Two distinct categories in Bengali literature
Disclaimer: Yes, though everyone knows that opinions expressed in a blog is of ones own, but I reiterate it here owning to my potential limited exposure on the topic. As I think it is worth a discussion, hence putting it here.
My liking for poetry is very limited and except the classic ones, really find it hard to concentrate. So, let's ignore that. And ignore non-fiction too.
What I have observed is that in Bengali fiction, there are two very distinct kinds: Kishore and Bayaska (or Teens and Adult). It might be a good idea to have this distinction but I have some apprehensions about these two disjoint sets.
The Kishore or Teen books are generally the adventure kinds and the immensely popular Feluda series falls into this category. But I always wonder, why is there not a single hint of any woman in these stories. I mean, with such a able hero, having a heroine is so much desired/natural. Same with the Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay kishore upanyases. Always about kids or man. There is never any love interest in any of his books. The Pandob Goyendas, Shontu and Kakababu, none have any trace of romance in them. Is this intenntional? Is the Indian mindset of romance being a taboo really the reason for this? Is this a marketing decision? It is surprising because as little kids you hear stories about a prince and princess falling in love and prince killing some demon to rescue the princess. Is one supposed to be immune to soft feelings as they grow from kids to teens?
Look at the English ones of the same kinds: Harry Potter, Hardy Boys, Twilight or even Asterix comics all have a love interest in them. It is not that you have to be vulgar as soon as a woman comes into picture.IN all the books above, romance is very sweet and cute. None of the above have even the tiniest bit of vulgarity in them.
There are exceptions. For example Famous Five, Tintin etc hardly have any romantic interests. In Bengali, only one author stands out: Shorodindu Mukhopadhdhyay (better known as the creator of Byomkesh Bakshi for rest of the world). The Byomkesh series is divided into 2 parts, the first one is pretty non adult but it still has Byomkesh getting married to his love. Part two is more adult in nature but yeah, it needs to be, because so many interesting murder mysteries can be made out of weird relationships. Shorodindu also has a teen series called Sadashib, about a young recruit in Chatrapati Shivaji's army. That is perhaps the sweetest love story I have ever read. The author has a bunch of other historic fictions which also have some romance. But apart from that I really dont see many crossing the line. Of course, I have not read "Rabindranath Tagore" as yet. But even if he maintains the balance, 2 out of 100s is still considered exception.
Coming to the adult part, it is more disturbing. By the time you are 17-18 in India, you really grow out of the Feludas and Byomkesh Bakshis but (call me old fashioned for it) you are still not ready for adultery. The so called grown up books in Bengali all not only have frequent and elaborate descriptions of sexual beauty but they also are in most cases about adultery. Compare this with the Jeffrey Archer, Ludlum , Sheldon, Grisham,Michael Crichton etc. Many romantic moments but romance/relationships is not the primary thing. Basically I think kids from 17 to say 25 really do not care about relationships and they grow out of Feluda kind of adventure too. But in Bengali it is just not it. Adult books are always about complicated relationships. I wonder if Bengali literature is loosing it's market/charm for this.
Sometimes I think, it is probably the general tendency of Bengalis and it is ME who is out of the place. People like the same "complicated relationships" themed movies of Rituparno Ghosh. Bengali movies have always been about subtle changes in relationships in probably some bigger context like WW2, India's freedom struggle, naxal movemennt etc. I long for an epic drama which creates an era of it's own. It should not take shelter of some real world incident but create a new world, like Harry Potter.
Any recommendations?
3 comments:
Very interesting observation. I haven't read enough Tamil literature (after 19th century) to comment on that, but I think it'd be the same case. I think it is to do with societal compulsions and traditions in closed literary circles like Tamil. I've heard from some other friends who read Hindi books say that it has adapted well to the trend set by English literature and started having a lot of genres if you like. Some languages just seem to take a long time to get out of the few genres that society deems right. Don't you think that in say 17th century you'd found only such genres in English as well? Harry Potter and J.K.Rowling would have been burned alive for witchcraft!
Your observation that romance is taboo in Bong literature for children is right. It is a hangover of the Victorian prudery; the same golden era that had given us our first literature meant for children. Rupkathas from familial tradition (oral), folk tales painstakingly collected by Rev. Lalbehari Dey and later Upendrakishore, including Vidyasagar's borrowed efforts (e.g. Betal Panchavingshati, were all targetted mainly at children (shishu). Kishor (juvenile) literature began, perhaps, with Trailokyanath's Kankavati; mind you, there was a modicum of romance in it. But, you're right in suggesting that contemporary English literature for shishus and kishors take greater freedom in romance. I had cut my teeth on Carrol, Nesbit, Lewis, Tolkein et al, cheap comics, and all the great and not-so-great Bong authors that I could lay my hands on -- including decidedly adult novels such as those by Sarat Chandra. At 64, I'm none the worse for that; living proof that the 'samajpatis' had always been wrong.
The rupkathas and lokkathas, though, once had a great deal of romance (legitimate and/or illicit) and the rural society of yore didn't see any harm in that. The Brahma-influenced Victorians de-sexed all that they managed to transcribe or transcreate. The same people also edited a lot of sex out of vaishnava padabali, meant for discerning adults, in the name of religious probity.
It is unfortunate that there are far too many taboos in this country that has tainted or maimed our literary efforts: (1) sex and so-called illicit love (how licit were the Radha-Krshna or Chandidas-Rami relationships?), (2) drinking, (3) animal (not only cow) slaughter and bird-meat eating, and (4) atheism. All that in the name of "ancient" Indian (read Hindu) tradition. The fact is that none of the above had been taboo to the authors of Rk and the other early Vedas. The sramana cults of 800 to 600 BCE had given us eminent atheists like Buddha, Mahavira and Ajivaka. The charvak rshis of an even earlier period were proclaimed nastikas. The very name "Hindu" for our non-institutional and potpourri of a religion is not ancient at all but just a few hundred years old. Even the adi-Sankara hadn't used that name.
Point is, the best shishu-kishor authors in Bengali once thrived mainly on borrowings; Kankavati (Trailokyanath)and Ha-ja-ba-ra-la (Sukumat) from Alice, Budo angla (Abanindranath) from Tom Thumb, Alor phulki (Abanindranath) from Canterbury Tales, etc. The list is long but, in the examples above, the original has at least been equalled if not transcended by the Bong borrowings.
There, of course, were notable "originals" later: Trailokyanath (Lullu) and Abanindranath (Bhut-patrir deshe, Marutir punthi) again, Rabindranath (ever-original), Sukumar Ray (Hensoram Hunshiarer diary), Pramadaranjan Ray (Baner khabar), Bibhutibhushan Bannerji (Chander Pahad, Hira-manik jvale),Lila Majumdar (Halde pakhir palak, Tongling)... down to Shirshendu (weak science fictions and good but repetitive ghost tales), Satyajit (not so bad Pheluda series, puerile and odious science fictions)... But the likes of Lewis Carroll, JRR Tolkein, CS Lewis and even down-to-earth Rowling have so far not being equalled in contemporary Bengal. I deeply lament that in my near-dotage.
Wait for the next Potter then.... or starover from the first book :D
Its like end of the NFl season, ones is over and you wait for 6 months for amother one....
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