TALKS ON BENGAL official source: Prout in a Nutshell Part 19 cross-references: none this version: is the printed Prout in a Nutshell Part 19, 1st edition, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. Samatat Ancient Bengal was divided into five distinct zones -- Ra'r'h, Samatat, B'anga, Barendra and Mithila. Mithila is now part of Bihar. The vast area along the coastal plains of the Bay of Bengal which contains no mountains but is built on the sandy alluvial soil of the Padma and Bhagavathi rivers and crissed-crossed by lakes, canals, tributaries and hills is known as "Samatat" in Sam'skrta. In colloquial Bengali it is known as "Ba'grhi". This region is full of natural beauty and rich in agricultural resources. Samatat was called "Golden Bengal", which is why Bankim Chandra, the famous novelist, observed: Sujala'm suphala'm malayaja shiitala'm ma'taram "I salute `Mother Bengal' which is well-watered, abundant in fruit and cooled by the refreshing southern breeze." The inhabitants of Samatat -- in health, wealth, vivacity and simplicity -- are the golden children of the `Golden Mother'. But ironically, these golden children were always regarded as an invincible race. During the last 5000 years, the Bengalis have been depicted as an indomitable sea-faring people. The people of Samatat richly deserve this epithet. The Mughal Emperor Akbar was forced to respect their fighting power, and even the British government was fearful of their fighting spirit. The British bifurcated Bengal and successfully drove a wedge between East Bengal and West Bengal by applying the communal award. In West Bengal there has been relentless exploitation and misrule by capitalists from other parts of India. The immense agricultural, forestery and aquatic resources of Samatat have been ruthlessly exploited by the neo-colonialists. 36% of the foreign currency reserves in India comes from the natural resources of Samatat, but not even 1% of that foreign exchange is utilised for the development of the local area. The rural economy of Samatat is being severely exploited by the outsiders. 60% of Samatat's population are extremely poor, uneducated, malnourished and unemployed. 77% of the population of Samatat are associated only with agriculture, and as the huge percentage of the population depends on undeveloped agriculture, they are fast moving towards economic ruination. The Marxists thrive on the economic disaster and helplessness of the inhabitants of Samatat. Since independence the national wealth and labour of Samatat are not utilised for the benefit of the indigenous population. Rather, they are being utilised to serve the vested interests of outsiders. No government so far has formulated any economic plan for the economic development of the Samatat people. The so- called friends of the poor do not want to hurt the capitalist and imperialist interests. So Samatat, which was once an invincible power, is rapidly moving towards economic ruination under capitalist and communist exploitation, even in the midst of vast natural wealth. In spite of abundant agricultural production every year, the people are beating their heads for a mere bowl of rice. A large percentage of the population have taken to begging in the streets because of their long-standing poverty. To keep their party base consolidated, the politicians introduce projects like `Food for Work' amongst the rural population. The students and youth are also taken by in such schemes. In fact, by giving unemployment benefits to a certain percentage of the population, the politicians are misguiding poor people in the name of `ism'. They are keeping the people engrossed in menial economic activities, and have so far prevented genuine revolution in society. It is not proper to surrender Samatat to these anti-social forces and let this unwelcome situation continue. Today, a great call has come for an all-round revolution. The people of Samatat must also participate in this struggle for freedom. The Samatat of Mahaprabhu Chaitanya, Rabindranth, Bankim Chanra, Madhusudan, Bhaga Yatiin and Subhas Chandra will not be cast into oblivion together with the glorious heritage and cultural of Samatat. No sensible Bengali can wish to see this happen. So the people of Samatat must wake up to the present reality, come forward and strive to attain economic self-sufficiency. They must also demand in chorus: "We, the 14 million Bengalis of Samatat, want to move together in unison. We want to materialise our hopes and aspirations together. We want a prosperous Bengal free from exploitation. We stand for a self-sufficient socio-economic zone -- Bangalistan." 1984, Calcutta *************** Gorkhaland The Gorkhaland movement, which is demanding a few districts in the northern part of West Bengal, has reached a climax. The Gorkhas, who had settled there from outside the state, are now demanding the formation of a separate state by taking advantage of their Indian citizenship. They have launched regular agitations, called strikes, looted, plundered, burnt property, murdered and virtually brought the law and order situation to a stand still. In fact, the barbaric call for `An eye for an eye' has been the dominant political slogan, and now there is no rule of law in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. The Government of West Bengal has failed to curb this secessionist movement. Its only business is to divert this movement into animosity against the Central Government to try and procure some advantage in the elections. Whatever may be the objectives of the communists, the people of West Bengal have understood their selfish intentions. The law-abiding citizens of West Bengal are extremely concerned with the rapes, murders, police firings and large-scale violence which has occured recently. In fact, the Gorkhaland issue is not an isolated political problem of a particular ethnic community, but an artificial issue initially created by the undivided Communist Party of India and their agents. In 1977 the Marxists, with the sole intention of grabbing political power in West Bengal, began to arouse the Gorkha sentiment by demanding autonomy for the Gorkhas and the recognition of the Gorkhali language. The foolish, narrow-minded politcal leaders could not realise that their spurious policies would one day boomerang on them. Strangely, the communists are now trying to avoid the poisonous tree of Gorkhaland which they themselves planted. With their characteristic cunningness, they are trying to mislead the population of West Bengal by claiming that the Central Government is inspiring this secessionist movement. Let the historic role of the communist party vis-a-vis the Gorkhaland movement be exposed! In 1947 the Communist Party, in collaboration with the communal and secessionist Muslim League, raised the slogan for the partition of West Bengal. At the same time they also raised the slogan for the formation of a separate land for the Gorkhas. In fact, the term "Gorkhaland" is 40 years old and was last used by the Indian communists. The communist party demanded that Gorkhaland should comprise Sikhim, parts of Nepal and a few districts of North Bengal, including Darjeeling. This would be the separate homeland of the Gorkhas. In order to create a solid political base amongst the Gorkhas, the communists raised the Gorkhaland issue, but at that time the movement was not very effective. In 1977, when the communists came to power in West Bengal, the old political leaders of the Marxist Communist Party revived the old Gorkhaland sentiment which has now transformed the northern part of the state into a land of utter chaos and bloodsheed. Innocent, peace-loving Bengalis are now fleeing from their houses in Darjeeling in terror, and becoming refugees in the adjoining districts of Coochbihar, Jalpaguri, etc. In their home state, the Bengalis are virtually refugees. But the Gorkhas, who are the real outsiders, are demanding that the Bengalis quit Darjeeling. The Lepchas and Bhutias -- the original inhabitants of Darjeeling district -- belong to the Coch tribe. The Coch people are the original Bengalis. A part of their population settled on both sides of the Sam'coch River in Sikhim and Bhutan, and another group migrated from Barendrabhum, the northernmost part of Bengal, and settled in the hilly regions further north. The Lepchas and Bhutias have always remained associated with the mainstream of Bengali life and culture. The Gorkhas are clearly the outsiders. About 200 years ago, the Gorkhas came from outside Bengal in search of a livelihood and began to settle in the Darjeeling hills. According to the 1872 census report, their number was so negligible that they were too inconsequential to be recorded, and it was merely mentioned that they were outsiders. The upper hilly regions were inhabited by the Lepchas and Bhutias, and the plains were inhabited by the Bengalis. In addition, a major percentage of the population who introduce themselves as the Nepalese and live in the Darjeeling hills are not Gorkhas at all. 15 Nepali ethnic groups like the Tamang, Gurung, Newari, etc. live in the Darjeeling area. They are not Gorkhas nor is their language Gorkhali. In fact, Gorkhali is a dialect of a very small community. Just as there is no language called the Indian language -- in India there are as many as 323 major or minor languages and dialects and all these languages are Indian languages -- likewise in Nepal there are about 32 languages and dialects, and each of them is a Nepali language. Gorkhali is not even the official language of Nepal. The Gorkhas, though a small ethnic community, have demanded Gorkhaland to fulfil their petty selfish interests, misleading the other simple, innocent tribes living in the Darjeeling hills. There is no historical, social or economic justification behind the Gorkhaland movement. The Lepchas and Bhutias who are the children of the soil, outnumber the Ghorkas. So, those who are raising the bogey of Ghorkhaland have only blackened their hands in a dangerous political game. Just as the Gorkhali language is the language of a small minority and should not be imposed upon a large community, similarly the Gorkas are a small community who live in the Darjeeling hills and should not be allowed to indulge in provocative politics. Such politics have been operating for the last 40 years behind the Gorkhaland movement. The Gorkhas who departed from Shikim, Bhutan and Assam gathered in the Darjeeling hills. The Left Front Government of West Bengal has cleared the jungles and built settlements for them, and declared Gorkhali the official language. It is the Marxists who have induced the Gorkhas to raise the bogey of a Gorkha homeland. This is an example of the dangerous, nasty politics practised by the Marxists in Bengal. Now, what does the constitution of India say with regard to this issue? A written constitution gives better shelter to the people than an unwritten one. The constitutions of India, France and the USA are written while the constitution of Britain is unwritten, but it is known to everybody. According to India's constitutional provisions, specific tribal areas enjoy certain constitutuional rights. That is, where there is the possibility of the tribals being dominated by the non-tribals, the tribals enjoy certain constitutional rights. Some examples of tribals are the Garos, the Khasias, the Kacharis who live in some districts of Assam, and the Mizos. The provisions of the Indian constitution are for the tribals only, not for any other groups, and they are relevant only to northeast India, not for any other area, not even for the tribals living in other parts of India. Such rights are only desirable for a very short time. Tripura does not come within the scope of these constitutional provisions, but despite this the communist party tried to exploit the situation there. It passed the Tribal Hill Council Bill by abusing its powers in the assembly. This bill violates the provisions of the Indian constitution and is ultravires to the people of India. In Bengal the Gorkha Hill Council in Darjeeling is also against the provisions of the Indian constitution because the Gorkhas are not tribals. The pact between certain selfish communist leaders and the Gorkha chiefs is not only illegal but unconstitutional. Constitutionally, the Gorkhas do not enjoy the rights spcified in the Gorkha Hill Council Act. Those who signed this pact have betrayed universal fraternity. The Government-Gorkha pact has nothing to do with the tribals, and from this point of view it is illegal and unconstitutional. It will not be upheld in the Supreme Court if a proper judgement is given. 30 August 1988, Calcutta *************** Greater Bengal The Bengali race, which is a blending of the Austric, Mongolian and Negroid races, was created about 5000 years ago. Sam'skrta was the language of the land of Bengal before 5000 years ago, hence Sam'skrta is the guiding language of Bengali. The Bengali language underwent a transformation about 1200 years ago. At this time the area of Bengal included the entire present day Bengal, the Jhanpa district of Nepal, the entire eastern portion of Bihar, all of Bangladesh and Burma, the plain portion of Meghalay, and certain portions of Pragjyotispur, Barpeta, Kamrup and Naogaon in Assam. This was the area of the land of Bengal. Today there are two types of Bengali expressions -- Indian Bengali and Bangladeshi Bengali. There should be a proper assimilation or blending of both these types. Bangladesh was created due to the folly of the Indian leaders during the independence movement. They were also responsible for the creation of Assam and Meghalaya. Now the original land of Bengal is balkanised, and the only reason for the continuation of this situation is the disunity amongst the Bengali people. The unity amongst the Bengali people is the main requirement necessary to solve this problem. Certain portions of the original land of Bengal are now in Assam. In 1912 during the period of Lord Curzon, because of the folly of national leaders, Bengal was partitioned. After the movement against the partition of Bengal, Bengal was reunited in 1912, but certain portions in Assam and Orissa remained outside the jurisdiction of Bengal. The leaders at that time accepted this plan so there was no objection to this division. This situation should not be allowed to continue. All the portions of Bengal should be reunited. What is essential for Bengal is to develop a sense of unity. Bengal will be debalkinised when this unity is developed. The people of Bengal are more black in the west and southwest, and more yellow in the north and northeast. The people of Bengal have almost the same blood relationship. The area of Bangalistan consists of the following regions -- West Bengal, Tripura, the Bengali speaking areas of Assam, Bihar, Orissa and parts of Nepal, and Bangladesh. How will you unite the fragments and fractures of Bengal? Throughout this area there is socio-economic disparity. In Bangladesh the people suffer from suffocation and natural calamaties because there are no develoment schemes. For example, in many places there is only one crop a year and the rest of the time the land is vacant. There should be development schemes in Bangladesh to raise the standard of living of the Bangladesh people. The economic standard of India should also be raised but Bangladesh should be raised more rapidly. Only when there is economic parity amongst Tripura, Bengal and Bangladesh, should India and Bangladesh become united. Should the people of Bangladesh and Tripura be rehabilitated in West Bengal? No, not at this stage, as this will hamper the development of the people of West Bengal. The best approach is to work for the economic upliftment of the people of Tripura and Bangladesh to ensure their long-term socio-economic progress. There should be a constructive socio-economic movement in Bangladesh. This should include technical education, agricultural development and movements which guide the people away from dogma. All religions encourage centres of dogma. Education should not preach dogma. Education should be free from all the influences of dogma. Next to Indonesia, Bangladesh's population is saturated and about to burst. As there is disparity in Tripura and Bangladesh, we should think more for the development of Tripura and Bangladesh. Other than the Bengali speaking districts of Dhubri, Goalpara and Barpeta, the economic development of Assam is somewhat satisfactory. For the development of Bangladesh, what should be done and what should not be done? The main raw materials of Bangladesh are raw jute and hide. Alternatives to jute should be developed, especially in the jute producing centres like the Narayangunge block of Dacca district. Also, there should be maximum utilisation of the land by introducing mixed cropping and crop rotation. The adversities of Bangladesh include the education system, natural calamities, malnutrition and lack of economic development. In Tripura there are two varieties of paddy crops -- a'us and boro. In Assam there are two major valleys -- the Brahmaputra and Barak valleys. In the Karimgange block of Barak valley the quality of bamboo is good and this can be used in the paper industry. Sweet potato and sugar beet can also be grown in the same area. There should be four crops in a year. Synthetic fibre for clothing, medicine, jams, etc. can be manufactured from pineapple. Medicine is made from the leaves of the pineapple plant. Banana stems and leaves can also be utilised, and after the banana plant is burnt, sodium and sodium nitrate can be collected and utilised in the soap industry. Jackfruit grows well in Assam and Tripura, and honey and natural paraffin wax can also be produced. In Tripura there is laterite soil. In this soil small oranges of the Sylhet variety, cashew nuts and papaya can be grown. Also, small scale industries should be developed. In Amarpur block synthetic rubber should be encouraged in place of natural rubber. This also applies to Jampui Hill region in Panisagar block. Peas, peanuts and white sesame can also be grown. There are good possibilities for utilising oil and natural gas as well as harnessing solar energy. Solar energy is of a permanent nature and will not run out. Solar energy can also be collected in batteries. Why should energy be imported from outside Tripura? 3 January 1989, A'nanda Nagar *************** Some Developmental Programmes for Bengal Much can be done to develop the socio-economic potential of Bengal, but to do this you will have to know a great deal about the local area and put this knowledge to practical use. What are the main production towns in Bengal? What are the major cities -- that is, which are the places with populations of more than 100,000 people? What is the source of the daily drinking water? Is it artesian water or rain water? Are there any hygiene problems amongst the people in these cities? What is the main source of income of the citizens there? And what is the source of their socio-economic livelihood? Is it based on agriculture, industry or commerce? Let us briefly examine the economic potential of a few areas such as Birbum district, Digha and Bankura district. There are two types of land in Birbhum district in the direction of north to south, particularly in the area of Tarapith -- high land and low land. In Nanur block near Labhpur the land is high and in the Mayureswar block it is low. The main characteristic of this high and low land is that the height of the people living there varies -- in the high land the people are comparatively tall, and in the low land they are comparatively short. Similarly, in the eastern portion of Birbhum district people are comparatively tall, and in the western portion the people are comparatively short. The western portion of Birbhum district is much more developed than the eastern portion. People have skin disease in the high land region. Birbhum district was formed in 1856 by combining Suri, Rampurhat, Dhumka, Deoghar and certain portions of Murshidabad district. About 1,200 years ago, Upabanga or Shreebhumi was formed with Sylhet, Noakhali, Chattala and Tripura. Banga or Barak was situated in the eastern part of the Padma river and the western part of the Meghna river. The Barendrabhum region is situated in the northern part of the Padma. The original region of Bengal was formed from five areas -- Ra'r'h, Samatat, B'anga, Barendra and Mithila. Collectively these five areas were called "Pancha Gaura "or "the sweet land". Pancha means "five" and gaur means "sweet". Once Chaitanya Deva initiated the tribals of Tripura, so they adopted the title Devaburman -- "deva" came from Chaitanya Deva, while "burman" means "tribal". Mu-Chang-Fa, who originally led these tribals into Tripura from northern Burma, was greatly impressed by Chaitanya's philosophy and the Bengali language he spoke, so he and his royal court embraced Bengali culture. In the Kamalpur block in Tripura, the soil is composed of granite rock and is very suitable for the cultivation of cashew nuts and pineapples. Horitculture can best be developed in Sonamura, Belonia and Kamalpur blocks. The topographical order of the entire Tripura is shaped like a saucer. Potatoes can be grown twice a year. Two types of potatos can grow here -- red skinned and white skinned. What are the industrial possibilities in Salema block in North Tripura? How many rivers and rivulets are there in this area? The block headquarters is in Kailasahar. The main source of water is from the Dhalai river coming from Longthorai Hill. During the rainy season there is plenty of water, but in the dry season there is a shortage. Now let us discuss Digha. Previously Digha was known as Diirghaka -- diirgha means "long" and ka means "land" -- then it became Diirghaa and today it is Digha. Ramnagar, a town near Digha, was named after Ramnarayar Hata, the last Maharaja of Midnapore district. Kanthi then became the district headquarters. The British moved their headquaters to Kanthi after a large storm which engulfed Ramnagar, but they changed the name Kanthi to Contai as there was another district headquarters with a similar sounding name. The area around Digha used to be predominantly Buddhist. The beach at Digha is the broadest in the world. Throughout Digha district along the seashore, there should be large-scale afforestation of samudric jhau trees (a kind of pine tree) to check oceanic storms. If these storms are checked, many types of plants can be grown successfully. Coconut grows especially well. If you travel by car about five kilometres west of Digha, there are dense forests along the coast. However, there is no stone retaining walls on the beach to stop the enchroachment of sea. Approximately every seven years large storms come and wash away the trees, which is why many of the trees do not get a chance to grow very tall. If the trees are not replanted along the beach and retaining walls constructed, there will be much erosion and the intensity of the storms will not be checked. The train line should go upto Bhograi, not just to Digha. At Bhograi, the Suvarnarekha river merges into the sea. Bhograi is at present in Orissa. A port should be build there to export coconut, fish, betel nut, betel leaves and good quality cashew nuts rather than going through Calcutta port. This will help the socio-economic development of the region. A marine drive should also be constructed along the length of the Digha beach to attract tourists and make its scenic beauty accessible to the people. Finally, let us discuss Bankura district. The entire Bankura district can be divided into three categories. First, there is the Vishnupur sub-division excluding the Indas block. The soil in this area does not have much capacity to retain water. The land is neither completely plain or wavy. The aman variety of paddy grows well while a'us paddy and boro paddy do not grow so well. Planning should provide for proper irrigation facilities and drainage. Secondly, there is the Indas block. This area is plain land but the soil cannot hold much water. It is very similar to the soil of the bordering Burdwan district. So the agricultural planning of this area should be done together with Burdwan district. Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for the people in this area. Thirdly, there is the Khatara sub-division and the remaining portion of Bankura district. Here the land is wavy and there are numerous scattered clusters of a few huts. The water flows downwards quickly and the water retaining capacity of the soil is low compared with the rest of the district. Proper planning for irrigation needs to be done. The agricultural potentiality of the land is low but it is rich in mineral wealth. For example, in the southern portion of this area huge deposits of coal, mica, silver and copper can be found. The adjacent Manbhum area (which falls within Purulia district) also has huge reserves of copper. To the south of the road connecting Purulia and Bankura huge deposits of minerals can be found. Industries based on these mineral resources should be properly planned and developed. The soil in Bankura district is good for horticulture, so this industry should also be properly planned and organised. For example, grapes, sweet lemons, papayas, guavas, etc. grow very well. The soil around Taldanga block is good for the cultivation of gourd. The entire area should be divided according to the potential of agriculture, horticulture and minerals. Developmental planning should be formulated accordingly. The state language of the Arakan range was Bengali, which was introduced by the poet Syed Mahommed Alaoal who lived in the Belonia district of Bangladesh. In the Austric language bir means "big jungle". In Howrah district the silk industry is not in good condition and most of the silk now comes from Maldha district. Mango has not been developed into an industry. In Amta block in Howrah district, Kendua or Kendermath is a large fertile area which has ideal paddy land. Is there scope to develop any new large or medium scale industries in Amta sub-division? What are the rivers in this area? Is the source of water perrenial? What is the socio-economic condition of your block? In Badampahar in the Bhanjabhum area of Keonjahar district in Orissa there are reserves of iron ore. The maharaja of that area started a narrow guage train to transport iron ore. Today the Tata company still utilises the same train for carrying iron ore. There is also plentiful supply of babui grass, which is being used to make rope by the local people. It can also be used to manufacture paper for the paper industry. The mother tongue of the Mahatos in Bhanjabhum is suppressed. To develop the industrial potential of any region you should take into consideration factors like the power and water reserves, the community problems, the land and soil conditions, the mixed farming potential, the availability of raw materials, the development of local industries, etc. 10 February 1989, Calcutta *************** The Original Inhabitants of Bengal The original inhabitants of Bangalistan include the Rajbanshis from North Bengal; the Mahatos from Ra'r'h; the Cakmas from Chattagram and Tripura; the Mahisyas from Midnapore and 24 Paraganas; the Sadgopes from Birbhum; the Namashudras from Jessore and Khulna; and the Ugra Ks'attriyas from Burdwan. These original Bengalis may be called the "Ja'ta Bengalis". The proof that these communities are the original Bengalis is that they are situated in numerous adjacent villages throughout the regions they inhabit. Village after village of these original inhabitants are located together. They do not populate one or two isolated villages, nor are there merely several people from these communities scattered in a few villages throughout the region. This proves the the local people were consolidated in particular areas. In contrast, the Brahmins and the Kayasthas are found in only a few villages and are few in number, thus we cannot be sure that they are the original inhabitants of Bengal. They may have come from other parts of Bengal to do some special kind of work, as priests for example, or they may have come from outside Bengal. Whenever you plan any developmental programme for Bengal, you should keep the interests of the Ja'ta Bengalis uppermost, as they are the original inhabitants and taken together comprise the majority community. If they are benefited, the whole of Bangalistan will be benefited. The original name of the Bengali community was "Kaebarta" meaning "a community of fishermen". They were divided into five groups -- the Namashudras in the east; the Rajabangshir in the north; the Mahisyas in the south; the Sadgopes in the northern part; and the Mahatos in the west. Mahato came from "Mahatma". These original five communities were not tribals. In Bengal there are many small groups of people speaking non- Sam'skrtic languages. For example, Indo-Tibetan and several other languages. These groups are known as "tribals" -- those speaking non-Sam'skrtic languages. The Ja'ta Bengalis are the indigenous population of Bengal and speak a pure Sam'skrtic language. Human society is one and indivisible, so Bangalistan must not go against the interests or spirit of universal humanity. This is a must. You have to see the interests of the place where you remain, but you should not go against the spirit of universal humanity. Do not waste your time in dialects and sub-dialects as this is the approach of analysis. All dialects should merge in the main language. This is the approach of synthesis. 21 February 1989, Calcutta