Linguist and former professor
Abul Kasem Fazlul Haque. Renowned essayist in the Bangla language, social analyst, literary critic and political thinker. He is currently serving as the President of the Bangla Academy. This former professor of the Department of Bangla at Dhaka University spoke to Views Bangladesh on several recent issues. The interview was conducted by Views Bangladesh Editorial Assistant Shahadat Hossain Towhid.
When thinking about the intellectual world and arts-literature of Bangladesh, many thoughts arise that I wish to write and express; but I cannot. Looking at the surrounding scenes, writing on this subject feels very difficult. It seems as if the very active people are moving through a kind of intense frenzy, almost everyone else is indifferent. No one wants to look toward anything exceptional. Is this environment conducive to creation? Where is the all-encompassing creation now in the world of thought and literature in Bangladesh?
In seeking an answer to the question of which path Bangladesh is on, we must examine the clear objective of establishing a powerful, prosperous, and democratic state. Mere protest and resistance against malevolent forces yield no significant benefit; at best, they may only replace one corrupt power with another. Constructive thought and action are necessary. We must break the existing laws, regulations, and structures to establish better ones, not to perpetuate disorder. We need to break down the old to build anew, not just to destroy. The focus now must be on building.
Shaping political awareness by shifting self-serving mindsets
A state remains dynamic through internal and interstate conflicts and synthesis. Within a state, separate groups arise based on factors such as tribes, religious communities, regional characteristics, linguistic differences, etc. Diversity prevails in the state’s populace. By acknowledging this diversity and adhering to the principle of unity and coordination within diversity, the government must address the issues arising from this diversity in the internal demographic of the state. While advocating for pluralism in culture, if divisions are created within the nation, unity will break down, and the state will not endure. This undermines the very conditions necessary for the state's existence.
Even after the people of Bangladesh established an independent and sovereign state through a nine-month-long bloody war, they still cannot contemplate the distinct national culture of Bangladesh. Their perspective is backward-looking. A section of Bangladesh’s writers, artists, and politicians exhibit a strong aversion to the culture of India, particularly the culture of West Bengal. These individuals trace the origins of Bangladesh's culture to the medieval Middle Eastern culture, especially the history of the spread of Islam. They do not wish to look beyond the conquest of Lakhnauti and Gour by Bakhtiyar Khalji. They focus on the propagation of Islam in Arabia, the Turkey, Afghan, and Mughal periods of rule in Bengal, and follow the trend of the Wahhabi and Faraji movements, leading to the establishment of the two-nation theory and Pakistan, and then to Bangladesh’s history. They emphasize the two-nation theory. It seems as though, not long ago, in 2004, a group of intellectuals gathered in Paltan Maidan with 17 horses to commemorate the 800th anniversary of Bakhtiyar Khalji's conquest of Lakhnauti, an event that gained significant media attention. A section of Bangladesh’s writers, artists, and intellectuals are devoted to Rabindranath Tagore, while another section is devoted to Kazi Nazrul Islam.