Shoptodina
Foundation, the brain child of Dr. Tamal Dasgupta, has been doing pioneering
work related to Bengal and Bengalis especially through their academic
mouthpiece The Journal of Bengali Studies. Under the aegis of this foundation
on 15th April, 2016, a seminar was held in Mahabodhi Society
Auditorium, Kolkata, titled “Towards Classical Status for Bengali Language”. In
the sweltering heat of an April day the heritage structure saw intellectuals
from different fields engage in a discussion that at some point in time will
prove decisive in gaining the classical status for a language that is a
heritage of Bengal. It is not only a matter of pride for the Bengalis that this
initiative is being taken; it also opens up logistical and infrastructural
facilities for the upliftment and spread of the language which is being
compromised in usage due to the constraints of not being the language of
currency on a global platform in more sense than one.
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| L-R: Subodh Sarkar, Tamal Dasgupta and Arjundeb Sensharma |
The seminar,
divided into two sessions on both sides of lunch, saw speakers express their
thoughts on the issue in hand from their angles of vocation and research
interests. The seminar began with a very interesting paper presentation with
audio-visual aids by Dr. Swarup Bhattacharya on the topic depicting the
transition through the ages of the boat of Bengal. Bengal being a major coastal
area from where river and sea navigations have taken place since time
immemorial has seen boats as central to the livelihood of its people and at a
metaphoric level it symbolizes the spirit of Bengal and its classical
anteriority. Language is as intrinsically linked with livelihood as nothing
else can be. After this presentation Tapoban Bhattacharyya spoke on Bengal’s
so-called first monarch Sasanka. He pointed out that at school and college
level history books the space dedicated to the rule of Sasanka is being shrunk
and given just a cursory mention and thereby a sort of elision is happening
that is detrimental to the glory of Bengal.
Raibatak Sengupta
followed it up with a speech on the status of Bopdev, who is seen variously as
Bengali and Marathi due to lack of any well-researched evidence. The speaker
iterated that time demands an appropriation of this legendary figure of history
so that the grayness disappears. It was then that Dr. Arjundeb Sensharma made
his crucial presentation detailing how proto-Bengali language developed since
Sasanka’s time and has directly descended into the modern form that is prevalent
now. He gave arguments on why Bengali language should be accorded the status of
classical language. Later Dr. Piya Biswas discussed Charyapadas and how they
are part of the development of Bengali language from its proto origins (and not
exclusively precursors of Oriya language). Anirban Das too argued for the
classical status for the Bengali language and presented evidence of the antiquity
of this language. Rituparno Chattopadhyay’s speech with the help of a
Powerpoint Presentation was on the trade of Bengal and how the seals of Bengal
prove the prevalence of a proto language that is the antecedent of present-day
Bengali.
The penultimate
speaker of the seminar was the Chief Guest himself, the noted poet and academic
Subodh Sarkar. He regretted the facts that we live in a country where a
language like Sanskrit gets the classical status after Tamil, where there are
no speakers to argue for the classical status of an ancient language like Pali,
and where Oriya gets classical status but not Bengali yet. He zeroed on the
cause that the lack of unity amongst Bengali-speaking people has led to this
state of affairs. He blamed the upper-middle class Bengalis who give little
importance to their mother tongue and favour English instead. He promised all
help if the demand is made to grant the classical status to Bengali language.
Dr. Tamal Dasgupta summarized the proceedings and presented his own view point
at the end of the seminar. He argued for the need of classical status for
Bengali language, and elaborated the stakes that the Bengalis have in this
battle, and what they stand to lose if they do not engage into this struggle
for classical status. Extensively referencing Suniti Kumar Chattopadhyay's
magnum opus ODBL (Origin and Development of Bengali Language) Dr Dasgupta
offered a cogent case for the language of Charyapadas being identical with old
Bengali. He cautioned against the continuous poaching of Bengal's heritage at
the hands of various vested interests, mentioning Jayadeva as a case in point. He
further said that everything that stands for the pride and glory of Bengal is
gradually getting eroded and it is time that Bengalis realize the
precariousness of the situation and take proactive measures to address the
issues that are at stake. His speech made it apparent that if the alarm is not
sounded today then it might be too late.
