topics: |  poetry | children | bengali

these rhyming poems fail to leave an impression, but they are definitely vigorous.

despite her busy political career, mamatA banerjee has literary ambitions, and has published over 50 books. in january 2015 itself, she released five new titles and two urdu works (translations?) at the kolkata book fair.

her books also sell well; at the 2012 book fair, her total sales were over rs. 1 million. at one point, she said that her main living was as an author.

she often gifts her books - especially a volume of quotations called kathAnjali, to students.

the chhaRA (ছড়া) tradition in bengal

this thin collection of rhyming verse is in the longstanding chhaRA tradition of bAnglA, which has its origins in songs recited or sung by mothers and grandparents to children (folk rhymes, or লৌকিক ছড়া). in modern times, there has been a strong literary tradition in chhaRA, from jogindranath sarkar, sukumar ray, tagore, nazrul, to modern authors such as annadAshankar rAy, sukAnta, sukumar barua, and sunirmal rAy. (see bn.wiki: ছড়া সাহিত্য)

the association of chhaRA with bengal may go back to earlier times. in the extensive sanskrit discussion of poetics, we find the 7th century author bANabhaTTa, in the opening of his harsha charit, saying that gauDI poetry (in contrast with vaidharbhI), is marked by ornamentation (pallava), which was sometimes excessive. one aspect of ornamentation was shabdAlaMkAra and yamaka, rhyme.

thus, rhymed poetry may have been a longstanding tradition in eastern India.

to extend this discussion from sanskrit poetics, we observe that while excessive ornamentation was criticized, some degree of indirectness (vakratA) was required in good poetry, which otherwise falls prey to grAmyatA. over the centuries, sanskrit literary critics such as daNDin, bhAmaha, and kuntaka have praised the ability to balance such ornamentation with meaning (arthaguNa). (see V. Raghavan's 1935 essay on literary style or rIti).

unfortunately banerjee's poetry fails on all counts - the ornamentation / rhyme is poor, and the poems are often too direct, and fail the test of vakratA as well. an important aspect of vakrtA is emotional connection, and though there is on occasional flint of anger this fails to connect with the reacder.

yet Ajab chhaRA is among mamata's better selling books. some poems have a bit of a spark (e.g. the first few lines of "nAm" (name). but they are soon extinguished in purple verbiage.

Other chhaRA texts of interest

*  gaRgaRiye tartariye by Sunirmal Chakrabarti (1989)
  	টিকটিকি চিঠি লেখে -
	      গিরগিটি ভাই
	তুমি ঘর মাঠে বনে
	      তাই দেখা নাই

* khAi khAi by sukumar rAy (2007)
	আমরা ভালো লক্ষ্মী সবাই তোমরা ভারি বিশ্রী,
	তোমরা খাবে নিমের পাচন, আমরা খাব মিসরি | 

* chhoToder AbrittikoSh by nIradbaraN hAjrA (2007)
	 bAbA Ar mA : sunIl gangopAdhyAy:
	         bAbAo nAki chhoTTo chhilen, mA chhilen ek-ratti

these are in addition to other well-known classics like sukumAr rAy's Abol
tAbol, or jogindranath sarkar's hAsikhushi, and even the many poems in
tagore's works for children. 

Excerpts

নাম (nAm) : mamatA banerjee

		p.17

তোমার নাম? হ্যালো-হাই
বাবার নাম? সি ইউ বাই
মায়ের নাম? হাই ফাই
বোনের নাম? সুইটি পাই |

যাচ্ছো কোথায়? ফেস্ট করতে।
ফিরবে কখন? ঘুমঘুমোতে।
খাবার মেনু? চিপস ঠান্ডাতে।
শরীর কেমন? একেবারে স্লিম,
শরীর চর্চা কর, আছে তো জিম।
এতো রোগা? ওটাই তো ড্রিম
অসুখ করলে? আছে মেডিক্লেম

---

	tomAr nAm ? hello-hi
	bAbAr nAm ? see you bye
	mAyer nAm ? hi fi
	boner nAm ? sweetie pie
	[...]

hATi hATi pA pA

hATi hATi pA pA -- JethA ichhe sethA JA
bAbA mA -- daddy pApA -- JA icche bale JA

রবি ঠাকুর

		p.25

একটা ছিল ছোট্ট ছেলে
নামটি তাহার রবি
এখান দেখবে সারা বিশ্বে
রয়েছে তার ছবি |
[...]

লাল মাটিকে ভালোবেসে
গড়লেন শান্তিনিকেতন
তাতেই স্নেহ, ওটাই গৃহ
কবির আয়োজন |

সঞ্চয়িতা আর ছোট গল্প
মদের সবার প্রিয়
সবার উর্ধ্বে গীতবিতান
স্বপ্নে বিভোর গৃহ

rabi ThAkur

	ekTA chhila chhoTTa chhele
	nAmTi tAhAr rabi
	ekhan dekhbe sArA bisve
	rayechhe tAr chhabi |

	lAl mATike bhAlobese
	gaRlen shAntiniketan
	tAtei shenha, oTA gr.ha
	kabir Ayojan |

	sañchayitA Ar chhoTo galpa
	moder sabAr priya
	sabAr urdhhve gItabitAn
	svapne bibhor gr.ha |

chhuTi : mamatA banerjee

			p. 49

nA nA nA, AmrA Je Ar
paRte pArchhi nA
khAtA byAg Ar baiyer bojHAy
hnATte pArchhi nA!

balte pAro, balte pAro
AmAder ki doSh?
mAthAr opor eto bojhA
AmrA ki buno moSh?

kena AmAder khelte mAnA
hAsteo AbAr mAnA
sakAl thekei mane hay
AmrA rAmgaruRer chhAnA

ghumer madhyeo paRte hay
svapne An.tke uThi
balte pAro balte pAro
kabe pAbo AmrA chhuTi?

Links and external sources

I make a living selling books, says Mamata Banerjee

India Today
May 6, 2014

Stating that she had written 45 books, she said she gave the royalty on her
first book to the victims of the Kandua violence at Amta in Howrah district.

Banerjee, who was Lok Sabha member seven times before becoming chief
minister, said, "I have not taken pension as yet amounting to Rs 50,000 per
month in the past three years as a former MP.

"I do not take any privileges as the CM. I do not draw salary as CM or use
government cars. I pay for myself and not from the government money for
tea. This I used to do also while I was the Railway Minister," Banerjee said.

Mamata Banerjee a best-selling author at Kolkata Book Fair

PTI | Jan 30, 2012
Times of India


Sales figures at the annual book fair, deemed one of the largest in the
world, demonstrate that Mamata has emerged quite a literary sensation.

"The response has been overwhelming for us. We are already running out of
stock," Sudhangshu Dey of Deys' Publishing told PTI.

Publishing her books since 1995, he said that thousands of copies of her
books have been sold since the last five days.

Last year, books worth Rs 10 lakh authored by Banerjee were sold, earning her
a cool Rs one lakh in royalty.

A regular writer and a poet besides being a feisty politician, Banerjee has
so far written around 33 books, three of which were released last week during
the inauguration of the fair.

Bibliophiles have queued up at many stalls including her party Trinamool
Congress' stall 'Jago Bangla' to read her works.

In spite of her very busy work schedule, Banerjee has made it a point to
release her books at every edition of the book fair for the last few years.

Her latest releases include 'Poribortan' (Change), 'Kobita' (Poems) and 'My
Unforgettable Memories'.

Written in Bengali, the photobook 'Poribortan' chronicles Banerjee's meteoric
rise from a grassroot level worker to the highest echelons of power in West
Bengal.

'Kobita', on the other hand, is a collection of around 60-70 poems that
catches the firebrand leader in a melancholy mood as she writes about the
inevitable death.

Both the books are brought out by Deys' Publishing while 'My Unforgettable
Memories' is by Roli Books.

Last year she had come up with a collection of 31 poems in the book 'Netai',
inspired by the killings of nine unarmed villagers at Netai village of West
Midnapore district.

Human suffering, human rights violations, political protests and statements
have always been common ingredients of her poetry.

'Maa', a book of poems, and 'Pallabi', a book of long stories, by her have
gone on to receive critical acclaim from the literary world as well.

Two of her rhyme books 'Shishu Shathi' and 'Ajab Chhora' have been a huge hit
among children.

'Upalabdhi' (Achievement), a collection of political essays, remains her
top-selling title, publishers said.


---
[interestingly, in 2014, IBNLive repeated the same text as a "new" story:
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/books/mamata-banerjee-a-best-selling-author-at-kolkata-book-fair-665596.html

Mamata gifts her book to toppers

June 5,  2015
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150605/jsp/calcutta/story_23991.jsp#.VaXS25syA54

The government on Thursday gifted four books, two of them written by chief
% minister Mamata Banerjee, to each of the students who have topped the Class
% X and XII board exams.

The four books were: Kathanjali, a collection of quotes and thoughts of
Mamata, Best of Mamata, a 252-page hardcover written in English by the chief
minister describing her personal experiences, Golpoguchchho, Rabindranath
Tagore's collection of short stories, and Sanchita, Kazi Nazrul Islam's
collection of poems.

Apart from the books, the gift hampers given to the 84 Madhyamik and HS
toppers at a programme in the city had a laptop, a watch, a handbag, flowers,
sweets and a certificate each.

On Wednesday, to madarsa toppers:

"Please go through the book ( Kathanjali) whenever you get time and read
the quotations. I am sure you will like it," Mamata told students after
giving away the hampers. "I think you should read the book when you go
through a crisis."

Though the school education department has borne the cost of the hampers,
Mamata made it clear at the gathering that it was she who had paid for the
copies of Kathanjali.

Seven books penned by Mamata released at Kolkata Book Fair

http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/seven-books-penned-by-mamata-released-at-kolkata-book-fair-inauguration-115012701352_1.html

The books - five in Bengali, and one each in English and Urdu - were
launched by journalist Anita Anand at the inaugural programme of the mega
event at the Milan Mela ground.

Banerjee later said the number of books authored by her has now gone up to
53.