Question

This is an excerpt from a sixteenth-century Bengali poem, Chandimangala, composed by Mukundaram Chakrabarti. The hero of the poem, Kalaketu, set up a kingdom by clearing forests: Hearing the news, outsiders came from various lands. Kalaketu then bought and distributed among them Heavy knives, axes, battle-axes and pikes. From the north came the Das (people) One hundred of them advanced. They were struck with wonder on seeing Kalaketu Who distributed betel-nut to each of them. From the south came the harvesters Five hundred of them under one organiser. From the west came Zafar Mian, Together with twenty-two thousand men. Sulaimani beads in their hands They chanted the names of their pir and paighambar (Prophet). Having cleared the forest They established markets. Hundreds and hundreds of foreigners Ate and entered the forest. Hearing the sound of the axe, Tigers became apprehensive and ran away, roaring.

What forms of intrusion into the forest does the text evoke? Compare its message with that of the miniature painting in “A Royal Hunt.” Who are the people identified as “foreigners” from the perspective of the forest dwellers?

Answer 1

1. The text describes the clearing of forests for agricultural settlements.
2. People entered the forest with axes and other tools and cut down trees to make land available for cultivation.
3. New settlers also established markets and settlements after clearing the forest.
4. The text shows that people from different regions came into the forest and began to occupy and use the land.
5. The miniature painting in “A Royal Hunt” also shows outsiders entering forest areas, but it presents this mainly through a royal hunting scene.
6. Both the text and the painting show that forests were increasingly being entered, controlled and used by people from outside.
7. From the point of view of the forest dwellers, the “foreigners” were the outsiders who came from other regions and settled in the forest area.

Thus, the passage shows how forest land was gradually transformed into agricultural and settled areas, affecting the life of forest communities.