The oldest puthi, written on bark, at the University of Dhaka Library, is Saradatilaka (1439). There are at least 60,000 puthis in the collections of the university of dhaka Library, bangla academy, bangladesh national museum, Rammala Granthagar (Comilla), Maharaja Library ( dinajpur), Dinabandhu Library ( sylhet), varendra research museum ( rajshahi) etc. Puthis found in Bengal are either in sanskrit or Bangla, but almost all are written in old bangla script. These boards as well as the sheets were occasionally decorated with different designs. The sheets of the puthi used to be tied together with a piece of string passing through all of them. Red ink was prepared from ripe fruits or their seeds. Sometimes, iron dust was mixed with the ink to make it bright, but tended to destroy the paper. The bark of the silk-cotton tree, lodhra tree (symplocos raccueosa), shellac, hibiscus buds, green mangosteen, myrobalan, pomegranates, charcoal, soot etc was used to prepare the ink. Bamboo, feathers, porcupine spines, reeds etc. Indigo dye imparted a bluish tinge to the paper, turmeric turned it pale yellow or grey. This mixture used to make paper resistant to insects, but the lime shortened its life. In the preparation of the cotton-pulp, lime and indigo dye, or powdered turmeric, were also mixed with the pulp. The large sheets prepared in this way were cut to the required size, often depending on the contents of the book. Hemp, cotton, linseed fibre, rags etc was added to the mixture. When such materials grew scarce or difficult to obtain, a sort of paper made of cotton-pulp began to be used. In the process, the material turned grey or pale yellow and became resistant to insects. They also performed some Baul songs including the evergreen number Maya Lagaise Piriti Shikhaise.Before the invention of paper, manuscripts used to be written on leather, leaves, barks, plantain leaves, palm leaves and other natural materials, processed through dipping, boiling and drying. Their recitation focused on the tragic story of Karbala. The session also featured traditional Puthi Path, recitation of books of poetic fairy tales and religious stories of rural ancient Bengal, by a troupe led by Shah Alam Dewan from Faridpur. Rozina Dewan and Ainul Boyati performed a witty debate on man vs woman on the backdrop of our society. In an earlier session in the evening, a lively performance by Kobir Lorai, an indigenous form of impromptu oral sparring between two poets, was also enjoyed by a huge people. Hoping to meet the lively crowd again, the troupe ended their concert with the landmark Lalon song Milon Hobe Koto Diney. Their energetic performance captivated the audience who later began to dance with the troupe.
The troupe later rocked the viewers by presenting an array of popular numbers like Agey Ki Sundor Din Kataitam, Tin Pagole, Ke Banailo Amon Rong Moholkhana, Baula Ke Banailo Re and more on the list. With powerful performances of the instrumentalists on dhol, dotara, khamak and other traditional instruments presented a raw flavor of Baul music which was hugely appreciated by the urban crowd. Laloner Baul Sangeet, a troupe led by prominent artistes Arif Baul and Baby Akhter began their performance with some less familiar yet moving Lalon numbers like Raat Pohale Pakhi Bole. The concluding session of the festival performed by Baul singers from Kushtia saw a huge crowd on the historic grounds of the Bangla Academy on November 16.įakir Lalon Shah’s songs have universal appeal that easily touch the hearts of people apart from cast, contest and religion. Hay Festival 2013 ends with mesmerising performances of Lalon songs, one of the strongest elements portraying the rich cultural heritage of Bangladesh.