The Inescapable Association between Nature and Bengali Nationalism in Jibanananda Das’s Ruposhi Bangla

Jibanananda Das‟s poetry, Ruposhi Bangla in particular, showcases his inescapable bondage with nature. Ostensibly, the focus of the poems of this volume is on the celebration of nature. These poems unleash the speaker(s)‟ fondness for the beautiful nature of Bengal. The landscape, rivers, trees, flowers, birds, monsoons etc. are the objects of contemplation. Hence, the current knowledge accepts, to a certain extent, that this volume of poetry chiefly enunciates the speaker(s)‟ love for Bengal‟s nature. However, an inevitable point—the representation of Bengali nationalism—gets inadequate response. Moreover, in our opinion, Das‟s laconic expression of Bengali nationalism in relation to his affection for nature demands sufficient critical thinking. This research finds it thought-provoking to discuss such issues in detail. To the best of our knowledge, the existing scholarships do not offer satisfactory definite understanding as for the projection of Bengali nationalism through nature. This paper deals with, primarily, the covert yet inescapable illustration of Bengali nationalism in the aforementioned volume. Additionally, at a deeper level, our paper focuses on the manifestation of such nationalism (Bengali) with the help of nature. We think our study would contribute to a better exposition of the relationship between Bengali nationalism and Bengal‟s nature in these poems of Das. In the following sections we would argue that these poems encompass a pure Bengali nationalism, and we would also see how this gets illumination through a deeply-seated admiration of Bengal‟s nature.