By Sadia Zafrin
Food appears in Bengali children’s literature in different shapes and forms, incorporating family relationships, socio-cultural norms, and relationships with nature. Some texts show children chased by parents for taking food and others show how children chase their favourite food.
In the field of children's literature, the Bengali tradition is mostly to amuse children and engage them in different performances that mirror the contemporary way of life and culture of the society.
Below is a collection of texts for children, each representing a different genre in literature: a lullaby, a nonsense rhyme, a poem, a short story, and a jester tale. Each selection shows how food reflects the socio-cultural reality of their time.
'Murir Moa' from Moa-Naru by Tanushree Bhowmik
“Ay Ay chaad Mama” from Chhelevulao Chhara (Chharas to Amuse Children)
Collected by Rabindranath Tagore & Abaninandranath Tagore
Ananda Publishers, West Bengal, India (1894)
The Moon is a very auspicious entity in Bengali literature. It is often addressed as the "maternal uncle”. Here is a Bengali lullaby where the mom is calling the moon to adore the baby so that he falls asleep. It is typically sung to infants aged 0 to 2 years old.
Come, come, Uncle Moon, come adorn,
Come, dear, and adorn the forehead of my darling baby.
I will save you the fish head when I prepare the fish,
I will save you some grain when I husk the paddy,
I will save you some milk from our black cow,
I will save you a bowl to drink from,
Come, dear Moon, and adorn my darling.
The mother is offering the moon rice grains, fish head, and milk. Her offer shows not only her love for her children but also the Bengali tradition of hospitality, where a guest is considered a god. This lullaby, with its lucid and musical language, presents the picture of an agricultural society where people used this first grain and milk to worship the goddesses. The romantic atmosphere of this lullaby introduces the universal ideas and practices of a mother’s love and eases the baby to sleep. This lullaby also offers many cultural ingredients where children (and researchers) across the world will learn not only about Bengali culture, especially about oral tradition.
“Khuku O Kathberali” (“Khuku and the Squirrel")
Poem by Kazi Nazrul Islam
Included in Jhinge Ful (Ridge Flowers)
Published by Mawla Brothers (2006)
This is a conversation between a little girl named Khuku and kathberali (a squirrel) where she mentions a list of food names including fruits, dudhvat (sweetened milk rice), etc. The mischievous, incorrigible squirrel is eating all the lemon and sweet guava of their orchard without sharing. She tries to bribe the squirrel by offering him to be her siblings or playmates. But nothing bothers the squirrel and when it is full, it runs away, leaving Khuku alone and very angry.
This poem presents the dynamic relationship between children and wildlife, who share and fight over the same food from nature.
By reading this nursery rhyme, or chhara, readers can learn about the socio-cultural picture of the time when children in Bengal were brought up in the lap of nature able to interact with the wildlife around them.
This poem can be used by parents, teachers, and children from 6 to 8 years old who will be introduced to wildlife and the vegetation surrounding them. They also can engage in activities like asking questions about birds and animals’ food. There can be open discussion about protecting the environment for the wild life and their food cycle. Finally, the common ground of food can make them aware of the organic relation between human beings and wildlife.
“Khuror Kol” (“The Contraption”)
Written & Illustrated by Sukumar Ray (1923)
From the collection of nonsense rhymes Abol Tabol (Rhymes of Whimsy)
Translated by Niladri Roy
Published by Haton Cross Press (2017)
Sukumar Ray is a pioneer of Bengali nonsense rhymes from the first half of 20th century. Food appears with symbolic meaning in his writing. "Khuror Kol" is the story of a boy who has created a contraption that can reduce travel time to any destination by half. The device has a rod that is attached to the back of the traveler. At the end of this rod is a pulley and hook on which the traveler can hang their favourite cuisine just out of reach. Tempted by the smell of the food, the traveler walks faster and faster but the food cannot be reached. This humorous poem presents food as symbol of human beings’ greed and through this Ray mocked the rising upper class of the capitalist society of his time.
With its rollicking rhymes, cadence of language and amazing illustration, this text offers children from 6 to 12 years a look at social criticism with light humour and puns.
Gopaler Pithe Khaoa/ Gopal’s Pitha Eating, Book 1
Written by Sourav Mondal & Illustrated by Avik Das
Edited by Hansa Mondal
Published by Ssoftoons Entertainment Media LLP. (2017)
Gopal Var was the trickster/jester of king Maharaja Krishna Chandra’s palace (1710-1783). His stories have their own place in children’s literature for their humourous nature. Gopal’s fanciful and flighty character shows that it is also acceptable to break rules, like stealing food and making others look foolish.
This graphic novel adaptation tells the story of Gopal Var’s fondness of pitha (traditional Bengali sweet). On the day of 'Poush Parban' (Harvesting Festival), Gopal shirks his duties in the king's court to eat pitha. But the hakim (kingsman) alert the king to Gopal’s trickery. Though they went to Gopal’s house in disguise to catch him red handed, Gopal was spared by his cleverness and quick wit.
The story will introduce children to the custom of traditional food and festivals in a fanciful manner. The mouth-watering pitha works here as a cultural symbol. This book can be added to a school or library, with workshops with children on how to make pitha.
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