ত্রিসন্ধি

ত্রিসন্ধি

[Intended for class V. of H. E. & M. E. Schools
in Eastern Bengal]

অজিতকুমার চক্রবর্ত্তী, বি. এ.

S. K. LAHIRI AND CO.
56, COLLEGE STREET, CALCUTTA,
1916

মূল্য ছয় আনা মাত্র

PREFACE

“Trisandhi"—literally means, the union of the three, i.e. the Hindu, the Mahomedan and the Christian. This book has been prepared in accordance with the vernacular curriculum prescribed for class V in High and Middle English Schools, in Eastern Bengal; and as the name signifies, has been representative, as far as possible, of the three cultures which rule the life of the Bengali people at the present day. The curriculum prescribed has been strictly followed, but with a definite plan in view, the plan of representing the three cultures through the medium of simple and interesting lessons, so that no one among the three may be given undue prominence.

The connexion of the author, as a teacher, with Sir Rabindranath Tagore's school at Santiniketan, Bolepur, for eleven years or more, enabled him to have a firsthand knowledge and experience of the requirements of the boys and made him think of preparing a book, in which the three cultures, the Hindu, the Mahomedan and the Christian, would be represented.

In moral stories, therefore, anecdotes have not simply been chosen from Hindu history and Hindu life, but equally from Mahomedan history. In poetry, three poems have been composed by the author, the subjects being taken from the Koran, the Bostan of the poet Sadi, and the Mahomedan history of India. The first lesson of the book is about Sultan Mahmud and the Kingdom of Gazni and gives a picture, through stories, of the splendid literary life and culture at the court of Gazni. It may help to remove the misconception and sometimes the prejudice that may naturally arise in the minds of young Hindu boys, when they read about Mahmud of Gazni's invasions in Indian history and think of him and the Mahomedans as a band of fanatics, knowing nothing of the great history and culture that is behind them. Similarly, Mahomedan boys, loving their Sadi and Firdusi, ought to have some ideas of the ancient Hindu literature, of the great Mahabharata. Two moral lessons have therefore been written from the Mahabharata.

The Christian side has not been illustrated from the history and literature of the west, but from the present-day history of the British rule in India. The influence of the British rule and its manysided results, have been shown by means of (i) a short biographical sketch of Rajah Rammohan Ray, the greatest product of British rule and the influence of western culture (ii) a lesson on the two greatest benefits we are enjoying from British rule, viz, sanitation and education, the spread of charitable hospitals and of schools and colleges.

Perhaps, a word ought to be added about the selection of poetry, which covers a wide range. The selection has been made from the earliest bards, Krittibas and Kashiramdas, from mediaeval poets like Lochandas, Vrindabandas, Bharat Chandra and Mukundaram and from moderns such as, Hemchandra Bannerjı, Krishna Chandra Majumdar and Sir Rabindranath Tagore. The author owes a deep debt of gratitude to the latter, for

having kindly permitted to put in, three of his poems, in this book. Perhaps no objection will be raised, on the score of language, for going back to old poetry. The language of old Bengali poetry can never be said to be antiquated, rather it is wonderfully fresh and modern. There may be a few words which are archaic and need to be explained. A few explanatory notes are given at the back of the book.

In conclusion, the author begs to submit that he has spared himself no pains to make the book, as suitable as possible, to the needs of the students, for whom it is intended and has made the style easy and the language, chaste and elegant. Special attention has been paid to make the book helpful and interesting to the Mahomedan boys, whose requirements are very liable to be forgotten, when one does not bear in mind that they form an overwhelming majority in the Schools of Eastern Bengal.

AJIT KUMAR CHAKRAVARTY

CONTENTS
PROSE

PAGE

 Sultan Mahmud and the kingdom
     of Gazni
    (a historical lesson)

  প্রথম চিত্র
 The Pandavas’ ascent to Heaven
  First picture
 (a moral story from the Mahabharata)
১১
  দ্বিতীয় চিত্র
 The Pandavas' ascent to Heaven
  Second picture
 (a moral story from the Mahabharata)
১৪
 Raja Rammohan Roy
  (a historical and biographical story)
২৫
 on Dutifulness
  (a moral story from the Mahabharata)
২৯
 on Truthfulness
  (a moral story from the Koran)
৩৩
 The story of Prithviraja
   (a historical tale)
৩৬
 on Justice
  (a moral story from Indian History)
৩৯
 Respect for humanity
  (a moral story from the life of Pandit
   Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar)
৪২
 The Happiness of Life
    (a moral lesson)
  
৪৪
 The story of the Emperor Asoka
    (a historical tale)
৪৮
 Fatehpur Sikri and Agra
  (a historical, and geographical lesson)
৫৬
 Two great benefits of the British rule in
      India
    (a historical lesson)
৬০
 Socrates
৬৬
 A pilgrimage to Mecca
 (a geographical lesson; a story of travel)
৭১
 The spread of the white race over the
      Earth
    (a geographical lesson)
৭৮
 The river and its work
  (a geographical lesson)
  
৮৫
 Attention
(a moral story from the life of Newton and Archimedes)
৮৬
 The royal priest
  (a historical tale from the Rajasthan)

POETRY

৮৯
 (from Krittivas’s Ramayan)
৯২
 (from Kashiramdas’s Mahabharata)
৯৫
 (bv Lochandas and Brindabandas Thakur)
৯৮
 (by Bharatchandra)
৯৯
 (by Mukundaram Chakraverty)
১০১
 (by Krishna chandra Mazumdar)
১০২
 (by the author)
১০৫
 (by Sir Rabindranath Tagore D. lit)
১১০
 (by Sir Rabindranath Tagore D. lit)
  
১১৩
 (by the author)
১১৬
 (by the author)
১১৭
 (by Hem Chandra Bannerji)
১২০
 (by Sir Rabindranath Tagore D. lit)

এই লেখাটি বর্তমানে পাবলিক ডোমেইনের আওতাভুক্ত কারণ এটির উৎসস্থল ভারত এবং ভারতীয় কপিরাইট আইন, ১৯৫৭ অনুসারে এর কপিরাইট মেয়াদ উত্তীর্ণ হয়েছে। লেখকের মৃত্যুর ৬০ বছর পর (স্বনামে ও জীবদ্দশায় প্রকাশিত) বা প্রথম প্রকাশের ৬০ বছর পর (বেনামে বা ছদ্মনামে এবং মরণোত্তর প্রকাশিত) পঞ্জিকাবর্ষের সূচনা থেকে তাঁর সকল রচনার কপিরাইটের মেয়াদ উত্তীর্ণ হয়ে যায়। অর্থাৎ ২০২৪ সালে, ১ জানুয়ারি ১৯৬৪ সালের পূর্বে প্রকাশিত (বা পূর্বে মৃত লেখকের) সকল রচনা পাবলিক ডোমেইনের আওতাভুক্ত হবে।