"Tuni'r Ma": From Nation to "Inter"-Nation

In: Comparative studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, Volume 32, Issue 3, p. 492-501

Abstract

Baidya's essay explores certain aspects of cultural exchange and the modes of reception and adaptation of any cultural product in the context of popular culture in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. The article concentrates on the zone of popular culture of larger Bengal, i.e., the areas in East India including Bangladesh, where Bangla is the official language. Here the history of a popular song, "Tuni'r Ma," is used to exemplify the holistic understanding of the dynamics involved in the process of cultural reconciliation. The song leads to a discussion of aesthetics and gender theory that explores the conflict between popular and serious culture on the basis of taste. Conventional academic ideas generally link progressive thinking to serious cultural practice. But this essay confronts the hegemonic concept of culture and sheds light on an eclectic area of popular culture that is more prevalent in society. Thus, it might instigate a rational alternative to conventional criticism.