During the presentation of Dr. Shabbir Mian's presentation on "Folk and Fairy Tales from Bangladesh" helped our class to understand the similarities and differences in the Bangladesh culture compared to our American culture and the cultures we have learned in the class. Mian's presentation captured the essence of the fairy tale culture through the eyes of the Bangladesh culture.
I had no idea at first what kind of similarities this culture would have. I did not know what to expect from a culture half way across the globe. The motifs were similar to the ones we have been learning about all semester in other cultures. The common good versus evil is a common motif. I thought it was interesting how Dr. Mian explained how virtue is rewarded and evil is punished but an evil person cannot be forgiven. Forgiveness is only rewarded when it is due to a misunderstanding.
Our class also learned certain words relating to fairy tales. Dr. Mian taught us that Rupkotha meant fairy tales in Bengali and Panchatantra, which means five books in one, is one of the first written collection of fables around 550 A.D. This taste of the culture helped our class to get involved in the learning experience. We learned about other stories like Jatake (5th century B.C.), Lalbehar, Dakshinaranjan Mitra Majumder and Upendra Kishore Roychawdhury. These people helped to evolve the Bangladesh fairy tales into what they are now.
Another helpful aspect was when Dr. Mian showed our class a video on youtube, Neelkamal and Lalkamal, conveying the exact aspect of what Bangladesh fairy tales are like today in that culture. This video showed cartoon characters reflecting the aspects of the Bangladesh culture.
Over all I enjoyed the presentation with the appreciation of the visual affects to help me take better notes and remember the fascinating facts of the culture.
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