Remembering the glorious past of the entire region of Bengal, the question that stings us again and again, that we are such a cowardly race! Can we accept this prostrate state of a nation that has heroically declared its manhood for ages, ignoring the ruthless colonial powers? If asked, about what Bengalis have to be proud of, we must say, we have a rich and diverse cultural heritage. There is a Bhishma-like vow to stand up to injustice, a bloody history of bowing down to the bullets of authoritarians. We have a great pride of unity in the midst of diversity. Question is, why are we asleep?

In recent political changes in Bangladesh, religious extremist forces have emerged in the power scene. At the beginning of the revolution, we saw that the first target of communal power was our cultural and liberation war symbols. They did not stop at vandalism, arson and looting - cultural workers were selectively targeted. In Bangladesh, the puppet government of the western hegemons is currently in power and has become active in installing the defeated radical forces of the 1971’s in the important administrative structures of the state. The apprehensions that were brewing in the public mind about what it might bring about are now becoming reality one by one.

According to media reports, on Saturday (November 2, 2024) evening, in the face of disorderly protest by a group of extremists at Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka, the special performance of the popular theatre group 'Desh Natak' had to be closed. Reportedly, the troupe's workers were forced to stop the show 15 minutes before the end of the play, which was about 1 hour and 40 minutes long. Even Shilpakala Academy Director General Syed Jameel Ahmed and officials intervened several times but failed to calm the frenzied protesters. What message did the incident gives us? After the ousting of the Awami League government on August 5 (2024), the serious deterioration of the law and order situation across the country has not shown any signs of improvement in almost 3 months. Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy is the seat of cultural activities of the country. A handful of radical youths have done the arrogant act of stopping the theatrical performance in the central arena of the development of all mediums of art and culture, including music, dance, painting and drama.

Even the chief executive of the institution intervened there but was defeated by a handful of extremists, forced to decide to close the exhibition! Shilpakala Academy's National Theater is located in the heart of the capital. The administrative center of the government is the Secretariat, National Press Club, Police Headquarters, Headquarters of the Metropolitan Police (DMP), Supreme Court and the residence of the Chief Adviser of the Interim Government is at a distance of 1-2 km from Academy. The concerned institutions and the government have failed to ensure the safety of the country's top institution of art practice, otherwise they are giving themselves the opportunity of the so-called 'mob justice' of these extremists. If the security of the Shilpakala Academy is in such a delicate situation, it should not be difficult for anyone to understand how much the cultural activities in remote areas of the country are at risk.

We do not know whether Shilpakala Academy Director General Syed Jamil Ahmed will resign immediately after taking responsibility for the failure in this incident. He must resign if driven by values. And the government can avoid this failure? The current government should also step down as it is unable to take any effective action for the serious deterioration of law and order. As we know, the worthless bureaucrats of this government won't. They will give in to the evil intentions of the extremists.

Not too long ago, a few decades back, the tune of Bhavaiya-Bhatiali was resounding in the vast wilderness of Bengal in the voice of farmers and labourers. Songs of Lalon-Hachan, songs of Rabindranath and Nazrul, Swadeshi songs, Kabigans, Murshidi, Bhajan-Kirtan were sung to accompany the sorrows and joys of people's hearts everywhere in Bengal. Jatra-Pala was a powerful cultural medium to awaken common people against injustice and oppression. In recent decades, religious extremists have consistently used Bengal's current cultural media as opponents of religion. The crisis has been deepened by the hideous duplicity and vote-counting politics of political parties to counter the rise of extremists. It can be said that the recent political change has given an unrestrained legitimacy to the extremists' aggression

It is important that we are able to perceive the real truth. If the cultured people of the country do not wake up in absolute unity like what happened in 1971, then we may find ourselves in an unimaginable dark age.  Where there will be nothing left to claim as a Bengali nation of the glorious traditions. There is no point in hoping for a remedy from the current rulers or ambidextrous politicians, only when people who are passionate about culture and progress, rise up in strong protest can prevent the sharp progression of the extremists and save Bangladesh.

 

Writer: Dhruva Shimul is a History Researcher, Journalist & a cultural organizer from Bangladesh

(Note: The OPINION section of The Views Express presents the articles or columns by individuals, where the writer exclusively writes on the matters of History, International Relations, Politics, Economy, Literature etc. on the basis of his or her opinion, knowledge, research & observations on the subject matter)