Volume-I, Issue-I, September, 2024
Volume-I, Issue-I, September, 2024 |
মহাশ্বেতা দেবীর নির্বাচিত ছোটগল্পের আলোকে নিম্নবর্গ তথা অন্ত্যজ আদিবাসীদের বয়ান অনুরাধা দাস, গবেষক, বাংলা বিভাগ, আসাম বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, শিলচর, ভারত |
Received: 10.09.2024 | Accepted: 29.09.2024 | Published Online: 30.09.2024 | Page No: 101-110 |
DOI: DOI: 10.69655/atmadeep.vol.1.issue.01W.014 | |||
ABSTRACT | ||
The short story is one
of the notable fruits of Bengali literature in the nineteenth century. Through
these stories, writers depict broader aspects of social life within a limited
framework. Among the prominent storytellers of the twentieth century is Mahasweta
Devi. In addition to being a writer, she was a social worker who traveled to
various places, observing people's lives from many perspectives, and wrote her
stories based on those observations.
For centuries, Indian
society has marginalized tribal communities such as the Sabar, Dom, Munda, and
Bagdi, keeping them far from their basic rights and the main currents of life.
The pain and suffering of these marginalized, impoverished people deeply troubled
Mahasweta Devi, and she brought their real stories to life through her writing.
Her work highlights the "voiceless section of Indian society,"
focusing on the marginalized who are perpetually exploited, striving to claim
their rightful place and sustain their existence.
Moreover, she
illustrated the protests of these tribes against societal injustices. Through
these acts of resistance, she depicted their journey toward a new civilization
and a transformed society. Unlike Rabindranath, whose definition of
transcendence is moving from the finite to the infinite, her notion of
upliftment is liberating the tribal and marginalized communities from their
suffering.
She
repeatedly emphasized that the relationship between the lower and upper classes
can never be harmonious, as the upper class often prevents the lower class from
advancing in life. Mahasweta Devi pointedly addressed this harsh reality of
society. Through her stories, she presented the lives of the marginalized and
lower classes in such a way that they became documents of their history. She
became a "friend of the marginalized," wishing for them not to remain
eternally downtrodden. She desired that these simple, innocent people reclaim
what is rightfully theirs, achieving success both internally and externally,
and that their lives be illuminated with hope. |