1970
India-Bangladesh cultural exchange: Memory, identity and future
build and change upon this landscape. Agriculture is culture, cooking is culture, and therefore even fishing is culture. That is why I do not know whether we should see as cultural exchange the recent incident in which 95 people lost their way into the seas of Bangladesh, were caught by police of the other country, and, as I heard, were returned after being beaten severely. If it is an exchange, surely it is not an example of “lawful” or mutually desired exchange between two countries.
The malpractice of secret politics
It seems a new stage has emerged in the politics of Bengal. Once upon a time, politics meant open struggle – who could chant slogans the loudest, who could bring the largest procession, who could stir up the crowd by crying out “Joy Bangla” or “Bangladesh Zindabad” in the highest voice. Back then politicians did not hide their identity, rather they were proud to say: “I am a worker of such-and-such party, I am a follower of such-and-such ideology.” But times have changed. Such simple declarations now appear old-fashioned. On the political stage there is now a new wave – not what is open, but what happens behind the scenes is the real thing; its name is secret politics.
Sheikh Mujib: A visionary of extraordinary foresight
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s personality was exceptional. Those close to him, and even his adversaries on a personal level, were drawn to him. Some senior officers of the Pakistani military were also inclined towards his stance. This is why, before the genocide began, Major General Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, serving as the head of the army in East Bengal, resigned; and SM Hasan of the Navy was replaced by Tikka Khan as governor and military ruler. Tikka Khan had earned the title ‘Butcher of Balochistan’, a title he rightly deserved, and he came to East Bengal in the same capacity – as a ‘butcher’.