Is Bengali a language of work?

21st February is a day of emotion of Bangladeshi people. Even after more than seventy years of Language Movement flow of that emotion still continues. Slogan and main demand of Language Movement of 1952 was – We want Bengali as state language. That demand was fulfilled subsequently. In article 214(1) of constitution of 1956 Pakistan government declared Bengali as a state language of Pakistan alongwith Urdu. Bengali has been constitutionally accepted as the only state language in independent Bangladesh. To ensure the use of Bengali at all levels, the Government of Bangladesh promulgated the Bengali Language Prevalence Act in 1987.

These are all historical and official facts but what is the reality? Has Bengali gained usability in daily work? Can a person who only knows Bengali easily withdraw money from ATM booths by reading the instructions? Or, is there any book on agriculture written in easily understandable Bengali for farmers? Even if different pharmaceutical companies and hospitals write something in Bengali explaining the merits of medicine and new medical methods, do we read it? Or do I stumble upon reading and go away with the effortless explanation written in English? Experience says that many of us do not try to use Bengali in our daily life. From ATMs to pharmaceutical companies, it is difficult to find easy-to-understand Bengali anywhere. If any established Bengali writer, intellectual or teacher of Bengali is asked to use his mind and brain to create an easily understandable Bengali then many of them will not agree to do it.

But those who once worked hard for the daily use of Bengali were high profile persons. They realised that language of prose does not only survive in form and creativity, it has to be made suitable for use in normal everyday works. The big ones stand on small base. Similarly, those who can understand and think of the big ones in a straightforward way, can get themselves involved in small daily works effortlessly. If not, why would Bankimchandra write a book like simple writing. There his clear instruction was -"If people don't understand what you have written then writing is useless." Besides writing books like Simple Essay Learning, Bankimchandra also struggled during the colonial period to keep Bengali as a subject in postgraduate courses. Vidyasagar has written simple Bengali in the second part of Varnaprachay (introduction to letters) so that it gets a place in the mind of readers easily. The first condition of practical Bengali is that people should understand it. Unfortunately, Bengalees do not understand practical Bengali, it is obsolete even to the English educated gentlemen and incomprehensible even to the common people who do not know English.

However, in the 19th century, when Bengali prose language was sprouting in different directions, the authors tried to convey different information to the common people in Bengali. In English it was called manual or handbook. Books containing simple guidelines were also being written in Bengali. Both Parichand Mitra and Akshay Kumar Dutt were famous Bengalees at that time. Parichand Mitra was well known as the author of Alaler Ghorer Dulal (English translation - The Spoilt Child by G. D. Oswell). That Parichand wrote a book like Krishipath (learning agriculture). It is not a literary work but simply a guidebook on how to cultivate varieties of crops. Parichand, a disciple of Derozio (Henry Louis Vivian Derozio), was then a member of the Agricultural Society. He wrote this booklet on agriculture in simple Bengali.

Akshay Kumar Dutt wrote a book - ways to overcome obstacles of steam chariot riders. It was a booklet containing advice for those who ride mechanical transport. The booklet was published from Tattvabodhini Sabha Press. Trains and other vehicles were introduced during the British period but as new and unknown common people had fear about it. In Jivansmriti (memoirs of life) Rabindranath has written how his peers intimidated him before travelling by train with Debendranath. Reading Akshay Kumar Dutt's booklet one can know about steam vehicle and earn what should and should not be done.

The effort to create a suitable language for public relation and day-to-day work was not confined to farming or the rules of riding train. Thinkers took initiative to expand the field of practical use and connectivity of language. The Indian National Congress was formed in 1985 Rabindranath noticed that the leading personalities of that political organisation were gentlemen and English-friendly. They spoke in English in front of common people in public meetings of the Provincial Congress. Those, for whom the leaders are speaking, understand nothing. So, Rabindranath demanded that common language should be used in the provincial meetings of Congress. The leaders proficient in English did not spare Rabindranath that common people do not understand their English but they do not even understand Rabindranath's Bengali.

This comment was not fully ignorable. However, Rabindranath acknowledged that people may not understand his Bengali but he took the responsibility to create language that could he easily understandable by common people and suitable for them. As a zamindar Rabindranath noticed the condition of common people of the village with his own eyes. He did not deny the responsibility of reaching them in their language. Simple Bengali has also been used in Rabindranath's Sahaj Path (easy learning). During the Partition of Bengal the songs written by him in simple language in tune of Baul were deeply appealing to general public. Like Rabindranath, returning to the country Gandhi not only changed his dress but also changed his language. Initially his Hindi was wrong but he did not leave the language of his country and gradually became habituated to use accurate language. Going to riot-hit Noakhali he tried to learn Bengali just to be connected with common people there.

According to some intellectuals, the renaissance of Bengali language created by Raja Rammohan Roy, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Rabindranath Tagore was mainly in the field of literature and culture. It had not much impact on common men in society. This view is not fully reasonable because besides writing books like Simple Essay Learning Bankimchandra also struggled during the colonial period to keep Bengali as a subject in postgraduate courses. Vidyasagar has written simple Bengali in the second part of Varnaprachay (introduction to letters) so that it gets a place in the mind of readers easily. Simple Bengali has also been used in Rabindranath's Sahaj Path

(easy learning).

The issue of connectivity was raised concern among socially conscious people. There is no need to say how powerful Subhash Mukherjee was as a poet who was also a believer in leftist politics. Creative Subhash was always vigilant in maintaining the connection of language. As Padatik (his pseudoname) he went to people, stayed with them, brought their language in poetry and wrote a book like Kajer Bangla (Working Bengali). He made a concise and simple version of a large volume book like History of the Bengalees by Niharranjan Roy There was a problem in his novel Hangras there was a point of problem that ordinary workers could not understand Marxism in the language of gentlemen theorists. Their experience of language does not match the language of theory. From this sense of responsibility Subhas Mukherjee wrote Bhuter Begar (Work without Wage). In introduction to that book in 1954 he wrote, "There is no shortage of Marxist scholars in our country. Sadly, they are sitting as ship of knowledge but no zeal is found among them to impart a little knowledge to the less educated people." He has done that job. He expected that seeing the audacity of small boat the ships would be alert.

But situation remained same. Nothing moved our sense. Almost everyone has more or less denied the responsibility of creating a world of work in Bengali. Even those of us who exchange views on different ideas on Bengali do not look for and practice a suitable and simple language for expanding our circle. As if, we are not bound to take this responsibility to extend our thoughts a little more towards more people. We say, hear and feel complacent to remain as it is. As we do not try to take the responsibility of conveying the idea towards common people, the working language does not develop at all.

Are all notifications coming to common people in easy Bengali? Does anyone think whether that Bengali is easy to understand and suitable for everyone in daily life? In non-government sector (e.g. private banks, financial institutions, universities, medical colleges etc.) that responsibility is even less because Bengali is almost exiled from there. In many cases language of advertisement of different products today is mainly incompetent, embarrassing and incomprehensible Bengali translation of English. But we do not take any responsibility. As reported by the Anandabazar (10-02-2023), this act of not taking responsibility is hampering Bengali. Shortage of practical Bengali is endangering the very existence of Bengalees.

Pandemic has brought huge global change that has shaken the world of Bengali language world. Staying in home people have learned some disease related terms like mask, N-95, coronavirus, vaccine, antibody, PPE kit, sanitiser, ventilator, hand wash etc. spontaneously and due to practical necessity. Words like lockdown, isolation, quarantine are being used freely. Online class, virtual meeting, home office have entered into the life of Bengalees. Silent invasion has occurred inside home in another way. Micro oven, pressure cooker, LP gas, cylinder, blender, grill, marinate, table mat, fry pan, diabetes biscuit have entered into Bengalees’ kitchen where words like pan, pot, masala, pitcher etc. once dominated. Moghlai parata, chilli chicken, butter naan, biryani, pizza, masala paneer etc have replaced our traditional rice, dal, bhaja, kalia, malaiikari, luchi, brinjal in the menu. Noodles, instant coffee, green tea, jam, jelly have reached our rural areas.

No practically suitable or equivalent Bengali word for these English terms has been developed. Automatically these words have gained acceptability and have become the language of work. Many examples can be given where the existence of Bengali language and Bengals is facing a complicated situation. Much time have elapsed. No more delay. We have to think of the ways how to make Bengali a language work

The writer is a former Commissioner of Taxes. He can be contacted at chinmayprasunbiswas@yahoo.com