Poems of Shamsur Rahman [translated by Kaiser Haq]
wasif.sattar
Here is once again another sampling of Shamsur Rahman's poetry. He is
considered by many lovers of Bengali poetry to be the most significant poet
in Bengali since the five great first generation modernists in Bengali poetry
- Jibanananda Das, Amiya Chakrabarty, Sudhindranath Dutt, Buddhadeb Bose, and
Bishnu Dey.
PREFERENCES
I love the venomous snake hidden in the green
because it is not more malignant than a deceiving friend.
I love the blind vampire bat
because it is a great deal more compassionate than the critic.
The angry scorpion's bite is dear to me
because its agony is sweeter
than the red-lipped kiss of a faithless sweetheart.
I love the graceful tiger in the dark forest
because the dictator's
calculated consuming viciousness is alien to it.
O LORD
O Lord, if you had to send this wretch to this wretched world,
why didn't you create him a parrot?
I'd have sat in the doorway
sagely bobbing tail
and with sharp beak peck lovingly at the rationed grain.
Sitting in the cage I could have garnered all the cliches:
I'd be spared the bother of saying things of my own.
Hope you enjoyed the above short poems.
Best wishes,
Wasif Sattar
DEB CHATTERJEE
(wasif.sattar) writes...
>.... (stuff deleted) ....
>Best wishes,
>Wasif Sattar
You forgot to mention the influence Shamsur had on today's poets like
Sunil Ganguly, Shakti Chattopadhyay and others. BTW, Shamsur, IMHO does
not compare anywhere near Jibanananda Das. In fact, nobody comes near him.
What do say ? Moreover, please don't post these articles on SCP. The people
there cannot appreciate Shamsur's poetry. I know this for sure.
- khuda hafez,
deb chatterjee
(a good samaritan)
Sheikh Kaisar Alam
>
> You forgot to mention the influence Shamsur had on today's poets like
> Sunil Ganguly, Shakti Chattopadhyay and others. BTW, Shamsur, IMHO does
> not compare anywhere near Jibanananda Das. In fact, nobody comes near him.
>
in my preference of Bangla poets.
Shuja
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------
"Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dipen Bhattacharya
Wasif posts this poem by Shamsur Rahman:
>O LORD
>O Lord, if you had to send this wretch to this wretched world,
>why didn't you create him a parrot?
>I'd have sat in the doorway
>sagely bobbing tail
>and with sharp beak peck lovingly at the rationed grain.
>Sitting in the cage I could have garnered all the cliches:
>I'd be spared the bother of saying things of my own.
This reminded me of a song by Kishore Kumar:
Manush jonmo diye bidhi pathio na prithibi-te
Joto duk-kho pelam ami mapar moto neyto phite
Ek phagun'er ayu holeo pathio amay pakhi kore
Gan shuniye sharati din kete jabe....
(Don't remember the exact words, please correct and add)
Rough translation: Oh Lord, don't send me to this earth as
a human, no tape can measure the sorrows that I have
suffered. Send me as a bird--although only for a spring,
I will spend my time in singing before the world....
(or something like that).
Shubhechha,
Dipen
Somebody told me: Don't take the Usenet too seriously!
DEB CHATTERJEE
(Sheikh Kaisar Alam) writes...
>..... (stuff deleted) .....
>Jibanadda Das was one and unique. Nobody can be like him. I place him 3rd
>in my preference of Bangla poets.
>
>Shuja
>--
If there is a choice, from your side, how would you prefer to categorize ?
My choice: Jibananda, Sunil, Shamsur/ Samar Sen, Sukanta, Shankha, Shakti,
Nirendranath, Bishnu, Nabanita.
I know that Dawood Haider (whom I knew personally from 1976-1981)
was the 1970's best poet, but, I do not like his style of poetry.
Any comments ?
- deb chatterjee
(a good samaritan)
Samit Banerjee
>
> If there is a choice, from your side, how would you prefer to categorize ?
>
> My choice: Jibananda, Sunil, Shamsur/ Samar Sen, Sukanta, Shankha, Shakti,
> Nirendranath, Bishnu, Nabanita.
>
> I know that Dawood Haider (whom I knew personally from 1976-1981)
> was the 1970's best poet, but, I do not like his style of poetry.
>
> Any comments ?
>
> - deb chatterjee
>(a good samaritan)
Hey wait a minute!!! What happened to Rabindronath? How could you guys
forget Kobiguru? And what about Nazrul?
Also I think I would put Sukanto after Jibananda. Deb might not like this
since Sukanto was a Communist and a Naxalite but the guy was incredibly
talented. His untimely death robbed us of a great poet.
Samit
Samit Banerjee
University of Southern California,
Los Angeles, CA 90033
Dipen Bhattacharya
Shuja writes:
>Jibanadda Das was one and unique. Nobody can be like him. I place him 3rd
^^^^^^^^^
Then Deb Chatterjee writes:
>My choice: Jibananda, Sunil, Shamsur/ Samar Sen, Sukanta, Shankha, Shakti,
^^^^^^^^^
And Samit Banerjee adds:
>Also I think I would put Sukanto after Jibananda. Deb might not like this
^^^^^^^^^
Please, please take some time and write: Jibanananda.
Deb Chatterjee's opinion:
> I know that Dawood Haider (whom I knew personally from 1976-1981)
> was the 1970's best poet, but, I do not like his style of poetry.
Was Daud Haider the best poet of '70s in Bangladesh, or in the whole
Bengal? What has happened to the series of excellent poets, including
Syed Shamsul Haque, Abul Hasan, Al Mahmud, Nirmalendu Gun, Shahid
Kadri, Asad Choudhury, etc.?
Samit Banerjee writes about Shukanto:
>Also I think I would put Sukanto after Jibananda. Deb might not like this
>since Sukanto was a Communist and a Naxalite but the guy was incredibly
>talented. His untimely death robbed us of a great poet.
Shukanto was a member of the Communist Party of India and he died
in the '40s. Naxalbari Movement did not start until 1968. Does that
make Shukanto a Naxalite? Or is this just a symbolism?
Shubhechha,
Dipen
mer...@engvms.unl.edu
>
>> I know that Dawood Haider (whom I knew personally from 1976-1981)
>> was the 1970's best poet, but, I do not like his style of poetry.
>
> Was Daud Haider the best poet of '70s in Bangladesh, or in the whole
> Bengal? What has happened to the series of excellent poets, including
> Syed Shamsul Haque, Abul Hasan, Al Mahmud, Nirmalendu Gun, Shahid
> Kadri, Asad Choudhury, etc.?
>
I don't think Daud Haider was the best poet of 70's in Bangladesh. The
names of the above poets and Rafique Azad will probably come before Haider.He
of course is a powerful writer and became famous for his book " Jonmo ei Amar
Ajonmo Pap". Daud Haider received international award for this book.
>
> Shubhechha,
> Dipen
---Zakir
Samit Banerjee
> And Samit Banerjee adds:
>
>>Also I think I would put Sukanto after Jibananda. Deb might not like this
> ^^^^^^^^^
> Please, please take some time and write: Jibanananda.
Sorry. It was a typo on my part though your point is well taken .
Anyway arent we getting a trifle picky here? What difference does a typo make
as long as you get the message?
> Samit Banerjee writes about Shukanto:
>
>>Also I think I would put Sukanto after Jibananda. Deb might not like this
>>since Sukanto was a Communist and a Naxalite but the guy was incredibly
>>talented. His untimely death robbed us of a great poet.
>
> Shukanto was a member of the Communist Party of India and he died
> in the '40s. Naxalbari Movement did not start until 1968. Does that
> make Shukanto a Naxalite? Or is this just a symbolism?
>
Yes the reference to him being a Naxalite was symbolic. What I meant was
that Sukanto always advocated the violent overthrow of the Govt. ( remember
his poem "deslai baxo") and in that way the political message was the same
as the people from Naxalbari.
There was no offence intended, although personally I despise most of the
political philosophy that came out of Naxalbari and the subsequent murders
that went with it. Anyway, that's just my point of view. Of course I wasnt
around when the whole thing started, so maybe I shouldnt be commenting on
it at all.
Shubhechhante
Samit
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DEB CHATTERJEE
(Samit Banerjee) writes...>>.... (stuff deleted).....
>..... (stuff deleted).....
>Hey wait a minute!!! What happened to Rabindronath? How could you guys
>forget Kobiguru? And what about Nazrul?
>
influenced by Tagore, except for two poems. This is his greatness. Tagore was
influenced by T.S.Elliot, Blake, Wordsworth. I cannot deny his `Balaka' plus
Gitanjali, and, his songs some of which are immortal. Regarding Nazrul,
the situation is a bit difficult. Some of his poems are great, but, not all of
them. Moreover Shamsur is after Rabindranath, Nazrul - that's why.
>since Sukanto was a Communist and a Naxalite but the guy was incredibly
>talented.
>
True, and that's why I cannot place him above everyone. He is talented no doubt
but too sectarian - politically. Poetry is above political preachings.
Regarding Naxalite bents of Sukanta, I am not too sure.
>Samit
DEB CHATTERJEE
>.... (stuff deleted) ......
Why I like Jibanananda:
" Abar asibo phirey, dhansiritir tirey/
hoito ba manush noi/ hoito ba sankhachil, salikher besehey -
kuashar bukey behesy asibo e kantal chayayey.... "
When I read this poem, I am really amazed that, aside the representation of
the content, this poet was the only one who experimemted with usage of words
to depict a specific meaning. Rabindranath did not go along this line. I am
NOT trying to be skeptical about Kobiguru. NObody did this. This is one of the
major contributions to Bengali poetry and we are really fortunate that way. In
fact, after Jibanananda, NOBODY has contributed to such a new line of thinking.
This is his originality - aside being surrealistic poet, which of course is
what I look for in a poetry. In the former sense, Michael Madhusudan Dutta
introduced Amitrakshar chanda - which was very grudginly recognized by Tagore.
>
> Was Daud Haider the best poet of '70s in Bangladesh, or in the whole
> Bengal? What has happened to the series of excellent poets, including
> Syed Shamsul Haque, Abul Hasan, Al Mahmud, Nirmalendu Gun, Shahid
> Kadri, Asad Choudhury, etc.?
>
To be a real poet, like Jibanananda, one must reach the level of understanding
the philosophy of life and death. Its called `mahat sattya' amongst poets. In
that sense none of the above have reached that stage. Their are perfect in
style, diction, metre etc., but, not like Sankhya, Samar Sen etc. Shamsur
is the best amongst the above lot - I read some of his poetry in `Desh'. Dawood
was selected for whole Bengal in 1970. " Janmoyi amar ajanma paap .... ". This
was probably considered anti-Islam by B'desh govt. and he came to Jadavpur U.
to study comparative literature in 1975.
>
> Shubhechha,
> Dipen
- priti o' subhechcha janben,
DEB CHATTERJEE
To Dipen B.:
I made a gross mistake, and, stand corrected by Zakir. Dawood Haider was
selected as best International Poet in 1970. Now, I remember. Sorry, and,
my thanks to Zakirbhai !!!!
Samit Banerjee
>>Hey wait a minute!!! What happened to Rabindronath? How could you guys
>>forget Kobiguru? And what about Nazrul?
>>
> NO WAY ! Jibanananda was the ONLY poet who, during the reign of Tagore WAS NOT
> influenced by Tagore, except for two poems. This is his greatness.
So what if he wasnt influenced ? I will not go into the reasons for Tagore's
greatness - maybe that will be the subject of future discussions. But for you
to say that Jibanananda was greater than Tagore simply because he wasnt
influenced by others is not acceptable to me. Tagore was a genius, his work
encompassed every facet of the arts imaginable. Such a man cannot be compared
to or judged by anybody else's standards.
> Tagore was
> influenced by T.S.Elliot, Blake, Wordsworth. I cannot deny his `Balaka' plus
> Gitanjali, and, his songs some of which are immortal. Regarding Nazrul,
> the situation is a bit difficult. Some of his poems are great, but, not all of
> them.
The same reasons pretty much apply to Nazrul as well.
Moreover Shamsur is after Rabindranath, Nazrul - that's why.
>
>>since Sukanto was a Communist and a Naxalite but the guy was incredibly
>>talented.
>>
> True, and that's why I cannot place him above everyone. He is talented no doubt
> but too sectarian - politically. Poetry is above political preachings.
> Regarding Naxalite bents of Sukanta, I am not too sure.
Life and politics always touches the arts. Just look at Tagore's work and his
defence of Gandhi's non violent principles for Independence as opposed to the
"terrorist" movement in Bengal at that time. In a more perfect world, that need
not have been the case. However, Sukanto's work even shorn of it's communist
philosophy would appeal and inspire the oppressed masses just as much. That in
the ultimate analysis is a measure of the greatness of the man.
As for Sukanto's Naxalite traits, it was merely allegorical as I explained in
an earlier posting.
Samit
>
> deb chatterjee
>(a good samaritan)
Dipen Bhattacharya
>Sorry. It was a typo on my part though your point is well taken .
>Anyway arent we getting a trifle picky here? What difference does a typo make
>as long as you get the message?
Apologies. I meant no disrespect--just an innocent "tha-t-ta" (joke).
Without further getting into this idiosyncratic attitude towards
spelling I would quote Clinton Seely (from his book on Jibanananda,
"A Poet Apart"):
"Also, those who might stumble over Jibanananda's name, take
heart, for you are not alone. Over the years, his has surely
been one of the most frequently misspelled names to appear in
print, particularly when written in English. There are just
too many "an's".
:-)
>> Samit Banerjee writes about Shukanto:
>Yes the reference to him being a Naxalite was symbolic. What I meant was
>that Sukanto always advocated the violent overthrow of the Govt. ( remember
>his poem "deslai baxo") and in that way the political message was the same
>as the people from Naxalbari.
>There was no offence intended, although personally I despise most of the
>political philosophy that came out of Naxalbari and the subsequent murders
>that went with it. Anyway, that's just my point of view. Of course I wasnt
>around when the whole thing started, so maybe I shouldnt be commenting on
>it at all.
I appreciate your comments. I thought that the pre-independence
Indian Communists did not follow the peculiar murderous track
of the Naxalites (although, they might have professed a violent
overthrow). Hence, calling Shukanto a Naxalite would be an
exaggeration.
:-)
>Shubhechhante
>Samit
Shubhechha,
Dipen
Sheikh Kaisar Alam
>(Sheikh Kaisar Alam) writes...
>>..... (stuff deleted) .....
>>Jibanadda Das was one and unique. Nobody can be like him. I place him 3rd
>>in my preference of Bangla poets.
>
>
> My choice: Jibananda, Sunil, Shamsur/ Samar Sen, Sukanta, Shankha, Shakti,
> Nirendranath, Bishnu, Nabanita.
>
Ahmed, ..................
I don't think I can defend my preference. I just happen to like them in that
order.
Ramarao Kanneganti
>
> "Also, those who might stumble over Jibanananda's name, take
> heart, for you are not alone. Over the years, his has surely
> been one of the most frequently misspelled names to appear in
> print, particularly when written in English. There are just
> too many "an's".
> :-)
I have read Jibananada Das for over 6 years and only few months back I
firgured out that number of "an"'s in his name. :-)
Yes, I read him in the translation into Telugu. For the Bangali folks
out there, you probably will be surprized to to know that most of my
brother's generation grew up reading Saratchandra and Tagore. In my
generation Telugu lit took its influences from other literary trends.
Besides, not many translations are being made into Telugu from
Bangali.
Jibanananda was translated into Telugu by two eminent poets. One of
them was Bairagi, my favorite poet. He grew up in Bihar and in AP, his
poetry has some Hindi and Sanskrit influence on him. He translated
poems from Eliot too. Unfortunately, he died young leaving only three
translations from Jibananada.
The other poet was Kundurti, the person responsible for Free Verse
Movement in Telugu literature. He translated Jibananada from English
[by Chidananda Dasgupta]. I personally liked these translations best
even though Bairagi was my favorite poet.
In Houston we run a Telugu Magazine (almost professional production,
with LaTeX and all that!!). In the final issue, we introduced
Jibanananda Das. We printed the two translations of the same poem
Vanalata Sena [Banalata Sen]. Just when it was being sent to printers,
I realised that we missed an "an" from the poet's name!!
I tried to get the book by Seely, and I couldn't find it. Actually, I
would prefer the translations in Telugu, however, not many poems were
translated.
BTW, can anybody post the poem "Suchetana"?
It is true that there is sadness in this world,
It is true that there is pain and suffering in this world,
But there is poetry too, by the likes of Jibanananda Das!!
> Shubhechha,
> Dipen
Best Wishes,
Rama
PS: Did any Bengali read any translated Telugu poetry??
--
[Neato, nifty .signature is under construction to show I am a modern,
on-the-move, in-the-fast-lane, Derrida-reading, bungie-cord-jumping,
sushi-eating Telugu.]
HAQUE, ANISUL
>> Shubhechha,
>> Dipen
>---Zakir
I would like to add the name of Abu Zafar Obaidullah to the above list. Isn't
it unfortunate to see how political affiliations have ruined great poets like
Al Mahmud and Obaidullah? BTW, where is Shaid Kadri now? Is he still writing?
IMO, he was one of the most powerful poets of the 60's and 70's.
Regards,
Anisul Haque
Texas A & M University
HAQUE, ANISUL
(DEB CHATTERJEE) writes...
>In article <dipen.710875309@heawk1>, di...@heawk1.gsfc.nasa.gov
>( Dipen Bhattacharya) writes...
>>.... (stuff deleted) ......
> Why I like Jibanananda:
>" Abar asibo phirey, dhansiritir tirey/
> hoito ba manush noi/ hoito ba sankhachil, salikher besehey -
> kuashar bukey behesy asibo e kantal chayayey.... "
> When I read this poem, I am really amazed that, aside the representation of
> the content, this poet was the only one who experimemted with usage of words
> to depict a specific meaning. Rabindranath did not go along this line. I am
> NOT trying to be skeptical about Kobiguru. NObody did this. This is one of the
> major contributions to Bengali poetry and we are really fortunate that way. In
> fact, after Jibanananda, NOBODY has contributed to such a new line of
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>thinking.
I agree, originality is one of the most important factors to become a
good poet. I think, among the contemporary poets, Syed Haque (sp?) is the most
original in forms and words. His use of local dialects and local analogies are
simply spectacular. Deb, try his "Paraner Gahin Bhitore". It's a book of sonets
written in dialects of north Bengal. Also his words and depiction of moods are
very exotic to us, the urban Bangalees. My favourite lines are
"Manush amon toy, ekbar paibar por/nitanta matir mone hoy tar sonar mohor."
>>
>> Shubhechha,
>> Dipen
>
> - priti o' subhechcha janben,
>
> deb chatterjee
>(a good samaritan)
HAQUE, ANISUL
(Sheikh Kaisar Alam) writes...
>My choice: Rabindranath, Sukanta, Jibananda, Najrul, Shamsur, Sunil, Humayun
>Ahmed, ..................
I am confused. I am not aware of any poems by Humayun Ahmed. Did you mean his
proses or did you mean Humayun Kabir (of "Chaturanga" magazine)?
>Shuja
>--
Dipen Bhattacharya
> Why I like Jibanananda:
>" Abar asibo phirey, dhansiritir tirey/
> hoito ba manush noi/ hoito ba sankhachil, salikher besehey -
> kuashar bukey behesy asibo e kantal chayayey.... "
Clinton Seely's translation:
When I return to the banks of the Dhansiri, to this Bengal,
Not as a man, perhaps, but as a salik bird or a white hawk,
Perhaps as a dawn crow in this land of autumn's new rice harvest,
I'll float upon the breast of fog one day in the shade of a jackfruit tree.
Or I'll be some young girl's pet duck--ankle bells upon her reddened feet--
And I'll spend the day floating on duckweed-scented waters,
When again I come, smitten by Bengal's rivers and fields, to this
Green and kindly land, Bengal, moistened by the Jalangi's river's waves.
Perhaps I'll watch the buzzards soar on sunset's breeze.
Perhaps I'll listen to a spotted owl screeching from a simul tree branch.
Perhaps a child scatters puffed rice upon the grass of some home's courtyard.
On the Rupsa river's murky waters a youth perhaps steers his dinghy with
Its torn white sail. Reddish clouds scud by, and in the darkness, coming
To their nest, I shall see white herons. Among them all is where you'll
find me.
Deb C. writes:
> When I read this poem, I am really amazed that, aside the representation of
> the content, this poet was the only one who experimemted with usage of words
> to depict a specific meaning. Rabindranath did not go along this line. I am
> NOT trying to be skeptical about Kobiguru. NObody did this. This is one of the
> major contributions to Bengali poetry and we are really fortunate that way. In
> fact, after Jibanananda, NOBODY has contributed to such a new line of thinking.
> This is his originality - aside being surrealistic poet, which of course is
> what I look for in a poetry.
[some lines deleted]
> To be a real poet, like Jibanananda, one must reach the level of understanding
> the philosophy of life and death. Its called `mahat sattya' amongst poets.
Maybe that's where it is difficult to surpass Rabindranath. The
aspect of surrealism has been always ascribed to Jibanananda, but
is it really defined?--what is it? Does it lie in the sensuous
description of the near and far away surroundings or in the inherent
insecurities present in the beings ("at bachhar age ekdin")? I am
always stunned by Jibanananda's imagery and the underlying
contradiction of living, but even he, I think, would hesitate to
declare his creation to be close to the "mahat satya" (great truth).
> - priti o' subhechcha janben,
> deb chatterjee
shubhechha,
Dipen
Dipen Bhattacharya
>I have read Jibananada Das for over 6 years and only few months back I
>firgured out that number of "an"'s in his name. :-)
Ah! Those devious "an"'s.
>Yes, I read him in the translation into Telugu. For the Bangali folks
>out there, you probably will be surprized to to know that most of my
>brother's generation grew up reading Saratchandra and Tagore. In my
>generation Telugu lit took its influences from other literary trends.
>Besides, not many translations are being made into Telugu from
>Bangali.
It feels good to know that Bengali literature is popular in
Andhra, but the loss is definitely ours as we are almost ignorant
of the Telegu literature.
[some lines on translation of Jibanananda by Bairagi and
Kundruti deleted]
>In Houston we run a Telugu Magazine (almost professional production,
>with LaTeX and all that!!). In the final issue, we introduced
>Jibanananda Das. We printed the two translations of the same poem
>Vanalata Sena [Banalata Sen]. Just when it was being sent to printers,
>I realised that we missed an "an" from the poet's name!!
Ah! --the missing "an" again. It is pleasantly surprising that
Banalata Sen could find her way into a Telugu magazine in Houston.
>I tried to get the book by Seely, and I couldn't find it. Actually, I
>would prefer the translations in Telugu, however, not many poems were
>translated.
>BTW, can anybody post the poem "Suchetana"?
Shuchetana, tumi ek durotoro dip
bikel'er nok-khotr'er kachhe;
sheikhane daruchini-bonani'r ph(n)ake
nirjonota achhe....
Do you need the whole poem? Seely translated some parts of it:
Sucetana, you are a far-off isle
Near the star of early evening;
There among cinnamon groves lies solitude.
..................................
When did I, pulled by the very soil of this earth, take human birth,
Feeling it would have been better had I not;
But then I realized it was worth my while to come
Once my body touched the dew on a bright morn.
>It is true that there is sadness in this world,
>It is true that there is pain and suffering in this world,
>But there is poetry too, by the likes of Jibanananda Das!!
> Best Wishes,
> Rama
>PS: Did any Bengali read any translated Telugu poetry??
Ramu du mamchi vadu. I haven't read any. I asked my Telegu
friends for some English translation, but they didn't have any.
" My upbringing taught me that cultures are not isolated, and
perish when deprived of contact with what is different and
challenging...No culture, I believed unconsciously ever since
then, and quite consciously today, retains its identity in
isolation; identity is attained in contact, in breakthrough."
Carlos Fuentes
DEB CHATTERJEE
(Ramarao Kanneganti) writes...
>..... (stuff deleted) ......
>
I remain interested to read translated Telegu poetry - particularly written
by those influenced by B.Nagi Reddy's group.
- deb chatterjee
(a good samaritan)
Ramarao Kanneganti
>ra...@letaba.cs.rice.edu (Ramarao Kanneganti) writes:
>
>>PS: Did any Bengali read any translated Telugu poetry??
>
> Ramu du mamchi vadu. I haven't read any. I asked my Telegu
> friends for some English translation, but they didn't have any.
Ah, that should be Ramesh sumoti, isn't it?? :-) [Actually, it was
translated as Ramuni buddimantanam].
Knowing the love of literature of Bengali's I would think my article
wouldn't be out of place here.
Most of the Bengali literature I read, I read it before I was 15. That
was before I could read books in English or had a strong concept of a
nation. The Bengal I conjured up from these books is little like
middle kingdom. There are different rules and different manners in all
those books, I could not explain them through my experiences in the
society I have seen.
The first books we read were Sartchandra's. His novels were immensely
popular with the previous generation. One of the all time great movies
Devadas made from his book could have increased his popularity. But
most popular of his books in AP was Srikant. It was a strange novel to
me. I couldn't understand the prevailing attitudes towards different
castes that was portrayed in that book. Similarly, the Ashram in that
book also had no parallel in telugu society.
Ofcourse, the most hip children used to read Sesha praSna. It was
considered a difficult book to appreciate, and if one could discuss
it, one would enter that select band of intellectuals in school.
And, whenever we won in any competition, [like Telugu elocution or
poetry], we were given a bengali book [from a series called Sarat
sahityam]!! Probably because these books were cheap.
Judging by the reaction of Bengali's here, I must have been in a
time warp as far as Bengali literature is concerned. I could talk only
about Sarat, Bankim, Tagore, TaraSankar or Michael Madhusudan Dutt.
The only "modern" poet I read is Jibanananda.
About the politico-literature connections between AP and Bengal next
time.
Best Wishes,
Rama Rao
PS: True to Telugu ingenuity, there is second movie on Devadas. It is
"Devadasu maLlee puTTaadu" [Devadas is reborn]. A happy ending too for
all the parties concerned.
PPS: What are your experiences with Sarat sahityam? Was it popular or
only your parents talk about him?
Dipen Bhattacharya
Syed Shamsul Haque, Abul Hasan, Al Mahmud, Nirmalendu Gun, Shahid
Kadri, Asad Choudhury
Zakir writes:
>> I don't think Daud Haider was the best poet of 70's in Bangladesh. The
>>names of the above poets and Rafique Azad will probably come before Haider.
Anisul Haque adds:
>I would like to add the name of Abu Zafar Obaidullah to the above list. Isn't
>it unfortunate to see how political affiliations have ruined great poets like
>Al Mahmud and Obaidullah? BTW, where is Shaid Kadri now? Is he still writing?
>IMO, he was one of the most powerful poets of the 60's and 70's.
You are right about Al Mahmud and Obaidullah. Did Abdul Mannan
Syed fall victim to the same type of political clout? I would
also like to find out about Shahid Kadri, he had impressive lines.
(A poem by him on telephone conversation sticks to mind, but the
exact wordings escaped my memory). Here is one that I have found in
"Dui Bangla'r bhalobasha'r kobita" (Love poetry of two Bengals):
Aj sharadin by Shahid Kadri:
batash amake lomba hath bariye
chul'er jh(n)uti dhore ghure beriyechhe sharadin
koyekti lota-pata niye bidghute batash,
hathkora poriye diyechhe amake,
lal pagri-pora pulish'er moto krishnochura
h(n)eke bol-lo:
"tumi bondi!"...........
........................
(rough idea: the peculiar wind captured me, put on me the
hand-cuffs, and the krishna-chura tree, like a police with
red turban, shouted, "You are a prisnor!") Care to translate?
>Zakir
>Anisul Haque
shubhechha, Dipen
zmh...@db.toronto.edu
|: deb...@vax2.concordia.ca (DEB CHATTERJEE) writes:
|:
|: > Why I like Jibanananda:
|:
|: >" Abar asibo phirey, dhansiritir tirey/
|: > hoito ba manush noi/ hoito ba sankhachil, salikher besehey -
|: > kuashar bukey behesy asibo e kantal chayayey.... "
|:
|: Clinton Seely's translation:
|:
|: When I return to the banks of the Dhansiri, to this Bengal,
|: Not as a man, perhaps, but as a salik bird or a white hawk,
|: Perhaps as a dawn crow in this land of autumn's new rice harvest,
|: I'll float upon the breast of fog one day in the shade of a jackfruit tree.
|: Or I'll be some young girl's pet duck--ankle bells upon her reddened feet--
|: And I'll spend the day floating on duckweed-scented waters,
|: When again I come, smitten by Bengal's rivers and fields, to this
|: Green and kindly land, Bengal, moistened by the Jalangi's river's waves.
|:
|: Perhaps I'll watch the buzzards soar on sunset's breeze.
|: Perhaps I'll listen to a spotted owl screeching from a simul tree branch.
|: Perhaps a child scatters puffed rice upon the grass of some home's courtyard.
|: On the Rupsa river's murky waters a youth perhaps steers his dinghy with
|: Its torn white sail. Reddish clouds scud by, and in the darkness, coming
|: To their nest, I shall see white herons. Among them all is where you'll
|: find me.
Here is the full Bangla version.
I hope you'd understand my transliteration by
comparing it with the English translation above. :-)
I guess, Jibanananda Das wrote this poem when he was
living in Barisal. And of course, he is my favorite.
Abar Ashibo Fire
Abar ashibo fire dhanshiritir teere - ei Banglai
Hoito manush noi - hoito ba shankachil shaliker beshe,
Hoito Bhorer kak hoiye ei kartiker nobanner deshe
Kuashar buke bhese ekdin asibo e kathal sayai;
Hoito ba hansh hobo - kishorir - ghungur rohibe lal pai
Saradin kete jabe kolmir gandhabhora jole bhese bhese;
Abar ashibo ami Banglar nodi math khet bhalobese
jolangir dheuye bheja Banglar e sabuj karun dhangai;
Hoito dekhibe cheye sudarshan uritese sandhar batashe;
Hoito shunibe ek laksmipecha dakitese shimuler dale;
Hoito khoier dhan soratese shishu ek uthaner ghase;
Rupasar ghola jole hoito kishor ek shada sera pale
Dinga bai; - ranga megh satraye ondhokare ashitese nirihe
Dekhibe dhabal bok; amarei pabe tumi ihadher bhire.
Masum
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Masum Z. Hasan
Computer Systems Research Institute,
University of Toronto, D.L. Pratt Building,
6, King's College Road, Toronto, Ont, M5S 1A1
Phone - Office: (416) 978 8609
Lab: (416) 978 6610
Home: (416) 351 1589
Fax: (416) 978 4765
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
zmh...@db.toronto.edu
|: [.....]
|:
|: Aj sharadin by Shahid Kadri:
|:
|: batash amake lomba hath bariye
|: chul'er jh(n)uti dhore ghure beriyechhe sharadin
|: koyekti lota-pata niye bidghute batash,
|: hathkora poriye diyechhe amake,
|: lal pagri-pora pulish'er moto krishnochura
Interesting simile in poem; this is a more modern style of simile.
I like though:
krishnochurar dale dale agun legese
((red) fire on the branches of krishnochura)
I remember the line, but don't remember from where.
|: h(n)eke bol-lo:
|: "tumi bondi!"...........
|: ........................
|:
|: (rough idea: the peculiar wind captured me, put on me the
|: hand-cuffs, and the krishna-chura tree, like a police with
|: red turban, shouted, "You are a prisnor!") Care to translate?
|:
|: >Zakir
|: >Anisul Haque
|:
|: shubhechha, Dipen
sayan bhattacharyya
>In article <dipen.711122211@heawk1> di...@heawk1.gsfc.nasa.gov ( Dipen Bhattacharya) writes:
>|: deb...@vax2.concordia.ca (DEB CHATTERJEE) writes:
>|:
>|: > Why I like Jibanananda:
>|:
>|: >" Abar asibo phirey, dhansiritir tirey/
>|: > hoito ba manush noi/ hoito ba sankhachil, salikher besehey -
>|: > kuashar bukey behesy asibo e kantal chayayey.... "
>|:
>|: Clinton Seely's translation:
>|:
>|: When I return to the banks of the Dhansiri, to this Bengal,
>|: Not as a man, perhaps, but as a salik bird or a white hawk,
[...]
>|: On the Rupsa river's murky waters a youth perhaps steers his dinghy with
>|: Its torn white sail. Reddish clouds scud by, and in the darkness, coming
>|: To their nest, I shall see white herons. Among them all is where you'll
>|: find me.
>|:
>
> Here is the full Bangla version.
> I hope you'd understand my transliteration by
> comparing it with the English translation above. :-)
> I guess, Jibanananda Das wrote this poem when he was
-------------------------------------------
> living in Barisal. And of course, he is my favorite.
----------------
If I am not mistaken, this sonnet by Jibanananda Das was a part of
his book "Ruposhi Bangla" (Beautiful Bengal) . I seem to have read
that the poems in "Ruposhi Bangla" were written while Jibanananda
Das was a professor of English at a college in Delhi (Ramjas College?
I'm not sure about the name) sometime in the 30s/40s. Apparently he
missed his beloved green Bengal and especially Barisal during this
period of enforced exile in parched North India, and the poems of
"Ruposhi Bangla" clearly have a very nostalgic tone. Luckily, the
poet was soon able to return to Barisal shortly afterwards when he
was appointed a professor at B.M. College (Braja Madhab College)
in Barisal.
It is also interesting to note that this and other poems in "Ruposhi
Bangla" were never published in Jibanananda's lifetime . The manuscript
of "Ruposhi Bangla" was found among his papers after his death. ( I
recollect reading this somewhere, but I can't remember the source).
- Sayan Bhattacharyya.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sayan Bhattacharyya bhat...@dip.eecs.umich.edu
Artificial Intelligence Lab bhat...@caen.engin.umich.edu
The University of Michigan
adil shaikh
>In article <1992Jul7.0...@cbnewsm.cb.att.com>, w...@cbnewsm.cb.att.com
>(wasif.sattar) writes...
>>.... (stuff deleted) ....
>>Hope you enjoyed the above short poems.
>>Best wishes,
>>Wasif Sattar
> You forgot to mention the influence Shamsur had on today's poets like
> Sunil Ganguly, Shakti Chattopadhyay and others. BTW, Shamsur, IMHO does
> not compare anywhere near Jibanananda Das. In fact, nobody comes near him.
> What do say ? Moreover, please don't post these articles on SCP. The people
> there cannot appreciate Shamsur's poetry. I know this for sure.
> - khuda hafez,
> deb chatterjee
>(a good samaritan)
Why the hell you give Pakis advice on this news group.
Go to Pakis Group and reply there.
Shatan Hafiz
adil
Sumitro Samaddar
Masum Z. Hasan
|: In article <92Jul14.172...@rock.db.toronto.edu> zmh...@db.toronto.edu writes:
|: >In article <dipen.711122211@heawk1> di...@heawk1.gsfc.nasa.gov ( Dipen Bhattacharya) writes:
|: >|: deb...@vax2.concordia.ca (DEB CHATTERJEE) writes:
|: >|:
|: >|: > Why I like Jibanananda:
|: >|:
|: >|: >" Abar asibo phirey, dhansiritir tirey/
|: >|: > hoito ba manush noi/ hoito ba sankhachil, salikher besehey -
|: >|: > kuashar bukey behesy asibo e kantal chayayey.... "
|: >|:
|: >|: Clinton Seely's translation:
|: >|:
|: > Here is the full Bangla version.
|: > I hope you'd understand my transliteration by
|: > comparing it with the English translation above. :-)
|: > I guess, Jibanananda Das wrote this poem when he was
|: -------------------------------------------
|: > living in Barisal. And of course, he is my favorite.
|: ----------------
|:
|:
|: If I am not mistaken, this sonnet by Jibanananda Das was a part of
|: his book "Ruposhi Bangla" (Beautiful Bengal) . I seem to have read
|: that the poems in "Ruposhi Bangla" were written while Jibanananda
|: Das was a professor of English at a college in Delhi (Ramjas College?
|: I'm not sure about the name) sometime in the 30s/40s. Apparently he
|: missed his beloved green Bengal and especially Barisal during this
|: period of enforced exile in parched North India, and the poems of
|: "Ruposhi Bangla" clearly have a very nostalgic tone. Luckily, the
|: poet was soon able to return to Barisal shortly afterwards when he
|: was appointed a professor at B.M. College (Braja Madhab College)
It's Brojo Mohan College (BTW, I did my Intermediate from that college).
|: in Barisal.
|:
|: It is also interesting to note that this and other poems in "Ruposhi
|: Bangla" were never published in Jibanananda's lifetime . The manuscript
|: of "Ruposhi Bangla" was found among his papers after his death. ( I
|: recollect reading this somewhere, but I can't remember the source).
|:
|: - Sayan Bhattacharyya.
|:
|: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|:
|: Sayan Bhattacharyya bhat...@dip.eecs.umich.edu
|: Artificial Intelligence Lab bhat...@caen.engin.umich.edu
|: The University of Michigan
Ihtisham Kabir
wouldn't be out of place here.
>PPS: What are your experiences with Sarat sahityam? Was it popular or
>only your parents talk about him?
I was pretty fond of Srikanta after reading "Notun Babu," an excerpt
from Srikanta Part I, in class 6 or 7. The first part had a lot of
adventure, specially the episodes of Indra stealing fish from the
fishermen at night, and also the episode with the "Bohurupi" in which
someone said the memorable line, "The Royal Bengal Tiger" before fainting.
(The other parts of Srikanta were boring to me.)
However, as I grew older, I liked Sharat Chatterji's writings less
and less. I think I grew tired of what I perceived to be nothing more
than glorified soap-operas.
One thing puzzles me: he is most famous as a "Katha Shahityik," ie,
for his style and use of language, rather than the content of his
stories. Therefore, much would be lost in translation, and sometimes
the content of his stories do not hold enough water to make them
interesting.
One other thing. He is also well regarded for his progressive views
on the lot of India's women.
- Ihtisham Kabir
DEB CHATTERJEE
(adil shaikh) writes...
>...... (stuff deleted) .....
>Why the hell you give Pakis advice on this news group.
>Go to Pakis Group and reply there.
>
>Shatan Hafiz
You are simply trying to be smart, without success ! Please read the SCP, if
you wish !!! Your intolerance is remarkable !!!!! Shows that you bear grudge
against me or Pakis or both for unknown reasons. If you will explain it to me
my mistake, I shall correct myself !
>
>adil
Khuda Hafez,
- deb chatterjee
(a good samaritan)
Ramarao Kanneganti
>
>One thing puzzles me: he is most famous as a "Katha Shahityik," ie,
>for his style and use of language, rather than the content of his
>stories. Therefore, much would be lost in translation, and sometimes
>the content of his stories do not hold enough water to make them
>interesting.
Actually, I would ascribe his popularity to several factors. At that
time, things Bengali were a fad in AP. So much so that many parents
named their kids with bengali names [with Telugu pronounciation] in
those times.
And, the translators developed a unique style of Telugu. It is a bit
different from the normal Telugu and is useful in visualising a
totally different society.
As you said later in the article, his woman characters were so
different from the Telugu novels, he became popular for that. I see
references to this fact in other Telugu novels too.
>
>- Ihtisham Kabir
Another person well translated into Telugu is Tagore. His gitanjali
and other songs [translated as "Kaanuka" (gift)] and fujitive songs
were translated by one of the great figures of Telugu lit., Chalam. He
used the simplest Telugu possible to express the poems. I am sure they
must have been great in the original, but the style itself developed
by Chalam was remarkable and often imitated in original Telugu also.
There are other translations of Gitanjali into metered poetry. [Are
you guys familiar with sankrit vritta and other chandas?] But none
went beyond the Chalam's translation.
Almost all the short stories of Tagore were translated by others.
One can use sanskrit words without much trouble in Telugu. This
facility probably made translations from Bengali easier. They reuse
the sanskrit words in the original substituting Telugu for Bengali in
other places!! That's just a guess.
Almost all the stories of Tagore were translated. And the novels like
Gora, the wreck [cinimatized in Telugu] became quite popular.
Incidentally, there was a famous person called Gora who started
athiest center in Vijayawada. When I was a child I thought that novel
was about him!! Anyway, Gora was heavily laced with sanskritic words.
Then there was the BrahmoSamaj influenced poetry in Telugu. Some time
later, if there is interest in the audience.
-- rama
PS: Sumitro Samaddar wanted to know the ending of return of Devadas --
part II. Well, you might remember from Part I that Devadas promised
Chandralekha [is that the name?] if there was another life, he would
marry her. It is realized in this part II. And, of course, Parvati is
still alive in part II and she blesses the couple and all that jazz.
For some good measure Devadas remembers his previous life and fights
with villians, runs around trees singing songs ...:-)
Dipen Bhattacharya
>Ah, that should be Ramesh sumoti, isn't it?? :-) [Actually, it was
>translated as Ramuni buddimantanam].
Ram'er Shumoti--yes, you are a mind reader.
>Knowing the love of literature of Bengali's I would think my article
>wouldn't be out of place here.
[Some execellent lines on Sarat Sahitya deleted]
>Ofcourse, the most hip children used to read Sesha praSna. It was
>considered a difficult book to appreciate, and if one could discuss
>it, one would enter that select band of intellectuals in school.
>And, whenever we won in any competition, [like Telugu elocution or
>poetry], we were given a bengali book [from a series called Sarat
>sahityam]!! Probably because these books were cheap.
>Judging by the reaction of Bengali's here, I must have been in a
>time warp as far as Bengali literature is concerned. I could talk only
>about Sarat, Bankim, Tagore, TaraSankar or Michael Madhusudan Dutt.
>The only "modern" poet I read is Jibanananda.
You can teach these modern Bengalis something about their
own literature. Just like you I read all my Sharatchandra
before I was 15, and not possessing that good memory of yours
those nostalgic and poignant stories are residing somewhere
in the not-so-conscious part of my mind. I didn't discover
Sharatchandra in suburban Bangladesh, but in our village home.
You may still find him in provincial towns, but not in Dhaka.
I am so pleased to find that you would get him as a literature
prize, when the fashionable Dhaka student had only saw his name
in the midst of old books on the footpaths. If they were
hip they would discuss Hardy or Lawrence, not "Shesh Proshno". :)
[No, no, the situation was/is not as bad as in suburban India
where some wouldn't even know how to write and even read
in their mother toungues.] :)
[That day I went to this Indian store to get a Bengali movie. I
got "Parinita". The shop-keeper, an elderly white-haired Hindustani,
asked me whether the book was by Sharatchandra. He said that he
had read almost all of them in Hindi: Pather Dabi, Chokh'er Bali,
Parinita, Debdash, etc. I was so amazed.]
Ihtisham Kabir writes:
>One thing puzzles me: he is most famous as a "Katha Shahityik," ie,
>for his style and use of language, rather than the content of his
>stories. Therefore, much would be lost in translation, and sometimes
>the content of his stories do not hold enough water to make them
>interesting.
Kabir, I would have thought the poignancy, that his stories
carry, can be easily translated. He is "katha shaityik" alright,
but his "katha"s are simple and addresses directly to our
humanity which is almost universal in the subcontinent. He has
also done a historical duty by capturing the life of a society
which is now almost extinct. [Remember Pal-li Samaj?]
>- Ihtisham Kabir
[Rama's description of Tagore translation into Telegu (Chalam) deleted]
Rama:
>Then there was the BrahmoSamaj influenced poetry in Telugu. Some time
>later, if there is interest in the audience.
Rama, your accounts are fascinating. Does modern Bengali
literature get translated? How about Bibhuti Bhusan Bandopadhaya?
I know that he is translated in Kerala. I find it interesting
how you compare the societies through these novels.
The influence of Brahm-mo Samaj in developing the new Bengali
intelligentsia was immense. Tagore comes from a Brahm-mo family,
although he did not formally become a Brahm-mo. 'Look forward to hear
more from you.
>-- rama
shubhechha,
Dipen
P.S. Telugu mata tepu, but we are totally ignorant of it. :)
Ramarao Kanneganti
> Kabir, I would have thought the poignancy, that his stories
> carry, can be easily translated. He is "katha shaityik" alright,
> but his "katha"s are simple and addresses directly to our
> humanity which is almost universal in the subcontinent. He has
> also done a historical duty by capturing the life of a society
> which is now almost extinct. [Remember Pal-li Samaj?]
>
This is exactly true. Except for I had no way of knowing if it was
extinct. All were equally alien to me.
There was a discussion of Mahat Satya some time back. I would put
the same issue differently. Writers can appeal to the immediate needs
of the society or transcend the current times [Vishwa Kaleenata].
Sharat probably fits neither of these two. He is powerful in his
characters, but mostly as a historic interest. [But, as they say Man
is nothing but his history!!]
Having said that, when I had to select a few books to accompany me on
this desert island [USA, as far as Telugu books are concerned], I
brought Tagore [Gitanjali and other poems and his plays], and
Jibanananda. [Nostaligia for Sharat not withstanding!] I understand
that Bengalis might have special appreciation for the all-rounded
genius of Tagore, but for me Jibanananda provided me several moments
of peace. That could be due to the fact that Tagore was widely copied
and imitated by every aspiring poet at one time and I could no longer
appreciate even the original.
Coming to Tagore's plays, I have a couple of volumes of his plays with
me. Of all these, I was totally taken by Chitrangada. Especially, the
new interpretation he gave to a dull and run-of-the-mill story was
wonderful and a good example of some thing that transcends time. The
only other play in similar lines is Abhignana Shakuntalam by Kalidasa.
Alas, we don't see such bold, new and interesting interpretations of
our mythology anymore! And, these stories have very little to do with
religion and God etc.
I heard Chitrangada on tape. Fortunately, I can understand sanskrit,
and it took me some iterations to figure out the sankrit
pronounciation of these bengali words. [trishnartho kumbhita proNo,
bhashpongo tutiya etc..]. I read the other plays such as Chira kumara
sabha. I was told by a Bengali friend of mine that Shyama is more
popular than chitrangada among the Begalis. Is that true?
I might be broaching a sensitive subject. Most bengali poets or
writers from the previous era had lots of sankrit words in their
works. Do these works enjoy popularity in Bangladesh? And, if not, is
it due to these sankrit words? Do Bangladeshi's feel alienated from
the old literature? Or do they derive their inspiration from that in
carving out a new path, closer to people, closer to vernacular
bengali?
Enough for now,
Rama
PS: There is only one way to count the popularity of Sharat Babu and
Tagore in AP. I came across more Sharat Babu's than Ravindra Nath's in
my life in AP. [Actually, Sharat is more popular among women too!
Some of his novels were serialized in popular magazines whose mainstay
is women readers.]
sayan bhattacharyya
>
>Having said that, when I had to select a few books to accompany me on
>this desert island [USA, as far as Telugu books are concerned], I
>brought Tagore [Gitanjali and other poems and his plays], and
>Jibanananda. [Nostaligia for Sharat not withstanding!] I understand
>that Bengalis might have special appreciation for the all-rounded
>genius of Tagore, but for me Jibanananda provided me several moments
>of peace. That could be due to the fact that Tagore was widely copied
>and imitated by every aspiring poet at one time and I could no longer
>appreciate even the original.
>
Being a Bengali who has read Tagore and Jibanananda only in Bengali,I
have often wondered what it would be like for someone who doesn't speak
Bengali to read them in translation . Thank you , Rama , for sharing
your experiences with us.
Actually, I had always imagined that a non-native speaker of Bengali
would like Tagore more than Jibanananda, and I must confess that Rama's
reaction came as a surprise to me. I find Jibanananda very quintessentially
Bengali, in a way that Tagore is not. Both , of course, are very rooted
in Bengal . However, it seems to me that , from that starting point,
Tagore essentially looks outwards , while Jibanananda looks inwards.
One might call Tagore an extrovert, and Das an introvert. Tagore is
interested in universal truths, while Das, it has always seemed to me,
constructed a more personal, more private mythology out of the sights
and sounds of the Bengali landscape . So it is a delightful surprise to
me that Jibanananda speaks more to Rama than Tagore .
>
>I was told by a Bengali friend of mine that Shyama is more
>popular than chitrangada among the Begalis. Is that true?
>
That is probably true. In terms of content, Chitrangada is probably
less congenial to popular taste than Shyama, in so far as Chitrangada
breaks out of the usual stereotype for women while Shyama, in spite
of the brilliance of the play, conforms to it. Note that Chitrangada,
though a woman, loves Arjun , finally, on her *own* terms, i.e. as
an *equal* , while Shyama is *submissive* to Bajrasen.
Unfortunately, Bengali society is (still) a very patriarchal society,
and the liberating message of Chitrangada (the last few verses almost
read like a feminist manifesto) might have contributed to its supposed
relative lack of popularity . (Just a speculation).
>
>Enough for now,
>Rama
>
-Sayan Bhattacharyya
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sayan Bhattacharyya bhat...@dip.eecs.umich.edu
Artificial Intelligence Lab bhat...@caen.engin.umich.edu
The Unversity of Michigan
HAQUE, ANISUL
edu (sayan bhattacharyya) writes...
>>I was told by a Bengali friend of mine that Shyama is more
>>popular than chitrangada among the Begalis. Is that true?
>That is probably true. In terms of content, Chitrangada is probably
>less congenial to popular taste than Shyama, in so far as Chitrangada
>breaks out of the usual stereotype for women while Shyama, in spite
>of the brilliance of the play, conforms to it. Note that Chitrangada,
>though a woman, loves Arjun , finally, on her *own* terms, i.e. as
>an *equal* , while Shyama is *submissive* to Bajrasen.
I agree with you.
>Unfortunately, Bengali society is (still) a very patriarchal society,
>and the liberating message of Chitrangada (the last few verses almost
>read like a feminist manifesto) might have contributed to its supposed
>relative lack of popularity . (Just a speculation).
I personally find Shyama more interesting than Chitrangada not because of
the *submissive* character of Shyama, but because of Bajrasen. Bajrasen is a
classic example of a player in the hands of fate. Tagore has brilliantly
described the conflicts between his love and ethics. He can't overcome his
dilemma and that's where the main appeal of Shyama is. The line "...khomoibe na
mor khamahinota" is simply overwhelming. There are not many characters like
Bajrasen in modern Bangla literature, although, we can find many in Ramayan
and Mahabharata.
>>Enough for now,
>>Rama
>-Sayan Bhattacharyya
mer...@engvms.unl.edu
>
> However, as I grew older, I liked Sharat Chatterji's writings less
> and less. I think I grew tired of what I perceived to be nothing more
> than glorified soap-operas.
>
> One thing puzzles me: he is most famous as a "Katha Shahityik," ie,
> for his style and use of language, rather than the content of his
> stories. Therefore, much would be lost in translation, and sometimes
> the content of his stories do not hold enough water to make them
> interesting.
>
> One other thing. He is also well regarded for his progressive views
> on the lot of India's women.
>
> - Ihtisham Kabir
In a recent survey in Bangladesh ( 4 years ago ) it was found that
Sharat Chandra was the most popular writer in Bangladesh. In
another survey conducted by an organization in Calcutta showed that
Sharat is also the most popular writer in India ( where most of
the people are non-Bengali). I don't think that it is possible if
the contents of his stories are not interesting.
I think that novels like Phater Dabi, Charittrohin, Dena Pawna,
Palli Samaj, Biprodas etc. are much more than glorified
soap-operas.
---Zakir
DEB CHATTERJEE
>...... (stuff deleted) ......
>---Zakir
Sarat Chatterjee's books have produced quite good films, and, that's the
credit of the author. However, he is a story-teller with a different taste and
outlook towards life. Munshi Premchand and Rahul Sankrityan are grateful to
Sarat Chatterjee for his correct portrayal of the then society that was wrought
=================
with casteism, racism and ignorance. One must note that Saratbabu is merely a
narrationist, telling us what EXACTLY he saw. `Mejdidi' is such an example.
But, narration is NOT an essential component of a `mahat-sahittya'. It goes far
beyond what our mortal eyes can see. That's why Tagore (I do not agree with his
book(s): Sesher-Kobita, Gharey-Bairey etc.,) is Kobiguru. (As a personal choice
however, I tend to place Shakespeare above Tagore - for his prophetic vision.)
The same reasoning goes for Jibanananda Das - one of the greatest poets that
the whole sub-continent will ever produce - an immortal artist, a poet of the
most infinite dimension. Nazrul, has the same calibre, but, not an artist as of
the calibre of Das. I sometimes wonder had Tagore not written Balaka, would I
have placed him close to Das ? Bankim Chandra Chatterjee is definitely a very
powerful, romantic novelist who showed how to write novels. Many of his
viewpoints cannot be well-taken by present-day people, but, at least he left a
legacy of discussions open. Bankim attacked a wide range of topics, and, had a
knack for Sankritised Hindi, which he had used to describe the eye of Ayesha in
`Durgeshnandini'. Anandamath [Abbey of Bliss] projects the most controversial
and political views of Bankim. However, the book contains wealth of continuing
value. In the same token Michael Madhusudhan Dutta has definitely made
significant contributions to Bengali literature. The verstatility of that
Bengali Christan cannot be underestimated !!!! Thus, I must conclude that
Sarat Chaterjee, does not come anywhere near the above. He is merely a Katha-
Sahittyik, and, does a very good job in his narrations.
The interesting question becomes, what happened next ? How novelists/ poets
were influenced ? What societal factors contributed ? Is there any chance of
someone like Das or Tagore coming out from the subcontinent ?
Clue: Mujtaba Ali, Pramatha Chaudhuri, Achyinta Kumar Sengupta, Premankur
Atharthi, Premendra Mitra, Sibram Chakraborti (Kallol Jug)..... ????
- shubhechchantey,
deb chatterjee
(a good samaritan)
P.S: Literature is the heart of human existence. I will swear that !!!!
Ihtisham Kabir
>Rama writes:
>Ihtisham Kabir writes:
>
>>One thing puzzles me: he is most famous as a "Katha Shahityik," ie,
>>for his style and use of language, rather than the content of his
>>stories. Therefore, much would be lost in translation, and sometimes
>>the content of his stories do not hold enough water to make them
>>interesting.
>
> Kabir, I would have thought the poignancy, that his stories
> carry, can be easily translated. He is "katha shaityik" alright,
> but his "katha"s are simple and addresses directly to our
> humanity which is almost universal in the subcontinent. He has
> also done a historical duty by capturing the life of a society
> which is now almost extinct. [Remember Pal-li Samaj?]
>
>>- Ihtisham Kabir
Not having read anything by him for quite a few years, the
thing that I remember most from Sharat Chandra's novels is the use
of language. That was, in my mind, his most important contribution.
Sure, some of his stories were interesting, but they were never able
to strike me in a way, that, for example, Tagore's short stories or
Syed Mujtaba Ali's travel stories did.
My most fond memories of his writing include the reaction in
Srikanta's Aunt's (?) household when the Bohurupi showed up one
night and was mistaken for a tiger. The descriptions of Notun
Babu's misfortunes are also highly enjoyable. Many things, like
the description of the Uncle's reaction to the Bohurupi, or
Notun Babu making fun of Srikanto (Sreee-kanto!) simply cannot
be translated. These writings are so delectable - they can be
be enjoyed morsel by morsel, and I look forward to partaking
once again.
On the other hand, I did finish a whole slew of his novels, but
I do not particularly look forward to going back and reading
them for the story content.
- Ihtisham Kabir
BTW, my friends call me by my first name.
Ramarao Kanneganti
bhat...@dip.eecs.umich.edu (sayan bhattacharyya) writes: [in reply to
my earlier article]
>
>Actually, I had always imagined that a non-native speaker of Bengali
>would like Tagore more than Jibanananda, and I must confess that Rama's
>reaction came as a surprise to me. I find Jibanananda very quintessentially
>Bengali, in a way that Tagore is not. Both , of course, are very rooted
>in Bengal . However, it seems to me that , from that starting point,
>Tagore essentially looks outwards , while Jibanananda looks inwards.
>One might call Tagore an extrovert, and Das an introvert. Tagore is
>interested in universal truths, while Das, it has always seemed to me,
>constructed a more personal, more private mythology out of the sights
>and sounds of the Bengali landscape . So it is a delightful surprise to
>me that Jibanananda speaks more to Rama than Tagore .
>
You are right. Tagore, despite his bengali roots [vaishnavite
philosophy, and a personal approach to the creator], is not very
bengali. Whenever he describes bengali countryside, I get the feeling
that he is an outsider. His poetry is hermitic, his life could have
taken place outside the society. He does draw his intellectual
inspiration from the society, but his relation to the society is too
abstract. [I was told that his poetry in "Sick bed" is different from
others, I haven't read that.]
On the other hand, Jibanananda is very bengali. Fortunately, as
characteristic of any good poetry, his poetry has sufficeint
obscurities to be filled out. Creating my homeland in his poetrt is
the delightful aspect of his poetry. There is something real,
something physical under all that poetry. I confess I do not get much
out of "Ruposhi Bangla". And, in his description of the rural bangla
or bangla society, he comes accross as a poet who was an insider. As a
poet, he becomes the outsider describing his beloved Bangla. In this
modern age, with our imaginary homelands, [streets of babylonia or
streets of culcutta] we can appreciate his poetry much more.
In conclusion, to appreciate Jibanananda requires more effort in
filling out the gaps to create your homeland, but it can be done,
because the poet sings of his homeland so distinctly.
>
>Sayan Bhattacharyya bhat...@dip.eecs.umich.edu
>Artificial Intelligence Lab bhat...@caen.engin.umich.edu
>The Unversity of Michigan
>
Have any one of you read M.N. Roy? He was popular quite a bit in AP. I
read few books [in translation]. I came across his name in history of
china and Russia. I wonder how popular he is in Bengal.
Best wishes,
Rama.