What Is Alankar?
Alankar, or a figure of speech, is a device used to add beauty and depth of meaning to literature. It has two kinds: shobdalankar (sound-based) and orthalankar (meaning-based).
Sound-Based Figures
Onuprash repeats a letter or a group of letters. Example: kuhu kuhu kokil kuje kunje, where the sound k repeats. Jomok repeats a word with different meanings. Example: kal shokale kal ghora kinbo, where the first kal means tomorrow and the second kal means black. Shlesh uses a single word that carries more than one meaning. Bokrokti gives an answer by reading a different meaning into the speaker's words.
Meaning-Based Figures
Upoma is a comparison with four parts: upomey (the thing compared), upoman (what it is compared to), the shared quality and the comparison word such as moto, nyay or shom. Example: tar mukhkhani chander moto shundor. Here the face is upomey, the moon is upoman, shundor is the shared quality and moto is the comparison word.
Rupok treats the two things as identical, with no comparison word. Example: jibon-nodir dheu, life as a river.
Utprekkha imagines the subject to be the object, with words such as jeno, bujhi or mone hoy. Example: mone hoy jeno chand hashchhe.
Otishoyokti hides the subject and describes only the object. Byotirek states that the subject is better or worse than the object. Shomashokti gives living behaviour to a lifeless thing. Byajstuti praises through apparent blame or blames through apparent praise. Birodhabhash seems contradictory but is not in the end.
Shortcut
Repetition of sounds or words means a sound figure. Comparison words like moto mean upoma. A word like jeno means utprekkha. Direct identification without a comparison word means rupok.
Worked Examples
Example 1: Identify: 'Tar hashi phuler moto nirmol'.
Solution: The comparison word 'moto' is present, so it is upoma.
Example 2: Identify: 'Jibon ekti juddhokkhetro'.
Solution: Life is identified with a battlefield and there is no comparison word, so it is rupok.
Quick Check
Question 1: What are the two main kinds of alankar?
Answer: Shobdalankar and orthalankar.
Question 2: How many parts does upoma have?
Answer: Four.
Question 3: Which alankar uses jeno or bujhi?
Answer: Utprekkha.