Shatarupa Bhattacharyya

The Magnificent World of the Littoral: the Northern Bay of Bengal on the Eve of Colonialism Shatarupa Bhattacharyya

This dissertation has tried to provide a brief discourse on certain elements in history, that are considered inconsequential & thereby, not readily discussed by historians, except for few. The important objective that is covered is not only the mere characteristics of the littoral societies, but also to search the reason for their social inception and how the people residing in these societies relate to those customs & rituals prevalent in their midst. The coast along the southern Bengal and western South East Asia hold an important position & an effort has been made here to connect these two places with activities in their respective coasts. The history of the Indian Ocean is vast, & the places that have been discussed only constitute a microscopic minority. I have also tried to project the Indian Ocean, not merely as a water body, but as a social integrative space, which was regularly undergoing various cultural amalgamation as well transfer to myths and legends from one place to the another. My objective is to give a different picture of the coast & the beach, & let people see that it is full of wonderful stories and there are people who lives through them in every seconds.