Dear Mr. Aziz Huq, Thanks for nice words and encouragement. I am not a hystorian not a scholar on the subjects I often deal with. It is, all out of living experiences and my focus in life. I do have few books on hystory in my shelves but what I see everyday, what I made to understand, that always intrigues me and out of love of my people I spent time sharing my opinion, with the hope that this might encourage, unite us to a better understanding. I did not try to write our hystory rather our common characteristics that affect us today on daily basis. Glorifying Bengol or Bangalis does not do any good to their present deplorable conditions. For me 'today' is more important than yesterday.Allow me to tell you why. Does any thing pains you when you retire at the end of a day. After reciting Ayatul Kursi what do you say or think. Alhamdulillah, less of persoanl- other than wish for my children, it is my people, often a big sigh then a prayer for a good leader who can change the plight of my people. I am certain that we do share few common things including a wish for genuine well being of our people and closest of all we do not take our wisdom from Sh.Mujib or Zia. I do not write well, yet I try honestly reflect on the reality. Let me repeat the issue of our "personality' that obscure our positioning in a competitive society. Many Pakistani or Indians I see them in a good positions, few of them I happen to know. I wonder how this guy secured such a position. Only to reflect on this I had to go back. Sonar Banglar treasure diye Shaesta khan or Warren Hesting ki koresilo it is only relevant to researchers, historians. Emperor Akbar allowed a land to East Inida company and that was the begining of great conquer and the rise of Akbar, what pains me at 11.Pm has nothing to do with Akbarer kirti or Zia's courtmarshal on often revolting majors or other officers. At my childhood I have seen my grandfathers pakka building, roof to floor. What it implies, my father had to ferry small marchandise from Kolkata on his shoulder before he made his fortune 60 years ago. today I walk on silk or wool carpet (with my 100% halal earnings). My cousins, they are the majority, all barely make a living. Writing or describing my grandfathers buidling's architect how much would help? Ramadan is coming I need to help few of them (some at their late 60s) to eat two square meal. I also see hundreds of them in my village, they desperately need help and this is the history I always see. I do not think they are inferior they do have many good qualities which I do not possess but ignoring their plight is a great disrespect, aberration to my spirituality. I only tried to make my point sighting a fraction of our history. No nation is inferior or far too great. I have been to Uzbekistan very rencently - imagine their past, central asia was the focal point of the world, see them today! You talked about arsenic problem - one REB general manager who stayed at my place narrated this story - a news paper printing a series of stories on arsenic contamination from chemically treated electric poles imported from Philippine. REB investigated the soil around few poles in Chapai Nababgang and found no contamination. You know why his paid journalists run that story line - the newspaper owner has concrete electric pole factory in Thakurgao. Today arsening contamination is far worse then before and so its reasons. Which is highly political, none of us can deal with the issue with full grasp, highly political water experts will provide you non relevant hypothesis, though it is a very serious issue for our own survival. River that help developed our nation, our civilisation and our treasure, that attracted foreign bandits, today it is our local heroes submits our glory, our water, our treasures to foreign masters for their protection. It is pertinent that we should write and narrate our current history in truth. I hope I managed to made my point clear. (on a different note - I wrote to two of our famous poets and novelists. one from the bank of Jamuna and the other from a nearby town of Padma, do you have any writings on these rivers - one politely replied - 'no sir' another did not reply - they are our 71's spirit bearers, write our history). Haque
--- On Wed, 14/7/10, Aziz Huq <azizhuq@hotmail.com> wrote:
From: Aziz Huq <azizhuq@hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: [ALOCHONA] We have a long way to go - Democracy (2)
To: "alochona alochona" <alochona@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Wednesday, 14 July, 2010, 3:26 AM
Dear Mr. Haque: Honest article on self evaluation. Yes, Bangladesh has long ways to go but time is running out. One out of five people are infected with arsenic poinsoning (WHO report), one hundred sixty million people crammed in an ever shrinking land mass and the the evil of global warming is staring at the face of Bangladesh more than any other place on earth. You mention that if we take 20 best sellers from the sixties todate... I will go one step further: take one thousand most popular books during the last hundred years and anlyze them and you will see a trend. The hallmark of our intellectualism is narrating social ills vividly, some times with exageration. Hardly do we see solutions to the problems in our literature. We seem to relish poverty, failure and childish behavior. Our culture fosters negativity, pessimism and a sense of helplessness. Mr. Haque: You seem to imply that we are genetically inferior. Which is not scientifically correct. All races have well distributred mixture of people. Also if you look at our history our forefathers were not all local Hindus. In our vein flows the blood of Arabs, Pathans, Afgans, Turks and Persian. For over a thousand years scholars, preachers, writers, artists, judges, soldiers and rulers have come to our land. They did not go back. We are the children of these people. If you look around, you will know what I am talking about. So, it is not a matter of genetics. We need to look around and find a source of moral values. We have to look around and find real leaders. We do not need to wait for our national leaders to give us leadership. This has to come from ordinary people doing small deeds of kindness and of noble value. Collectively that will generate the necessary force of change. As people grow and mature each will come to his/her conclusion of the goal and objectivity of life. I have come to my own value of life. Travelling through time, reading, reflecting, seeing people, system and societies I have come to the realization that we have a great treasure which most Bangladeshis will never taste. I have been privileged to get a slight glimpse of that greatness and that is the reason I try to share my knowledge with others at any opportunity I get. But that is for other times. Best of luck and never quit reflecting on life and what matters most. Sincerely look for solutions and you will find it. Aziz Huq
To: alochona@yahoogroup s.com From: haquetm83@yahoo. com Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2010 08:02:56 -0700 Subject: [ALOCHONA] We have a long way to go - Democracy (2) Democratic polity did not set it's root in our society for various reasons.
Since, we the people from this deltaic plain of Padma, Jamuna and Meghna always ruled by outsiders, feeling of freedom and equity was suppressed as lived under oppression and submission. In so doing developed and demonstrates submissive characteristics in general. One may disagree but that will be only distortion of reality out of sheer ego and exaggeration which can not be helpful for our progress. However, it does not mean that self respect and free thinkers were not there or no one emerged with strong voice and values.
Great majority of our population lived under poverty either under Mongols (Mughols), Turks or Panjabis. Shockingly it continues today under Sh. Hasina or Begum Khaleda who are native of this land.
The GDP in nominal or real term has increased many fold in last 60 years, yet it is far below than what achieved by our moderate neighbors, save those great achievers in our neighborhood.
Impoverishment chastised further our bodily and moral strength and values that, I am afraid, today runs into our blood and genre. Any Bangladeshi, everywhere demonstrates a personality that will bear this testimony. The same appears as deterrence to securing leading positions in competition with others, even with Pakistanis and Indians as main point of disqualification. This only excludes purely technical hands.
We usually shout at wrong time and in wrong place (out of passive characteristic) often with loud and noisy exaggeration, ineffectively.
'Bengalis could think ahead of Indians or Pakis', only on certain given circumstances but that also diminished in thin air long ago.
Take twenty most read novels from 60s to todate, find a character that effectively demonstrated and exercised good values that influenced our society effectively towards a positive dimension!
Take fifty articles of our popular columnists from the same period, you will notice inherent intellect, eloquence, objectivity and farsightedness all collapses in great inconsistency and often in great disarray representing there social positioning then and now. It does tell the same old tale.
Democracy, humanity and social justice in their perception changes along the line of their mentors (netris). What they vowed to fight yesterday against, today they accept and submit only to satisfy their masters. When they claim as scholars (budhijibi), can't be called free human.
Take example of Rab killings, custodial deaths, high court's inaction or misruling, injustice that taken place under BNP, you will notice how vehemently those scholars opposed and stood as symbol of a savior of democracy, justice and human rights. Today they are very silent on the same issues, accepts the crimes as committed by their Netris. It can not be from an independent mind that takes it's wisdom from its own values. But why we are so? Their submissive and criminal embedded psychology as we have seen our history books, repeats - only to safeguard and protect the 'dada babu, korta, mohajon and its equivalent today.
Today when we count on our GNP or literacy rate both explains the conditions of the majority. No one is ready to take responsibility and ownership of our sordid conditions and status, yet they plan for a life time rule.
It is a strange manifestation in our society, strange indeed to prove that we love freedom, we care for justice for our people.
We have a long way to go!
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