Kolkata, West Bengal
We refer to the water we know as "water" only in its liquid state. In its solid form, we call it ice, and in its gaseous form, vapor.
We refer to ice as the solid form of water, but we do not say that the liquid state of ice is water. The fact is that liquid is so essential in our lives that when we hear the word "water," we immediately think of its liquid state. Similarly, what comes to mind first when we hear the word "literature"? If it takes a moment to recall, let's try thinking of a literary figure. Now, you probably remember the names of authors like Sarat Chandra or Bankim Chandra. They are literary figures. But why didn't the names of Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Jibanananda Das, or Satyendranath Dutta come to mind? Is it because they are poets? Is poetry different from literature? Ancient Indian literature, in fact, consists mainly of poetry or epics. The Vedas, Puranas, Ramayana, and Mahabharata are all poetry. Yet we effortlessly refer to them as Vedic literature or ancient literature. Actually, there are some common characteristics between prose and poetry, which is why we collectively refer to both as literature.
Both ancient poetry and modern-day stories or novels contain some form of event. It could be a real event, something that feels real, or a completely imaginary event disconnected from reality. However, if we were to document every event happening around us, would we call that literature?
Let’s say a fisherman is catching fish. After describing this, it’s written that his son came and called him away. Whether this event is written in prose or poetry, would it be considered literature? No, this event is so ordinary that it's nothing more than a simple news report. Only the fisherman’s buyers and his family would place any value on this event. My mind, however, craves something more beyond this event, something that leaves me unsatisfied or stirs some emotion within me. What causes this sense of incompleteness is the essence of literature. It is something we are constantly trying to understand and explain to others, yet it feels like we can’t quite articulate it.
Now, let's consider a group of fishermen fishing nearly two thousand years ago in the Sea of Galilee in Central Asia. At that time, a young Jesus Christ called out to them and said, "Come with me, and I will make you fishers of men." This invitation from the young man transforms the event into literature.
In society, an idea or person can attain such a status that its appeal remains unblemished even after two thousand years. I happened to use the word "appeal" in the conversation. Therefore, it must be said that if an event holds an appeal, then it qualifies as literature. Surely, this appeal is not an invitation to a wedding or a formal gathering. This is an appeal to the mind, not to the body. I’m talking about the kind of appeal that has the power to provoke thought. If this appeal is found in a song, that song becomes literature; if it's found in a letter, that letter is literary. In this way, even someone's personal diary could take its place in the realm of literature.
Now, if someone had suggested to those fishermen that they join a band of robbers, would we remember it today? No, because that appeal lacked any call toward a higher purpose or mental satisfaction.
By now, perhaps we've glimpsed a ray of light. I’m comparing the essential element of literature to light. Just as darkness accumulated over many years can be dispelled by a moment’s flash of light, long-standing mental issues can be resolved through literature. Problems give rise to despair, anxiety, and feelings of insecurity. These emotions affect people’s daily work because people don’t function solely on physical strength; they also rely on mental fortitude. The mind and health are closely intertwined. Keeping all of this in mind, we can say that the purpose of literature is to promote human welfare. We love the idea of "welfare" so much that when offering blessings, we say, "May God bless you." Hence, whether it's poetry, a story, or a travelogue, it should carry the message of welfare within it. Only then can it be called literature. However, the reverse is not necessarily true; just because something promotes human welfare doesn’t automatically make it literature. For example, we cannot consider an advertisement aimed at raising public awareness to be literature.
I’ve taken the word "welfare" as the essence of literature. Perhaps that’s why poems praising the deities in Bengali are titled "Mangal Kavya" (auspicious poetry)—such as Manasamangal, Dharmamangal, and others. One synonym for "welfare" is hita (benefit), a word connected to literature (i.e., sahitta). Considering this special aspect of literature, it’s likely that stories, novels, and other writings were given the term "Sahitta". We study the history of literature in various languages, but we don’t have a clear idea of when the word "literature" began to be used. However, we do know the history of the different forms of literature—poetry, drama, satire, stories, novels, letters, essays, and so on—and when they emerged in human civilization. Poetry includes rhymed verse, free verse, songs, and ballads. Meanwhile, plays, cinemas, and theatres, though different in form, all belong to drama because they must contain dramatic elements suitable for performance. Just as a play is divided into various scenes and acts, stories and novels are divided into chapters. A small incident may conclude a one-act play, while a more complex series of interconnected events leads to a satisfying resolution in multi-act plays. Similarly, a narrative told in prose can be considered a short story or a long story. And when that story is expanded, it enters the realm of the novel.
A literary creator is often recognized by the form they specialize in, and we give them titles accordingly: poet, playwright, storyteller, novelist, essayist, and so on. To express an idea, an event is needed; and for an event, people and their environment are required. For this reason, one might think that literature is like a mirror that reflects not only people but also society as a whole. But this isn’t always the case.
Let’s take, for instance, a literary work based on someone’s achievements or failures. The portrayal may be realistic, but we could easily call it a mere news report. Later, we might even refer to it as history. If someone writes today, we might call them a journalist; if they write later, we might call them a historian. But we call them a "literary figure" only when their writing possesses certain qualities—what we refer to as 'rasa' (essence or sentiment). For instance, if the writing provokes laughter, it contains humour; if it evokes sadness, it contains pathos; if it demonstrates heroism, it contains valour, and so on.
Events that carry sentiments of sorrow, pain, or separation are referred to as tragic events. In English, we call it "tragedy." The opposite of tragedy is "comedy". While comedy generally suggests humour, it is also used to describe any writing that leads to a positive resolution or union.
When a person’s mind engages with an event, they begin to empathize with it. Therefore, the reader views the one who stands against injustice and oppression as the hero. The reader feels sorrow at the hero’s pain and joy at the hero’s success. Not only that, but they also draw inspiration for their own life. Additionally, the strategy used by the protagonist to overcome obstacles in the story becomes more effective for the reader to apply in real life if it’s grounded in reality. For example, detective stories often offer ways to escape danger. Stories that possess these characteristics can be referred to as "comedies" or "harmonious works".
However, if the conclusion of the literature is tragic, the mental resourcefulness needed to overcome a crisis becomes bewildered. Readers tend to fixate on the flaw that caused the crisis rather than on solutions, convincing themselves that the protagonist's failure is inevitable. This often leads readers to behave similarly when facing real-life challenges, unconsciously inviting failure due to the passive influence of the story's unresolved conflict.
Thus, a writer must strive to instil in the reader a broad-mindedness and perspective that helps them discern what is acceptable and what should be rejected. We can recognize such writing as true literature when it successfully inspires these thoughts within the reader.
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