SUBJECT CODE 19 • PAPER 2

UGC NET Bengali Syllabus 2026

Your complete guide to all 10 units, exam pattern, key focus areas and the best books to crack Paper 2 for Assistant Professor & JRF.

The UGC NET Bengali syllabus is prescribed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for candidates aiming to qualify as Assistant Professors or for the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in Bengali. Paper 2 offers a holistic study of the Bengali language and its literature across ten units — from the origin of the language and pre-modern literature to poetry, novels, short stories, drama, essays, Rabindra-literature, prosody and Indian & Western poetics. This guide presents every unit in English along with the original Bengali unit names, and recommends the right books so your preparation stays clear and focused.

Quick Highlights

Particular Details
Exam Name UGC NET Bengali
Conducting Body National Testing Agency (NTA)
Subject Code 19
Total Units 10
Mode Computer-Based Test (CBT)
Negative Marking No

Exam Pattern (Paper 1 & Paper 2)

Paper Questions Marks
Paper 1 (Teaching & Research Aptitude) 50 MCQs 100
Paper 2 (Bengali) 100 MCQs 200
Total 150 MCQs 300
Good news: There is no negative marking in UGC NET. Each correct answer earns +2 marks, so attempt every question after eliminating options.

Paper 2: Bengali Syllabus — All 10 Units

Unit 1 • Origin & Development of the Bengali Language (বাংলা ভাষার উদ্ভব ও ক্রমবিকাশ)

The linguistic foundation — phonology, morphology and the growth of Bengali.

  • Bengali phonology; classification of vowels and consonants
  • Nature and structure of syllables
  • Formation of words and suffixes (pratyaya)
  • Historical development of the Bengali language

Unit 2 • Pre-Modern Bengali Literature (প্রাগাধুনিক বাংলা সাহিত্য)

The earliest and medieval phases of Bengali literary tradition.

  • Charyapada — the earliest specimen of Bengali literature
  • Rameshwar Bhattacharya — Shibayan (Chashapala)
  • Themes and features of pre-modern literature

Unit 3 • Poetry (কাব্য কবিতা)

Major poets and poetical works of Bengali literature.

  • Ishwar Chandra Gupta — selected poems (Tattva, Snanjatra and others)
  • Michael Madhusudan Dutt — Meghnad Badh Kavya
  • Biharilal Chakraborty — Sadher Ason
  • Samar Sen — Meghdoot, Mahuar Desh, Urvashi and others

Unit 4 • Sketches & Novels (নকশা ও উপন্যাস)

The rise of the Bengali novel and narrative prose.

  • Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay — Bishabriksha
  • Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay — Radha
  • Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay — Pather Panchali

Unit 5 • Short Story (ছোটোগল্প)

The Bengali short-story form and its leading writers.

  • Banaphul — selected stories (Sripati Samanta and others)
  • Premendra Mitra — Masha (Ghanada), Sansar Simante
  • Themes and craft of the Bengali short story

Unit 6 • Drama & Farce (নাটক ও প্রহসন)

Bengali theatre — serious drama and social satire.

  • Michael Madhusudan Dutt — Ekei Ki Bole Sabhyata
  • Mir Mosharraf Hossain — Jamidar Darpan
  • Development of Bengali drama and farce

Unit 7 • Essay, Belles-lettres, Autobiography & Periodical Prose (প্রবন্ধ, রম্যরচনা, আত্মজীবনী ও সাময়িকপত্র)

Prose forms — essays, memoirs and periodical writing.

  • Rammohan Roy — debate on Sahamaran (Sati): first proposal
  • Swami Vivekananda — Prachya O Pashchatya (East and West)
  • Growth of Bengali essay and periodical prose

Unit 8 • Rabindra-Literature (রবীন্দ্রসাহিত্য)

A focused study of Rabindranath Tagore’s poetic works.

  • Chitra (চিত্রা) — poetry collection
  • Punashcha (পুনশ্চ) — poetry collection
  • Themes, forms and significance of Tagore’s poetry

Unit 9 • Prosody & Rhetoric (ছন্দ অলংকার)

The metrics and figures of speech of Bengali poetry.

  • Origin and development of Bengali metre (chhanda)
  • Rules and varieties of Bengali prosody
  • Figures of speech (alankara) and their use

Unit 10 • Indian & Western Poetics (ভারতীয় ও পাশ্চাত্য কাব্যতত্ত্ব)

Classical theories of literature, Indian and Western.

  • Alankaravada, Ritivada, Rasavada and Dhvanivada
  • Chitrakavya and Vakroktivada
  • Aristotle — Poetics

Key Focus Areas to Master First

Prioritise these frequently tested areas across literary history, theory and texts:

CharyapadaMadhusudan DuttBankim ChandraRabindra-LiteratureBengali ProsodyRasavada & DhvanivadaAristotle’s PoeticsShort StoryNovelLinguistics & Grammar

Best Books for UGC NET Bengali

  • Bangla Sahityer Itihas (History of Bengali Literature) — Sukumar Sen
  • Bangla Sahityer Sampurna Itibritta — Asit Kumar Bandyopadhyay
  • Bhasha-Prakash Bangala Vyakaran — Suniti Kumar Chatterjee (language & grammar)
  • Chhanda O Alankar — standard prosody and rhetoric texts
  • Prescribed primary texts (Charyapada, Meghnad Badh Kavya, Pather Panchali, Tagore’s Chitra & Punashcha)
  • UGC NET Bengali previous year question papers

Smart Preparation Strategy

Build a firm timeline of Bengali literary history first — from Charyapada through the pre-modern, modern and Rabindra periods — so you can place authors, texts and movements accurately. Read the prescribed primary texts closely, since direct questions are often drawn from them. Give special attention to prosody, rhetoric and the Indian & Western poetics of Unit 10, which reward precise definitions and examples. Prepare crisp notes on major authors, works and literary terms for revision, and solve several years of previous papers with regular mock tests to sharpen accuracy across the 100-question Paper 2.