971, a movement was held to form an independent state. Bangladesh separated from the Pakistani state and declared itself as an independent state on December 16, 1971. The author has expressed this language movement and independence movement in Bangladesh on the basis of Charyapad. She has compared the social system of Bengal during Charyapad\u27s time with the social situation of the present Bengali country. Just as the common people of Bangladesh stood against the power structure and formed an independent Bangladesh, the characters in Charyapad also dream of their own separate and independent territory. This awakening and struggle of the common people has been analyzed in this article