Future of Bangla
"Bengali literature still has bright prospects", said the noted Bengali author Sunil Gangopadhyay at Madaripur, vide your report of November 25. At the first instance it, would make all Bengali-speaking people smile. But please read it once more.
How does the question of stressing that Bengali literature has 'still bright prospects' flash into his mind? Was there any apprehension that the opposite thought was stirring some Bengali minds? Might be, and there must have been some reasons behind that. But just by projecting dreams things may not improve. Would Bengali literary stalwarts like Mr. Gangopadhyay come out to protect Bengali pronunciations first?
It is they only who can convince us that there is no shame in our calling a Bengali 'Arun' not as Aarun but as 'Orun', "Rabindrasadan' not as Raabindersaadan but as "Robindroshadon', 'Nazrulmancha' not as Nazrulmanch but as 'Nozrulmancho', or 'Sunil' not as the Roman alphabets suggest but as 'Shunil'.
If we loose our characteristic pronunciations our poems may sound awkward, let alone the question of maintaining their sweetness.
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