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Published : 21 Feb 2023, 06:30 PM
When I came to Bangladesh at nine years old, I struggled to speak Bangla, let alone read or write it. I was learning the Bangla alphabet in Class Four while my peers were reading poems and writing essays. It wounded my pride, and that hurt took years to heal. Afraid of my incompetence, I always kept Bangla at arm’s length, hoping I would pick up enough to get by.
As a student studying at an English Medium school, escaping Bangla was sometimes easier than it should have been. It wasn’t until I was pushed out of my Bangla-free bubble in university that I realised how much I had missed by turning my back on my own mother tongue.
Talking with friends from different educational backgrounds, I kept coming up against references, bits of language, and cultural allusions that flew right over my head. To consider myself a true Bangladeshi, I decided to make more of an effort to learn about Bangla language and literature.
My journey started during my third semester as an undergraduate student during a mandatory Bangla pre-requisite course. Re-learning Bangla as an adult turned out to be a healing experience. I was finally mature enough to put aside my ego and focus on learning the language. I did not do too well in class, but at least I learned enough to start reading Bangla books comfortably.
The first books I read I borrowed from my six-year-old cousin’s bookshelf. From Thakurmar Jhuli and Porir Golpo to Nonte Phonte and Ebong Koutuk, I read every Bangla children’s book I could find. My friends all laughed, seeing a 20-year-old adult reading Bangla children’s books in a university library. However, I remain adamant that reading those books was both fun and essential to improving my Bangla reading abilities.
Once I was more comfortable reading in Bangla, I decided to move to books aimed at teenagers and young adults. Authors like Anisul Hoque, Muhammed Zafar Iqbal and Humayun Ahmed were my go-to for writing that was accessible but also engaging. It also helped that famous works such as Maa, Ami Topu, Amar Bondhu Rashed, Dipu Number Two, and the Himu Shamagra had audiobooks on YouTube that made the reading experience more accessible.
After a while, my reading speed had vastly improved, so I moved on to books more complex in language and plot. As a literature major, multi-dimensional characters and controversial themes were essential to my enjoyment of books. Now that I had reached a point where I could read without too many hiccups, I started to tackle books written for adults.
Tanveer Anoy’s novels were a perfect starting point, with their unique narration style and unconventional themes. His novels Punyaho and Durdhoy made waves recently for tackling serious issues like sexism, sexuality, and gender identity. The work of renowned writer Akhteruzzaman Elias is also worth the effort for those who struggle with Bangla. Though his writing is quite complex, books such as Chilekothar Sepai and Khoabnama leave a lasting impression with their poetic language and use of magical realism.
Speaking of poetic language, the writings of Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay testify to how beautiful Bangla can be. The use of archaic Bangla can make it difficult for many readers, but, like Shakespeare, it’s easy to train your brain to understand this style the more you read it.
Even now, I won’t pretend I read Bangla books too often. I’ve been working through my copy of Kazi Nazrul Islam’s Mrityukshuda for almost a year. As a language I learned later in life, I still struggle with Bangla. However, trying to read more Bangla books is a personal endeavour that has allowed me to feel closer to my country and culture than ever before. To others in similar situations, I urge you to make an effort too.
This article is part of Stripe, bdnews24.com's special publication focusing on culture and society from a youth perspective.
