Paschimbanga Bangla Academy
Encyclopedia
Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi , popularly known as Bangla Akademi , is the official regulatory body of the Bengali language
in West Bengal
. Modeled after Bangla Academy
of Bangladesh
and France
’s Académie française
, the Bangla Akademi was founded on May 20, 1986 in Kolkata
to act as the official authority of the language and is entrusted with the responsibility of reforming Bengali spelling and grammar, compiling dictionaries, encyclopedias and terminologies and promoting Bengali language and culture in West Bengal. Though the Akademi has no enforcement power over their rules and regulations, yet they are widely accepted by the Governments of West Bengal and Tripura
as well as a considerable number of private publishing houses and institutions like the Oxford University Press
and the Ramakrishna Mission
.
The Akademi is housed in two separate buildings, one at Nandan
-Rabindra Sadan
Complex (also mentioned as Bangla Akademi-Rabindra Sadan or Nandan-Bangla Akademi Complex during the Akademi festivals and book fairs) in South Kolkata and the other at Rabindra-Okakura Bhaban, Bidhannagar (Salt Lake). Annadashankar Roy
became the first President and Sanat Kumar Chattopadhyay the first secretary of the Akademi.
The Bangla Akademi has been successful in extending its activities and programs to different districts of West Bengal and even to other states in India. In Kolkata, the Bangla Akademi organises different programs in collaboration with such bodies like Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, Sahitya Akademi
, Publishers and Book Sellers' Guild, Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, National Book Trust and also with different universities and cultural organizations.
Bengal Academy of Literature, the first academic association to regulate and promote Bengali language and literature was set up in Kolkata under the chairmanship of Benoy Krishna Dev in 1893. On April, 1894, the Academy was reorganized and rechristened as Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, and Romesh Chunder Dutt
became the first president of it. Scholars like Chandranath Bose, Dwijendranath Tagore
, Jagadish Chandra Bose, Prafulla Chandra Roy
, Satyendranath Tagore
, Haraprasad Shastri, Ramendra Sundar Trivedi later served the Parishad as presidents. Rabindranth Tagore (Vice-President: 1894-96, 1901, 1905-1909, 1917; Special Delegate: 1910) himself was closely associated to the institution since its inception.
Bangiya Sahitya Parishad is the first academic institution on matters pertaining to Bengali language. It endeavored to compile standard Bengali dictionary, grammar and terminologies, both philosophical and scientific, to collect and publish old and medieval Bengali manuscripts, and to carry out translation from other language into Bengali and research on history, philosophy and science.
During the 20th Century, the affairs concerning the promotion of Bengali language did not remain a sole responsibility of Bangiya Sahitya Parishad. As language prospered and literature enriched, a need of linguistic reform as well as an authority to enforce the reforms was felt by the scholars of the time.
In the late 1930s, Rabindranath Tagore
asked the University of Calcutta
to determine the rules of Bengali spelling and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, the then Vice-Chancellor of the University, set up a committee to look over the subject on November, 1935. On May, 1936, a standard rule for Bengali spelling was first imposed. These rules were later amended by Rabindranath Tagore and other scholars and practiced at academic level in all over Bengal for next 70 years.
After the partition of India
in 1947, the people of East Pakistan
(now Bangladesh
) felt a need for a new Bangla linguistic body suiting their new nationality. As a result, Bangla Academy
in Dhaka
was established in 1955. In 1990, the Bangla Academy enforced new regulations for Bengali spelling which is quite similar to the 1937 regulation of the University of Calcutta.
failed in the task.
was set up. Afterward it was converted into a society and registered under Societies Registration Act. On December 8, 1994, it was declared an autonomous Governmental body.
At the time of its foundation, the Akademi had 30 members in its Karma Samiti (Working Committee) and 78 in Sadharan Parishad (General Council) including the government delegation. The Chairman is called Sabhapati and Vice-Chairman is called Saha-Sabhapati. Members, officially known as Sadasyas, remain in the Akademi for life. However, any member can resign from his office by his will. In 2007, after the Nandigram massacre, some of Akademi members including Sankha Ghosh and Ashru Kumar Sikdar resigned from the Akademi. There is also a post of Secretary, or Sachib, who is the chief governmental delegation at the Akademi. The office of the Secretary of the Akademi is held by Sanat Kumar Chattopadhyay since its inception.
The members of the first Working Committee were: Annadashankar Roy
(Chairman), Prabodh Chandra Sen (Vice-Chairman, but died after the foundation of working committee), Nanda Gopal Sengupta (Vice-Chairmen), Lila Majumdar, Khudiram Das, Nepal Majumdar, Shubhendu Shekhar Mukhopadhyay, Chinmohan Sehanbish, Pabitra Sarkar, Kanak Mukhopadhyay, Krishno Dhar, Jagadish Bhattacharya, Bhabatosh Dutta, Jyotirmoy Ghosh, Sankha Ghosh, Arun Kumar Basu, Nirmalya Acharya, Ashru Kumar Shikdar, Arun Kumar Mukhopadhyay, Prabir Roy Chowdhuri, Bhudeb Chowdhuri, Somendranath Bandyopadhyay, Bijit Kumar Dutta, Pallab Sengupta, Bhakti Prasad Mallick, Prashanta Kumar Dasgupta, Nirmal Das, Santosh Chakravarty (Later Ashok Dutta) - Director of Culture, Sanat Kumar Chattopadhyay- Secretary (Government Delegate), Amitabha Mukhopadhyay- Officer-in-Charge (Government Delegate).
The members of the first General Council were: (including the members of the Working Committee) Hirendranath Dutta, Manmatha Roy, Gopal Haldar, Debipada Bhattacharya, Sushil Kumar Mukhopadhyay, Gourinath Shastri, Rama Ranjan Mukhopadhyay, Nishith Ranjan Roy, Manindranath Ghosh, Manindra Kumar Ghosh, Dr. Asit Kumar Bandyopadhyay, Rabindra Kumar DasGupta
, Haraprasad Mitra, Arun Mitra
, Satyajit Ray
, Satyendranath Roy, Ajit Kumar Ghosh, Khsetra Gupta, Arabinda Poddar, Nirendranath Chakravarty, Golum Kuddus, Ashin Dasgupta, Khsitindra Narayan Bhattacharya, Saroj Mohan Mitra, Sukumari Bhattacharya, Subir Roy Chowdhuri, Manabendra Bandyopadhyay, Sourin Bhattacharya, Ashok Mukhopadhyay, Malini Bhattacharya, Bratindranath Mukhopadhyay, Manas Majumdar, Mohit Chattopadhyay, Narayan Chowdhuri, Samarendra Sengupta, Amitabha Dasgupta, Debesh Roy, Purnendu Patri
, Shyam Sundar Dey, Amitabha Chowdhuri, Shakti Chattopadhyay
, Debesh Das, Manas Roy Chowdhuri, Shibendranath Kanjilal, Sabitendranath Roy, Bibhas Bhattacharya, Dipankar Sen, Prasun Dutta, Dilip Bhattacharya – secretary, Information and Cultural Affairs Department.
Now the Akademi works under various sub-committees and editorial boards concerning different affairs. Some of these bodies are depicted below:
Akademi Banan Upo-Samiti or Akademi Spelling Sub-Committee was created to reform and rationalize Bangla spelling system. This Sub-Committee includes Nirendranath Chakravarty
, Sankha Ghosh, Pabitra Sarkar, Jyoti Bhushan Chaki, Nirmal Das, Ashok Mukhopadhyay, Subhash Bhattacharya, Amitabha Chowdhuri, Amitabha Mukhopadhyay, Sourin Bhattacharya, Prasun Dutta, Sanat Kumar Chattopadhyay, Arun Kumar Basu and Shubhomoy Mondal. On the recommendation of this Sub-Committee, the Akademi did its historical reforms on Bangla spelling.
Another important sub-committee is Paribhasha Upo-Samiti or Terminology Sub-Committee which is entrusted to compile standard Bangla terminologies for both academic and administrative purposes. This sub-committee includes Ananda Ghosh Hazra, Alapan Bandyaopadhyay, I.A.S., Krishno Dhar, Jyoti Bhushan Chaki, Nirendranath Chakravarty
, Pabitra Sarkar, Sanat Kumar Chattopadhyay, Swapan Chowdhuri and Bhabatosh Tapadar.
Editorial boards are generally founded to edit works of great authors. One of such bodies that compiled the Complete Works of Kazi Nazrul Islam, includes Annadashankar Roy
(advisor), Buddhadeb Bhattacharya
, Chief Minister
of West Bengal
(advisor), Kalpataru Sengupta, Arun Kumar Basu, Pabitra Sarkar, Golum Kuddus, Krishno Dhar, Manas Majumdar, Sumita Chakravarty, Bandhan Sengupta, Biswanath Roy, Prabhat Kumar Das, Shyamal Moitra And Sanat Kumar Chattopadhyay.
; although its recommendations carry no legal power — but still the educational boards and the universities of West Bengal
and Tripura
have deep regard for its rulings.
The Akademi accomplishes all its activities in close liaison with other academic and educational institutions including universities engaged in various aspects of Bengali language
, literature and culture. Apart from its own programs, it also arranges programs in cooperation with different such societies. Such activities are not confined to Kolkata
only, but also in districts and sub-divisions, even in the other states.
The function of the Akademi was initially settled by a seminar held at Shishir Mancha, Kolkata
from 24 February to 1 March. These seminars determined the rationale of the Akademi and proposed to make a design and blue print to achieve its goals.
The tasks entrusted on Bangla Akademi are:
, grammar
and the origin and development of Bangla. They are publishing works by prominent writers in the language. They have built a large library
to preserve original manuscript
s. The government of Japan
has donated Rs. 500000 for research in the Academy. The government of West Bengal
has also given a lump some amount of money. The Akademi is spending the money on the Indo-Japan Cultural Center in Bidhannagar. The Akademi has also developed a Bengali
font
designed according to the changes made by them in the Bengali script
. The font is available from this link.
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. Modeled after Bangla Academy
Bangla Academy
Bangla Academy , established on 3 December 1955, is the national academy for promoting Bangla language in Bangladesh. The main office of the organization is located at the Burdwan House, once a part of the campus of the University of Dhaka, beside Suhrawardy Udyan.-History:The importance of...
of Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
’s Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
, the Bangla Akademi was founded on May 20, 1986 in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
to act as the official authority of the language and is entrusted with the responsibility of reforming Bengali spelling and grammar, compiling dictionaries, encyclopedias and terminologies and promoting Bengali language and culture in West Bengal. Though the Akademi has no enforcement power over their rules and regulations, yet they are widely accepted by the Governments of West Bengal and Tripura
Tripura
Tripura is a state in North-East India, with an area of . It is the third smallest state of India, according to area. Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on the north, south, and west. The Indian states of Assam and Mizoram lie to the east. The capital is Agartala and the main languages spoken are...
as well as a considerable number of private publishing houses and institutions like the Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
and the Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission are twin organizations which form the core of a worldwide spiritual movement known as Ramakrishna Movement or Vedanta Movement. The Ramakrishna Mission is a philanthropic, volunteer organization founded by Ramakrishna's chief disciple Swami Vivekananda on...
.
The Akademi is housed in two separate buildings, one at Nandan
Nandan
Nandan may refer to:*Nandan, Hyōgo, a town in Mihara District, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan*Nandan , a cultural center in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal*Meera Nandan , an Indian actress*Satya Nandan, a diplomat and lawyer...
-Rabindra Sadan
Rabindra Sadan
Rabindra Sadan is a cultural centre and theatre in Calcutta, located near the Nandan cinema and cultural complex and the Academy of Fine Arts on AJC Bose Road in South Kolkata. Construction began on 5 August 1961 and ended October 1967...
Complex (also mentioned as Bangla Akademi-Rabindra Sadan or Nandan-Bangla Akademi Complex during the Akademi festivals and book fairs) in South Kolkata and the other at Rabindra-Okakura Bhaban, Bidhannagar (Salt Lake). Annadashankar Roy
Annadashankar Roy
Annadashankar Roy , was a renowned Bengali author. He was born in Dhenkanal in Orissa, India.-Life:Passed B.A. in English from Ravenshaw College, Cuttack, Orissa. Started his literary career in Oriya. He was a poet of Sabuja Yuga in Oriya Literature. Later he shifted his writing to Bengali...
became the first President and Sanat Kumar Chattopadhyay the first secretary of the Akademi.
The Bangla Akademi has been successful in extending its activities and programs to different districts of West Bengal and even to other states in India. In Kolkata, the Bangla Akademi organises different programs in collaboration with such bodies like Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, Sahitya Akademi
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi ', India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India...
, Publishers and Book Sellers' Guild, Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, National Book Trust and also with different universities and cultural organizations.
Bangiya Sahitya Parishad
- See Also: Bangiya Sahitya Parishad
Bengal Academy of Literature, the first academic association to regulate and promote Bengali language and literature was set up in Kolkata under the chairmanship of Benoy Krishna Dev in 1893. On April, 1894, the Academy was reorganized and rechristened as Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, and Romesh Chunder Dutt
Romesh Chunder Dutt
Romesh Chunder Dutt, CIE was an Indian civil servant, economic historian, writer, and translator of Ramayana and Mahabharata.- Formative years :...
became the first president of it. Scholars like Chandranath Bose, Dwijendranath Tagore
Dwijendranath Tagore
See Tagore for disambiguationDwijendranath Tagore was an Indian poet, song composer, philosopher, mathematician, and a pioneer in Bengali shorthand and musical notations.-Formative years:...
, Jagadish Chandra Bose, Prafulla Chandra Roy
Prafulla Chandra Roy
Prafulla Chandra Ray was a Indian academician, a chemist and entrepreneur. He was the founder of Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, India's first pharmaceutical company...
, Satyendranath Tagore
Satyendranath Tagore
Satyendranath Tagore was the first Indian to join the Indian Civil Service. He was an author, song composer, linguist and made significant contribution towards the emancipation of women in Indian society during the British Raj.-Formative years:...
, Haraprasad Shastri, Ramendra Sundar Trivedi later served the Parishad as presidents. Rabindranth Tagore (Vice-President: 1894-96, 1901, 1905-1909, 1917; Special Delegate: 1910) himself was closely associated to the institution since its inception.
Bangiya Sahitya Parishad is the first academic institution on matters pertaining to Bengali language. It endeavored to compile standard Bengali dictionary, grammar and terminologies, both philosophical and scientific, to collect and publish old and medieval Bengali manuscripts, and to carry out translation from other language into Bengali and research on history, philosophy and science.
Regulations of the University of Calcutta
- See Also: University of CalcuttaUniversity of CalcuttaThe University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
During the 20th Century, the affairs concerning the promotion of Bengali language did not remain a sole responsibility of Bangiya Sahitya Parishad. As language prospered and literature enriched, a need of linguistic reform as well as an authority to enforce the reforms was felt by the scholars of the time.
In the late 1930s, Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
asked the University of Calcutta
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
to determine the rules of Bengali spelling and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, the then Vice-Chancellor of the University, set up a committee to look over the subject on November, 1935. On May, 1936, a standard rule for Bengali spelling was first imposed. These rules were later amended by Rabindranath Tagore and other scholars and practiced at academic level in all over Bengal for next 70 years.
Bangla Academy in East Pakistan
- Main Article: Bangla AcademyBangla AcademyBangla Academy , established on 3 December 1955, is the national academy for promoting Bangla language in Bangladesh. The main office of the organization is located at the Burdwan House, once a part of the campus of the University of Dhaka, beside Suhrawardy Udyan.-History:The importance of...
After the partition of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1947, the people of East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
(now Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
) felt a need for a new Bangla linguistic body suiting their new nationality. As a result, Bangla Academy
Bangla Academy
Bangla Academy , established on 3 December 1955, is the national academy for promoting Bangla language in Bangladesh. The main office of the organization is located at the Burdwan House, once a part of the campus of the University of Dhaka, beside Suhrawardy Udyan.-History:The importance of...
in Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
was established in 1955. In 1990, the Bangla Academy enforced new regulations for Bengali spelling which is quite similar to the 1937 regulation of the University of Calcutta.
Unofficial Regulators of Bengali Language in West Bengal
In West Bengal, various prominent institutions backed the process of development of the language, but that resulted in inconsistencies in it. For example, Rajsekhar Basu and Ananda Bazaar Patrika tried to simplify Bangla spelling; but instead of rationalize the spelling system; it aroused controversy over the authority of such bodies. Even institutions like Visva-Bharati UniversityVisva-Bharati University
Visva Bharati University is a Central University for research and teaching in India, located in the twin towns of Santiniketan and Sriniketan in the Indian state of West Bengal. It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore who called it Visva Bharati, which means the communion of the world with India...
failed in the task.
History of Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi
In 1962, the Government of West Bengal started using Bengali for all official purposes. Since then, a need for an official regulator of the language has been felt. In 1986, with the general consent of Bengali intellectuals of the time, Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi, a wing of the Information and Cultural Affairs Department of the Government of West BengalGovernment of West Bengal
The Government of West Bengal also known as the State Government of West Bengal, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of West Bengal and its 19 districts...
was set up. Afterward it was converted into a society and registered under Societies Registration Act. On December 8, 1994, it was declared an autonomous Governmental body.
Members
| Presidents |
|---|
|
At the time of its foundation, the Akademi had 30 members in its Karma Samiti (Working Committee) and 78 in Sadharan Parishad (General Council) including the government delegation. The Chairman is called Sabhapati and Vice-Chairman is called Saha-Sabhapati. Members, officially known as Sadasyas, remain in the Akademi for life. However, any member can resign from his office by his will. In 2007, after the Nandigram massacre, some of Akademi members including Sankha Ghosh and Ashru Kumar Sikdar resigned from the Akademi. There is also a post of Secretary, or Sachib, who is the chief governmental delegation at the Akademi. The office of the Secretary of the Akademi is held by Sanat Kumar Chattopadhyay since its inception.
The members of the first Working Committee were: Annadashankar Roy
Annadashankar Roy
Annadashankar Roy , was a renowned Bengali author. He was born in Dhenkanal in Orissa, India.-Life:Passed B.A. in English from Ravenshaw College, Cuttack, Orissa. Started his literary career in Oriya. He was a poet of Sabuja Yuga in Oriya Literature. Later he shifted his writing to Bengali...
(Chairman), Prabodh Chandra Sen (Vice-Chairman, but died after the foundation of working committee), Nanda Gopal Sengupta (Vice-Chairmen), Lila Majumdar, Khudiram Das, Nepal Majumdar, Shubhendu Shekhar Mukhopadhyay, Chinmohan Sehanbish, Pabitra Sarkar, Kanak Mukhopadhyay, Krishno Dhar, Jagadish Bhattacharya, Bhabatosh Dutta, Jyotirmoy Ghosh, Sankha Ghosh, Arun Kumar Basu, Nirmalya Acharya, Ashru Kumar Shikdar, Arun Kumar Mukhopadhyay, Prabir Roy Chowdhuri, Bhudeb Chowdhuri, Somendranath Bandyopadhyay, Bijit Kumar Dutta, Pallab Sengupta, Bhakti Prasad Mallick, Prashanta Kumar Dasgupta, Nirmal Das, Santosh Chakravarty (Later Ashok Dutta) - Director of Culture, Sanat Kumar Chattopadhyay- Secretary (Government Delegate), Amitabha Mukhopadhyay- Officer-in-Charge (Government Delegate).
The members of the first General Council were: (including the members of the Working Committee) Hirendranath Dutta, Manmatha Roy, Gopal Haldar, Debipada Bhattacharya, Sushil Kumar Mukhopadhyay, Gourinath Shastri, Rama Ranjan Mukhopadhyay, Nishith Ranjan Roy, Manindranath Ghosh, Manindra Kumar Ghosh, Dr. Asit Kumar Bandyopadhyay, Rabindra Kumar DasGupta
Rabindra Kumar DasGupta
Rabindra Kumar Das Gupta was a Bengali Indian scholar of Bengali and English literature and a social and cultural commentator. He was considered by his peers as one of the last scholars with equal command of English and Bengali languages.-Education:As a child he was admitted to Calcutta Municipal...
, Haraprasad Mitra, Arun Mitra
Arun Mitra
Arun Mitra was a Bengali poet.He was born in Jessore, now in Bangladesh, Arun moved to Kolkata when he was a young boy and did most of his schooling there. In college he was very fascinated by the life sciences, although he was officially a student of English...
, Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
, Satyendranath Roy, Ajit Kumar Ghosh, Khsetra Gupta, Arabinda Poddar, Nirendranath Chakravarty, Golum Kuddus, Ashin Dasgupta, Khsitindra Narayan Bhattacharya, Saroj Mohan Mitra, Sukumari Bhattacharya, Subir Roy Chowdhuri, Manabendra Bandyopadhyay, Sourin Bhattacharya, Ashok Mukhopadhyay, Malini Bhattacharya, Bratindranath Mukhopadhyay, Manas Majumdar, Mohit Chattopadhyay, Narayan Chowdhuri, Samarendra Sengupta, Amitabha Dasgupta, Debesh Roy, Purnendu Patri
Purnendu Patri
Purnendu Patri was an Indian poet of Bengali origin. He was born in Howrah in West Bengal. He was a noted short-story writer and a critic. One of his story collection is known as 'Staliner Raaa' and a book on Rabindranath is titled 'Amar Rabindranath'. Patri was also known as an illustrator and...
, Shyam Sundar Dey, Amitabha Chowdhuri, Shakti Chattopadhyay
Shakti Chattopadhyay
Shakti Chattopadhay was a Bengali poet and writer, widely regarded as one of the greatest poet of 20th century Bengali literature. -External links:...
, Debesh Das, Manas Roy Chowdhuri, Shibendranath Kanjilal, Sabitendranath Roy, Bibhas Bhattacharya, Dipankar Sen, Prasun Dutta, Dilip Bhattacharya – secretary, Information and Cultural Affairs Department.
Now the Akademi works under various sub-committees and editorial boards concerning different affairs. Some of these bodies are depicted below:
Akademi Banan Upo-Samiti or Akademi Spelling Sub-Committee was created to reform and rationalize Bangla spelling system. This Sub-Committee includes Nirendranath Chakravarty
Nirendranath Chakravarty
Nirendranath Chakraborty is a popular contemporary Bengali poet.-Poetry Anthology:Some of his poetry anthologies are:*Nil Nirjan*Andhokar Baranda*Prothom Nayok*Nirakto Karobi*Nakkhotro Joyer Jonno*Kolkatar Jishu*Ulongo Raja...
, Sankha Ghosh, Pabitra Sarkar, Jyoti Bhushan Chaki, Nirmal Das, Ashok Mukhopadhyay, Subhash Bhattacharya, Amitabha Chowdhuri, Amitabha Mukhopadhyay, Sourin Bhattacharya, Prasun Dutta, Sanat Kumar Chattopadhyay, Arun Kumar Basu and Shubhomoy Mondal. On the recommendation of this Sub-Committee, the Akademi did its historical reforms on Bangla spelling.
Another important sub-committee is Paribhasha Upo-Samiti or Terminology Sub-Committee which is entrusted to compile standard Bangla terminologies for both academic and administrative purposes. This sub-committee includes Ananda Ghosh Hazra, Alapan Bandyaopadhyay, I.A.S., Krishno Dhar, Jyoti Bhushan Chaki, Nirendranath Chakravarty
Nirendranath Chakravarty
Nirendranath Chakraborty is a popular contemporary Bengali poet.-Poetry Anthology:Some of his poetry anthologies are:*Nil Nirjan*Andhokar Baranda*Prothom Nayok*Nirakto Karobi*Nakkhotro Joyer Jonno*Kolkatar Jishu*Ulongo Raja...
, Pabitra Sarkar, Sanat Kumar Chattopadhyay, Swapan Chowdhuri and Bhabatosh Tapadar.
Editorial boards are generally founded to edit works of great authors. One of such bodies that compiled the Complete Works of Kazi Nazrul Islam, includes Annadashankar Roy
Annadashankar Roy
Annadashankar Roy , was a renowned Bengali author. He was born in Dhenkanal in Orissa, India.-Life:Passed B.A. in English from Ravenshaw College, Cuttack, Orissa. Started his literary career in Oriya. He was a poet of Sabuja Yuga in Oriya Literature. Later he shifted his writing to Bengali...
(advisor), Buddhadeb Bhattacharya
Buddhadeb Bhattacharya
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is an Indian politician and a member of the politburo of the Communist Party of India . He was the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2000 to 2011...
, Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
(advisor), Kalpataru Sengupta, Arun Kumar Basu, Pabitra Sarkar, Golum Kuddus, Krishno Dhar, Manas Majumdar, Sumita Chakravarty, Bandhan Sengupta, Biswanath Roy, Prabhat Kumar Das, Shyamal Moitra And Sanat Kumar Chattopadhyay.
Functions
The Akademi is the official authority on Bangla language in West BengalWest Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
; although its recommendations carry no legal power — but still the educational boards and the universities of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
and Tripura
Tripura
Tripura is a state in North-East India, with an area of . It is the third smallest state of India, according to area. Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on the north, south, and west. The Indian states of Assam and Mizoram lie to the east. The capital is Agartala and the main languages spoken are...
have deep regard for its rulings.
The Akademi accomplishes all its activities in close liaison with other academic and educational institutions including universities engaged in various aspects of Bengali language
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, literature and culture. Apart from its own programs, it also arranges programs in cooperation with different such societies. Such activities are not confined to Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
only, but also in districts and sub-divisions, even in the other states.
The function of the Akademi was initially settled by a seminar held at Shishir Mancha, Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
from 24 February to 1 March. These seminars determined the rationale of the Akademi and proposed to make a design and blue print to achieve its goals.
The tasks entrusted on Bangla Akademi are:
- The rationalization and reform of Bangla Script and spelling.
- Compilation of standard dictionaries, encyclopedias and grammars.
- Compilation of terminologies.
- Bridging the gap between Bangla and other languages through translations and other activities.
- Publication of children books.
- Performing research-oriented works on Bangla language, literature and culture as well as arranging scholarships for researchers.
- Distribution of civil literary prizes.
- Publication of publish books on different subjects
- Publication of the Akademi Magazine.
- Preservation of an outstanding library.
- Preservation of a world-class archive and museum.
- To conduct seminars and conferences and cultural festivals and fairs.
Work of Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi
Scholars at the Bangla Akademi work to promote the Bangla language in various ways. They are doing research on spellingSpelling
Spelling is the writing of one or more words with letters and diacritics. In addition, the term often, but not always, means an accepted standard spelling or the process of naming the letters...
, grammar
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
and the origin and development of Bangla. They are publishing works by prominent writers in the language. They have built a large library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
to preserve original manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
s. The government of Japan
Government of Japan
The government of Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the 1947 constitution as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people". Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister of Japan and other elected...
has donated Rs. 500000 for research in the Academy. The government of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
has also given a lump some amount of money. The Akademi is spending the money on the Indo-Japan Cultural Center in Bidhannagar. The Akademi has also developed a Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
font
Font
In typography, a font is traditionally defined as a quantity of sorts composing a complete character set of a single size and style of a particular typeface...
designed according to the changes made by them in the Bengali script
Bengali script
The Bengali alphabet is the writing system for the Bengali language. The script with variations is used for Assamese and is basis for Meitei, Bishnupriya Manipuri, Kokborok, Garo and Mundari alphabets. All these languages are spoken in the eastern region of South Asia. Historically, the script has...
. The font is available from this link.
Festivals Conducted by Bangla Akademi
Various festivals are being conducted nowadays by Bangla Akademi, e.g., Kabita Utsab (Poetry Festival), Little Magazine Mela (Little Magazine Fair), Kathasahitya Utsab (Fiction Festival), Chhara Utsab (Rhyme Festival) etc.Dictionaries/Terminologies
- Akademi Bidyarthi Abidhan (Akademi Bangla-Bangla Dictionary for Students)
- Akademi Banan Abidhan (Akademi Bangla Spelling Dictionary)
- Paribhasha Sankalan – Prashashan (Collection of Administrative Terminologies)
- Sahityer Shabdartho-Kosh (Dictionary of Literary Terms)
- Bhasha-Tattwer Paribhasha (Terminology of Linguistics)
- Byutpatti-Sidhyartha-Bangla Kosh (Dictionary of Bangla Word Origin)
- Bangla Bhashay Arthaniti Charcha Granthapanji (Catalogue of Economic Studies in Bangla)
- Bangla Bhashay Itihaas Charcha Granthapanji (Catalogue of Historical Studies in Bangla)
- Dhatubidya Paribhasha (Terminology of Metallurgy)
- Saontali-Bangla Samashabda Abidhan (A Dictionary of Santali-Bangla Identical Words)
Complete/ Selected Works of Legendary Authors
- Sanchayita, Vol. II, (Ed. By Arun Kumar Basu) – an alternative anthology of Tagore Poems other than Sanchayita
- Manik Bandyopadhyay Rachana Samagra, (Ek-Ekadash Khanda) - Complete Works of Manik BandopadhyayManik BandopadhyayManik Bandopadhyay ; ; was an Indian Bengali novelist and is considered one of the leading lights of modern Bangla fiction. During a short lifespan of forty-eight years, plagued simultaneously by illness and financial crisis, he produced 36 novels and 177 short-stories...
, Vols. I-XI
- Manik Bandyopadhyay Kishor Rachana Sambhar, (Ed. By. Parthojit Gangopadhyay) – Collected Juvenile Literature of Manik BandopadhyayManik BandopadhyayManik Bandopadhyay ; ; was an Indian Bengali novelist and is considered one of the leading lights of modern Bangla fiction. During a short lifespan of forty-eight years, plagued simultaneously by illness and financial crisis, he produced 36 novels and 177 short-stories...
- Kazi Nazrul Islam Rachana Samagra, (Ek-Saptam Khanda) - Complete Works of Kazi Nazrul IslamKazi Nazrul IslamKazi Nazrul Islam , sobriquet Bidrohi Kobi, was a Bengali poet, musician and revolutionary who pioneered poetic works espousing intense spiritual rebellion against fascism and oppression. His poetry and nationalist activism earned him the popular title of Bidrohi Kobi...
, Vols. I-VII
- Budhhadeb Bose Prabandha Samagra, (Ek-dui Khanda) - Complete Works of Budhhadeb Bose, Vols. I-II
- Nirendranath Chakravarty Gadya Samagra - Complete Prose Works of Nirendranath ChakravartyNirendranath ChakravartyNirendranath Chakraborty is a popular contemporary Bengali poet.-Poetry Anthology:Some of his poetry anthologies are:*Nil Nirjan*Andhokar Baranda*Prothom Nayok*Nirakto Karobi*Nakkhotro Joyer Jonno*Kolkatar Jishu*Ulongo Raja...
- Rezaul Karim Prabandha Samagra - Complete Essays of Rezaul Karim
- Jyoti Bhattacharya Prabandha Samagra - Complete Essays of Jyoti Bhattacharya
- Dwijendra-Giti Samagra – Complete Songs of Dwijendra Lal Roy
- Somen Chada Nirbachito Galpa Sangraha – Selected Stories of Somen Chanda
- Samparka (Sampriti Bishayak Galpa) – Samparka: Stories on Communal Hermony (Ed. By Ashok Kumar Mitra and Bishnu Basu)
Collected Essays
- Bhasha-Bhabna: Unish-Bish Shatak – Thoughts on Language, A Collection of 37 Essays on Bangla dated from 1850 to 1950.
- Prasanga Bangla Byakaran, Prothom Khanda- On Bangla Grammar, Vol. I, (20 essays on Bangla grammar from old periodicals)
- Prasanga Bangla Byakaran, Dwitiyo Khanda- On Bangla Grammar, Vol. II, (Contemporary Essays on Bangla Grammar)
- Saraswat – A History of Bangla Literary Academies (Ed. By Arun Kumar Basu)
- Bangalir Gaan – Songs of Bengal, A Golden Treasury of Bangla Music (Ed. By. Durgadas Lahiri)
- Akademi Pratishtha Barshiki Bhashan Sankalan – Akademi Collection of Foundation Day Lectures
- Akademi Bhashan Sankalan – Akademi Collection of Lectures
- Puratan Gadyagrantha Sangraha – Collection of Old Texts (Ed. By Dr. Asit Kumar Bandyaopadhyay)
- Sangbad-Samayikpatre Unish Shataker Bangali Samaj (Ek-Dui Khanda) – Nineteenth Century Bengali Society in Periodicals, Vols. I-II (Col. & Ed. By Swapan Bose)
- Manaswi Annadashankar – Annadashankar RoyAnnadashankar RoyAnnadashankar Roy , was a renowned Bengali author. He was born in Dhenkanal in Orissa, India.-Life:Passed B.A. in English from Ravenshaw College, Cuttack, Orissa. Started his literary career in Oriya. He was a poet of Sabuja Yuga in Oriya Literature. Later he shifted his writing to Bengali...
, A Great Thinker (Ed. By Dhiman Dasgupta)
- Bangla Primer Sangraha – A Collection of Bangla Primers (Ed. By Ashish Khastogir)
See also
- Paschim Banga Natya AkademiPaschim Banga Natya AkademiPaschim Banga Natya Akademi is a learned society for drama and theatre in Paschimbanga . Established on 26 September,1987, it is a wing of the Department of Information and Cultural Affairs, Government of West Bengal...
- Annadashankar RoyAnnadashankar RoyAnnadashankar Roy , was a renowned Bengali author. He was born in Dhenkanal in Orissa, India.-Life:Passed B.A. in English from Ravenshaw College, Cuttack, Orissa. Started his literary career in Oriya. He was a poet of Sabuja Yuga in Oriya Literature. Later he shifted his writing to Bengali...
- Bangiya Sahitya Parishad
- University of CalcuttaUniversity of CalcuttaThe University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
- Rabindranath TagoreRabindranath TagoreRabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
External links
- http://paschimbangabanglaakademi.org/images/index.html.htm