Tagore's "Lokashahitya": The Oral Tradition in Bengali Children's Rhymes

This article presents a translation of "Chhelebhulano Chharha," a well-known essay on Bengali children's rhymes by Rabindranath Tagore, and a discussion of the key ideas on oral composition discussed therein. Also presented is one of the earliest collections of Bengali children's rhymes. Among the important points raised by this essay is the notion that children's rhymes are products of the mental state that also gives rise to dreams. Tagore claims that the composition process of these rhymes is intimately connected with word association and with the innate language rhythms of Bengali.