Michał and the Bangla Summer School: A Bangla teacher in Europe

"This is the beauty of Bangla,

One can simply say 'coming' and depart with ease."

- Subhash Mukhopadhyay

Perhaps only in Bangla can one say 'coming' and then disappear, leaving behind a world of emptiness. It's a testament to the unique beauty and essence of Bangla.

Each language has its own stories, fragrances, and melodies woven into its very fabric, as if embedded in every word. When someone from a different linguistic background finds their place in this realm, it becomes their own world. 

Today, I will share the story of a foreigner, Michał Panasiuk, who has embraced Bangla with open arms and has been introducing people from diverse linguistic backgrounds to the world of Bangla for the past decade.

Michał Panasiuk and the Bangla Summer School

In his book "Koto Nodi Shorobor," Humayun Azad wrote, "For three years, I've been far away in a foreign land. I've taken buses, walked on foot, and pushed through the snow to reach my friend's house just to speak a little Bangla. Just to hear a little Bangla."

Perhaps on such a restless day, a conversation with Bangla master Michał Panasiuk could have provided some solace. Despite his slightly non-Bangla accent, their discussion about Charyapada or medieval literature in his fluent Bangla would have been quite lively.

Michał Panasiuk, a non-native speaker and teacher of Bangla, excels not only in the language but also in Bangla literature, particularly mediaeval literature and Vaishnava padavali. His passion for Bangla led him to start the Bangla Summer School, spreading the language to the common people of Europe.

A student receives his diploma after completing the Bengali Summer School course. Photo: Courtesy

A few years ago, Michał, along with experts in spoken Bangla from the University of Warsaw, Heidelberg University, and Prague University, created the Bangla Summer School. This two-week intensive course caters to both beginners and advanced students from around the world. Participation is open to anyone, regardless of age or background.

"The Bangla Summer School is for everyone," Michał says. "Each year, three or four of us organise it in different places. We started in Heidelberg, then Prague, and after a Covid-19 hiatus, resumed in Warsaw. This year, it will be held in Heidelberg from August 1–17."

In 2023, Warsaw had the highest number of participants, including a 16-year-old and several retired professionals. "Although Bangla is the sixth most spoken language globally, it's hard to find places to learn it. The Bangla Summer School fills that gap. This year, half of the students from last year's school in Warsaw have enrolled to continue the course," says Michał.

Children of the Bangali diaspora also attend. "It's joyful that many students are diaspora children who feel more comfortable with Polish, but come to learn Bangla," Michał adds. 

Michał has developed a unique teaching methodology to cater to diverse linguistic backgrounds. Students from Italy, France, the UK, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Russia attend the Bangla Summer School. 

Classes are taught by one Bangla and two foreign instructors, with a native speaker always present. The course duration has been extended to seventeen days, with two days off, and each day includes three two-hour classes.

"Each of us teaches uniquely," Michał explains. "I tailor my teaching to students' interests and strive to make learning realistic, using books sparingly due to the lack of good Bangla textbooks."

The Bangla Summer School also fosters a deeper connection with Bangla culture through cooking classes, film screenings, and tours of Rabindranath Tagore-related sites in Europe.

Michał reflects on teaching Bangla: "We don't have sudden moments of great surprise or joy, but immense satisfaction comes from seeing our students' progress after years of teaching. Learning a new language allows us to see ourselves from a different perspective."

Master Michał's Bangla journey

Michał Panasiuk resides in Warsaw, Poland. He studied at the University of Warsaw's South Asian Studies Department, where he earned his PhD in Bangla and has been teaching the language for the past ten years. 

With his extensive experience travelling to Bangladesh and Kolkata, working as an interpreter and translator, and teaching, he has become a true master of Bangla. 

Despite the closure of many South Asian Studies departments in European universities, Warsaw's department is quite old, with Bangla studies having been conducted there since the post-World War II era.

Michał Panasiuk is currently working on Annadamangal poetry, manuscripts and urban language of Sylhet. Photo: Courtesy

Bangla wasn't his first love when he first started studying it. So, what happened? What sparked his subsequent affection and love for Bangla, leading him to teach it today?

Young Michał, a secondary school student, was passionate about books and dreamed of exploring new horizons. He initially considered studying economics, but towards the end of his schooling, he decided to pursue a career involving other societies, languages, and cultures. This led him to develop an interest in South Asian studies, which eventually led him to his current work with the Bangla language.

"Sanskrit and Bangla were both my main subjects," Michał Panasiuk recalls. "But after five years, when I wanted to go to Jadavpur University in Kolkata on a scholarship, I had become so immersed in Bangla that I didn't want to study anything else. Then I started working more on Bangla. I studied Sanskrit, Bangla, and Hindi. But I was more drawn to Bangla."

Michał's love for Bangla blossomed unexpectedly, much like a first love. His passion for the language didn't stem from an early interest in reading Rabindranath Tagore or Nazrul Islam. Instead, he was drawn to philosophy, India, and South Asia. 

He fell in love with Bangla by listening to the common people's chatter in the markets, streets, and ghats of Kolkata. It was as if he fell in love with the Bangla language and the simple lifestyle of the Bangali people.

"Back in Warsaw, I would read about Rabindranath, Bankim, and others," he says. "Then suddenly, I became interested in regional languages and dialects. Then I went to Bangladesh and stayed in Dhaka for three years as an interpreter. Then I did my Ph.D. on Baul literature and deconstruction. I did my MA in 19th-century Bangla drama. I was in Kolkata for two years, then Dhaka; my language changed completely. 'When you go to Kolkata, you feel the pull of Kolkata; in Bangladesh, the pull of here.'"

Reflecting on his experiences in Dhaka, Michał shares,"I first came to Bangladesh in 2003 for a month. Then, in 2014, for the second time, I stayed in Dhaka for two years straight. Dhaka was really hard for me; the city of Dhaka is not so easy to live in, and it is hard for transportation. But there are many beautiful memories too. Apart from Dhaka, I have been to almost all the divisions; I used to travel around a lot."

Learning from the people

Michał was influenced to learn Bangla by the ordinary people of Bengal, sometimes on the street, sometimes in the markets. Panasiuk said, "I learned a lot on the street. I learned a lot by going to the market, talking to friends, and talking to the common people on the street. 

My friends at Jadavpur and one of my professors, Shashwata Bhattacharya, also taught me a lot. When I made a mistake, he would always correct me. And I learned a lot by working as an interpreter in Dhaka. But the ordinary Bangla speakers have taught me the most."

Michał Panasiuk at Peace Conference in Dhaka. Photo: Courtesy

Talking about the beauty of regional languages. Michał said, "I can distinguish between regional languages. But if I don't go to Bangladesh or Kolkata for a long time, then I get confused again. I worked a lot with the Rohingya; even though I spoke standard Bangla, I could understand their language. I enjoy the aspect of regionalism."

Michał's exploration of Bangla Literature

While Michal has a significant amount of work on modern Bangla, his academic work revolves around the language and literature of the Middle Ages. He is particularly fond of Vaishnava Padavali, Mangalkavya, and Charyapada. 

In his leisure time, he reads Brajbhasha Padavali, parts of Mangalkavya, and love stories of the Middle Ages. He is currently working on the Annadamangal poem, manuscripts, and the Sylheti Nagari language.

Michał says, "The treasure trove of Bangla language books is extraordinary. I love to read a lot. I work on Mangalkavya, Shreekrishnakirtan, Alaol-mediaeval literature, manuscripts, and puthi. I love mediaeval poetry immensely. I really enjoy the use of words and the structure of sentences. It says something in one sense, but the underlying meaning may be completely different."

Manuscripts and translation: An area of regret

Panasiuk has some disappointment with the deplorable state of Bangla literary manuscripts. "People are so eager to move forward that they forget what's behind them. There is an undiscovered world of Bangla literature. 

As a Bangla literature researcher and as someone who loves Bangla literature, I am very concerned that the lack of access to old books and manuscripts and the inability to access them online are destroying the heritage of the Bangla language. Important manuscripts in Bangladesh are kept in very poor condition, and no access is granted to them, mostly due to the lack of will of the staff there."

Panasiuk also emphasises the importance of translation in bringing Bangla literature to a wider audience. He is currently translating a book by Lisa Gazi called "Raurava" from Bangla to Polish. He also mentions the translation of a book by Polish author Wisława Szymborska into Bangla, under the title Leafless tree or black tree-skeleton. 

He states, "Bangla has such a rich literary world, but due to a lack of translation, it is not reaching the people of the world. Translation is essential to bringing Bangla literature to the world stage."

Michał Panasiuk in Prague. Photo: Courtesy

Polish vs Bangla: Linguistic similarities

Despite their geographical distance, Polish and Bangla share a linguistic connection. Both languages belong to the Indo-European language family. Polish is a member of the West Slavic branch, a subgroup of the Indo-European root language.

"Due to both being part of the Indo-European language family, there are some similarities in sound between Polish and Bangla in terms of pronunciation," he explains. "Bangla has several pronunciations of the 'sh' sound, which we use a lot. This is very similar to ours. Everyone says Bangla is a very sweet language; we can also say that Polish is a very sweet language because of this similarity in pronunciation."

While English learners face significant challenges in acquiring Bangla, Panasiuk finds it is easier for Poles.

"If there is no native speaker, then speaking Bangla is very difficult," he admits. "But Bangla is not that difficult to learn. In terms of pronunciation, Bangla is much easier for me than English. Because English has many pronunciations of the same letter, Bangla has specific vowels and rules for pronunciation. It can be done with practice. Speaking Bangla is more difficult, but reading books is quite easy for us."

So, what makes Bangla challenging for non-native speakers? The answer lies in its sentence structure.

"In Bangla, the verb is at the very end. We put the verb at the beginning, like in English. When we try to speak Bangla, our minds work differently," he explains.