A Discussion on Child Education and Children’s Literature in 19th Century Bengal (উনিশ শতকের বাংলার শিশুশিক্ষা ও শিশুসাহিত্য সম্পর্কিত আলোচনা)

Abstract

As the commercial value and utility of English education in this country increased from the late 18th century onwards, traditional education gradually declined. Bengali prose literature and Bengali children's literature also began in the early part of the nineteenth century. From the foundation of the Calcutta School-Book Society in 1817 AD, the beginning of the present children's literature in Bengal and from then on till the era of Vidyasagar Mahashay, this institution developed this literature. There was an absolute lack of textbooks in the country at that time and the British were trying to teach the natives in English for their own purposes. In such a situation, the core of Bengali children's literature lies in textbooks and education. In 1803, William Ward wrote that almost all villages in Bengal had schools (pathshalas) for teaching writing, reading, and arithmetic. Many Pathshalas were established in Serampore by William Carey, Joshua Marshman and William Ward. Lack of printed books was a major problem in education in this country. Along with the plan of setting up the schools, the Serampore Mission arranged for the preparation, printing and publishing of books on various subjects such as language learning, grammar, history, geography, science. By 1820 AD, a total of 27 books on geography, astronomy, history, dictionaries, alphabets, glossaries etc. were published from śrīrāmapur. Modern children's textbook Bengali primers began in the middle of the 19th century. No one has written children's Bengali textbooks suitable for children like Madanmohan Tarkalankar. In 1849 Madanamohan wrote his 'Shishu Shiksha' Part I, II and III for girls at Bethune's school. The book must have been loved by the children of the 19th century Calcutta gentry. However, the books were not enjoyable reading for working class children as they did not contain the daily life of working class people or the words they used. Akshay Kumar Dutta's illustrated 'cārupāṭha' was published in 1852 AD. The first manifestation of Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar's great work is also in children's literature. In 1847 AD, his 'Bētālapañcabinśati' was published. Vidyasagar, the most influential native educationist of the second half of the 19th century, published his 'Barṇaparicaẏa' Volumes I and II in 1855. Like other authors, he did not write children's books for special school needs, he published on a commercial basis. Vidyasagar's 'kathāmālā', 'jībanacarita', 'bōdhōdaẏa', 'ākhyānamañjarī' etc. are children's literature written by him. In fact, the children's books of the 19th century were developed for the sons of the gentry. None of them attempted to cross the boundaries of Sādhubhāṣā and enter the world of common people's speech. We have to understand the development of modern children's textbooks written in the 19th century and the development of modern education and society as an interrelated issue. Bengali reading books of the first part of the 19th century were written for boys and girls of special Bengali schools. The establishment of Bangla schools and the spread of public education in this period should not be seen as the same thing. The newly refined Bengali language became the hallmark of the urban educated middle class or gentry. Through all this, the destruction of the language world of the lower classes took place and the colonial neo-primary education system also ensured the exclusion of the working classes.