Uttar Dinajpur Jelar Muslim Samajer Biyer Gan (Bengali Version)

Book Details

• Author: Rejaul Islam
• Publisher: Bangiya Sahitya Samsad
• Language: Bengali
• ISBN: 9789385131394

About the Book

Uttar Dinajpur Jelar Muslim Samajer Biyer Gan (Bengali Version) is a valuable ethnographic study that documents and analyzes the rich tradition of Muslim wedding songs in Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal. Through extensive field-based research, the book explores how these folk songs preserve the cultural memory, social values, and everyday experiences of rural communities, making them an important part of Bengal's intangible cultural heritage.

Marriage is one of the most significant social institutions, and wedding songs have long served as a medium through which communities express their blessings, hopes, emotions, and collective wisdom for the newly married couple. The author demonstrates that these songs extend beyond ceremonial functions, reflecting family relationships, community life, shared experiences, and the aspirations of ordinary people. They preserve the emotional and cultural dimensions of marriage while providing a vivid record of changing social realities.

Although marriage customs are primarily shaped by religious traditions, the book shows that geography and local culture play an equally significant role in shaping wedding rituals and songs. The Muslim communities of Uttar Dinajpur have lived alongside tribal groups and lower-caste Hindu communities for generations, resulting in a remarkable process of cultural interaction. Consequently, many wedding songs incorporate references to local occupations, neighboring communities, agricultural life, and tribal groups such as the Santals, illustrating the region's shared cultural landscape.

A major contribution of the volume is its demonstration that wedding songs function as historical and sociological documents. They provide valuable insights into the economic conditions, occupational life, gender roles, cultural exchange, and everyday realities of rural society. By documenting these oral traditions through careful regional fieldwork, the author highlights the importance of preserving local variations that might otherwise disappear with social and cultural change.

Drawing upon folklore studies, ethnomusicology, cultural anthropology, and regional history, Uttar Dinajpur Jelar Muslim Samajer Byer Gan offers an interdisciplinary understanding of folk music as both cultural expression and historical evidence. The book underscores the significance of regional documentation in preserving the diversity of Bengal's folk traditions.

An essential resource for students, researchers, folklorists, ethnomusicologists, anthropologists, and readers interested in Bengali folk culture and oral traditions, this work makes a significant contribution to the study of Muslim wedding songs and the shared cultural heritage of North Bengal.