দেশভাগ, উদ্বাস্তু সমস্যা : কবিতায় নীরবতার আড়াল/ Partition and the Refugee Crisis: Silences in Bengali Poetry

Abstract

The decade of the 1940s in Bengal ended in the shadow of Partition and communal violence. The political failure and shortsightedness of national leadership led to the division of the country, leaving Bengal to suffer some of the gravest consequences of Independence. Partition resulted in a massive refugee crisis, as countless people were forced to migrate from East Pakistan to West Bengal after losing their ancestral homes, land, and livelihoods. Displacement brought not only economic hardship but also deep psychological trauma. The refugees arrived carrying memories of loss, cultural dislocation, and the humiliation of surviving in refugee camps under extremely difficult conditions.

          The social, political, and economic history of Bengal during the 1950s was shaped largely by the realities of Partition and rehabilitation. Refugee colonies, unemployment, food scarcity, and political unrest became defining features of post-Partition Bengal. At the same time, the decade also witnessed the emergence of refugee movements and organized resistance, as displaced communities struggled to secure shelter, dignity, and social recognition. These movements became significant aspects of Bengal’s postcolonial history.

         Despite the enormity of the tragedy, Bengali poetry of the 1950s did not engage extensively with the lived experiences of Partition. While traces of grief, despair, and displacement can occasionally be found in contemporary poetry, the horrifying realities of communal riots and forced migration remained largely underrepresented. The violence that compelled people to abandon their homeland, as well as the everyday struggles of refugee existence, seldom became central themes in Bengali poetic discourse. More significantly, the collective struggles and political resistance of refugee communities were rarely portrayed in literary works of the period.

         This article seeks to investigate the reasons behind such silence in Bengali poetry and literary culture. It also examines selected poems that address the experience of Partition and displacement, attempting to understand how Bengali poets represented or failed to represent — one of the most traumatic events in the history of modern Bengal.