No comments about Samsad Student's Bengali-English Dictionary.

No comments about Learn Bengali Alphabet Activity Workbook.

2 comments about Rabindranath Tagore: The Myriad-Minded Man.

1. One day I was visiting my friend, and he gave me this book to read. I always knew Tagore from my childhood, but this relevation was too captivating... I still wish I have the book wherever I see myriad flowers .... A must for a Tagore Fan.



2. Worth seeking out, warranting reprinting, this is a dense, substantial, but readible biography, less concerned with literary criticism than with the psychological dynamics and political realities of Tagore's creative life. Ultimately, it is about East and West, which is to say, about Tagore the globalist who sought integration of east and west, as contrasted with Gandhi, the nationalist. Tagore believed that the human condition was first of all cultural, Gandhi regarded it as first of all political. This is a comprehensive but penetrating study not only of Tagore, but of modern India.

3 comments about In Praise of Krishna: Songs from the Bengali.

1. That Edward Dimock, the consummate scholar of Bengali studies, and Denise Levertov, the consummate modern poet, would collaborate together is a match made in heaven. The book is a gem. Give it to someone you love, yet better still, read it to him or her.

   Or savor it alone in quiet still moments so delicious that only spiritual erotic love poems, perfectly and sensually rendered, could dare express their rare flavor. That flavor, rasa, is the taste of love, served up authentically and exquisitely, but alas, in far too small a portion.

   Nonetheless don't hesitate. Bite




2. The reviews say it all. This is a very fortuitous partnership of scholar and poet! The songs come alive in their hands. Makes me want to sing them.



3. Another reviewer referred to the author as "Edward Dimock, the consummate scholar of Bengali studies". Nothing could be more true. I bought this book 35 years ago when I was a student at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. It was stolen from me back in '73, but I never forgot it. I am glad that I was able to get it again from Amazon. This book gives the essence of Jayadeva, Vidyapati, Chandidas, Mirabai, et al. Do not think a small paperback lacks intellectual depth.

5 comments about Gitanjali: A Collection of Indian Poems by the Nobel Laureate.

1. Simply one of the best books I have ever read. Very moving, and more importantly gives you a real perspective on life.



2. The shipment and the condition of the book were perfect, and the poems convey unparalleled feelings.



3. This version from Filiquarian is not formatted properly. I myself want to return this book but it would be a hassle for just 4$.
   
   I will be complaining with Amazon to check for the copyright issue with the publishers.



4. If there is only one Indian poetry book you are able to read, it should be Tagore's Gitanjali. It is a delightful book. Originally, Tagore wrote it in Bengali, and then translated it to English. I'm glad he did that. The world is able to enjoy his poems. He was awarded the Nobel prize for literature, for this book.
   These poems are the essence of the Indian culture. They reflect the soul of India. They are highly philosophical and yet simple as the rain clouds, summer rain, stars, shy bride and the parched land, which he describes. They are soothing, soft and gentle. One does not have to be a Hindu to enjoy this book. Tagore's God is formless and above religions. To him, God is mother, father, king, lover and friend. Indian poets like Subramania Bharathi have also portrayed God in such forms.
   Tagore's Words:
   "He is there where the tiller is tilling the hard ground and the path maker is breaking stones"
   "Life of my life, I shall every try to keep my body pure, knowing that they living touch is upon all my limbs"
   "My desires are many and my cry is pitiful, but ever didst thou save me by hard refusals"
   "I had my invitation to the world's festival, and thus my life has been blessed. My eyes have seen and my ears have heard"
   "Give me the strength never to disown the poor or bend my knees before insolent might"
   "In this playhouse of infinite forms, I have had my play and here have I caught sight of him that is formless"
   "The flowers have been woven and the garland is ready for the bridegroom. After the wedding the bride will leave her home and meet her lord alone in the solitude of night"
   
   The beauty is endless. Every line is a gem. This is a book which will change your life forever.



5. The two low star reviews of this book appear to be referring to different versions than the one for sale on this page. The poems are numbered and it seems unlikely that there are copyright issues as the book has been available for some time.
   
   Is there a way for Amazon to remove or monitor the inaccurate reviews?

4 comments about Sultana's Dream and Selections from The Secluded Ones (A Feminist Press Sourcebook).

1. This little book was more than just an extraordinary short story written by a woman in 1905 who examined and questioned purdah by turning the issue into a humorous "dream" sequence (in a place where the men are in purdah!) - it is also a compilation of other materials in the examination of what purdah is and means. Relatively unknown and not understood in the West, "purdah" ("parda" in Hindi, meaning 'curtain') is the seclusion and segregation of women (even from other women, not of the family) and is a tradition that is thrust upon women of many Middle Eastern and Asian societies. In the West we confusedly belief it is only Muslim when in fact other religions undertake it as well.

   Rokeya Hossain wrote Sultana's Dream at the urging of her husband who was quite forward-thinking (for an Asian male in the early part of the last century!) and who believed that by writing, she would be able to perfect her English skills. The Dream is brilliantly simple and clearly written. The idea that a woman in purdah should suddenly find herself in a place where it is the men in the society who are hidden away and where life is peaceful and intellectual thought and political balance are the norm (as a result of not having the men out messing things up), is a delight even to a contemporary Western reader.

   The second section of this book is a section complied by Roushan Jahan in which Hossain's writing about purdah (from a book called "The Secluded Ones") is reproduced in the form of various 'reports' all of which demonstrate something fundamentally absurb or violent about being in purdah. The third section is a piece by a Western woman named Hanna Papanek who examines how much more complicated purdah is than just a means by which men in a given society control and suppress women. That definition is certainly valid, but Papanek also examines a case where a woman raised in purdah finds "exposure" (after a life of purdah) to be fraught with fear and discomfort.

   In all, a fascinating and in a strange sense appalling cultural phenomena that is basically unknown to the West, purdah is handed here to the reader in a way that makes it possible to examine it without generating the viseral anger that the idea raises in most educated women. I am strongly inclined to study the issue further and to find "The Secluded Ones" - once I feel strong enough not to let it infuriate me!




2. Purdah, or the seclusion of a group of people from the rest of the world, is a practice still alive and well in several parts of the world. While it may not be very common in India at the beginning of the twenty-first century, it was quite common during the first half of the twentieth. This book presents short story "Sultana's Dream" and the recollections of women living under purdah complied by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain. There is also an introduction to each work and an analysis of Hossain's life and writing by Roushan Jahan interspersed between each piece. In other words, there are four individual essays and one short story in this collection. It could be difficult for women today who do not live in purdah to understand but it is important to remember our collective past and realise similar things are happening today.



3. If you are at all interested in Feminism then you must read this book. Discusses Purdah and the utopia dream of Hossain.



4. A delightful tale that reverses the role of men and women. For me the most significant part of this fantasy centers around women's behavior in this utopian society. Far from running amok, the absence of men merely means more time for the pursuit of arts, science and gardening. A far different picture than is painted by patriarchal religious leaders around the world.
   
   This book is a must read because far from being in decline, purdah and variants of purdah (the segregation of men and women, spiritually, socially and eventually legally) is on the rise. It's noxious seeds can be found wherever and when ever men talk about "woman's place". Just one of the debilitating effects of purdah in a democratic society is the belief of the woman that she is not accountable for the character of her community. An issue this book addresses clearly.
   
   Buy it!~ In fact, buy several and pass them around. Share it with everyone, friends, sisters, daughters, ministers, teachers, legislators.

5 comments about Teach Yourself Bengali Complete Course (Book Only) (TY: Complete Courses).

1. used it in class. very useful for reading practice. not so much for the practice exercises.



2. This set appears to be somewhat academic oriented as it focuses on the use of the text and not enough on the audio and just learning how to speak the language. The average user I would imagine wants to focus on learning how to speak and understand Bengali. Reading or writing it, given its unique script, is another matter and not necessarily that important for day-to-day communication.
   
   I've used Pimsleur language programs in the past and I found them to be extremely effective - the most effective actually. Pimsleur's audio programs are self contained. No books are required. They introduce basic words and you have to repeat them over and over and you slowly build up to bigger words and then sentences. They can be expensive, but they're worth every penny. Unfortunately, Pimsleur doesn't have a Bengali program.
   
   I was hoping this set would copy Pimsleur. It doesn't. The CDs are not self contained. You have to use the book along with the CDs which means listening and repeating the words in the car is waste of time. And you have to ask yourself how you learn a language. I'm quite disappointed and skeptical about this set as a result. A child learns by hearing the words and learning the meanings long before they learn how to read or write the language. That seems like a logical way to learn for adults as well. But this set doesn't follow that natural flow.
   
   According to the text, Bengali is the sixth most spoken language in the world. If that's the case, I don't understand why it's so hard to find a good teaching resource. According to many reviews, here and elsewhere, this book and CD set is "the best on the market" for learning Bengali. If that's the case it's unfortunate, because this is not by any stretch the best way to learn a language.
   
   I did find that Transparent Language has a computer program (Languages of the World: Bengali available only directly from TL's web site) that's not sold on Amazon. It's primitive in its interface, limited in scope and I've used it only briefly. But so far I would say that it is a better choice than this set which I immediately saw as useless in terms of learning how to speak Bengali. There's also a 4 CD and book set called "Easy Way to Learn Bengali" by Som N. Konar and Dr. Meera Heera Smith which I have been unable to find anywhere.



3. I used this as a textbook in a 2 month intensive laguage study program. The information is basically good, although there are some annoying details that are frustrating - such as using very small font when introducing new letters (it makes them hard to see clearly) and using random strange vocabulary (ie. "Come with a shirt on." as an example sentence)when covering the script.
   
   Once the script is covered, the book progresses at an awkward pace if you follow the chapter order as presented. Some chapters are packed with seriously heavy grammar and others spend 2 pages on how to make something plural. Overall, the material feels very scattered about. Also, verbs and verb conjugation are introduced very late- which means you won't be able to form sentences until well into the book. I recommend skipping ahead to simple present tense as soon as you have the script down. Finally, Radice uses english transliteration for too long in the book. Sometimes it feels like an exercise in transliteration more than bangla.
   
   This is a good start, but you will need more than this book to learn Bengali. Use this as a resource, but don't expect to become a good Bangla speaker based on this book alone.



4. I would disagree with the reviewer who complained that the book focuses on reading and writing, rather than speaking/listening. I found it to be the reverse.
   
   At first glance, the book seemed to be very well organized. The first dozen or so chapters introduce you to the letters and sounds of Bengali, a few at a time, and let you practice reading/speaking single words and brief phrases. Then you move onto the typical "Teach Yourself" format of dialogues, grammar lessons and practice exercises. The final section offers brief literary excerpts.
   
   The problem is with that first section. The author provides almost excruciatingly detailed explanations of how to pronounce each letter, and shows how the letter is written. But the 'single words and brief phrases' are NOT written in Bengali script, but are transliterated, with some odd symbols intended to stand for sounds that are not easily transliterated into English. Result being, that when you finally make it to the dialogues, (written in Bengali and translated, but NOT transliterated) you are suddenly plunged into reading Bengali ... having had NO practice. Wouldn't it have made more sense to put the 'single words and phrases' in Pt.1 IN Bengali, so the learner can get some practice in reading the script and become familiar with the letters?



5. I have so many Bengali books and this is the best one. I recently went to Kolkata and everyone felt that if I studied this book I would learn Bengali. They were very impressed that I could read Bengali, which I did after one month of using this book. Building vocabulary and speaking is a whole other matter though! At some point we are all going to have to get someone to speak Bengali with us and if we don't I am afraid we will have to shell out the big bucks for a Pimsleur type course. To begin to learn this amazing language and especially to learn to read it, I highly recommend getting this book first. By the way, to learn to write Bengali, I recommend using the "Learn Bengali through English". Learning a language improves your brain function and I recommend learning Bengali as it is the language of so many important poets, writers and spiritual leaders. People have died to preserve this language so take up the challenge!!

5 comments about The Home and the World (Penguin Classics).

1. Ok ok... I know that Tagore is such an important figure in the literature and the history of India's independence struggle. And I recognize that he is a fantastic poet. Thing is, I prefer poets writing poems, not whole novels. Perhaps it is a flaw with my personality, but I found reading The Home and The World and exhaustive experience. The fluffy, poetic language throughout interrupted the flow of the intense drama that Tagore describes. I found this book, thus, incredibly difficult to read. Still, it provides an important metaphor for the struggles of india's independence movement and a good vein for familiarizing oneself with that time and place. Still, approach this book with a lot of patience.



2. Rabindranath Tagore did very well to choose the structure he did for this short dramatic novel. It is successfully written from the three points of view of the protaganists, the chapters interlocked as "Bimala's Story", "Nikhil's Story" and "Sandip's Story". It is a powerful drama of awakening, ideology, courage and tragedy. It would make a terrific opera!
   The language has an unfamiliar, florid quality that takes a bit of adjustment but I quickly adapted to the Bengali lushness. It is a very poignant tale of three people enmeshed in the intolerable situation of the British partition of Bengal and foreign occupation. Written early in the 20th Century Tagore foreshadows the Indian independence movement that will come later in the century and the idea of the liberation of women.
   The unintended consequenses that result from the relationship of the three main players is predictable and tumultuous and a suitable metaphor for the terrible circumstances that were tearing through Bengal and other parts of India at that time. I was deeply moved by the work in spite of the harsh criticism it received at the time of it's original publication.



3. The Home and the World has been variously praised and criticized for reasons having little to do with its literary merit. To my mind, the praise comes largely from reviewers' admiration for the author and the totality of his life and works, rather than this particular work. The criticism comes largely from reviewers' disagreement with his political views, or what they think were his political views.
   
   It is, of course, always hard to judge the literary value of a work in translation. Many subtleties of language and reference are necessarily lost. Some reviewers have found the language ponderous. I did not. This is a short book and very readable. I would consider this book as a good introduction to Tagore's thought and style.
   
   Some have said that the main character Nikhil is too good to be believable. I think it is true that Nikhil represents a philosophy of life more than a real flesh-and-blood person. However, a main point of the book is that Nikhil's "goodness" also appears to be weakness. Certainly his wife, Bimala, reacts that way to him at certain points. If Tagore wants to explore the relation between goodness and weakness, then creating a character such as Nikhil seems entirely appropriate, even if it makes the book more a novel of ideas than a novel about real people. There is room in this world for many types of novels.
   
   There is no doubt that Tagore's life work as a whole is monumental. His religious poem, Gitanjali, is more widely recognized than this novel as an expression of his views and writing skill. But poetry is even harder to translate than prose and probably not as accessible to the average reader.
   
   Regarding Tagore's political views, some critics felt that The Home and the World pandered to the British because he did not show support for all elements of the anti-British Swadeshi movement. Tagore was definitely not pro-British. But neither did he support intimidation or terrorism against fellow-Indians as means of fighting British dominance in India.
   
   Tagore had a long and public debate with his friend Gandhi regarding India's future. This correspondence is available in book form (The Mahatma and the Poet: Letters and Debates between Gandhi and Tagore 1915-1941). Those who would judge a person for his political views should learn them first-hand and not just through the opinions of others.



4. I'm sure it's a great book, only i haven't received it - after TWO months waiting since I ordered it. Yet I'm being asked to review the purchase?
   hmmm.



5. The story can be read as a prelude to Jim et Jules. Two man love the same women yet in a completely reversed way. The first (the husband) loves her by giving complete freedom. The second loves her as an idol. The woman is in a way forced to this idolation because of the freedom she had received.
   The intelligent story can push the right buttons on human spirit to silence it. In an other perspective the book is a cry against nationalism.

3 comments about Hindi, Urdu & Bengali: Lonely Planet Phrasebook.

1. Although this combined edition is more accurate than the previous separate phrasebooks for Hindi/Urdu and Bengali, do not expect to use it to actually learn the languages or even get beyond a couple of dozen phrases.
   
   Perhaps in conjunction with a formal language guide to Bengali, this phrasebook would be more helpful, but at the time of my recent travels, there was no English language language study guide available for Bengali/Bangla (I think the Teach Yourself series has one, but that series is currently going through a one-by-one reissue as the cover format and typeface have changed).
   
   The main problem is the Bengali to English dictionary, which is listed from the point of view of the written form vs. how things sound or how they transluterate to Latin characters. This requires first learning Bengali script, which is quite difficult due to the bizarre rules in all South Indian derived scripts (including Thai and Khmer/Cambodian as well as Hindi) vs. Cyryllic, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic. And besides which, literacy is not and should not be a requirement for developing the more important day-to-day fluency of speaking and listening skills in a new language while traveling.
   
   The publisher would also be advised to make clear that there are significant regional variants within Bengali (if not also Hindi/Urdu), and thus one is not always understood even with basic everyday phrases as they are published here. They might also be advised to include the related Punjabi language/dialect in the next edition, to be more complete.



2. I've been using the computer program Rosetta Stone to learn Hindi, and it's extremely helpful in getting a person started with learning the grammar, some basic words, and the script. But Rosetta Stone doesn't teach you the really crucial basic phrases, like "Hello, how are you?", "My name is Bob," or "Where is the bathroom?"
   
   That's the specialty of this phrasebook--teaching you the basic phrases you'll need to get by. It also shows the basics of how to read the Urdu and Hindi scripts, but it's not necessary to learn them to use it, since the phrases all have phonetic renderings. One of the other reviewers complained that this phrasebook won't teach you the language. But it's not meant to; it's just supposed to help you get started, or to help you get by when you're not planning to actually learn the language.
   
   The organization of the book is very useful, since it's grouped into sections for different kinds of phrases, making it easy to find the stuff you're most interested in.
   
   The dictionary in the back, when you're going from Hindi or Urdu to English, is arranged in the order of the Hindi or Urdu alphabets. Maybe this doesn't make the most sense for English speakers, who if they're just starting aren't going to memorize the order of all the letters in the Hindi and Urdu alphabets. The other reviewer complained about this, but since the dictionaries aren't very long, I don't think it's a big deal. The dictionaries also have the phonetic spellings, so you can flip through pretty quickly to find the letter you're looking for.
   
   My main complaint is that the Urdu font in this book is kind of hard to read. It might just be because I first learned the script from another book that used a different font, and that's what I'm used to now. But I think that with the font used in this book, it's inherently harder to tell which letter is which, making it harder on a beginner.



3. This is a compact, easy to use, and helpful little book for basic phrases you will use in India and other South Asia countries.

5 comments about Teach Yourself Bengali (Book + 2CD's) (TY: Complete Courses).

1. I'm a second generation Bengali, and I can speak Bengali at about the fifth grade level, but did not know how to write it before this book. For me, this product was absolutely fantastic. I cannot speak for people who have no Bengali background, but if you have some experience to Bengali, this product is great for you.



2. Native Dutch speaker. No experience with Bengali. The book is easy to read, easy to follow the instructions. Still busy with the first part of the book, about how to write the symbols and about the pronounciation. I gave 5 stars, because untill now, I did not have to repeat a single chapter yet; it stays in mind. The CD's are very convenient, couldn't really do without them.



3. There are three distinct sections to this work, and each one probably would rate differently on a scale of one to five stars. The first half of the book is a leisurely introduction to Bengali writing. Bengali is less phonetic than some other Indic languages, but each lesson introduces a few new letters, illustrated with words and short phrases. By following the lessons on the CDs one can learn the writing system quite comprehensively and move into the lessons with dialogues able to leave transliteration (always a nuisance) completely behind. The words and phrases are extremely well chosen, so that after completing these lessons the learner will have a very usable inventory of vocabulary already in place. The author has crafted an excellent system that should be imitated by all textbooks of languages involving syllabic writing, where a vowel is added to a consonant base. My only quibble- a minor one-is that more material showing how to actually hand-write the letters would be very beneficial- what are taught here are printed forms. So- for the lessons on the Bengali writing system- five stars.
   
   On to the grammar and dialogues. Each lesson begins with a dialogue between a learner of Bengali and a native speaker. The learner speaks at first using only short, simple sentences, and the native Bengali speaker replies with a longer, more complicated sentence, and as the lessons move on the student of Bengali comes closer and closer to parity with the locals. It's an interesting idea, and probably a very authentic recreation of the way foreigners in a country grope their way to proficiency, but it also introduces a lot of relatively sophisticated material at a very early stage- some of which is pretty daunting for a beginner. So: grammar lessons and dialogues get three stars.
   
   The final part of the book consists of excerpts from the works of some of the great figures in Bengal's literary history, ranging from prose to poetry, covering a time frame of over a century and representing a great range of styles. The word "awesome" can get overused, but the author has succeeded very well here at his amazingly ambitious goal of giving first year students a hint of the vastness and depth of Bengali literature. So: authentic materials- five stars.
   
   Finally, the accompanying CDs are also first-rate. The sections that accompany the lessons on the alphabet provide a learner with everything that is needed to master the sounds of the language, and the sections that accompany the grammar lessons are equally good. Be advised that the speakers talk very fast- but that is typical of Bengali speech in real life. CDs: five stars.
   
   Put that all together, and what you have is a four star work. Baby steps it isn't, but for that you can always get Dimock's book- learning grammar from Dimock while learning the alphabet from Radice is one approach with a lot to recommend it- returning to the more challenging sections in Radice after using Dimock to build up a solid grammatical foundation.



4. If you want to learn Bengali, it is a good book to use. It's not 100% perfect, but it is good, especially if you have a little foundation. You can learn the alphabet well with this book, the CDs are helpful in learning pronunciation. It builds gradually over the course of the book. And also, this books is a good improvement from previous versions, so I would recommend it. Another good book, if you know already how to read Bengali, or are learning, is Milet Picture Dictionary: English-Bengali. I haven't seen the mini version, but that's also an option. Also, Bengali Flower: 50 Selected Poems from India and Bangladesh, Rabindranath Tagore and Bengali Flower: 50 Selected Poems from India and Bangladesh, Rabindranath Tagore, which also has a language section.



5. This is really the only Bengali/Bangla course book I would recommend after searching for quite a while for a program. It is a good start, and the complementary dvd is really helpful for learning pronunciation and listening to conversations. However, it is still no substitute to finding a native speaker to talk with and learn from. There are numerous subtleties to the language that I didn't feel the book covered in enough depth.