The Bengali Literary Society

Yearbook Report 2008-2009

    The Bengali Literary Society is one of the oldest societies in College. It has had an illustrious past, but had unfortunately been neglected in the recent years and most of its glory was on the verge of being lost. After a long hiatus, however, a group of enthusiastic Junior Members had been successful in reviving this almost defunct Society last year. This year the Society held a cultural programme where quite a few interested Junior and Senior Members showcased their talent by soulful renditions of Bengali songs, poems and plays which traced the history of Bengali Literature down the ages. This was followed by the screening of the movie “Khela”, to familiarize College with the rich heritage of Bengal. The Society brought out the second volume of its Journal, “Darpan”, which has contributions from many Bengali enthusiasts from both inside and outside College. The success of all these events made known to one and all that Stephanians are really taking an interest in the rich culture and literature of Bengal, which is what the Members of the Bengali Literary Society have set out to promote through their myriad activities.

History

India is an amalgamation of different cultures and languages. It has 18 official languages, apart from the various dialects and local variations in each of these 18 gems. One of these 18 diverse but beautiful languages is Bengali.

    Derived from Sanskrit, this beautiful, musical language has been the chosen language of many poets – Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Kazi Nazrul Islam, to name a few. Internationally acclaimed novelists like Saratchandra Chattopdhyay (Devdas), Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay (Anandamath), Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay (Pather Panchali) and many others composed their great literary works in this language. In fact, the profound influence of Bengali literature is deeply ingrained even in the English that many of us study in College!

    A substantial portion of the motley crowd of St. Stephen’s College – who have brought with them the myriad cultures, traditions and languages of their native places – is occupied by Bengalis. Many decades ago, some such Bengalis decided to get together and create a forum which would provide them a platform to discuss Bengali Literature, share their own literary compositions, argue over issues (what we refer to as the Bangali adda) and generally facilitate the coming together of like-minded people sharing a common language. Thus, the Bengali Literary Society of St. Stephen’s College was born. However, this platform passed away into oblivion with the passage of time.
 
    The Society is not restricted to Bengalis alone – people with a deep interest in the literature and culture of Bengal have been welcomed to the Society with open arms. Many ideas regarding the functioning of the Society this year have been brought forth by the Members, who are also working hard towards the realization of their dreams – and the goal is not too far away. The revival of the Society has been greatly appreciated by Senior and Junior Members alike, and College as a whole feels that “it is nice to have a Society managed by the young generation to uphold and uplift the traditions of Bengali culture and Literature”.