DS Campus: 30 Aug 09: 3rd Anniversary Issue. “Blowing in the Wind”

Spotlight

Blowing in the Wind
— Asrar Chowdhury

Star Campus
Daily Star
30 Aug 09

THIRD ANNIVERSARY ISSUE
– Was not made available in the Internet edition

In 1971 Bangladesh was created from one of the most brutal genocides in the history of mankind. In the 266 days of our Liberation War three million people sacrificed their lives to create a ten-letter word Bangladesh. This translates to 7.83 lives per minute. And still Bangladesh stood strong to come out victorious on 16 December 1971.

1971 therefore defines Bangladesh. And Bangladesh carries on defining 1971.

During those ‘dark days’ we had friends in the outside world who stood beside us in our cause to free ourselves from the yoke of domination. One such initiative was the Concert for Bangladesh. Two children of Bangladesh, Pandit Ravi Shankar and (The Late) Ustad Ali Akbar Khan approached (The Late) George Harrison of the Beatles to explore the possibility of a concert. If George could give a nod, then this would be the first time music would be used as weapon to fight a war on a global scale.

And so the stage was set at Madison Square Garden of New York for Sunday the first day of August 1971 where the friendly people of the USA extended a warm hand and joined in our struggle for freedom. Bangla Dhun in the grandeur of the Bhatiyali spoke and cried to the rest of the world. The rest of the world responded the way they knew in the Love and Peace that characterised probably the most creative decade in the history of Western music, the 1960s.

The Concert for Bangladesh was influential in creating awareness on what was actually happening in the newly founded State of Bangladesh. It was the first time music made a difference in such a cause. Unfortunately, even after 38 years, as a Nation we still have not said thanks to the organisers of the Concert for Bangladesh. I have personally raised this issue many times before and will continue to do so until the winds change their course.

On the eve of the Third Anniversary of Star Campus, with whom I am honoured to be associated, I pray this campus generation dawns Winds of Change by initiating an effort to ‘officially’ thank the musicians of Concert for Bangladesh for what they did for us in 1971. Can they do it? Yes they can and they will. ‘The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind’!

The writer is a Faculty in Economics at Jahangirnagar and North South Universities.

DS Campus: 31 May 09: Young Debaters in Chittagong: Drishty English Debate

Feature

Young Debaters in Chittagong
Drishty English Debate Competition

Asrar Chowdhury

Star Campus
Daily Star
31 May 2009

http://www.thedailystar.net/campus/2009/05/05/feature_dristy.htm

I was on vacation in Chittagong. And thus I could witness all three days of the 9th Inter-School and the 3rd Inter-University Drishty English Debate Competition at the Theatre Institute Chattagram 18-20 May 2009. The sponsor this year was Southeast Bank. The Financial Express, and Star Campus of the Daily Star were the media partners. The eight participating schools were all from Chittagong. They were: Child Heaven School; Radiant School; Cantonment English School; Chittagong Grammar School; Cider International School-I; Cider International School-II; Sunshine Grammar School; and Chittagong Sunshine School. Six of the eight participating universities were from Chittagong and two were from Dhaka. The participating university teams were: Islamic University of Technology (Dhaka); Stamford University (Dhaka); Chittagong University; Bangladesh School of Debate Chittagong University Chapter; Finance and Banking Debating Association, Chittagong University; Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology; University of Science and Technology, Chittagong; and International Islamic University, Chittagong.

This was my second experience with English debates in Chittagong by Drishty. The topics this year were relevant and pragmatic. Interesting presentations came out of the school topics like “all schools should provide music and art education”; “fast food restaurants do more harm than good”; and “cell phones should be allowed in school”. The university teams tackled topics that had a domestic and international connotation attached to them such as: “the only place for a just man in an unjust society is in prison”; “coal and oil are a greater threat than nuclear power”; “world is being drowned in coca cola”; and “to preserve peace we should prepare for war”.

Cider International School-I and Sunshine Grammar School entered the final of the school debate. The university debate was organised in the world’s debate format with an upper and lower house of parliament. The top four teams contested in the world’s format. The university students debated “tertiary education should be made free”; and the school students debated “developed countries should join in the fight of global warming”. Cider International School-I and Chittagong University won their respective genres. My personal best choices coincided with the final combined choice of the judges.

Last year Maliha Ahmed of Bay View School, Chittagong caught my attention. This year my best debaters were Priyom Das of Cider International School-I and Jewel Chowdhury of Chittagong University. Both of them constructively built their arguments and were sharp at identifying and refuting the opponent’s gaps.

In a country where Dhaka is Bangladesh and Bangladesh is Dhaka, it is refreshing to see organisations like Drishty come forward and show there is more to the picture than meets the eye. It is even more refreshing to know that Bangladesh has un-tapped talent in these young debaters who will take this country forward when their time and chance comes. To make the objective of English debating more fruitful, it would be nice to see Bangla medium schools participate in future English debate competitions.

Today, English is no longer a language. English has become a universal tool through which people of different cultures and languages communicate. People of the same country find communication in English practical. Debates help analyse our surroundings through logic. An emotional decision with some logic is probably better than an emotional decision devoid of logic. To make Bangladesh competitive in today’s world, we need more initiatives that encourage students to learn and apply their knowledge of English. My own observation from the academia tells that Bangladesh has no shortage of talent in the youth. Our next generation needs a platform and a stage to perform on. This is the only thing we can leave for them. If we can reach that end, the rest will simply be history. No stopping Bangladesh!

(Asrarul Islam Chowdhury is a university academic in Bangladesh)

Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2009

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.

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

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.

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

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

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)

13/14 Feb 2009: Dhaka is Dead; Long Live Dhaka! Unpublished

Dhaka is Dead; Long Live Dhaka! The first revelations of this year’s spring
By Asrar Chowdhury

Unpublished
Feb 2009

***

Today was a special day for the people of Dhaka. It was the first day of spring- Pahela Phalgun as we all know the day as. Within and throughout Dhaka the girls painted the colours of spring with their yellow and red saris. The whole of Dhaka woke up to festivities. A re-birth, a re-incarnation of a city, of a culture, of history.

Unfortunately, I spent the whole day working. My only consolation was to look at one of the rare patches of green trees in Dhaka in the Science Laboratory Campus that’s visible from my bedroom. By late afternoon I finished writing what I set out to in the morning. I was happy with myself. I had a wedding programme to attend in the evening. I was well ahead of schedule.

Our driver went on leave. This gave me an excuse to get from my house to Dhanmondi Road 7 on foot. I was looking forward to the evening stroll—an excuse to see Dhaka City from the other side of the coin. The moment I stepped out of my house, I saw a familiar scene—cars waiting in the jam of New Elephant Road. This didn’t distract me because I was walking. I knew I’d find some loophole that the cars won’t or can’t find.

In stead of crossing the road, I decided to walk on the side of New Elephant Road opposite to Science Laboratory. I normally don’t do this because that’s the side of New Elephant Road that has one of the most densely populated and dynamically moving pedestrians in the world. This observation neglects the ‘unidentified flying objects’ of the Dhaka streets. Since today was a day to enjoy the Dhaka walkers, I got out of my house and took a left turn. It was the normal scene of New Elephant Road on any day. You bump into every second person in the road; the rickshaws are coming from the opposite side on an otherwise one way road; the vendors have occupied the entire pedestrian’s footpath. The only way one can ‘really’ walk to the Science Laboratory Crossing is relying on one’s instincts and being careful at every moment that something isn’t going to hit you from the front, from behind and finally from the left and the right. YES! It’s a 3D animated experience first hand.

When I finally got to the cross roads, I was happy to see I was on the side of the flowing traffic. My instincts told me not to take the over-bridge, but to walk with the cars. As I was doing so, a man in his motorcycle zipped passed me from behind. I have to give the gentleman full credit for finding the space between myself and him and not touching me. That was one escape. While crossing the cross roads with the Police Box in my sight, a little van almost collided with me. No bonus points for guessing correct. The van was coming from a side it wasn’t supposed to. The traffic police didn’t even notice!

Finally I got to Road 1, Dhanmondi. The next target was to cross the road and touch Road 2, Dhanmondi. In other words the next target was to cross City College. I’ve walked this place many times in the past, but today I just couldn’t find one little space to walk. The absence of street lights made it impossible to fathom what was in front of me. When I finally reached the end of Road 1, I was happy to see the beauty of chaos—a total traffic failure. There was no way you could tell which car to blame. All the cars were jammed. To my left, the part of the road that leads to Rifles’ Square, the entire road was empty. I didn’t have the time to enjoy the technicalities. I took this as my chance to cross the road. Each vehicle was still. I had a dream crossing.

YES, I finally made it to Road 2. I crossed the City College Gate and was proceeding towards Alliance Francaise, Road 3, Dhanmondi. The owners of Happy Arcade have followed the municipal rules by leaving adequate space from their boundary and also constructing an underground car park. They followed the rules of land. But then. What about the happy shoppers of Happy Arcade? Five cars parked in front of the shopping complex. Two of them trying to get into the traffic to get on to Mirpur Road. Each one is blowing their horns to divert people in front of them, who don’t have the slightest idea on what to do.

As I was crossing the road to get to Road 3, the green lights went on. I should have realised green in Dhaka doesn’t mean the cars start to move. But the change from red to green via yellow means the every car will press their horns to try to waken up the traffic police. It was only then that I understood why we need traffic lights and a traffic police at the same time. Otherwise it would have been pandemonium like the crossing from Road 1 to Road 2. So, now I was crossing Road 3 and Alliance Francaise. The Chobi Mela V was going on. The French Building was decorated with lighting. I crossed the block of Road 3 and now was about to cross the road again to hop on to Road 4, Dhanmondi.

Road 4, Dhanmondi is the part of Mirpur Road that overlooks LabAid. Opposite to LabAid is a popular bus stand. I was amazed. Everybody was disciplined. They stood in their allotted places in the queues, but there was no room on the footpath for pedestrians. I took to the main road. Even then I couldn’t walk. Believe me, there couldn’t have been less than 1,000 people waiting for a bus. Could I blame them for occupying the road? Why and how can I? I crossed the queues and then crossed Lavender and finally Priyo and Almas. This time the situation was unbearable. Three rows of cars blocking 30 percent of Mirpur Road, and cars blocking each square inch of available space on the footpath in front of Priyo-Almas. When I did cross the road to hop onto Road 6, Dhanmondi, I sensed another hurdle- King’s Bakery, and Yousuf Confectionary.

As a teenager I remember walking from our house to visit friends and family near Dhanmondi Lake and Kalabagan. I even remember walking to Taj Mahal Road as a past time to visit a friend whom I haven’t seen now for more than two decades. But this is simply krazy. YES, this is the Dhaka that we all love. This is the Dhaka we all feel proud of. Even this morning I was grumbling about Pahela Phalgun. The spring winds may have arrived. That may be good news for those who want to go and visit the melas in Dhaka. We fail to realise that with the spring comes news that summer is knocking at the door. YES, the wonderful summer of Dhaka coupled with the jams and ‘lawlessness’ in the streets.

Finally, I entered Road 7, Dhanmondi. It seemed as if the journey was about to end. I found the community centre I headed out for. I didn’t recognise anybody and nobody recognised me. I cross-checked with one person to see if I had come to the right place. I did come to the right place. I reached the venue only to find out I had come to the programme three days too early! After sitting for 10/12 minutes, I thought of leaving. YES, all the way back home and on foot again.

***

Only this morning I was reading a note Maqsood Bhai (Mac Haque) wrote and tagged me on in Facebook. He mentioned that Facebook has become or is becoming an integral part of our lives. For once at least, I’m happy Facebook is here. I had something to look forward to. Get back home. Write about your experience and upload it on Facebook for planet Earth to see!

Some of us live a dream of Dhaka. Dhaka is Dhaka come what may. I think that’s a myth. The historical Dhaka is locked up in the pages of historians in wonderful narrations by Poet Shamsur Rahman in his Smritir Shohor or dug out by the historian Muntasir Mamun in one of his rare gems for people to ponder ‘what was’ and ‘what is’. What these narrations have never addressed is ‘what could be’?

After today’s experience, all I can say is I’ve seen the writing on the wall. And it’s no joke. If this is the way Dhaka is proceeding, I don’t think we’ll have to wait for global warming and the rising seas to get the better of us. The people of Dhaka will have the better of themselves. Rename this City. At once! Call it any name that comes to mind. But please, please don’t call it Dhaka. Dhaka is Dead; Long Live Dhaka!

Pahela Phalgun Shubhechchha!

Asrar Chowdhury (Ronnie)
13/14.Feb.09
Pahela Phalgun
Dhaka

DS Campus 25 Jan 09: We lost only to ‘die another day’

Daily Star Campus
Sunday 25 January 2009

We lost only to ‘die another day’
by Asrar Chowdhury
URL: http://www.thedailystar.net/campus/2009/01/04/feature_die.htm

“THE day the music died” in Cricket for me was when the Prince of the Caribbean, Brian Charles Lara, said goodbye. And with him I said “Goodbye Miss [Cricket] Pie”! I have not watched a Bangladeshi cricket match for a long time. Watching two in a row was never on the cards. Watching Bangladesh make its way into the Finals of the Tri-Nation Cricket Series, evoked the romanticism of Cricket in my heart like it did in 1990 when one Brian Charles Lara said that he had arrived with 44 runs, before the spin wizard Abdul Qadir put an end to his debut Test innings!

After the Zimbabwe debacle, it was almost obvious that Bangladesh was entering into another phase of its so-familiar hibernation at the beginning of 2009. Surprisingly, that was not to be. The way Bangladesh performed in their group match against Sri Lanka made one believe that this team may have finally come of age. Then reading between the lines, one sees a familiar picture- the bowlers and the fielders were responsible for the victory more than the top-order batsmen.

There has never been question about the talent of our batsmen. The question has always been about their temperament. We are used to throwing wickets in the process of flashing our bats outside the off stump at crucial stages of an innings or just when a partnership is about to be set. Our bowlers and fielders are the ones who bail us out, but then they are only as good as the duration our batsman can keep their bails on their wickets.

In the final match Bangladesh once again found herself in familiar waters. The mirage of victory in the previous match against the same opponent quickly evaporated. The top-order failed to make an impression. Rokibul and Mahmudullah brought some respectability by dragging the innings close to the 50th over. In the end, 152 runs were all we could muster.

Such a paltry target would never be enough against a different Sri Lanka team in the final. Then sun shone on Bangladesh from the word go as Sakib sent Jayasuriya back to the pavilion with a brilliant run out on the very first ball of the innings. Bangladesh created a world record by sending the first five opponent batsmen back to the pavilion with only 6 runs on the board. It was difficult to predict if it was a mirage. Again it was the bowlers and the fielders who did the damage.

The test was not if we could win. Rather how well we could defend only 152 runs. And we did it very well. It was not until Sakib removed Sangakara and Kulasekara in his penultimate over that a victory was really on the cards. Many may blame Ashraful for what followed next. But then in hindsight Ashraful made the right move. He had to gamble. Rubel Hossain had cleared the same Lankan tail in his second spell in the previous match. This time however Lady Luck did not smile at Rubel. The best of the best bowlers have met the fate Rubel did on that day. It just was not our day.

For once we can celebrate a Bangladesh loss in cricket. It is not everyday that we see Bangladesh play like Tigers for two matches on the trot. And play consistently against the odds. The aspiration of each individual to do well showed in the body language of the Team. This is welcoming. Then again the consistently inconsistent performance of our top-order batsmen is one aspect the Team has to address. We cannot always depend on our lower order batsmen and our bowlers to bail us out.

Good performance is as contagious as bad performance. One can only hope the Team spirit we saw grows bolder and bolder as 2009 unfolds. If it does, the elusive victories will come. It will only be a matter of time. Our greatest asset is the exuberance of youth. Hopefully 2009 will be a big year for Bangladesh Cricket. For the time being let’s celebrate a good overall performance of the Bangladesh Cricket Team. In the end we lost only to ‘die another day’!

(Writer is a university academic)