For Closer Interaction between Litterateurs of Assam and Bengal

COMMUNICATION

Nabanipa Bhattacharjee’s well-written article titled “Negotiating Marginality: The Bangla-Speakers of Assam” (Mainstream, August 9-15) does not discuss one aspect of the question, namely, the need for closer interaction between the Assamese and Bengali litterateurs of Assam. As I was born at Silchar in the Bengali-speaking Barak Valley, in my younger days I was closely associated with the movement for recognition of Bengali as a State language in Assam. My father, Nagendra Chandra Syam, a noted litterateur and literary critic, had a hand in drafting many of the memoranda Nabanipa Bhattacharya has referred to in her article.

When the government began making large-scale arrest of the movement leaders for suppressing that movement, many of them took shelter in our house. I was surprised to find that though my father had full support for the movement, he had a great love for Assamese literature at the same time. As a member of the Publications Board, Assam, he used to regularly get all the books in Assamese published by the Board. He was well acqainted with Assamese literature and its tradition. I still remember a speech he made on Shankaradeva at an Asom Sahitya Sabha meeting. He told me that despite a close relationship between the Assamese and Bengali languages, each had its special characteristics.

This aspect deserves a wider and meaningful discussion. Looking back, I now realise the importance of his obsevation that English was immensely enriched because it could assimilate words from other languages. The Bengali litterateurs of Assam today should ponder over this aspect and play a role in the free inter-mixture of the two languages so that each can enrich itself. Some effort has been made in this direction. I may mention Debashis Tarafdar’s novel Saraighat: Ekti Prem Kahini in this connexion. The theme of the novel is a Bengali student from the Barak Valley who went to Guwahati for higher studies and identified himself with the Assamese students there and they also accepted him as a friend, while both sides retained their distinct identities. A special characteristic of the novel is the deft mixing by the author of Sylheti words with Assamese words. More such novels need to be written. It will enrich the Bengali language.

The culture of North-East India has attracted many eminent persons, Rabindranath being one of them. After witnessing Manipuri dance at Sylhet, he introduced the teaching of Manipuri dance in Viswa Bharati. The emphasis in Manipuri dance is on bhakti rather than on lasya. He engaged a teacher from Cachar to teach this form of dance. I may mention here his Chitrangada dance drama in which the main character is the brave princess of Manipur.

I attended the Conference of the Hill Peoples of North-East India which was organised by the late Pannalal Das Gupta in 1966 in Kolkata as a representative from Cachar. It was a unique occasion when the immense richness and cultural variety of the North-East could be seen in all their splendour for the first time. This had a profound impact on all the participants.

Bengali literary conferences are held in the Barak Valley regularly. Some eminent litterateur of Kolkata is invited as the chief guest to address the conference. There is a subtle psychological reason for this invitation. The litterateurs of Barak Valley still consider West Bengal as the seat of Bengali literature and are eager to show that they are part of it. They are not very sure that they have a firm ground under their feet. But they have to overcome this weakness. A closer exchange of ideas and meeting of minds between the litterateurs of the Brahmaputra Valley and Barak Valley is very necessary. I venture to suggest that instead of holding Bengali Literary Conferences the aim should be to hold North-East Literary Conferences. In the long run it will benefit both Bengali language and literature.

Ruchira Syam

Flat 1A, JC-9, Sector-III, Salt Lake, Kolkata-700098.