Experiences from early life never fade away; often, like a distant fragrance of a wildflower. Though I spent most of my life outside Bengal, the nostalgic memories from my early life there still inspire me. Historically, Bengal was a forerunner in many fields, such as social reform, the freedom struggle, and education. It was a culture steeped as much in science as arts and literature. High intellectualism coexisted with high spirituality. This could be seen in books and inventions as much as it was rendered through folk songs in the 'Baul' tradition. As a great social reformer around India's independence, Gopal Krishna Gokhale once rightly said at the time, “What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow".
Bengal’s history is deeply intertwined with the mother cult. Throughout the ages, it showed profound respect for female divinity as the ultimate source of power. Women were viewed as the manifestation of this divine force. Great saints like Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, and many others worshipped matri Shakti through Durga and Kali pujas. Even young girls were worshipped as manifestations of divine feminine energy. It was a social duty to respect and protect their honour. Unfortunately, over time, Bengal lost its former glory and began to break the norms of a civilized society in many ways. Violence and physical assault on women became rampant, factories closed, the standard of education came down, and as people started migrating to other states to make a living, illegal migration from neighboring countries became rampant.But as people never lost hope, a beautiful line of Shelley floated in to my mind, “ If winter comes , can spring be far behind.” Recently , A miraculous change was brought by people, who decided to throw away the present corrupt government , and replaced it by welcoming a new promising one. I was inspired to read an inspiring story about an insignificant poor woman , reported casually in the daily news paper - Kalika Majhi, the poorest of the poor and a domestic maid, offered her free service for election work towards achieving change in Bengal. Her dedicated, selfless service was noticed, and the political party she volunteered for named her as a local candidate for election, which she won , and is now a member of the legislative assembly. She didn't have the money to buy a new sari to wear and so her kind employer, presented her a beautiful new sari to put on for her auspicious oath taking ceremony.
Many such inspiring people like her are still there in Bengal - people who can blossom if inspired. In years past, this unbreakable spirit of Bengal was beautifully expressed in the few lines of a patriotic song written by Tagore , “ The soil, the water, the air of Bengal may be blessed….Homes , trades, forests and fields of Bengal may be satiated…. The souls, the thoughts of brothers and sisters of Bengal may unite , oh my Lord “
The recent political change in Bengal after decades of corruption and decay inspired me to think again about Bengal’s glorious past, the economic,political, and social turmoil of the present, and also the rainbow of possibility to meet the aspirations of the downtrodden people of Bengal, for a better future that reflects its past.
