The Bon Bibi Myth

 

From an ancient time, Bon Bibi remains a symbol of safety for the folks prowling about in the forests for a living. They chant Bon Bibi's name to scare a fierce and mighty Bengal tiger away during the process of honey extraction and woodcutting.

The legend is connected with a female who was born and raised in the forest, and whose name a woodcutter or a honey extractor would chant to chase off an uncanny tiger in the guise of Dakshin Rai, (meaning Lord of the South), who is an arch-rival of Bon Bibi. This female is believed to be the daughter of an Arab man called Ebrahim (Ibrahim). When Ebrahim's second wife Gulalbibi conceived, Ebrahim abandoned her in the jungle as a result of a conspiracy by his first wife Phulbibi. Gulalbibi gave birth to twins in the jungle. Bon Bibi was the firstborn; Shah Jangali, the son followed.

Gulalbibi fled the jungle with her son, leaving her baby daughter behind. She is said to be raised in the forest by a doe and later became a goddess. On the other hand, Dakshin Rai was the demon king of the country of eighteen tides (Sundarban). Bon Bibi and Dakshin Rai battled several times to establish their supremacy, and finally, Bon Bibi defeated Dakshin Rai, and he became a villain and is the symbol of an evil force, i.e. a tiger. Thereafter Bon Bibi became a popular piece of the folk culture, both in India and Bangladesh.

From the bygone days, a fraction of the inhabitants living near jungles depended on the innate resources for their living, and they were prone to an annoyed tiger. Some of the village males never came back?they were devoured or dragged by a ferocious tiger, or a tigress with her cubs. Bon Bibi, or Bondevi (jungle deity), also Byaghradevi (tiger deity), is believed to have been the guardian spirit of the forests and is worshipped by both Hindu and Muslim villagers in and around the Sundarban?world's largest mangrove forest in a single patch, and a UNESCO-declared World Heritage Site. The magical-realistic Sundarban is spread across West Bengal in eastern India and the southern part of Bangladesh. Unfortunately, the Bon Bibi phenomenon has diminished with time, partially due to change in the inhabitants' lifestyle and mostly because of the degradation of Sundarban as a result of over-extraction, amplified devastation of the natural disasters due to climate change.

The legend has lost its splendor, and the practice of this culture is gradually being faded for mainly two reasons: first, Sundarban is rapidly being constrained due to human aggression, and secondly, a sharp fall in the tiger population due to human's horrendous activity. The scenario has changed now to a great extent. In the past, tigers would attack humans if they were disturbed, but now an attack mostly means they have lost their natural habitat and lack natural food due to human interventions. A 'man-eater' is trapped and dies from the villagers' merciless beating, and even they're gunshot by the poachers, which consequently causing them to nearly extinct.

As far as tigers are concerned, the Sundarban portion of Bangladesh is unprecedentedly vulnerable as the tiger population was counted 440 in 2004, but a 2015 census shows the number has decreased to only 106 in a decade! What will happen after another decade? The answer is: there're will be no tiger in the Sundarban should the current devastation goes on unabated Humans have created myths through the ages, and obviously, Bon Bibi is one of the myths that was created with a purpose. But what if there's no tiger at all? Which fashion will Bon Bibi be worshipped then? The readers can debate on this conundrum.

Hasan Zahid is a short story writer and essayist and Certified Member ECO Canada, Calgary Alberta.
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