FOLKLORE OF BANGLADESH: FolkLore In Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a land of Folklore treasures. For this reason, from the last half of the 18th century to the first half of the 19th century, a large number of European missionaries and British civilians who came to our country devoted themselves to studying the social and cultural heritage of Bengalees. As evidence of this, I cite the names of Rev. James Long, Rev. William Morton, Capt. Thomas Herbert Lewin, James Drummond Anderson, Edward Tuiti Dalton, Gebon Henry Dramont, Herbert Hope Risley, Mark Thorn Hill, William Crook, Sir George Abraham Grierson, Rev. William MacCoullouck and such persons. These men made great contributions to the study of proverbs, riddles, folk-tales, and literature of the aboriginals.

Later on, Dr. Dinesh Chandra Sen, head of the department of Bengali at Calcutta University made great efforts to collect folk-materials all over Bangladesh, by appointing a large number of experienced folk-collectors. Within a short time, more than 100 folk-tales were collected. Dr. Sen edited more than 50 folk-tales and published them with the title of "Eastern Bengal Ballads," in four volumes. The first volume is named "Eastern Bengal Ballads, Mymensingh."

As these ballads were published both in English and Bengali, they received great attention by the Eastern and Western folklorists. In this connection, we should honor the name of Rabindranath Tagore. He wrote two articles on "ChheJe Bhulano Chhora," which were published in the third volume of the first year (1301 BS), and in the third volume the second year (1302 BS) of the journal named, "Bongio Shahitya Parishad Potrika." He tried to attract the attention of the highly educated people to look into the matter of folk-material. It didn't take long for men from other institutions of higher learning in other countries to notice these new materials, and some among them came to do further research.

Later on, when Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah was the head of the Department of Bengali, Dhaka University (1937-1944), he founded an organization called "Lokoshahitya Shongroho Samiti" to collect folk-materials from Eastern Bengal after the manner which had been done at Calcutta University. He was the president of this organization and Ashutosh Bhattacharya was the general secretary. He began by appointing a number of expert researchers to collect new elements from the field. These men did in fact collect a large number of fresh new folklore materials to study. But at the retirement of Dr. Shahidullah, and the moving of Dr. Bhattacharya from Dhaka to the Anthropology Department of the Calcutta National Museum, this process of folklore collection come to an end forever.

After the partition of India (1947), folklore study received a new impetus. In 1954, after many national martyrs laid down their lives for the state language, the Bangla Academy was founded. From the very beginning of this institution, folklore received great priority. They collected and preserved great volumes of folk materials, which provided a basis for further research, as well as the publication of numerous books and journals regarding Bengali Folklore. After gaining national independence (1971), Dr. Mazharul Islam, the great folklorist of Bangladesh was the Director General of Bangla Academy. At this time, Folklore gained the position of a separate department within the Academy.

In this connection, we should remember the names of Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah, Prof. Muhammad Monsuruddin, Dr. Mazharul Islam. These and many other folk lovers made it there constant demand throughout their lives that Folklore Department be established in several universities of the country.

Another renowned folklorist of Bangladesh, Dr. Abdul Khaleque, younger brother of Dr. Mazharul Islam, tried to fulfill the aspiration of the above great persons. He took great initiative to establish the Folklore and Anthropology departments at Rajshahi University when he was the Vice Chancellor of this university (February 1997-August, 1999).

On October 11, 1998, the department of folklore started its journey . Then on the 2nd of December in the same year, after the new Folklore Department was officially established. From this time, the study of folklore at Rajshahi University began. What for many years had been an urgent need in the whole of Bangladesh, namely the establishment of a university department devoted to the study of our great heritage, became a reality for the first time. With the establishment of this new, multi-disciplinary department, a new center for exchange with the whole world was created. It should also be noted that in the establishment of this department, the University of Rajshahi was honoured to be the first and only university in the country to house such a department. At the present time, two students from abroad are studying in the Folklore department, and there exists the possibility that yet more foreign students will be attracted to our program in future years.

The Four-Year Honors Course was started from the academic year, 1998-1999. At present, more than a hundred students of three academic years are in progress. In the department presently, there are 4 full-time teachers, and 4 additional part-time teachers from other departments: Bengali, History, Anthropology and Computer Science and Technology Departments.

A few aspects of Folklore

In aesthetic excellence of urbanized culture, artistry element is significant. But there is no denying of the fact that in urban culture, a contrived refinement is noticeable. Folk culture, on the other hand, though outwardly a little coarse contains remarkable natural impulse, which is not noticeable in urban culture. Like a mirror, folk-culture faithfully reflects the real folk society. In fact folk-culture is a syndrome of aspiration, ambition, sorrow, success, impulse and unfulfilled desire of the common people. It leads us to develop an intimate bond with the folk-society and this is a unique experience. We gain such insight experience. On the contrary, refined culture is the product of polished experience, over-statement and imagination. Further folk-culture provides a passionate outlook of the deep roots of the society.

Culture, which is not spontaneous, is rather hesitant to show the true human face of the society. As we change over to formal dress in public appearance, similarly deliberate manipulation is made to suppress appearance of prime attributes of society life with figment of reality in refined state of culture, coupled with noticeable trend to set out sententiously. Thus, we find an approach to bring in an apparent cosmetic improvement without any real substance in it.

In folk culture there is no preparation to bring in refinement, no attempt to exhibit typefaces. Folk-culture is the product of the folk-society, for the folk-society, therefore, nothing is to be guarded against. Folk-culture does not seek commendation of favorable judgment. In it we do not find free play of imagination, no fictitious narrative of life. In folk-culture there are no conscious efforts to build up images and more importantly, the negative aspects of life are also depicted faithfully. An illustration may describe the exclusive character of folk culture in an apt manner.

At sunset when the western horizon turns crimson, two friends are seen engaged in intimate conversation on a riverbank; there is no pretense but only exchange of feeling and outpourings of various phenomena of the mind. We find parallelism in folk-culture, it is interactive with folk-society, something spontaneous, conveyances and tone of folk-life with correctness of detail in a manner candid and unwavering.

In folk-culture on has to grow into it, one has to become a part of it.

The grim life struggle of poverty-sticken people, their merciless-exploitation by moneylenders and affluent sectors of society etc., from the canvas of a number of folk-songs. All pervasive unemployment and underemployment situation makes- it very difficult for the working class to take pleasure in life. Even hard toil does not provide bare necessities of life. In such a predicament, if per chance a relative (guest) arrive-only rice in gruel could be offered. Minor assets of poor households are mortgaged to greedy moneylenders. In one section of the society, the lot of common man is extremely painful. It is aptly and appropriate^ described that life sustenance of working class is in peril.