Monday | 13 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
বাংলা
   
Monday | 13 January 2025 | Epaper

Never dying Mephistopheles — the trader of souls!

Published : Sunday, 18 September, 2016 at 12:00 AM  Count : 474
Mahbubar Rahman

" src=


In Faust, German epic poets Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832) gave an extensive narrative in all literary grandeur how Dr Faustus-a depressed and bored scholar called on Mephistopheles, disciple of the king of devils - Lucifer for power and further knowledge with magical power. Long years before Goethe wrote the epic poem Faust, English poet Christopher Marlowe's most famous play 'The Tragical History of Dr Faustus' was first published in 1604. In the play, Marlowe tells the story of the doctor turned necromancer Faustus who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for power, knowledge and pleasure of the youth. 'The devil Lucifer's intermediary Mephistopheles achieves tragic grandeur in his own right as a fallen angel torn between satanic pride and dark despair. The play gave eloquent expression to the idea of damnation in the lament of Mephistopheles for a lost heaven and in Faustus' final despairing entreaties to be saved by God before his soul is claimed by the devil'. The names of Dr Faustus and Mephistopheles have been immortalized by the great literary works of both Marlowe and Goethe over the centuries. Although both the principal figures---Faustus and Mephistopheles of Goethe's epic and Marlowe's play do not physically exist anymore in the world, yet they surface on occasions wearing human characters and faces round and round in the cycles of human life over the ages to make the humans' feel their morbid presence.
It is long 45 years since Bangladesh emerged at the cost of blood of three million beleaguered Bengali souls and sacrifices of dignity and honour of three lakh women who fell prey to the sharp claws of shrieking hyena wearing human face in 1971. Before the dust of liberation war settled and the people of independent Bangladesh could feel and relish the taste of freedom, in a couple of years time an eye blinding ominous gale unleashed by the gang of devils in human shape blew over Bangladesh with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman assassinated with his entire family except two daughters who were abroad on August 15. The killers of Bangabandhu and their abettors and beneficiaries with diabolical frenzy usurped the state power and took the country to the blind alley where the spirit of liberation war and the name of Bangabandhu was prohibited. With a black law indemnifying the killing of Bangabandhu and rewarding the killers with diplomatic assignments abroad, Bangladesh was returned to a medieval era of regression which had no parallel in the contemporary civilized world. These conditions prevailed in Bangladesh for long 21 years by the usurpers of power by sometime wearing the face of military dictator-turned saviour (!) or military backed civilian administration with pseudo democratic face. The collective conscious of the country bearing the ethos and core values of independence, spirit of liberation war, recognizing Bangabandhu as the father of the nation was incarcerated until 2008 democratic election after which the nation got back the country robbed in 1975 at gun point with spilling costly bloods. It is true that in 1971 the freedom fighter could defeat the Pakistani marauders and liberate the country, but the local cohorts and collaborators of the Pakistani occupation forces remained in place and went in hibernation for sometime like cold blooded deadly reptiles. With the assassination of Bangabandhu, these cohorts resurfaced from the dark hole with the blessing of the usurpers of the power and left no stones unturned to make the country into a mini Pakistan by dissecting the constitution and imputing secularism and other ethos of liberation from the character of the country. In the wake of the change of character and the very foundation on which the core value of the country rest, celebrations and bonhomie went unabated by the anti liberation evil forces and a segment of people wearing the face of so-called civil society members, journalists, judges, academies, civil and military bureaucrats, opportunist businessmen, left out political orphans, ultra leftist political activists seemingly to have sold their souls to devils. The vacuous neophytes with insolent partisan jingoism quickly changed their colours like chameleon and joined the band wagon of usurpers with grinning their teeth to have the taste of power. Bangabandhu's peerless contribution in shaping the independent Bangladesh suddenly went bleak to those opportunists with seemingly no souls left inside their selves. An ultra radical named Abdul Hoq and his likes believing in the polities of class struggle by looting and killing went to the extent of judging the day of Bangabandhu's assassination as najat dibash (day of relief) and a person no less than, as dubbed, majloom jono-neta, who had once visibly great love and affection for Sheikh Mujib, joined the band wagon of so-called najat dibosh party with his long caravan laden with China leaned murids (disciples). JSD men who were once nourished and nurtured under the shadow of Bangabandhu went berserk across the country in post liberation Bangladesh and vowed to make dugdugi (drum) with the skin of Bangabandhu which eventually inspired the killers and inculcated the orgy of killing of August 15. Following killing of Bangabandhu, a small segment of AL men rushed to Bangabhaban to take oath in the devil Khondaker Mostaq's government, in suit and boot, shedding the 'Mujib Coat' aside. A bangobir with his trade mark of honesty and integrity wasted no time to take the oath of a defence adviser to Khuni (murderer) Mostaq Government and kept mum in taking into task the killers of Bangabandhu, but religiously stood in between when pro-Bangladesh Military officers brandished gun at khuni Mostaq in Bangabhaban. A deputy chief of Army wearing the gallantry meddle of Biruttam who was pledge bond to protect the state and its president purportedly played the role of Oliver Cromwell, telling the planners of killing mission that as a senior officer he would not get himself involved, but surely would be with them if they could come out successful; the way Cromwell spoke to his son-in-law Ireton of southern army to purge the parliament and execute the king Charles-I, of England in 1648. On being attacked when Bangabandhu asked for help, the Chief of army staff advised Bangabandhu to whisk out from house scaling boundary walls.
A great son of the soil having no parallel in thousand year's history of Bengali race, Bangabandhu's bullet ridden body was laid to rest unceremoniously in the earth of unmitigated peace and silence where he was originated from; 55 years ago and his life with a thunderous voice was silenced by assassins' bullet at that fateful night of August 15, 1975. With his deep anguish and lament, eminent columnist Syed Badrul Ahsan wrote n Daily Observer that, "on 15th August, there was no Mark Antony."
In the killing spree, the Roman emperor Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) was first stabbed by Casca, followed by Cassius and finally Brutus-Caesar's trusted loyalist. Seeing Brutus stabbing with sharp knife, Caesar exclaimed! "et tu Brute!" (You too, Brutus!). Before Bangabandhu was gunned down at the steps of the staircase of his house, in his undaunted thunderous voices he asked, "What do you people want?" The coward assassins could not stand before a living Bangabandhu to answer and sprayed bullets on his body. After the killing of Caesar, with his strong army, Mark Antony rose to the occasion and defeated the gang of Caesar's killers in no time which eventually led Cassius and Brutus to choose the path of suicide. Ironically, in Bangladesh, it took long 35 years to bring the killers of Bangabandhu to justice and send few of them to gallows, while few still at large; after regaining Bangladesh from the ominous hands.
An uncompromising leader of a large political party who celebrates her fake birth day on national mourning day of August 15 in macabre pleasure by cutting a cake baked in the oozes of vengeance,  made a stunning news a couple of months ago in questing the veracity of the actual numbers of the martyrs in the great war of liberation. Her doubt, of course goes in line with Pakistanis who never agree that 3 million people were killed during the liberation war by their barbarous military and their local agents.
In a desperate attempt to glorify his father's name in the pages of Bangladesh' history, an uncrowned prince of an infamous and defunct 'Windy Castle' reportedly was running a parallel government; now staying in the comfort of ivory tower of a distant alien land, is engaged doing 'research work' toward inventing new theories how to paint smear in the towering image of the father of the nation, in all the grotesque acts of imbecility.
It is not long since, once a reputed journalist and a firebrand left leaning political activist named Anwar Zahid was seen abhorrently expressing his willingness to sweep the street with a broom-stick in hand at the order of his master---once an autocrat and now reduced to a political joker in the political parlour of Bangladesh.
A heavy weight lawyer, who once acted as the prosecutor of War Crime Tribunal in 1973, having sported a number of somersaults of changing political colour, has stood in ICT (International and Crimes Tribunal) in favour of war criminals. He is seen recently expressing his exasperation and sarcasm in the wake of rejection of his convicted war criminal client's review petition by the Supreme Court and indicated in public view in the premises of the Supreme Court about a possible hawabadal (change of situation) and celebration in future. The Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina retorted the lawyer's such abhorrent comment, which is tantamount to gross misconduct and supposedly contempt of court as well, and said "Money is everything?" Yes, honourable Prime Minister, Money and power is everything for morally derailed and fallen men of his likes supposedly to have sold their soul to the devils.
These are the few examples, I have cited which may be viewed as only tip of the ice-berg to depict how men sell their souls to the devils in exchange of power and money and become vacuous without souls to judge right and wrong. These examples are further intended not to malign any individual or political parties but to 'speak the truth and expose the lies'; and to define the nature of hypocrisy all about, that surrounds us.
The character of Mephistopheles - a disciple of Lucifer as manifested in the epic poem and play Faustus of Marlowe and Goethe respectively is never dying. The character of the evil spirit appears time and again in disguise wearing human face over the age's vendoring around the world to buy the souls of those men whose lust and greed for power and money knows no bound. Never dying and ever active Mephistopheles supposedly views this part of the world including Bangladesh as the soft ground to make best buys of souls at considerably cheaper price. May God save all living Dr Faustus' from the ominous shadow of Mephistopheles lurking in the air, the way God saved Goethe's Faust at the end by bringing about his purification and redemption.r
Mahbubar Rahman is a former civil servant



LATEST NEWS
MOST READ
Also read
KM Subhan and the principles he lived for
Yahya would grant freedom to Bangladesh in March 1972?
Taking it lightly can be too fatal
The world in layers of purity
Kolkata stories, loss in transit and Huda's proposal
Rohingyas deserve help
The English language . . . its peaks and pitfalls
Rohingya massacre — Will 'rip van winkle' wake up?
Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Online: 41053014; Advertisement: 41053012.
E-mail: district@dailyobserverbd.com, news©dailyobserverbd.com, advertisement©dailyobserverbd.com, For Online Edition: mailobserverbd©gmail.com
🔝
close