The Mighty Rivers : How they shaped our society, culture and litearture

Aparajita Islam Shera 

ID - 24101545, Section - 02


"A river doesn't just carry water, it carries life." - A.D. Posey. Besides carrying the history of Bangladesh, the rivers highlight the livelihood of the country's people. Rivers have articulated and fragmented people's lives, politics, economy, and overall Bangladesh. 



The fertile field that the mighty rivers brought, introduced a settled agriculture in Bangladesh which built up our community, societal structure, demographic patterns, etc. The economy of Bangladesh mostly depends on agriculture. Most of the people in native lands associate themselves with wet rice cultivation. Industrial development progress in Bangladesh still holds on to the primitive occupation of agriculture.


Bangladeshi culture is mostly river-based. Boat race, an ethnic cultural heritage of Bangladesh, represents tradition in front of the world community. The "Bhatiali" song based on the rivers originates from Mymensingh and has connected Bangladesh with the folk song world. Bhatiali's song represents the boatman, their life, sorrows, and utmost happiness. The folklores of Bangladesh are highly influenced by the tales of rivers. The supernatural events that happened to the boatmen are often explained by folklore such as "Mechobhoot". Stories usually set them around lakes and rivers where fishermen would be out late fishing and greedy mechobhoot would not only scare but even kill to get their fish if need be.




Most of the literature of Bangladesh is river-centric. Most of the Bengali people are often called fatalists, for the fragmented nature of society due to river erosion. It can be a matter of debate if they are fatalist or resilient. "Padma Nadir Majhi" states a new hope to the Bengali people which indicates the resilience within Bengali people. Much more literature is solely based on rivers such as "Titas Ekti Nadir Naam" by Advaila Mallabarman, "Padma Nadir Majhi" by Manik Bandhopadhyay, "Padmar Pali Dwip" by Abu Ishaque, "Kalindi" by Tarashankar Bandhopadhyay, "Ganga" by Samaresh Basu, "Kando Nodi Kando" by Sayed Waliullah, "Ichamoti" by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. 


Rivers are crucial for the Bengal delta. It attaches the story of nature and the people of Bengal. So, it can be said that Bengal is originated and shaped by the mighty rivers.

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