The Department of Bengali collaborated with Pashchimbanga Itihas Samsad to host a seminar/panel discussion on Sufism and Bengali culture, duly ratified by the IQAC of our college in Jubilee Hall on Saturday, 30 September, 2023. The panel included very distinguished speakers, Prof. A. Dey, Ashutosh Mukherjee Professor, of the Department of History, University of Calcutta and Dr. Ipshita Halder, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature, Jadavpur University, Kolkata. The session was chaired by the eminent historian, Shri A. Bandyopadhyay.
Dr. Dey gave the historical perspective of how Sufism was imbibed in various ways for centuries in India, while Dr. Halder spoke about the influence of the philosophy in Bengali literature and music. They illustrated how in the 19th century, many great minds of Bengal like Raja Rammohan Roy and Maharshi Debendranath Tagore took an active interest in Persian poetry, particularly, in the works of Hafiz and Jalaluddin Rumi.
Prof. Amit Dey enumerated the multifarious ways in which Bengali culture and society were transformed under the influence of Sufism. Emphasizing on certain key concepts of Sufism, like love (“ishq”), annihilation (“fana”), he sought to explain how Sufism was widely accepted by the people of Bengal. He cited the structural similarity between the domes of temples and mosques and the shape of the caps that Sufi devotees wore. Illustrating the importance of religious travel, place-making and space-making, Prof. Dey highlighted the amalgamation of the universal and the local in Sufi thoughts and practices. For instance, he showed how by integrating the universal tenets of Sufi religious beliefs and couching them in local terms and understanding, the Sufis were better able to communicate their ideas among the people. He also sought to explain why and why Bengal did not produce any charismatic Sufi which ultimately became synonymous with a site, as in the case of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti or Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya. It is here that he introduced the idea of warrior Sufis of Bengal, who prioritized the task of spreading the ideas of Sufism in Bengal at a moment to articulate their thoughts in a coherent manner when the political climate of the region was quite daunting. Concluding his stimulating session Dr Dey encouraged young scholars to undertake more serious research on Sufism in Bengal and through such localized intensive study add to the domain of historical study in more thought provoking ways.
Dr. Ipshita Halder concentrated on the influence of Sufi thought on the language and literature of Bengal. For the Thirteenth century Sufi poet Rumi, “Love is my religion”, as “Only on the horse of love can you go beyond the sun and the moon to behold the Perfect One.” It is this message of unconditional love that inspired the religious rejuvenation of Shri Chaitanya or Meera Bai, or even Guru Nanak, resulting in the inclusion of Sufi verses in Guru Granth Sahib. Dr. Halder pointed out that although translating the Quran was strictly prohibited initially, and how it took centuries to publish a Bangla version. She read out very interesting extracts to show how the Islamic missionaries eventually adopted a very Sanskritized register to communicate with the people of Bengal. Rabindranath possibly imbibed his love of Sufi poetry from his father, Debendranath, who was fond of Hafiz. He was instrumental in encouraging Kshitimohan Sen to rediscover the medieval saints and poets, thereby opening up the world of Sufi ideas to the twentieth century readers.
Dr. Halder paid glowing tributes to the Bauls of Bengal, among whom Lalan Fakir, is possibly the best known, whose profound philosophy owes much to the Sufi tradition.
156 participants attended the program.
In the words of the famous writer Ernest Hemingway, “There is no friend as loyal as a book” The students of our college really seem to abide by his words, as the College Library is one of the most frequented places. And so, on the 21st of March, 2022, around 10:30 am, it was in …
The Department of Geography, The Bhawanipur Education Society College organized a Extension lecture primarily for the students of Semester 4 on the topic ‘Cartography through ages’ on 25.04.2023, Tuesday at 2:45 pm in the Geography Laboratory (Room no. 532). The lecture was delivered by Dr. Niladri Das, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Hiralal Bhakat College, …
How better can the birth of the Lord who was born in a stable and gave his life for his fellow men, but by reaching out to those who are not as fortunate as we are? An “reach out” the students of the Bhawanipur Education Society College (BESC), like the three wise men – the …
The Department of English, The Bhawanipur Education Society College organized Peer Webinar: Chapter 16 on 27th February, 2023 at 7 pm. The speaker was Ms. Soumyosree Banerjee; her paper was entitled- “Dis-ability and the American Superhero: the Perfect and the Perfected”. The webinar was held on Google Meet; it was attended by the faculty members …
Sufism and the Culture of Bengal
The Department of Bengali collaborated with Pashchimbanga Itihas Samsad to host a seminar/panel discussion on Sufism and Bengali culture, duly ratified by the IQAC of our college in Jubilee Hall on Saturday, 30 September, 2023. The panel included very distinguished speakers, Prof. A. Dey, Ashutosh Mukherjee Professor, of the Department of History, University of Calcutta and Dr. Ipshita Halder, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature, Jadavpur University, Kolkata. The session was chaired by the eminent historian, Shri A. Bandyopadhyay.
Dr. Dey gave the historical perspective of how Sufism was imbibed in various ways for centuries in India, while Dr. Halder spoke about the influence of the philosophy in Bengali literature and music. They illustrated how in the 19th century, many great minds of Bengal like Raja Rammohan Roy and Maharshi Debendranath Tagore took an active interest in Persian poetry, particularly, in the works of Hafiz and Jalaluddin Rumi.
Prof. Amit Dey enumerated the multifarious ways in which Bengali culture and society were transformed under the influence of Sufism. Emphasizing on certain key concepts of Sufism, like love (“ishq”), annihilation (“fana”), he sought to explain how Sufism was widely accepted by the people of Bengal. He cited the structural similarity between the domes of temples and mosques and the shape of the caps that Sufi devotees wore. Illustrating the importance of religious travel, place-making and space-making, Prof. Dey highlighted the amalgamation of the universal and the local in Sufi thoughts and practices. For instance, he showed how by integrating the universal tenets of Sufi religious beliefs and couching them in local terms and understanding, the Sufis were better able to communicate their ideas among the people. He also sought to explain why and why Bengal did not produce any charismatic Sufi which ultimately became synonymous with a site, as in the case of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti or Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya. It is here that he introduced the idea of warrior Sufis of Bengal, who prioritized the task of spreading the ideas of Sufism in Bengal at a moment to articulate their thoughts in a coherent manner when the political climate of the region was quite daunting. Concluding his stimulating session Dr Dey encouraged young scholars to undertake more serious research on Sufism in Bengal and through such localized intensive study add to the domain of historical study in more thought provoking ways.
Dr. Ipshita Halder concentrated on the influence of Sufi thought on the language and literature of Bengal. For the Thirteenth century Sufi poet Rumi, “Love is my religion”, as “Only on the horse of love can you go beyond the sun and the moon to behold the Perfect One.” It is this message of unconditional love that inspired the religious rejuvenation of Shri Chaitanya or Meera Bai, or even Guru Nanak, resulting in the inclusion of Sufi verses in Guru Granth Sahib. Dr. Halder pointed out that although translating the Quran was strictly prohibited initially, and how it took centuries to publish a Bangla version. She read out very interesting extracts to show how the Islamic missionaries eventually adopted a very Sanskritized register to communicate with the people of Bengal. Rabindranath possibly imbibed his love of Sufi poetry from his father, Debendranath, who was fond of Hafiz. He was instrumental in encouraging Kshitimohan Sen to rediscover the medieval saints and poets, thereby opening up the world of Sufi ideas to the twentieth century readers.
Dr. Halder paid glowing tributes to the Bauls of Bengal, among whom Lalan Fakir, is possibly the best known, whose profound philosophy owes much to the Sufi tradition.
156 participants attended the program.
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