লোক-মন্ত্র ও অন্ধবিশ্বাসের গল্প : উত্তর দিনাজপুরের ওঝালি প্রথা এবং তারাশঙ্করের ‘ডাইনী’/ Stories of Folk Spells and Superstitions: The Ojhali Tradition of North Dinajpur and Tarashankar's 'Daini'

Abstract

This essay presents a comparative and psychological analysis of the folk Ojhali tradition of North Dinajpur and Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay’s timeless story, ‘Daini’ (The Witch). In the rural settlements of North Bengal, incantations and rituals are not merely superstitions; rather, they function as an inevitable psychological assurance parallel to modern science. Drawing upon the theoretical discussions of researchers Subhash Mistry and Pallab Sen Gupta, this work examines the practical characteristics of mantras used for venom extraction, body-protection (Dehabandha), union, and separation as prevalent in the regional dialects of North Dinajpur. On the other hand, it illustrates how this same mantra-based blind faith pushes Sordhoni or Sora, the central character of Tarashankar’s ‘Daini’, into a lonely and cursed life. When Sora’s suppressed motherhood and youthful memories are transformed into the predatory instincts of a ‘witch’ in the eyes of society, it gives birth to a formidable tragedy. Ultimately, Sora’s death in a Kalbaishakhi (Nor'wester) storm being identified by society as the result of a sorcerer’s (Gunin) incantatory strike highlights the predatory grasp of superstition. This conflict between the rich heritage of folk culture and social malady is the primary theme of this essay.