Where We Belong

Bengali,the language and its literary possibilities,is sadly lost on several of the clan which is its namesake.

A Bengali youth magazine attempts to get the language back in groove with the young

Bengali,the language and its literary possibilities,is sadly lost on several of the clan which is its namesake. And here,we are talking about a generation which loves the sound of Bong with little knowledge about the rich cultural implications of the root word. However,a group of young college students,who like most of us have lived,eaten and slept a greater part of their life in English,have come up with a magazine that celebrates the Bengali. Called Moule,the e-zine takes its name from a Sunderbans-based tribe that goes around collecting honey from the forests in certain seasons. Compiling works from various people across the state,is almost a similar exercise, smiles Sourya Deb,the editor and a first year student of mass communication and journalism in Calcutta University.

While,English could have been an easier choice,Bengali was what this group of youngsters had their sights set on. There are already too many ventures in English. And also we thought that if people like us started writing in Bengali,it would definitely bring the young people back to expressing in the language. After all,this is our language, he explains.

The first edition of Moule,which is out today,has a motley bunch of articles from students across the state. The lead is a comprehensive and interesting account of the dokra art of Bengal. Accompanying it would be interviews of photographers like Canada-based Jayanto Guha,and French Alain Dumas. Students can also contribute interesting research papers,like the one on Syed Mujtaba Ali that a group of postgraduate students of English at JU has come up with. Travelogues,random musings and poetry,all in Bengali will be feature in the magazine. We intend to work on the vast area offered by art,culture,travel and literature, says Deb,who works with a team of seven college and university students. As of now,the team intends to update the magazine once every month. But if the flow of articles is encouraging,we even want to publish twice a month, says Deb.

The magazine can be found at http://www.moule-banglamagazine.com

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