Dr. (Smt.) Tripty Brahma is a renowned Research Scholar and a poet of repute too. She has devoted her life to doing research work in folk culture of undivided Bengal. In so doing she has made extensive tour, not only in different parts of rural Bengal, but also in the remotest part of Bangladesh, a foreign land, facing many odds in course of her field work. She suffered ignominy and became object of suspicion in that land, while pursuing her object. These hurdles could not diminish her energy. She could discover by her hard work many subject matters of interest so long lying neglected. The present book "Historical Dissertations on Anthropological Survey in India" is the product of her sincere and strenuous work in the field for which she deserves justifiably high approbation. The articles of the book... "Some Aspects of the Anthropology of Art including the Visual and Performing Arts Earnings and Residences of Bouls and Sufi Composer of Bengal, Calcutta Verses Body-Cult as Reflected in Boul-Song, An Outline of Folk-Marriage in Social and Cultural Aspect, Roles of Fairs and Festivals in Human Cultural Development, The Origin of Animism and its Influence on Human Society, Saint Poet Lalon and Renaissance in 19th Century, Panju Shah, the Saint, Poet of Humanisn in 19th century, Bengal, India, Folk-Versifier Pagla Kanai of 19th Century, Bengal, mostly relate to socio-religious cultural life of rural Bengal, influenced by Saint poet of different parts of undivided Bengal.
Dr. Brahma has rendered immense service to modern men and women of India by bringing to light the rural culture of Bengal. It cannot be denied that our people are not very much aware of the great contribution of Saint poet Lalon Fakir and Folk poet Pagla Kanai, to the cause of renaissance and humanism of 19th century Bengal. The main difficulty that stands in our ways, in knowing the rural folk culture and the life and contribution of people in this sphere, is the dearth of books and written documents, portraying the life and contribution of the saints and poets. Hence, this book of Dr. Brahma goes long way in meeting the want of people, specially of urban Bengal even at the end of 20th century. Dr. Brahma worked previously in the similar field and got Ph. D. from the University of Calcutta for her book "Banglar Loukik Dharmasangit". (Sectarian religious songs of Bengal).
Bengali Culture as a whole is a synthesis of Indian Muslim and Hindu and this is why communal feeling in West Bengal (India) is much less than in rest of northern India; for the maintenance of communal amity and harmony, the teachings and songs of poets like Lalon Fakir and folk-versifiers created this miracle. Some Muslim saints as well as Hindu preceptors are equally revered by people of both the communities. Boul songs of Lalon Fakir are not the close preserve of a particular community, but all the communities. Dr. Brahma's book underscores this aspect of Bengali Culture in different articles incorporated in this book, which is a relevant contribution to the cause of communal harmony in west Bengal, India. Hence, I do hope this book will have ready appreciation of the discerning public as well as elites of India and abroad.
Before I conclude I would like to refer that this book has been written from historical perspective. Most of the topics of the book are of Anthropological interest. This is why the book will have an appeal not only to the students of folk culture and folk religion but also students of history and Anthropology as well.
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