Banner Advertiser

Saturday, March 26, 2011

[ALOCHONA] Taher, Zia and us



Taher, Zia and us

by Asif Nazrul

I had an opportunity of meeting Lawrence Lifshcultz two days ago at a dinner where we had plenty of time to talk. I asked Lifshcultz what the charges were against Col. Taher? I asked him, what penalty would any other country impose on him for such charges? During the tumultuous days of 1975, the leaflet of the Biplobi Sainik Sangstha or revolutionary soldiers' organization, called for the creation of a classless armed force. This led to the killing of a large number of senior army officers of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. If Col. Taher was involved in this operation, then indeed he would be guilty of treason and could be punished accordingly. Lawrence listened to what I had to say. He did not disagree with me outright, but questioned the manner in which the trial was conducted. A camera trial, or secret trial, could in no way be condoned and nor could the camera trial of Col. Taher.

From what little I understand, Col. Taher did not even have a secret trial. A trial means the defendant has adequate opportunity to defend himself, the verdict must clarify why the defence is not acceptable. In the case of Col. Taher that probably did not happen. He called for the then President Sayem, General Osmany, General Zia and s few others to be summoned before the tribunal to examine whether his defence was true or not. That was not done. In his testimony, Col. Taher said he believed in the concept of a people's army. About the fact that army officers were killed, he said, "My orders to the soldiers who took part in the rebellion was that no officers should be injured in that manner." This proves that he had connection with those taking part in the rebellion, but it does not prove that he had supported the killings. We have not found any documents that indicate that this {his involvement in the killing was proven in the tribunal.

He was actually killed in the name of a trial. From Che Guevara down to our Masterda Surja Sen, so many revolutionaries of this world were similarly killed (without any trial or by means of farcical trials). Che Guevara and Surja Sen fought against imperialism. Their struggles did not succeed right then. They had to give their lives. We also see many successful revolutionaries in history. About 200 years ago Simone Bolivar fought against Spanish imperialism and freed six Hispanic American states. His highest reward was being able to build up the state of his own creation.

Revolution or freedom struggle means to wage war against an existing system. There failure means death, success means the highest glory. Had our Bangabandhu, the leaders of Mujibnagar and our sector commanders failed to liberate the country, perhaps they would have been hanged. It was because they succeeded that they are lauded by the people of the land, placed in position of high honour.

My question is, who was Col. Taher fighting against? He was, at least towards the end, involved with JSD. Do we believe in JSD's scientific socialism or the People's Army of the Biplobi Sainik Sangstha? Did the people of Bangladesh ever pass a mandate in favour of this? The dream which he had of an exploitation-free society, his readiness to sacrifice himself, will keep him alive in the minds of many. But was his method right? What other consequence could he have met since his method failed? What actually was his method, his ideology?

The investigations of the trial in High Court now do not touch on any of these questions. Only the manner in which he was tried has been questioned, and it is right to question this. Questions could have been raised whether it was even necessary to give such a man any trial. He had to leave the army during Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's rule due to the ideals in which he believed. Bangabandhu did not try him for this, but appointed him to another post. In the post-75 scenario did this Taher become so popular amongst a section of the troops, did the firmness of this resolve become so dangerous that there was no alternative but to place him on trial? We never find any concrete discussion based on real fact in this regard.

Speaking at a programme on the occasion of Taher's death anniversary, Lawrence Lifschultz said he was not neutral about Taher, but he was objective. Given the political beliefs of Lifschultz, I feel it would indeed be difficult for him to be neutral about Taher. He may not have been neutral, but that does not exempt others from being neutral. My personal belief is that unless we want to view the entire canvas concerning the debate over Col. Taher, this will not be a learning experience and it will not be acceptable. In order to see the entire canvas, it is not enough to simply focus on his trial; one must discuss his ideology, the acceptability of his programmes and the political background of the time.

 

2.  Then again, did Zia alone kill Taher? Let alone the question of persons involved in the trial, what about those who were in the top ranks of the army at that time, such as General Manzur, General Ershad, General Nurul Islam Shishu or the retired General Osmany? Did they at any later point of time openly protest against the incident? Did Awami League itself ever condemn this killing or protest against it? Even during the last Awami League government we saw initiative being taken for the trial of certain killings, but not that of Col. Taher. This time too the court investigations for this case have been taken by personal initiative, not from a government level. The court is showing a lot of interest in this case. It would be very good if the court showed such interest in investigating all killings. If we find the court in Awami League's time interested in investigating Taher's killing, then during any BNP government's time we find the court eager to investigate the killing of Siraj Sikder, it would be quite confusing. 

Lawrence Lifschultz has done his work as a writer. Now beyond that, some deeper investigations must be carried out. Hundreds of books have been written about President Kennedy's assasination in the US. None of them are really hundred percent correct in analysis. It is not possible for any analyst to get things 100 percent correct. Only math can be done a hundred percent accurately. Political analysis and the application of law is not math. We saw two different verdicts in court regarding the same caretaker government. So there needs to be a thorough analysis of the events of 1975.

Another danger of factual discussions is the sole dependence on newspaper reports. Over the last two years the manner in which the media has been focusing on Zia, one would think that he alone was the root of all political and constitution related anarchies. A similar propaganda was done for the six to seven years after Bangabandhu's death. It was wrong to demonize Bangabandhu in such a manner and it is wrong to demonize anyone else in such a manner now. 

Taher, in his last testimony, has spoken in a praiseworthy manner of the contribution made by Ziaur Rahman in the Liberation War and after. He speaks of the Bangabandhu killing case and says the US, Pakistan, certain elements within the army and within Awami League were responsible for this. Nowhere does he speak of Ziaur Rahman's involvement in the killing of Bangabandu.

Given the circumstances, Taher himself suggested that martial law be imposed after August 15, 1975 and that the Constitution be suspended. He also called for the release of the prisoners and for elections to be held. In November he asked Zia to become the Chief Martial Law Administrator (according to his own discourse, Zia at one point agreed). Taher called Zia a betrayer in regard to his own trial. But nowhere in his discourse, has Taher pointed to Zia as being solely responsible for his trial, although now Zia is being singled out in this regard. Some papers are doing this.  Even the court is glossing over anyone else's responsibility for certain events in our nation's history, simply focusing on Zia for the various failures.

 

3.  Ziaur Rahman had his faults, but can we accept the words supposedly of a deceased man (General Manzur) to affirm that it was Zia who took the decision to kill Taher? Lawrence is now saying that Zia was indirectly responsible for Bangabandhu's killing. If he was responsible, then why should General Shafiullah and the heads of the other forces at the time not be responsible too?  What about several Awami League leaders? Why was Zia not accused during the trial of the Banabandhu killing case? Why should certain selected papers released by the US be taken as the basis of our beliefs in this case, when the US itself is being accused of being behind Bangabandhu's killing?

We collectively failed to prevent the killing of Bangabandhu. We collectively pushed him towards adopting the suicidal Fourth Amendment. This is the sad picture he highlighted in his speech the day the Fourth Amendment was passed in parliament. I believe he was a man much larger than life – if the others were five feet, he was ten. Four other National Leaders,  Zia, Taher, Khaled Musharraf and Manzur, they all were more than five feet in their stature and contributions. Lilliputians are never at ease with Gullivers. That is why we have killed,  or facilitated the killing of all our Gullivers. We have kept Ershad alive with honour as he is the same size as us.

We have not stopped at killing of the big men. During various regimes, we tried to kill them in many other ways. We must learn to respect these big men. We must be able to analyse their faults and their contributions objectively and wisely.

These big men are bright stars in the sky of our dreams, hopes and achievements. Some are brighter than the others, but they all are stars. If we want to conceal them in the dark clouds of petty politics, motivated character assassination and cowardly silence, we will be brining up a confused new generation bereft of honur and self-respect. That does not bode well for any of us.

 

Dr. Asif Nazrul is a researcher, political analust and professor of law. This article is translated by PROBE from the original one published in the Prothom-Alo on March 18, 2011


http://www.probenewsmagazine.com/index.php?index=2&contentId=6950

__._,_.___


[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
To unsubscribe/subscribe, send request to alochona-owner@egroups.com




Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___

[ALOCHONA] Who are the Libyan Freedom Fighters and Their Patrons?



Who are the Libyan Freedom Fighters and Their Patrons?



__._,_.___


[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
To unsubscribe/subscribe, send request to alochona-owner@egroups.com




Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___

[ALOCHONA] Price spike forces poor to cut down on food intake



Price spike forces poor to cut down on food intake



The exorbitant price hike of essential commodities has forced a large percentage
of the country's low-income families to cut down on their food intake.
A number of people who live hand-to-mouth and low-income servicemen of Dhaka,
Rajshahi, Savar, Jamalpur, Mymensingh, Habiganj, Nilphamari, and Chapainawabganj
said they had failed to increase their income to match the price spiral of
essential commodities and so were forced to cut down on their food intake.
'The way the prices of essential commodities have gone up in the past one
year, there is a possibility of food intake adjustment by the very low-income
group people,' Centre for Policy Dialogue executive director Mustafizur Rahman
told New Age on Saturday.

He said the purchasing capacity of the low-income group people had reduced due
to the price spiral of essential commodities, which sometimes forced them to cut
down on food intake as they spent 60 to 80 per cent of their income on food.
A government survey has revealed that at least 39.80 per cent of the households
in the country still live in food insecurity. The survey report also says
members of most of those households often go without food or have to borrow to
meet their want of food. The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics conducted the
Welfare Monitoring Survey in March 2009, the report of which was released in May
last year.

The Consumers Association of Bangladesh in a survey report released in December
2010 said low-income families were forced to reduce food consumption by more
than one-fifth.'We have no alternative to reducing food intake as we spend only a small and
fixed amount of money for clothing and house rent,' said Abdus Samad, a
resident of Balubagaban village in Chapainawabganj town. He has to run a
six-member family with a fixed income of Tk 250 a day. He pays a Tk 1,200 house
rent a month.

Abdus Samad said the income of his family had increased by only Tk 80 per day
over the past three years, while the expenditure had nearly doubled over the
same period.
Like Samad, a good number of people who used to be above the poverty line feel
the pinch of the price spike of essential commodities.Dhaka University Institute of Nutrition and Food Science director professor
Sagarmay Barua said it was a common coping pattern that people cut down on their
food intake when the prices of essentials went up and they failed to increase
their income. It creates a serious threat of producing nutrition deficiency, he
said.

The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on March 9, however, said in the parliament
that the people of Bangladesh were eating more food now as their average earning
had increased. 'Those who used to eat once a day are now eating twice and the
people who used to eat twice a day are now eating thrice,' she claimed.
A CAB study reveals that the price of rice has increased by 40 per cent a year.
The study also found that, on an average, the prices of major food items had
increased by 20.30 per cent in last year.

According to the market monitoring report of Trading Corporation of Bangladesh,
as on March 25, the retail price of coarse rice had increased by 30.19 per cent
in the past one year, that of flour, the second-most important essential food
item, by 46.81 per cent, and the prices of soya bean oil and palm oil by more
than 42 per cent and 48 per cent respectively, while the price of spices had
risen by more then 20 per cent on an average.

According to a budget implementation report released last week, the overall food
inflation soared to a 29-month high at 11.91 per cent in January this year. The
food price hike led food inflation to increase by 0.67 percentage points to
12.43 per cent in rural area and by 1.43 percentage points to 10.47 per cent in
urban areas in the month.

Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies research director Zaid Bakht said
the cost of living had gone up due to the price spiral of essential commodities
and affected the food consumption of the people living around the poverty line.
New Age correspondent in Nilphamari reported that most of the poor families in
the district were compelled to change their way of earning and food behaviour.
They engaged more members, whether women or children, for making some extra
income, took loans from NGOs and local usurers at high interest, sought seasonal
work, sold domestic animals and trees to cover food costs.

Tofazzal Hossain, 37, a rickshaw-puller of Singdoi village under Nilphamari
Sadar upazila, earns between Tk 180 and Tk 200 a day, which he said was not
enough to manage food for his six-member family.Tofazzal said, three to four years back, he could provide for his family without
much hardship. But, now he is at a loss about how to run his family.
He said sometimes he was unable to pull rickshaw and earn money due to illness.
In such a situation, he has to either take an instant loan from the local usurer
at a high interest or to sell a domestic animal or a tree. In recent years, the
sharp price spiral has forced him to take loans from different non-governmental
organisations as at present he has nothing left to sell.
He said in a sad voice that, due to the acute price hike, his family had never
eaten meat or fish in recent years except during the Eids.

Awal Miah, 54, an agricultural labourer of Danga Para village under the same
upazila, said he usually earned Tk 150 when work was available and sometimes
less than Tk 80 when there was hardly any work. He remains unemployed in most of
the months of the year. So, he tried to earn money by working as a seasonal
labourer in other districts and sometimes by selling traditional rice cakes or
boiled eggs.He also engaged his wife and children as domestic workers in others' homes to
earn some extra income.

According to the World Food Programme, 60 million people in Bangladesh still do
not have sufficient food to eat.New Age Correspondent in Habiganj reported that the prices of essential
commodities had been increasing by the day at the markets of the district,
causing great financial hardships for the people, especially the people of
low-income groups and the middle class.

http://newagebd.com/newspaper1/frontpage/13122.html


__._,_.___


[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
To unsubscribe/subscribe, send request to alochona-owner@egroups.com




Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___

[ALOCHONA] Re: Here is a poem on Yunus




"Nagorik Shokti"

--- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, Shahadat Hussaini <shahadathussaini@...> wrote:
>
>
> Shabash kobi,
> You said it all on behalf of all Bangladeshis and world.
> Shahadat Suhrawardy
>
>
>
> Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2011 08:08:47 -0700
> From: smargoob@...
> Subject: Here is a poem on Yunus
> To: bangladeshiamericans@googlegroups.com; alochona@yahoogroups.com; khabor@yahoogroups.com; diagnose@yahoogroups.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
> The poem depicts the sad condition in Bangladesh today.
> --
> * Disclaimer: You received this message because you had subscribed to the Google Groups "Bangladeshi-Americans Living in New England". Any posting to this group is solely the opinion of the author of the messages to BangladeshiAmericans@googlegroups.com who is responsible for the accuracy of his/her information and the conformance of his/her material with applicable copyright and other laws where applicable. The act of posting to the group indicates the subscriber's agreement to accept the adjudications of the moderator(s). To post to this group, send email to BangladeshiAmericans@googlegroups.com
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to BangladeshiAmericans-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
> For more options, visit this group at http://groups-beta.google.com/group/BangladeshiAmericans?hl=en ].
>


__._,_.___


[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
To unsubscribe/subscribe, send request to alochona-owner@egroups.com




Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___

[ALOCHONA] Fwd: [Dahuk]: The Importance & Rights of Parents



-------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Fasih Ur Rehman Khan <fasihcool@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, Mar 22, 2011 at 7:05 PM
Subject: [Dahuk]: The Importance & Rights of Parents
To:


 

The Importance & Rights of Parents 

Say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour. - Quran 17:23
In Islam it is obligatory for us to show kindness, respect, and obedience to our parents. The position of parents, and the mutual obligations and responsibilities, have been addressed in Islam in great detail. In fact kindness and obedience is so strongly emphasized that Allah has linked showing gratitude to one's parents with showing gratitude to Allah -
And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command), "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal. (31:14)
Sadly we are living in a time where children speaking disrespectfully to their parents and about their parents, is the norm rather than the exception. However Islam places great emphasis on respectful and considerate behaviour to even our enemies, so to not uphold the obligations laid down by God to our parents is actually one of the major sins.
In the Quran
Let's see what  the Quran says about Parents. This is the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allah (2:02) 
Treat  parents with honour & speak to them graciously & with humility
Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say:  My Lord! Bestow on them thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood. (17:23)
Be grateful to parents but do not obey them if they strive to make you associate things with God
...Be grateful to Me and to both your parents; to Me is the eventual coming. But if they strive to make thee join in worship with Me things of which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not; yet bear them company in this life with justice (and consideration), and follow the way of those who turn to me (in love): in the end the return of you all is to Me, then will I inform you of what you did (31:15)
These verses make it clear that we must honour our parents, appreciate their sacrifices and efforts for us, and do our best for them. This is required regardless of whether they are Muslims or not.
Be good to parents and everyone else who you meet
Serve God, and join not any partners with Him; and do good- to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbours who are near, neighbours who are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (ye meet), and what your right hands possess: For God loveth not the arrogant, the vainglorious;- (4:36)
If the Quran tells us to be good to a stranger how can we even think of disrespecting our parents?
Hadiths
Let's see what Prophet Muhammad   said about parents in the authentic Hadiths. Whatsoever the Prophet gives you, take it and whatsoever he forbids you, refrain from it. - Quran 59:7
Disobedience to parents is a major sin
Anas narrated from Prophet Muhammad  about the major sins. He (Mohammed) observed: Associating anyone with God, disobedience to parents, killing a person and false utterance. (Muslim)
One of the dearest deeds to God is being good & dutiful to parents
Narrated 'Abdullah: I asked the Prophet  "Which deed is the dearest to God?" He replied, "To offer the prayers at their early stated fixed times." I asked, "What is the next (in goodness)?" He replied, "To be good and dutiful to your parents"...(Bukhari)
Being dutiful to parents is one of the keys to enter Paradise
Abu Huraira reported Prophet Muhammad as saying: Let him be humbled into dust; let him be humbled into dust. It was said: God's Messenger, who is he? He said: He who sees either of his parents during their old age or he sees both of them, but he does not enter Paradise (because he has been undutiful to them). (Muslim)
Acts of kindness we can do for our parents after their death
While we were with Prophet Muhammad of Allah . A man of Banu Salmah came to Him and said: Apostle of God is there any kindness left that I can do to my parents after their death? He replied: Yes, you can invoke blessings on them, forgiveness for them, carry out their final instructions after their death, join ties of relationship which are dependent on them, and honour their friends. (Abu Dawood)
The High Status given to Mothers
A man came to the Prophet  and asked him for permission to join a military expedition. The Prophet  asked him if he had a mother, and when he replied that he had, he said, "Stay with her, for Paradise is at her feet." (Ahmad)
Summary
Sometimes we may take our parents for granted and overlook their importance. As Muslims we should constantly be alert to guard ourselves from sins, however, are we guarding ourselves from one of the biggest major sins? Are we honouring and respecting our parents as per their right? Or are we neglecting one of the deeds most dearest to Allah?  Right now the choice is ours!
 

Posted by E ISLAM at 12:03 AM

Source: http://eislaminfo.blogspot.com/




__._,_.___


[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
To unsubscribe/subscribe, send request to alochona-owner@egroups.com




Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___

[ALOCHONA] Fwd: Best wishes to all of you on Independence Day



------ Forwarded message ----------

From: Zoglul Husain <zoglul@hotmail.co.uk>
Date: Sat, Mar 26, 2011 at 4:55 PM
Subject: RE: Best wishes to all of you on Independence Day
To: Isha Khan <bdmailer@gmail.com>


Greetings, felicitations and best wishes for the Independence Day! On this day we solemnly declare, as in article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights". We pay homage to the martyrs and victims, and respect to the freedom fighters, organisers and supporters. We also renew our resolve to resolutely oppose any oppression and misrule within the country as well as we denounce any hegemonists, who tried to, and have been trying to, subjugate us in the name of liberation.
 
On this day we make a renewed pledge to resolutely defend our independence and sovereignty. We pledge to develop our beloved country, emancipate the people and establish democratic rights and human rights, for the benefit of all in the country. We resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with all countries with such aspirations of national freedom from hegemony and of emancipation of the people. 
 

Date: Sat, 26 Mar 2011 08:33:29 +0600
Subject: Best wishes to all of you on Independence Day
From: bdmailer@gmail.com
To:

Best wishes to all of you on Independence Day






__._,_.___


[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
To unsubscribe/subscribe, send request to alochona-owner@egroups.com




Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___

[ALOCHONA] Daily Star: Col Nadir Ali - Memories of 1971; One Man's Story of Insanity, Loss and Redemption




Food for Thought

Memories of 1971

One Man's Story of Insanity, Loss and Redemption

Farah Ghuznavi

Daily Star

http://www.thedailystar.net/magazine/2011/03/04/food.htm

 

This fortnight has provided me with much more than normal rations of food for thought. It started when I encountered a write-up stating that the website health.com lists writing as one of the top 10 professions in which people are most likely to suffer from depression. That probably won't come as a surprise to many people, since there are so many well-known writers who have struggled with depression, including Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath and Hemingway. Genius and mental health issues often - though not always - travelling in hand in glove appears to be a bit of a no-brainer, but more average creative types can also be prone to above-average mood swings.

 

As the article went on to argue on a lighter note, the issue of how writing might affect people not prone to depression also raises some interesting questions. After all, if you take an otherwise healthy person, shut him up alone for hours at a time, day after day, month after month, year after year, watch him pack on the pounds as physical exercise becomes a thing of the past, ask him to write, knowing that the end result can never be perfect - and, for good measure, tell him there's no way of guaranteeing if he'll be published, or paid - the results could quite reasonably be expected to be alarming.

 

But looking on the positive side, if happy people might not want to risk becoming writers, then those who in any case have "heavy heads" (as a good friend of mine likes to put it), might have less to lose. In fact, given how cathartic writing can be, they could have a lot to gain. I was reminded of all this at a talk recently organised by the BRAC Development Institute (BDI) with the 1971 Collective and other partners that brought together academics and activists from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to discuss the Liberation War of 1971.

 

One of the speakers was a Pakistani man – Nadir Ali - who is an ex-lieutenant colonel and was part of the occupying Pakistani forces in Bangladesh in 1971. He said a number of interesting and very moving things about his time here. I don't have space to go into all of it, but in Ali's own words the experience led to him "spending three years in the nuthouse". Given attitudes towards mental health in this part of the world, a public admission of that nature is unusual enough; but given that he was sharing his wartime experiences with people who had lived through it as victims, I was awed by his brutal honesty about the war, the role played by his nation, and what he saw and did himself.

 

He had never killed civilians, or sanctioned such killings, Ali stated quite clearly. But he went on to say that that did not vindicate him in any way; not in the eyes of the world, not before those of us who were judging him, and certainly not for all the times that he found he was standing in judgment of himself.

 

Ali was appalled by what the army expected him to do, and followed his conscience more loyally than army policy. On one occasion, accompanied by the soldiers in his battalion, he encountered a Hindu doctor who was stopped and required to identify himself. Since the man's name gave away his religious identity, Ali found himself obliquely warning him to be careful about providing information when asked for his name in those troubled times, and sent him on his way. When one of the soldiers accompanying him asked if he should shoot the departing doctor (for being a Hindu), Ali responded, "If you touch your rifle, I will shoot you."

 

Another time, he ended up freeing a man being beaten by collaborators for supposedly raising funds for the freedom fighters. On this occasion too, the soldiers under his command had wanted to shoot the man concerned. In another, very painful instance, Ali was not so lucky in carrying off his attempted rescue. He was sharply reprimanded by his commanding officer for assigning soldiers to protect a group of Hindus who had been attacked by collaborators, where a number of children had also been hurt. He was peremptorily and callously instructed to "get rid of them" by whatever means necessary.

 

The attitudes of his fellow officers were, by and large, dissimilar to his own – they had few qualms about following orders, and in some cases, did so with gusto. Ali recalled one of his colleagues rejoicing on a day when he claimed to have killed a number of unarmed freedom fighters in Feni, brush firing into their midst during a daylight gathering by the river. He said, "I told him, those were not freedom fighters; they would never gather in large numbers during the day in an exposed area. It was a very hot day, and they were probably villagers who had come there in the hope of catching a breeze." My fellow officer responded, 'Who cares?! They were all bastard Bengals anyway!'"

 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Nadir Ali's nervous breakdown was already underway by the time he left Bangladesh; and the day before departure when he went to take leave of his commanding officer, the man prevented him from seeing the senior general. Asked why, he later told Ali that he had in fact arrived dressed in a dhoti, and would have risked severe punishment if the general had seen him wearing clothing associated with not only Bengalis, but Hindu Bengalis.

 

Ali said, "I told him, 'You shouldn't have stopped me. I wanted to tell the general that I am a Bengali now.' I was already living in a different place in my head by then, one that didn't exist!" One can only be grateful that his commanding officer turned him away; otherwise it's possible that he would not have survived to tell the tale.

 

After his discharge from the Pakistan army on the grounds of disability in 1973, Ali went through the near impossible task of, as he described it, putting himself back together; and in that process, rediscovering himself as a person. It must have been a lonely process, since the wider environment in Pakistani society at the time was not remotely sympathetic to his situation. Ali credits his wife for somehow holding things together for the family during that time.

 

He began writing prose and poetry in his mother tongue, Punjabi. Interestingly, he credits his encounter with the Bangla language for bringing him back to his own - both through understanding the crucial importance of our language to the construction of the Bengali identity, and to his realisation that - as his first language – Punjabi would be the best way of communicating his thoughts and ideas to the wider world. His first volume of poetry was dominated by his Bangladesh experience.

 

I recently read something by the writer John Rember, who said, addressing others who write:

 

There is something inside of you that is damaging your life. There is in most people who get involved in this business. One of the great challenges of life is to turn weaknesses into strengths, evils into good things, and we're never finished with it until we're dead. Writing is the best way I know to grasp those dark things we don't know about ourselves and begin to work with them, and to finally see what the mirror is trying so hard to tell us.

 

Listening to Nadir Ali speak, I realised that this is one man who has not only reached deep into himself to grasp those dark things - some too terrible to bear - he has emerged tempered by the experience; and against all odds, able to face himself in the mirror.



__._,_.___


[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
To unsubscribe/subscribe, send request to alochona-owner@egroups.com




Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___