pic: rashbehari das

It was a primer made easy 150 years ago and Bengalis ?or anyone who has tried to learn the language ? are eternally grateful to Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar for Barna Parichay (see pic right). The linguist had the courage to ignore the purists and simplify the language, a benefit reaped by generations of Bengalis. For many, Barna Parichay was the first book they opened on the first day of school.

?Vidyasagar?s contribution to making the language popular is immense,? says writer Sunil Gangopadhyay (see pic below). It is ironical that on the 150th anniversary of Barna Parichay?s publication, Gangopadhyay finds himself leading a movement to ?keep the language alive?. ?We are all for English and Hindi, but not at the expense of Bangla,? Gangopadhyay says. After all, he adds, several languages ?died? in the world after people stopped using them.

He says Bengali, the language, seemed headed for oblivion when the movement was launched to make Bengali the official language in government more than a decade ago.

Having waged a successful campaign to change Calcutta to Kolkata, Gangopadhyay?s Bhasa Sahid Smaran Samity now wants the name West Bengal changed to Paschim Banga, as the state is referred to by Bengalis. Gangopadhyay ? and his literary comrades-in-arms ? see no reason why the state should still be called West Bengal, an English translation of Paschim Banga. After all, if Rajasthan is not called the ?Land of Kings? or Madhya Pradesh a ?Middle Province?, why shouldn?t Bengal be left with its Bengali name?

?We don?t want a change of name,? the writer says emphatically. ?We don?t want any translation of our state?s name either.?