sempozyum_bildiri_kitabi

Context‐specific writings: As the magazines have been very sincere and prompt to publish the
appropriate writings at the right moment, these pieces are generally context or issue‐driven, i.e.
certain occasion demanded this type of writing on or by a particular personality. Many of these are
obituaries or remembrances after someone’s death. Others are‐ birth or death anniversary, esp. to
mark the centenary or 150 years’ celebrations; occasion of awards/ honours conferred; current
controversy; banned publications; retirement from Office; or such social issues like violence against
women.
Forms of writing: There has been a lot of experiments regarding the outer form‐ different modes
and forms like the following have been found:‐ poetry, prose narrative, scholarly articles, storytelling,
interview, speech, letter, open letter, dictation, diıalogue, statement before Enquiry
Commission, obituary, diary, e‐mail, genealogical table, bio‐data, translation and reprints from other
sources.
Style of writing: Women’s writings are marked by theır honesty‐ some of the writings like the
autobiographies of Amodini Dasi or Hemantabala are remarkably candid. 19th c. women exposed
their utter helplessness, repressive nature of relatives, superstitions, casteism, domestic problems, as
well as the amusing stories of meeting with the European officers. They did not hide even bitter
truths and insults.
The biographical writings by women are also personal as they are generally written about the
parents or close relatives. The serious impartial and reliable research‐work are rather lacking in the
biographical literature contributed by Bengali women.
19th c writings by women, as we see in Bamabodhini, were less stylized and more emotional‐ they
had the habit of secretly keeping records of incidents. Most of them did not think of publishing
them.The writiıngs of modern days are less strained and free‐flowing but at times confessional in
nature.
Earlier elegies were very common form to pay homage to the deceased. Now the dominant form
is prose. However a few poems have occasionally been wrıtten in memory of the deceased, to pay
tributes or have been dedıcated to someone special.
Trend analysis: There is no recognisable change in the way women wrote their memoirs. Earlier it
was less sophisticated and more explosive but even now the writings are honest reminiscences and
true to life. In 19th c. there was less stylizatıon. Earlier poetry was a preferred form to express grief
whıch is not the case now.
Earlier, biographies were weapons of informal educations. Now‐a‐days it is more to pay homage
to the deceased personalities on some special occasions such as their centennial or sesquicentennial
birth or death anniversaries. Living on memory and nostalgia is somehow spontaneous to women,
but they have established themselves as good biographers, too; and, the effortless and sincere but
non‐scholarly style of writing has a definite charm of getting knowledge and information in the garb
of domesticity and intimacy and the joy of playing with myriad colours of emotions. Despite
limitations, women have somehow emerged as biographers and showed their skill in making these
writings entertaining.
All the special issues selected for the study have been published after 1990. Therefore, we can say
it is a recent trend to bring out theme‐based special issues.
Conclusion:the bond between the little magazines and women.
Little magazines have always stood by the suppressed communities and helped them to voice
their protests against social discrimination. Bengali women also have found a suitable medium in
these magazines to express their needs and aspirations, to reveal their struggles against the injustice
and the taboos inflicted on them by the contemporary society or their accomplishments and
performances.
During the last half of 19 th c. some magazines worked hard to spread awareness and knowledge
among women. They regularly published inspiring pieces of writings that had great relevance to
women of that time. The pioneering efforts by Masik Patrika (1843) and Bamabodhini Patrika (1863)
deserve special mention. However these women‐centric publications edited by men were very soon
followed by magazines published and edited by women themselves. The ladies of Tagore family