Adages and Bachans in Bangla
Proverbs, adages or 'Bachans' have been generally defined as short pithy sayings that are in common use. They belong, in origin, to the same stage of ethnic and racial history as ballad and folk-song and are sometimes related to the fable and the riddle. In Bengal and its adjoining regions, Bachans or popular sayings in Bengali transcended boundaries and found expression with similar meanings in other languages and dialects spoken in the Indian States of Orissa, Assam, Bihar and Tamil Nadu and also in Nepal.
As in Europe, adages in Bengal generally originated from rural sources and refer to domestic animals and economic activities involving rural daily life. Nevertheless, all Bachans and adages, however short they might be, have a singular characteristic- they generally have a philosophical content and connote a special meaning. Expressions are usually formulated on the basis of broad experience and not on emotions. They are mental in character and social in nature. As a result, some Bangla linguists refer to adages as being 'crystallized forms of human experience'.
Bangla adages normally have dual meanings- one literary, and the other, an inner meaning. Normally, the importance of the Bachan lies in the significance of the symbolical meaning. As a consequence, sayings with metaphorical quality are more easily recognized as proverbial. This is what also distinguishes it from an idiom.
Bengali proverbs and Bachans normally consist of a descriptive element that contains a topic and a comment. Based on common sense, they have in the villages of Bengal over the years, assumed the unwritten status of morality. They also reflect the ethos and in more ways than one, the cultural identity of the people of this region. It would however be important to note here that over the years, Bengali adages have evolved. In this context, I agree with Sushilkumar Dey that as most proverbs are rural in origin and based on oral traditions, sometimes it is most difficult to trace it to its roots.
Bangla adages usually have a theme and a distinct meaning. Some of them rely on the contradictory nature of the construction while others are comparative or complementary in nature. There are proverbs and Bachans that deal with principles of social science, politics or economics. There are also Bachans, which deal with the weather, weather patterns, the supernatural, flora and fauna and also the importance of astrology in daily life.
It would also be important to note here that as adages are based on oral tradition, they create their own dynamics and practical day-to-day interaction. Adages mould collective experience and help in the evolution of terminology and idioms. Consequently, I believe that the genius and spirit of a nation, particularly of a country like Bangladesh, can be discovered by its proverbs.
Any appreciation of Bangla Bachans and their relevance for rural Bengal would however be incomplete without reference to our ancient seer- Khana. Sayings of Khana form part of this country's traditional agricultural norms and a storehouse regarding public health. Khana's Bachans refer to paddy, bananas, different types of vegetables, betel nut, cocoanut and cotton In rhythm and prosody, Khana appears to be mostly under the influence of a form of medieval Bengali grammar that is similar to Uriya, Kanara, Telegu and Nepali.
A careful analysis of early economic history of Bengal indicates that farming was considered very honourable. Numerous references exist in Khana as to the important role that farmers played in the economic life of Bengal. Khana particularly noted more than once- ' Jar ghore nei Dheki moshal, shei boujhir nei kushol'; 'Goru, Joru, Dhan, e tine rakhe man'; 'Jar golai nai dhan, tar abar kothar tan'; and ' Jar nai goru, shey shobar horu' (importance of having healthy farming animals, and farm implements clearly underlined- essential factors for creating wealth in a household). This belief was also evident in 'Chandimongal', a reputed work by medieval poet Mukondoram.
It would be interesting to note here that surveys conducted in the near past in different districts of Bangladesh have revealed that though the inhabitants have not formally read about Dak or Khana, two seers, yet their adages, practiced locally, continue to have unconscious impact on their daily lives. This was found to be particularly true in the districts of Mymensingh (Trishal Thana), Comilla (Brahmanpara Upazila) and Dinajpur (Setabganj Upazila).
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This Month's Ice-Today Magazine also includes these articles:
a) Guest Column: I Spy: Shamsad Motrtuza describes the funny side of language
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