Views Bangladesh Logo
author image

Serajul Islam Choudhury

  • Emeritus Professor

Emeritus Professor, University of Dhaka

Failure of pro-Liberation War forces and then...
pro-Liberation War
State and Politics

Failure of pro-Liberation War forces and then...

The failure of the pro-Liberation War forces is certainly one of the reasons behind the rise of anti-Liberation fundamentalist forces. They couldn’t deliver anything. They couldn’t show the youth a dream of the future. Firstly, that dream was never realised. The second is that unemployment has increased, poverty has increased. When people are unemployed, when they are poor, they seek shelter, they seek assurance; but here, society and the state are not providing shelter and assurance. People are struggling on their own, remaining unemployed, suffering from despair, not receiving justice, not finding refuge. For justice, for shelter, they then turn to religion. In the hope that even if not in this world, they will find justice in the afterlife.

The main problem in Bangladesh is inequality
No democracy
State and Politics

The main problem in Bangladesh is inequality

Is there any need to state the obvious that poverty lies behind all of our problems and failures? Take, for example, family planning. It is true that a small family is a happy family; but a greater truth is that a wealthy family is automatically a small family.

Literature’s opposition to the state
Literature’s opposition to the state
State and Politics

Literature’s opposition to the state

Even though he did not write poetry, Plato was undoubtedly a poet—this is evident throughout his prose writings. Through his use of metaphors, allegories, and word choices, the philosopher employed both the imagination and aesthetic sense of the poet within him. There is no reason to doubt that he understood the appeal and power of poetry in his personal life. Yet, in his ideal state, he made no room for poets. He even gave instructions for their expulsion. Poets may be honoured, adorned with garlands and perfumes, but they must be politely told: Gentlemen, there is no place for you in our state.

Rabindranath: A hero comes once, not again and again
Rabindranath
Art and Culture

Rabindranath: A hero comes once, not again and again

You, Rabindranath, did not believe in the state; you believed in society. In your view, in the Indian subcontinent, society was paramount, while the state was an imposition—an intrusive entity. The state was external; society was our own. You held a firm belief that we could shape society in our own image.

What has this country become seven months after mass uprising!
What has this country
State and Politics

What has this country become seven months after mass uprising!

In March 2025, the country is still grappling with the abuse of women and children. The newspapers continue to print harrowing accounts of these atrocities. Ah, what has become of the country just seven months after the student-public uprising of July-August, with the dream of building a new Bangladesh? Where is the government? Where is the rule of law?

Why should we regret on the 72nd anniversary of the Language Movement?
Why should we regret on the 72nd anniversary of the Language Movement?
State and Politics

Why should we regret on the 72nd anniversary of the Language Movement?

As we celebrate the 72nd anniversary of the Language Movement, it is essential to express regret over the fact that the Bengali language has not received the respect it deserved as the state language of an independent country. Despite the expectation that Bengali should have attained its rightful place, it has not. The reasons for this are numerous, including the coexistence of three different education systems in the country, the lack of Bengali language use in the higher judiciary, and the absence of effective measures for the widespread use of Bengali at all levels of society. However, to find the root cause, we must look deeper.