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THE RENOVATION OF FOLK TALES BY FIVE MODERN BENGALI WRITERS BANSARI MITRA ANTHROPOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA Ministry of Culture Department of Culture 27 Jawaharlal Nehru Road Kolkata - 700 016 Memoin No. 107 Published in February, 2002 Published by: Director Anthropological Survey of India 27, Jawaharlal Nehru Road Kolkata - 700 016 ISBN : 81-85579-68-7 Printed by: Print & Crafts 24/1A Budhu Ostagar Lane Kolkata - 700 009 Cover design : Anup Giri Price : Rs. 75.00 ; $ 23.00 Without the expressed permission of the Director, Anthropological Survey of India, no portion of this publication should be produced partly or wholly. FOREWORD , I am extremely happy to be associated with this book based on work in an area that is yet to become popular in academic. The simple lucid style of presentation by the author does not belie in any way the complex shades suggested by folk tales and their renovation by modern writers. Not only are the tales nostalgic but they also point to the markers by which communities within socio¬ cultural matrices view the world and its inhabitants. The deftness of the recreations add new life to the ancient tales. They also infuse with colour the varied life of Bengal. , For the discipline of anthropology folk tales is an important contributor as it highlights the not-so-overt expressions of cultures and angularities of personalities. Folk tales have scope of being dealt with at subjective levels without the rigorous trappings of objectivity. Folk tales permit a distancing from events that could be dangerous or disturbing in many ways. They also have a cathartic effect through vicarious identification with the experiences of the characters. Folk tales represent the possible range of experiences that an individual as an adult may expect to encounter and these tales through allegories and similes try to recreate the same. The telling of folk tales plays an important role in , socialization as a medium through which tradition is handed dozen from one generation to the next. The stories link the ages zohile the alterations and renovations point to the changes. This book zvill be enjoyed by those who may not have read the original stories. I am sure that this book zvill appeal to a variety of traders. R.K Bhattacharya, Director ' PREFACE I have worked in the Anthropological Survey of India during the period from 10th September, '99 to 10th August, 2000. I am grateful to the Anthropological Survey of India for providing me with a fellowship that enabled me to study the books on folklore in the immensely rich collection in the Head Office. I am very grateful to the Director, Dr. Ranjit Kumar Bhattacharya, Dr. Satyabrata Chakrabarti, Head of Office, Eastern Regional Centre and Prof. Kum Kum Bhattacharya of Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan for their constant help and support. Dr Tushar Kanti Niyogi provided guidance throughout my project. Mr. Shyamal Nandy's comments and proofreading also helped me to revise my papers. The library staff provided invaluable support by locating materials difficult to find. And lastly, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my colleagues, Subhra Dey, Ananya Bandopadhyaya, Indrani Mukhopadhyaya and Swarup Bandopadhyaya, whose constant encouragement and kindness helped to make my stay in this office a very enjoyable experience. . ' . Contents Chapter Page 1. INTRODUCTION 1 6 - 2. THE FUNCTION OF SOME MINOR CHARACTERS IN THAKURMAR JHULI 7-26 3. THE PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN CHARACTERS IN BENGALI FOLK AND FAIRY TALES 27 - 35 4. THE STORY OF TWO QUEENS : A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TWO TALES 36 - 47 5. ALOR PHULK1 : A GALLERY OF PICTURES 48 - 55 6. MYTHS AND RITUALS IN BURO ANGLA AND RAJ KAH1NI 56 - 68 7. THE TRANSFORMATION OF LOCAL AND FOREIGN FAIRY TALES 69 - 76 8. TIGER TALES OF BENGAL : KANKABAT1 AND TUNTUNIR BOI. 77 - 79 9. SUMMARY 80 - 81 APPENDIX : GENDER ROLES AND POWER RELATIONS IN SANTAL FOLKTALES 82 - 87 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2018 with funding from Public.Resource.Org https://archive.org/details/renovationoffolkOOmitr