International Research Journal of Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Studies (IRJIMS)

1-11

Authors: Samiran Nandal

This article traces the literary and dramatic significance of playwright Mohit Chattopadhyay in the context of the historical development of modern Bengali theater. With reference to a number of his plays, the article aims to critically discuss the specific features of his plays and how it was shaped by socio-economic conditions. Given the realities of the established theatrical productions in Bengal, the plays by Mohit Chattopadhyay become a potent site of contestation between traditional narratives, aesthetic, and specific ideologies and agendas. There are very few parallel features that survive in the context of postcolonial Indian theatre, whose defining characteristics include a widespread interest in intercultural experimentation and political engagement. This paper would present the argument about the interplay of diverse cultural and political forces through a detailed analysis of the plays by Mohit Chattopadhyay, performed by different group theater troupes. His plays grapple with ongoing political, social, and philosophical issues and at the same time blend the contemporary with the historic, the indigenous with the foreign. The objective is to trace back the growth of his plays to the interaction of different cultures, narrative techniques and different political imperatives that shaped the modem Bengali theatre, outlining the rough contours of postcolonial India's socio-political history. Such a study will introduce to a broader audience the leading attributes of Mohit Chattopadhyay, his influential role in the resistance against traditional theater performances, and the considerable achievement of his literary and dramatic techniques.

20-26

Authors: Pirupada Malik

Rivers are an inseparable entity of nature. They represent the mobility of life. A river cannot be confined into a small area of land. Rather an area of land is often dominated by various rivers. Geographically, the history of the transformation of land in Bengal is completely ruled by rivers. Not only Bengal, but our whole country is also favoured by innumerable rivers. Many rivers flow through West Bengal and Bangladesh and those very rivers have made their room in Bengali Literature. In the era of early significant Bengali novels the rivers seemed to be the leading factor, yet they cannot be called river-centric novels. In this essay an effort has been made to highlight the variegated influence of rivers on Bengali novels from the early stage. The role of rivers in the novels of PyariChand Mitra (‘Alaler Gharer Dulal’), Bankimchandra, Kaliprasanna Singha, Mir Mosaraf Hossain, Haraprasad Sastri, Rabindranath and Saratchandra has been discussed chronologically up to 1935 since ‘Padmanadir Majhi’ (1936) is considered to be the first significant river- centric Bengali novel. In all the novels of Bankimchandra except ‘Durgesnandini’ there are references of rivers. In Tagore’s novels such as ‘Chokher Bali’, ‘Gora’, ‘Chaturanga’, ‘Noukadubi’ symbolic expression of rivers can be noted. In ‘Kanchanmala’ of Haraprasad Sastri there is vivid description of the river Sarayu. In ‘Srikanta’ (Volume–1) Saratchandra depicted the river Ganga with all its splendor of beauty.

35-43

Authors: Subrata Haldar

A concept of self-realization was remaining half past in the life of Rabindranath because we can find him with newer period and time. The thirsty human soul had been changing and modifying him by editing and composing new chapters of literature. He is exceptional soul, being ordinary a man that can be known by the hand of the mature and immature deaths of his contemporary familiar or unknown men. World famous poet, he was familiarized with the word death in his long time life (1861-1941). Nobody except him is not known as much as him about the mournful death in their live hood. Time by time he had been losing his intermitted familiar persons, such as wife, sons, friends even his only grand-son. He made console himself even though. Death is the eternal silence among us while death is rebirth in the mind, memory and creativity toward him. He represents the death in various formations in his literature but the deep – grief remains unknown towards the readers. He learns as to overcome the depression of death. According to him death is the freedom of life. It can be applied in life by losing of blood. He achieved the way of the death, hence he learns as the eternal idealism toward us with the association of soul.

48-55

Authors: Dr. Rakesh Chandra Joshi

T.S. Eliot, as a literary critic, was profoundly influenced by the symbolists after he read Arthur Symons' book The Symbolist Movement in Literature (1899), an introduction to the French literature. He himself acknowledged afterwards that it was through the study of this book that he got familiar with such great symbolists, like, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Jules Laforgue, and Tristan Corbière. He, as a poet, was influenced by Laforgue in the matter of style, content, and technique, whereas, his spirit was greatly influenced by Baudelaire. He was so much influenced by the critical abilities of Remy de Gourmont that he went to the extent of saying that “perhaps Remy de Gourmont had most of the general intelligence of Aristotle”. So, it is apparent that Eliot was profoundly influenced by the symbolists and later on, he derived most of his ideas and concepts from them, especially, from the study of Laforgue. Eliot is so much influenced by the symbolists that he derives most from them—the ideas, the characters, the situations, the moods, the phrases, and even the titles of his works. He is influenced by Laforgue’s methods, style, and viewpoints. The term ‘objective correlative’ itself has the echo of symbolism. He draws symbols from the background of literary tradition. His symbols are prosaic, poetic, grand, material, abstract, metaphysical, and spiritual. The terseness of his phrases is completely found to be in the manner of Laforgue. This paper attempts to establish that Eliot formulated the concepts of ‘objective correlative’ and ‘dissociation of sensibility’ under the influence of the French symbolists. Metaphysical Poetry also influenced his writings. The paper also reiterates that some of Eliot’s critical concepts were not original.

64-69

Authors: Smt. Tapasi Sinha

The nature and success of any democratic system largely depends upon the extent to which equal and effective participation is provided to all irrespective of gender, color, caste, religion, race, language etc. Since, women constitute nearly half of the total population their equal participation in all spheres of life including politics is very important. This is because such participation will enable them to be a part in the decision making process which, in turn, will help in their development as well as empowerment. Moreover, since politics is a game of power and power being the deciding factor in moulding relations in society, women’s role in politics and their participation is vital not only to seek solution to their problems, but also to their position in, and contribution to, society. In the recent decades though there has been growing acceptance and recognition of women’s role in politics, a total change is yet to be noticed. In India, after the independence, despite various constitutional measures the participation and representation of women in the Parliament and State Legislatures is abysmally low. This low participation is worrisome as it is against the achievement of our democratic ideals. Against the background of women’s position vis-à-vis political participation and representation, the present paper based on primary and secondary resources tries to explore the extent of political participation and representation of women in south Assam (Barak Valley) with reference to recent Assam Assembly election 2016.