Calcutta (or Kolkata) is known to be the cultural capital of the country. I would say the whole of Bengal could easily be the cultural capital of our country. It is from this state that I have witnessed very rich literature being generated.
I have to thank my best friend Malabika for introducing me to Bengali literature. Since I cannot really read the language very well, I had to depend on the translations. It made me think if I could enjoy the translations so much, I, most definitely would have fallen in love with the literature in the original language of writing. It is a deep sea of literature. I have read most of the recommendations of my friend but I know there is still a lot to discover. India is slowly waking up to the joys of Bengali literature. I say this going by the rising number of translated versions of Bengali books available in big book stores in the country. Now, most of what I read was very old literature, some written in early 1900s and some even earlier. There were some that were written in 1960s. The literature was quite varied and encompassed a wide array of genres and mixed-genres.
- Bengalis had great respect for people who are well-read. Most conversations that people would have was on literature, science, arts, history and politics. Not saying that people from other states did not..but Bengalis most definitely did.
- Though the literature is quite varied, there was one thing very striking across almost all the books I read- be it thriller, suspense, romance, drama. Bengali writers observe human nature, pscyhe and behaviour very very closely and finely. The analysis and detailing that went into the books I read was absolutely impressive.
Sharatchandra Chattopadhyay
I have not read most of his work- just 2 or 3 and what I observed from these stories was there is always a 'third person' in relationships in his stories. This 'third person' person could be anything from a silly doubt that poisons the mind to a mother interfering in a husband and wife relationship and of course extra-marital affairs could definitely not escape a 'third person' relationship story. Remember watching a series back in the 90s called Charitraheen?? Okkkk you don't..remember the movie Devdas?? You have to..it has been made twice and was a blockbuster each time. The point is, this man Sharatchandra was responsible for creating both these stories..both kind of tragic...and both touched a chord with people of India. Though personally I am not a a fan of tragedies with 'third person', this man's scrutiny of the human mind is commendable.
Coming back to Satyajit Ray, he for me is a master story-teller be it in the form of writing or cinema.
Rabindranath Tagore
It would have been a complete sacrilege if I spoke about all the aforementioned greats and not having read or spoken anything about Tagore- the man who composed the Indian National Anthem. Like any other true citizen of India, I love our national anthem but I also love some of the poetry this great man has composed. Gitanjali- the one that brought him the Nobel Prize for Literature. I have not read the entire Gitanjali, just a few verses here and there and it is beautiful. I am also a proud owner of a collection of his short stories. Again, I must emphasise the scrutiny into human psyche in all his beautiful short stories. Kabuliwala which we all studied in our schools as a part of our curriculum is luckily a part of the collection I possess and was a very popular Indian movie of the yesteryear. Stories of Tagore are stories of common people and the common occurrence in our household with which everyone can identify. Bengal also reveres him for Rabindra Sangit which if I am not wrong is the musical mode of communicating his works. It is supposed to have revolutionised/reshaped Bengali music and Tagore was considered responsible for it. Recent Indian Hindi cinema has also embraced Tagore's work by popularising 'Ekla Chalo Re'.
In the modern context, I have read a some of the works (The Namesake, Interpreter of Maladies, The Unaccustomed Earth) from Jhumpa Lahiri, another Bengali who lives in the US. Her stories are mainly around Bengalis who live outside Bengal and India. Again, sorry to repeat myself, there is an excellent observation of the human mind in her works. I have also read The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy but her work did not really give me the Bengali flavour that I was used to from most Bengali writers. It was a good book but the style is not really Bengali and more biographical.
I have a bunch of other books by Bengalis from all different periods of time. I guess I should get cracking already but currently I am on a break from Indian writing. I will get back to them probably sometime mid-2013. Until then, if you chance up on a book by a Bengali, grab it and let me know if you enjoyed it and your views on the same. I will be very interested in reading it too :-)
P.S: Did not realise that this post turned out to be this long. Hope it will be worth the effort of reading through the whole post. :-)
I have to thank my best friend Malabika for introducing me to Bengali literature. Since I cannot really read the language very well, I had to depend on the translations. It made me think if I could enjoy the translations so much, I, most definitely would have fallen in love with the literature in the original language of writing. It is a deep sea of literature. I have read most of the recommendations of my friend but I know there is still a lot to discover. India is slowly waking up to the joys of Bengali literature. I say this going by the rising number of translated versions of Bengali books available in big book stores in the country. Now, most of what I read was very old literature, some written in early 1900s and some even earlier. There were some that were written in 1960s. The literature was quite varied and encompassed a wide array of genres and mixed-genres.
What struck me most from my reading!!
- One thing that was most notable to me from all the reading (translations of course) was how progressive and modern Calcutta was back then. It is the case even now, but Calcutta being an Indian metro, we expect it. It also portrays Calcutta as one of the most important business hubs of the country. People back then would travel length and breadth of the country to look for opportunities for business and jobs not only to Mumbai but also to Calcutta.- Bengalis had great respect for people who are well-read. Most conversations that people would have was on literature, science, arts, history and politics. Not saying that people from other states did not..but Bengalis most definitely did.
- Though the literature is quite varied, there was one thing very striking across almost all the books I read- be it thriller, suspense, romance, drama. Bengali writers observe human nature, pscyhe and behaviour very very closely and finely. The analysis and detailing that went into the books I read was absolutely impressive.
Mhmm..so what did I really read?!!?
Sharadhindu Bandyopadhyay
Any kid in India who grew up in the 90s will definitely remember Byomkesh Bakshi. How we all would wait for the clock to strike 9 to watch Byomkesh solve those mysteries with a snap of his fingers!! Well, we couldn't have made him a part of our childhood, had this man- Sharadhindu not created him. I must say, the book had me hooked. I read it from cover to cover in just a day and I could really go back in time and relive the excitement of watching television series as a child. It made me go to youtube and watch each of those episodes.Sharatchandra Chattopadhyay
I have not read most of his work- just 2 or 3 and what I observed from these stories was there is always a 'third person' in relationships in his stories. This 'third person' person could be anything from a silly doubt that poisons the mind to a mother interfering in a husband and wife relationship and of course extra-marital affairs could definitely not escape a 'third person' relationship story. Remember watching a series back in the 90s called Charitraheen?? Okkkk you don't..remember the movie Devdas?? You have to..it has been made twice and was a blockbuster each time. The point is, this man Sharatchandra was responsible for creating both these stories..both kind of tragic...and both touched a chord with people of India. Though personally I am not a a fan of tragedies with 'third person', this man's scrutiny of the human mind is commendable.
Bhibutibhushan Bandhyopadhyay
I got a book of his short stories. It dealt with people from all walks of life. Each of them beautifully narrated. The most striking one for me from that book was 'Tiroler Bala'. A tale of a mentally disturbed young girl which ends in a blood shed. This particular story with its many uncertainties, faith and belief in the almighty and the final end is for adults only (nope- no problem with the language) as it could really scare the tender minds of children. It did scare me. We can never really speculate how a mentally disturbed person would react to situations even in the presence of those who love and care for them. Anyway, one can easily identify with the writer. Pather Panchali, the cinematic rendition had won numerous accolades like 'Best Human Document' at the Cannes Film Festival, 'Best Foreign Film' at the New York Film Festival etc was a creation of Bhibhutibhushan Bandhyopadhyay. I have not yet read Pather Panchali and look forward to reading it someday. I have watched the movie though.Upendrakishore Roychoudhury
I will be honest here. I have only read some of his works for children and oh have I fallen in love with them or what! The book of his I picked up maybe targeted at a very young crowd (6-12years) and I read it in my 20s and enjoyed it thoroughly even at my age. The book is none other than 'Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne'. It is a delightful read with a lot of fun and magic just like the movie that has been made based on it. I wish I had got hold of it when I was a child, it would have made my childhood more memorable.Satyajit Ray
If I speak of Pather Panchali and Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne and stay mum about Satyajit Ray, it is almost blasphemous. For, this is the man who directed the 2 movies. Also, it is worth a mention that Satyajit Ray is the grandson of Upendrakishore Roychoudhury. This man, Satyajit Ray, is a big literary genius and his skills with making cinema is a cherry on the cake. I have 2 great books of his- one is a collection of his short stories very simply called 'the Best of Satyajit Ray' and the Adventures of Feluda. The former deals with mostly thriller and supernatural and keeps us guessing and the latter detective stories. Feluda is a detective who Satyajit Ray has created and the stories are non-put-downable. All his stories, be it Feluda or any other story, it is so grasping that you do not want to take a break for eating or water or even answer nature calls. You sometimes curse yourself that you cannot read faster than what you can already read because you want to know constantly what happens next. He is a genius who knows how to tell a story fitting to feed the curiosity of a keen mind. I really love the Feluda stories and honestly I love the kinds of Feluda and Byomkesh Bakshi who have really used their minds and art of deduction to solve mysteries with minimal or no help of forensics. In today's world where most of the mysteries are solved based on forensics, the use of the human brain/mind has considerably reduced. Some of the detectives just throw their hands up in surrender if they do not have the results of some DNA tests. It only makes me really admire the likes of Feluda and Byomkesh.Coming back to Satyajit Ray, he for me is a master story-teller be it in the form of writing or cinema.
Rabindranath Tagore
It would have been a complete sacrilege if I spoke about all the aforementioned greats and not having read or spoken anything about Tagore- the man who composed the Indian National Anthem. Like any other true citizen of India, I love our national anthem but I also love some of the poetry this great man has composed. Gitanjali- the one that brought him the Nobel Prize for Literature. I have not read the entire Gitanjali, just a few verses here and there and it is beautiful. I am also a proud owner of a collection of his short stories. Again, I must emphasise the scrutiny into human psyche in all his beautiful short stories. Kabuliwala which we all studied in our schools as a part of our curriculum is luckily a part of the collection I possess and was a very popular Indian movie of the yesteryear. Stories of Tagore are stories of common people and the common occurrence in our household with which everyone can identify. Bengal also reveres him for Rabindra Sangit which if I am not wrong is the musical mode of communicating his works. It is supposed to have revolutionised/reshaped Bengali music and Tagore was considered responsible for it. Recent Indian Hindi cinema has also embraced Tagore's work by popularising 'Ekla Chalo Re'.
In the modern context, I have read a some of the works (The Namesake, Interpreter of Maladies, The Unaccustomed Earth) from Jhumpa Lahiri, another Bengali who lives in the US. Her stories are mainly around Bengalis who live outside Bengal and India. Again, sorry to repeat myself, there is an excellent observation of the human mind in her works. I have also read The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy but her work did not really give me the Bengali flavour that I was used to from most Bengali writers. It was a good book but the style is not really Bengali and more biographical.
I have a bunch of other books by Bengalis from all different periods of time. I guess I should get cracking already but currently I am on a break from Indian writing. I will get back to them probably sometime mid-2013. Until then, if you chance up on a book by a Bengali, grab it and let me know if you enjoyed it and your views on the same. I will be very interested in reading it too :-)
P.S: Did not realise that this post turned out to be this long. Hope it will be worth the effort of reading through the whole post. :-)
