December 04, 2007

Mass songs, mass enemies and muss

A news item on next day's programmes in the metropolis one day described a session as of 'mass songs' by which the writer meant people's songs, from the Indian People’s Theatre Association of theatre-artists and others to bring about cultural awakening among the people in the early 1940s. Mass is a convenient translation of the Bangla word in question, gana. A student of journalism (mass communictions and journalism, gana yogayog o sangbadikata) in a story quoted political party leaders terming their rivals 'mass enemies' (people's enemy, ganashatru). Yet in another report the word was spelt 'muss.'

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