The present political crisis and the Boishakhi celebrations

Rashid Askari

Published in the Financial Express: Sunday, 14 April 2013

The state of affairs in the present political arena of Bangladesh has for quite some time been constantly gnawing at us with no immediate hope of catharsis. The acts of vandalism committed by a section of political activists, the prolonged tug of war between the government and the opposition over retaining and coming to power, the unbecoming attitude of a not-so-known 'hybrid-type' organisation, the stubborn resistance put up by the youths' platform and the pro-liberation forces, and, above all, the unspeakable sufferings of the people caused by recurrent shutdowns, blockades and demonstrations are frustrating the whole nation.

All this is doing serious harm to the private and public properties and leaving a corrosive impact on the country's economy, stability and progress. There are more causes for concern. The society has been seriously plagued with trifling disagreements and lack of mutual respect and political tolerance. The situation has worsened so gravely that even the most undisputed facts of our history have been fractured to suit narrow personal or party interests. Numerous inter-party and intra-party splits have thus long been crippling our national integrity. And in this troubled water, religious fanatics are trying to fish the rabid right wingers.

We have had enough reasons to apprehend that Bangladesh is going to be on the track of some ulta-extremist states, including two in wider South Asian region which are most deadly violence-ridden countries in the world and horribly crippled by fanatical extremism and militancy. This beloved land of ours, earned at the cost of three million lives, is being made to move far away from the spirit of the liberation war. To realise the dream of the freedom fighters, i.e., to make a secular-democratic, non-communal and progressive Bangladesh, and to ensure maximum civil liberty, is increasingly becoming a far cry from reality. With the passing of every single day, we are being gripped by one or another frustrating experience. To our great shock and horror, we have observed that even many of our pro-Liberation forces are showing more interest in going to power than in fighting for establishing the true spirit of independence. This is the real cause of alarm. Any kind of indulgence given to the activities of the militant forces may inspire them to take their agenda much further. Today's unruly Talibans were yesterday's angry activists pampered by indulgent governments and supported by vested interests. That the religious fundamentalists of Bangladesh have no dearth of financial support is an acknowledged fact. Now if they can go ahead with their operations pretty safely during the tenure of the pro-liberation government, they won't take much longer time to transform Bangladesh into a country right after the fashion of those extremist countries. Despite being born on the alluvial soil of Bangladesh, and raised in its lush green vegetation, such religious fanatics dream of some violence-prone places in the world in their wild flights of fancy. This is their avowed goal too! So they perhaps are thinking that this present turbulent situation would be for them a dream come true. Their action programmes, according to some circles, drops a broad hint at a march towards darkness not towards progress. There are telltale signs of this in their related charter of demand. So, much as they claim that they are non-political, they are diametrically opposite to that. As a matter of fact, the organisation under mention here is a cataclysmic regeneration of the endangered political species of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, and the so-called long marchers are marching towards establishing a militant state.

What is to be done to stop the process of actions by such obscurantist forces? There are ways if there is a strong will. All pro-liberation people regardless of religious beliefs, age, social status and party affiliations, should come under one umbrella --- the secular spirit of independence, and keep a round-the-clock vigil so as not to allow the anti-liberation forces to steal the show. Despite all damaging splits in the country, we still do have room for unification through cultural interactions. The people of Bangladesh are, both by birth and by choice, lovers of Boishakhii celebrations.

Marking the Bangla New Year's Day, the 1st day of the month of Boishakhi in the Bangla calendar, popularly known as Pahela Boishakhi, could be the vast melting pot of the wide diversities of our population. The new generation should try to unify the country from this common platform. Pahela Boishakhi can connect all ethnic Bengalees throughout the world. The Bengalees, regardless of age groups and social classes, celebrate the occasion with considerable joy and merriment. All modes of Boishakhii celebrations - especially the rendering of Tagore songs by Chayanaut at Ramna Batamool in Dhaka and the mouth-watering display of Panta-Ilish with onions and green chilli cater for all the people. The Boishakhii fairs, the Jatra, Jari-Saree, Pala and other folk songs including the Baul, Marfati, Murshidi-Bhawaiyya and Bhatiali, the fun-filled puppet shows and the thrilling merry-go-rounds bring us closer to each other. People putting on traditional Bengali attire --- men with pajama-punjabi or dhoti-kurta, and women in white sari with red or purple borders, bangles around their wrists, flowers around braids or Khopas --- all put us into a hold-all cultural bag. The most important thing in these celebrations is that they create a unity in diversity which is badly needed for cementing the alliances in today's split society. The observance of the secular programmes and cultural activities like those of Pahela Boishakhi could ward off the evil spirits, help protect our ideals of liberation and independence, and drive out the looming spectre of a Taliban state in secular Bangladesh.

This is an edited version of an article by the writer who writes fictions and columns, and teaches English Literature at Kushtia Islamic University. rashidaskari65@yahoo.com