Bishaharir Puthi

A rare copy of handwritten folklore manuscript ‘Puthi' was being read and performed by Md. Akbar Ali Mondal (1958), has been pondering this narrative folk ballad from the middle age for the past 30 years. These narratives paint the famous Behula-Lakhindars’ love story, and the mighty war between merchant Chand and half goddess Manasha. Alongside faith and belief these stories are beautiful renditions of traditional folklore once these lands would cherish to culture.

In the contemporary framework this artpiece by Kobi Jagajjiban Ghoshal of the middle age Bengali literature and poetry could fit within the folklore studies of these lands. This research would disclose more of the South Asian Folklore unlike any poetic narrative of that time, and how the landscape changed with time and the tide of the river of love and prosperity, the Karatoya. This was one of the great opportunities for me to read and recompose the rewritten manuscript twice, after my uncle Akbar Ali taught me from the original Asamia Bengali writings by Nazar Mamud.

These rare narratives with valuable historic archives of the Middle age Bengali folklores, stories and musical narratives; are colors in South Asian folklore heritage, and musicology. These traditional art flows alongside philosophical beliefs, love and living, reincarnation metaphors, worthy to nurture in the educational ambience, for the generations to come in this part of the world to the other parts who might have never explored.