ASIA FORUM: CHAPTER 4-BANGLADESH: A Report by Dr. Bishakha Sarma

 “Asia Forum-Chapter 4 Bangladesh” which is an offshoot of the Asian Literary Society and Journal of Asian Art, Culture and Literature (JAACL) took place on July 26th, 2021 at 1800 hours IST and 1830 hours BDT on the online forum of Asian Literary Society Facebook Page. 

The event involves a presentation of the various genres of Bangladeshi Literature by the distinguished writers and poets of Bangladesh - Mr. Shakil Kalam, Mr. Shams Monower, and Ms. Mahanaj Parvin.

 The session begins with a welcome note by Mr. Manoj Krishnan, the Founder of Asian Literary Society. Thereafter, the session was moderated by Dr. Bishakha Sarma, Linguist, and Administrator of Asian Literary Society.

 The writers discussed Bangladeshi literature in general as well as their depiction of historical and socio-cultural aspects of Bangladesh reflected in their writings.

Mr. Kalam discussed in detail the depiction of the liberation war in his short stories of Children’s Literature. He also discussed his essay book on “Thoughts on various topics”. He said, “Among all these chapters “Life as it is”……highlights the nontraditional professions of our country” and thus he narrated the life of a gravedigger. 

Mr. Kalam and Mr. Monower discussed in detail the elements of Folk in the field of literature and music. Mr. Monower spoke on the influence of the language movement and war of Independence in Bangladeshi Literature; and the status of the second language English in Bangladesh. 

Ms. Mahanaj Parvin spoke on the development of Bangla literature and poets of Bangladesh. She also discussed the socio-cultural themes she dealt with in her book of short stories “opolok chokhe ekhono takiye” and read a small extract from it. Mr. Monower and Ms. Mahanaj recited their self-composed poems. 

The program concludes with an appreciation note by Mr. Manoj Krishnan. Asian Literary Society and JAACL aim to further continue their pursuits in the promotion and preservation of Asian Art, Culture, and Literature.

The event has been archived on the YouTube channel of the Asian Literary Society, and can be viewed through the following link: https://youtu.be/8QkWiK5G_I0







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