Book Review Bengali Culture over a Thousand Years

A book on which a scholar of such eminence as Rabindra Kumar Dasgupta had showered unstinted praise needs no better testimony of its excellence. It is an eminently readable account of the history and evolution of Bengali culture. Ghulam Murshid himself is obviously erudite, but he wears his scholarship so lightly that readers&mdashparticularly those Bengali readers not well versed in the vernacular&mdashcan breeze through the chapters of this tome. He discusses threadbare every facet of that culture from social life, music, attire, architecture, art as well as its language and literature.

What makes the book invaluable for readers of all sorts is the genuine liberalism and open-mindedness of the author who soars above all narrow considerations of bigotry and orthodoxy, be it in religious or political. In this sweeping study, he views Bengali culture as an indivisible whole, geographical borders notwithstanding. Despite the diversity of this culture, owing to religious, regional and caste differences, what holds it together is the Bengali language, which has no claims to antiquity, as Murshid proves, citing adequate evidence gleaned from linguists as well as by quoting a wide variety of texts authored by both Hindu and Muslim writers down the ages.

Sarbari Sinha, in her admirably accessible translation of Murshid&rsquos book, wisely left out some of these texts, written in a quaint version of Bengali. For it is well nigh impossible to approximate these period pieces in English, however well developed the language that Thomas Babington Macaulay sought to impose on us may be. As this book demonstrates, when one transcribes a Bengali word in Roman script, it often stands a chance of becoming incomprehensible. Anyway, in her statement at the beginning of the book, Sinha makes it clear that it was not always possible for her to remain absolutely faithful to the original text, however outstanding the translation may be. Even for this the translator should share the credit she rightfully deserves with Murshid.

For had his Bengali prose not been as lucid as it is, translating it into equally simple English would have been an impossible feat. As a writer, Murshid is gifted with the ability to explain the most complex issues, be it poetic, linguistic, sociological or historical, in the most uncomplicated manner possible.

However, as a translation, one cannot help pointing out (even if one is accused of nitpicking) certain flaws that catch the eye. For instance, James Prinsep, the great English scholar, antiquary and Orientalist, is spelt with a &lsquoc&rsquo. It is a common enough mistake, but one expects the publisher to know better. On page 175, perhaps &lsquogroundless&rsquo is a better English equivalent of the Bengali &lsquobhittihin&rsquo. And in the quotation from Kazi Nazrul Islam (&lsquoPakistan, Na Fankistan&rsquo), doesn&rsquot &lsquohoax&rsquo convey the meaning of &lsquofanki&rsquo more precisely than &lsquoillusion&rsquo (p. 207)

Perhaps these tiny blemishes do not detract from the excellence of the translation, but it is precisely for this superior quality that one expects perfection. However, as Sinha herself has implied in her note, this book is a must-read for the people of both sides of partitioned Bengal and of the diaspora who share an identity. By taking a closer look at the other, we would possibly end up rediscovering ourselves.