Contents MONTHLY BULLETIN, JANUARY 2021

„„ From the Desk of the General Secretary 1 „„ ¤ô@ýÌ î„y‹þyîû ¤?¡ !þ›S%éØþyl 25 „„ माननीय सस्‍ं 啃 ति मं配री का दौरा : ए्‍„रिपोर㔟 2 }•þôä ô%öì‡yþ›y™Äyëû धिमान चक्रवर酀 „„ Uttara Chakraborty (Sen) (1944-2020) 29 „„ Notice of 237th Annual General Meeting 4 Benjamin Zachariah „„ Agenda of Monthly Meeting of January 2021 6 „„ Tribute from Scholars of Women’s History 30 „„ 238th Foundation Day Celebration Programme 7 Aparna Bandyopadhyay „ „ „ Uttara Chakraborty and the Making of „ Soumitra Chatterjee and Satyajit Ray’s Time Past and Time Present 33 Apur Sansar : Some Reflections 9 Subhas Ranjan Chakraborty Madhu Singh Ramkrishna Chatterjee „„ Soumitra Chatterjee and Pradosh C. Mitter: „„ Professor Vinay Kumar Srivastava Feluda’s Celluloid life and an alter-ego! 12 (3.12.1952-23.12.2020) 35 Rudrani Mukherjee Satyabrata Chakrabarti „„ ö¤ï!ôe ‹þöìRyþ›y™Äyöìëûîû !íöìëûØþyîû ‹þ‹Åþy 15 „„ Maradona’s Moments: FIFA World Cup, !lôÅ¡ îöìr˜Äyþ›y™Äyëû Argentina and Bengali Fandom 36 „„ গভীর নির㖜ন পথে সুধীর চক্রব쇍釀 17 Kausik Bandyopadhyay ö˜îy!¢¤ ô%öì‡yþ›y™Äyëû „„ Madhuśrenika : A God, Human or Guild? 40 „„ ¤˜îû ôæþߺ¡ 20 Ranjusri Ghosh xyöì¡y‹þ†þ / ö¤ï!ôe ‹þöìRyþ›y™Äyëû „„ An Umalingana Stone Image from „„ In Memory of Alokeranjan Dasgupta 21 Raina, Purba Bardhaman 45 Rangan Kanti Jana Subhoranjan Dasgupta „„ Books from Reader’s Choice 46 „„ Alokeranjan: Reminiscence Early Indian History and Beyond: Essays in Honour of from a German Scholar 23 B. D. Chattopadhyaya Kuntak Chatterji Hans Harder ̶ „„ নকশি কাঁথা মা-ভাষা কথন বুদ্ধদেব বন㖦্যপাধ্যয় পরবাসে কবি অল�োকরঞ্জন 25 „ অ쇁ণ 嗁মার চক্রব쇍釀 „ Books Accessioned during December 2020 53 Cover Description

The portrait of Netaji, preserved in Raj Bhavan, was painted by Professor Isha Mahammad on November 2005. From the Desk of the General Secretary

Dear Members and Well-wishers, I feel extremely privileged in wishing you all a very Happy New Year, 2021 on behalf of the Council of The Asiatic Society, Kolkata. After passing through almost a year, full of anxiety, trauma and turmoil caused by the outbreak of COVID-19, we are now face to face with many new challenges. Notwithstanding all the hanging pressures on our daily life we have to withstand its escalating effects on the one hand and to curve out a space within for keeping faith on the collective strength of humanity and wisdom on the other. Our genuine efforts of guarding the good values of life will certainly help us tide over the crisis and chaos of the immediate past. Friends, let us remember with reverence those near and dear souls whom we have lost during the last one year due to CORONA infection, natural catastrophe, old age, system failures and miscellaneous other factors. Their individual and collective contributions in various fields of cultivation of knowledge have been our cumulative source of rich experiences that will guide us in our future goal of activities. The Asiatic Society will step into its glorious 238th Foundation Day on January 15, 2021. With all the imposed limitations of the current pandemic predicament we plan to observe this important occasion by holding the Foundation Day Oration to be delivered by the eminent scientist Professor Partha P Majumder, Founder Director, National Institute of Biomedical Genomics and National Science Chair. Sri Jagdeep Dhankhar, The Hon’ble Governor of West Bengal and Patron of The Asiatic Society, has kindly consented to grace the occasion as the Chief Guest. Sri Prahlad Singh Patel, the Hon’ble Minister of Culture, Government of India has also confirmed to be present as the Guest of Honour. May I share with you that The Asiatic Society has observed 70 years of the Indian Constitution through various programmes. The Society also plans to observe 125 years of birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in a befitting manner. We deeply mourn the sad demise of Professor Vinay Kumar Srivastava, former Director of Anthropological Survey of India, a recipient of Dr. Panchanan Mitra Memorial Lectureship for 2010 of The Asiatic Society and Central Government Nomi- nee to the Council of The Asiatic Society; Dr. Sudhir Chakraborty, eminent Bengali Educationist and Essayist and a recipient of Dr. Biman Behari Mazumdar Memorial Lectureship for 2002 & Professor Sukumar Sen Memorial Gold Medal for 2012 of The Asiatic Society; Professor Uttara Chakraborty, a noted Historian, celebrated scholar of Women Studies, one of the Editors of the book Time Past and Time Present: Two Hundred and Twenty-Five Years of The Asiatic Society and Life Member of the Society; Professor Swapan Majumdar, eminent Professor of Comparative Literature, Jadavpur University and a recipient of Rabindranath Tagore Birth Centenary Plaque for 2015 of The Asiatic Society; Professor Alokeranjan Dasgupta, eminent poet based in Netaji in battlefront Germany and a recipient of Professor Sukumar Sen Memorial Gold Medal for 2019 of The Asiatic Society; Sri Soumitra Chatterjee, a celebrated film and drama person- ality, a poet, painter & an essayist and a recipient of Priya Brata Roy Gold Medal for 2010 of The Asiatic Society. Please keep well and safe.

(S. B. Chakrabarti) General Secretary

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 1 Events

माननीय सस्‍ं 啃 ति मं配र ्‍ा दौरा : ए्‍ रिपोर㔟 धिमान चक्रवर酀 वित्त नियंतक, एशियाटिक सोसाइटी

� र पहलाद सिंह पटेल, माननीय कᴂ饍री संस्啃 ति और वैदिक काल के दौरान उपमहा饍वप के सबसे प्रद्ध नदी प र㔯टन राज㔯 मं配र (स㔵तंत पभार), भारत सरकार ने 19 के विभिन् पहलओु ंपर पकाश डालता है। । माननीय म配ं र दि संबर, 2020 को कोलकाता का दौरा किया। उन्ⴂने नेिद्वप असीम व ा रू ् म쥍ू ‍ⴂ के विभिन् गतिवि‍धियⴂ के स सं ्啃ति म配ं रलय और पर㔯टन म配ं रलय के अतं र्ग आनेवाले माध्म से राष् की सांस्啃 तिक विरासत को बनाये रखने स गठनⴂं के पमखु ⴂ और वरिष्ठ अधिकारियⴂ से साइसं सिटी मᴂ मᴂ ि एशश㔯ाट क सोसाइटी के प्ासⴂ की पशसां की । उन्ⴂने म लाकाु त की जिसमᴂ एशियाटिक सोसाइटी, कोलकाता का सम द्धृ सासं ्啃तिक, ऐतिहासिक और साहित्यक सामग्री को पि त ननतधत㔵 करने हुए प िकट करने के ल ए डॉ. एस.बी.चक्रवर酀, सोसा ि यटी 饍वरा क ए महास चच㔵 ने भाग गए ꥍरचीन ललतप㔯ⴂ लिय ा था। माननीय और भाषाओ ं के म ं配र ने सोसाइटी के कारयों का विशेष 셂प पा् ्थितर स絍रट स से्ले उल ख कक㔯ा, का्या र लय का दौरा ज र्तिससे व मान किय ा, जहाँ परिषद के पीढ ़ को एक नई सद् स ⴂ और सोसाइटी अ ि ंत셍दृ紿 म ली। जब के् य करचारि ⴂ 饍वरा सोसाइटी के अध㔯क्षर ꥍ फेसर ईशा मोहम्द माननीय संस्啃 ति म配ं र को भाषाशास्‍त सचिव उनका्मज गर ोशी से पषु ् गच㔛ु भᴂट कर बधाई देते हुए । 饍 वरा 182 पांडुललतप सव ् गत कक㔯ा गया। ज ो नीदरलℂड के माननीम य 配ं र ने हमाु य ँूकबीर हॉल मᴂ सोसाइटी के परिषद के ले यडेन मᴂ लेयडेन वि�‍वव饍यलय के के र् संस्‍न के सदस㔯ⴂ के साथ एक सवं ादात्क बैठक मᴂ भाग लिया, जहाँ अि ध कार मᴂ है, का सदं र ् देने से चर्च ꥍररंभ हईु तब भारतीय उन ् ᴂ इस अवसर पर उपस्थि परिषद के सदस㔯ⴂ से परिचित म लू की पाडं ुललतप㔯ⴂ और पराु वशेषⴂ,जिसका मलू भारतवर् करवाया गया और सोसाइटी के अकादमिक गतिविधियⴂ, मᴂ है लेकिन कु छ कारणⴂ से अब विदेशी ꥍराधकारियⴂ के शोध-परय ि ोजनाओ,ं पकाशनⴂ और सग्रहालं यⴂ से सबं धं ित कब ्ज मᴂ है, को वापस लाने के लिए कᴂ द सरकार की एक नई कई मह配तपरू ् म饍ु द पर चर्च की गई। नीति संचालित पहल के बारे मᴂ उल्लख करते हुए माननीय सोसा यटी के पकाशनⴂ पर चर्च के दौरान, डॉ. म配ं र ने संस्啃 ति 配ं रलय की तरफ से हर संभव सहायता रामक ् ृ ष् चटर , पकाशन सचिव ने माननीय मं配र को करने का आ�वसन दिया। “सरस㔵 व ती: द रि र पार एक्सलᴂस” नामक मह配तपूर ् माननीय म配ं र की या配र के सम्‍न मᴂ संग्रहालय मᴂ एक आगामी शोध आधारित पकाशन से अवगत कराया, जो वि ् शेष पदरनी का आयोजन किया गया था जहां सोसायटी

2 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 Events

के संग्रहमᴂ मह配तपरू ् पांडुलिपियⴂ और लिथो प्लटⴂ को पदर्शि किया गया था। जिन वस्ओत ंने उनकी 셁चि और धषित्यन आकर् किया, वे थे - तीसरी शताब्द ईसा पर्ू मᴂ लिखी गई अशोकान रॉक एडिक्, जो 녍रम लिपि और ꥍरकृ त भाषा मᴂ लिखी गई थी, पहली शताब्द ईस्व का कनिष् का सईु विहार शिलालेख जो खरोष्ठी लिपि और ꥍरकृ त भाषा मᴂ लिखी गई थी, पाल शासकⴂ की ताम्रपत माननीय संस्啃 ति म配ं र, सोसाइटी के संग्रहालय का दौरा करते हुए । शि ि लालेख जो स द्धमात्का लिपि और ꥍरटो-बगालीं भाषा मᴂि ल खी गई थी,7 वĂ शताब्द ईस्व की कु ब्जका मट्टम की ꥍ रचीन पाडं ुललतप जो गप्त-녍ु रम लिपि और ससं ्啃त भाषा मᴂ लि खी गई ; लघकालकाु क्रावता रतिका (विमलपभा); बर्म रामायण (रंगीन चित के साथ बर् मᴂ रामायण की कहानी) और सांची के स्मरक पर लिथो प्लटⴂ, फ़रसी लघ ु चि配र की यनू ेस्क विशकला शखला,र् तिब्ब मᴂ बौद्ध धर् और यज दानी 饍वरा अजतं ा के चित। उन्ⴂने सग्रहालं य मᴂ पदर्शि “संस्啃 त पांडुलिपि मᴂ वरनात् ्क कला: देवीमह्㔯म “ नामक द�‍-श핍‍ पस्‍तिकरण के क्लिपि ु छ क ंग् भी देखᴂ । माननीय म ं配र सोसाइटी के अद्वीय विचार और द�‍-श핍‍ ꥍर셂प मᴂ पांडुलिपि के रचनात ्क पस्त ि से बहुत पभावित हुए और ऐसे पस्तित यⴂ के म饍ु रकरण की स भां वनाओ ंका पता लगाने का सझाु व दिया। माननीय संस्啃 ति म配ं र सोसाइटी के संग्रहालय की आगंतकु पस्तु का मᴂ अपनी टिप्पी देते हुए ।

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 3 Annual General Meeting

4 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 Annual General Meeting

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 5 Monthly Meeting

AN ORDINARY MONTHLY GENERAL MEETING OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETY WILL BE HELD ON 4TH JANUARY, MONDAY, 2021 IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TERMINATION OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, IN THE VIDYASAGAR HALL OF THE SOCIETY

MEMBERS ARE REQUESTED TO BE PRESENT

Agenda

1. Confirmation of the Minutes of the last Ordinary Monthly General Meeting held on 7th December, 2020. 2. Exhibition of presents made to the Society in December, 2020. 3. Notice of Intended Motion, if any, under Regulation 49(d). 4. Matters of current business and routine matters for disposal under Regulation 49(f). 5. Consideration of reports and communications from the Council as per Regulation 49(g). 6. Adoption of Annual Report, if required, as per Regulation 50(c)(ii),

(S B Chakrabarti) The Asiatic Society General Secretary 1, Park Street Kolkata 700016 Dated the 19th day of December 2020

6 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 Foundation Day

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 7 Foundation Day

Clippings from 237th Foundation Day Celebration of The Asiatic Society

Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, Hon'ble Professor Arvind P. Jamkhedkar, Chairman Governor of West Bangal, of Indian Council of Historical Research, addressing the audience. delivering the Foundation Day Oration.

Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, Hon'ble Governor of West Bangal, accompanied by Smt Sudesh Dhankhar, First Lady, visiting the exhibition on 'Pandit Iswarchandra Vidyasagar as Printer and Publisher'.

Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, Hon'ble Governor of West Bangal, accompanied by Smt Sudesh Dhankhar, First Lady, visiting the Library.

8 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 In Memoriam

Reception from beyond Bengal

Soumitra Chatterjee and Satyajit Ray’s Apur Sansar : Some Reflections One of the greatest auteurs of twentieth the 1970s - often considered “more serious” century cinema and an influential modernist than its “frivolous” and “popular” counterpart par excellence, Satyajit Ray set new param- of the commercial films– and the contem- eters for Indian cinema with his Apu Tril- porary offbeat, meaningful Hindi cinema ogy: Pather Panchali (1955), Aparajito (1956), directed by film makers such as Bimal Roy, and Apur Sansar (1959) where deep human- Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee, Basu ism, history, realism and cultural aesthetics Bhattacharya and others. Therefore Bengali conflated and commingled to create a true film culture never appeared alien, distant or modern classic. In 1977, Ray produced his unfamiliar to me. However, it was in Apur first Hindi filmShatranj ke Khiladi, a tale of two Sansar - with its rich and soulful music of chess obsessed friends set in the backdrop Ravishankar in boatman’s song, the familiar of British annexation of Awadh, but Satyajit’s tunes on flute reminding us of S D Burman’s Apu, the eponymous hero of the film Apur music in Sujata (1959), Bandini (1963) and Ab- Sansar, Soumitra Chatterjee, was relatively himan (1973) that I first came across Soumitra unknown to us except perhaps as Apu in Apur Chatterjee and his flawless acting as Apu in Sansar1. For a non-Bengali, north Indian aca- the 106 minutes of the film. demic teaching literature at a university, my Apur Sansar (1959) may be seen as a response to Satyajit Ray’s Bengali classic Apur microcosm of colonial Bengal of the 1930s Sansar and its characters was largely shaped and 1940s gradually being impacted and by old Hindi classics, the ‘parallel cinema’ of shaped by colonial modernity, the signs and

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 9 In Memoriam signposts of which are evident in the narra- juxtaposed with deserted indigo factories, tive: whistling steam engines belching out an evidence of the failed experiment of clouds of grey smoke, the railway tracks criss- making indigo the principal export crop of crossing in a yard, overbridges, electricity and Bengal. The countryside stands at the critical electric bulbs, colliery and a bottling-labelling historical juncture of the collapse of feudal- plant, type writers and printing press, ciga- ism3 indicated by the dilapidated kothis and rettes and sewing machines, and similar other mansions of zamindars. Due to the colonial things. Armed with an intermediate degree, appropriation of agrarian sector, the break- Apu arrives in Calcutta from a remote village down of rural economy was inevitable and of Bengal through his earlier experience of resulted in migration of people to towns and Benaras in the early decades of the twentieth cities. Ray tried to conceptualize a different century, to find a foothold there. The milieu of world in Apur Sansar through the remnants of the 1930s Calcutta is recreated in the opening a disappearing past - the old , spacious two- scene by the protester’s shouts of ‘Inquilab storied house of a zamindar and a ramshackle Zindabad’, the noise of whistle and clatter indigo factory by the river which he converted of trains in the background and the narrow into the house where the marriage of Aparna winding lanes to his rented place. Chatterjee would take place4. effortlessly creates a real flesh and blood fig- In a circumstantial turn of events which ure of Apu who is as believable and convinc- is a high point of the first part of the film, ing as possible. At times , Soumitra becomes Apu marries Aparna out of compassion and so real as Apu that the distinction between challenges the values of orthodox Hindu the actor and the character is almost blurred, society in a true Renaissance spirit. Soumitra the actor seemingly fits in the persona of the Chatterjee seamlessly captures the emotions role. The character of Apu is a middle-class of a helpless Apu who is unable to provide a young man, a struggling intellectual who decent life to Aparna, the “unaffected, unlet- takes tuitions for a living , loves his Dickens, tered chance-wife” “brought up in affluence Keats, Lawrence, Dostoevsky as much as he but inspired to adjust to poverty by her love writes and narrates Bangla poetry, wants to for her husband.”5 She becomes an indispens- write ‘a wonderful novel’ which seems only able part of Apu’s life adding a new dimen- too autobiographical to his friend Pulu, plays sion to the concept of home. Her expressive flute to charm a young girl living next door, kohl-lined eyes, bodily grace, affection and and lives a dingy rented room in a lower poise - especially the scene where she looks middle class locality, Tallah in the extreme out through the torn curtain of the room’s north Calcutta, overlooking a desolate railway window and her gaze falls on a poor mother yard where trains shunt back and forth. The playing with her child, is memorable. Unfor- sound of trains serves as a refrain, “a poetic tunately, after a short period of blissful, happy element”, “a constant, colourful and usual conjugal life, the heartbroken and shattered phenomenon” in Apu Trilogy2 but in Apur San- Apu after Aparna’s death during child-birth sar, it also becomes an agent of death when a leaves home, and becomes a reckless wan- grief-stricken Apu after the sudden death of derer and recluse6. Perhaps, Soumitra’s com- his wife Aparna wants to throw himself before plete identification with Apu and his sansar a train but is too shocked by the shriek of a was why Ray picked him up for more than dying pig on the tracks, and abandons the two dozens of his films. As Apu, Soumitra idea of self-destruction. On the other hand Chatterjee portrayed the human predicament is the Bengal countryside with its silent, flow- realistically in its broadest philosophical, re- ing rivers, boats and boatmen’s songs , green ligious, and social contexts, also reaffirming fields, mango orchards and bamboo groves Ray’s Renaissance spirit steeped in the literary

10 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 In Memoriam and historical traditions of his times. Apu to abandon his own son. Chatterjee’s Satyajit Ray was aesthetically influenced by performance as a heartbroken Apu is a the French Nouvelle Vague and Italian Neoreal- powerful moment of realization that his ist cinema under which he employed realism wife continues to live through their son as a representational strategy in his films. whom he had so heartlessly abandoned. In This is evident in Apur Sansar by Ray’s choice the last memorable scene of the film Apur of locale, characters and moments of being Sansar, Apu flings his unfinished novel from -- he shot in unfamiliar lower class urban and the top of a hillock and the pages disappear regional localities, signed non-professional ac- swirling in the wind and drop silently into the tors in roles like Apu’s friend Pulu, highlighted shadows of the forest. He lifts his son Kajol marginalized social on his shoulder and characters and used decides to return to natural lighting in his Calcutta. The image films besides other of Kajol perched on strategies for realistic Apu’s shoulder and effect. Following Ce- the river flowing saire Zavattini7­ that past them, with a “(T)he cinema has boat sailing on it is always felt the ‘natu- crystallized in our ral’ and practically memory as the most inevitable necessity evocative, heart- of inserting a story warming happy into reality in order ending to this tale, to make it thrilling and spectacular”, he was different from the original ending in the able to recreate the natural and the real in Apur Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s novel.8 Sansar but in a subtle and understated way. As Apu reclaims his sansar rejecting the life of a result, the ordinary and the commonplace a lost wanderer after Aparna’s death because became extraordinary and spectacular in the he wanted to live. This moment of reconcilia- hands of the accomplished director and the tion, regeneration, and growth brings about new artists, Soumitra Chatterjee and Sharmila a final closure to the trials and tribulations of Tagore -- not to forget the Greek chorus of mi- Apu and his son. Soumitra Chatterjee played nor characters which added value and depth the role of a wanderer and recluse to near to the film. Ray’s imagination and powerful perfection and went on to become the most direction coupled with debutant Chatterjee’s sought after actor in Bengal. No wonder, spellbinding performance was a memorable Shyam Benegal appropriately compared aesthetic experience. Chatterjee’s performance to “a fine Persian Some of the scenes return to me in an carpet, subtle and exquisite. It is only when amazing visual clarity: In an early episode, you turn to look at the back of the carpet do Apu arrives at a dingy bottling and label- you see the intricate weave that has gone ling factory looking for a job, finds grim into its making.” silent workers labelling bottles like lifeless machines and quietly escapes from the Notes place. Another fine moment captured by 1. Soumitra Chatterjee was said to have declined Soumitra Chatterjee is when Apu learns of offers to play the lead role in Hindi films Bees Aparna’s death and runs through a whole Saal Baad (1962) and later, the doctor’s role gamut of feelings -- shock, disbelief, anger, in Anand (1971), both successful and acclaimed and heart-wrenching agony -- which leads Hindi films.

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 11 In Memoriam

2. Satyajit Ray, My Years with Apu: A Memoir. Pen- Ray observes: “Apur Sansar thus grew out of situ- guin,1996, p.132. ations conceived by the author himself. I, as the 3. In the 1930s, a major rent crisis utterly under- interpreter through the film medium, exercised mined the older structures of zamindari land- my right to select, modify and arrange. This is ownership in colonial Bengal. a right which every filmmaker, who aspires to 4. Satyajit Ray, My Years with Apu: A Memoir. Pen- more than doing a commercial chore – to artistic guin,1996, pp.136-37. endeavour, in fact – possesses. He may borrow 5. Sandip Ray, Satyajit Ray and Cinema, Columbia his material, but he must colour it with his own University Press, 2011, p.18. experience of the medium. Then, and only then 6. In Dilip Roy’s film Debdas(1979), Chatterjee will the completed film be his own, as unmistak- essayed another intense role of a heartbroken ably as Kalidasa’s Shakuntala is Kalidasa’s and lover Debdas. not Vyas’s”. 7. The chief theorist of the Italian Neo-Realism in the early 1950s. Madhu Singh 8. From Sandip Ray, Satyajit Ray on Cinema. In his Professor, Department of English and Modern essay “Should a Film Maker be Original?”, Satyajit European Languages, University of Lucknow

Soumitra Chatterjee and Pradosh C. Mitter: Feluda’s Celluloid life and an alter-ego!

For a lot of the Bengali kids growing up sense of irony strikes at the very naming of in the 1980s and 90s, Feluda and Soumitra the 20-something ‘private investigator’, ‘Felu’ Chatterjee were exchangeable names. It’s (roughly translating to a loser) who is a bril- an ongoing dilemma whether the love for liant observer, avid reader of history, archaeol- Feluda (aka Pradosh C. Mitter) developed ogy (Badsahi Angti, Sonar Kella), mythology from the ever-enchanting performance of (Golokdham Rohosyo), paintings (Tintorrettor Chatterjee on screen or if it was the other Jishu), musical instruments (Sama,ddarer way around. As Chatterjee breathed life into Chabi)and his pride and love for the Indian the nuanced, cerebral, fictional hero with his artefacts (Joy Baba Felunath, Jahangirer Swar- eyes, eyebrows, frown, and smirk, the Feluda- nomudra, Golapi Mukto Rohosyo). fandom surpassed the teens and gradually There have been volumes of interviews embraced the range from the grandparents and articles debating if Ray created Feluda to grandkids and settled many an argument keeping Chatterjee in mind for some distant of a post lunch family movie session if ‘Sonar future project. However, as Chatterjee him- Kella’ and ‘Joy Baba Felunath’ were being aired. self mentioned in more than one interview As a young teenager starts reading these that he observed Feluda to be based on Ray ‘whodunit’ adventure stories set across the himself: the structure, the mannerisms, the country (and three in London, Hong Kong, on-point sarcasm, the confidence, Ray’s pre- and Kathmandu as well), they also start ferred kurta and pajama with a cross-shoulder visualizing the sleuth: tall, lean, sharp eyes, shawl, and the way Ray smoked his cigarettes. smoking away to glory. Satyajit Ray’s innate It’s a curious case of art borrowing from life

12 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 In Memoriam

mention that Charminar and the lighter shot on the table (a brand known for its compara- tively stronger filter yet cheap, the preference of the thinking middle class)! For those of us who had already devoured the novel before watching the movie, we were not waiting for the suspense; we were really marveling at the mystery solving capabilities of Chatterjee as Feluda, as he goes to accept a case knowing well that he would not be compensated for it, rather he would have to shell out money from his pocket. This hits you hard as a teenager as you realize his passion for his work, for his consideration for a child in impending danger. This is also a super subtle teaching moment where you have ‘with more power comes more responeesibility’ playing out in our own state and across the vast des- erts in Rajasthan. While Topshe (Sidhhartha Chatterjee) Wat- sons his way through all the adventures, it’s in and vice versa. It could well be a bit of both as ‘Sonar Kella’ that we meet the very relatable Chatterjee himself claimed that he considered Jatayu (Santosh Dutta, an established Barris- Ray to be his mentor and it’s not unlikely that ter himself), with his broken Hindi and ador- he would have adapted some of the maestro’s able charm who goes on to ‘cultivate’ Feluda traits while portraying Feluda. for almost all the remaining stories. Jatayu’s Either way, when we saw Chatterjee ap- antics at the face of danger serves multiple pear as Feluda for the first time in Sonar Kella, purposes: it lightens the scene that’s full of we could relate to the tall, athletic hero, with hard-hearted criminals against a backdrop a chiseled cheekbone and the confident of kidnapping and it also heightens the calm smirk that flamed our curiosity and kept us nerves of our favourite ‘goenda’ (detective) intrigued. The first scene where Chatterjee and as he resolves the mystery, undeterred. appears as Feluda is one where we see his It’s beautiful how Chatterjee’s Feluda says the legs upside down, practicing a head stand most sarcastic things to Jatayu but it never early morning at home which establishes ever sounds humiliating or arrogant. It’s this this character as athletic and agile, but not sheer mannerism that Chatterjee adds to his muscular, the latter being a complete no-no portrayal where the otherwise proud sleuth is for our cerebral Bengalis who prefer their tea, a great travel buddy with a much older man, newspaper, and early morning walk to the who’s clearly intellectually his inferior, but he bajar for fresh fish and vegetables to protein keeps inspiring him simultaneously to fact smoothies and a gym workout (sports profes- check while churning out his novels with the sionals and enthusiasts being exceptions). In famous alliterative titles. the next scene, we have Feluda appear in a red Feluda’s love and allegiance to Jatayu kurta, folded sleeves, a courtesy smile on his is significant in the famous knife-throwing face and nomoshkar gesture as he meets his scene in Joy Baba Felunath where Chat- prospective client, and we have our quintes- terjiee hangs his head in sheer humiliation sential Bengali hero in flat 2-3 minutes, not to and vouches to give up his profession if he

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 13 In Memoriam couldn’t avenge Jatatyu’s unfortunate situa- wonderful teaching moments sprinkled all tion: ‘hoy er upojukto sasti debo, noy goenda- over, directed at the young audience: a care- giri chere debo’. It’s at this point that you feel ful audience would not miss Chatterjee’s rage the intensity of the resolution as Chetterjee’s while calling out the smugglers who would eyes sparkle with determination and a new sell out their country, and his integrity shows wave of zeal. in all the efforts that he makes in being a I cannot possibly mention this scene and proud citizen of the country, doing right by not talk about the sheer magnificent presence the law and the constitution. The simple living of Utpal Dutta as Maganlal Megraj, the arch high thinking Bengali intelligentsia comes out nemesis of Feluda. This remains a significant in almost every other story where Feluda of- moment in Bangla cinema as two of the stal- fers to pay out of his own pocket, or takes up warts get into a face-off followed by a tem- cases pro bono simply because it challenges porary de- him intel- feat for Fe- l e c t u a l l y luda only to and serves come back a gre ate r later with good, be it a bang in saving a life the famous or saving climac tic a national s c e n e o f h e r i t a g e , ‘Joy Baba document, Felunath’! t r e a s u r e , Like So- and so on. nar Kella, Chatterjee’s Joy Baba conviction Fe l u n a t h i n t h e s e also shows Chatterji’s as well as Feluda’s bril- scenes also speak volumes of the ideals the liant chemistry with children and the effort actor himself lived by as has been seen in his that’s put into befriending the two boys over contribution to the field of Bengali theatre, riddles and a quick show of the grand colt one who remained a true Leftist at heart revolver that would fascinate boys of that even when the political tables turned in West age. Soumitra’s range here is laudible as his Bengal not so much to his favour! chemistry with his co-actors is perfect, be it It’s a regret that this camaraderie of Ray the possibly octogenarian Sidhu jyatha and and Chatterjee didn’t continue into more Fe- Ambika Ghosal as well as the pre-teen kids, luda movies, but it’s safe to say that it remains Mukul and Ruku. Feluda practically wins all of an innocent series for children’s literature them over with his knowledge, observation, brought to life by the actor par excellence and mastery in his understanding of their whose ‘magaj astara’ continues to be a reflec- characters. With Chatterjee on screen, it felt tion of the reticent yet observant Bengali, seamless and so lucid, and an impression- with his contemplation and agile execution, able young mind would idolize this detec- all the while blowing rings off the Charminar! tive persona as the ideal: polite, brave, witty, determined and honest to the core! Rudrani Mukherjee The two Ray-directed Felud amovies have Publishing Professional

14 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 In Memoriam ö¤ï!ôe ‹þöìRyþ›y™Äyöìëûîû !íöìëûØþyîû ‹þ‹Åþy îy.¡y G îy.y¡# ?#îöìlîû îàhßìîû#ëû ¤y‚ß,ñ!•þ†þ ²Ìîyöì¥ ö¤ï!ôe ‹þöìRyþ›y™Äyëû öë ßiyöìl !îîûy?ôyl !Séöì¡l ö¤‡yöìl !•þ!l !Séöì¡l ߺîûyØþ– ߺ•þsf– ߺlyô™lÄÐ ’þz!l¢ ¢•þ†þ#ëû öîûöìl¤„yöì¤îû ’þz_îûy!™†þyîû ߺîû*þ› !•þ!l !Séöì¡l îàô%‡# =öì”îû x!™†þyîû#– ëyîû xöìl†þ=!¡¥z Ö™% ²Ì!•þèþyîû ߺyÇþîû lëû– îà‹þ!‹Åþ•þ– xl%¢#!¡•þ– ²Ì!¢!Çþ•þ– þ›!îû×öìôîû myîûy x!?Å•þÐ ö¤ï!ôe ‹þöìRyþ›y™Äyëû Œ1930éŸé2020Š lyô!Øþ¥z xyôyöì˜îû ¤¾ô ?yëûˆyëûÐ !•þ!l ~†þ?l !†þ‚î˜hsý#Ð x!èþöìl•þyé Ÿ é!löì˜Å¢†þé Ÿé xl%îy˜†þ éŸé lyØþ†þ†þyîû éŸé ¤‚ˆ‘þ† þéŸé †þ!îé Ÿé ¤Á›y˜†þ Œò~Çþ”ó þ›!e†þyŠé Ÿé ²Ìyî!¦þ†þ éŸ éxyî,!_†þyîûŸ é !‹þe†þyîû éŸé îûy?l#!•þ ¤öì‹þ•þl ö¤ï!ôe •„þyîû ¤yô!@ý̆þ †þôņþyöì[þîû ôöì™Ä •„þyîû !²Ìëû– !ô!Séöì¡ ¥„yØþy ~†þ?l îÄ!_«Ð ¤•þÄ¥z– ~†þíy ~‡l èþy¡îy¤yîû öÇþe !¥öì¤öìî •„þyîû !íöìëûØþyîû ‹þ‹Åþyöì†þ¥z ~!ˆöìëû ¤îÅ?l!î!˜•þ öë èþyîû•þîöì£ìÅ !•þ!l ~†þôye îÄ!_« !ë!l öîûöì‡!Séöì¡lÐ !•þ!l !Séöì¡l ~†þy™yöìîû lyØþ†þ†þyîû Œë!˜G ²Ì™yl•þ ‹þ¡!F‹þe G !íöìëûØþyöìîûîû x!èþöìl•þy ¥öìëûG ë„yîû öôï!¡†þ lyØþöì†þîû ¤‚‡Äy †þôŠ– xl%îy˜†þ Œ~öìÇþöìe !•þl ‡öì[þ òlyØþ†þ ¤ô@ýÌó– ~†þ ‡öì[þ ò†þ!î•þy ¤ô@ýÌó– ˜%¥z îD#†þîû” öî¢# †þöìîûöìSélŠ– !löì˜Å¢†þ– x!èþöìl•þy– ¤‚ˆ#•þ ‡öì[þ òˆ˜Ä ¤ô@ýÌó Œ•,þ•þ#ëû ‡[þ ²Ì†þyöì¢îû þ›öìíŠ î•ÅþôylÐ !löì˜Å¢ly– ¤‚ˆ‘þl– ¤yô!@ý̆þ þ›!îû†þÒlyƒƒƒ xöìl†þ !†þS%éÐ ~îû*þ› ~†þ?l îàô%‡# ²Ì!•þèþyîû x!™†þyîû# îÄ!_«öìcîû îy.y¡# !íöìëûØþyîû ‹þ‹Åþyëû ëy ëy †þîûöì•þ ¥ëû– •þyîû ¤îØþy¥z ¤y!îņþ ô)¡Äyëûöìlîû ¤ôëû G þ›!îû¤îû ~‡l lëûÐ ~‡yöìl !•þ!l !löì? ¥yöì•þ †þöìîûöìSélÐ ¤îöì‹þöìëû öî!¢ !•þ!l öë •þy¥z •„þyîû lyØþÄ!‹þhsýy !löìëû !†þS%é èþyîly ²Ì†þy¢ †þîûyîû !î£ìëûØþyëû ö?yîû !˜öìëû!Séöì¡l– öë!Øþ îy.¡yîû !íöìëûØþyîû ö‹þÜTy †þîûy ëy†þÐ îÄ!_«cîûy !†þS%é îÄ!•þe«ô Séy’þüy öî!¢ èþy!î•þ !Séöì¡l ly ö¤ï!ôeöì†þ !löìëû ˆèþ#îûéŸéˆöìî£ì”y¤ô,m* ‹þ‹Åþyù @ýÌsiù Œ~‡lG öl¥zŠ– ö¤!Øþ ¥¡ ò!íöìëûØþyîû ¥z†þl!ô:óÐ îy.¡y ²Ìî¦þ îû‹þly ²Ìyëû ¥ëû!l î¡öì¡¥z ‹þöì¡Ð ‹þ¡!F‹þe !löìëû !íöìëûØþyöìîûîû öë !î!èþ§¬ ™yîûy韟Ÿé öþ›¢y˜yîû– îy!”!?Ćþ– •þyG ˜%éŸé~†þ!Øþ ‹þ‹Åþy ¥öìëûöìSé (Amitava Nag, Be- @ýÌ&þ› !íöìëûØþyîû– ˆ”lyØþÄ– ö†þyÁ›y!l !íöìëûØþyîû Œ‡%î yond Apu-20 Favourite Film Roles ¤yÁ±!•þ†þ†þyöì¡ ~ !î£ìöìëû ‹þ‹Åþy ¥öìFS銖 ö¡y†þlyØþÄ of Soumitra Chatterjee, Harper Col- ²Ìè,þ!•þ ™yîûyëû ~†þôye xÄyöìô‹þyîû !íöìëûØþyîû Œ†Ïþyî– lins India, 2016)– !†þév •„þyîû lyØþÄ!‹þhsýy !löìëû !†þS%é x!æþ¤ †Ïþyî– þ›y’þüyîû !íöìëûØþyîû– ö¤ï!‡l !íöìëûØþyîûŠ Séy’þüy ²Ìî¦þù!lî¦þùîÄ!_«ˆ•þ ß¿,!•þ‹þyîû”y Séy’þüy !îö좣ì ö†þyöìly ¤î !íöìëûØþyöìîûîû ~†þ!Øþ xíÅl#!•þîû !èþ!_ xyöìSé– ~†þ!Øþ ‹þ‹Åþy ¥öìëûöìSé îöì¡ ?yly öl¥zÐ xí‹þ ö¤ï!ôe !íöìëûØþyîû öþ›¢y˜yîû ˜,!ÜTèþD# xyöìSéÐ ö¤ï!ôe ~¥z !î£ìëûØþy¥z ö?yîû !löìëû !¡öì‡öìSél ²Ì‹%þîûÐ =îû&cþ›)”Å ¤yÇþyê†þyîû !˜öìëûöìSél !˜öìëû!Séöì¡lÐ xí‹þ îy.¡yîû !íöìëûØþyöìîûîû ¥z!•þ¥y¤ ‹þ‹Åþyëû öî¢ !†þS%éÐ xíÅyê ˆèþ#îû ˆöìî£ì”yîû ¤)eéŸé’þzþ›y˜yl íy†þy ö˜‡y ëyëû öë ~¥z !î£ìëûØþy¥z xyôîûy †þô =îû&c !˜öìëû!SéÐ ¤öì_´G xyôîûy •„þyîû !íöìëûØþyîûé ‹þ‹Åþy– !íöìëûØþyîû ˜¢Ål !löìëû 1872 ¤yöì¡þ ¤y™yîû” îûDy¡ëû ²Ì!•þÛþyîû þ›îû öíöì†þ ˆèþ#îû èþyöìî èþy!î!l– ¥ëû•þ =îû&c¥z !˜¥z!lÐ •„þyöì†þ !löìëû xíÅyê ¤y™yîû” ôyl%£ì !Øþ!†þØþ ö†þöìØþ !íöìëûØþyîû ö˜‡yîû öë ¤yô!@ý̆þèþyöìî öë !¤!îûëûy¤ ˆèþ#îû ‹þ‹Åþy ¥ëû !l– ö¤ !î£ìöìëû ˆ”•þy!sf†þ x!™†þyîû öþ›¡– •þyîûþ›îû öíöì†þ xy? þ›ëÅhsý •„þyîû x!èþôylG !Sé¡Ð îy.¡y !íöìëûØþyöìîûîû xíÅl#!•þ ‡%î ¢_«öìþ›y_« !èþ!_îû

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 15 In Memoriam

’þzþ›îû ˜„y!’þüöìëû ’þzöì‘þ!lÐ †þ‡öìly ˜¢Å†þŸé!lèÅþîû•þy– †þ‡öìly öîy™ †þöìîûöìSélÐ æöì¡ ~¥z þ›öìîÅîû !íöìëûØþyîû ‹þ‹Åþy !löìëû îûyÜTÉŸé!lèÅþîû•þy– †þ‡öìly †þöìþ›ÅyöìîûØþŸé!lèÅþîû•þy îy îÄ!_«Ÿé !îö좣ìîû*öìþ› ô)¡Äyëûl ¥ëû!lÐ ~ öël ö¤¥z ¤y™yîû” !lèÅþîû•þyîû ’þzþ›îûÐ ~†þ†þíyëû xl%˜yl !lèÅþîû•þyîû ’þzþ›îû îûDy¡ëû îlyô @ýÌ&þ› !íöìëûØþyîû mr˜µÐ ~öìÇþöìe !îèþy¤ ˜„y!’þüöìëû !Sé¡ùxyöìSé îy.¡y •þíy îy.y¡#îû !íöìëûØþyîû ‹þ‹ÅþyÐ ‹þe«î•Åþ# ~î‚ †þöìëû†þ?l îÄ!_«cöì†þ îÄ!•þe«ô î¡y ~‡yöìl¥z ö¤ï!ôe xllÄÐ !•þ!l ~ !î£ìöìëû ˆèþ#îûèþyöìî ëyëûÐ •„þyîûy ~¥z !î£ìëûØþyîû =îû&c ’þzþ›¡!¸þ †þöìîûû!Séöì¡lÐ èþy!î•þ !Séöì¡l– ¤öì‹þÜT !Séöì¡lì– ¤æþ¡ ly ¥öì¡G ¥y¡ Œ3Š •,þ•þ#ëû þ›îÅ韟é é¤y™yîû” îûDy¡ëû î¦þ ¥öìëû ëyGëûyîû Séyöì’þül !lÐ èþyöì¡yéŸélyr˜!l†þéŸé¤%îû&!‹þ¤Á›§¬ !íöìëûØþyîû þ›îûG !•þ!l ~†þ†þèþyöìî ²Ìöì‹þÜTy ‹þy!¡öìëû öˆöì¡G ö¢£ì †þöìîûG †þ#èþyöìî ¤y™yîû” ?lˆöì”îû ôöìlyîûOl †þîûy þ›ëÅhsý @ýÌ&þ› !íöìëûØþyîû ?ˆöì•þ¥z !•þ!l !æþöìîû xyöì¤l ~î‚ ëyëû– Ö™%ôye öîï!m*†þéŸéxy˜¢Å!lÛþéŸé!¢!Çþ•þ ôyl%öì£ìîû xyô,•%þÄ ~öì†þîû þ›îû ~†þ ²Ìöìëy?ly †þîûöì•þ íyöì†þl !l?ߺ ô!hßìÜñ‹þ‹Åþyîû !íöìëûØþyöìîû xyîm* ly öíöì†þ ¤îöì×!”îû ˜¢ÅléŸéîû&!‹þöìîy™éŸélyr˜!l†þ öîy™ !löìëûÐ xyôîûy öþ›öì•þ ôyl%£ìöì†þ xylr˜ ö˜Gëûy ëyëû– •þyîû ¤¦þyl¥z !•þ!l íy!†þ韟Ÿéòxyöìîûy¥”ó– òö¥yôyþ›y!‡ó– òl#¡†þZþó– òxyîû ~†þ!Øþ †þöìîûöìSél xy?#îlÐ •þyîû ?lÄ !îö옢# lyØþöì†þîû †þyöìS !˜ló– ò†%þîûîy!ló– òxyd†þíyó– ò•,þ•þ#ëû xBþ x•þ~îó– îyîûîyîû ¥y•þ öþ›öì•þöìSélÐ òîûy?y !¡ëûîûóƒ òHy!’þüˆDyó ~î‚ •„þyîû þ›%îûöìly !†þS%é lyØþöì†þîû ö¤ï!ôe ‹þöìRyþ›y™Äyöìëûîû !íöìëûØþyîû ‹þ‹Åþyöì†þ !•þl!Øþ þ›öìîÅ þ›%l²ÌÅöìëy?lyÐ ~Séy’þüy •„þyîû öî•þyîû lyØþ†þ– ×&!•þlyØþ†þ– èþyˆ †þîûy ëyëû韟Ÿé Œ1Š ²Ìíô þ›îÅéŸé1945 ¤yöì¡ †,þ£klˆöìîû †þyîÄlyØþÄ– þ›%•%þ¡ lyØþ†þ– ˆ#!•þéŸéxyö졇Ė Gëûyl Gëûy¡– !ô¢ly!îû ß%ñöì¡ †Ïþy¤ æþy¥zöìèþ þ›’þüyîû ¤ôëû x!èþlëû öíöì†þ ëyey ²Ìè,þ!•þ ö•þy xyöìSé¥zÐ Öîû& †þöìîû 1946 ¤yöì¡ ¥yG’þüyëû !löì?öì˜îû lyØþöì†þîû ˜¡ ¤y!îņþèþyöìî î¡y ëyëû ö¤ï!ôe ‹þöìRyþ›y™Äyöìëûîû ˆ’þüy– þ›y!îûîy!îû†þ ’þzê¤y¥– 1957 ¤yöì¡ !¢!¢îû†%þôyîû !íöìëûØþyîû ‹þ‹Åþy îy.¡y G îy.y¡#îû !íöìëûØþyîû ‹þ‹Åþyëû èþy˜%!’þüîû ¤öìD x!èþlëû– !¢!¢îû†%þôyîûöì†þ =îû& îöì¡ ßº#†þyîû ~†þ!Øþ ™yîûy– öë ™yîûyöì†þ xyôîûy xîö쥡y †þöìîû!Sé– †þîûy ~î‚ •„þyîû x!èþlëû ö˜öì‡ x!èþlëûöì†þ¥z öþ›¢y !¥öì¤öìî =îû&c¥#l †þöìîû!Sé– ôy!?Åly¡y¥z?’þ †þöìîû!SéÐ ~¥z @ýÌ¥” †þîûyîû !¤m*yhsý ölGëûyÐ ~îûþ›îû 1963 ¤yöì¡ ÞØþyîû ™yîûyîû ˜¢Ål– xíÅl#!•þ– lyr˜!l†þ•þy– ô)¡Äöìîy™ ~î‚ !íöìëûØþyöìîû ò•þyþ›¤#ó lyØþöì†þ x!èþlëûÐ •„þyîû lyØþÄ‹þ‹Åþyîû ¤öìîÅyþ›!îû ~îû èþ!î£ìÄ•þöì†þ î%Vþöì•þ ö‹þÜTy †þ!îû!lÐ !†þS%é =îû&cþ›)”Å þ›Øþè)þ!ô !¥öì¤öìî ™îûy ¥ëû 1973 ¤y¡ öíöì†þ ôyl%öì£ìîû îÄ!•þe«ô# ö‹þÜTy Séy’þüy Œ!îöì¢£ì †þöìîû !îèþy¤ òx!èþöìl•,þ ¤‚‰óéŸé~îû ¥öìëû !î!èþ§¬ ™îûöìlîû lyØþ†þ îû‹þlyéŸé ‹þe«î•Åþ#– ö†þï!¢†þ ö¤l– !möì?l îöìr˜Äyþ›y™Äyëû– xl%îy˜éŸé!löì˜Å¢lyéŸéx!èþlëû ëy •„þyöì†þ ò¥öìëû ’þz‘þöì•þó öô‰ly˜ èRy‹yëÑ– ¤%ôl ô%öì‡yþ›y™Äyëû– ö˜î¢‚†þîû ¤y¥yëÄ †þöìîû!Sé¡Ð Œ2Š !m•þ#ëû þ›îÅéŸ é~¥z þ›îÅ Öîû& î¡y ¥y¡˜yîû ²Ìô%‡Š !•þ!l !îö좣ì ö†þyl ²Ì!•þÛþyl– lyØþĘ¡– ëyëû 1978 ¤yöì¡ ¤y’þüy ?yˆyöìly lyØþ†þ òlyô?#îló îûy?÷ìl!•þ†þ ˜¡ ŸŸ †þyöìîûyîû ™yîûyîy!¥†þ ¤y¥yëÄéŸé¤ôíÅl !˜öìëûÐ ~îûþ›îû韟Ÿéòîûy?†%þôyîûó– òöæþîûyó– òl#¡†þZþó– ò‰Øþ†þ þ›yl !lÐ •þyîû ?lÄ •„þyîû !î£ìy˜éŸé!îþ›§¬•þy !Sé¡– !†þév !î˜yëûó– ò˜þ›Åöì” ¢îûꢢ#ó– òë˜%î‚¢ó– ò‹þr˜lþ›%öìîûîû xî¤y˜ öë !Sé¡ ly– •þy •„þyîû !Séëûy¤# îSéîû îëûöì¤G ö‹þyîûó– ò²Ì•þ#Çþyó– ò!Øþ†þ!Øþ!†þó– òlÄyëûô)!•þó–­Å ò!îͺôD¡ xyô,•%þÄ •„þyîû ¤îöì‹þöìëû èþyöì¡yîy¤yîû öÇþe !íöìëûØþyîûöì†þ ‘þy†%þîûó– ò²Ìy”•þþ›¤Äyó ²Ìè,þ!•þÐ 1995 ¤y¡ þ›ëÅhsý ly Séy’þüy öíöì†þ¥z öîyVþy ëyëûÐ •„þyîû ô,•%þÄîû þ›îû •„þyîû ~¥z ¥y!•þîyˆyléŸé¢Äyôîy?yîû xMéþöì¡ ¤y™yîû” îûDy¡öìëû¥z îÄ!•þe«ô# ™yîûyöì†þ î¥l †þîûy– öîyVþyîû ö‹þÜTy– =îû&c ²Ì™yl•þ ~¥z ²Ìöìëy?ly=!¡ xl%!Ûþ•þ ¥öìëû!Sé¡Ð ¤y™yîû” !˜öìëû èþyîy– ˆöìî£ì”y †þîûy ²Ìè,þ!•þîû ôöì™Ä !˜öìëû¥z •„þyöì†þ îûDy¡öìëûîû xîÇþëû G î¦þ ¥öìëû ëyGëûyîû þ›îûG !•þ!l xyôyöì˜îû ôöì™Ä– îy.y¡#îû ¤‚ß,ñ!•þîû ôöì™Ä !‹þîûß¿îû”#ëû ²Ìyëû !î¢ ¢•þöì†þîû ö¢£ì þ›ëÅhsý ¤y™yîû” îûDy¡ëûöì†þ¥z •„þyîû †þöìîû îûy‡öìîÐ xyôîûy !†þ ²ÌéÝ•þÚ !íöìëûØþyîû ‹þ‹Åþyîû x!™Ûþyl îöì¡ öôöìl ~öì¤!Séöì¡lÐ xyîû !lôÅ¡ îöìr˜Äyþ›y™Äyëû ~‡yöìl¥z @ýÌ&þ› !íöìëûØþyîûéŸéˆ”lyØþÄ ‹þ‹Åþy†þyîû# ôyl%£ìîûy •„þyöì†þ ¥z!•þ¥yöì¤îû !¢Çþ†þ G ˆöìî£ì†þ @ýÌ¥” †þîûöì•þ– î%Vþöì•þ– ™yîû” †þîûöì•þ– xl%èþî †þîûöì•þ !m™y

16 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 In Memoriam

গভীর নির㖜 ন পথে সুধীর চক্রব쇍釀

!•þ!l ²Ìíô ?#îöìl !löì?öì†þ î¡öì•þl ò†,þ£kéŸé xyÙ‹þëÅ è%þîlÐ xlÄ !˜öì†þ !möì?w¡y¡– îû?l#†þyhsý– lyˆ!îû†þóÐ þ›öìîû †þ¡†þy•þyëû •„þyîû ~†þ!Øþ îy¤ßiyl x•%þ¡²Ì¤y˜ G !˜¡#þ›†%þôyîû îûyöìëûîû x?yly ˆyöìlîû ¥îyîû þ›îû !löì?öì†þ î¡öì•þl ò†,þ£k†þ!¡óÐ !•þ!l ?ˆêöì†þ ‡%öì¡ !˜öìëûöìSél xyôyöì˜îû ¤yôöìlÐ !†þév ¤yîûߺ•þ¤y™†þ ¤%™#îû ‹þe«î•Åþ#Ð !•þ!l !Séöì¡l lyly Ö™% ~Ø%þ†%þöì•þ¥z •„þyöì†þ ™îûy !‘þ†þ ¥öìî lyÐ ~†þîyîû þ›!îû‹þöìëû xyôyöì˜îû xyþ›l?lÐ ¢· G ¤D#•þ •„þyîû îà!î™ !î£ìöìëûîû î¥z=!¡öì†þ @ýÌsiþ›!O †þîûyîû ¤y™lyëû ô@À xy?#îlÐ ˜#‰Å †þyîûöì” !î£ìëûyl%ëyëû# èþyˆ xyØþ ˜¢öì†þîû öî!¢ ¤ôëû †þöìîû ö˜‡öì•þ ö‹þöìëû!Sé¡yôÐ ™öìîû !¢Çþy– ¤y!¥•þÄ– ¤‚ß,ñ!•þ !î£ìëû=!¡ ˜„y!’þüöìëû!Sé¡ ?ˆöì•þîû ¤öìD ‰!lÛþ î¦þöìl ö¡y†þ™ôÅ G ö¡y†þŸ¤‚ß,ñ!•þ– xyîm* !•þ!lÐ ~¥z †þyîûö씥z ¤D#•þ– ¤y!¥•þÄ– !¢Çþy– !î!‹þe !•þ!l öëôl îà?öìlîû ×m*y !î£ìëû– !†þöì¢yîû þ›y‘þÄ– !¢Ò†þ¡y èþyöì¡yîy¤y öþ›öìëûöìSél ö•þô!l G xy‡ÄylÐ ~Séy’þüyG îûöìëûöìSé •„þyîû îÄ!_«c G !löìèÅ?y¡ ¤Á›y!˜•þ ¤Bþ¡l G ¤Á›y!˜•þ xyUþyîû xy†þ£ìÅöì” xöìlöì†þ¥z !lî¦þÐ ²Ìyëû 67!Øþîû ô•þ î¥z •„þyöì†þ öèþöìî ~öì¤öìSél !l†þØþ ’þz!l !¡öì‡öìSélÐ ~îû îy¥zöìîû xyd#ëûîû*öìþ›Ð ~†þ!˜öì†þ öëôl ˜y!ëûc¢#¡ !¢Çþ†þ– îûöìëûöìSé •„þyîû ¤Á›y!˜•þ †þ!î•þyîû ¤Bþ¡l– xy™%!l†þ xy‹þyëÅ– î¦%þ– xlÄ!˜öì†þ x¤‚‡Ä lyô# xlyô#– ö‹þly ˆyl– îy‚¡y ö˜¥•þöì_´îû ˆyl G ¥z¥îy˜# ö¡y†þyëû•þ xöì‹þly ôyl%öì£ìîû †þyöìSéîû ôyl%£ìÐ •„þyîû †þôÅ™yîûy– †þôÅ ¢,A ôylîô%‡# ˆyöìlîû ¤Bþ¡l @ýÌsiÐ îûöìëûöìSé îûî#wlyí– <¡y– †þôÅ ÷lþ›%öì”Ä xyôîûy !î!ß¿•þ– xyôîûy ô%@»*Ð î”Åôëû !˜¡#þ›†%þôyîû îûyëû– îy‚¡yîû îy’þz¡éŸéæþ!†þîû– öëïl•þy G îÄ!_«öìcîû ÷î!¢ÜTÄ !löìëû¥z •„þyîû þ›í ‹þ¡yÐ ~†þ!˜öì†þ ¤‚ß,ñ!•þ !î£ìëû†þ !lîöì¦þîû ¤Á›y!˜•þ @ýÌsiÐ öëôl •„þyîû †þ¡ô þ›y‘þ†þ ¥*˜ëû ?ëû †þöìîûöìSé– xlÄ!˜öì†þ ~¥z öë xy‡Äyl lyöìô öë !î£ìëû!Øþîû ’þzöìÍÔ‡ •„þyîû †þíy– ˆyl– xyöì¡y‹þly– ö×y•þyéŸéþ›y‘þöì†þîû †þîûy ¥öìëûöìSé– ~¥z !î£ìëû!Øþîû lyô†þîû” ¤%™#îûîyî%¥z ôl èþ!îûöìëûöìSéÐ •„þyîû †þ¡öìôîû ôöì•þy¥z ¤¥? ߺFSé †þöìîû !ˆöìëû!Séöì¡lÐ ~¥z ™îûöìlîû ö¡‡yöì†þ î¡y ëyöìî ¤%ß›ÜT ߺ•þ/ß³)þ•Åþ •„þyîû î_«öìîÄîû ëyî•þ#ëû èþyîlyîû ly ˆÒ îy ’þzþ›lÄy¤Ð îûôÄîû‹þly îy !îûöìþ›yØÅþy?G ²Ì†þy¢Ð îà !î£ìëû !löìëû¥z öëôl èþyîöì•þ þ›yöìîûl lëûÐ !†þév îûöìëûöìSé ôyl%öì£ìîû ˆÒÐ ~¥z xy‡Äyl™ôÅ# ö•þô!l ö¤¥z èþyîlyîû ¢!îû†þ †þöìîû !löì•þ þ›yöìîûl ö¡‡y=!¡ îy‚¡y ¤y!¥öì•þÄ ~†þ l•%þl ™yîûyîû ?§Ã þ›y‘þ†þ ~î‚ ö×y•þyöì†þÐ ôyl%öì£ìîû ?#îl G ™ôÅ !löìëû !˜öìëûöìSéÐ x™Äyþ›†þ íy†þy†þy¡#l öë !îû:y‹þy¡†þ!Øþ †þy? †þöìîûöìSélÐ •„þyöì†þ î¡y ¥ëû îy’þz¡ æþ!†þöìîûîû •„þyöì†þ !l•þÄ!˜l îy!’þü öíöì†þ †þöì¡? !löìëû öëöì•þl ™ôÅ G ?#îl ‹þ‹Åþyîû !îö좣ìKþÐ !lÁ¬îöìˆÅîû xöì‹þly îy öë ô!¥¡y!Øþ îy?yöìîûîû ~†þ ²Ìyöìhsý îöì¤ ¢y†þ ’þzþ›y‡Äyöìlîû þ›y¢yþ›y!¢ •%þöì¡ ~öìlöìSél îûî#w¤D#öì•þîû !î!e« †þöìîûl– •„þyöì˜îû ëyþ›l ‹þ‹Åþy– •„þyöì˜îû öî„öì‹þ

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 17 In Memoriam

íy†þyîû xy!•Åþ ~†þ xq$•þ !l!¡Å®– ÷lîÅÄ!_«†þ•þyëû ¥yG’þüyîû !¢îþ›%öìîûÐ îûôy²Ì¤y˜ ‹þe«î•Åþ# G î#”yþ›y!l !¡öì‡ !ˆöìëûöìSélÐ ¤y™yîû” ö¡yöì†þîû ôöì™Ä !ˆöìëû– ö˜î#îû þ›%e ¤%™#îû ‹þe«î•Åþ#îû xy!˜îyéÝ l˜#ëûyîû !˜ˆälˆîû •þyöì˜îû ¤öìD !ôöì¢ öë ¥z!•þ¥y¤öì†þ ö‡„y?y– •þy ~†þ ¥öì¡G 1942 ¤y¡ öíöì†þ •„þyîûy †,þ£klˆöìîûîû îy!¤r˜yÐ l•%þl ™yîûy ¥öìëû ~öì¤öìSé îy.y!¡ þ›y‘þöì†þîû ¤yôöìlÐ †,þ£klˆîû ¤îû†þy!îû †þöì¡? öíöì†þ ߬y•þ†þ ¥îyîû þ›îû þ›)öìîÅ ’þzöìÍÔ!‡•þ !î!èþ§¬ !î£ìöìëû !¡öì‡öìSél ò¤yöì¥î™l# ߬y•þöì†þy_îû þ›y‘þ öll †þ¡†þy•þy !îÙ»!î˜Äy¡ëû öíöì†þÐ ¤Á±˜yëû / •þyöì˜îû ˆyló– òî¡y¥y!’þü ¤Á±˜yëû xyîû ˜%!Øþöì•þ¥z !î£ìëû !Sé¡ îy‚¡y èþy£ìy G ¤y!¥•þÄÐ þ›öìîû •þyöì˜îû ˆyló– òîÊy•þÄ ö¡y†þyëû•þ ¡y¡lóÐ îûî#w¤D#•þ îy‚¡y èþy£ìy G ¤y!¥•þÄ !î£ìöìëû¥z ò’þQöìîûØþó †þöìîûl !î£ìöìëû !¡öì‡öìSél ò!l?Ål ~†þöì†þîû ˆyló– òˆyöìlîû ëy˜îþ›%îû !îÙ»!î˜Äy¡ëû öíöì†þÐ †þôŤ)öìe ²Ìíöìô ¡#¡yîû ö¤¥z !†þlyöìîûóîû ô•þ =îû&cþ›)”Å @ýÌsiÐ xyôyöì˜îû x™Äyþ›†þ îû*öìþ› †þyöì? öëyˆ ö˜l î!’þü¢y !îöìî†þylr˜ !¢Çþy îÄîßiyîû þ›y¢yþ›y!¢ öë !Øþ’þz¢y!l îÄî¤yîû xD †þöì¡öì? 1958 ¤yöì¡Ð ˜%óîSéîû þ›îû þ›!Ù‹þôîD ¥öìëû ’þzöì‘þöìSé– ö¤¥z !¢Çþy?ˆöì•þîû x!¡ˆ!¡öì•þ “%þöì†þ ¤îû†þy!îû †þöì¡öì?îû x™Äyþ›†þÐ ²Ìíöìô †,þ£klˆîû !•þ!l x!èþKþ•þyîû †þíy !¡öì‡öìSél òö¡‡yþ›’þüy †þöìîû †þöì¡? G þ›öìîû ‹þr˜llˆîû †þöì¡?Ð ˜%!Øþ †þöì¡öì?¥z öëó @ýÌöìsiÐ òôylî²Ì†þ£ìÅ ‹þ‹Åþy ö†þwó ²Ì†þy!¢•þ ˜%¥z îDèþy£ìy G ¤y!¥•þÄ !îèþyöìˆîû ²Ì™yl ¥öìëû!Séöì¡lÐ ‡öì[þ òîûî#wlyí / îy†þþ›!•þ !îÙ»ôlyó î¥z!Øþ !Sé¡ •„yîû 1995éŸé96 ¤yöì¡ !•þ!l x!•þ!í x™Äyþ›†þ !¥öì¤öìî ¤Á›y!˜•þ =îû&cþ›)”Å @ýÌsiÐ ~•þ=!¡ ¢y‡yëû •„þyîû !Sé¡ öëyˆ ö˜l ëy˜îþ›%îû !îÙ»!î˜Äy¡öìëû •%þ¡lyô)¡†þ xˆy™ ˆ•þyëûy•þÐ ~¤î ¤öìcG î¡y ëyëû •„þyîû ˜%!Øþ ¤y!¥•þÄ !îèþyöìˆÐ þ›!Ù‹þôîD ¤îû†þyöìîûîûö¡y†þ¤‚ß,ñ!•þ x•þÄhsý !²Ìëû !î£ìëû韟Ÿéˆyl G @ýÌyôÐ ˆ•þ ²Ìyëû 40 îSéîû G xy!˜îy¤# ¤‚ß,ñ!•þ ö†þöìwîû x™#öìl ²Ì†þÒ ™öìîû îy‚¡yîû xˆ”l @ýÌyô ‰%öìîû !•þ!l ‡%î †þySé öíöì†þ þ›!îû‹þy¡öì†þîû þ›öì˜ !Séöì¡l 1997éŸé98 ¤yöì¡Ð ö¢£ì ö˜öì‡öìSélÐ îy’þz¡ G æþ!†þîûöì˜îû †þyîûöì” !•þ!l x¤‚‡Ä !˜öì†þ †þ¡†þy•þyîû ò¥zª!Øþ!Øþ’þzØþ xæþ ö’þèþy¡èþöìôrØþ @ýÌyô ‰%öìîûöìSél ~î‚ ö¤¥z @ýÌyô=!¡öì•þ !•þ!l îy’þz¡ ÞØþy!’þöì?ó ¤Á¿y!l•þ x™Äyþ›†þ ¥öìëû öëyˆ ö˜lÐ æþ!†þîûöì˜îû ôöì™Ä !löì?öì†þ xyîm* ly öîûöì‡ ö¤¥z x™Äyþ›lyîû þ›y¢yþ›y!¢ !•þl!Øþ !¢Çþy ²Ì!•þÛþyöìlîû @ýÌyôéŸé?#îöìlîû ëyþ›l ‹þ‹Åþy– @ýÌyôîy¤#öì˜îû ¤%‡éŸé˜%/öì‡îû x™#öìl ˆöìî£ì”y †þöìîû!Séöì¡l ¤%™#îûîyî%Ð ò¥z’þz!lèþy!¤Å!Øþ †þíy xyôyöì˜îû ¤yôöìl !löìëû ~öì¤öìSélÐ Ö™% @ýÌyô¥z @ýÌyrØþ¤ä †þ!ô¢ló ²Ì˜_ ˆöìî£ì”y î,!_îû !î£ìëû !Sé¡ îy î!¡ †þ# †þöìîûÚ •þyöì˜îû þ›y¢yþ›y!¢ xy™%!l†þ òl˜#ëûyîû ö¡y†þ¤D#•þóÐ ò¥z!uþëûyl †þy’þz!ª¡ æþîû ¢¥îûîy¤#öì˜îû ?#îl ‹þ‹Åþyëû ˜,!ÜT öæþöì¡!Séöì¡l !•þ!lÐ ö¤y¢Äy¡ ¤yöìëûª !îû¤y‹Åþó ²Ì˜_ ˆöìî£ì”y î,!_îû ö¡‡†þ– ¤ôyöì¡y‹þ†þ– ²Ìyî!¦þ†þ– ¤Á›y˜öì†þîû !î£ìëû !Sé¡ òîy‚¡yîû !lÁ¬îöìˆÅîû ’þzþ›y¤†þ ¤Á±˜yöìëûîû þ›y¢yþ›y!¢ îy@Â# þ›!îû‹þöìëûG !•þ!l ¤îÅ?l ×öìm*ëûÐ ¤î ?#îl G ‹þ‹Åþyó !î£ìöìëû öÇþe¤ô#ÇþyÐ ~î‚ òö¤rØþyîû †þyöì?¥z •„þyîû !l?ߺ ÷î!¢ÜTÄ ™îûy þ›öì’þüÐ ö¤ ë%öìˆîû æþîû ÞØþy!’þ? ¥zl ö¤y¢Äy¡ ¤yöìëûöìª¤ó– †þ¡†þy•þyîû !l‡y˜ îy.y!¡öì˜îû ôöì•þ ¤îŘy !lþ›yØþ ™%!•þ þ›yOy!î xy!íņþ ¤¥yëû•þyëû ò†,þ£klˆöìîûîû ô,ê!¢Ò G ô,ê!¢Ò# þ›!îû!¥•þ ~ôl ¤%˜¢Ål– ¤Il– îû!¤†þ îy.y!¡ ~¥z ¤Á±˜yëûóéŸé~îû Gþ›îû öÇþe¤ô#ÇþyÐ ¤ôëû ‡%î †þô ö˜‡y öë•þÐ •„þyîû ô•þ ¤?#î ö†þï•%þ†þ x¤‚‡Ä þ›%îûßñyöìîûîû ôöì™Ä xlÄ•þô þ›!Ù‹þôîD G ²Ìy”ôëû îÄ!_«c ¤!•þÄ¥z ˜%¡ÅèþÐ †,þ£klˆîû#ëû îûy?Ä xy†þyöì˜!ô– ¤D#•þ– l,•þÄlyØþÄ G ˜é,¢Ä†þ¡y– îû!¤†þ•þyîû SéØþy !‘þ†þöìîû þ›’þü•þ •„þyîû î_,«•þy îy xyUþyëûÐ ö¡y†þ¤‚ß,ñ!•þ ‹þ‹Åþyëû !î!¢ÜT•þyîû ?öìlÄ òxy‹þyëÅ ö¢£ì †þîûyîû xyöìˆ ¤%™#îû ‹þe«î•Åþ# !î£ìöìëû †þöìëû†þ!Øþ ˜#öìl¢‹þw ö¤l þ›%îûßñyîûó Œ1996ŠÐ îSéöìîûîû ö×Ûþ xî¢Äþ›y‘þÄ •þíÄ xyþ›lyöì˜îû ?y!löìëû îûy!‡Ð îy‚¡y @ýÌsi !¥öì¤öìî òþ›Méþ@ýÌyöìôîû †þ’þü‹þyóéŸéîû ?öìlÄ !˜!ÍÔ !•þ!l ?öì§Ã!Séöì¡l 1934éŸé~îû 19 ö¤öì²WzÁºîû !îÙ»!î˜Äy¡ëû ²Ì˜_ òlîû!¤‚¥ ˜y¤ ›%îûßñyîûó Œ1997ŠÐ

18 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 In Memoriam

îSéöìîûîû ö×Ûþ ˆöìî£ì”yîû ?öìlÄ ò¤öìîûy!?l# î¤% my˜¢ ¤Bþ¡l ²Ì†þy¢ †þöìîû– ~†þ ë%ˆ x!•þe«ô †þöìîû ߺ”Åþ›˜†þó– †þ¡†þy•þy !îÙ»!î˜Äy¡ëû ²Ì˜_ Œ2001ŠÐ ™Ê&îþ›˜ ¤!îlöìëû xyîû ¤¤¾öìô •þyîû ˜®îû î¦þ †þîû¡Ðó òîy’þz¡éŸéæþ!†þîû †þíyó @ýÌöìsiîû ?öìlÄ òxylr˜ þ›%îûßñyîûó þ›!e†þy!Øþ !l?=öì” x¡öìÇþÄ ˆöì’þü •%þöì¡!Sé¡ Œ2002Š G ~!¢ëûy!Øþ†þ ö¤y¤y¥z!Øþ– †þ¡†þy•þy ~†þ xy@ýÌ¥# þ›y‘þ†þ¤ôy?– ö¡‡†þ þ›!îûô[þ¡ G þ²Ì˜_ ò!îôyl!î¥yîû# ô?%ô˜yîû þ›%îûßñyîûó Œ2003Š– xl%îûyˆ#î,_Ð þ›!e†þy!Øþîû xèþyîöìîy™ öíöì†þ 2004éŸé~ öþ›öìëûöìSél òîy’þz¡ æþ!†þîû †þíyóîû ?öìlÄ 2009éŸé~ l˜#ëûyîû ¢y!hsýþ›%öìîûîû ˆ#•þy þ›Äyöì¡öì¤ ò¤y!¥•þÄ x†þyöì˜!ôó ¤Á¿ylÐ †þ¡†þy•þy !îÙ»!î˜Äy¡ëû xl%!Ûþ•þ ¥öìëû!Sé¡ ò™Ê&îþ›˜ ’þzê¤îóÐ ~†þ!Øþ þ›!e†þy †þ•,Åþ†þ ò~!ôöìlrØþ !Øþ‹þyîûó Œ2007Š– ~!¢ëûy!Øþ†þ þ›y‘þ†þöì†þ †þ•þØþy ’þzöìm¡ †þîûöì•þ þ›yöìîû– †þ•þØþy ~†þyd ö¤y¤y¥z!Øþ– †þ¡†þy•þy þ²Ì˜_ òxy‹þyëÅ ¤%†%þôyîû ö¤l ¥öì•þ þ›yöìîû •þyîû ¤öìD •þyîû ²Ìôy” ~¥z ’þzê¤îРߺ”Åþ›˜†þó Œ2013Š ~î‚ 2018éŸéö•þ ¤yîûy?#îöìlîû þ›îûþ›îû !•þl îSéîû ¥öìëû!Sé¡ ~¥z ’þzê¤îÐ Ö™% þ›!e†þy ¤y!¥•þĆþöìôÅîû ߺ#†,!•þߺîû*þ› þ›!Ù‹þôîD ¤îû†þyîû •„þyöì†þ lëû– ~¥z !ô¡löìô¡yîû xlÄ•þô ’þzê¤ !Sé¡ ¤Á›y˜†þ !˜öìëûöìSé ò!î˜Äy¤yˆîû þ›%îûßñyîûóÐ ¤%™#îû ‹þe«î•Åþ#îû îÄ!_«!²Ìëû•þyÐ xyôyöì˜îû ‹þ¡yîû 1996 ¤y¡ öíöì†þ Öîû& †þöìîû!Séöì¡l ~†þ!Øþ þ›öìí– xyôyöì˜îû ëyþ›l ‹þ‹Åþyëû !˜¢yîû# ¥öìëû ’þzöì‘þ!Séöì¡l xllĤy™yîû” îy!£ìņþ þ›!e†þy ò™Ê&îþ›˜ó ¤Á›y˜lyÐ !•þ!lÐ ˆ•þ 15 !’þöì¤Áºîû 2020– 86 îSéîû îëûöì¤ þ›!Ù‹þôîöìDîû =îû&cþ›)”Å !î£ìëû !löìëû ö¤¥z þ›!e†þyîû !•þ!l ²Ìëûy•þ ¥lÐ ²Ì!•þ!Øþ ¤‚‡Äy¥z !Sé¡ !îöì¢£ì ¤‚‡ÄyÐ 13 îSéöìîû 12!Øþ ö˜îy!¢¤ ô%öì‡yþ›y™Äyëû ¤‚‡Äy ²Ì†þy¢ †þöìîû ¤Á›y˜†þ ö‰y£ì”y †þöìîûl– ò~¥z ꧍솾বꇍ鶿ক ও সাংবাদিক

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 19 In Memoriam

¥ëûÐ •þy¥z •þæþy•þØþy xyîûG öî!¢ †þöìîû öØþîû þ›y¥zÐ öSéyØþöìî¡y öíöì†þ ö˜‡y ö¤¥z îy‚¡yîû ô%‡ ‡„%öì? öþ›öìëû!Sé îöì¡¥z öîy™¥ëû î¥zØþy xyôyîû xyîûG èþy¡ ö¡öìˆöìSéÐ ö†þï•%þ†þ xyöìSé– ˆy½þ#ëÅ xyöìSé– xyöìSé xyôyöì˜îû !¢ÇþyîÄîßiy !löìëû xyöì¡y‹þlyGÐ ¤î¥z ôyl%öì£ìîû ˆÒ î¡yîû Séöì¡Ð îûöìëûöìSé ôyl%öì£ìîû öî„öì‹þ íy†þyîû xy!•ÅþÐ xöìl†þ ‹þ!îûe é韟Ÿéé î¡öì•þ öˆöì¡ ‹þ!îûöìeîû !‹þe¢y¡yÐ †þ!îûôþ›%îû ¤#ôyöìhsýîû †þyöìSé íyöì†þ îû*þ›yÐ •þyîû ߺyô# ß¿yˆ¡yîûÐ ~‡l xyîûîöì˜öì¢ ‹þöì¡ öˆöìSéÐ ö¤¥z îû*þ›yîû þ›!îûîyöìîûîû Gþ›îû ¤yôy!?†þ ²Ì!•þ!e«ëûyîû ‹þôê†þyîû Sé!î îûöìëûöìSéÐ ¤‚¤yöìîû xèþyî ‰%öì‹þ öˆöìSé– !†þév îûöìëûöìSé ~†þy!†þcÐ îûöìëûöìSé !Vþ– ‹þy†þîû– ‹þyöì¡îû ö‹þyîûy‹þy¡y!löì˜îû †þíy– •þyöì˜îû ˆÒÐ ™ôÅ !löìëû ~¥z ¥¥z‹þ¥zöìëûîû ôöì™Ä ¤%™#öìîûîû î¥zöì•þ þ›’þü¡yô ¤yÁ±˜y!ëû†þ ¤Á±#!•þîû ~†þØþy ˜yîû&” †þy!¥l#Ð ô%¤!¡ô x™%Ä!£ì•þ ~†þ ˆ„yöìëû ôye ~†þ‰îû !¥r˜% !Sé¡Ð ö¤¥z þ›!îûîyöìîûîû †þ•Åþy!Øþ ôyîûy öëöì•þ ô%¤¡ôyl @ýÌyôîy¤#îûy ¥!îû™ç!l !˜öìëû ˜y¥ †þöìîû ¤˜îû ôæþߺ¡ ~öì¤öìSélÐ ‹„þy˜y •%þöì¡ ×ym*†þôÅ †þöìîûöìSélÐ ~Øþy¥z !†þév xyôyöì˜îû ߺyèþy!î†þ Sé!îÐ ôyl%öì£ìîû ²Ì!•þ öîöìSé öîöìSé lëû– î¥z xy!ô ëy þ›y¥z •þy¥z þ›!’þüÐ ~¥z èþyöì¡yîy¤y îyîûîyîû ‡„%öì? öþ›öìëû!Sé î¥zØþyëûÐ ‡%î ¤Á±!•þ ~†þØþy î¥z xyôyöì†þ èþ#£ì” ly’þüy !˜öìëû ôyl%öì£ìîû ²Ì!•þ xyßiy– !îÙ»y¤– ˆèþ#îû ô)¡Äöìîy™ öˆ¡Ð ¤%™#îû ‹þe«î•þ­Å#îû ò¤˜îû ôæþߺ¡óÐ ¤%™#îûöì†þ îûöìëûöìSéÐ ö†þï•%þ†þ– öÙÕ£ì– îÄD îûöìëûöìSé韟Ÿé !†þév îÄ!_«ˆ•þèþyöìî !‹þ!lÐ xyôyîû ¤¥þ›y‘þ# !Sé¡Ð ß%ñöì¡– !lÛ%þîû•þy öl¥zÐ ö†þyíyG ö†þylG ?#îl !îöìîûy!™•þy !îÙ»!î˜Äy¡öìëû ~†þ¤öìD þ›öì’þü!SéÐ ~‡l †,þ£klˆîû öl¥zÐ †þyöì?îû ‡y!•þöìîû xyôyöì†þ lylyîû†þô î¥z †þöì¡öì? îy‚¡y !îèþyöìˆîû ²Ì™ylÐ ~•þ!˜l Gîû þ›’þüöì•þ ¥ëûÐ •þyîû î¥zöìëûG ëy èþy¡ ¡yˆöìSé þ›’þü!SéÐ ˆöìî£ì”yô)¡†þ ö¡‡y¥z þ›öì’þü!SéÐ òˆèþ#îû !l?Ål þ›öìíó xy!ô lyØþ†þ èþyöì¡yîy!¤Ð •þy¥z ò¤˜îû ôæþߺ¡óéŸé~îû î¥zØþy îy‚¡yîû ö¡ï!†þ†þ ™ôŤÁ±˜yëû !löìëû ö¡‡yÐ ö¥’þôyÞØþyîû ¤¥öì˜î þ›y¡– x™Å!¢!Çþ•þ ¥!îû‹þîû”– ò¤˜îû ôæþߺ¡ó ~öì†þîyöìîû xlÄîû†þôÐ ˆÒéŸé’þzþ›lÄy¤ îy’þz¡ ÷†þ¡y¢ †þëûy¡– =”#îyî%îûy xyôyöì†þ ly’þüy lëûÐ îûôÄîû‹þly îy !îûöìþ›yØÅþy?G lëûÐ ~†þíy ¤%™#îû !˜öìëû öˆ¡Ð öˆy’þüyöì•þ¥z ô%‡îöì¦þ îöì¡ !löìëûöìSéÐ !†þv xyöìSé ôyl%öì£ìîû ˆÒÐ ¢¥îû– !îöì¢£ì †þöìîû †þ¡†þy•þyîû ¤öìD @ýÌyô ôæþߺöì¡îû ôöìlyˆ‘þl xyîû ¤y‚ß,ñ!•þ†þ xyöì¡y‹þ†þ / ö¤ï!ôe ‹þöìRyþ›y™Äyëû ²!lî¦þ! òî¥zþ›’þüyó !¢öìîûylyöìô ²Ì†þy!¢•þ ¥ìëû³ þ›!îûô[þöì¡îû¥z !îîûyØþ •þæþy•þÐ xy!ô !löì? ôæþߺöì¡ xy?†þy¡– 18 xyˆÞØþ– 1992 !Sé¡yôÐ !löì?îû †þyöì? ~‡lG ôæþߺöì¡ ‰%îûöì•þ

20 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 In Memoriam

In Memory of Alokeranjan Dasgupta

As my extremely close and elder cousin, fruitful and inspiring. Of course, my beloved he showered love-blessings-affection on me Boudi (Alokeranjan’s wife) also joined and without interruption. As my intimate friend both of them filled my glass with beer every and colleague, he discussed the complexities half an hour. These evenings are unforget- of Brechtian dramaturgy with me animatedly. table, I shall cherish them as long as I live. As my revered mentor, he changed the course Adorno, Benjamin, Bishnu Dey, Sudhindra- of my life and direction. In nath Dutta, Tagore and fact, I wouldn’t be what Marcuse trooped in during I am today without his these sessions, enlivening generous assistance and the atmosphere. guidance. A lokeranjan’s On a cold December sharp and subtle cogita- morning in 1978, he pro- tions on Brecht, modern posed to me that I should Bengali and German poet- do some serious academic ry went, evidently, beyond work at South Asian Insti- these sessions. My cousin tute in Heidelberg. I re- translated a few signal sponded enthusiastically poems of Jibanananda Das to his proposal and soon and showed them to Hans- our academic and creative Georg Gadamer. This great ‘jugalbandi’ began. My philosopher and aesthete subject for research was of the twentieth century ‘Bishnu Dey’s creativity responded fervently to and postulates in the light these lyrics and both of of neo-Marxian aesthetics’ them discussed the com- and after almost six years plex terrain of modern Artist: Arun Kumar Chakraborty of academic toil I earned sensitivity and creativity a PhD from Heidelberg University. It needs with these poems spread out on the table. to be explicitly stated that I could break Red Wine poured in abundance enthused the shackles of journalism and enter the the speakers even more. It was all decided academic world on the basis of my PhD. In that during my next stay in Heidelberg, we short, he was my mentor for these six years two (Alokeranjan and Subhoranjan) would and prepared the ground for my future Pro- visit Gadamer together and engage him in fessorship at the Institute of Development further discussions. Unfortunately, this plan Studies Kolkata. did not materialize, I missed the chance of a I spent at least two evenings every week at lifetime. my Barda’s house in Hirschberg (breathclose Like me, my elder cousin was moved and to Heidelberg) and our evening sessions were influenced by Bertolt Brecht’s poems, plays

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 21 In Memoriam and aesthetics, Theodor Wiesengrund Ador- At Jadavpur University, where he taught no’s theorisation of lyric poetry and Walter Comparative Literature and Bengali literature Benjamin’s splendid discourse on creativity, and at Heidelberg where he taught Indian Lit- especially on the poetry of Baudelaire. We erature and philosophy, students used to sit thought of a relevant project at this moment on the floor and stand outside the classroom of our relationship. to attend to his lectures. If I am asked to list The proposal was that I should write a his memorable books and writings, I shall cer- monograph on Neo-Marxian Aesthetics in tainly choose two books of verse, Jaubon Baul Bangla, and he will write the Foreword. Unfor- and Chou Kabukir Mukosh, two texts of critical tunately, this project also did not materialize. and enlightened prose Goethe and Tagore and If I ever write a monograph on this subject, I Jibanananda, and two translations Goethe’s shall dedicate the book to him, though this West Easterly Divan and Preme Parabase (In would certainly be a small compensation. Love and in Exile) which brings together the I still recall that particular evening when poems of Heinrich Heine. His favourite poet we discussed Adorno’s seminal statement was Rainer Maria Rilke, whose poems he also that after Auschwitz no lively and promis- rendered into Bengali. ing poetry could be written. I committed Life for me would not be the same without yet another costly mistake, namely, I should Alokeranjan. I would long for his conversa- have recorded these dialogues which were tions which were peppered with highly so jubiliant and exciting. personalised idioms, his inspired analysis of Alokeranjan was not only a remarkable poetry, his enviable scholarship and above poet. But, along with this distinction, he was all, his own poetry which shaped the course a great scholar and prolific translator. In point of Bengali poetry that was written after him. of fact, he acted as the cultural and creative While discussing the nature and quality bridge between the Orient and the Occident. of his poetry, one should note that his lyrics His first book of poems,Jaubon Baul created belong basically to two sections. While the a sensation and his translation of Goethe’s first section begins withJaubon Baul and ends mini-epic West Easterly Divan is regarded as with Raktakta Jharokha, the second section a masterpiece. This unforgettable lyrical text recaptures his long phase in Germany, Hei- has been superbly choreographed by the delberg in particular. Again, the first section well-known danseuse Surangama Dasgupta unabashedly celebrates the lyric persona, the and her students. second section is explicitly social, argumen- Lovers of literature and creativity are im- tative and even dialectical. I personally think mensely grateful to him for bringing home that his sustained engagement with Brecht’s the brilliant translation of Friedrich Holder- poetry led to this notable change. But what lin, Heinrich Heine, Bertolt Brecht and Peter holds together the different phases in his Weiss. At the same time, he disseminated the consummate creative personality unified creativity of Sant Kabir, Rabindranath, Lalon and sensitive. If you ask me to which book and Jibanananda Das in Europe. His untiring of poems I would return again and again, I effort to act as a bridge between East and will mention Jaubon Baul where the poetic West was recognized and applauded when persona is resplendent and dazzling. he was awarded the prestigious Goethe Prize. He won many other awards. To mention a few – Ananda Purashkar, Sahitya Academy award, Subhoranjan Dasgupta Kabir Samman. Former Professor Institute of Development Studies Kolkata

22 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 In Memoriam

Alokeranjan: came to Germany as a Humboldt fellow. In the following decades, he taught Bengali Reminiscence from a language and literature at the Department of Indology II, the current Department of Mod- German Scholar ern South Asian Languages and Literatures, of the South Asia Institute in Heidelberg. His engagement with German literature had actually predated his shift to Germany: in On Tuesday, November 17, 2020, Dr. Alo- 1973 his comparative study on Goethe and keranjan Dasgupta peacefully passed away Tagore had appeared from Delhi, a German in his house in Leutershausen, Hirschberg, translation of which was published in 2008 close to the city of Heidelberg, southern as Goethe und Tagore: eine vergleichende Germany, in the presence of his partner Studie by Draupadi Verlag, Heidelberg. Elisabeth Günther. Born on October 6, 1933, When he came to the South Asia Institute in Kolkata, the poet and literary scholar (SAI), he met a circle of literary-minded Ger- reached the great age of 87 years. His de- man aficionados of South Asian modernism, mise is a painful rupture for his family, col- particularly Lothar Lutze and Günter D. Sont- leagues, friends, admirers, and the Bengali heimer. Their emphasis lying, in conscious literary world at large. In Germany, too, it contrast to other Indological departments in has saddened many among his extended the country, on contemporary literature, an circle of friends, ex-students, and members illustrious circle of litterateurs from India, of the South Asia Institute, Heidelberg. Until including Agyeya, Nirmal Varma, Dilip Chitre late October he was as active as ever, busy and Vishnu Khare, were regular visitors to with his writing, interviews, telephone calls the institute. Alokeranjan thrived in this and more such things. In February 2020, environment. Together with his colleagues his last volume of poetry titled Bāstuhārār at the SAI he pursued numerous literary and Pāhāḍtali, “Valley of the Shelter-less”, had ap- cultural projects, as, among other things, peared on the occasion of the Kolkata Book the issues of the South Asian Digest testify. Fair. Countless condolences and obituaries Various essays on literary relations between from West Bengal, Bangladesh, as well as India and Germany appeared in the follow- other parts of South Asia, and Germany, ing decades, some of them collected in the are reaching us these days, marking again book Der König und der Barde (‘The King the extraordinary position he held in the and the Bard’, 1994). He belonged to the Bengali-speaking public. set of authors representing India at the Alokeranjan Dasgupta had been an ac- Frankfurt Book Fairs of 1986 and 2006, and complished academic author and teacher in proactively promoted South Asian poetry by the 1960s already, as his books The Lyric in translating and editing anthologies such as Indian Poetry (1962) and Ā� dhunik Kabitār Gelobt sei der Pfau (‘Praised be the Peacock’, Itihās (1965, co-authored with Debiprasad 1986). Bandyopadhyay) testify. From 1957 onwards But above all Alokeranjan Dasgupta was he taught at the Department of Comparative a poet. Beginning with Yaubanbaul, the book Literature at Jadavpur University that had that earned him early fame and his literary been founded by Buddhadeb Basu in 1956, breakthrough in 1959, he has authored an author who had immense impact on him about 50 volumes of Bengali poetry. Con- and whose portrait he gave in a monograph necting with a wide spectrum of literary in the Sahitya Akademi series Makers of traditions and styles, he gained fame for his Indian Literature in 1977. In 1971-72, he unique dictionMonthly and Bulletin, creative January power 2021 to wield l 23 In Memoriam

the Bengali language in unprecedented ways. renderings of German authors as far apart While the aesthetics of literary expression from each other as Goethe, Hölderlin, Hein- are very much at the root of his poetry, he rich Heine, Wilhelm Busch, Wolf Biermann never succumbed to l’art pour l’art aestheti- and Sara Kirsch. cism, but always found new ways to link his Alokeranjan Dasgupta’s relationship poetic cosmos to the social, political, envi- with language was extremely intimate ronmental and cultural ambience in which and intense. His diasporic situation in the he was writing. His poetry is characteristi- latter half of his life as an Indian living in cally playful and deep at the same time – it Germany naturally foregrounded questions is often intentionally complex and never of home and belonging. He used to describe didactic: two things he believed were hard his situation as an oscillation between India criteria for serious poetry. This complexity and Germany. This was true both in a literal was perhaps the reason why Alokeranjan sense – he regularly used to visit Kolkata Dasgupta didn’t enjoy the same popularity for longer stretches of time each year – and as some of his contemporaries. The fact is in a metaphorical one: intellectually and that, even though he could be quite a stage emotionally, he found himself in a constant performer, he usually didn’t particularly en- in-between position at the crossroads joy being widely popular and always insisted of very different cultures, languages and on keeping a low profile. ways of being. Asked where his home was It is obvious from the list of awards and in these last years, he would often quote honours he received that he did find the Martin Heidegger: Language is the abode acclaim he deserved. The series of his ac- of man’s existence. In his case this language colades includes the Goethe Medal of the was Bengali – understood not as a parochial Goethe-Institut in Munich and the Ananda encircled area, but as the point of departure Award from Kolkata in 1985; the Tagore from where he would venture out into the Prize of the Indo-German Society, Stuttgart, world and eventually return. in 1987; the Shiromoni Award from Kolkata Wit, language games, cosmopolitan (1991); the Sahitya Akademi Award from outlook, indestructible humanism, as well New Delhi (1992) for his book of poems as tongue-in-cheek provocations were Maramī� Karāt (‘The Mystical Saw’); the characteristic not only of his writings, but 2004 Tagore Award for Literature from the equally his daily conversations. Many of his Government of West Bengal, Kolkata; and friends, students and colleagues have been the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman in 2005. inspired and conditioned by his character. As Alokeranjan Dasgupta is considered one of far as the reviewer’s institution is concerned, the four front-ranking Bengali poets of his Alokeranjan Dasgupta was a true believer in generation. the SAI’s mission of academic pursuits and Apart from his literary oeuvre, we also cultural communication and mediation. We need to highlight his many translations of have lost one of the most creative spirits German literature into Bengali. Some of this the institute has so far hosted. Our sincer- translational activity was triggered by the est wishes are with him, and the memories close relations he had with the Max Müller will linger on. Bhavan in Kolkata and its erstwhile direc- Hans Harder tor Georg Lechner, leading to a number of Head of Department of Modern South Asian stage collages on protagonists and themes Languages and Literatures of German literature in cooperation with Heidelberg University the theatre group Sangbarta. Apart from these24 l events,Monthly Bulletin,Alokeranjan January also 2021 published In Memoriam

না উনি তু লে ধরেছিলেন শিবনারায় রায মরক ব嗍釃 তায। শিবদার জার্মান সফর এবং এম এন রাযর ভাবধারায এই দৃ覼 মানুষটিকে অল�োক দা বলতেন একজন ‘আ覼 ভাবুক’। সেবার উনি এসেছিলেন রেখাচিত্রমের শিল্প প্রদনী উদ্বধন করতে, সঙ巇 ছিলেন কবি শঙ্খ ঘ�োষ। দীর্ সময আলাপচারিতায কেটে গেছে সেই প্রদনী কক�। একবার বই মেলায তসলিমা নাসরিনের একটি বই উদ্বধনে ছিলাম আমি, অধ্যপক অ맍লন দত্ত ওল�ো অ ক দা। একসঙ巇 অনেকটা সময আমরা অতিবাহিত করেছিলাম বই মেলায ঘুরতে ঘুরতে। মনে পড় যায শিল্পী সুনীল দাস- এর তথ্যচত্রটি নির্মা করার সময অল�োক দার সহয�োগিতা। এক শিল্পী ও এক কবি মগ্ন ছিলেন পরবাসে কবি অল�োকরঞ্জন আত্ম উপলব鶿তে। শাꇍ醿নিকেতনের খ�োলা মাঠে, ু সুদূর পবাসে থেকেই, চলে গেলেন কবি কখন�ো বা কালদার দ�োকানে চা খেতে খেতে, ু ু অল�োক রঞ্জন দাশ巁প্ত। প্ি বছর কলকাতার কখন�ো বা কিঙ্কর দার বাডর সেই সমধর মৃি ণ বইমেলাতে উনি আসতেন। শারীরিক অসুস্থতার র�োমন্থন। কখন�ো ব�োদলেয়র বা বি� দে বা ু কারণে গত বছর আসতে পারেননি। টেলিফ�োনে কখন�ো ফ্রযডের স্বপ্ন বিজডত সনীলদার তন্ত্র বার বার সে আক�পের কথা বলেছেন। আবার সাধনা লিপ্ত শিল্প কর্মর উপাখ্যন। কবে দেখা হবে জানিনা। সত্붿 সে দেখা আর কত রাতে অল�োক দা ফ�োন করেছেন, তাঁর ু হল�ো না । কিছ লেখার dictation নেবার জন্, যা হয়ত� ু শেষ দুবছর আগে উনি এসেছিলেন। ক�োন পত্রিকাতে ছাপা হবে । কত নতন শব্দ ু বাডতে গেছিলাম দেখা করতে। কত বিষয কত শিখেছি যা �ধ মৃিতেই রয গেল। এই বিদগ্ধ ু আল�োচনা। মনে পড় কযক বছর আগে মনীষী মানষটির সাꇍꆿধ্ আমার জীবনে এক পরম শিবনারায় রায এর মরক ব嗍釃 তা দেওয়র জন্ পাওয়। আমার অন্তর শ্র駍ধ। অল�োকদাকে আমন্ত্রণ জানাই। কত মৃি কথাই অ쇁ণ 嗁মার চক্রব쇍釀, েরখাচিত্রম

¤ô@ýÌ î„y‹þyîû ¤?¡ !þ›S%éØþyl Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood – T S Eliot öëy?l ?%öì’þü ²Ìy•þîûy¢ 4 ö¤öì²WzÁºîû– 2020 xöì¡y†þîûOl ˜y¢=öì®îû öô¥ˆ!lîû öØþ!î¡ lyôy!Bþ•þ ~†þ!Øþ öæþ¤î%†þ @ýÌ&öìþ› ~¥z öSéyR †þ!î•þy!Øþ îû&!Øþöì•þ ôy‡y þ›!lîû öþ›yÞØþ †þöìîû !¡öì‡!Sé¡yô ò¢#!¡•þ !îo*þ› ~î‚ ~¥z ¤ôöìëû ~†þyhsý ²Ìy¤!D†þƒƒƒþ›y¥y’þü•þ!¡ Œ2020Š †þ!î •þî%G ô¥yôyîû#îû †þyîÄ öíöì†þóÐ †þöìîûyly x!•þôyîû# xyîû ¡†þ’þy’þzöìlîû !íôØþy !löìëû¥z !¡‡öìSé Œ!íôŠ xyîöì¥ ²Ìíô öë xyhsý?Åy!¡†þ xyöì¡y‹þlyîû xy¥´yl

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 25 In Memoriam

~öì¤!Sé¡ öØþöìˆyîû !îû¤y‹Åþ ¥zl!ÞØþ!Øþ’þzØþ öíöì†þ– †þ•þ‡y!l ˜#l ¥öì¡y– •þy ¥ëûöì•þy xyôîûy þ›öìîû î%Vþöìîy ö¤‡yöìl xyôyîû ˜%­ó!˜l îÄyþ›# xyöì¡y‹þlyîû !î£ìëû ~†þ!˜lÐ !Sé¡ òxöì¡y†þîûOöìlîû îûî#wlyíóÐ xyôyîû ¤ô#þ› 2ƒ ¤ôöìëûîû öë †þöìëû†þ?l †þ!îöì†þ xy!ô !l!î’þü èþyöìî xöì¡y†þîûOl ˜y¢=öì®îû Œ1933éŸé2020Š èþyöì¡yöìîöì¤!Sé– èþyöì¡yîy¤y öþ›öìëû!Sé xyîû ë„yöì˜îû †þ!î•þyîû !î£ìëû÷ìî!‹þeÄ ²Ìî¡Ð ëyþ›l †þîûy ²Ì!•þ!Øþ ôl#£ìyëû ˜#® ¥öìëû!Sé •„þyöì˜îû ôöì™Ä xlÄ•þô !²Ìëû lyô ô%¥)•Åþöì†þ !•þ!l †þ!î•þyëû xl%îy˜ †þöìîû !löì•þlÐ xöì¡y†þîûOl ˜y¢=®Ð æþ¡•þ öëéŸéö†þyöìly öîûæþyöìîûöìª ~†þy™yöìîû !¡!îû!¤?ô G ™Ê&þ›!˜ëûylyîû xyÙ‹þëÅ •„þyîû †þ!î•þy !†þ‚îy ˆöì˜Äîû ’þzöìÍÔ‡ xy!ô ²Ìyëû¢ ¤ôyöìîöì¢ ô%@»* ¥ìëû •„þyîû þ›y‘þ†þÐ !löì?öì†þ †þöìîû öæþ!¡Ð ôöìl xyöìSé 2004 ¤yöì¡ ¤yÁ¿y!l†þ òîûî#wlyöìíîû !lîû&_îû¤%!îûó îöì¡ ö?öìlöìSél !ë!l– îy‚¡yîû †þyîÄéŸé†þ!î•þyîû ’þz_îûþ›öìe ~†þ?l !¡!îû†þ •„þyîû †þ!î•þyîû ?ˆöì•þ {Ù»îû– ö²Ìô– ²Ì†,þ!•þ– ²Ìë%!_« †þ!îîû xî˜yl !¡‡öì•þ îöì¤ •þyêÇþ!”†þ •þêþ›îû•þyëû !îÙ»¤y!¥•þÄ– ’þzþ›!l£ì˜– ˜¢Ål– þ›%îûy”– öîïm*˜¢Ål– xöì¡y†þîûOöìlîû †þ!î†,þ!•þ¥z xyöì¡y‹þly †þöìîû!Sé¡yôÐ þ›!îûöìî¢èþyîly– !²Ìëû?löì˜îû xl%£ìD öíöì†þ !e«öì†þØþ •þ•þ!˜öìl •„þyîû òöëïîlîy’þz¡ó– ò!l!£ìm* ö†þy?yˆîû#ó ö‡¡y xlyëûyöì¤ ßiyl öþ›öìëûöìSéÐ îûî#öìwy_îû ¥öìëûG !†þ‚îy ò²Ì!•þ!˜l ¤)öìëÅîû þ›yîÅ”óéŸé~îû xöìl†þ †þ!î•þy !l!î’þüèþyöìî îûî#wlyíöì†þ Sé„%öìëû !•þ!l¥z ²ÌÙÀ G ²Ì”!•þ ¥*˜öìëû ßiyl †þöìîû !löìëûöìSéÐ òî¦%þîûy !îo*þ› †þöìîû !ô!¢öìëû !¡‡öì•þ þ›yöìîûl / ö•þyôyöì†þ !îÙ»y¤ †þ!îû îöì¡ó– òîy!Øþöì†þ x„y†þy xy†þyöì¢ xyôîûy ö•þy îûî#wlyöìíîû !˜löì¢öì£ì ù •%þ!ô xyôyîû !²Ìëûó– òîÄíyîû †„%þ!’þü ˆyöìlîû !lîû&_îû¤%!îûÐ !•þ!l ëy îöì¡l •þyöì†þ ™öìîû îûy‡y æ%þöì¡ æ%þöìØþ ’þz‘%þ†þó– òþ›)£ì” •%þ!ô îûyˆ ö†þyöìîûy lyó ¥z•þÄy!˜ xyôyöì˜îû ¤yöì™Ä öl¥z– xy? öë¥z ˆ#•þyO!¡ þ›!’þü xyôyîû !²Ìëû þ›.ä!_« •þ‡lÐ •„þyîû †þ!î•þyîû þ›y¢yþ›y!¢ ~†þéŸé~†þîyîû •„þyîû ¤öìD l#îûöìî !lè,þöì•þ •þ†Åþ †þ!îû ˆöì˜Äîû ²Ìy!•þ!ߺ†þ ‹þ¡l– !l•þÄl•%þl ¢·!lôÅy” îy ~¥z •þ#îÊ †þy¡yhsýöìîû韟Ÿé x²Ì‹þ!¡•þ ¢öì·îû îÄî¥yîû ô%@»* †þîûöì•þy xyôyöì†þÐ ˆy¡æäþ ë%öìm*îû þ›!îûöì¢öì£ì韟Ÿé ò!¢!Ò•þ ߺèþyîó !†þ‚îy ò!ßiîû !î£ìöìëûîû !˜öì†þóîû îà ~•þØþy {Ù»îû î%!Vþ ²Ìy¤!D†þÚ ²Ìî¦þ þ›öì’þü öæþöì¡!Sé¡yô •þ‡l¥zÐ •þyîûþ›îû †þ!îîû ¤öìD Œîûyöì?Ù»îû# / ~†þ!Øþ ö¢y†þˆyíy– Vþy’þzéŸé!¢îû#öì£ìîû ¢#£ìÅ xy¡yþ›– ¤yÇþyê ~î‚ ‰!lÛþ•þyîû ¥z!•þ¥y¤ ²Ìyëû ö£ìyöì¡y ¤öìÁ¿¡öìl / 2019Š îSéöìîûîûÐ ö˜‡yîû xyö숥z ë„yöì†þ ö¡‡yëû !‹þöìl!Sé¡yô– xyîû ~¥z {Ù»öìîûîû ²Ì!•þ xˆy™ !îÙ»y¤ öîûöì‡ ö˜‡yîû þ›îû •„þyöì†þ xyöìîûy !l!î’þü †þöìîû öþ›öìëû!Sé †þ!î?#îl Öîû& †þîûy xöì¡y†þîûOl xy? •„þyîû ¥zöìô? îyîû‚îyîûÐ •„þyöì†þ !löìëû ˜%éŸé˜%!Øþ î¥z ö¡‡y !†þ‚îy •„þyöì†þ î?yëû îûy‡öì•þ ‹þyl ö†þî¡– öëö쥕%þ {Ù»îû xy? •„þyîû !îÙ»!î˜Äy¡öìëûîû !¤öì¡îyöì¤ xylyîû ?lÄ îyîy Œ•þîû&” ö‹þyöì‡ x†,þ•þyíÅ•þyîû ²Ì!•þô)!•Åþ ö†þî¡Ð ö¢£ì †þyöìîÄ ô%öì‡yþ›y™ÄyëûŠ G xyôyîû ö‹þÜTy !l/ߺyíÅ G ú†þy!hsý†þ •þy¥z ’þzF‹þy!îû•þ ¥ëû / ×m*y¤Oy•þ¥z !Sé¡Ð x•þÄhsý î’þü ôyöìþ›îû †þ!îéŸé²Ìyî!¦þ†þ G xl%îy˜†þ ¥öìëûG þ›Méþyöì¢îû ¤ô†þy¡#l †þ!îöì˜îû ~†þ!Øþ †þ!î•þy !¡!‡ {Ù»îûî,öì_– ôöì•þy •%þô%¡ ?l!²Ìëû•þy !•þ!l öë þ›yl!l– •þy xyôîûy ߺîûî,öì_ xyîûG ~†þ!Øþ– î%Vþ•þyôÐ ~ØþyG ?yl•þyô !•þ!l ¤¥? ?l!²Ìëû•þyîû ~†þ!Øþ ö×y•þyîû ôöìl ?yöìˆ ™Ê&î ¤‚¢ëû xy†þy.Çþy †þöìîûl lyÐ •„þyîû †þyöì?îû ô™Ä !˜öìëû¥z !•þ!l ²Ìö씕þy xy¤öì¡ ˜%¥z îÄ!_«œ ô¥ê G öô™yî#– •„þyöì†þ îy‚¡y ¤y!¥öì•þÄîû ¥z!•þ¥y¤ Œ†þ!î¤öìÁ¿¡öìl– îyéÝ¥yîûyîû þ›y¥y’þü•þ!¡ /2020Š ôöìl îûy‡öìîÐ xy? •„þyîû ²Ìëûyöì” îy‚¡y ¤y!¥•þÄ?ˆê òxô¡ xy¢yîyöì˜îû ‹þëÅyó !†þ xyöì˜ï ~¥z þ›#!’þü•þ

26 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 In Memoriam

!îöìÙ» ¤½þîÚ •þy¥z {Ù»îûöì†þ !löìëû •„þyîû ~¥z e«ôyˆ•þ lyô ö˜l ò!’þöìô!ªëûyóÐ !löì?öì†þ !îÙ»¤‚ß,ñ!•þîû ß¿,!•þîû xyd!îèþy?öìlîû ö‡¡y ‹þöì¡Ð ~¥z òîyéÝ¥yîûyîû ?y˜%‰îû îöì¡ ô?y †þöìîûG ò¥‘þyê xyôyîû xî¤yl þ›y¥y’þü•þ!¡ó lyô!Øþ Ölöì¡¥z ’þzmyéÝ xyîû ¢îû”yíÅ#öì˜îû ¥öì¡ó îûy?y G ¤%¡@Ày !æþöìîû xy¤öìî ~¥z ²Ì•þÄy¢y ô%‡×# öèþöì¤ Göì‘þÐ xöì¡y†þîûOöìlîû !m•þ#ëû þ›öìîÅîû †þöìîûlÐ !†þév !•þ!l æ%þ!îûöìëû öˆöì¡ •„þyîû ?yëûˆyëû †þ!î•þyëû ~¥z ˆy¡æäþ ë%m* xyîû ¢îû”yíÅ# ²Ì¤D !æþöìîû òö˜yèþy£ì# ¥öì•þ ö†þ ¥öìî ¤Á¿•þó ~¥z ²ÌÙÀ •„þyöì†þ èþyîyëûÐ !æþöìîû ~öì¤öìSéÐ xyôyöì˜îû ôöìl þ›’þüöì•þ þ›yöìîû– •„þyîû ò¤#ôyöìhsý !l”Å#•þ ô,•%þĘ)•þó !èþ¤y öl¥z îöì¡ •„þyöì†þ ~†þ!Øþ ²Ìîöì¦þîû î¥zöìëûîûG lyô ò¢îû”yíÅ#îû }•%þ G !æþ!îûöìëû ö˜ëûÐ èþyîû•þ G ?yôÅy!lîû ¤y!¥•þÄéŸé¤‚ß,ñ!•þîû !¢Òèþyîlyó Œxylr˜– 1993ŠÐ ö¢£ì †þyöìîÄG •þy¥z ¤Méþîûôyl ö¤•%þ xöì¡y†þîûOlöì†þ ~éŸé†þyöìîÄ òxyôyîû ö¤¥z xl%£ìD ~öì¤öìSé xyîû ö?öìˆ ’þzöì‘þöìSé ò¤ô@ýÌ ¤îÅöì¢£ì †þ!î•þyó !¡‡öì•þG öël ö˜!‡ xyôîûyÐ îöì¡l î„y‹þyîû ¤?¡ !þ›S%éØþylóÐ ö¤¥z î„y‹þyîû !þ›S%éØþyl ~öì¤ ò¤ôyíņþ î„y‹þy G ôîûyóÐ ßi!îîû•þy •„þyîû ¢îû#îûöì†þ ôyöìVþ öôöì¢ x!lîyëÅ ô,•%þÄöì‹þ•þlyëûÐ ~¥z †þyöìîÄîû ²Ìyîû!½þ†þ ôyöìVþ @ýÌy¤ †þîûöì¡G ôlöì†þ î%!’þüöìëû öëöì•þ ö˜l ly †þ!î•þyîû lyô ö˜l ò™ç‚¤ G ²Ì?yþ›!•þó韟Ÿé¤%r˜öìîûîû !•þ!lÐ !löì?öì†þ l•äþöìîû ˜yöìôîû ôöì•þy ™ç‚¤yîö좣ì !îly¢ †þ!îîû †þyôÄ ¥öì•þ þ›yöìîû ly †þ‡lG– •þy¥z ö?öìlG ’þz˜ëûyhßì þ›í ¥„yØþöì•þ ‹þyl / ö¡öì‡l / xyôyîû xyöìˆîû îy†äþ²Ì!•þôy xîÄy¥•þ– •þî%G ë!˜ ö¢£ì †þ!î•þy ²Ì¡ëû†þyöì¡îû öôöì‰ !îû!æþ’þz!? †þöì¡y!l ™öìîû •þy¥z ö•þy xy!ô xlîîû•þ !¡öì‡þ ’þz‘þöì•þ ly þ›y!îû •þöìî †þ# ¥öìî öî„öì‹þ öíöì†þÚ ö¥„öìØþ ‹þöì¡!Sé ’þz˜#ëûôyléŸéxhßìôyl †þ!îîû ôöì•þyÐ xyôyîû ’þyl †þl%¥z ö‰„öì£ì ô,•%þÄþ›öìîûyëûyly Œ’þz˜ëûyhßì !¡‡öì•þ !ˆöìëûŠ ‡y!îû? †þöìîû †„þyþ›öì•þ íyöì†þ ²Ì?yþ›!•þîû ’þylyƒƒƒ Œ™ç‚¤ G ²Ì?yþ›!•þ– îyéÝ¥yîûyîû þ›y¥y’þü•þ!¡ / 2020Š 3ƒ ~†þ˜y òîöìëûöì¤îû Séyþ› ô%öìSé öæþ!¡ îÍñöì¡ó ’þzF‹þyîû” xöì¡y†þîûOöìlîû †þ!î•þyëû !˜lþ›!Oîû ¡Çþ” †þîûy †þ!î ò•%þ!¥l ?îûyóëû xye«yhsý ¥l ¥z˜yl#‚Ð îöì¡l– xyôîûy ö¤¥z öëïîöìlîû ò!l?Ål !˜lþ›!Oó öíöì†þ¥z ò!¤„!’þü xyôyëû èþy.öì•þ þ›yöìîû ~¥z öèþöìî xyîû !¤„!’þü öþ›öìëû!Sé¡yôÐ ~¥z ö¢£ì †þyöìîÄG ò‹þyéŸé!îß%ñØþó èþy!.ly韟ŸéóÐ !l?ߺ ~†þ îy†äþ÷좡#öì•þ •þî%G !•þ!l !†þ‚îy ò²Ìèþyöì•þîû ~†þ!Øþ !˜ló †þ!î•þy=!¡ •„þyîû !¡öì‡ ‹þöì¡l •„þyîû ˆ¥l x!hßìöìcîû ö†þyîû†þ ¤ôy‹þyîûÐ !î!èþ§¬ !˜öìlîû ß¿,!•þöì†þ ?#!î•þ †þöìîûöìSéÐ ôy¡yöìôÅ– 2019éŸé~îû òVþy’þz !¢îû#öì£ìîû ¢#£ìÅ ¤öìÁ¿¡öìló †þyöìîÄ ¥y¥zöì’þˆyîû– †þyæþ†þy– îûî#wlyí– ?#îlylr˜– !ë!l !¡öì‡!Séöì¡l– òxhsý¡Å#l l#îûî þ›y!‡ lyîû#¤)e™yîûó– ~lêöì¤l¤äîyˆÅyîû– !¤!¤æþy¤– ö¥ÄyÓþyîû¡#öìlîû !•þ!l¥z 2020éŸéöì•þ ~öì¤ lyôéŸélyéŸé?yly öë þ›y!‡îû öîûæþyöìîûª ~†þy!™†þ †þ!î•þyöì†þ xöì¡y†þîûOl#ëû †þíy îöì¡l– ö¤ •„þyîû òˆ¥l x!hßìöìcîû xhßìy‹þöì¡ó ’þz!ÍÔ‡öìlîû ÷î˜öì@»*Ä ¤%˜#® †þöìîûöìSéÐ †þ‡öìly ölöìô xyö줃 †þ!î•þyîû lyô ö˜l òölöìôéŸéxy¤yG ~†þ ôy¡yöìôÅîû ¤ôy!™ö졇öì•þ !•þ!l þ›’þüöì•þ þ›yöìîûl / ™îûöìlîû ’þz_îû”ó韟Ÿé~‡yöìl !löì?öì†þ !•þ!l ?§ÃéŸéô,•%þÄîû òèþ!î£ìÄöì•þîû †þ!î•þyG ö¤¥z ôöì•þy ù ˆ,¥öì†þy” öíöì†þ |öì™çÅ ’þz_#”Å †þöìîû ö˜l / òxy!ô ö†þyöìly!˜l ?§Ãy¥z!l ô%!_«îû ¤¦þyl#ó– ö†þyíyG îy òôyl%öì£ìîû x!hßìöìcîû ôöìîûG ëy¥z!lóÐ öSéyØþ öSéyØþ †þ!î•þyîû !ô•þ†þíöìl xyîy¤l èþy£ìyó ~¥z î#Çþyëû xyöì¡y!’þü•þ ¥öìëû xöì¡y†þîûOl ~¥z ö¢£ì †þyöìîÄ ô,•%þÄ îy xî¤yöìlîû †þíy öîyVþyöì•þ ‹þyl ²Ìöì•þÄöì†þ¥z †þ!î– ë!˜ ö¤ ¤yîûy?#îl lylyèþyöìî îöì¡öìSél ö˜!‡Ð †þ‡öìly ö¡öì‡l– òxy!ô öôöì•þ íyöì†þ †þ!î•þy ’þzê¤öìîÐ †þ!îî¦%þöì˜îû ôöì™Ä ö•þy !löì?¥z þ›%!O•þ !îß¿,!•þó– †þ‡öìly îy †þ!î•þyîû xyöì¡y†þ ¤îû†þyîû– ¢îûê†%þôyîû ô%öì‡yþ›y™Äyëû– lîl#•þy

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 27 In Memoriam

ö˜îöì¤l– lyöì¤îû ö¥yöì¤l– ²Ìèþy•þ ö‹þï™%îû#– öîî# x†þyîû” öô™yî# ô%!ªëûyly îy îy†þ‹þy•%þëÅ èþyîöì¡– ¤y’þz !†þ‚îy Ööìèþr˜%– xþ›”Åy– x!ôëû– xl#¢– •„þyîû †þ!î•þyîû ¤öìD ëíyíÅ þ›!îû‹þëû ‰öìØþ ly †þ‡öìlyÐ îûy?yéŸé¤%¡@Ày ~„îûyG ~öì¤öìSél †þ!î•þyîû î¡öìëûÐ ?öì¡îû ôöì•þy ¤îû¡ xyöìîÅߺ xy™%!l†þ †þ!î•þy ²Ìë%!_«îû xl%£ìD xöì¡y†þîûOöìlîû †þ!î•þyîû xyöìîû†þ ?l!²Ìëû ¥öì•þ þ›yöìîû– •þy ¢yÙ»•þô)¡Ä þ›yëû lyÐ ¡Çþ”Ð ÷î˜%Ä!•þl ë%öìˆîû èþy£ìy !löìëû •„þyîû xߺ!hßì 4ƒ ²Ìî¡– •þy¥z xl¡y¥zöìlîû ˜%/¢y¤öìl îy‚¡y èþy£ìyîû ö¢£ì †þyöìîÄ xöì¡y†þîûOl xl%îy˜öì†þG ßiyl ¥öìëû ¢A <™ç!l †þöìîûl !†þ‚îy öØþ!¡ xþ›yöìîûØþöìîûîû è%þ¡ !˜öìëûöìSélÐ ~†þ!Øþ öëôl òˆy!¡öìîîû !•þl îûDó– xþ›îû!Øþ xl%îyöì˜ !îîÊ•þ ¥l— •þî% ë‡l ˜)îûèþyöì£ì †þy’þzöì†þ ly ¥zöìëûØäþöì¤îû †þyîÄlyØþÄ òîûy?ô¥öì¡îû ‰rØþy!ôlyîûó öþ›öì¡ •þyîû xyèþy¤ ö•þy xyöì¤ öôöì¤öì? / Œ’þzê¤ !˜ !†þ‚ xî !˜ ö@ýÌØþ †Ïþ†þ ØþyGëûyîû– 1935ŠÐ ö•þyôyîû †þyöìSé •þî%G •þyîû ™ç!l ˆy!¡öìîîû xl%¤îûöì” ~‡yöìl !•þ!l ¤öì†þï•%þöì†þ ²ÌÙÀ ~¤ƒ~ôƒ~¤ƒéŸé~îû ôöì™Ä ¤‚e«!ô•þ— îûyöì‡l / òèþyöì¡yîy¤y îöì¡ !†þS%é öl¥z •%þ!ô î¡öì•þ î¡öì•þ þ›yöìîûy ö¤Øþy¥z xyˆôl#œ ‹þyG ~‡lGÚóÐ ¥zöìëûØþ¤äéŸé~îû †þyîÄlyöìØþÄ †þ!î•þy Œî¡öì•þ þ›yöìîûyŠ lyØþ†þ xöìþ›Çþy =îû&c öþ›öìëûöìSé xˆô ôl !löìëû •„þyîû †þyîÄlyöìØþÄîû †þyîûîyîûÐ ~¥z †þyîÄlyöìØþÄ ¥zöìëûØäþöì¤îû ß¿,!•þ xyîû ¤ô†þy¡éŸŸŸé~ ˜%öìëûîû Øþylyöìþ›yöì’þül ~¥z ô’þˆlöì†þ ¥yîûyöìlyîû öî˜lyîû !‹þ¥« xyöìSé– xyöìSé ö¢£ì †þyöìîÄ îyîû‚îyîû öîöì? ’þzöì‘þöìSéÐ òîöì’þüyéŸéôyöì†þ ¤yöì¡yöìôîû ²Ì!•þ™ç!lGÐ îûy?yéŸéîûyl#éŸéèþî‰%öìîûéŸ öSéöì’þü xy¤yóîû ß¿,!•þöì•þ lÞØþÄy¡!?†þ †þ!î !îèþ_« éþ›yٻŋþîûöì˜îû !löìëû ˆ’þüy ~éŸélyØþöì†þ xöì¡y†þîûOöìlîû ò¥*˜öìëûîû !èþØþyóëû îû_«y_« ¥öìëûöìSélÐ xyîyîû ¤ô†þyöì¡ ²Ìy” ¤Méþyîû †þöìîûöìSél– öë‡yöìl èþî‰%öìîûöì†þ ¥•þÄy !îöìÙ»îû ’þzmyéÝöì˜îû ’þzê¤y˜l ly †þîûyîû ¤þ›öìÇþ ¤îûî †þîûyîû þ›îû •þyîû !S駬 ô%[þ G îûyl# l,•þÄéŸéˆ#öì•þ ô_ ¥l ö†þyöìly îûyÜTÉlyëûöì†þîû †þyöìSé ò~ ˆySé ô%ô)£ì%Å– •þî% ¥ëû– xl%îy˜öì†þîû èþy£ìy ~¥z îû†þô / òxyôyîû öèþ•þîûØþyëû •þyöì†þ •%þ!ô !@ýÌl †þy’Åþ !˜öìëûyóÐ !löì?öì†þ ¢· G ù ö†þ öël xy¤öì•þ ‹þyëû– ù †þ# ~†þØþy Ö„öìëûyöìþ›y†þy ù xÇþîû ¤y™lyëû îû•þ îûy‡y †þ!î îyˆyl G ly¤Åy!îûîû xyôyîû ôy™%îû# SéyëûÚó !†þ‚îy ö¢öì£ì !m•þ#ëû þ›yٻŋþîû ²Ì¤D xyöìll ˜%!Øþ †þ!î•þyëûÐ !‹þe†þÒ– ’þzþ›ôy ~î‚ îöì¡ òö¤¥z †þöìî öíöì†þ ˜„y!’þüöìëû îûöìëû!Sé ö˜ëûyöì¡îû ~†þ !ôöì¡îû †þyîû&†þyëÅ ~éŸé†þyöìîÄG •„þyîû †þ!î•þyöì†þ ¤ô,m* è„þyöì?– ù Ö™% èþëû ¥ëû †þ‡öìly ôîûî ly öëœó îûy!ßñöìlîû †þöìîûöìSé– ëíy / òÖ×*£ìyîû xèþyöìî îû_«î!ô ?%öì’þü ö˜‡yöì˜!‡ ¤)ëÅ!†þîû” x„y†þöì•þ !ˆöìëû èþ#îû&!‹þöì_ †þ!î !˜¡ ¢Äyô†þy!hsý ~†þ öô‰ó– òxy!ô ~‡l !lîû&öìmˆ– ¡ÇþÄ †þöìîûl òxy™%!l†þ•þyîû xyöìîû†þ xîÇþëûóÐ •þî% xy!Ù»öìlîû öô‰ó– ò‹þw ~‡l ö×Ûþ•þô !îîû¥#öì˜îû SéyëûyFS駬 ˆySéˆySéy!¡îû !˜öì†þ •þy!†þöìëû ôyl%öì£ìîû ô%‡¥z ù x!¡!Á›öì†þ !îÙ»†þyþ› ¥öìëûƒƒƒó– òîûyÜTÉlyëûöì†þîû ö‡„yöì?l îyîû‚îyîûÐ •„þyîû x!hsýìô †þyöìîÄ †%þëûy¢yöì‰îûy ô%öì‡ þ›!îû•,þ® ¥y.öìîûîû ¥y!¤ó !†þ‚îy ¢¢îÄhßì ù l˜#îû î„yöì†þ !ô!¡öìëû ëyGëûyîû xyöìˆ †þ!î xyôyöì˜îû xlèþÄhßì– ™ôl# ù xyˆôl#– !î•,þ£ky ù †þy!’þü¤ xy?G ö¢ylyöì•þ íyöì†þl òô¥y¡ëûyîû îûôÄî#”yóÐÐ ly– x¢yhsý öîû ù ô¢ylöì?yöì’þü– !’þ¤öì†þyöìíöì†þ ù !î£ké% ö˜ ö†þ– ö˜‡¡yô ù l•äþöìîû ˜yô– xl#¢ ù }•þôä ô%öì‡yþ›y™Äyëû xyíÊyÅ¥z!Øþ¤– ë!˜ù²Ì¡ëûþ›öìëûy!™ ¥z•þÄy!˜Ð ~=!¡öì†þ x™Äyþ›†þ– ö²Ì!¤öì’þ!ª !îÙ»!î˜Äy¡ëû

28 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 In Memoriam

Uttara Chakraborty (Sen) (1944-2020)

age, she might have been referred to as a his- torian of women, but that description would do her less than justice. She published widely on as diverse subjects as the archaeology of Calcutta, 19th century women’s education, early 20th century women revolutionaries, or the local history of Bikrampur. In addition to her interest in medieval Indian history, in the worlds of Muslim women, and in the history of 19th century Bengal, she was a keen reader of literature and a connoisseur of detective fiction, all of which she would bring to bear on her teaching. Her style was not geared to traditional lectures alone, and could at times be quite spontaneous: students remember her taking a group of them to an archive in The historian Uttara Chakraborty, who order to find primary sources to demonstrate died in the early morning hours of the 29th that the term "Hindu Pad-Padshahi’ was not of November at her Salt Lake residence in contemporary to the Marathas, but invented Kolkata, was an important part of the intellec- by later historians. She was also able to teach tual life of a city known for its intellectual life, across the breadth of most university history representing a non-partisan left tradition that curricula. brought to university education an important It was this breadth of knowledge, com- rational, ethical and analytical component. bined with a keen sense of the importance Uttara Chakraborty entered Presidency of chance findings, that brought Uttara College, Calcutta as a history undergraduate Chakraborty and her research topics to- in 1961. Like many of her generation, she be- gether, sometimes quite serendipitously. gan to teach after completing an MA degree, One particular instance is worth recounting the basic qualification for university teaching; here. Upon discovering that the excavations throughout her career she saw herself primar- to construct new buildings at Bethune Col- ily as a teacher. Her career began before there lege, where she was teaching then, had un- were demands upon all academics to publish, earthed archaeological remains that various which freed them to only put their words in interested parties wanted to (literally) cover print when they felt they had something to up so that the building work could proceed, say. Yet she made significant contributions to she intervened strenuously to save the site, research in a number of fields, for which she inviting journalists to take a look and report found time, sources and inspiration from the on it. The stopping of the building and the environment in which she taught and lived. resultant excavations revealed a site from Given the demands of a more specialised the 7th and 8th centuries, which pushed back

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 29 In Memoriam the dates of Calcutta’s alleged "founding’ by After the degradation of that institution in ten centuries. This resulted in a co-authored an attempt to convert it into a University, she publication (with S Biswas) modestly titled stopped teaching there, and began teach- Archaeology of Calcutta : Evidence from Bet- ing across the road at Sanskrit College and hune College, which appeared at the turn of University. She continued teaching there the last century. "Nineteenth century English until she reached the age of 75, an arbitrary historians … felt that Calcutta could not have number she had set herself as a time to stop. grown overnight", she said in an interview a After her retirement, she was also able to en- few years later, understating her own role; gage more with other scholarly institutions, but the article is now a standard reference such as the Asiatic Society. on the subject, and an Archaeological Survey I met Uttara Chakraborty when I was a of India excavation in the early years of the first-year undergraduate at Presidency Col- new century at another site confirmed and lege. She was not then my teacher, though elaborated on those findings. In the history over time I have learned much from her that of scholarship, this can illustrate the value was not formally taught; at the time, she was of a general education in history, such that teaching history at Bethune College. I had no one is able to provide any longer: both been invited to their flat by her husband, my the educators and the educated have not teacher Subhas Ranjan Chakraborty, who the depth required to turn their hands and similarly self-effacingly called himself a "stu- pens to subjects outside their narrow fields dent of history’. They kept a more or less open of specialisation. house for students, with their substantial Uttara Chakraborty taught at Loreto Col- private library being placed at our disposal, lege, Darjeeling, at Maulana Azad College, the resultant leakage of books to the less Lady Brabourne College, at Chandernagore conscience-troubled students being borne College, and at Bethune College. Her role as by them with equanimity. This microcosm teacher and researcher was supplemented of scholarship became a refuge, a training by one as facilitator of intellectual activity. In ground, and a home for several scholars. particular, several women scholars who came Uttara Chakraborty leaves behind her in contact with her passionate and systematic husband, Subhas, her sons, Suranjan and teaching were inspired to continue in an unre- Sunandan, her granddaughter, Ketaki, and a warding and demanding profession. After she few thousand students and scholars whose retired from Bethune College, freed from the lives she has indelibly touched. quotidian constraints of administration, she was able to teach for pleasure, and returned Benjamin Zachariah as a guest professor to Presidency College. University of Trier

Tribute from Scholars of Women’s History In October 2020, a few of us came together Chakraborty was immensely enthusiastic to create the Women’s History Conclave about our project from the very start and to provide scholars of women’s history a she was a founder-member and advisor to platform for the exchange of ideas and en- this project. Her demise is an irreparable loss able them to share their research findings. to the Conclave. The Conclave, since its inception, has been Uttara Chakraborty was a historian with organising webinars on different themes in remarkably eclectic interests and concerns. women’s history on a regular basis. Uttara Medieval Indian and European history,

30 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 In Memoriam

archaeologi- at Bethune College, the college she was post- cal forays into ed at from 1992 till her retirement in 2004. The the past, the chance discovery of papers belonging to the h i s t o r y o f college office in the late nineteenth and early pre-colonial twentieth centuries opened up a gold mine. Calcutta and In fact, it was this archive-building endeavour the Bengal that inexorably drew Professor Chakraborty Renaissance to the field of women’s history. The old and f a s c i n a t e d withered papers that she had taken such Aparna Bandyopadhyay her. She suc- great pains to preserve unfurled evidence c e s s f u l l y that not only revolutionised established un- transmitted her enthusiasm for these areas of derstandings of the contributions of Bethune historical scholarship to her students through College to women’s including Muslim wom- her lectures within the classroom and be- en’s higher education but also women’s role yond, and also through her writings. Her over- in different strands of the freedom struggle. whelming and abiding intellectual concern, History had to be rewritten, and this task Ut- however, was to unravel the lives and doings tara Chakraborty willingly embraced. of women, who had traditionally remained On 7 December 2020, the Women’s History "hidden from history’. She was especially com- Conclave paid homage to this great histo- mitted to retrieving rian in a programme Muslim women – on Google meet. marginalised and Uttara Chakraborty’s oppressed by the husband, Profes- collusive regimes of sor Subhas Ranjan patriarchy and com- Chakraborty, a cel- munity – from the ebrated historian seams of history. She and former teacher broke new ground in History, Presiden- in the field of Indian cy College, and their women’s history by two sons, Suranjan unravelling the vi- Chakraborty and Su- cissitudes of Muslim nandan Chakraborty, women’s journey both teachers in towards empower- universities in the ment and emanci- USA, attended the pation in colonial programme. The be- Bengal. The daring reaved sons recount- exploits of women 1. Dr. Snigdga Sen 2, Dr Jharna Gourlay, 3. Professor ed their fond memo- revolutionaries such Maleka Begum, 4. Professor Sonia Nishat Amin ries of a mother who as Bina Das, Pritilata Wadder and Kalpana had been as much friend and companion as Datta intrigued her, and she delved into a nurturer. Uttara Chakraborty’s brother Sri archival records including IB files to uncover Indranjit Sen, nephew Dr. Anandarup Sen, and tales of bravery as well as the daily encounters aunt, Dr. Jharna Gourley from UK, conveyed with patriarchal mindsets that underpinned their regards and shared precious memories. these revolutionary women’s struggles for Professor Uttara Chakraborty shared a close the nation’s freedom. Professor Chakraborty bonding with the academic community in Ban- spearheaded an initiative to build an archive gladesh, and not unexpectedly, two stalwarts

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 31 In Memoriam of women’s history/women’s studies of Bangla- provided further insights into her archival desh, Professor Maleka Begum and Professor enterprise. Sonia Nishat Amin, joined to pay their respects Professor Uttara Chakraborty’s pedagogy to the departed historian. Maleka Begum remi- and personality had an abiding impact on nisced about a shared intellectual journey, a the intellects and values of her students, friendship and camaraderie that transcended and often changed the course of their lives. borders. Professor Amin threw the spotlight Professor Syed Tanveer Nasreen remembered on Bikrampur, Dhaka, the birthplace of Ut- her mentor from her college days and the pro- tara Chakraborty’s grandfather, the celebrated found influence she had on her life. Dr Sarada historian, Sri Jogendranath Gupta, and many Ghosh tearfully acknowledged her debt to other stellar person- her mentor, her teacher alities of the Bengal at Bethune College, a Renaissance. Uttara debt she could never Chakraborty’s friends repay. Dr Kanad Sinha, from her younger Debasree Sarkar, and years, Professor Snig- Subhajit Halder – all pu- dha Sen, Professor pils of Presidency Col- Tapati Sengupta, lege/ University paid Professor Chhanda their respects to their Chakraborty, Profes- beloved teacher, who sor Reeta Banerjee was also their friend, and Smt Maitreyee their source of inspira- Dasgupta, fondly tion and guidance. Dr recollected the times Sunandan Raychaud- they had spent to- hury and Dr Nandini gether, and shed Jana expressed their light on the diverse deep sense of personal shades of Professor 1. Professor Nandini Bhattacharya, 2, Professor loss. The tributes and Chakraborty’s person- Rachana Chakraborty, 3. Professor Uma reminiscences were in- ality. Professor Paula Chattopadhyay, 4. Professor Tapati Sengupta terspersed with some Banerjee, Professor Uma Chattopadhyay and soulful musical performances by Professor Professor Nandini Bhattacharya paid their Uma Chattopadhyay, Rohini Raychaudhury, tribute through poignant reminiscences. Pro- Dr Amrita Bagchi, Shreya Roy and a poetry fessor Chattopadhyay was Uttara Charaborty’s recital by Sutapa Mukhopadhyay. Professor colleague in the Department of Philosophy Samita Sen, Professor Geraldine Forbes, Pro- at Bethune College. Professor Bhattacharya fessor Ranjit Sen, Professor Ramkrishna Chat- was Uttara Chakraborty’s junior colleague in topadhyay, Dr Simonti Sen, Dr Afroja Khatun the Department of English at Maulana Azad were among the others who were present in and Bethune Colleges. Professor Rachana the programme. In the end, Professor Subhas Chakraborty, her former colleague and fellow Ranjan Chakraborty conveyed, on behalf of historian at Bethune College, recounted Ut- his family, his heartfelt thanks and gratitude tara Chakraborty’s initiative in organising the to the Women’s History Conclave for its initia- archaeological excavations in the Bethune Col- tive in organising the programme. lege compound, and also the building of the Bethune Archives. Dr Urmita Ray, another of Aparna Bandyopadhyay Associate Professor, Department of History Professor Chakraborty’s younger colleagues in Diamond Harbour Women’s University the Department of History at Bethune College,

32 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 In Memoriam Uttara Chakraborty and the Making of Time Past and Time Present The Council of the Asiatic Society, Kol- sections in which we could divide the treasures kata decided probably in 2007 to appropri- and then to proceed by each of us taking the ately observe the 225 years of the Society responsibility of some sections. We felt that in 2008-9. Apart we should begin from the usual with a brief out- celebrations, the line of the history members of the of the Society. Ra- Council suggest- makantada gener- ed an illustrated ously volunteered album showcas- to write the his- ing a selection of tory, of which he the huge treasure had a draft already housed in the li- written. We thank- brary and muse- fully accepted his um of the Society. offer, and his draft This, it was felt, was modified and would be an en- updated with his during contribu- collaboration and tion. The task of approval, and nar- producing the volume was entrusted to Ut- rated the history of the Society in the volume tara Chakraborty, Subhas Ranjan Chakraborty eventually published. The other sections and Ramkrishna Chatterjee. In due course, planned were: the house on the Park Street we received the letters conveying the deci- ( about the construction of the old heritage sion of the Council from Professor Ramak- building), manuscripts, inscriptions, paintings, anta Chakrabarty, the General Secretary. I, etchings and engravings, lithographs, images, for myself, wondered if I would be equal to maps, archives, rare books and coins. There the difficult task assigned to us. Ramkrishna, would be two separate sections on the publi- as usual, started to plan how to proceed with cations and the Busts. Only the section on the the job at hand. The person, who was really busts was taken from an extant compilation by excited when she received the letter, was Ut- Bandana Mukherjee, but a brief, but important, tara. She had probably nurtured in a secret note was added by Uttara. corner of her mind the idea of such a volume. The next few months involved a chase Yet, she had her own misgiving: Ramkrishna around the museum and the library to de- and I were members of the Council, while she cide on the selections for each section, to was an "outsider’. Notwithstanding this or photograph them and chronicle the notes any other misgiving she might have had, her accompanying each item. A veritable search passion for creative work thrust her forward was mounted in the museum and the library as the leader of the pack. with help of the colleagues and a selection The "compilers’ met and talked about how was finally made. We divided the task among to proceed. It was indeed a daunting task to ourselves, but Uttara led the way. She moved choose, photograph, and annotate the ob- around the old building, going up to the roof jects from the treasures of the Society in the of the heritage building with the photogra- course of a few months. We first decided on the pher and having pictures taken from different

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 33 In Memoriam angles. The photographs of the grand staircase be inferior, though "Indians were known to of the old building and of the antique furniture be excellent ship builders’. She wrote the sec- were taken at that time. We did our assigned tions on the old building, the staircase, the jobs and made a dummy copy of the book to antique furniture and the old collections of be sent to the printer. It was sent to the printer prints, etchings, engravings , lithographs. Here after the publication department made a scru- you see the imagination and sensitivity of the tiny of our end-product. historian. She was meticulous as well. I quote We continued to chase the printer as we a little from the section on antique furniture: had to keep the schedule. We took our turn, "The Chippendale, Hepplewhite and Sheraton climbed to the mezzanine floor with a rickety were three most popular…[and]classy styles staircase at our disposal. Uttara defied her knee of the Eighteenth century and carried on to pain and climbed up to the mezzanine floor, the nineteenth, whereas the Regency and the much to the discomfort of the printer, Bivas Victorian were very much of the nineteenth". Datta. We did manage to avert a few possible The note she added on the busts also deserves faux pas through the kind intervention of some mention. She brought in the neo-classical friends and our regular presence. tradition and wrote, "Neo-Classicism as an art This is the bland story of the making of form developed in the 19th century, though Time Past and Time Present. We had what we it had its roots in the classical intellectuality thought an attractive volume from the press. of the 18th century. In the 19th century, the But we, especially Uttara, were far from happy application of neo-classical format in art and as we thought with more time we could have architecture projected a particular message. produced a more comprehensive illustrated The message was imperialistic in nature. Napo- history, not just an album. This is where Uttara’s leon was the first to identify his imperial ideas special contribution must be acknowledged. with the ancient Roman Empire. Very soon it She brought imagination, creativity, histori- was taken up by the British….Human figures, cal insight, poetry and an abundant energy particularly busts, were executed in the classi- while the work on producing the book was in cal style following the famous busts of the Ro- progress. Poetry came when she christened man emperors or those of the patricians". The the book, Time Past and Time Present, by bor- ideological-historical context is very precisely rowing from T.S.Eliot. We had no role in it, but delineated. These comments, strewn through were happy with the name she chose. Her the volume, endow the book with a critical imagination and historical insight endowed perspective which elevates it, in part, to a her little introductions with the authenticity proper historical narrative as well. The process and critical treatment that history demands. of transition from curiosity about the exotic to We clubbed the sections together, but the in- an imperial urge to dominate and appropriate troduction, written by her, titled "The Dialogue has been traced with appropriate examples. with the East’ informed the long narrative with Her passion and enthusiasm were infectious; a critical world-historical perspective. The it touched not only her co-compilers, but, as exotic east enchanted the British; the urge to the acknowledgement shows, a cross-section know the 'other' was also important. But the of the colleagues as well. It is this spirit that 19th century transformed the perspective; breathed life into the book. the eye had changed. A possible exchange We feel constrained to point out that the was substituted by a new imperial hauteur. book still does not have any editor. Newly discovered flora and fauna were named Subhas Ranjan Chakraborty after the rulers. A pheasant brought to notice Vice President, The Asiatic Society in 1828 was named after Lady Amherst, for Ramkrishna Chatterjee example. Solvyns found the native boats to Publication Secretary, The Asiatic Society

34 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 In Memoriam

Professor Vinay Kumar Srivastava (3.12.1952-23.12.2020)

Professor Srivastava has to his credit a good number of self-authored and edited books including Hindi as well as more than hundred original papers published in a number of peer reviewed professional journals in this country and abroad. His main areas of study and research One could easly imagine about the mental state of were comparative religion, caste and tribal sys- a person who has to write a few lines in memoriam tems, peasant communities and anthropological of a close friend clearly younger by ten years. Vinay theories and methods. Fieldwork, field method- got stuck in my heart since a decade back when both ology and related theoretical issues were the of us had presented papers in a national seminar at subjects very dear to his heart and on these a Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts in New Delhi. book was published by him from Oxford Univer- But our closeness thickened when he joined as the sity Press, New Delhi. Among a number of worth Director, Anthropological Survey of India, Kolkata mentioning papers he published his last essay from where I had superannuated almost eighteen in 2020 in the Journal of the Anthropological years back. Though junior by age but, unhesitat- Survey of India on the Draft Policies for the Great ingly speaking, he was much senior to me by his Andamanese and the Sentinelese of Andaman academic height. Islands. He was the Editor of the journal Social A life of 68, certainly not the ripe age by Change and a few others. modern standard, though bloomed well yet left As a recognition of his scholarship he was much promise to be still fulfilled. A Ph.D. from honoured with many coveted awards from differ- Cambridge University (1994), he did both M.Sc. ent academic and professional bodies. The Asiatic in Anthropology from Delhi University (1974) Society, Kolkata awarded him the Panchanan and M.A. in Sociology from Delhi School of Eco- Mitra Lectureship in 2010. He was a Central Govt. nomics (1976). Vinay taught Sociology in Hindu nominee in the Council of the Asiatic Society, College under Delhi University for about ten years a member in the National Commission for the before joining the Dept. of Anthropology, Delhi sub-categorization of Other Backward Classes, University as lecturer in Social Anthropology in Govt. of India and also a member in the National 1985 and gradually rose to the rank of Professor Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi- in 1997 and superannuated in 2017 as the Head Nomadic Tribes, Govt. of India. of the Department. In between he served Hindu Professor Vinay Kumar Srivastava leaves be- College as the Principal for about two years hind his wife and a son, a daughter, grandchild (2010-12). Twenty-four research students got and innumerable students, colleagues, friends, their Ph.D. awards under his supervision. admirers and well wishers for a rare combination His stint in the last leg of professional career of characters of an ideal family person, a com- was as the Director of Anthropological Survey of mitted teacher and a researcher, an eloquent India, Kolkata, from August, 2017 till the end of his speaker, and an unforgettable smiling face which life, being a victim of CORONA infliction. While in will haunt many of us in the years to come. Kolkata he also served for brief spell as the Director May his noble soul rest in eternal peace. of Moulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute for Asian Studies and Raja Rammohan Roy Library Founda- tion on dual charge in addition to his assignment Satyabrata Chakrabarti as the Director of Anthropological Survey. General Secretary, The Asiatic Society

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 35 In Memoriam

Maradona’s Moments: FIFA World Cup, Argentina and Bengali Fandom

Sometimes I think my whole life is on film, moments of his career in the FIFA World Cup.4 that my whole life is in print. But it’s not Two important events happened in 1978 like that, it’s not like that at all, there are which attracted and distracted the attention things which are only in my heart – that of Bengalis. First, Argentina led by Mario no one knows. Kempes and coached by Cesar Luis Menotti Diego Armando Maradona1 became world champions in the 1978 World Cup. Second, Menotti left out the teenage In terms of football fandom, Bengal was a Argentine sensation Diego Armando Mara- land of Brazil till the mid-1980s. The famous dona from the national side in the same Bengali sports litterateur Moti Nandy’s dream World Cup, creating some furore in the me- character Prasun dia across the world. Bhattacharya in his It was “the biggest novel Striker aspired disappointment” of to play for Brazil.2 his life, yet “it marked The Brazilian samba me for ever, it de- in football led by Pele fined me.”5 Anger and his compatriots and revengefulness penetrated deep into – by-products of his the hearts of Ben- exit from the team galis by the 1960s. – were to remain as Although Brazil did fuel for Maradona’s not fare well in the genius throughout Artist : Elnur Mahmudov 1970s, Calcutta alias his career. As a man Bengal remained what Boria Majumdar from the poverty-stricken slums of Buenos called a ‘subcontinental Brazilian colony’ till Aires, he always turned the table whenever the early 1980s.3 The Bengali attachment to he suffered a setback. That’s how he came to Brazilian football reached its pinnacle with limelight when he blazed through his way to Pele’s farewell visit to India in September help Argentina win the first FIFA Coca Cola 1977. However, this was overturned in the Youth World Cup in Japan in 1979. Bengalis 1980s with the rise of an Argentine enigma - have always been great lovers of the art of Diego Armando Maradona, who turned the dribbling, and Maradona had already attained majority of Bengalis into Argentina fans and the stature of a magical dribbler in his teens. transformed Bengal into a ‘subcontinental In 1982 for the first time, a few World Cup Argentine colony’. This short essay intends matches were telecast live in India. Although to comment on the impact of Maradona on not a great tournament for Argentina, Mara- Bengali football fandom in terms of some key dona showed his mettle. Faced with brutal

36 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 In Memoriam tackles and fouls serially from the defenders, in Bengalis’ transnational fandom. It is also a hard-hit dejected Maradona ultimately hit argued that Maradona’s personal life and back at a Brazilian player to earn a red card political beliefs fuelled the Bengali passion and leave the World Cup in 1982, followed for Maradona.8 ‘Marxist’ Bengalis found in by his team’s exit. The young player crying Maradona, a devotee of Cuban revolution- out of the ground after receiving the red card ary leaders Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, an became a picture of sorrow for thousands of ideal prototype of Third World revolutionary Bengalis who remained heart-broken also be- in the arena of sports. The Bengali alias In- cause of Brazil’s subsequent exit from the Cup. dian media too placed Diego on such a high Then came Mexico 1986. World Cup pedestal that he almost became the last word matches were telecast live for the first time in football replacing Pele. The ‘hand of god’, on television in a large number of countries at least in Bengal, helped in his deification. in Asia including India. It was solely Mara- There was a very popular saying in Bengal dona’s Cup although it comprised a galaxy in the late 1980s - the height of God is 5’5” of soccer stars – Zico (Brazil), Michel Platini because that was Diego’s height. From the (France), Enzo Scifo (Belgium), Gary Linekar late 1990s, the same deification was applied (England), and Karl-Heinz Rumenigge (West to the persons of Sachin Tendulkar in India, Germany) – but overshadowed and over- whose height, incidentally, is also 5’5”. No whelmed by Diego. Argentina won the Cup other sportsperson has achieved this divine for the second time under Diego’s captaincy stature in Bengal/India. with the display of his mesmerizing skill and While Maradona’s life and career were brilliant goals that bewitched and captivated always wrought with contradictions,9 his pres- 6 the hearts of millions across the world. While ence in the World Cup was something that lifting the coveted Cup may have been the made the average Bengali emotionally com- greatest moment of his life, the most critical mitted to him and to Argentina. With 1986, moments in the Cup came during Argentina’s the Bengali football world was raged over match against England. This classic match the arch rivalry between Argentina and Brazil, witnessed Diego’s infamous ‘hand of god’ goal parallel to and cutting across the traditional as well as his ‘goal of the century’.7 Both raised Mohun Bagan-East Bengal rivalry in Bengal his stature to something unprecedented and football.10 The debates and contests over the unnatural - a football god in the making. The rivalry often led to violence, in which Bengali Argentina fans in Bengal began to believe Argentina fans had mostly have the edge. that he could do no wrong and consequently Controversies and inconsistencies mostly hailed his second goal as a befitting reply to off the field11 accompanied Diego as he grew critics world over, who blasted the ‘hand of up to become the world’s greatest football god’. 12 The rise of Maradona transformed Benga- icon of the time. But whatever happened lis’ predominant sober Brazilian fan identity with him, Bengalis in the late 1980s patiently into a dominant aggressive Argentine fan- awaited the next World Cup to watch their dom. As the Cup went on, Bengal became hero play again. It was also around this time divided into two fan groups - the predomi- that occasional telecast of Italian Serie A nantly Argentina fans comprising mostly the and Copa America began and Bengalis had youth and women and the minority Brazil the opportunity to watch Diego play for Na- supporters consisting primarily of senior and poli, not too well-known club of Italy, which middle-aged people. I was witness to and rose to prominence—thanks to his singular a part of this fundamental transformation performance. The unnatural talent of Maradona and the

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 37 In Memoriam increasing foul play to contain him on the field claiming innocence, cried like a child and so seemed to have given the Bengalis a deeper did his fans around the world and in Bengal. sense of emotional appreciation of the man Bengalis even went on to argue that if the on and off the field. He became the gharer prohibited medicine which he took could chhele (home boy) of the Bengali household. produce a football wizard like him, it should Team Argentina was not that strong in 1990; be allowed and he should be allowed to yet their coach Bilardo declared that his team play in the Cup. A dejected Argentina side, had Maradona plus 10 other players largely despite being a very good team, after his resembling the Bengali depiction of Diego as exit, performed poorly to make a second a superman. Although Argentina reached the round exit from the Cup. The 1994 World Cup final—thanks to Maradona’s magic and Sergio was Maradona’s swan song in international Goycochea’s goalkeeping brilliance, it was football. Interestingly, two great players from defeated by Germany by a disputed penalty Bulgaria and Rumania – Hristo Stoichkov and awarded by the Mexican referee Edgardo Gheorghe Hagi, both nicknamed ‘Maradona’ Codesal Mendez. Argentina fans in Bengal, of their countries, dazzled the world with unable to put up with such ‘injustice’ and the their skill in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups subsequent sight of break-down of Maradona respectively and became quite popular in in tears, condemned the referee’s action, Bengal for understandable reasons. staged public demonstrations, went in agitat- These World Cup moments of Maradona ed processions along with the with vociferous p e r s o n a l i t y slogans, burnt cult that grew Mendez’s ef- around him in figy, and de- Bengal made m a n d e d h i s generations of p ro s e c u t i o n Bengalis virtual and even hang- Argentina fans. ing. In fact, it Maradona’s life, seemed if Men- career and ac- dez was avail- tion remain a able in Calcutta, spectacle for Bengalis would Bengalis across have killed him. generations as B e t w e e n Diego Maradona laid to rest next to his parents in a private for millions oth- 1990 and 1994 ceremony maintaining COVID-19 norms ers in Argentina Maradona’s career was plagued by drug and around the world.13 Post Maradona the scandals and character assassination. He legacy continued with Bengalis looking for an was suspended for 15 months in 1991-92 for incarnation of his prodigious talent in the likes cocaine use as well. He was still dominating of Ariel Ortega, Juan Roman Riquelme and Li- global football news for wrong reasons. But onel Messi, Argentine football stars after him. Bengalis were firm, as Maradona himself The strength of Argentina’s fan base among also probably was, that he would play and Bengalis in the new century depended mostly bounce back in the 1994 World Cup again. on the legacy bequeathed by Maradona. He did. However, Diego was tested positive in The public hysteria during Maradona’s two the drug test after Argentina’s group match visits to Kolkata in 2008 and 2017 surprised against Nigeria and was banned from the Cup. Maradona himself. Thus Maradona remains an The whole world was stunned. Maradona, unmatched phenomenon for his fans among

38 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 In Memoriam

Bengalis. Maradona’s genius and emotion de Morais and Túlio Velho Barreto, “The Hand transcended all his childishness, indiscipline, of God, the Hand of the Devil: a sociological addictions, scandals and wrongs to make him interpretation of Maradona’s hand goal”, Soccer a supernatural Bengali hero. Maradona’s own & Society, vol. 15, no. 5 (2014), pp. 671-84; the words serve best his epitaph that Bengalis second one dwells on the cultural significance of the shirt Maradona wore in that match as would also love to read: a museum object: John Hughson and Kevin I know I’m not one to change the world Moore, “‘Hand of God’, Shirt of the Man: The but I’m not going to let anybody into my Materiality of Diego Maradona”, Costume, vol. world to tell me what to do. To dictate how 46, no. 2, 2012, pp. 212-25. my match is going to go, to dictate my life. 8 For an engrossing discussion on this, see Nobody will ever make me believe that my Sarbajit Mitra and Souvik Naha, “Politics and mistakes with drugs or in business have international fandom in a fringe nation: La Al- changed my feelings. Nothing. I am the same biceleste, Maradon and Marxist Kolkata”, Sport as always. I’m me, Maradona. I am El Diego.14 in Society, vol. 20, nos. 5-6 (2017), pp. 660-74. 9 For an intriguing biography of Maradona, see Notes Jimmy Burns, The Hand of God: The Life of Diego Maradona, London: Bloomsbury, 1997. 1 Diego Armando Maradona, with Daniel Ar- 10 For a detailed discussion on Mohun Bagan- cucci and Ernesto Cherquis Bialo, El Diego: the East Bengal arch rivalry in Bengal, see Kausik autobiography of the world’s greatest footballer, Bandyopadhyay, Scoring Off the Field: Football London: Yellow Jersey Press, 2004, p. 1. Culture in Bengal, 1911-80, New Delhi, Rout- 2 Moti Nandy, Striker, Calcutta: Ananda, 1973. ledge, 2011, pp. 167-98. 3 Boria Majumdar, “Kolkata colonized: soccer in 11 An interesting piece in this regard is: Nicolas a subcontinental ‘Brazilian colony’”, Soccer & Salazar-Sutil, “Maradona Inc.: Performance Society, vol. 3, no. 2 (2002), pp. 70-86. Politics off the Pitch”, International Journal 4 Some of my earlier journalistic writings have of Cultural Studies, vol. 11, no. 4 (2008), pp. briefly dealt with this theme. See, for example, 441–58. Kausik Bandyopadhyay, “Maradona Nation”, 12 The most popular documentary on Maradona’s Indian Express, 4 December 2020; “Bangali becoming of the world’s greatest football Bhagobaner Ucchata Panch Foot Panch Inchi”, icon of his time is: Emir Kusturica, Maradona, Robibaroyari, Ei Somoy, 17 June 2018; “Atmak- Optimum Home, 2009. athoneo Akopot o Abegmoy”, Ei Somoy, 29 13 A fine piece of writing on Maradona as spec- November 2020. tacle is by Eduardo P. Archetti, “The Spectacle 5 Maradona, El Diego, p. 23. of a Heroic Life: The Case of Diego Maradona”, 6 For a fascinating narrative of how Argen- in Sport Stars: The Cultural Politics of Sporting tina won the Cup, see Diego Maradona and Celebrity, edited by David L. Andrews and Ste- Daniel Arcucci, Touched by God: How We Won ven J. Jackson, pp. 151–63, London: Routledge, the Mexico ’86 World Cup, New York: Penguin 2001. Books, 2016. 14 Maradona, El Diego, p. 286. 7 Two important works are worthy of mention in this regard. The first one is an interesting Kausik Bandyopadhyay sociological analysis of Maradona’s ‘Hand of Professor of History God’: Simone Magalhães Britto, Jorge Ventura West Bengal State University, Barasat, West Bengal

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 39 Heritage Matters

Madhuśreƒika : A God, Human or Guild? Ranjusri Ghosh Senior Academic Fellow, Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi.

The term madhuśreƒika is found in a found at Valgūdar, a closely situated village dedicatory inscription on a pedestal of an is Rajauna, another important settlement image-sculpture in stone. The text was site. The Lakhisarai town is situated at 3 transliterated and translated by the re- km. far from it. All are in the present La- nowned epigraphist D.C. Sircar. In January khisarai district. 1950 he1 conducted a tour for searching The inscription on the pedestal about inscribed images in a particular region with which I made a mention above happened a good number of old villages near the rail- to be the earliest one. It, however, does way stations, Mankatha, Lakhisarai, Kiul not have a date, his primary concern, and Kajra in southern Bihar. Even after but mentions the name of the Pāla king the theft of a good number of images these Dharmapāla. The portion from above the villages are very rich in stone sculptures pedestal had been lost and therefore the belonging to the early medieval period. His image of the deity remained out of sight. chief objective was to discover the inscribed He observed that the script employed in images especially those having the name inscribing the text was prevalent in the late and reigning year of kings because that eighth-early ninth century (Dharmapāla is would help in filling the lacuna in the Pāla assigned to 770-810 CE). Another reason chronology2. In addition, he maintained that for which he was happy was the fact that it historically an image inscription may also speaks of K\milā as an adhi%[hāna, a city be regarded important if it provides with where the administrative headquarters the information of the localities, such as was situated. It was the place where the the place the image was consecrated or the image was installed. The actual place of dedicator of that image hailed from (1953: consecration of the image-sculpture should 138). He found several inscriptions on Bud- have been a temple in that city. The name dhist and Brāhmaƒical image-sculptures is mentioned in two other inscriptions too. It during that tour, but only three were found helped situating K\milā, the headquarters interesting because of the information he had been searching. All the three were

1 When he had been serving the Epigraphy Branch of the Archaeological Survey of India (1949-62). 2 Which, however, not yet finalized even after the publication of several dated inscriptions after the death of Sircar. Sircar 1958: between pp. 144-5/No.1

40 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 Heritage Matters of the vi%aya of the same name (i.e. K\milā) figured in any early sources as the name of in the province (bhukti) of Pā[aliputra a god. Naturally, Sircar was not much con- or Śrīnagara, around the present village vinced about his unique suggestion that the Valgūdar. No doubt all these pieces of word denoted the name of the god portrayed information from a small epigraph of two above the pedestal and gave an explanation, lines turned out to be a source of enough short and swift. He said that if “the visarga satisfaction for a historian in D.C. Sircar.3 in madhuśreƒika‰ is ignored, that expres- But a word, madhuśrēƒika, in it ap- sion may be taken as an adjective of the per- peared puzzling to Sircar. The full text of the sonal name Sālō, although in either case its inscription reproduced above is as follows: real import remains doubtful (1953: 140).” What it means is that as visarga has been L.1. Siddham (symbol) śrī-dharma- used so it is a proper noun and, in that case, pāladēva-rājyē k\milā-adhi%[hānē it should be the name of god whose image is madhuśrēƒika[‰] missing. In many instances god’s name was L.2. Sālō-dharmmapatnī-ajhūkēna dēva- inscribed along with the devotee-dedicator’s dharmmō=ya> kārita‰ // name and Sircar thought it happened in this Tr. Let there be success! (The god) case also. Later in 1997, G. Bhattacharya, Madhuśrēƒika (is installed) in the city of another efficient epigraphist, in relation K\milā during the reign of the illustrious with a dated Avalokiteśvara image from Dharmapāladēva, this meritorious gift (i.e. Bihar mentions this inscription in ‘Notes the image) is caused to be made by Ajhuka4 (no. 4)’ to express his doubt about the iden- who is the wife of Sālō. -Sircar 1953: 144-5. tification of the image asMadhuśre ƒika by The word madhuśreƒika has not been Sircar. He states that ‘it appears to be an found in the inscribed sources and never it epithet of the donor’s husband,’ i.e. Sālo. But saying this he also left the matter without a further probe to establish his point. It 3 But the situation in which he found the stone piece was really shocking and is something unlike a critical scholar G. shows the utmost ignorance of common Bhattacharya who corrected many wrong mass about the priceless sources of his- information taking support from textual tory. This piece was lying on the house- sources. However, the controversy did not compound of a villager, Babu Kesav stop there. After a gap of about one and a Sinha, and people used it as a platform half decades, we witness another instance of to wash their feet (p. 138)! referring to this inscription first in an article 4 The long sign ‘ū’ seems to have been inad- published in 2011 and again in another arti- vertently omitted by Sircar in translation. cle by the same author in 2019. The author, The name Ajhuka is found in another inscription from Kurkihar, Gaya district, Anil Kumar, apparently used the inscrip- belonging to the time of Devapāla (Gupta tion to reveal the political and economic 1965: 152-3). What is striking is that the importance of Valgūdar or the ancient city name following the female naming pat- of K\milā. His investigation5 brought forth a tern of the time should have been Ajhukā. vast area about 72 square km., consisting of As it is ‘ka’ the use of instrumental suf- fifty-five mounds (or eighty-five), hundreds fix ‘ena’ made it Ajhukena. This makes of sculptures, many ponds, architectural the name as of a male although in both remains and brick structures (Kumar 2019: cases they had been represented as mar- ried ladies. The probable explanation is 5 He recently has undertaken excavations that perhaps the name originally was at Lalpahari jointly with Bihar Virasat Ajhukena/Ajhūkena and not Ajhuka or Vikas Samiti headed by Bijoy Kumar Ajhūka. Choudhary.

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 41 Heritage Matters

10).6 The vast settlement locality developed hary’s high esteem about Sircar, the legen- with the Valgūdar as the focal site. No doubt dary figure in Indian epigraphy. The same the investigation is very important for our text and interpretation have been given in understanding about the significance of Kumar’s 2019 article (p.8) again. The term Valgūdar. It reveals, on the other hand, how Śreƒī (from Śreƒika) has been mentioned to Sircar without having knowledge of such a mean a guild in other places of his articles rich archaeological deposit over a large area also (e.g. 2011: 30; 2019: 34). had correctly envisaged the importance of Kumar used two expressions this village. madhuśreƒika and deva-dharmmo=ya> Kumar has changed the meaning of with new explanations but without substan- two important expressions in the text tiating them with evidence or examples from from what Sircar had made. We cite him sources. Regarding the first,madhuśre ƒika here: ‘In this regard, an inscription, from which he interpreted as guild of honey col- Valgūdar deciphered by D.C. Sircar is lectors, we wish to say first that a standard important, which mentions the name of pattern or formula was followed when a gift a vi%aya K\milā (administrative unit) of was registered (on image-sculpture, pillar or Gupta period and he argues that Valgūdar other architectural items) in which certain was the centre of K\milā vi%aya’. The primary data were incorporated such as the reference in footnote 13 leaves no doubt date of consecration (for which normally the that he speaks of the inscription which I year of the reigning king or a prominent discuss here. But in the next sentence he era is used), auspicious day on which the again says, ‘In one inscription deciphered consecration was held (an astrologically by D.C. Sircar it is mentioned that in the auspicious day or tithi), donor’s own intro- Dharmapāla’s state of K\milā vi%aya Madhu duction (profession as what he/she is, the Śreƒika (a guild of probably honey collec- names of parent/s, ancestors in case of male; tors) in honour of Dharmapāla has founded only parent/s for unmarried girl, parent/s a Devadhammāyam7 (a religious centre)’. and in-laws as well as husband for married He gave the meaning of Madhuśreƒika lady) and sometimes place names in relation (separating it into two Madhu and Śreƒika) with residence of the donor or the place and evidently on the basis of this inscription establishment where the dedication was but now he refers in footnote 14 to R.K. made. Some more pieces of information Choudhary’s Select Inscriptions of Bihar may be available but occasionally. There are as the source of the inscription (Kumar cases of omissions from essential entries too 2011: 28), perhaps as he did not accept the but their elaborations are not required for translation of Sircar. R.K. Choudhary has the present subject. not given the translation of any inscription The term śreƒī as guild had been in and he got his book forwarded by no other use in the early historical and subsequent but D.C. Sircar himself. This shows Choud- periods. Here the term is madhuśreƒi, ‘ka’ being a suffix, a very common practice for 6 It is a much larger area than what he words importing name in this time. The gave in 2011 evidently on the basis of dedicatory text in question clearly repre- further investigation. The first and ma- sents Ajhūka, the wife (dharmapatnī) of jor explorative survey of this area was Sālo, as the dedicator of the religious gift, undertaken by A. Cunningham in 1971-2 deva-dharmma. The gift in this case is an during which he explored several villages which subsequently were investigated by image-sculpture which unfortunately was many. broken and remains untraceable till date. 7 Actual reading is deva-dharmmo=ya>. But Kumar represents madhuśreƒika, the

42 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 Heritage Matters guild of honey collectors, as the dedicator sufficient solid sources we cannot afford of a religious centre. He changed the object to ignore even a single word engraved on of dedication too. The image-gift has been datable materials. A particular word can transformed into a gift of religious centre, illuminate us about the prevalent society Devadhammāyam (sic). Deva-dharma or if an integrated approach, a researcher’s its Pāli equivalent deyyadhamma (with capability and willingness of considering all variants) has been used in place of dharma- available sources of information, is present. dāna in a large number of dedicatory texts The term madhuśreƒi, was not unknown in Bihar. Originally it was used by the Bud- in early Indian texts of varied nature. dhists (first in Mathura) but later by other M. Monier-Williams’ Sanskrit-English non-Buddhist donors too. It was believed Dictionary (2002) reveals that it is an that the act of dedication would accrue alternative term for Śauƒ]ika and Maƒ] merit (puƒya) so it is regarded as dharma, a-hāraka (p. 780). Of all the three Śauƒ] a righteous act. It is interpreted as ‘merito- ika seems to have been a most commonly rious gift’, ‘pious gift’ and ‘religious gift’ by used term. It has been used normally in scholars and never as a ‘religious centre’. An masculine form to mean a distiller and article of Gouriswar Bhattacharya is very vendor of spirits or liquor (in Yājñavalkya, helpful in this regard where he has shown Rāmāyaƒa and B\hatsa>hitā). Sometimes the space, time and spread of this expres- a particular people were also called Śauƒ] sion Deva-dharma (Bhattacharya 2000: īka (Mahābhārata, Calcutta edition). A 385-406). Now we will come to the term female was known as Śauƒ]īkī as a keeper madhuśreƒika to find its actual import in of a liquor-shop. We see its connection with this image inscription. liquor is very strong. In the caste system Scholars who deal with dedicatory in- all the three, Madhuśreƒika, Śauƒ]ika and scriptions know that wrong spelling and Maƒ]a-hāraka, were assigned a low position grammatical mistakes are very common in in the category of mixed caste. Regarding them. Sircar, an acclaimed epigraphist, with the parents the sources are not unanimous his profound knowledge in palaeography, but not also generous either, some define Sanskrit, Prakrit, ancient literature and him as the son of a Kaivarta father and several other types of texts from which infor- Gandhika mother while some others say mation on Indian history are extracted, had his father is a Ni%[ya and mother a Śūdrā very efficiently edited and translated many (p. 1093). Previously, Ni%[ya meant foreign, difficult epigraphical texts. It is really per- external, etc. (gveda, Atharvaveda, and plexing that he left the term madhuśreƒika Vājasaneyī Sa>hitā) later the lexicons without consulting the relevant texts. The called him Mleccha and Caƒ]āla (p. 563). meaning of madhuśreƒika and its bearing The term Mleccha denoted any foreigner on social history is significant. Sircar, like in India. So, we see the original import had many renowned scholars in early Indian not been lost. history, never reckoned dedicatory inscrip- From the above discussion we may con- tions as a source for social history. Sircar vincingly describe Sālo as belonging to a expressed in clear terms about the type of professional class known as madhuśreƒika. information he felt important which only a He manufactured spirits and distributed it few of them, the otherwise negligible writ- to other retailers. The term denoted a caste ten materials created by private individu- as well as a profession and used in this als, can provide (we mentioned his opinion epigraph to imply who Sālo was. He made above). Given the fact that for the early handsome wealth from this work. From period of Indian history we do not have the archaeological remains it seems that

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 43 Heritage Matters

Valgūdar had been a place of choice for set- uncommon term was chosen with the help tling down from the pre-Gupta times. Only of a good sanskritist (sa>sk\tajña) by the proper excavations can reveal the exact time dedicator. This is an interesting example of the beginning of habitation in this place. of the social inhibitions on the one hand Benefited with the fluvial linkages of three and clever manoeuvres to avoid hurting the rivers, Ganga, Haruhar and Kiul, the area sentiment for the successful execution of the enjoyed wide accessibility with important dedication on the other. places and grew gradually. As a headquar- References: ters of a vi%aya it must have among others some very rich and influential families. Here Bhattacharya, Gouriswar, ‘A Dated lived several professionals, administrators, Avalokiteśvara Image of the Devapāla Pe- high ranking officials, traders, artists and riod’, Living a Life in Accord with Dhamma, artisans. Sculptures from this area has Papers in Honour of Professor Jean Boisselier shown predominance of Brāmaƒical reli- on His Eightieth Birthday, ed. Natasha Eilen- berg, M.C. Subhadradis Diskul & Robert L. gious culture from the Gupta to the tenth Brown, Bangkok, Silpokam University, May century CE, Buddhism entered later but 1997: 83-90; Reprinted in Essays on Buddhist gradually got a good hold over the house- Hindu Jain Iconogrphy & Epigraphy, Studies holders up to the end of twelfth century. on Bengal Art Series: No.1, The International In such a rich urban society the presence Centre for studies on Bengal Art (hereafter of distillers of spirits and vendors of liquor ICSBA), Dhaka, 2000: 139-46. seems quite natural. What is noteworthy is Bhattacharya, Gouriswar, ‘Dāna-Deyadharma: the choice of word denoting the profession of Donation in Early Buddhist Records (in Sālo. The avoidance of the term Śauƒ]ika is Brāhmī)’, Essays on Hindu Buddhist and Jain significant. It seems that a Śauƒ]ika, oth- Iconography and Epigraphy, International erwise an essential part of society, despite Centre for the Study of Bengal Art: Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2000: 385-406. Originally pub- his wealth and the demand for his product lished in Investigating Indian Art, Professor to the well-off class, had not been given a Hartel Festschrift, Berlin, Germany, 1987: respectable position in society. His work was 39-60. not regarded as good or proper for society Choudhary, R.K., Select Inscriptions of Bihar, and, so he searched out an uncommon term, Patna, 1958. which literally means a professional class Gupta, P.L., Patna Museum Catalogue of An- in relation with honey but actually distil- tiquities (Stone Sculptures, Metal images, lation of intoxicating materials, wine, etc. Terracottas and Minor Antiquities), Patna Individuals possessing wealth who were Museum: Patna, 1965. capable to afford the cost of a religious gift Kumar, Anil, ‘K\milā, A Forgotten Adhi%[hāna chose temples attended by many devotees of Early Medieval Eastern India’, Indian His- torical Review,38/1, 2011. New Delhi: Indian even from other places as it would increase Council of Historical Research: 23-50. the volume of prestige in society. A well- Kumar, Anil, ‘Krimila: A Forgotten Nagar of executed image-sculpture with his/her name Early Medieval Eastern India’, NMML: Occa- written on it left a good and lasting impact sional Paper (History and Society), New Delhi: in those times. The term Śauƒ]ika (Śauƒ] Nahru Memorial Museum and Library, 2019. a meaning drunk) or Maƒ]a-hāraka (maƒ] Sircar, D.C., ‘Three Inscriptions from Valgudar’ a meaning the scum of boiled rice) would Epigraphia Indica 28, April 50/Part VI, Delhi: have created negative feelings among the Manager of Publications, 1953: 37-45. devotees of the god in this particular area. Monier-Williams, M., A Sanskrit-English They could have opposed the idea of instal- Dictionary, corrected edition, Delhi: Motilal lation of this image in a temple too. So, an Banarsidass, 2002, reprint, 2011.

44 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 Heritage Matters

An Umalingana Stone Image from Raina, Purba Bardhaman Rangan Kanti Jana Curator, Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Burdwan

Recently Museum and Art Gallery, The two vehicles Bull and Lion are curved in the University of Burdwan recovered one stone sitting posture. Behind the Lion there are a image of Umalingana. few human figures in Kneeling posture with folded hands. The lower end of the back slab Provenance : Bamunia, Raina-1 (Hijalna Gram is in Pancharatha style. Panchayat) Apart from the aforesaid image the Muse- Material : Stone (Schist) um and Art Gallery through explorations had Size : 38.5’’ x 23’’ recovered two more Umalingana stone imag- Time : Early Medieval Period (stylisti- es of the early cally) medieval pe- riod from Man- Description galkot (Katwa The male God (Siva) is presented sitting Subdivision, on a double petalled full blown lotus with the Purba Bardha- pendant right leg resting on a lotus, which man). Several is fitted on his vehicle’s back (Bull) and his ancient texts consort Uma sits on the left thigh (Siva) with (Early Medieval hanging out her left leg on a lotus, which is period) like— curved on her vehicle (Lion). The figures are Matsya Pura- seated in the Sukhasana mudra. The God is na (Ch-260), represented as embracing the goddess. It Saradatilaka appears that the God Siva has four hands, Tantra (Ch-18), his upper left hand holds a trident and upper Prapanchasara right hand with a full blown lotus. His lower Tantra bear the left hand is placed on her (Uma’s) left breast invocation of and the lower right hand touches her chin. Umalingana The embraced goddess is gazing towards dhyanas. But it Siva. Uma sportively touching with her right is quite difficult hand the right shoulder of the God (Siva). to resolve that Photo: Shyamsundar Bera By her left hand she holds a mirror. Both the images re- Uma and Siva are ornamented and fitted covered so far from Purba Bardhaman did with fine cloths. The back slab is pointed at not follow the aforesaid textual prescriptions. the top with a Kirttimukha and with flying Gaundharvas. Below the God and Goddess

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 45 New Books from Reader's Choice

Early Indian to combine empirical soundness and critical History and acumen. Beyond: Es- The second part of this book consists of says in Honour twenty-six essays, laid out in five sections, all of B.D. Chat- inspired by Chattopadhyaya’s areas of inter- topadhyaya, est. The first section is called ‘Historical Per- edited by Os- spectives from Texts’ where Phyllis Granoff mund Bope- in her essay Birds, Babes and Bodhisattvas: arachchi and Truth and Fiction in the Life of Buddha argues S u c h a n d r a for teasing out new meaning of Buddhist texts Ghosh, Pri- beyond literal meaning. The next essay by mus Books, Patrick Olivelle entitled Showbiz in Ancient Delhi, 2019, India: Data from the Arthaś stra takes us to Price : Rs. the world of entertainment. Kumkum Roy 1395.00 in her essay The antelope, the Yak and other Things: An Exploration of Banabhattas Har- Professor Brajadulal Chattopadhyaya or shacharita, examines the relationship between B. D. Chattopadhyaya or ‘BDC’ to students the courtly/brahmanical tradition and the like me remains an iconic figure in Indian wild/less sedentary populations. In her essay historical studies, especially for his exemplary “Kingship in Early Kashmir: New Perspec- contribution to the understanding of early and tives from the Rājataraṅgiṇī,” Shonaleeka early medieval India. Even the term ‘Early Kaul views kingship through the perspectives Medieval’ is quite synonymous to his name of the twelfth century royal chronicle from and writings. Recently Osmund Bopearach- Kashmir, the Rājataraṅgiṇī by Kalhaṇa. The chi and Suchandra Ghosh edited a book in last essay in this section is ‘B.P. Sahu’s Sara- his honour namely, Early Indian History And la’s Odre-desa: Literary Representations of a Beyond: Essays in Honour of B.D. Chatto- Regional Society’ where he demonstrates how padhyaya.The book is a tribute to Professor the content and context of the text provided us Chattopadhyaya’s profound scholarship by a with insights into contemporary socio-cultural community of well-known scholars. patterns and practices of the Odiya society. The book is divided into two broad sec- In the section ‘Looking Through the Epi- tions. The first section comprises essays on graphic Lens’ , the first essay is by P.K.Basant. his life and works and a special personal In his essay, ‘Seeing the State: A Study of the reminiscence. The personal reminiscence is Visuals and Inscriptions at Sanchi’, Basant from Gouriswar Bhattacharya, the renowned brings in B.D.Chattopadhyaya’s formulation epigraphist and art historian who recounted of “autonomous spaces” to argue from his his long association with Professor Chat- sources that village communities, corporate topadhyaya. Romila Thapar gives us a fasci- institutions and guilds were not alternative nating introduction to B.D Chattopadhyaya’s but parallel centres of authority. Masahiko works by traversing through the major themes Mita in his essay ‘The Formats of Grant that Chattopadhyaya addressed in his histori- Charters and the Stratified Royalty under the cal writings. Suchandra Ghosh has narrated Pratihāra Rule’ takes up the format of copper his academic journey through his works and plate charters issued by the samantas taking highlighted how as a historian Chattopad- the stratified rulers under the Pratihāras as a hyaya stands out for his outstanding abilities case study. BDC critiqued the Urban Decay

46 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 New Books from Reader's Choice theory while formulating his argument against opens with Susmita Basu Majumdar’s essay Indian Feudalism. Ryosuke Furui following ‘Exploring the ‘South Kosala’ Myth and Re- Chattopadhyaya in his essay ‘Agrarian Ex- visitng the Early Medieval Capital Sripura’. pansion and Rural Commercialisation in Early Basu Majumdar through her study of the early Medieval North Bengal’contests the model of medieval capital city of ‘Śrīpura’ reexamines urban decay and makes a case for the commer- the so-called South Kosala myth pushing it cialisation of rural society. Rajat Sanyal in his back to a distant past. In early medieval India, essay ‘Archaeology of Early Medieval Rural Chattopadhyaya argues against the theory of Settlements in Western Bengal: The Case of declining trade economy and this argument the Malla Sarul Copperplate’ examines the is vindicated by Sabarni Pramanik Nayak’s validity of epigraphic data for understanding essay ‘Peṇṭhā in Epigraphy: Looking into the spatial dimension and evolution of society Śrīkākulām-Vizianagaram-Viœākhāpatnam in medieval rural Bengal. At the end of this Region (Eleventh–fifteenth centuries ce)’ . section, Shyam Narayan Lal’s essay entitled Her study highlights integrated network of ‘Nature of Land Control in Early Medieval various non-rural settlements in the region. Deccan’, gives us an insight of settlements Ranabir Chakravarti takes a close look at in the early medieval Deccan. Camphor as a trading commodity in Indian The third section is devoted to ‘Art and Ocean’s history in his essay ‘Aroma Across Religion’ which opens with Sarita Khettry’s the Sea: Camphor –To India, Beyond India (C. essay ‘‘Portable’ images and shrines from 1000-1300 CE)’ . The ubiquitous presence of Gāndhāra to Central Asia and China: an camphor in religious rituals, as a healing agent observation’. Here she explored the spread and as a fragrant in the Indian subcontinent is of Buddhism from Gandhara to Central undeniable in spite of the fact that it was not Asia and China through portable images an indigenous product. Chakravarti brings in and shrines. Taking cue from B.D. Chatto- the importance of trade in camphor among the padhyaya’s seminal work on the process of Jewish India traders. The section closes with religious integration, R Mahalakshmi tried Kesavan Veluthat’s essay ‘Trade, Markets to probe Chattopadhyaya’s theory in her and Urbanism: A Literary Perspective from essay on early medieval Chotonagpur and Medieval Kerala’. He privileges medieval raised some pertinent questions regarding Malayalam literature as his source and makes the transformation of society from pre-ranked an attempt to explore how the phenomena of into stratifiedst ructure. We can see the reflec- trade, market and urbanism were perceived tion of culture continuum and transformation in the texts. markers in Jae-Eun Shin’s essay ‘Redefining The final section of the book is titled ‘His- Divine Presence: A Study of Hidden Liṅgas tory and Historiography’. Here, the opening in the Mid-Brahmaputra Valley’. She defines essay is Bishnupriya Basak’s ‘Kosambi’s the divine presence Śiva in Northeast India Combined Method—its relevance to the based on hidden Liṅgas in sacred sites in the study of past material culture’. She focuses mid-Brahmaputra Valley. The last essay ‘The on D.D. Kosambi’s pioneering initiative of Temple of Gopinathji’ by Ranjusri Ghosh tells using ethnographic information where ar- us an untold story of religious connection chaeological data alone was insufficient for between east Rajasthan and Bishnupur of our understanding of past material culture. western Bengal. Nupur Dasgupta in her essay ‘Tracing the ‘City, Trade and Markets’ form the theme World of Authority: From Aśoka’s Dhaṁma of the fourth section of this book and that it to the Buddhist Roots of Social Regulation’

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 47 New Books from Reader's Choice argues that Buddhist tradition as the precur- sor of public dissemination of moral precepts নকশি কাঁথা – which might have contained the germs of legal মা-ভাষা কথন। authority provided the intellectual foundations স맍পানা : পভাত for the Aśokan dhammānuœāsana. Next essay ঘ�োষ, ৩৫০ টাকা। by Cédric Ferrier ‘Gupta Empire: theory and ভাষা একটি practice’ examines the legitimacy, integration জনগ�ো�ঠর ঘর- and autonomy of this mighty empire con- সংসার তথা sidered as the golden age in Indian history. Kunal Chakrabarti and Sayantani Pal look at সমগ্রগ জ ৎটির the Kaivartta revolt from two different per- দ্যোতক। পভাত spectives. Chakrabarti’s essay “Brahmanical ঘ�োষ স맍পািত Hegemony and the Oppressed Social Groups: ‘নকিকা শ াথঁ মা ̶ Rethinking the ‘Kaivartta Revolt’” questions ভক াষা থন’ শীর্ক সংখ্যাট বাংলা ভাষায় পঁচিশটি st the Marxi proposition of revolt by people ও ইংরাজী ভাষায় তিনটিŸŸŸéöôyØþ আটাশটি রচনার from the lower rung of the society against নকশা দিয়ে ব�োনা। লেখা巁লি সবই ভাষা সম্পর্ their oppressors with indefinable evidences. Sayantani Pal addresses the question of the আল�োচনা। সংক ৃ, পালি ও বাংলা পভৃ তি সমধিক social mobility of the Kaivarttas and draws পরিচিত এবং ক�োল, সাঁওতালী, কু ড়মালি, ö†þy’þüy, our attention to the historiography of Kaivarta কু ড়খ ওঁরাও, খারিয়া ঠার, öèþy?þ›%îû#, ö¡þ›‹þy, Revoltin her essay “Revisiting the Kaivarta ধিমাল, রাজবংশী, বি�ণ ুপ্র মণিপুরী, সাদরি, Revolt: Locating the Emergence of a Caste”. গার�ো, ডিমছা, রাভাও লি맍ব পভৃ তি তু লনামূলকভাবে Chitralekha Gupta presented an interesting ëêßºÒ পরিচিত জনজাতীয় ভাষার বিভিন দিকের study on a community called Sarakas in Pu- ওপর আল�োকপাত করা হয়েছে লেখা巁লিতে। rulia in her essay, “The Saraks of Puruliya: অধ্যপক সাধনচন্দ্র সরকারের ‘পালি ভাষার উৎস, Some Historical Problems”. Herman Kulke demonstrates in his essay “Invented Histo- বিবর্ন ও ꧍솾সঙ্কতা’ নামক ꧍솾রম떿ক পবন্, বলা ries?: Reflections on Medieval Historiography যেতে পারে, পাঠকের বিꇍদুত সিন্ দর্ন হয়ে যায়। in Orissa and Vijayanagara” how invented ‘পালি’ শব্দের ব্যৎপত্তিগত অর্, এই ভাষার উৎপত্তি, traditions and imagined historical legends öèþïöìˆy!¡†þ অঞ্চল, লিপি, öîïm* ধর্মর পভাব ও পালি finally become part of the identity of a trans- সাহিত্যর একটি সংক্প্ত 쇂পরেখা আল�োচনায় ধরা local social group. The last essay of the book, আছে। ভারতের ক�োন ক�োন বিদ্যপীঠে এই ভাষা চর্চর “Contestation on Ajanta: Re-reading Sister সুয�োগ আছে তারও একটি ঠিকানা নির্দশ করেছেন Nivedita” by Gautam Sengupta argues that the volatile intellectual environment of the early লেখক। ‘সংক ৃ ভাষায় বৈভব, অধুনা বিপন অস醿ত্ব’ twentieth century which shaped Nivedita’s শির�োনামাঙ্কিত লেখাটিতে প্রয় অধ্যপক মানবেꇍদ thought process transcended the innocent বন্দ্পাধ্যা অত্য সংগতভাবেই ভারতবর্ষর শ্রেষ domain of art and stepped into larger issues of সম্ ও অশেষ ঐশ্বর্শালিনী মহত্তম ঐতিহ্ যে cultural nationalism.This book opens up vistas সংক ৃ ভাষা ও ভাষা আশ্রিত অমূল্ রচনাসম্র, তার on new areas of research and critically revisits রক্ষ ও পসারে দুঃখজনক অনাদর ও উদাসীনতার certain old ones. A must read for anybody with কথা বলেছেন। জহরলাল নেহে쇁র ‘magnificent interest in our past. inheritance' ও ম্যক্সমূলর প্ুখ বমান্ বিদজ্জনের Kuntak Chatterji ‘the most musical language of the world’ŸŸŸ Doctoral Student, Department of Ancient অপরিমেয শক্ ও অনুপম স�ৌন্দরর অনহীন সমুদ্র Indian History and Culture, University of Calcutta

48 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 New Books from Reader's Choice

এই ভাষাটির ব্যপারে নির্লিপ্ত বিশ্বের সমস ভারতপ্রী কু মার সরদার ও বিমল কু মার ট�োপ্প। অধ্যাপকা বিদ্যবান মানুষেরই মন�োবেদনার কারণ। অধ্যপক ছনy ঘ�োষালের উপজীব্ বিষয় একটি বিলুপ্ত꧍솾 য ভাষা সত্রঞ্জন বন্দ্পাধ্যা ও জীবন নাথ যথাক্রমে খারিয়া ঠার, অধ্যপক রামবহাল তেওয়ারীর ভ�োজপুরী ‘꧍솾চীন বাংলা চর্যাীতির ভাষা পসঙ巇’ ও ‘বাংলা ভাষা-সাহিত্, ল্যাসং তমসঙের ইংরাজী রচনায় ভাষা 쇂পান্তর এক ঝলক’ নামক সন্দ দু’টিতে লেপচা জগৎ, গর্ন কু মার মল즿কের ধিমাল জনজাতি, চর্যপদের কাল থেকে বাংলা ভাষার ক্রমবিবর্তনর দ্বিন্দ্রনাথ ভকতের রাজবংশী ভাষা ও ব্রজেন্দ্রু মা ক র কাহিনি, পূর্সূরি এই ভাষার কাছে বাংলা ভাষার সিংহের বি�ণ ুপ্র মণিপুরী। সাদরি ভাষার সাতকাহন ঋণ ও বর্তমন বাংলা ভাষায় তার পভাব সম্পর �নিয়েছেন সুধীর কু মার বি�ণ যেমন গার�ো বা আ-আচিক মন�োজ্ঞ বিশ짇ষণ করেছেন। দেবীশংকর মিদ্যর উপজাতির ভাষার কথা ইংরেজিতে বলেছেন বেনেডিক্ট ‘উপভাষা সুনরবন’ öë সুনরবনী বা খারীয় ভাষার এম সাংমা এবং তু ষার কাꇍ醿 নাথ îöì¡öìSél ভ�োট- জন্মৃ বত্তান, বিকাশ, চর্যপদের ভাষার সঙ巇 এ ভাষার ব্রহ্ম বা তিব্বত-ব্রহ্ম ইন্দ-ম�োঙ্ীর ব�োর�ো শাখার নিবিড় আত্মীয়তা ও এই অঞ্চলের সাম্প্রতিক কবিদের আরেকটি উপজাতি ডিমাছা ও তাঁদের ভাষার কথা। লেখায় খারীয় ভাষার প্রয়�-কু শলতা চিত্রণের চে�ট কিরাত জাতির অন্তর আরেকটি জনজাতি রাভাদের করা হয়েছে। অধ্যাপকা সুমিতা চক্রবর্তর ‘বাংলা বিষয়ে নানান ভাবনা চিন্র ফসল সুশীল কু মার রাভা ভাষায় কথ্ চলিত ও লেখ্ চলিত সম্পরর সন্ন’ ও ইংরাজীতে লেখা উপেন রাভা হাফচামের রচনা দুটি। দীর্ কাল লালিত একটি ধারণার অবসান ঘটান�োর সিকিমের এগার�োটি সরকার-স্বীকৃ ত ভাষার অন্যত উদ্যী প্রস। লেখিকার নির্দধ উ槍চরণ, বাংলা ভাষায় লি맍বভাষা ও এই জনজাতি এসেছে অধ্যপক বুদ্ ‘চলিত ভাষা ভাবনার প্র পথিকৃ ৎ বিবেকাননই’ এল রামধক (বি এল সুব্বা)র আল�োচনার পরিসরে। চিন্ত ও কাজে, তাতে ক�োনও সংশয়ই নেই। লেখা巁লি বিশিষ অধ্যপক, গবেষক ও বিপশ榿ৎদের অধ্যপক কানন বিহারী গ�োস্বামীর ‘বর্তমন সংকটে লেখা হলেও একটি সংকলনের সব ক’টি লেখাই বাংলা ভাষা ঃ কিছু টু কর�ো ভাবনা’র সারাৎসার হল, সমমানের হওয়া সমব নয়, বলা বাল্। অধিকাংশ বিজ্ঞাপন, বাচিক শিল্প ও সংবাদ পাঠে বাংলা ভাষার লেখাই সুচিꇍ醿ত ভাব ভাবনার সুসংবদ পকাশ। ভ্র�টচার ও পশ榿মবঙ বাংলা আকাদেমির বাংলা তবে কয়েকটি লেখায় পকাশ ভঙ্র ঋজুতার অভাব, বানানবিধি বিষয়ে নানা সমস্য ও ꇍবভ্র솾ꇍ醿 সৃষ্। ‘ক�োল’ বক্তবর প�ৌনঃপুনিকতা ও 巁쇁 চꇍডাী দ�োষ দৃষ্ শব্দটির ব্যৎপত্তিগত অর্, ö†þy¡ জাতির উদ্ভব, বিস্র, এড়ায় না। বর্তমন পরিস্থিতি ও ক�োল ভাষার লিপি অরংচিতির বাংলা মুদ্রণে ছাপাখানার ভূ তের উপদ্রব থাকবে ব্বহার পভৃ তির আল�োচনা কার্তক চন্দ্র বাআদার রচনা নাŸŸŸএ অকল্পনীয়। ভাষা নিয়ে আস একটি সংকলন ‘ক�োল জাতি ও ক�োল ভাষা’। সুশীল হাঁসদা ও প্রয় পকাশ �ধু ’þzF‹þy†þyAÇþy¥z নয়, দুঃসাহসিকও বটে। দসূরবীন রেনের লেখা দুটিতে সাঁওতাল জাতি, সাঁওতালী সাধারণ পাঠকের পক� পরিসংখ্যন-পুষ এত巁লি রচনা ভাষা ও লিপি, সাঁওতাল জাতির সংহতি রক্ষ অলচিকি এক টু 巁쇁পাক আয়�োজন। নানা প্িকূ লতার বৈতরি”ী লিপির সীমাবদ্ধ, সাঁওতালী সাহিত্ আকাদেমির পেরিয়ে এই সংকলনের তরীটিকে তীরে ভেড়ান�োর কর্কাণ藇র বিবিধ প্রবায় ও সর্বোপরি এই জনগ�ো�ঠ সংগ্র솾ম-সংবাদ আমাদের ²Ìy†äþ†þíl পেশ করেছেন এবং ভাষার প্ি অবহেলার অভিয�োগের ছবিটি ফু টে স맍পাক। ‘যতꇇ কৃ তে যদি ন সিধ্যত কঽত্র উঠেছে। কু ড়মালিদের ইতিকথা �নিয়েছেন অধ্যপক দ�োষঃ’ŸŸŸস맍পাক সযতꇇ তাঁর কাজ করেছেন এবং বিনয় কু মার মাহাত�ো ও অধ্যপক ক্ষীশ মাহাত�ো। সিদ হয়েছেন। কাজেই সাধুবাদ তাঁর ꧍솾প্। পচ্ছদ কু ড়মালি ভাষা সংক্র솾ন গবেষণার পূর্বপর, এই ভাষার ও অলংকরণ বিষয়�োপয�োগী। পরিশেষে একটি বিনীত ব্যকরণ, ধ্বনিতত্ত্ব, 쇂পতত্ত্ব, শব্দভাꇍডর ও শব্দতত্ত্বের পশ্ন, মা ভাষা �ধুই কথন, লিখন নয়? একটা ধারণা দেয় লেখা দুটি। ‘ক�োরা’ জাতির সমাজ, সংক ৃি ও ভাষা বিষয়ে আল�োচক দুজন হলেন কানাই বুদ্ধদেব বন㖦্যপাধ্যয় ু মদি ও পলাশ রায়। ওঁরাওদের কথা বলেছেন নিমাই ꧍솾কন অধ্য, নবদ্প বিদ্যসাগর কলেজ

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 49 Publications of The Asiatic Society During April 2019- March 2020

1. Pandit Iswarchandra Vidyasagar by France Bhattacharya 2. Sarvadarshana Samgraha ed. by Pandita Iswarachandra Vidyasagara with English translation by E. B. Cowell & A. E. Gough. 3. Vidyasagar: Ekush Sataker Chokhey ed. by Pallab Sengupta & Amita Chakraborty (1st Reprint) 4. Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya and Lokayata ed. by Dilipkumar Mohanta 5. Vidyasagar Jibancharit of Chandicharan Bandyopadhyay translated into Hindi by Rupnarayan Pandey 6. Iswarchandra Vidyasagar as Printer and Publisher 7. Sir William Jones-er Patrabali translated into Bengali by Amita Chakraborty 8. Consequence of Ageing in a Tribal Society and its Cultural Age Construct yb Saumitra Basu 9. Ethnography, Historiography and North-East India by H. Sudhir 10. Wingsf o Life ed. by Asok Kanti Sanyal 11. Gitagobinda O Bharat Sanskriti 12. Emergence of Castes and Outcastes : Historical Roots of the ‘Dalit’ Problem by Suvira Jaiswal 13. Food and Nutrition in Health & Disease ed. by Sukta Das 14. The Chin-Lushai Border : Community, State, Market : Emerging Perspective by Asok Kumar Ray 15. Vidyasagar: Ekush Sataker Chokhey ed. by Pallab Sengupta & Amita Chakraborty (2nd Reprint) 16. Vidyasagar Chaychalan (in Bengali script) tr. by Boiro Baske 17. Vidyasagar Chaychalan (in Olchiki script) tr. by Boro Baske 18. Iswarchandra Vidyasagar as Printer and Publisher (1st Reprint) 19. Asia : Manab O Prakriti by Amita Chakraborty 20. The Prakrit Gatha Saptasati tr. by Radha Govinda Basak 21. Pandit Mrityunjay Vidyalankar Prabandhavali ed. by Asit Kumar Bandyo- padhyay 22. The Mystic Songs of Kanha and Saraha : The Doha Kosa and the Carya tr. by Pranabesh Sinha Ray 23. Panchavimsa Brahmana : The Brahmana of Twenty-five Chapters tr. by W. Caland 24. Carakasamhitar Darshanik Bhabna-Samiksha by Dalia Bandury 25. Urban Development in Ancient India by Adhir Chakravarti

50 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 51 Holiday List

Holiday List of The Asiatic Society for 2021

SL. No. Holidays and Connected Festivals Month & Date Days of Week 01. Republic Day 26.01.2021 Tuesday 02. Basant Panchami OR Sree Panchami 16.02.2021 Tuesday 03. Holi 29.03.2021 Monday 04. Good Friday 02.04.2021 Friday 05. Mahavir Jayanti 25.04.2021 Sunday 06. Id-ul- Fitr 14.05.2021 Friday 07. Buddha Purnima 26.05.2021 Wednesday 08. Id-uz-zuha (Bakri Id) 21.07.2021 Wednesday 09. Independence Day 15.08.2021 Sunday 10. Muharram 19.08.2021 Thursday 11. Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday 02.10.2021 Saturday 12. Maha Navami (Additional Day for Dusschra) 14.10.2021 Thursday 13. Dussehra 15.10.2021 Friday Milad-un-Nabi or Id-e-MiIad (Birthday of 14. 19.10.2021 Tuesday Prophet Mohammad) 15. Diwali (Deepavali) 04.11.2021 Thursday 16. Guru Nanak’s Birthday 19.11.2021 Friday 17. Christmas Day 25.12.2021 Saturday 18. General Secretary’s Discretion 3 days

52 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 Books Accessioned during December 2020

ENGLISH ACCESSION

305.40954 economy. —pt.2. The polity, in ancient India Rajendralala A273i society and culture. Mitra. —New Delhi : Indigo Agnew, Eadaoin. Bibliography at the end. Books c 2007. Imperial women writers in ISBN : 978-93-5098-179-5 107p : ill.; 19cm. (77688) Victorian India : represent- (set) : Rs. 1750.00 (eacy pt.) (1.2.2019) ing colonial life, 1850-1910/ ISBN : 81-292-020-6: Rs. Eadaoin Agnew. New York 175.00 : Palgrave Macmillan, 2017. 610.954 vi, 203p.; 22 cm.—(Pal- S617c 634.920954 grave Studies in nineteenth Singh Jee, Bhagavat, H. S617e century writing and culture) H.Sir Singh, R. V., 1932— (77673)(18.1.2019) A short history of Aryan Environmental conserva- Notes : at the end of chap- medical science/by H. H. Sir tion in western Himala- ters. Bhagavat Singh Jee. — New yas : sustainanble manage- Bibliography : p. 185-193 Delhi : Cosmo, 2011. ment of spruce and silver fir ISBN: 978-3-319-33194-2 215p, 10p of plates : ill.; 22 forests/R. V. Singh. —New cm. (77717) (4.2.2019) Delhi : D. K. Print World, Bibliography : p. 207-215 2018 306.092 ISBN :978-81-307-1212-3 : xvii, 122p. : table; 23cm. R512o Rs. 795.00 (77733) (7.2.2019) Richard Hoggart and cul- Bibliography : p. 101-112 tural ISBN : 978-81-246-0902-6: studies/edited by Sue 959 Rs. 495.00 Owen. —New York : Pal- M234s grave Macmillan, 2008 Majumdar, R. C. 170.42 xii, 246p.; 22cm. (77668) Suvarnadvipa : Hindu colo- C672i (8.1.2019) nies of the far east/ Dr. R. C. Coeckelbergh, Mark ISBN: 978-0-230-54545-8 Majumdar. —New Delhi : Imagination and principles (hbk) : £. 99.99 Cosmo, 2004 : an essay on the role of imag- 2pt., 75p. of plates : map; ination in moral reasoning/ 25cm. (Ancient Indian colo- Mark Coeckelbergh. —New 330.954 nies in the far east) (77719- York, Palgrave Macmillan, Q5c 77720) 2007 In the quest of the historian's Contents : pt. 1, Politi- vii, 249p; 22cm. (77670) craft : essays in honour of cal history. —pt.2. Cultural (8.1.2019) Professor B. B. Chaudhuri/ history. Notes : p. p. 226-233. edited by Arun Bandopad- ISBN : 81-7755-765-3 (set): Bibliography : p. 234-238 hyay, Sanjukta Das Gupta, Rs. 2000.00 ISBN : 978-o-230-55279-1 —New Delhi : Manohar, (hbk): £. 89.9 c2018 391.4720934 2pts; 23cm. (78067-78068) M684d 181.045212 (30.03.2019) Mitra, Rajendralala. W214c Contents : pt. 1, The Dressing ²and³ hairstyling Wallis, H. W., 1861-1887

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 53 Books Accessioned during December 2020

The cosmology of the history and archaeology of a 615.538 Rigveda/by H. W. Wallis, paramara town in Narmada F486c —New Delhi : Cosmo, 1999 valley / Jurgen Neuss. —New Filliozat, Jean xii, 130p.; 23cm. (77705) Delhi : Aryan Books, c2018 The classical doctrine of (1.2.2019) xvii, 439p., : map pho- Indian medicine : its origins ISBN : 81-7020-926-9 : Rs. to, map; 25cm. (77737) and its Greek parallels / by 325.00 (7.2.2019) J. Filliozat. —New Delhi : Bibliography : p. 177-189 Cosmo, 2011. 301.0954 ISBN : 978-81-7305-608-6: xxii, 298p; 22cm. (77715) A541k Rs. 4500.00 (4.9.2019) Ancient Hindu Society : Bibliography : p. 281-290 including races, dynasties, ISBN : 978-81-307-1216-1 politics, war, law, enforce- 512.10934 : Rs. 795.00 ment, social and cast sys- B813a tems, economics, life-style, Brahmagupta. 305.8009515 women, traditions and habits Algebra with arithmetic E84 l of the ancient Indians / edit- and mensuration from the Ethnologia Tibetica / ed by Subodh Kapoor. —New sanskrit of Brahmagupta compiled by Andrea Lo- Delhi : Cosmo, 2002. and Bhaskara / translated by series. — Delhi : Buddhist 6v,; 22cm. (77707 (v.1), Henry Thomas Colebrooke. World Press, 2018. 77708 (v.2), 77709 (v.3), —New Delhi : Cosmo 2011, xiv, 222p., 64p. of plates; 77710 (v.4), 77711 (v.5), lxxxvi. 378p ; Fig.; 22 cm. 29cm.—(Andrea Loseries's 77712 (v.6) (4.2.2019) ISBN : 978-81-307-1207-9: omnibus series; 4) (78069) References at the end of Rs. 895.00 (30.3.2019) chapters. Notes : p. 122-126 ISBN : 81-7755-295-3 Bibliography : p. 126-128 (set): Rs. 7500.00 (set) 294.5925 ISBN : 978-93808-52-881: A311p Rs. 3000.00 Aiyer, K. narayanaswami. 338.10954 The Puranas : in the light B575g of modern science / by K. 294.5211 Bhattacharya, Neeladri. Narayanaswami Aiyer. — V287e The great agrarian con- New Delhi : Cosmo, 2003 Varadpande, M.L. quest : the colonial reshaping xvi, 290p; 22cm. (77706) Epic Hinduism / M.L. Var- of a rural world /Neeladri (4.2.2019) adpande. —Gurgaon : Shub- Bhattacharya. —Ranikhet : ISBN : 81-7755-744-0: Rs. hi Publications, 2018. Permanent Black in associa- 400.00 xiv, 142p., (20)p. of tion with Ashoka University, plates : pic.; 21cm. (77734) c2018 133.430954 (7.2.2019) xix, 522p ; ill., maps ; 23cm. Z93j ISBN : 978-81-8290-470-5 (78066) (30.3.2019) Zubrzycki, John : Rs. 1995.00 Bibliography : p. 466-509 Jadoowallahs, jugglers and ISBN : 978-81-7824-524-9 jinns : a magical history of In- 294.5921 : Rs. 1195.00 dia / John Zubrzycki. —New P562t Delhi : Picador India c2018. Phillips, Maurice. 294.51095487 x, 457p. (16) p. of plates : The teaching of the Vedas N496o ill.; 23cm. (77671) (8.1.2019) : what light does it throw on Neuss, Jurgen ISBN : 978-93-86215-35-2: the origin and development Omkaresvar-mandhata : Rs. 699.00 of religion? / by Maurice

54 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 Books Accessioned during December 2020

Phillips. — Gurgaon : Best- continental; edited by Sir and traditionary tales, folk- sellers, 2018 John Cumming; with a fore- rhymes, proverbial sayings, viii, 240p; 23cm. (77742) word by Alfred Fourcker. supertitions, etc. / by T. F. (7.2.2019) —New Delhi : Cosmo, 2005. Thiselton Dyer. —New Delhi Rs. 995.00 xx, 374p., (33)p. of plates : Cosmo, 2018. : ill., map; 25cm. (77743) xi, 250p.; 25cm. (77731) (8.2.2019) (5.2.2019) 335.4112 Originally published in ISBN : 978-81-307-1791-3: A467h London : Indian Society, Rs. 895.00 Althusser, Louis 1939 How to be a Marxists in ISBN : 81-307-0087-5: Rs. 512.0882945 philosophy / by Louis Althus- 695.00 S894b ser ; translated and edited Strachey, Edward, 1812-1901 by G. M. Goshgarian. —Lon- 913.34 Bija ganita or the Algebra don : Bloomsbury Academic, C973a of the Hindus of Bhaskara- 2017. Cunningham, Alexander, Sir, carya / by Sir Edward Stra- xxix, 188p; 20cm. (77743) The ancient geography of chey. —New Delhi : Cosmo, (8.2.2019) India : the Buddhist period / 2012. Originally published as by Alexander Cunningham. iii, 119p.; table; 23cm. Etre, Marxiste en Philosopic —New Delhi : Cosmo, 2007 (77728) (5.2.2019) Presses Universitaires de xiv, 501p. : map; 22cm. Notes : p. 90-119 France, 2015. (77714) (4.2.2019) ISBN : 978-81-307-1205-5: Notes : p. 151-176 Including the campaigns of Rs. 595.00 ISBN : 978-1-4742-8054-9 Alexander, and the travels of : £. 21.99 Hwen-Thsang. 304.2 ISBN : 978-81-307-0884-3: N285cr Rs. 795.00 At natures edge : the global 780.954 present and long-term his- S525t 394.12 tory/edited by Gunnel Ceder- Skahinda (Begam Fyzee Ra- M684f lef and Mahesh Rangarajan. hamin) Mitra, Rajendralala, 1822- —New Delhi : Oxford Univer- Indian music / by Shahinda 1891 sity Press, 2018. (Begum Fyzee Rahamin); Food and drinks in ancient xiii, 331p.: ill., map; 23cm. with preface by F. Gilbert India : based on original san- (78609) (6.11.2019) Webb. —New delhi : Cosmo, skrit sources by Rajendralala Notes and references at the 2015. Mitra. —New Delhi : Indigo end of chapters. vii, 110p., (10)p. of plates; Book, C2007 Bibliography : p. ²268³315 26cm. (77732) (5.2.2019) 125p.; 19cm. (77729) ISBN : 0-19-948907-6: Rs. ISBN : 978-81-307-1685-5: (8.2.2019) 1195.00 Rs. 1200.00 Foot notes at the end of chapters. 610.954 930.10954 ISBN : 81-292-0191-7: Rs. R889a R449c 1455.00 Royle, J.F. Revealing India's past : a Antiquity of Hinoo co-operative record of ar- 398.082 medicine / by J. E. Royle. chaeological conservation T448f —New Delhi : Cosmo, 2011 and exploration in India Thiselton-Dyer, T. F. iv, 196p.; 23cm. (77716) beyond / by twenty two au- Folk-lore of women : as (4.2.2019) thorties, British, Indian and illustrated by legendary Including an introductory

Monthly Bulletin, January 2021 l 55 Books Accessioned during December 2020 lecture to the course of Mate- (4.2.2019) ISBN : 978-81-2460-905-7: ria medica and ttherapeutics, First published in 1882. Rs. 995.00 delivered at King's College. Rs. 795.00 ISBN : 978-81-307-1213-0: 954.01 Rs. 695.00 930.10954 D229e P123i Das, Santosh Kumar 759.95413 Paddayya, K. The economic history of an- D229p Indian archaeology and cient India / Santosh Kumar Das, J. P., 1936— heritage education : histo- Das. — New Delhi : Cosmo, Puri paintings : the chi- riographical and sociological 2006. trakara and his works / J. P. dimensions / K. Paddayya. xv, 311p.; 23cm. (77722) Das. —rev. ed. —Gurgaon : — New Delhi : Aryan Books (3.2.2019) Shubhi Publications, 2018 International, 2018. ISBN : 81-307-0423-4: Rs. 248p., 64p. of plates ; 23cm. xxii, 498p. : ill., map ; 695.00 (77738) (7.2.2019) 25cm. (77736) (7.2.2019) Bibliography : p. 241-243 References at the end of 294.5211 ISBN : 978-81-8290-469-9: chapters. G636s Rs. 995.00 ISBN : 978-81-7305-603-1: Gonda, J. Rs. 2800.00 Some obervations on the 294.3095496 relations between "God" and M685s 306.0954 "Power" in the Veda : a pro- rep. ed. V349r pos of the phrase Suhuh Sa- Mitra, Rajendralala Vatsyayan, Kapila hasah / by J. Gonda. — New The Sanskrit Buddhist Role of culture develop- Delhi : Cosmo, 2018 literature of Nepal, Rajen- ment / Kapila Vatsyayan. 184p.; 22cm. (77721) dralala Mitra. —New Delhi — New Delhi : D. K. Print (8.2.2019) : Cosmo, 1981 world, 2018 ISBN : 978-81-307-1753-1: xlvii, 336p.; 23cm. With ix, 224p.; 25cm. (77739) Rs. 895.00 Sanskrit texts. (77713) (7.2.2019)

56 l Monthly Bulletin, January 2021