A legend from the Sanskrit language. It also denotes “bird” in Sanskrit.
12 Matching Annotations
- Nov 2019
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macenglish.org macenglish.org
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Earlier in the text, Muzumdar claims that English literature “covers the entire area of human knowledge.” Here, we understand his dismissal of non-European traditional literary culture as a consequence of his Western-dominated education. The rhetoric of “common defects” echoes Edward Said’s thesis in Orientalism that western knowledge systems depict the cultures of East Asia as irrational, weak, and positioned as feminine other in relation to the so-called strength of Western cultures.
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Madhu Sudan was the first Bengali playwright, who brought western literary forms such as the sonnet into Indian literature. He is remembered for writing the first original Bengali play and his Bengali epic poem inspired by Milton’s Paradise Lost, ‘Meghnadbadh Kabya.’ He was a key player in the Bengal Renaissance.
Chakrabarty, Roshni. “Remembering Michael Madhusudan Dutt, the first Bengali playwright who became the face of Bengal Renaissance.” India Today, 2017, https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/michael-madhusudan-dutt-life-facts-985440-2017-06-29 Accessed 19 November 2019.
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Encyclopaedia Britannica defines “Sanskrit literature” as a “body of writings produced by the Ayran peoples who entered the Indian subcontinent from the northwest, probably during the 2nd millennium BC.” For more information on the dynamic between Bengali and Sanskrit literature, see Jesse Knutson’s Into the Twilight of Sanskrit Court Poetry: The Sena Salon of Bengal and Beyond. Knutson traces the changes in Sanskrit poetry from the 12th century, demonstrating how the incorporation of the Sanskrit language into a regional literary idiom defined the development of the Bengali language and its literary traditions.
“Sanskrit literature.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2017, https://www.britannica.com/art/Sanskrit-literature Accessed 19 November 2019.
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When writing a Hindi word in English script, some use the letters ‘J’ and ‘Z’ in place of each other. As such, it is difficult to locate information with the English spelling of the name. After acquiring a range of sources, I contend Jadunath Majumdar as the alternative spelling. According to the National Encyclopaedia of Bangladesh—an intellectual output of over 1450 scholars—Jadunath Majumdar was a writer and journalist born on 23 October 1859. After obtaining his MA in English Language and Literature from Calcutta University, he published in both Hindi and English. He was the editor of the Tribune in Lahore, as well as the Hindu Patrika. The former intended to throw light on the essence of Hinduism and attract the educated Hindus to the scriptures of their religion. Furthermore, Jadunath Majumdar was an educator and legislator, establishing an educational institution in 1889. In 1902, the British government awarded him the title of Roy Bahadu.
Khan, Benjeen. “Majumdar, Roy Bahadur Jadunath.” Banglapedia: National Encyclopaedia of Bangladesh, 2015, http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Majumdar,_Roy_Bahadur_Jadunath Accessed 19 November 2019.
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macenglish.org macenglish.org
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malls
According to this edition of the book, malls refers to "anklets." The edition does not credit a translator.
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baithak-khana*
A drawing room where the hosts entertain their guests.
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Sabash
I suspect that "sabash" might be a derivative of "shabash", a term used in the Indian subcontinent to signal commendation for an achievement, similar in meaning to bravos and kudos.
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ghomta*
In his book A Story of Ambivalent Modernization in Bangladesh and West Bengal: the Rise and Fall of Bengali Elitism in South Asia, Pranab Chatterjee difference between a burkha and a ghomta. While both act as a veil, the ghomta covers the head only for Hindu identifying women. More so, the ghomta is an extension of a woman's sari and is used only by upper caste Hindu women in rural areas.
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betellea
The betel leaf is primarily chewed in East India. As one chews the leaf, a copious flow of brick-red saliva is created, which may temporarily dye the mouth, lips, and gums orange-brown and can stain the teeth. Chewing is highly addictive, similar to that of nicotine, and causes sensations of mild euphoria.
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khompa
To further elaborate the gloss, a khompa is a certain knot of the hair and on the very crown (esp. of women). It also denotes flowers intertwined confusedly with the hair.
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Brahmans,
According to the OED, the noun "Brahmin / Brahman" denotes a member of the highest or priestly caste among the Hindus. It is the highest of the four varnas (social classes) in Hindu India, often acted as advisers and ministers of ruling chiefs. For Mathur, he needs the Brahmans blessing in order to agree to Tara's proposal that the Matangini should find shelter in their house.
https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/22507?redirectedFrom=brahman#eid
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