মুহম্মদ মনসুরউদ্দীন: আধুনিক ফোকলোর চর্চার পথিকৃৎ| Muhammad Mansuruddin: The Pioneer Folk-Researcher in the Modern Age

Abstract

Muhammad Mansuruddin (31 January 1904 19 September 1987) has been regarded as the founding father of Bengali folklore collection and research. He was famous for a huge collection of age-old folk songs, mostly anthologised in thirteen volumes under the title Haramoni. In recognition of his lifelong contribution to folklore collection and research, the Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, India awarded him honorary D.Litt. degree in 1987. Mansuruddin had his baptism in writing at a very early stage of his life. Although collection of folklore remains his monumental work, he also wrote literary essays and fiction all through his life. In 1952 he worked as editor of monthly literary Mah-e Nau for about six months (on deputation from government service). He spent fifty to sixty years in collecting Ethnic and traditional festival Songs from rural Bengal. He transcribed those without caring for lexical accuracy. He took down as he heard from the mouth of the singers. He also collected songs of Lalon Fakir and wrote on him. Also, in 1974, he translated some songs of Lalon Fakir for the international audience. A mentor of outstanding calibre Prof. Mansuruddin encouraged younger folklorists to follow international technic and methodology of folklore. At the same time he advised folklore researchers to travel to the rural areas to look for their context it. Apart from Harumoni (হারামণি), his notable collection were Lalon Fakir-er Gaan: Songs of Lalan Fakir, published in 1948, Lalan Gestika (লালন গীতিকা) published subsequently and Folksongs of Lalan Shah in English tendering was published in 1974. Introduction of different volumes of Haramoni are revealing and educative. A literary biographer, Prof. Mansuruddin wrote a biography of prophet Muhammad titled Hazyut Muhammader Jiboni O Saddona, and his other contribution in this genre include Hazrat Shah Waliullah, Harun Rashid and Inaser Kebi. His books for children included Bokami (1952), Thok (1958) and Mushkil Abran (1958). He compiled a dictionary of Bengali idioms under the title Hashir Ondhan in 1957.