President Pranab Mukherjee commemorated the contribution of Bengali litterateurs to the Indian society in his address during the inaugural session of 88th All India Bengali literary Conference on Sunday.
Shedding light on the significance of Bengali literature, the President said, “In the past, Bengali literature has played a crucial role in awakening social consciousness and eradicating social evils, showing the society the path to live a better life. Even during the freedom struggle, Bengali literature motivated Indian revolutionaries in their struggle to free the country.”
Going down the memory lane, Mukherjee talked about his three decade long association with the Conference as Chairman before assuming the office of President of India. He recalled his visit to Jamshedpur in 1988 to take part in the one of the previous sessions.
“Bengali literature had a great impact on the political scenario as well as the Indian freedom struggle. The contribution of poet Nazrul Islam is as great Rabindranath Tagore when it comes to the way they moulded the society with their literary works,” Mukherjee said.
Bengali, as a language, also proved to be a source of inspiration for other languages of the Indian sub-continent, being the prime channel for promotion of art, culture and music, said Governor Draupadi Murmu. All Indian Bengali literary Conference has been crucial in the development of Bengali literature, she added.
Marvelling over creations in Bengali literature for raising social, religious, political and contemporary issues, the Governor said,
“Though their literary works, Bengali authors not only breathed a new life in the freedom struggle but also roused the masses to uproot the social evils like untouchability, Sati practice, child marriage and such. literature was able to change mindsets and bring about conditions which led to this.”
Underling the contribution of Ravindra Bhawan established in different towns of the nation towards striking a harmony between literature and culture, Chief Minister Raghubar Das shared plans of setting up one in state capital Ranchi at the expense of Rs 8 crores, calling them places where fertilizer for literary creation can be found.
“The content and treatment of literature is changing. It has shifted from rural to urban and from village life to corporate. Our own culture has been modified by the TV culture. Modern songs have replaced the traditional music. Having said that, there are certain reality shows which have assisted in cultural growth,” stated the CM.
He further added, “National Anthem & National Song has given much strength, energy & integrity to the nation. Translation of Bengali literature in Hindi has brought the two languages close to each other. Eminent writers like Tagore, Bankim Chandra, Sharat Chandra and Bimal Mitra have enriched the literature in both the languages. I hope that such conferences will help in strengthening literature.”