Synopsis: Myths of Karttik as poetic motifs in Bengali poetry

Aminur Rahman

Assistant Professor

Department of Bengali language and literature

The University of Dhaka

Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh

Tel: 880-2-8016938, Fax: 880-2-8615583

E-mail: aminur@citechco.net; aminur90@hotmail.com

 

Scope:

In Bengal agriculture is the predominant occupation. People, especially the farmers, celebrate harvest festival right after the harvest. As a part of the harvest festival, Karttik is worshiped as he is considered as a fertility god. So, in Bengal Karttik is one of the influential gods that remains as social archetypes. This research deals with the myth of Karttik and how they have been used as poetic motifs in the works of major Bengali poets from the ancient times to the present. This paper will incorporate the following aspects:

1.      Why myth is used in poetry

2.      Diachronic history of using myth in Bengali poetry;

3.      Karttik as a mythical character and its use in the mediaeval poetry;

4.      Karttik as a mythical character and its use in the modern poetry;

5.      Evolving process of Karttik myth in Bengali poetry; and

6.      How Karttik myth embellishes the form and content of Bengali poetry.

 

Sources:

Bengali poetry started its journey from the seventh/eighth century and a huge number of poets have devoted themselves to it. But for a logical manageable shape, this paper concentrates on only major writers and their writings to find how the Karttik character and its creation-recreation recurs as a poetic motif.

 

Methodology:

The historical method is followed in general scientific approach. Critical analysis is made wherever possible. Moreover, a comparative study also has been done among the poet’s notion about the myth of Karttik.

 

Problems:

This study has not been attempted so far. It also utilizes sources, which have so far not been tapped.