2023-12-30 14:42:51
Zakirul Zakir
[পাউঠি কথন: কথাসাহিত্যের একজন অসামান্য শিল্পবীদ থেকে একজন সার্থক শিল্পী হয়ে একটি দীপ্যমান সূর্যের গোধূলিলগ্নে যাওয়ার পরিক্রমা নিয়ে আমাদের সামনে হাজির হয়েছেন শফিক আশরাফ (৬ আগস্ট ১৯৭১-বর্তমান)। ‘পাউঠি’ তাঁর প্রথম উপন্যাস। টাঙ্গন প্রকাশনা থেকে ২০২৩ খ্রিষ্টাব্দে প্রকাশিত এ উপন্যাস অব্রুবাণ ও মূলত্রাণ নামে দুটি পর্বে বিস্তৃত। দেশবরেণ্য গবেষক স্বরোচিষ সরকারের মতানুসারে, এ উপন্যাসের কাহিনি মূলত দ্বিমাত্রিক–একদিকে বয়নশিল্পের সঙ্গে জড়িত একটি জনজাতির আত্মপরিচয়ের বিবরণ, অন্যদিকে এই সম্প্রদায় থেকে উঠে আসা একটি সত্তা কিভাবে বৃহত্তর সমাজের সঙ্গে নিজেকে যুক্ত করে তার বর্ণনা।]
Art for art’s sake or for life’s sake, or a diverse social life is art? If art has to cross the chain of aesthetics, it can be said, where is the real life more aesthetic? As there is aesthetic artistry in the transformation of the repulsive caterpillar into a charming species embracing life’s conflict, there is the same artistry in the life of the ant, bathed in fire with the exhilaration of flight, assimilating all the savings of life. Shafiq Ashraf’s ‘Pauthi’ is one such artistic narrative of the downfall of a people in the pursuit of life. However, this is not the first artistic narrative of backward oppressed people in Bengali literature. Tarashankar has presented ‘Hansuli Banker Epakatha’ based on the background of the abandonment of the existence of the Kahars of Banshbandi village on the Kopai banks of Radhabang. Where the Kahar life of the Bamboo Bandi is seen to accept the Karali life of Channanpur. Manik Bandopadhyay’s ‘Padma Nadi Majhi’ tells the story of Kuber, a representative of the fishing community of Faridpur region, who sacrifices his life in the water and goes to the new land of Myna Dwip, and Debesh Roy’s ‘Tistapar’s Narrative’, a story about the farmers’ society on the banks of the Teesta. But Samaresh Bose’s ‘Tanapoden’ is a realistic narrative of the sweaty cries of people involved in weaving in Bengali novels. After this is the location of Pouthi. Under the pressure of colonial influence and capitalist aggression of the post-independence period, the creaking sound of the loom, which once reached as far as Persia in the folds of muslin, gradually disappeared from the villages along the Yamuna. That voice mingled with the heartbeat of all the people in Tantpara. Shafiq Ashraf captured the last sound of that faint vibration in his first novel ‘Pauthi’.
A complete mirror image of the three men of the weaving community on the banks of the Yamuna. It reflects the entire social system including language, culture, superstition, nature and politics of the region. Standing in today’s semi-free society, the words that still make our mattress tremble, standing in the society of that time, the author says with ease, “Tamiz dakat of the village is no longer a dacoit, his new name is Tamiz member.” After the war the Tamizh did not surrender the weapons of war for looting, robbery. Garibullah became a member by showing a severed head of his brothers. Sanskar is synonymous with Bengali life. Various reforms and superstitions are spread in every chapter of life. The author sometimes praised all these reforms and sometimes carried the tone of protest in his commentary. The dowry system of marriage spread as a terrible disease in India, the social conflict of kaulinya system or the marriage of one caste with another caste is also identified in this novel. According to the author, “Galib asked, ‘Is everything alright? The people of the village have trouble with the debt in the marriage. You don’t have this kind of problem, do you?’ – No, there is no such problem and the trend of dowry in our area is relatively low.
Belief in jinn and ghosts runs through the veins of the rural society of Bengal. Maleha Khatun is a representative of all these beliefs in the novel and at the same time a good mother. Boy Rafiq’s mischievousness catches the attention separately. His frightful descent from snakes climbing up trees, searching for bird nests near bushes, fishing from rivers or ponds brought him to life. It seems that this is like Durga without Apu. He grew up playing in nature. That’s why maybe even after marriage, you are flooded with the light of Jonaki or Batbaba with your beloved. By then, Rafiq had joined the larger society but he never forgot his existence. He nurtured his race within himself. Which is the main attraction of this novel. “Think of it as an opportunity to repay your father’s debt,” says the thesis supervisor. But is parental debt repayable? Everyone in the society is bound by this debt. Even in the severe winter of December, those who are drenched in sweat and make themselves clothed to hide the shame of others are known as Jola or Boka. In reality they are fools otherwise there is no reason to sacrifice life for the hope of a dead future. The loom that once provided the livelihood of an entire family; That loom is empty due to shortage of raw materials. Ballabazar becomes deserted. Rafiq’s eyes become wet as he remembers the market. “Come back, that baller’s hut, come back, wizard,” he murmured in a pitiful voice.
The result of the centralization of civilization is this tear, the depopulation of the market. Tears in the eyes of the weavers, despair in the mouth, wailing in the voice; It is difficult to find words to explain this abandonment of one’s land to the attraction of the centre. So in the words of Jacques Derrida, “There are words but no synonyms”. As all the petty industries are taken over by the capitalists, the neglected artist clinging to the memory of his father is in a crisis and has to say, “Tantgharre amar gyali je yavan, Ore tura man diya shoon.”
Mohiuddin had to say, “How will you survive, you have done fair lehapra.” Overnight the price of yarn goes up to 200/300 taha per bundle, some colors are in the market and some are not, the price is beyond the reach of the weavers. If the price of cloth is increased by 10 taha per piece, the wholesalers will turn away. …What else do we need to die for the weaver?”
As a result, the headline of the news was, “Weaving industry is losing its heritage, many people in Sirajganj have left the area.” This is how a long traditional industry began to decline. Through the art through which the artists for a long time prevented their own, their family’s hunger, that art is lost but the cruel hunger remains. So artists have to blend into the larger society, find new land like Maina Dwip, Channanpur or Rafiq’s life as a teacher. But the artistry remains in the subconscious, which forces Rafiq to return to the dead loom, to mingle with the cries of the dead Pouthi and shed his own tears. Even if these tears are wiped from the artist’s eyes, the ever-evolving meaning will be revealed in the mind of the reader through the poem.
Author: Student, Department of Bengali, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur.
SU/JIM
#story #golden #sun #setting #twilight #sky