Hiteṣ Rañjan Sanyāl’s History of Bāṅglā Kīrtan

Abstract

 Narasingha P. Sil’s article introduces and critically reviews the historical work of Hiteṣ Rañjan Sanyāl, whose unpublished manuscript History of Bāṅglā Kīrtan provides a foundational yet underrecognized contribution to the study of Bengali devotional music. Sanyāl traces the evolution of kīrtan in Bengal from its early Caitanyaite roots, through its stylistic, performative, and linguistic transformations across sectarian and regional milieus. Sil commends Sanyāl’s philological rigor and extensive archival engagement, which situate Bengali kīrtan within broader narratives of Gaṅgā-rāḍha literary culture, bhakti hagiography, and oral performance traditions. However, he also critiques Sanyāl for a methodological eclecticism that sometimes blurs critical boundaries between history and hagiography. The article highlights how kīrtan served both as a vehicle for ecstatic devotion (rasa, viraha) and a stage for community identity formation, reflecting complex negotiations of caste, gender, and regionality. Sil ultimately affirms the manuscript’s enduring value and calls for its publication to support deeper academic access to vernacular bhakti traditions.