[Reader-list] Poetry of North Calcutta

[Amit Basu]

Poetry of North Calcutta

This year Prasun Bandopadhyay was awarded Birendra Smriti Puraskar for his remarkable poetic creation called "Uttor Kolkatar Kobita (Keertinasa Prakasani: Kolkata, 2003, bound, pp48, Rs. 25.00)". During the award ceremony, a senior poet Manindra Gupta said that:

"Perhaps after Amritalal Bose who wrote in the hay days of colonialism, Prasun is the first poet who has focused on a specific space of this three hunderd year old city. But Prasun has given a different dimension to this space, an original creative twist, which has captured the ambience of North Calcutta once famous for establishing the new urban culture. Located in a micro urban space, these poetries have transgressed its regional boundary."

Way back in November 2003 Prasun's book was out unceremoniously, like those hundreds of poetry books that is published in Bengali. I am not an avid poetry reader nor a literary critic, but his poetries took me to a time travel that constantly moved back and forth between colonial and postcolonial times. His historical consciousness is sharp, which problematised the distinction between such time periods and questioned through various symbols and metaphors the modernist project of history. Not at all a good translator though, I am still tempted to share with you some flavour of his creativity:

1

Who would write?

Light over a slate coloured afternoon

A man moves around with a 'lagi' 

In this lane and that - 

And writes

One by one

Stars.

[Till early postcolonial time there were gas lights on many streets of Calcutta, and a man employed by the Municipality used to move around the streets with a long, slender bamboo stick ('lagi') and alight those. This marked the transition of day to evening, a metaphor long cherished by the writers of this city.]

2

Why your mind is full of sorrow Dhananjay?

You incessantly search for sorrow

In the carnival of life

Why don't you drink and visit whores?

At the edge of the Ganga, immersed in the sunset

What you keep on looking for - alone?

Is the meaning of sorrow inscribed there

As if the meaning

Is written over the flowing water...

For sitting there so long

Like the steps of the staircase

You too will get immersed

By the high tide.

[The river Hooghly that flows beside Calcutta is still popularly (and affectionately) called Ganga.]

3

The jagojhampo started -

What drink son of the brewer has served!

Oh I see - Bengal thetar has risen

Who's that...Girishbabu...

Why so much of smoke - Spotlight - Illumination

Who am I...Abu Hossein...

Oh how lucky I am!

Who are you...Amritalal...Danibabu...

Let me see Binod - stretch your feet

Let me touch it...

Mairi what a great woman!

Quiet...Sisirbabu is around...

Stop the band...Oh what a mess

Can't you see that

Alamgir is walking in the green-room.

Arabian nights are trembling

Marjina - Marjina see what a shame

So much garbage around...juiceless party...

Who is this...Abdalla...dear khoja

Come and listen to my dreams

Women of families are singing

Why should I allow my man for vices

Now you see this box...a gift of science

The garden made by humans

Are slowly drying up.

['Jagojhampo' was used by Bengalis to mean the starting of the bands played during 'Jatra' or early Bengali theatre. 'Thetar' is the colloquial Bengali word for "theatre." 'Girishbabu' (Girish Chandra Ghosh), 'Amritalal' (Basu), and 'Danibau' were great personalities of early modern Bengali theatre. 'Binod' is Binodini Debi, the actress who was famous for daunting female roles instead of men. She was praised by Ramakrishna, the well known mystic-reformer of nineteenth century Bengal for her devotion and excellence in performance. 'Mairi' is a swearing word in non-elite Bengali presumed to be derived from swearing by 'Mata' (mother) 'Mary' of the Bengali Christians. 'Sisirbabu' (Sisir Kumar Bhaduri) is another doyen of a later generation of modern Bengali theatre. Late Shombhu Mitra has regarded him as his early mentor. 'Khoja' is a castrated male, mostly deployed as watchguards in a 'harem'. Abu Hossein, Alamgir, Marjina and Abdalla are characters from dramas based on medieval
 history.]

4

Whom they have laid down with

Cottonwool in the nostrils and

Tulsi leaves over the eyes?

Who's gone...Mejobabu...aha!

Even last afternoon I saw him gulping down

Telebhaja with Gelusi or some tablets...

Oh what a glutton he was.

He was a nice man...how much...eighty-eight...oh

But did you notice him walking?

You don't even know how manly he was

A traditional elite...broken many families

Usurped many properties...

Oh what to say

Babus from big families were his 'chamchas.'

And during that riot

Five Mussalmans were running for their lives

Followed by goondas with open swords,

It was Mejobabu who gave them shelters

And himself stood at the main door -

Goondas went back scratching their heads.

Once during Bijoya

When drums were beating fast and heavily

At the back of the cowshed - On my boobs

Ma what should I say -

The country was still not independent...

And I was a fully grown young female

Oh how afraid I was...

You see I am still getting a goose-skin!

Passed away?

[Tulsi is a small tree regarded religiously by the Hindus and its leaves are also used as an effective herbal remedy. 'Mejobabu' is the man at the middle order of a family hierarchy. 'Telebhaja' is a popular, deep-fired, munchy snacks close to 'Pakaura' from North India. 'Gelusi' is for Gelusil, a popular brand of antacid tablets. 'Chamchas' are fans or psychophants. 'Bijoya' is the concluding day of Durga Puja festival when the image of Durga is immersed in the river.]

For me Prasun's poetry captured the urbanity of north Calcutta in a heterogeneous time marked with both colonial and postcolonial symbols. Through various snap shots, thumbnail sketches and old Bengali metaphors, he recreated one of the oldest urban space of Calcutta in the contemporary poetic discourse of Bengal, and each of his forty-five poetry has lines that go beyond the picturesque. His book was mostly circulated through his friends and is not available in the city book stores, even the famous 'Patiram Book Stall' at College Street famous for its little magazine collections!

If you are interested to collect a copy or interact with Prasun then you may contact him at:prasun_ban at yahoo.co.in 

Amit Ranjan Basu

Kolkata, 19 September 2004.



 

 

 

 

 


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