Bangladeshi folk literature

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

/

Bengali folk literature
Bengali literature
(By category)
Bengali language
Bengali literary history
History of Bengali literature
Bengali language authors
Chronological list - Alphabetic List
Major Folk Literature
Mymensingh Gitika

Part of a series on the

Culture of Bengal

History[show]

People[show]

Languages[show]

Traditions[show]

Cuisine[show]
 Festivals[show]

Art[show]

Literature[show]

Music and performing arts[show]

Media[show]

Sport[show]

Bengal portal

v
t
e

This article is part of a series on the

Bengalis

Language and Literature

Language
o Dialects
o Alphabet
o Romanisation
 Literature
o Poetry
o Science fiction
o Novels
o Folklore

Regions
Bengal
Bangladesh
West Bengal
Tripura
Barak Valley
Assam
Overseas

Subgroup
Bangal
Ghoti people
Bengali Muslims
Bengali Hindus
Bengali Buddhists
Bengali Christians

Arts and Tradition

Bangladeshi art
Music
Cinema
Theatre
Weddings
Calendar
Bengali Festivals
o Bengali New Year
o Bengali Spring Festival
o Nobanno
o Barsha Utsab
Cuisine
 Architecture

Symbols
Bangamata
Bengal tiger
Bengal cat
Bungalow
Bengal fire
Bengali renaissance
Amar Sonar Bangla
National symbols of Bangladesh
Fish and rice
o Ilish
o Chingri malai curry
o Rasgulla
o Chomchom
Jamdani
Ganges
Gangaridai
Suvarnabhumi
Bay of Bengal

v
t
e

Bangladeshi Folk Literature (Bengali: / ) constitutes a considerable

portion of Bengali literature. Though it was created by illiterate communities and passed down
orally from one generation to another it tends to flourish Bengali literature. Individual folk
literature became a collective product and assumes the traditions, emotions, thoughts and values
of the community.

Contents
1 History
2 Oral literature and its influence
3 Contents of folk literature
o 3.1 Folk music and song
 o 3.2 Gitika or ballads
3.2.1 Purbabanga-gitika
3.2.2 Maimansingha gitika
3.2.3 Nath gitika
o 3.3 Folk tales
o 3.4 Folk drama
o 3.5 Rhymes
o 3.6 Proverbs
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

History
From the third century onwards, the Mouryas, the Guptas, the Palas, the Senas and the Muslims
came one after another to rule the land. As a result, they grafted their ways of life and cultural
traits on the indigenous population. Subsequently, Portuguese, French and English ships
anchored in the harbors of Bengal. They left not only their merchandise but also their customs.
Each race left its own mark and it was not only physical but also cultural, which collectively
formed the basis of the culture.

Oral literature and its influence

Because folk literature is oral, it tends to rely on some mnemonic devices and patterns of
language and style. Bengali Folk Literature includes different types of epic, poetry and drama,
folktales, ballads, proverbs etc. and till now existing in community, whether literate or not may
be in different form. The folklore of Bangladesh is heavily influenced by different races which
were present years ago. The abundant folklore of the present-day Bangladesh, therefore, contains
a variety of elements, which is partly to be explained by the historical forces.

Contents of folk literature

Covers all branches of formalized folklore, such as tales, songs, ballads, proverbs, riddles,
charms, superstitions, myths, etc.

Folk music and song

The musical tradition of Bangladesh is lyrics-based, with minimal instrumental accompaniment.

We can classify folk songs in seven categories: love, ritual, philosophy and devotion, work and
labour, profession and occupation, satire and fun, and mixed. On the other side there are different
forms of Folk music, Baul, Gombhira, Bhatiali, Bhawaiya, kavigan, ghatu gan, jhumur,
baramasi, meyeli git, jatra gan, sari gan, etc. The Baul tradition is a unique heritage of Bengali
folk music, and there are numerous other musical traditions in Bangladesh, which vary from one
region to the other. Gombhira, Bhatiali, Bhawaiya are a few of the better-known musical forms.
Folk music of Bengal is often accompanied by the ektara, an instrument with only one string.
Gitika or ballads

Gitika means ballads though it tends to be longer than western ballads. Gitika is of two types:
purbabanga-gitika & Nath Gitika.

Purbabanga-gitika

It's mainly from Mymensingh and includes 'Mahuya', 'Maluya', 'Chandravati', 'Dewana Madina',
'Kanka O Lila', 'Kamala', Dewan Bhavna' etc.

Maimansingha gitika

Main article: Maimansingha gitika

Maimansingha gitika or Memonshingha gitika is a collection of folk ballads from the region of
Mymensingh and around of Bangladesh.Chandra Kumar De and Dinesh Chandra Sen were the
collectors and editors; the collection was published from Calcutta University, along with another
similar publication named purbabanga-gitika.

Nath gitika

Its on stories of the conversion of Prince Gopi Chandra (Manik Chandra Rajar Gan, Govinda
Chandrer Git, Maynamatir Gan, Gopi Chandrer Sannyas, Gopi Chander Panchali etc.) and on the
miracles of the Nath guru (goraksavijay, Minchetan).

Chottogram Gitika Published(1993) By Bangla Academy Editing By Momen chowdhury and

Collect By Abdus Sattar Chowdhry( 1919-1982)

Folk tales

Folk tales are stories that are handed down orally from one generation to another. They are in
prose and can be simple or complex. Based on subject, meaning and form, folk tales is of fairy
tales, mythical tales, religious tales, adventure stories, heroic stories, sage tales, historical tales,
legends, animal stories, fables, or comic stories. The lead character of Bengali folk tales are fate
and divinity dependant and execute magical power rather than intellect, wisdom, labour, struggle
or work.

Folk drama

Folk drama is combination of dance, song, music, and acting called as Bhasan, jatra, pala gan,
ghatu, gambhira, alkap, kavigan, puppetry, etc. It can be for entertainment or educational
purposes. Jatra is the most popular form of Folk drama. In Jatras, legendary plays of heroism,
mythological stories, folktales of love and tragedy, and similar countless themes are enacted in
open-air theatre. While some folk dramas emphasise songs, others stress dancing or acting. Folk
drama are commonly based on stories of Rama and Sita, Arjun and Draupadi, Radha and
Krishna, Nimai Sannyas, Behula and Laksindar, Isha Khan Dewan, Firoz Dewan, Zainab and
Hasan, Sakhina and Kasem, Hanifa and Jaigun, Rahim Badsha, Rupban, Baidyani etc. Folk
dramas usually have a mythical, historical, religious and political flavour.

Rhymes

Rhymes (Chhara) can be classified into the following groups: nursery rhymes, play rhymes,
social rhymes, historical rhymes, satirical rhymes, occupational rhymes, educational rhymes,
rhymes for rituals, and magical rhymes. Rhymes are recited or sung to calm and entertain
children, many are for fun or to educate people on ethics, morality, mathematics, astrology etc.
Some rhymes originated in historical events and preserve the memory of these events.

Proverbs

Proverbs are the shortest form of folk literature. Generally they are composed on the basis of
human experience, pragmatic consideration, and wisdom. Many proverbs are found in the vedas
and the upanisads as well as in the charyapada, the oldest specimen of Bengali literature.

The Folk Literature refers not to written, but to oral traditions. It may be in prose or verse, often
mythological or historical, it can be narrative epic, occupational verse, ritual verse, praise poems
to rulers and other prominent people. Whatever it may contain it highlights the exemplary
wisdom of illiterate peoples.

See also
History of Bengali literature
Culture of Bengal
Culture of India
Culture of West Bengal
Music of Bangladesh
Music of Bengal
Music of India
Music of West Bengal

References
Dinesh Chandra Sen, Maimansingha-Gitika, Calcutta, 1923
Purbabanga-Gitika, 1926; Maria Edward Leach ed
Ashutosh Bhattacharya, Banglar Lokasahitya, vol. 1, Calcutta, 1963;

External links
Article on Folk Literature
 Cultural & Folk Literature
Folk Literature in Banglapedia

[show]

v
t
e

Bengali language
[show]

v
t
e

Asian folk literature

Categories:

Bengali-language literature
Bangladeshi literature

Navigation menu
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in

Article
Talk

Read
Edit
View history

Search

Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
 Wikipedia store

Interaction

Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools

What links here

Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export

Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages

Edit links

This page was last edited on 19 May 2017, at 07:59.

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License;
additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy
Policy. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-
profit organization.

Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Cookie statement
Mobile view
 Enable previews