Volume-XII, Issue-III, May 2026 |
বাংলার ছড়া: লৌকিক বেদ নয়ন সরকার, স্বাধীন গবেষক, নদীয়া, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত |
Received: 26.04.2026 | Accepted: 07.05.2026 | Published Online: 31.05.2026 | Page No: 32-42 | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.12.issue.03W.320 | |||||||
Bengali Rhymes: The Folk Veda Nayan Sarkar, Independent Researcher, Nadia, West Bengal, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
The main aim of this research paper is to evaluate the rich folk tradition of Bengal, ‘Chhara’, on a higher philosophical and theoretical standard. Just as the ‘Vedas’ in Indian tradition are an unbroken oral tradition, the folk chhara of Bengal is also an unspoken ‘Lokika Vedas’ of the collective psyche and history of Bengalis. The present study does not view Chhara as just children’s literature, but rather analyzes it in the context of archaic consciousness, social evolution and anthropology. The article explores the primitive pantheism and nature worship hidden deep within the rhymes in the light of Rabindranath Tagore's “Chelevulano Chora” (Child-forgotten Rhymes). It also shows from Dr. Ashutosh Bhattacharya's sociological perspective how historical truths like the Bargi invasion or the oppression of indigo farmers are imprinted in the body of the rhymes. The ethnographic chemistry of Bengali folk rituals, totems, taboos and family relations has been discussed in detail here through the material collected by Dakshinaranjan Mitra Majumdar. The study has also shown that the 'vowel' rhythm and phonetic solemnity of the rhyme possess a hypnotic power similar to that of Vedic mantras, which has been preserved as 'Shruti' from generation to generation. Finally, the survival of this oral tradition and the importance of women's voices in the era of modern globalization are examined in a contemporary context. Overall, this article proves that the folk songs of Bengal are Bengalis' own epistemological document and an eternal cultural legacy. | ||
Keywords: Folklore, Folk Rhymes, Archaic Consciousness, Social Evolution, Anthropological Analysis, Oral Tradition, Rabindranath Tagore, Ashutosh Bhattacharya. |