Volume-I, Issue-I, September, 2024
Volume-I, Issue-I, September, 2024 |
অমিতাভ দেব চৌধুরীর গল্পে দেশভাগোত্তর সাম্প্রদায়িকতা প্রিয়াংকা ধর, গবেষক, বাংলা বিভাগ, আসাম বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, শিলচর, ভারত ড. বিশ্বজিৎ ভট্টাচার্য, সহকারী অধ্যাপক, বাংলা বিভাগ, করিমগঞ্জ কলেজ, করিমগঞ্জ, আসাম, ভারত |
Received: 03.09.2024 | Accepted: 29.09.2024 | Published Online: 30.09.2024 | Page No: 85-93 |
DOI: 10.69655/atmadeep.vol.1.issue.01W.012 | |||
ABSTRACT | ||
After ruling the Indian subcontinent for two
centuries, British colonial rule ended with the price of partition, which
brought about independence. The country became independent by splitting into
two parts, which later evolved into three separate nations. The partition is a
cursed event in the pages of history; viewed from one perspective, it was meant
to liberate from colonial rule. However, a deeper and more nuanced examination
of history reveals that the British were indeed responsible for the partition,
as they desired division and control. Beyond the British, the personal and
collective interests of some power-hungry and so-called native politicians also
led to this division. During British rule, the rulers stoked communalism
between the Hindu and Muslim communities to maintain their control over society
and the nation. Communalism is fundamentally political, where religion is exploited
for political gain. In politics, religion serves as a tool that helps sustain
oppressive practices. Due to communalism, distrust, suspicion, bitterness, and
animosity grew between people of different faiths, leading them to begin to
hate each other. As a horrific result of this political maneuvering, India was
divided based on the two-nation theory, resulting in the creation of two
states. The partition brought a profound and transformative crisis into the
life of Bengalis, from which they, especially those in Northeast India, have
yet to find relief. New forms of crises seem to be increasing, with the most
recent examples being the renewal of the National Register of Citizens and the
formulation of the Citizenship Amendment Act in Assam.
While the experience of
the tremendous crisis that arose in Bengali life due to partition reached
extreme limits in real life, it is not as prominently reflected in Bengali
literature. Nonetheless, fragments of the devastation of life and various
crises resulting from partition are present in Bengali literature. The horrific
history of partition and its festering wounds still linger deep within the
hearts of the people of the Barak Valley and the Northeast. However, very few
authors have addressed the context of partition in their writings. Amitabh Dev
Chowdhury, a writer from the Barak Valley, is no exception; he has inherited
the memories and wounds of partition through his ancestors. Though he could not
witness the partition firsthand, he perceives the dark consequences of
partition through contemporary experiences. Since literature is merely an
artistic representation of diverse human experiences, the issues of partition,
the resulting refugee crisis, communal divides, struggles for rehabilitation,
and the sorrows of Bengali life naturally find their way into his writings. The
multifaceted picture of the existential crisis faced by these displaced people
from fragmented Bengal frequently emerges in Amitabh's narratives.
Additionally, his various stories and novels depict the social and political
experiences of post-partition life in the Northeast. This section will discuss
how the consequences of communalism in the aftermath of partition have
manifested in a terrifying manner at the social level and how they have harmed
society and people's lives, focusing on two selected stories by Amitabh Dev
Chowdhury. |