Discussing the relevance of Bengali literature after 50 years

Prominent writers, during a session at the 'Kolkata Literature Festival' in Kolkata, deliberated on the relevance of Bengali literature among the younger generation 50 years from now, given the onslaught of social media and other online platforms.

Eminent poet and lyricist Srijato Bandyopadhyay said the COVID-19 pandemic taught people to live in the moment and it longer mattered what would happen after 50 years.

"COVID-19 and news of deaths in the past two years have made us aware of the futility of long-term plans. Who knows what things will be like after 50 or 100 years? It is better to think about the immediate future and tomorrow. As far I am concerned, I write for readers I can reach out to immediately," Bandyopadhyay stated at the recent session.

On a different note, well-known writer Pracheto Gupta said populism cannot be the sole criteria for judging the literary merit of any artwork, including films and literature, be it now or 50 years later.

"Despite some of his films bombing at the box office, Ritwik Ghatak is considered a maestro in filmmaking. Satyajit Ray's 'Pather Panchali' did not see commercial success initially, but it has been recognised as a classic across the world. Populism is no yardstick for determining the relevance of a creative piece of work," Gupta maintained.

Young author Debarati Mukhopadhyay contended that the next generation may choose not to read Bengali books being written today 'if the content is not smart enough'.

"One should keep pace with the changing times," she said.

Bandopadhyay, on his part, pointed out that Rabindranath Tagore died some eight decades ago and there 'be another like the bard', but his work was revered and celebrated to this day.

Echoing him, writer-publisher Tridib Chatterjee said that 'a classic would not get dimmed by the passage of time' and its content would continue to get accepted generations after generations.

The two-day literary festival, held as part of the Kolkata book fair, had earlier hosted discussion panels on contributions of socio-religious reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy and works of auteur Satyajit Ray.

Festival curator Sujata Sen told a leading news agency, "We are happy with people's response to this year's festival. The buzz is finally back.

That said, I am a little sad that we had to limit the event to two days."