Sanjib Chandra’s Palamau: A Vivid Ethnographic Narrative of the Kol Community/ সঞ্জীবচন্দ্রের পালামৌ : কোল জনগোষ্ঠীর প্রাঞ্জল জীবনালেখ্য

Abstract

Sanjib Chandra Chattopadhyay’s (1834–1889) travel narrative Palamau (1880–1883) stands as a unique ethnographic document in Bengali literature, portraying the life of the Kol community. Written in the late nineteenth century, the text depicts how the everyday existence of the Kol people is intricately interwoven with nature. Palamau remains a milestone in Bengali travel writing, vividly representing both the natural beauty of the Palamau district (present-day Jharkhand) and the multifaceted life of its indigenous inhabitants. During his official visit to Palamau, Chattopadhyay was deeply moved by the community’s simplicity, industriousness, and their symbiotic relationship with the natural environment. In his portrayal, the Kols emerge as “children of nature,” a vision encapsulated in his celebrated observation, “The wild are beautiful in the forest, just as children are in their mother’s lap.”

          Despite its literary and stylistic significance, Palamau has seldom been examined through a comprehensive sociological or anthropological lens. This paper seeks to fill that gap by analyzing the narrative both literarily and ethnographically. It examines aspects of Kol life including physical appearance, festivals, marriage customs, humor, daily activities, social structures, occupations, patterns of economic exploitation under Hindustani moneylenders, and their relationship with the natural world. While Chattopadhyay’s account is infused with romantic literary sensibilities, it simultaneously preserves the cultural identity of the Kols as a colonial-era ethnographic record. The text also reveals the inherent limitations of the colonial gaze, even as it serves as a valuable archive of indigenous culture.

          Furthermore, this study contextualizes the historical and contemporary struggles of the Kol community, highlighting issues such as land dispossession, displacement, poverty, and cultural erosion. Comparative analysis enriches the discussion by situating Palamau alongside landmark Bengali novels that engage with specific indigenous communities— Mahasweta Devi’s Aranyer Adhikar (Munda), Amiya Bhushan Majumdar’s Mahishkurer Upakatha (Baudiya and Rajbanshi), Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay’s Hansuli Banker Upakatha (Kahar), Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s Aranyak (Santhal), and Advaita Mallabarman’s Titas Ekti Nadir Naam (Malo).

           Ultimately, the article underscores the need to preserve the cultural continuity of the Kol people while negotiating the pressures of modernization. By revisiting Palamau in both literary and ethnographic dimensions, the study invites readers and scholars to rethink the place and rights of the Kol community within the broader discourse of indigenous identity and survival in the present era.