Mir Salman Shamil
In the 19th century, a big event happened in Bengali language. During this period the scholars and clergy of Fort William College gave birth to modern Bengali prose. Bengali grammar and Bengali dictionary were written, novels, dramas, tragedies, sonnets started to be written in Bengali literature on the model of English literature. This revolution in Bengali literature was all about the participation of the Hindus/clergy.
The contribution of Bengali speaking Muslims is practically zero here.
During this period scholars and clergy made every effort to remove the traces of Muslimness from the Bengali language. All Muslim words including Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Turkish are excluded and Sanskrit words are inserted in the dictionary. Then in Bengali the amount of Sanskrit words became 80%, while in Charyapa only 5% Sanskrit words and in Srikrishnakirtan 12%. [1]
This event can be called as a big cultural robbery in history. Professor Abdur Razzak mentions this incident like this,
❝The modern Bengali language is born, the scholars of William College are making Sanskrit dictionary Deikhya Deikhya. Original Bengal was not like this. A structure of Mishya language was erected with the words of Arabic Persian language in Bengali language. Many examples of it can be found in the works of the poet Bharatchandra during the Battle of Palashi. After the introduction of British rule, the scholars of Fort William College threw away the Arabic Persian word and replaced it with the Sanskrit word Bhairya. What was the appearance of Bengali language, you will find some evidence if you look for old documents.
The scholars of William College erected the structure of the language, on which the modern Bengali language was born by mixing the languages of Bhagirathi Par. Modern Bengali is not exactly the spoken language of Bangsantan, but that language comes to his mouth only when he is educated.❞ [2]
Poet Golam Mostafa evaluated this event as follows-
❝Mritunjay Vidyalankar, Ramnath Vidyabachaspati, Ramram Bose and many others joined the English clergy in this work. Then Arabic-Persian words were excluded from the Bengali language and the language was Sanskritized. Hindu thinkers like Pandit Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar were pioneers in this work. As a result, the Bengali language was transformed within a short time. From here the new era of Bengali language started. And when this language and ideology was taught in government schools, the Muslims faced a dire crisis. They could not accept this language with their lives. In short, they refused to educate their children.❞ [3]
The question is that the dispute between Hindus and Muslims is understandable, but what is the problem with the clergy? Professor Abdur Razzaq replied,
❝Here is Kerry, Marshman, they came from 3000 miles away. To save the soul of this countryman, what is the way to save the souls? According to them, the religion of this country is polytheistic. When he said this in front of the Hindus, the Hindus said: Yes, he is speaking well. But the Muslims used to joke, they used to make fun of the trinity of the clergy. Clergymen would laugh at this joke. Hitting, grabbing, getting angry, it can be tolerated, but mockery is not tolerated anymore. When talking about monotheism, they made fun of the Trinity. Because of this, the anger of the clergy about the Muslims is a little more.❞ [4]
The result was a distance of Muslims from modern Bengal constructed by clergy and scholars. At one stage, Hindu elders started to theorize that Muslims are not Bengalis. The proverb Bengali is a ‘Hinduani language’ was born.
This period can be referred to as the dark age of Bengali-speaking Muslim literature. Writers like Mir Musharraf Hussain did not have the courage to use the words Goshal, Roza, Namaz when he wrote Bishad Sindhu, he used bathing, fasting and prayer. Ahmad Chafa explains this situation,
❝lest the readers of the neighboring Hindu society can mock, because of this inferiority, the Muslim writers in their own society, in the family; Arabic-Persian words commonly used in the world were avoided as much as possible in their works? Bankimchandra read the works of Mir Musharraf Hossain and commented, ‘The smell of onion and garlic is not found much in the works of this author’. Muslim writers accepted this as the greatest praise of writing a book.❞ [5]
It was at this time that a poor village Muslim, Dukhu Mia, appeared like a comet. Like Damal Jhar, he reversed the current of the Bengali language, took it back to the main stream of the language. Started using Arabic-Persian, Urdu words. Where Muslims did not dare to write the words of prayer, he wrote,
I slept and made Fajr,
I still didn’t wake up when I heard the Azan of
Asr
Maghrib today. There is still room
for Jamaat Shamil Hoare Esha . Baziche Damama Bandhare Amama Shi Kari Kari Muslims. The invitation has come to take aim at the broken fortress of the New Age .
Ahmad Chafa said that if he was asked for an apology why he was using so many Arabic-Persian words without Sanskrit words. Perhaps he used to say such things in self-defense-
❝There is onion-garlic in Muslim society! Therefore, the composition of Muslims will have the smell of onion and garlic. It is not a good thing to hide it. If someone’s nasal cavity is disturbed, what can be done! He may even be Nasa Randhra himself, the literary-emperor Bankimchandra.❞ [6]
Nazrul initiated a process of using the words used in the homes of the Muslims, which resulted in an obligation for Bengali dictionary-compilers to add new words to the new editions.
Nazrul started a new era in Bengali language and literature. Bengali speaking Muslims also started to feel again that Bengali is their language too. The sleep of the century woke up. Suddenly Jasim Uddin, Farrukh Ahmad, Syed Ali Ahsan, Sufia Kamal, Gholam Mustafa, Bande Ali Mia, Gholam Muhammad, Matiur Rahman Mallik, Al Mahmud and hundreds of others started to be born like Aladdin’s lamp in the house of barren Bengali Muslim. .
References:
1. Dr. Dinesh Chandra Sen, Muslim Influence on the Bengali Language, ‘Saugat’, published in the Chaitra issue of 1335
2. Ahmad Chafa, Though My Master, p: 94
3. Ghulam Mostafa, New Identity of Bengali Language, Ghulam Mostafa Essay Collection, Ahmed Publishing House
4. Sardar Fazlul Karim, University of Dhaka and East Bengal Society: Talk by Professor Abdur Razzak, p: 23-24
5, 6. Ahmad Chafa, our debt to Nazrul
Author: Student, University of Bremen, Germany