Sunday, March 11, 2012
Saturday, April 30, 2011
DS Campus: 10 May 09: My Piece on Mother's Day:
Daily Star Campus
Sunday 10 May 2009
Lead Article:
Asrar Chowdhury's Piece on Mother's Day
URL: http://www.thedailystar.net/campus/2009/05/02/camspotlight.htm
***
This story is the story of all Mothers. May the Heavens Bless all Mothers. Happy Mother's Day.
***
“Half of what I say is meaningless
But I say it just to reach you”
- John Lennon for his Mother, Julia Lennon, 1968
It was Saturday, the 17th day of February 2007. The Muezzin had just called the faithful for the Asr prayers. The sun shone mildly through the window of the ambulance. The road from the hospital to our house was free. It took less than five minutes to reach home. Within this time I saw my whole life flash before my eyes.
I am a caesarean baby. In those days the mother had to go through a general anaesthesia. Soon after my birth, Amma had a very high fever that almost took her life. She won the battle. I will live all my life with the guilt that I was responsible for that high fever and the ensuing physical pains Amma suffered for the rest of her life. In my teens I once tried to say sorry. Amma put her finger to my lips. “At least I have you and your sister”.
I am Amma's first born. And I was very much spoiled. Every time I did a mischief, I knew it was Amma who would be the oasis in the desert, my 'shelter from the storm' to protect me from Abba. The condition for amnesty was simple. Always have the courage to admit to what you are doing. This has remained with me all my life. I may be a good storyteller, but I am a terrible liar!
Soon after my sister was born, Amma gave up her career. My wife did the same many years later for our daughter, Annapurna. It is only now that I appreciate how powerful a mother can be. We men can acknowledge only, but cannot replicate the sacrifice a mother can make for her children and family. Amma was one notch ahead. For the entire time my father studied in Wales, UK, Amma was the breadwinner of our family. Throughout the week, my sister and I would wake up not seeing Amma. Abba would wake us up. Prepare breakfast and walk us to school. And bring us back home again. Abba would prepare food and we would eat and watch playschool and all those other children's programmes on good old BBC.
Pandemonium would break loose the moment the bell rang. My sister and I would run to open the door and see who could touch Amma first. I would run to grab a smell of Amma from her blue raincoat. And without failure, Amma would have sweets for us. Mars bar, Snickers, a box of Smarties, Quality Streets and what not would be the toast of the afternoon snacks. Many years later my sister and I found out Amma would sometimes forsake her tea and biscuits to buy our chocolates!
After we returned to Bangladesh, life went on like any other family. Amma was now at home most of the times. Abba was busy at the university with his career that took him from one echelon to the next. My sister and I slowly passed each grade at school, college and finally university. Our golden time as a single unit in Aberystwyth, UK, was 'gone with the wind' forever!
'Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans'. It was not until the next generation came along that I finally found time for Amma again. Ankoor, my sister's son, and Annapurna, my daughter, filled up our house marking the dawn of a new beginning. Ankoor and Annapurna became the centre of Amma's universe. The apples of her two eyes. Alas! 'To make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from'!
The first day of January 2007 was Qurbani Eid. The following day was Annapurna's first birthday. We put off the birthday party till 26th January. Amma really wanted to see the first birthday of her Apun just as much as the first birthday party of her Bhaiyun a few years earlier. A few days before the birthday party, Annapurna was playing on Amma's bed. Amma looked at Annapurna and smiled saying “I don't have the good fortune to see this child grow up”. I laughed.
We always saw Amma fight one sickness after another with her energetic laughter that was the hallmark of our house.
On 30th January Amma went to a hospital for a routine check up. The day was 3rd February. The doctors advised her not to talk. She was having breathing problems. She was wearing an oxygen mask. Amma took off her mask when I entered and asked me what Annapurna doing. She then told me to take care of Abba and Annapurna and put her mask back on. We exchanged glances. Amma was smiling as if she was at peace. Amma called me. I went. She took my hand and kissed it with her oxygen mask on. And then she took her mask off and said with a smiling invitation. “I've kissed you. I have nothing more to ask. I got everything I could have ever asked for”. YES. I, Amma's first born, was the fortunate one to have received Amma's final blessings. I, who came to this world and was almost responsible for Amma's death!
The hospital never called us when they put Amma on a ventilator the next day. We never got to know what Amma's final wishes were. Fortunately, Aziza Chachi knew. My sister and Ankoor were lucky to find Amma still breathing when they came from Canada. By the morning of 17th February it was evident Amma's fight with septicaemia and acute respiratory distress syndrome was nearing its end. At 3:30pm, Abba and I went to the hospital. I sensed there was not much time left. I approached Amma's bed. Amma was in a coma. It was now or never to say what I always wanted to all my life.
“Amma, it's been more than a pleasure having you in our midst. In the last two weeks because of you we've realised how much people love us. Amma, I don't know if you'll hear all this. From this moment our fates are sealed. You've entered our hearts forever”. Less than five minutes later, Amma was no longer 'living in the material world'. Her Spirit and Soul went to a much better place.
***
An old lady once came to Lord Buddha. Her grandchild had died. She wanted Lord Buddha to bring the child back to life. The Buddha asked the lady to take some sand in her hand and bring back fire from a house that had not experienced death. The old lady never returned. Death is the only inevitability in life. But then. People do live on after their deaths. They live in the Spirit of their Souls. “Half of what [I’ve said was] meaningless, but I [said] it just to reach you [Benu]”. To reach for your pure Soul.
Happy Mother’s Day. May the Heavens Bless All Mothers!
***
Disclaimer:
1. The last paragraph and the initial quotes are not in the print edition.
2. Facebook has a limit of tagging 30 persons per note. Sorry if your name is not in this note.
Asrar Chowdhury
Sunday 10 May 2009
Lead Article:
Asrar Chowdhury's Piece on Mother's Day
URL: http://www.thedailystar.net/campus/2009/05/02/camspotlight.htm
***
This story is the story of all Mothers. May the Heavens Bless all Mothers. Happy Mother's Day.
***
“Half of what I say is meaningless
But I say it just to reach you”
- John Lennon for his Mother, Julia Lennon, 1968
It was Saturday, the 17th day of February 2007. The Muezzin had just called the faithful for the Asr prayers. The sun shone mildly through the window of the ambulance. The road from the hospital to our house was free. It took less than five minutes to reach home. Within this time I saw my whole life flash before my eyes.
I am a caesarean baby. In those days the mother had to go through a general anaesthesia. Soon after my birth, Amma had a very high fever that almost took her life. She won the battle. I will live all my life with the guilt that I was responsible for that high fever and the ensuing physical pains Amma suffered for the rest of her life. In my teens I once tried to say sorry. Amma put her finger to my lips. “At least I have you and your sister”.
I am Amma's first born. And I was very much spoiled. Every time I did a mischief, I knew it was Amma who would be the oasis in the desert, my 'shelter from the storm' to protect me from Abba. The condition for amnesty was simple. Always have the courage to admit to what you are doing. This has remained with me all my life. I may be a good storyteller, but I am a terrible liar!
Soon after my sister was born, Amma gave up her career. My wife did the same many years later for our daughter, Annapurna. It is only now that I appreciate how powerful a mother can be. We men can acknowledge only, but cannot replicate the sacrifice a mother can make for her children and family. Amma was one notch ahead. For the entire time my father studied in Wales, UK, Amma was the breadwinner of our family. Throughout the week, my sister and I would wake up not seeing Amma. Abba would wake us up. Prepare breakfast and walk us to school. And bring us back home again. Abba would prepare food and we would eat and watch playschool and all those other children's programmes on good old BBC.
Pandemonium would break loose the moment the bell rang. My sister and I would run to open the door and see who could touch Amma first. I would run to grab a smell of Amma from her blue raincoat. And without failure, Amma would have sweets for us. Mars bar, Snickers, a box of Smarties, Quality Streets and what not would be the toast of the afternoon snacks. Many years later my sister and I found out Amma would sometimes forsake her tea and biscuits to buy our chocolates!
After we returned to Bangladesh, life went on like any other family. Amma was now at home most of the times. Abba was busy at the university with his career that took him from one echelon to the next. My sister and I slowly passed each grade at school, college and finally university. Our golden time as a single unit in Aberystwyth, UK, was 'gone with the wind' forever!
'Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans'. It was not until the next generation came along that I finally found time for Amma again. Ankoor, my sister's son, and Annapurna, my daughter, filled up our house marking the dawn of a new beginning. Ankoor and Annapurna became the centre of Amma's universe. The apples of her two eyes. Alas! 'To make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from'!
The first day of January 2007 was Qurbani Eid. The following day was Annapurna's first birthday. We put off the birthday party till 26th January. Amma really wanted to see the first birthday of her Apun just as much as the first birthday party of her Bhaiyun a few years earlier. A few days before the birthday party, Annapurna was playing on Amma's bed. Amma looked at Annapurna and smiled saying “I don't have the good fortune to see this child grow up”. I laughed.
We always saw Amma fight one sickness after another with her energetic laughter that was the hallmark of our house.
On 30th January Amma went to a hospital for a routine check up. The day was 3rd February. The doctors advised her not to talk. She was having breathing problems. She was wearing an oxygen mask. Amma took off her mask when I entered and asked me what Annapurna doing. She then told me to take care of Abba and Annapurna and put her mask back on. We exchanged glances. Amma was smiling as if she was at peace. Amma called me. I went. She took my hand and kissed it with her oxygen mask on. And then she took her mask off and said with a smiling invitation. “I've kissed you. I have nothing more to ask. I got everything I could have ever asked for”. YES. I, Amma's first born, was the fortunate one to have received Amma's final blessings. I, who came to this world and was almost responsible for Amma's death!
The hospital never called us when they put Amma on a ventilator the next day. We never got to know what Amma's final wishes were. Fortunately, Aziza Chachi knew. My sister and Ankoor were lucky to find Amma still breathing when they came from Canada. By the morning of 17th February it was evident Amma's fight with septicaemia and acute respiratory distress syndrome was nearing its end. At 3:30pm, Abba and I went to the hospital. I sensed there was not much time left. I approached Amma's bed. Amma was in a coma. It was now or never to say what I always wanted to all my life.
“Amma, it's been more than a pleasure having you in our midst. In the last two weeks because of you we've realised how much people love us. Amma, I don't know if you'll hear all this. From this moment our fates are sealed. You've entered our hearts forever”. Less than five minutes later, Amma was no longer 'living in the material world'. Her Spirit and Soul went to a much better place.
***
An old lady once came to Lord Buddha. Her grandchild had died. She wanted Lord Buddha to bring the child back to life. The Buddha asked the lady to take some sand in her hand and bring back fire from a house that had not experienced death. The old lady never returned. Death is the only inevitability in life. But then. People do live on after their deaths. They live in the Spirit of their Souls. “Half of what [I’ve said was] meaningless, but I [said] it just to reach you [Benu]”. To reach for your pure Soul.
Happy Mother’s Day. May the Heavens Bless All Mothers!
***
Disclaimer:
1. The last paragraph and the initial quotes are not in the print edition.
2. Facebook has a limit of tagging 30 persons per note. Sorry if your name is not in this note.
Asrar Chowdhury
DS Campus: 3 May 09: Me at the Star Literary Adda: Kite Runner
Daily Star Campus
Sunday 3 May 2009
Feature:
Asrar Chowdhury at the Star Literary Adda
By Tanzina Rahman
URL: http://www.thedailystar.net/campus/2009/05/01/feature_adda.htm
“The ending of the book moved me,” Ilona expressed. “The author gave a chance to the leading character for redemption,” she added.
“For me, I kept on comparing the Middle Eastern culture with Bangladeshi culture. I could relate to the relationship between the father and son…,” Priyanka said.
“But I think the writer could have made the father and son relationship much stronger in the book,” Rassen interrupted.
The intense discussion raged on. This week, Star Campus invited students from various private and public universities to attend the 'Literary Adda' which was held at Coffee World in Dhanmondi. Asrar Chowdhury, Assistant Professor, Economics, Jahangirnagar and North South University talked about the 2005 best-seller and debut book of Khaled Husseni 'The Kite Runner'.
“Star Campus took an excellent approach to initiate reading habits among the youngsters and when I was asked to pick up a book for this week's adda, I thought The Kite Runner would be the best choice to talk about the Middle Eastern countries and their culture rather than talking about the west,” Chowdhury explained.
He familiarized the author to the students before unveiling the plot of the book. Khaled Hosseni, who is originally from Afghanistan, is an American novelist and physician. In his debut book, Hosseni has successfully depicted the life of true Afghanistan before the fall of the monarchy until the collapse of the Taliban regime.
“One cannot envisage the vivid picture of pomegranates and sky full of colourful kites without reading this book since we have only seen the picture of the current situation in Afghanistan,” Chowdhury said.
The Kite Runner depicts the tale of childhood betrayal, ethnic tension and sexual predation in Afghanistan.
"The story is broken into three parts. First the author introduces the readers to the cheerful childhood of Amir, the leading character who is a bourgeois Pashtun boy, and his friend Hassan, a Hazara and the son of Ali, the servant of Amir's father. Then the second part tells about Amir and his father taking political asylum to America while the third part reveals Amir's attempts at redemption back in Afghanistan," he said.
He also introduced the students with the differences of tribune culture and customs of the Afghani people.
“One of the interesting things that I found in the book was that there are many Farsi words that we take for granted. For instance, the word kaka which is referred to uncle and khala as aunty, are actually originated from Farsi that I always thought were Bengali words,” he chuckled.
Some of the students, who read the novel, brought new insights to the table.
“The Cultural Ministry of Afghanistan actually banned importing 'The Kite Runner' movie that came out in 2007 due to the portrayal of sexual predation in Afghanistan," said one of the students.
Star Campus Literary Adda ended with an eager interest among the students to look forward to the next adda session.
Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2009
Sunday 3 May 2009
Feature:
Asrar Chowdhury at the Star Literary Adda
By Tanzina Rahman
URL: http://www.thedailystar.net/campus/2009/05/01/feature_adda.htm
“The ending of the book moved me,” Ilona expressed. “The author gave a chance to the leading character for redemption,” she added.
“For me, I kept on comparing the Middle Eastern culture with Bangladeshi culture. I could relate to the relationship between the father and son…,” Priyanka said.
“But I think the writer could have made the father and son relationship much stronger in the book,” Rassen interrupted.
The intense discussion raged on. This week, Star Campus invited students from various private and public universities to attend the 'Literary Adda' which was held at Coffee World in Dhanmondi. Asrar Chowdhury, Assistant Professor, Economics, Jahangirnagar and North South University talked about the 2005 best-seller and debut book of Khaled Husseni 'The Kite Runner'.
“Star Campus took an excellent approach to initiate reading habits among the youngsters and when I was asked to pick up a book for this week's adda, I thought The Kite Runner would be the best choice to talk about the Middle Eastern countries and their culture rather than talking about the west,” Chowdhury explained.
He familiarized the author to the students before unveiling the plot of the book. Khaled Hosseni, who is originally from Afghanistan, is an American novelist and physician. In his debut book, Hosseni has successfully depicted the life of true Afghanistan before the fall of the monarchy until the collapse of the Taliban regime.
“One cannot envisage the vivid picture of pomegranates and sky full of colourful kites without reading this book since we have only seen the picture of the current situation in Afghanistan,” Chowdhury said.
The Kite Runner depicts the tale of childhood betrayal, ethnic tension and sexual predation in Afghanistan.
"The story is broken into three parts. First the author introduces the readers to the cheerful childhood of Amir, the leading character who is a bourgeois Pashtun boy, and his friend Hassan, a Hazara and the son of Ali, the servant of Amir's father. Then the second part tells about Amir and his father taking political asylum to America while the third part reveals Amir's attempts at redemption back in Afghanistan," he said.
He also introduced the students with the differences of tribune culture and customs of the Afghani people.
“One of the interesting things that I found in the book was that there are many Farsi words that we take for granted. For instance, the word kaka which is referred to uncle and khala as aunty, are actually originated from Farsi that I always thought were Bengali words,” he chuckled.
Some of the students, who read the novel, brought new insights to the table.
“The Cultural Ministry of Afghanistan actually banned importing 'The Kite Runner' movie that came out in 2007 due to the portrayal of sexual predation in Afghanistan," said one of the students.
Star Campus Literary Adda ended with an eager interest among the students to look forward to the next adda session.
Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2009
DS Campus: 19 Apr 09: Rangpur University Launched
Daily Star Campus
Rangpur University Launched
Asrar Chowdhury
Sunday 19 April 2009
URL: http://www.thedailystar.net/campus/2009/04/03/feature_RANGPUR.htm
RANGPUR is the cultural capital of North Bengal. It is the home of the Bhatiyali and Bhawaiya folk songs. Rangpur has produced Begum Rokeya, a pioneer and exemplary figure in the education of women of this country. In spite of all this, Rangpur never had a University to nurture and take forward the rich cultural heritage it has enjoyed over the Centuries. Only very recently did that dream come true.
In 2001, the then Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina laid the foundations of Rangpur University of Science and Technology. However, later on the establishment was cancelled. It was not until August 2007 when Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed, Chief Advisor of the Caretaker Government, agreed in principle to establish a full fledged university in Rangpur. Professor M Lutfar Rahman was appointed the first Vice Chancellor on 20 October 2008. Two days later Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, the then Education and Commerce Advisor to the Caretaker Government formally inaugurated Rangpur University. Professor M Alauddin Mia was appointed Registrar later. The short term objective of Rangpur University is to create an academic institute that serves the needs of Northern Bangladesh. The long term objective is to establish the university as a centre of learning par excellence. The university seeks to attract students from all strata of the society. The Campus of Rangpur University is situated to the East of the Carmichael College on 75 acres of land. At the moment, the University is functioning in two buildings of the Rangpur Teachers' Training Institute at Dhap. The authority expects to move to the permanent Campus in two years.
The university started with two faculties and six departments. The Departments of Bangla, English, Economics, and Business Administration are under the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. The Departments of Mathematics, and Computer Science and Engineering are under the Faculty of Science and Technology. 18,000+ students applied for 300 seats in the first admission test that was held in November 2008. Fifty seats were allotted for each of the six departments.
Rangpur University was formally inaugurated on Saturday 28 March 2009. The Education, Social Development and Political Advisor to the Prime Minister, Professor Alauddin Ahmed inaugurated the programme as the Chief Guest. Professor Nazrul Islam, Chairman of University Grants Commission, was the Special Guest. Professor M Lutfar Rahman, Vice Chancellor of Rangpur University, chaired the programme.
Members of the civil society of Rangpur by now have raised approximately Tk 10 Lakh to establish a scholarship for female students after the name of Begum Rokeya. During the inaugural ceremony, Parliament Members who spoke also declared donations and scholarship and RDRS promised to support the education of a good number of students. Professor Alauddin Ahmed, Advisor to the Prime Minister also announced a yearly grant of Tk 25,000, while Professor Nazrul Islam, Chairman of the University Grants Commission contributed a month's salary to the fund. Professor Rezaul Huq, Convenor of Rangpur University Implementation Committee earlier declared that after his death, his personal library will be gifted to Rangpur University.
The inaugural ceremony was divided into three parts. Professor M Lutfar Rahman gave the inaugural speech of the Inaugural Session. Dr M Najmul Huq of Bangla Department, Rangpur University; Professor Amirul Islam Chowdhury, Syndicate Member; Professor KM Elahi, Syndicate Member; Chowdhury Khalequzzaman of Rangpur University Support Foundation; AKM Abdur Rouf Manik, Mayor of Rangpur Pourashabha; Anisul Islam Mondal, MP; Abul Kalam Azad, MP; and Abul Mansur Ahmed, Convenor Rangpur District, Awami League were among the speakers in the First Session. Professor Nazrul Islam and Professor Alauddin Ahmed gave their speeches as the Special and Chief Guests respectively. The Second Session included a series of speeches. Professor Amirul Islam Chowdhury talked about university education and society. The next speaker was Rangpur's favourite son, Anisul Huq, a leading litterateur, who talked on the influence of North Bengal in the culture and heritage of Bangladesh. Ms Anwara Haider of HASAB spoke on drugs and AIDS. The Third Session included a cultural programme. The cultural programme included dance and songs. Keeping true to the roots of Rangpur the cultural programme did not forget to include Bhatiyali and Bhawaiya songs. The newly admitted students also participated as well as a leading local musical group.
As a beginning it is very pleasing to know that the name of Rangpur University will soon officially become Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur. The choice could not have been more apt.
Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2009
Rangpur University Launched
Asrar Chowdhury
Sunday 19 April 2009
URL: http://www.thedailystar.net/campus/2009/04/03/feature_RANGPUR.htm
RANGPUR is the cultural capital of North Bengal. It is the home of the Bhatiyali and Bhawaiya folk songs. Rangpur has produced Begum Rokeya, a pioneer and exemplary figure in the education of women of this country. In spite of all this, Rangpur never had a University to nurture and take forward the rich cultural heritage it has enjoyed over the Centuries. Only very recently did that dream come true.
In 2001, the then Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina laid the foundations of Rangpur University of Science and Technology. However, later on the establishment was cancelled. It was not until August 2007 when Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed, Chief Advisor of the Caretaker Government, agreed in principle to establish a full fledged university in Rangpur. Professor M Lutfar Rahman was appointed the first Vice Chancellor on 20 October 2008. Two days later Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, the then Education and Commerce Advisor to the Caretaker Government formally inaugurated Rangpur University. Professor M Alauddin Mia was appointed Registrar later. The short term objective of Rangpur University is to create an academic institute that serves the needs of Northern Bangladesh. The long term objective is to establish the university as a centre of learning par excellence. The university seeks to attract students from all strata of the society. The Campus of Rangpur University is situated to the East of the Carmichael College on 75 acres of land. At the moment, the University is functioning in two buildings of the Rangpur Teachers' Training Institute at Dhap. The authority expects to move to the permanent Campus in two years.
The university started with two faculties and six departments. The Departments of Bangla, English, Economics, and Business Administration are under the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. The Departments of Mathematics, and Computer Science and Engineering are under the Faculty of Science and Technology. 18,000+ students applied for 300 seats in the first admission test that was held in November 2008. Fifty seats were allotted for each of the six departments.
Rangpur University was formally inaugurated on Saturday 28 March 2009. The Education, Social Development and Political Advisor to the Prime Minister, Professor Alauddin Ahmed inaugurated the programme as the Chief Guest. Professor Nazrul Islam, Chairman of University Grants Commission, was the Special Guest. Professor M Lutfar Rahman, Vice Chancellor of Rangpur University, chaired the programme.
Members of the civil society of Rangpur by now have raised approximately Tk 10 Lakh to establish a scholarship for female students after the name of Begum Rokeya. During the inaugural ceremony, Parliament Members who spoke also declared donations and scholarship and RDRS promised to support the education of a good number of students. Professor Alauddin Ahmed, Advisor to the Prime Minister also announced a yearly grant of Tk 25,000, while Professor Nazrul Islam, Chairman of the University Grants Commission contributed a month's salary to the fund. Professor Rezaul Huq, Convenor of Rangpur University Implementation Committee earlier declared that after his death, his personal library will be gifted to Rangpur University.
The inaugural ceremony was divided into three parts. Professor M Lutfar Rahman gave the inaugural speech of the Inaugural Session. Dr M Najmul Huq of Bangla Department, Rangpur University; Professor Amirul Islam Chowdhury, Syndicate Member; Professor KM Elahi, Syndicate Member; Chowdhury Khalequzzaman of Rangpur University Support Foundation; AKM Abdur Rouf Manik, Mayor of Rangpur Pourashabha; Anisul Islam Mondal, MP; Abul Kalam Azad, MP; and Abul Mansur Ahmed, Convenor Rangpur District, Awami League were among the speakers in the First Session. Professor Nazrul Islam and Professor Alauddin Ahmed gave their speeches as the Special and Chief Guests respectively. The Second Session included a series of speeches. Professor Amirul Islam Chowdhury talked about university education and society. The next speaker was Rangpur's favourite son, Anisul Huq, a leading litterateur, who talked on the influence of North Bengal in the culture and heritage of Bangladesh. Ms Anwara Haider of HASAB spoke on drugs and AIDS. The Third Session included a cultural programme. The cultural programme included dance and songs. Keeping true to the roots of Rangpur the cultural programme did not forget to include Bhatiyali and Bhawaiya songs. The newly admitted students also participated as well as a leading local musical group.
As a beginning it is very pleasing to know that the name of Rangpur University will soon officially become Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur. The choice could not have been more apt.
Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2009
DS Pahela Baishakh 1416: 14 Apr 09: From Agra to London! (Original Version)
From Agra to London!
Asrar Chowdhury
Daily Star
Pahela Baishakh 1416 Special Issue
14 April 2009
URL: http://www.thedailystar.net/suppliments/2009/baishakh/agra.htm
DISCLAIMER: Daily Star cut some crucial parts of the article. This leads to a chandapatan in the reading of the text. The original version of the edited parts is presented in capitals in this version.
The version here is my original version. Not the printed version.
***
Pahela Baishakh originated in the Sixteenth Century under Akbar the Great. The objective was to remove uncertainties and inconveniences related to tax payments. The astronomer, Fatehullah Shirazi developed the Bangla calendar that was based on the existing Hijri (lunar) and Hindu (solar) calendars. Pahela Baishakh is celebrated as New Year's Day of the Bangla calendar in Bengali communities throughout the world.
Since the birth of the Bangla calendar was related to tax payments, a tendency started to clear all debts on New Year's Eve. This is the last day of the Month of Chaitra. This day soon came to be known as the Chaitra Sangkranti. After paying all debts people would clean their slates and start afresh with Halkhatas. Distribution of sweets was one of the first cultural expressions of Pahela Baishakh.
Whatever the reason behind the creation of a calendar, the celebration of a New Year in all cultures soon becomes festivity and makes its way into the culture. Very soon Pahela Baishakh gained popularity through annual fairs in rural Bengal. Fairs from the middle ages in all cultures have served a dual purpose. First, fairs would have an element of commercialisation for traders to trade their goods. Artisans of Bengal for centuries have banked on these fairs to sell their products. Second, fairs would be a source of entertainment. One part of entertainment included games and funfair. Kite flying in Old Dhaka, bull racing in Munshiganj, wrestling in Chittagong still attract attention just as much as cockfights, pigeon racing, boat racing and many other forms of games and entertainment that have stood the test of time. Another part included songs. Originally, these songs started out as various forms of folk music that were localised. The final feature of entertainment includes the oral tradition of story telling of epics that still survives today. The kichchhas of Laili-Majnor, Yusuf-Zulekha, and Randha-Krishna are now a part of our literature just as much as the puthis. By the twentieth century, Pahela Baishakh started to develop an identity truly of its own.
Rural celebrations of Pahela Baishakh slowly entered the urban setting. The Partition of British India witnessed Dhaka becoming the principal city of this country. This positively influenced Baishakhi celebrations. Several fairs would be celebrated in and around today's Puran Dhaka. The largest one was the Baishakhi Fair at Azimpur. However, for a long time the Dhaka Baishakhi Fairs remained an extension of their rural counterparts. It was evident sooner or later Pahela Baishakh would represent the heart of a Nation. Two institutes played pivotal roles towards this end. They are the Chhayanat and the Fine Arts Institute.
In 1965 the Chhayanat held the first of their many Baishakhi celebrations at the Ramna Batamul of Ramna Park. The location kept true to the rural heritage of fairs. It was beside a source of water and at the roots of a large tree. The mid sixties were turbulent times. Tagore's music was banned. When rulers lack wisdom they tend to treat music as their enemy. But then. Music and stories that remain in the hearts of men cannot be easily erased. Sooner or later the men of hearts wake up and with them awake an entire Nation.
THE RAMNA BATAMUL BAISHAKHI CELEBRATION WAS A DEFINING MOMENT IN THE HISTORY OF BANGLADESH. TAORE’S ESHO HE BAISHAKH AND THE CELEBRATION OF THE BANGLA NEW YEAR BECAME SYNONYMOUS TO EACH OTHER. THE RESPONSE FROM THE PEOPLE PROVED AS LONG AS SONGS AND STORIES OF FREEDOM ARE ALIVE A NATION WILL ALWAYS BE ALIVE. WITH TAGORE, THE SONGS OF THE PANCHAPANDAVA OF BANGLA MUSIC WERE ALSO FREED. TODAY THE RAMNA BATAMUL BAISHAKHI CELEBRATION REPRESENTS A TRULY NATIONAL CELEBRATION OF ALL BANGLADESHIS. IN THE 1980S, STUDENTS OF THE FINE ARTS INSTITUTE ADDED COLOURS TO THE NOTES OF THE CHHAYANOT. THE BAISHAKHI CELEBRATIONS OF DHAKA HAVE NOW BECOME A CARNIVAL. CHHAYANOT AND THE FINE ARTS INSTITUTE HAVE DONE A LOT IN PRESERVING THE BANGLA CULTURE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION.
IN THE 1990S, DHAKA BECAME A MEGA-CITY. IN SPITE OF ITS PROBLEMS, URBANISATION DOES BRING WITH IT A MARKET READY TO CONSUME GOODS. IT IS EVEN THE BETTER IF COMPETITION IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE GROWTH OF MARKETS. RAPID URBANISATION OF DHAKA IN RECENT YEARS HAS BEEN BENEFICIAL TO THE TRANSFORMATION OF BAISHAKHI CELEBRATIONS. TODAY EVERYBODY WHO IS ANYBODY WANTS TO HOP ON TO THE BANDWAGON OF BAISHAKH. THE FASHION INDUSTRY, THE FOOD INDUSTRY, THE HANDICRAFTS AND HANDMADE TOYS INDUSTRY ALL EAGERLY WAIT FOR BAISHAKH. COMPETITION TO PROMOTE ONE’S PRODUCTS WITH OR WITHOUT BRANDED LABELS HAS HAD TWO BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. INNOVATION HAS LEAD TO BANGLA CULTURE RECEIVE NEW CREATIVE DIMENSIONS IN ITS PRESENTATION. THE TRADITIONAL PANTA-BHAT AND ILISH BHAJA STILL TOPS THE LIST OF DISHES ON PAHELA BAISHAKH. BUT STOP FOR A MOMENT AND DO NOT BE SURPRISED IF A SET OF HANDMADE DUG-DUGIS AND A TAMBOURA ACCOMPANY THE PLATTER THAT BRINGS THAT TRADITIONAL DISH, AND A MATIR BANK TO SEE YOU THROUGH IN LEAN PERIODS. THIS IS DEFINITELY AN ARTISTIC IMPROVEMENT IN OUR CULTURE.
THE SECOND BENEFIT OF THE RECENT COMMERCIALISATION OF BAISHAKHI CELEBRATIONS IS NOT UNIQUE. BAISHAKHI FAIRS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A SOURCE FOR PRODUCERS TO SELL THEIR PRODUCTS. IT CARRIES ON BEING SO. THE DIFFERENCE NOW LIES IN THE SCALE. WHAT GOES UN-NOTICED IS THE EMPLOYMENT THE URBAN SPENDERS OF DHAKA GENERATE TO THE SUSTENANCE AND GROWTH OF INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATED WITH BAISHAKHI CELEBRATIONS.
Now comes the time for Baishakhi to impress. Wherever the people of Bangladesh have gone, they have taken with them two thingstheir food and their cultural expressions. It is just a matter of time that the hard labour and the creative genius of our people surfaces. We all know that Indian food in the UK is a Bangladeshi version of the food from the sub-continent that has now replaced the Fish and Chips of the Brits. What many of us do not know is that the Baishakhi Festival at Brick Lane in London is the largest open-air Asian festival of Europe. After the Notting Hill Carnival, “our” Baishakhi Festival is the second largest street festival in the UK that attracts 80K plus people from UK and Europe. Small wonder the celebration started only in 1997! What more can one say about the positive image we have the potential to show the world?
Akbar the Great would probably be smiling if he were reading all this. The Great man's decision to create a Bangla calendar to ensure funds to run the empire has certainly yielded more revenue than his wildest imagination. Shabash Bangladesh! And Shubho Nababarsha.
Source and Acknowledgement: www.wikipedia.org and discussions with Professor Nazrul Islam, Chairman, University Grants Commission and Mr Anowar Hossain of Jahangirnagar University School and College.
Photo: Amirul Rajiv
............................................................
Asrar Chowdhury is a university academic in Bangladesh.
© thedailystar.net, 2009. All Rights Reserved
Asrar Chowdhury
Daily Star
Pahela Baishakh 1416 Special Issue
14 April 2009
URL: http://www.thedailystar.net/suppliments/2009/baishakh/agra.htm
DISCLAIMER: Daily Star cut some crucial parts of the article. This leads to a chandapatan in the reading of the text. The original version of the edited parts is presented in capitals in this version.
The version here is my original version. Not the printed version.
***
Pahela Baishakh originated in the Sixteenth Century under Akbar the Great. The objective was to remove uncertainties and inconveniences related to tax payments. The astronomer, Fatehullah Shirazi developed the Bangla calendar that was based on the existing Hijri (lunar) and Hindu (solar) calendars. Pahela Baishakh is celebrated as New Year's Day of the Bangla calendar in Bengali communities throughout the world.
Since the birth of the Bangla calendar was related to tax payments, a tendency started to clear all debts on New Year's Eve. This is the last day of the Month of Chaitra. This day soon came to be known as the Chaitra Sangkranti. After paying all debts people would clean their slates and start afresh with Halkhatas. Distribution of sweets was one of the first cultural expressions of Pahela Baishakh.
Whatever the reason behind the creation of a calendar, the celebration of a New Year in all cultures soon becomes festivity and makes its way into the culture. Very soon Pahela Baishakh gained popularity through annual fairs in rural Bengal. Fairs from the middle ages in all cultures have served a dual purpose. First, fairs would have an element of commercialisation for traders to trade their goods. Artisans of Bengal for centuries have banked on these fairs to sell their products. Second, fairs would be a source of entertainment. One part of entertainment included games and funfair. Kite flying in Old Dhaka, bull racing in Munshiganj, wrestling in Chittagong still attract attention just as much as cockfights, pigeon racing, boat racing and many other forms of games and entertainment that have stood the test of time. Another part included songs. Originally, these songs started out as various forms of folk music that were localised. The final feature of entertainment includes the oral tradition of story telling of epics that still survives today. The kichchhas of Laili-Majnor, Yusuf-Zulekha, and Randha-Krishna are now a part of our literature just as much as the puthis. By the twentieth century, Pahela Baishakh started to develop an identity truly of its own.
Rural celebrations of Pahela Baishakh slowly entered the urban setting. The Partition of British India witnessed Dhaka becoming the principal city of this country. This positively influenced Baishakhi celebrations. Several fairs would be celebrated in and around today's Puran Dhaka. The largest one was the Baishakhi Fair at Azimpur. However, for a long time the Dhaka Baishakhi Fairs remained an extension of their rural counterparts. It was evident sooner or later Pahela Baishakh would represent the heart of a Nation. Two institutes played pivotal roles towards this end. They are the Chhayanat and the Fine Arts Institute.
In 1965 the Chhayanat held the first of their many Baishakhi celebrations at the Ramna Batamul of Ramna Park. The location kept true to the rural heritage of fairs. It was beside a source of water and at the roots of a large tree. The mid sixties were turbulent times. Tagore's music was banned. When rulers lack wisdom they tend to treat music as their enemy. But then. Music and stories that remain in the hearts of men cannot be easily erased. Sooner or later the men of hearts wake up and with them awake an entire Nation.
THE RAMNA BATAMUL BAISHAKHI CELEBRATION WAS A DEFINING MOMENT IN THE HISTORY OF BANGLADESH. TAORE’S ESHO HE BAISHAKH AND THE CELEBRATION OF THE BANGLA NEW YEAR BECAME SYNONYMOUS TO EACH OTHER. THE RESPONSE FROM THE PEOPLE PROVED AS LONG AS SONGS AND STORIES OF FREEDOM ARE ALIVE A NATION WILL ALWAYS BE ALIVE. WITH TAGORE, THE SONGS OF THE PANCHAPANDAVA OF BANGLA MUSIC WERE ALSO FREED. TODAY THE RAMNA BATAMUL BAISHAKHI CELEBRATION REPRESENTS A TRULY NATIONAL CELEBRATION OF ALL BANGLADESHIS. IN THE 1980S, STUDENTS OF THE FINE ARTS INSTITUTE ADDED COLOURS TO THE NOTES OF THE CHHAYANOT. THE BAISHAKHI CELEBRATIONS OF DHAKA HAVE NOW BECOME A CARNIVAL. CHHAYANOT AND THE FINE ARTS INSTITUTE HAVE DONE A LOT IN PRESERVING THE BANGLA CULTURE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION.
IN THE 1990S, DHAKA BECAME A MEGA-CITY. IN SPITE OF ITS PROBLEMS, URBANISATION DOES BRING WITH IT A MARKET READY TO CONSUME GOODS. IT IS EVEN THE BETTER IF COMPETITION IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE GROWTH OF MARKETS. RAPID URBANISATION OF DHAKA IN RECENT YEARS HAS BEEN BENEFICIAL TO THE TRANSFORMATION OF BAISHAKHI CELEBRATIONS. TODAY EVERYBODY WHO IS ANYBODY WANTS TO HOP ON TO THE BANDWAGON OF BAISHAKH. THE FASHION INDUSTRY, THE FOOD INDUSTRY, THE HANDICRAFTS AND HANDMADE TOYS INDUSTRY ALL EAGERLY WAIT FOR BAISHAKH. COMPETITION TO PROMOTE ONE’S PRODUCTS WITH OR WITHOUT BRANDED LABELS HAS HAD TWO BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. INNOVATION HAS LEAD TO BANGLA CULTURE RECEIVE NEW CREATIVE DIMENSIONS IN ITS PRESENTATION. THE TRADITIONAL PANTA-BHAT AND ILISH BHAJA STILL TOPS THE LIST OF DISHES ON PAHELA BAISHAKH. BUT STOP FOR A MOMENT AND DO NOT BE SURPRISED IF A SET OF HANDMADE DUG-DUGIS AND A TAMBOURA ACCOMPANY THE PLATTER THAT BRINGS THAT TRADITIONAL DISH, AND A MATIR BANK TO SEE YOU THROUGH IN LEAN PERIODS. THIS IS DEFINITELY AN ARTISTIC IMPROVEMENT IN OUR CULTURE.
THE SECOND BENEFIT OF THE RECENT COMMERCIALISATION OF BAISHAKHI CELEBRATIONS IS NOT UNIQUE. BAISHAKHI FAIRS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A SOURCE FOR PRODUCERS TO SELL THEIR PRODUCTS. IT CARRIES ON BEING SO. THE DIFFERENCE NOW LIES IN THE SCALE. WHAT GOES UN-NOTICED IS THE EMPLOYMENT THE URBAN SPENDERS OF DHAKA GENERATE TO THE SUSTENANCE AND GROWTH OF INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATED WITH BAISHAKHI CELEBRATIONS.
Now comes the time for Baishakhi to impress. Wherever the people of Bangladesh have gone, they have taken with them two thingstheir food and their cultural expressions. It is just a matter of time that the hard labour and the creative genius of our people surfaces. We all know that Indian food in the UK is a Bangladeshi version of the food from the sub-continent that has now replaced the Fish and Chips of the Brits. What many of us do not know is that the Baishakhi Festival at Brick Lane in London is the largest open-air Asian festival of Europe. After the Notting Hill Carnival, “our” Baishakhi Festival is the second largest street festival in the UK that attracts 80K plus people from UK and Europe. Small wonder the celebration started only in 1997! What more can one say about the positive image we have the potential to show the world?
Akbar the Great would probably be smiling if he were reading all this. The Great man's decision to create a Bangla calendar to ensure funds to run the empire has certainly yielded more revenue than his wildest imagination. Shabash Bangladesh! And Shubho Nababarsha.
Source and Acknowledgement: www.wikipedia.org and discussions with Professor Nazrul Islam, Chairman, University Grants Commission and Mr Anowar Hossain of Jahangirnagar University School and College.
Photo: Amirul Rajiv
............................................................
Asrar Chowdhury is a university academic in Bangladesh.
© thedailystar.net, 2009. All Rights Reserved
DS Campus 22 Mar 09: Still my guitar gently weeps
Still My Guitar Gently Weeps: When will we say thanks?
Asrar Chowdhury
Spotlight
Daily Star Campus
Sun 22 March 2009
Independence Day Issue
URL: http://www.thedailystar.net/campus/2009/03/04/camspotlight_guitar.htm
With every mistake, we must surely be learning
(Still) My guitar gently weeps
George Harrison at the Concert for Bangladesh, 1st August 1971
1971. Three million lives. 266 days. 7.83 lives per minute. This is just the human price Bangladesh paid for her freedom. During those dark days as the genocide and atrocities were mounting we did have friends in the outside world who made an effort to create awareness of what was really going on in Bangladesh.
The sixties was a decade where popular music reached the status of classic art. This is true for the western world and also our sub-continent. Music is one of the few existing media that has the power to transcend time and space among people. For centuries music has been the catalyst that bounded people from diverse backgrounds in our sub-continent.
With a flowering sixties almost ready to blossom, it was evident music would soon become a weapon in the hands of the wise to protest unjust causes. It was in this background that a child from the East (Jessore, Bangladesh), Ravi Shankar, approached a child from the West (Liverpool, Britain), George Harrison, to create international awareness about the Liberation War of Bangladesh. The collaboration became one of the most influential experiences ever in western popular music.
The stage was set. The friendly people of the United States of America gave a welcoming hand. And the Concert for Bangladesh was staged at Madison Square Garden, New York, on Sunday the First Day of August, 1971. Ravi Shankar rightfully summed up to the 40,000 odd audience that evening, 'Friends, we are artists, not politicians'. Indeed, artists from two different cultures congregated towards a common cause. And through their music they let the world become politically aware of genocides that were being committed on innocent civilians in Bangladesh by vested groups seeking to achieve their narrow goals.
Much has been said and much will be said about the Concert for Bangladesh. Displeasingly though, after all these decades, as a Nation, we never had the 'courage' to honour Ravi Shankar, George Harrison and Friends. There have, however, been initiatives at individual or group levels. The most recent includes the Muktijuddha Jadughar's initiative to celebrate Harrison's Birthday on 25 February this year. The Muktijuddha Jadughar also recently accepted a bronze plaque of Harrison that was presented by Dennis Theophillus of Britain. In spite of all these efforts, the end seems to be a light year ahead if the State remains indifferent or silent for that matter.
For a Nation, it is never too late to amend hiccups of the road. The stage is once again set. 2009 brings new hope that we finally start to set 1971 straight and move on forward as a Nation to our rightful place on the world stage. It is high time we acknowledge Concert for Bangladesh at the State level. I, personally, pray this is the last time I write on this issue. If not, I will carry on doing so. As long as our songs of freedom are alive, as a Nation we will be alive. The least we can do is pass those songs on to the generation that will take Bangladesh forward when none of us will be around.
And till that day arrives, “with every mistake, we must surely be learning”. And Till that day arrives, let Harrison's “guitar gently weep”!
(The author thanks the Muktijuddha Jadughar and Akku Chowdhury for their co-operation in collecting information for this feature.)
Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2009
Asrar Chowdhury
Spotlight
Daily Star Campus
Sun 22 March 2009
Independence Day Issue
URL: http://www.thedailystar.net/campus/2009/03/04/camspotlight_guitar.htm
With every mistake, we must surely be learning
(Still) My guitar gently weeps
George Harrison at the Concert for Bangladesh, 1st August 1971
1971. Three million lives. 266 days. 7.83 lives per minute. This is just the human price Bangladesh paid for her freedom. During those dark days as the genocide and atrocities were mounting we did have friends in the outside world who made an effort to create awareness of what was really going on in Bangladesh.
The sixties was a decade where popular music reached the status of classic art. This is true for the western world and also our sub-continent. Music is one of the few existing media that has the power to transcend time and space among people. For centuries music has been the catalyst that bounded people from diverse backgrounds in our sub-continent.
With a flowering sixties almost ready to blossom, it was evident music would soon become a weapon in the hands of the wise to protest unjust causes. It was in this background that a child from the East (Jessore, Bangladesh), Ravi Shankar, approached a child from the West (Liverpool, Britain), George Harrison, to create international awareness about the Liberation War of Bangladesh. The collaboration became one of the most influential experiences ever in western popular music.
The stage was set. The friendly people of the United States of America gave a welcoming hand. And the Concert for Bangladesh was staged at Madison Square Garden, New York, on Sunday the First Day of August, 1971. Ravi Shankar rightfully summed up to the 40,000 odd audience that evening, 'Friends, we are artists, not politicians'. Indeed, artists from two different cultures congregated towards a common cause. And through their music they let the world become politically aware of genocides that were being committed on innocent civilians in Bangladesh by vested groups seeking to achieve their narrow goals.
Much has been said and much will be said about the Concert for Bangladesh. Displeasingly though, after all these decades, as a Nation, we never had the 'courage' to honour Ravi Shankar, George Harrison and Friends. There have, however, been initiatives at individual or group levels. The most recent includes the Muktijuddha Jadughar's initiative to celebrate Harrison's Birthday on 25 February this year. The Muktijuddha Jadughar also recently accepted a bronze plaque of Harrison that was presented by Dennis Theophillus of Britain. In spite of all these efforts, the end seems to be a light year ahead if the State remains indifferent or silent for that matter.
For a Nation, it is never too late to amend hiccups of the road. The stage is once again set. 2009 brings new hope that we finally start to set 1971 straight and move on forward as a Nation to our rightful place on the world stage. It is high time we acknowledge Concert for Bangladesh at the State level. I, personally, pray this is the last time I write on this issue. If not, I will carry on doing so. As long as our songs of freedom are alive, as a Nation we will be alive. The least we can do is pass those songs on to the generation that will take Bangladesh forward when none of us will be around.
And till that day arrives, “with every mistake, we must surely be learning”. And Till that day arrives, let Harrison's “guitar gently weep”!
(The author thanks the Muktijuddha Jadughar and Akku Chowdhury for their co-operation in collecting information for this feature.)
Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2009
DS Campus 15 Mar 09: The Story of 1952 Continues
EVER SINCE I CAN REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING MY HEAVENLY MOTHER, BENU (MAY THE HEAVENS BLESS HER SOUL) USED TO FEED ME ON THE STORIES ABOUT MY MAMAS AND THE WONDERFUL THINGS THEY DID IN THEIR YOUNG DAYS AND THE ILLUSTRIOUS PEOPLE THEY WERE ASSOCIATED WITH. THIS LITTLE INTERVIEW IS MY LITTLE WAY OF THANKING AMMA FIRST AND MY MAMAS LATER FOR MAKING US FEEL PROUD.
Daily Star Campus
Sunday 15 March 2009
The Story of 1952 Continues: In Conversation with Dr Jamal Uddin
by Asrar Chowdhury
URL: http://www.thedailystar.net/campus/2009/03/03/feature_1952.htm
Feature
The Story of 1952 continues
In conversation with Dr Jamal Uddin
Asrar Chowdhury
DR. Jamal Uddin, now a well established physician in Canada, was involved in the 1952 language movement as a young man. The roots of 1952 were ingrained in the Two-Nations Theory that was a dominant factor in the partition of India in 1947. Dr Jamal Uddin recalls “many (but not all) of our West Pakistani friends at school had an air of arrogance since they came from well-to-do backgrounds and their fathers held coveted jobs in the Government. On balance they seldom made an effort to integrate with us although there was never a lack of co-operation from our end. We felt like strangers in our own homeland. The seeds of discontent were sown long before 1952".
The Muslim migrants from West Bengal were at another extreme. They simply took the cultural scene one step ahead with activities that were not in vogue at the time. Tagore was soon to become an integral and defining part of our cultural identity.
In 1952, Dr Jamal Uddin was a student of Dhaka Medical College.When he came to Dhaka, his childhood friend, Quayyum Chowdhury and he knew almost nobody. They soon came into contact and later became good friends with people like Zainul Abedin, Munir Chowdhury, Hasan Hafizur Rahman, Borhan Uddin Khan Jahangir, Murtaza Basir, Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury, Alauddin Al Azad and Poet Shamsur Rahman. Through his elder brother, who became a distinguished banker, he came to know Kalim Sharafi, Sardar Fazlul Karim, Khan Sarwar Murshid and others. All of them learned a lot from their endless addas. At the time, none of them were aware of the impact their friends would make on 1952 and later 1971. But one thing was evident. East Pakistan was developing a unique cultural identity.
A storm was brewing and finally on 21st February it erupted. He said, “I watched people from our hostel compound. They were mostly students in small groups carrying banners and shouting slogans. They gathered around the Assembly building close to our hostel. We decided to join the protesters.
But the dreaded gun shots took us back to the hospital”.
“The brutality of the death stunned even our trained medical eyes. We were used to confronting death by illness or by accident, but not by such ruthless and hostile acts. The asphalt of the Ramna that day was soaked with the blood of heroes and the tears of many that were to lay the foundation of bigger sacrifices that were to come in the future”. There were many factions with different and opposing political ideologies. All of these diverse factions came together to a common platform through the Language Movement. The denial of the right to our language by a distant minority was a form of subjugation that was intolerable. So the generation responded in the best way they knew.
The Two-Nation Theory did not take too long to prove its emptiness. He said, “Our generation split open the politically convenient and illogical concept of an accommodation that was blind to cultural differences. We strongly felt we were the colony of the 'elites' of West Pakistan. Our only common link was the 'convenience' of religion”.
1952 was the beginning of a new beginning. Dr Jamal Uddin's generation addressed the cultural inequalities they confronted. The next generation took the struggle one notch higher to create a place we could finally call home, Bangladesh.As he said, “I left my country in 1959 and came to North America. Even after all these years, it seems to me that the job is far from being over. What has been achieved with blood, sweat and tears must not and cannot slip away. As I slowly see our generation fading into oblivion, I can only ask the new generation of Bangladesh with hope. I was born in British India and grew up in Pakistan. When I first returned, it was Bangladesh. Ours is a generation that experienced the sweetness and bitterness of change. We often paid very high prices to resist unjust situations we found ourselves in. As the generation that will take Bangladesh forward in the beginning of the next millennium, all we ask is you address the economic and social inequalities that still plague this wonderful land of ours that always has and still seems to hold potential. What we started is only a beginning. The end lies in your hands. The story of 1952 still continues.”
(Asrar Chowdhury is a university academic in Bangladesh. Email: asrarul@gmail.com)
Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2009
Daily Star Campus
Sunday 15 March 2009
The Story of 1952 Continues: In Conversation with Dr Jamal Uddin
by Asrar Chowdhury
URL: http://www.thedailystar.net/campus/2009/03/03/feature_1952.htm
Feature
The Story of 1952 continues
In conversation with Dr Jamal Uddin
Asrar Chowdhury
DR. Jamal Uddin, now a well established physician in Canada, was involved in the 1952 language movement as a young man. The roots of 1952 were ingrained in the Two-Nations Theory that was a dominant factor in the partition of India in 1947. Dr Jamal Uddin recalls “many (but not all) of our West Pakistani friends at school had an air of arrogance since they came from well-to-do backgrounds and their fathers held coveted jobs in the Government. On balance they seldom made an effort to integrate with us although there was never a lack of co-operation from our end. We felt like strangers in our own homeland. The seeds of discontent were sown long before 1952".
The Muslim migrants from West Bengal were at another extreme. They simply took the cultural scene one step ahead with activities that were not in vogue at the time. Tagore was soon to become an integral and defining part of our cultural identity.
In 1952, Dr Jamal Uddin was a student of Dhaka Medical College.When he came to Dhaka, his childhood friend, Quayyum Chowdhury and he knew almost nobody. They soon came into contact and later became good friends with people like Zainul Abedin, Munir Chowdhury, Hasan Hafizur Rahman, Borhan Uddin Khan Jahangir, Murtaza Basir, Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury, Alauddin Al Azad and Poet Shamsur Rahman. Through his elder brother, who became a distinguished banker, he came to know Kalim Sharafi, Sardar Fazlul Karim, Khan Sarwar Murshid and others. All of them learned a lot from their endless addas. At the time, none of them were aware of the impact their friends would make on 1952 and later 1971. But one thing was evident. East Pakistan was developing a unique cultural identity.
A storm was brewing and finally on 21st February it erupted. He said, “I watched people from our hostel compound. They were mostly students in small groups carrying banners and shouting slogans. They gathered around the Assembly building close to our hostel. We decided to join the protesters.
But the dreaded gun shots took us back to the hospital”.
“The brutality of the death stunned even our trained medical eyes. We were used to confronting death by illness or by accident, but not by such ruthless and hostile acts. The asphalt of the Ramna that day was soaked with the blood of heroes and the tears of many that were to lay the foundation of bigger sacrifices that were to come in the future”. There were many factions with different and opposing political ideologies. All of these diverse factions came together to a common platform through the Language Movement. The denial of the right to our language by a distant minority was a form of subjugation that was intolerable. So the generation responded in the best way they knew.
The Two-Nation Theory did not take too long to prove its emptiness. He said, “Our generation split open the politically convenient and illogical concept of an accommodation that was blind to cultural differences. We strongly felt we were the colony of the 'elites' of West Pakistan. Our only common link was the 'convenience' of religion”.
1952 was the beginning of a new beginning. Dr Jamal Uddin's generation addressed the cultural inequalities they confronted. The next generation took the struggle one notch higher to create a place we could finally call home, Bangladesh.As he said, “I left my country in 1959 and came to North America. Even after all these years, it seems to me that the job is far from being over. What has been achieved with blood, sweat and tears must not and cannot slip away. As I slowly see our generation fading into oblivion, I can only ask the new generation of Bangladesh with hope. I was born in British India and grew up in Pakistan. When I first returned, it was Bangladesh. Ours is a generation that experienced the sweetness and bitterness of change. We often paid very high prices to resist unjust situations we found ourselves in. As the generation that will take Bangladesh forward in the beginning of the next millennium, all we ask is you address the economic and social inequalities that still plague this wonderful land of ours that always has and still seems to hold potential. What we started is only a beginning. The end lies in your hands. The story of 1952 still continues.”
(Asrar Chowdhury is a university academic in Bangladesh. Email: asrarul@gmail.com)
Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2009
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