Allegations surface against Syed Shamsul Haque of being a razakar

Swakrito Noman is the popular fiction writer of the time. Originating from a background of responsibility, he has authored several thought-provoking books. He has been able to attract the attention of the reader for his progressive thinking. Additionally, he received numerous prestigious awards. On the occasion of the book fair, he talked about his writing and other issues with Views Bangladesh in an interview. Kamrul Ahsan and Mahfuz Sardar took the interview.

Views Bangladesh: How are you?
Swakrito Noman: I'm fine. How about you?

Views Bangladesh: I'm good. Your three books have been published...
Swakrito Noman: Yes, three have been published. One more is awaiting publication.

Views Bangladesh: Oh, what's the title of that one?
Swakrito Noman: 'Youbati Radhe, Sayed Haque and Aro Kotha'.

Views Bangladesh: Oh, why such a strange name?
Swakrito Noman: I've written about several topics in this book. It's not just an essay; it's my signature in the cultural battle. There's one article about Sayed Haque. I've fought against those who wanted to label Syed Shamsul Haque as a Razakar. I fought a battle. Here, we have a tendency toward extreme judgment. Suppose someone accuses you of being a Razakar. Well, without any sort of verification or investigation, they'll slap the Razakar tag on you. Or they'll say you're a very weak writer. You shouldn't be read anymore. Without even reading, they'll sit and criticize you, saying your writing isn't worth anything. It's a national malaise for us. We've grown up hearing that Rabindranath or Nazrul got Nobel Prizes for their writings. Yet, even now, 10 crore people in Bangladesh believe this. However, they don't even know when Rabindranath was born, or when Nazrul was born. This culture of baseless claims is so prevalent among us, almost like an illness. There's even such a baseless claim surrounding Sayed Haque, that he was a Razakar. Many have believed it without any clarity. This issue has deeply hurt me, compelling me to take up my pen against it. I've extensively researched and responded to the propaganda against Syed Shamsul Haque.

Views Bangladesh: Four of your books are coming to this book fair, which one are you most enthusiastic about?
Swakrito Noman: I'm most enthusiastic about "Ihojoubon." I primarily write novels. Alongside, I also write essays or essay-like non-fiction. Vidya Prakash has published "Mohakaler Rekhaapata," a series of my non-fiction. Because of "Ihojoubon," I'm excited. Well, excited might be too modest a word; I might say I'm ambitious. This novel is my ninth. It could also be called my twelfth novel. If I consider my first three novels, I've declared my first three novels null and void.

Views Bangladesh: Why did you declare them null and void?
Swakrito Noman: I believe what I intended to write didn't come out. So, from "Rajnoti" to "Ihojoubon," my journey culminates in "Ihojoubon," my ninth novel. In "Ihojoubon," I've attempted to test the power of imagination. I wanted to understand how far an author's imagination can go. Where I work, at the Bangla Academy, standing on the seventh-floor balcony, there's a towering tree. Its branches spread in all directions. Looking at the tree, I would feel a strange sensation. I couldn't quite grasp what that sensation was. It felt like the smell of leaves, the aroma of the earth. "Ihojoubon" is about that sensation. A novel can be about a sensation! Many characters emerge gradually. They are entwined with a sensation. The main theme of this novel is life and nature. Then there's human history, nostalgia. The subject of this novel is a bit different from my other novels. That's why I have higher expectations for this novel.

Views Bangladesh: You primarily write novels. However, this time you've authored a research-oriented book, "Banglai Islam, Sohojiya O Rokkhonshil Dhara". What inspired you to write this book?
Swakrito Noman: In 2013, Bangladesh faced a crisis. After that, we saw atheists being killed. I noticed a rise of Wahhabism. Not the rise of Islam, but the rise of Wahabibad. There's a spiritual aspect to religion, a beauty aspect. Even within Islam, there was much beauty, much tolerance. Without beauty and tolerance, Islam couldn't have come so far. I attempted to explore that beauty. In my exploration, I observed two trends of Islam in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in Bengal. One is the preservative trend, and the other is the simplistic trend. What is the simplistic trend? It's the trend where humanistic aspects of religion are preached, like Lalon, Hason, Shah Abdul Karim, Bijoy Sarkar, Radharaman, or others who are folk preachers, they've preached about simplistic Islam. If you look at the culture prevalent in our society, you'll find coexistence of people from all religions. People from all religions gather there. This is not possible in mosques. It's possible in shrines. This fascinated me, intrigued me. I began to inquire about the shrines. I started to research about the shrines. In India, in Bengal, how did Sufis emerge, how did they propagate religion? How did Sufis preach about simplicity, about tolerance? I started researching. As I researched, I wrote, I cross-checked repeatedly, I posted many articles on Facebook, I received various opinions. Most opinions suggest that what I'm trying to say isn't understood by many. I want to say that Titumir wasn't our hero, he didn't want to free British India from British rule. He wanted to free it from Christian rule. He wanted to establish Darul Islam here. He didn't talk about establishing an important society here.

Views Bangladesh: Many people are becoming celebrity writers by writing through social media platforms. They are infiltrating book fairs. However, they lack familiarity with serious literature. Do you think this trend is detrimental to serious literature?
Swakrito Noman: No, a book fair is a festival, a celebration. Everything will be present at the fair. There will be many colorful and diverse arrangements; however, readers will always return to serious writing until the end. Serious literature has endured through ages.

Views Bangladesh: However, serious literature is not receiving the same level of promotion. The so-called celebrity writers are advancing with various forms of self-promotion. Ordinary readers also do not keep much interest in serious literature. How do you perceive this issue?
Swakrito Noman: At the fair, people initially crowd around sensational and fantasy-based attractions, such as adult content or illusionists. However, later they return home with what they actually need. The fair cannot eliminate this diversity. But there is a matter of national interest. Our mass readers' interest is decreasing, as they chase after the so-called Facebook celebrities. If not, they used to follow Akhtaruzzaman Elias, Prashant Mriddha, or Tokon Thakur. The decline in interest has occurred. However, writers are always optimistic people. I want to express hope. Perhaps our nation's adolescence has not yet ended. After the end of adolescence, interest will return to its place.

Views Bangladesh: You are an official of the Bangla Academy; however, as a writer, how do you view this fair's arrangement? There are some criticisms about the incongruity of the fair's organization.
Swakrito Noman: What kind of criticisms is being made?

Views Bangladesh: People are saying the fair is very chaotic, messy.
Swakrito Noman: When there's too much openness, people, especially the elderly, get tired walking around. Not everyone is young. They start panting as they walk from one end to the other. That's why this time the fair has been made a bit chaotic. And since the fair has just started, everything hasn't been arranged properly yet. Everything will fall into place within a few days. However, the fair's organization could be made more beautiful and orderly.

Views Bangladesh: Criticism about the Bangla Academy Awards is an annual occurrence now, and this year it seems to be more intense. Writer Zakir Talukdar has returned his Bangla Academy Award this time. As a writer and a Bangla Academy official, do you have any comments on this matter?
Swakrito Noman: I won't comment as a Bangla Academy official. I'll comment as a writer. Criticism is good. It will make the Bangla Academy more vigilant. They can revise themselves. Criticism of the Bangla Academy Awards implies the importance of the award itself. It can be subject to criticism; however, it should not be personal attacks. No one should label a writer as fraudulent without evidence. Criticism should be constructive.

Views Bangladesh: Thank you for your time.
Swakrito Noman: Thank you too.