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Book-Talk

Tracing history, recalling revolts

Published : Saturday, 25 February, 2017 at 12:00 AM  Count : 493
Ahmed Tahsin Shams
To trace the history of Bengal, Bangla Academy published a didactic dish-to-feed the minds of avid readers. The book that talks straight of the cultural hegemony, goes deep down to the present route of practices, as well as far-rooted history of Bengal is Bangla Academy Pratishthabarshik Baktrita (Bangla Academy Founding Anniversary Lecturers), consisting a 24-lecture of intellectuals, edited by Shamsuzzaman Khan.   
Culture: "a constant battlefield", says Guy Debord, and there is "no once-for-all-victory". The culture of Bengal has been facing bulk of changes since pre-historic era. Colonization died in literal sense, yet alive in the realm of culture. All are going through an imperial change: language, lifestyle, and everyday practices.  
After sharing the history of Bangla Academy, and esteemed early members, after the first 9 lectures, these intellectuals put light upon various issues of the country which are under the clutch of global hegemony: knowledge, language, education, individuality, culture, and globalization.
'Sankskritic Rajaakar' (Cultural Traitors), well-termed by Shawkat Osman in his lecture while discussing cultural hegemony in Bengal, thereby he quotes, "If you fire at the past with a pistol, the future will shot back from a canon." Like Gramsci, Osman discusses how the power houses shape and control our culture. He also cites Gabriel Celaya:
"Let us be like those poets---the great, the only, the universal ones---who instead of speaking to us from without as in a confessional, speak within us and stimulate that identification with them or of them with us, which guarantees their authenticity."
Similarly, Emajuddin Ahmed speaks of his thoughts on society, culture and globalization, where he voices that culture includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society; culture is learned. He further asserts that in the name of globalization, dominant group marginalizes "the other". Thereby he quotes Jean Tardiff:
"Whether or not there is a desire of hegemony (of the West), the greatest danger of imperialism lies in the cultural sphere."
Cultural Capitalism comes under the veil of free trade, free press, and knowledge, mentions Emajuddin, and knowledge signifies power, thus dominates over the other, over language as well. He reminisces Mahatma Gandhi:
"To give millions knowledge of English is to enslave them."
In the battlefield of culture 'selective tradition' (also in accordance with Raymond William), Emajuddin goes on stating how once-dominant languages, like Latin, now unused, thereby dead. And English is no more a foreign language, but language of all.
Moreover, Mohammad Harun Ur Rashid shares present Kafkaesque existential crisis in the pre-set race of "civilization" or "advancement" that leans towards westernization or bourgeoisie. And eventually, gives birth to chaos, hegemony.  
In this transitional period of Bengal, Dewan Mohammad Azrof thinks, not having accurate synonyms of many words, language becomes hybrid, naturally, and this mishmash of language goes on, in every culture.
At present, urban virtual-mechanical routine, certainly will change the practice of culture. Sonotkumar Saha recalls Tagore's speech in 1921 in Sweden:  
"When I was about 25 years I used to live in utmost seclusion in the solitude of an abscure Bengal village by the river Ganges in a boat house. The wild ducks which came during the time of autumn from the Himalayan lakes were my only living companions, and in that solitude, I seem to have drunk in the open space like wine overflowing with sunshine, and the murmur of the nature used to speak to and tell me the secrets of the nature. And I passed my days in the solitude dreaming and giving shape to my dream in poems and studies..."
Syed Shamsul Haque emphasizes on the role of culture in erasing fanaticism, and there he approaches from the birth of Bangladesh --- the assassination of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman gave birth to terrorism, tyranny, and what not! Syed also suggested a few modifications of book fairs with particular theme each year.
In another lecture, scholar Shamsuzzaman Khan shares the role of Bangla Academy in forming Bangla culture. Since 1956 to at present, Bangla Academy gradually ascended to various sections like research, translation, collection, publication, selling, culture, and library. The structural body and precise categorization of work made it a role-figure to uphold culture.  

"The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting," the publisher Kamruzzaman Kajol cites Milan Kundera in the introduction of the book titled Bangladesher Swadhinota Sangrame Shilpisomaj (Artist Community in the Struggle of Bangladesh Liberation War) narrated by Biren Shome and published by Chandrabati Academy.  
Veteran artist Subalkumar Banik titled his preface as 'Chitrashilpi Jokhon Chitrajoddha' (When Canvas Turns Battlefield) as well as he mourns over not having any detail research work in the country on artists' contribution in the Liberation War of 1971. But Banik shows gratitude to Biren Shome for sharing his historical war-time narrative to the present generation and for Shome's massive art-struggle along with other the then artists which worked as colour-drops suffusing the whole canvas and giving birth to a new nation: Bangladesh.      
Indeed, first person narrative technique of Biren Shome makes the readers travel with him, and thereby each detailing, whether revolts or tortures, in the process of becoming Bangladesh, turns picturesque to the readers. The author of the book, Biren Shome, categorized his narration in the following segments: Bhasha Andolon Theke Shadhinota (From Language Movement to Liberation War), Ekatturey Pothe Prantore (In Streets, '71), Muktijudher Shilpi Somaj (Artist Community in '71), Ei Janoyar Der Hotta Korte Hobe (Kill These Bastards!), Ekatturey Bangladesher Shilpider Chitrapradarshoni (Art Exhibition of Bangladeshi Artist in 1971), ShonitoRekhay Orunodoy (The Rising Sun), Bangladesher Hridoy Hote (From Bangladesh, With Love)
Biren Shome designed his narrative with the Mass Revolt of '69 where artists of Bangladesh set out for a procession with posters. He also shares Mustafa Monwar's Banner Series which was exhibited in 1968 at Shahid Minar. Biren brushes on the page-canvas of his journey of being a refuge in Kolkata in April 1971. But the spirit of struggle to liberate the land was not diminished at all. On June 22-23, Bangladesh and Indian artists organized an event based on the freedom of Bangladesh in RabindraSadan, Kolkata.
Biren Shome's ample rebel-posters, for instance 'Use Bangladeshi Products, Avoid Pakistani Products', 'Mothers and Daughters of Bengal, All Are Freedom Fighters', and posters depicting the spirit of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with captions like "Freedom or else Death", "Sheikh Mujib's Trial: An Acid Test for World Conscience, The World Conscience Owes a Clear Answer", and many more are well-ornamented in the book.
The book then speaks of the days when Biren Shome, Abul Barok Alvi, Manjurul Hai designed the stage, as directed by renowned artist Hashem Khan, for the 6-point Movement.
The discussion session among artists, led by Quamrul Hassan, carries Biren's lucid narration of a deep history held after the Proclamation of Independence on March 7, 1971 by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The main topic of the discussion was to create mass awareness locally and internationally via monogram, poster, cartoon, leaflet, banner, illustration. And then the most famous tagline ?Kill These Bastards!? (Ei Janowarder Hotta Korte Hobe) took birth.
The book also illustrates the artistic rebellion history, the struggle till 1971, exhibitions held in 1971 and the pivotal role of the then artists in creating mass awareness. Biren Shome finely turns into a storyteller holding his brushstrokes as mouthpiece, in 1971 and even now in the book.

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." These words of Confucius fits flawlessly in the frame of the history of Bengal --- the history of struggle, and rebellion. The book, titled Muktir Sangram, edited by Anisuzzaman, published by Chandrabati Academy, includes 24 chapters focusing on 24 historical issues of Bengal, where 21 scholarly authors, and 24 artists, from Bangladesh and West Bengal have penned their knowledge of the past to lead the present, to uphold the heritage. Just as Brach Rickey says, "It is not the honour that you take with you, but the heritage you leave behind."
Professor Emeritus Anisuzzaman prefaced, "History of human is the history of struggle." True to each sip. And thereby Mohammad Kamruzzaman Khondokar, publisher of the book, believes, "Today's heritage is the stairway to tomorrow's strength, and present strength is the result of yesterday's heritage."
Sirajul Islam discoursed on the first ever revolts in Bengal against the British Colonization (1757-1830) where we met Nurul-Al-Din --- a farmer rebellion who declared freedom in Rangpur in the mid-18th Century. Sirajul Islam well-weaved, undoubtedly, on the Guerilla War of Chittagong Hill Tracts' people against the British (1776-1787). Even the collaborative work of Mesbah Kamal and Jannat-E-Ferdousi on the Saotal Revolt clearly points to the contribution of ethnic community in the history of struggle, in the history of Bengal, and for the freedom of Bengal.  
Authors like Mohammad Mofakkharul Islam, Nurul Hossain Chowdhury, Abdul Momin Chowdhury, astutely pen-sketched movements and rebels in Bengal like the Rebellion of Farmers (1760-1947), the Movement of Forayeji and the Revolt of Titumir in the 19th century, and The Neel Revolt respectively.
Iftekhar Iqbal's prose titled '1857' lays a detail layout of the general mass revolt in 1857, which was neither Marxist nor political, nor for freedom, yet gravely significant. Even the British couldn't change the social-economic trend the farmers of Bengal developed in that era.  
The book amalgamates all history since age-long period to the birth of Bangladesh. It presents Aksadul Alam speaking on the Swadeshi Movement (1903-1908), Mohammad Shah sharing the Movement of Khilafat (1919-1925) and the Movement of Non-Cooperation (1920-1922)
The communist mass revolt in Sylhet in the early 20th century, known as the Nankar Revolt, is well-sewn in the page-tapestry of the book.  Ajoy Roy and Ishani Chakraborty jointly delivered their wise-gen --- beginning with the etymology of the word 'Nankar' which means 'Bread', for which the uprising took form. The then trend was also called half-slavery trend against of which farmers, labours, of all races and religions, even women, actively participated.
Gradually, the book leaned towards the birth of the nation ? Bangladesh. The contribution of MasterDa Surja Sen in Chittagong Youth Revolt which is a poignant chapter in the struggle for freedom. Abul Momen penned this chapter like literary historian ---- detail as well as lucidly precise.   
The ground-breaking chapter in the history of Bengal as well as migration ---- the Partition of 1947 --- Chittaranjan Misra articulates the plan of undivided free Bengal and partition elaborately with coherence.
[Ahmed Tahsin Shams is with The Daily Observer ]







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