Desk Report,
Bengali tiger culture
Today is World Tiger Day (July 29). There is so much to say about tigers. So many things come to mind. For example, where is such a large animal born, where does it live, what does it eat, how long does it live, how many species, which country’s tigers are more ferocious, why is the tiger called the national animal of Bangladesh, etc.
Bengali tiger culture
In the history, cultural diversity and tradition of Bengalis, the Royal Bengal Tiger is an animal that symbolizes arrogance, pride, joy, fear and honor. Due to its huge size, strength, ferocity, royal gait and arrogant behavior, this tiger has a special reputation all over the world. It is said that although there are government-appointed forest guards to protect the Sundarbans, the real guardian of this forest is the Royal Bengal Tiger. It is known that a skilled hunter from the Royal family of London showed heroism in hunting tigers in the Sundarbans. Since then, the word Royal has been stuck on the neck of the Bengal tiger.
The tiger is the largest cat. The national animal of Bangladesh, the tiger is not just an animal, but a symbol of strength, courage and honor. The tiger plays a huge role in the history, tradition, myths and legends of Bengalis. The local people and hunters of the Sundarbans call the tiger Mama or Baro Mama. It is known to everyone that the relationship between uncle and nephew is the sweetest, so if we call the tiger Mama, it will not harm us, this is why we call it Mama. The tiger is seen as a symbol of bravery and strength in the country. If someone plays a brave role in this country, he is compared to the tiger. For example, the national cricket team of Bangladesh is called Tiger Bahini to give strength, courage and encouragement. Again, the logo of the national cricket team of the country is Bengal Tiger. Apart from this, various slogans are given and written about cricket. For example, ‘The world has heard the roar of the tiger’, ‘The world will see the roar of the tiger’, ‘Rise in the roar, the world will win’, ‘See the tiger and run’ etc.
The influence of the tiger is visible in the names of various places in the country. For example, Baghmara, Baghabil, Baghmari, Baghbazar, Baghabari, Tiger Point, Royal Chattar etc.
Many songs, poems and proverbs have been written about the tiger, a very rich animal of our Sundarbans, which occupies an important place in Bengali literature and culture. For example, Prabhat Kumar’s poem ‘Halum Halum Hum! My sleep has been broken. Tell me what you want? I want a deer’, Shakti Chatterjee’s poem ‘On a cloudy day at noon, the tiger of eternal love has come out of the forest.’ Again, the world poet Rabindranath Tagore has written several songs and poems about the tiger. Apart from this, it is also known that he went tiger hunting with his grandfather in his childhood. It is known that tiger hunting was an important part of aristocracy and life during the Mughal period. At that time, Mughal Emperor Akbar used to go hunting only with bow and arrow. His son Jahangir usually went hunting on foot. Apart from this, tiger replicas can be seen engraved on the swords and cannons of Mughal emperors.
The influence of tigers is visible in the names of Bangladeshi and Indian films. Some of the notable ones are – Tiger Cub, Bengal Tiger, Tiger’s Paw, Tiger’s Roar, Tiger Lion Fight, Tiger Captive Game, Tiger Buffalo Fight, Tiger: The Boss. Apart from this, puppet tigers have been used to promote the movie ‘Operation Sundarbans’. There are Hindi films ‘Ek Tha Tiger’, ‘The Tiger’ and ‘Tiger Number One’ etc.
The influence of tigers is also noticeable in the names of Bengali dramas. For example, ‘Bagh’, ‘Bayre Bagh Ghore Batti’, ‘Bagh Johan Batti’, ‘Dine Bagh Bandi Batti’, ‘Bagh Bandi Batti’, ‘Nil Kamoler Bagh’, ‘Bagher Shinni’, ‘Nijer Aroha Sabya Bagh’, ‘Bagh Ba Baghini’ etc.
Apart from this, the presence of songs comparing tigers in various movies is noticeable. The song ‘Paye Padi Bagh Mama’ from Satyajit Ray’s famous movie ‘Hirakrajar Desh’ became quite popular. Again, the artist of the song ‘Dorakata Dag Deke Bagh Chena Jay’ from the movie ‘Dasyu Bonhur’ is Azad Rahman. He also composed the music for this popular song. The song ‘Bagh Shikar Jaimu/Banduk Laya Ready Hoilam Ami Aar Mamu! Mamu Amar Bejaay Rasik Ken Kore Khamu Khamu’ from the movie ‘Aamir Fakir’ was very popular at one time. Meanwhile, the song ‘Age Gele Baghe Khabe’ from the movie ‘Greftar’, Kumar Bishwajit has sung ‘Tumi Bagher Mucheh Padesh, Chah Pabe Na, O Tumi Morech’ in the movie ‘Havildar’. Apart from this, the song ‘Banglar Bagh Tumi, Banglar Ahangkar, Tomate Gorjan, Tomate Hunkar’ is originally dedicated to Mashrafe Bin Mortaza. Besides, the song ‘Ami Bagh Tui Hariner Pola’ by popular singer Nakul Kumar Biswas is written for all the minorities, oppressed, weak people of the world.
The presence of tigers can be seen in many proverbs and sayings. For example, ‘The tiger’s house is a nest of ants’, ‘The tiger trembles in the winter of the tiger’, ‘The time has come, the tiger’s cheeks are licked by the goat’, ‘If you go early, you will eat the tiger/if you go later, you will get gold’, ‘Where there is fear of the tiger, there is dusk’, ‘He who goes to the forest, that tiger becomes a tiger’, ‘Where there is no tiger in the forest, that fox is the king of the forest’ etc.
Again, a person can also become a tiger through his courageous actions. For example, Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Haque, a brave and well-built man like a tiger, was called the Tiger of Bengal. Again, Bagha Jatin was the main leader of the main revolutionary organization of Bengal, the Jugantar Dal.
The presence of tigers is seen in sports. For example, tiger-capture games and tiger-goat games are seen in rural life.
According to environmentalists, the tiger is an endangered animal all over the world. According to the data, there are currently 3,840 tigers in 13 countries of the world. Among them, the Sundarbans of India and Bangladesh is the habitat of the world’s most densely populated tigers. Experts claim that the number of tigers in the Sundarbans in the Bangladesh part is gradually decreasing. It is known that in the 1975 survey, there were 350 tigers in the Sundarbans. Then, in the 1982 survey, it was reported that there were 425 tigers and in 1984, it was reported that there were 430 to 450 tigers. In the 2015 survey, the number of tigers in the Sundarbans has decreased at an alarming rate.
