Shahbagh: A country divided/A beacon of Hope?

Shahbagh: A country divided/A beacon of Hope?

By Anindya Dutta

This is not a piece to celebrate Shahbagh or bemoan it. This is not a piece that is going to delve in the pros and cons of the movement. This is a piece trying its best to articulate why, one and half months down the line of what started off as one of the most turbulent ties of our history, Shahbagh still exists, and why it may need to.

To me, it appears that people in South Asia, including yours truly, are highly opinioned and politics runs in our blood. We may have a thousand worries on our mind but at the end of a day, there is nothing we like better than to sit around and talk politics; be it at the local tea stall or our dining table and everyone from your help to grandparents has an opinion and more often than not, they believe that they will do a better job if put in charge.

The ‘Gonojagoron’ of Shahbagh is something which I think about a lot. It holds a place in my heart which is difficult to define. What started as a platform of protest and demand for hanging of war crimes under trails has developed into a complex organism and keeps changing. Its detractors say it is just a mouth piece for the government while its supporters strongly deny it and this discourse divides us right through the middle.

I  had first read about the ‘Gonojagoron’ the evening it started and frankly did not pay much attention to it. Then, after literally stumbling across the ‘Moncho’ in Chittagong, I attended the first ‘Mohashomabesh’ (grand rally) at Shahbagh, with a friend who shared my opinion on the matter. What we witnessed there can never put into words. It moved me to an extent I did not think possible and gave birth to an array of emotions.

I have gone to Shahbagh a number of times since and each time I went, I met with something totally unrecognizable from the previous time. And herein lies my point. As Shahbagh metamorphosed, it became more and more unrecognizable from what it started off as. 

I believe Shahbagh started off as a movement which can truly be defined as the first of its kind ‘for the people, of the people, by the people’. It was the mass awakening of a generation that has been sitting on the sidelines for too long. It was innocent and pure like a new born but with a clear purpose. But alas, nothing stays pure and innocent forever!

I am not insinuating that the movement became impure or polluted. We cannot deny the fact that it survived the initial seventeen days as a continuous sit-in protest and till today, in some form, is a celebration of the people's spirit. What I am saying is as the movement grew, it got incorporated into too many things: your pro or anti groups, the beneficial or harmful dimension, the political or apolitical association, and the other ‘odd’ characteristics that are attributed to it by some groups that have turned a lot of people apathetic or negative towards Shahbagh.

People like Ahmed Rajib Haider and Tanvir Mohammad Tawki have been brutally murdered supposedly for being linked in some form or the other to the movement there are hundreds if not thousands others whose lives have been changed forever by what this movement has forced its detractors to unleash.

But the movement still carries on.

I mentioned in the beginning that we are a highly opinioned nation on most issues including politics; however, we are also a nation which prefers to operate from the safety of our homes than actually doing something about it and this is where Shahbagh is important. It is important because it is a symbol of hope, a platform to get ourselves heard, it is a platform under which we communicate our emotions and have a hope that it might make a difference. In these trying times we all need a symbol, a platform under which we can come under and unite. And Shahbagh is just that. It is a platform from which we get our voices heard even though we might not be the ones shouting out the loudest.

These are interesting times in Bangladesh and in these times we need a symbol to rally around. A symbol which gives us hope and shows us the way. To lead us from these darkest of nights into a hopeful new dawn. This movement has been bestowed a great power to define the course of history but what must be kept in mind is that ‘with great power comes great responsibility.’

The ‘Gonojagoron’ Moncho has great potential to shape history for our country, but whether it is ready to bear the responsibility of doing so is a question that only our future can answer.

From Ashes to Dust-The wonder boy of Bangladesh cricket and an ailing system!

Bangladesh as a cricketing nation has never garnered much attention in the international arena apart from its fans and by god we are a passionate lot!! I have spent the last 11 years in India and despite the constant ridicule I stood firm in my passion and belief in this team. Sometimes we are rewarded with a good victory which helps reaffirm our faith in this team.

The picture above describes a painful scene for any Bangladeshi as recent as 2-3 years ago. But in recent times a wind of change was felt in our cricket circle. A lot has been achieved in the last 2 years and finally the team began to perform on a more consistent basis. But much like a drunken habit you can’t shake controversy comes back to hound us.

Latest to bit e the bullet is the wonder boy of Bangladesh cricket Ashraful. A player recognized by all as the most adept but at the same time someone who has frustrated people to no end by his seeming inability to achieve consistency.  In 2001 with Bangladesh still in its infancy in the game Ashraful became the youngest centurion in test, but as well documented has been his rise the fall was more gut wrenching. Ashraful in full flow will always be a delight but soon these moments became few and far in between.

Somehow or the other Ashraful found his way in the team and we as fans prayed that this would be his moment only to be disappointed.

Coming to match fixing an issue that has dogged the game on and off for the better part of the last 13 years. However, by fortune or otherwise had left Bangladeshi cricket relatively untouched.  Not to say we didn’t have our own problems. A cricket board being run by politicians and interests, a board that removes its best opener on the behest of the president and then have the prime minister step in to resolve the crisis are never good signs. Selections were often made and later changed on behest, and the less said about our domestic structure the better.  Off the field we seem to be stumbling from one controversy or the other and on it our forms remained mercurial.

We have been beginning to see a slow change over the last two years. Under coaches like Stuart Law and Shane Jurgensen the team began to show forms of consistency but even in these times off field issues kept taking precedence. First there was the tour of Pakistan and the claim that the BCB president agreed to undertake the tour in return of Pakistan’s support for his own candidacy for the post of ICC President. Fortunately, due to public outcry and a saner head at the helm of BCB the tour was cancelled. The issue of hiring Richard Pybus as head coach and his resignation within weeks with claims of non-payment and a lack of proper contract only tarnished the image of the board further. For a team to succeed the most ingredients are stability and consistency on and off the field, two things that has been sourly missed in cricket. These issues I highlight alas are common to the entire sub-continent and yet cricket goes on.

Coming to the BPL, organized on the lines of the IPL and the Big Bash League with the hope of creating a new talent pool and providing financial security to the players at the same time. While it has had relatively good success in the former the latter has been an abject failure with payment issues still lingering from the first edition. And here the issue of fixing becomes a little easier to understand. In a country such as ours the truth remains that most cricketers come from semi-urban areas and modest backgrounds. Carrying the dual burden of a nation’s expectations and gaining economic stability through the sport can be daunting for anyone. Couple this with the young age that many of these players are induced into the setup players become easy prey to the unsavory elements of fixing.

I think what hurt the common man was it was Ashraful who was involved in the scandal. The poster boy of Bangladesh cricket has long divided opinions and now let an entire nation down and that hurt. Rumors in the media about involvement of former crickets such as Rafique, Khaled Masud and Khaled Mahmud only worsened our pain. Given how our domestic sport structure is run the prevalence of fixing is not surprising and various cases have been reported in football over the years. So shouldn’t it be a surprise how cricket has remained clean for so long?

 I am in no way justifying Ashraful’s action. But you have to give credit to the amount of guts he showed by confessing on his own accord knowing what it would entail. Given the circumstances surrounding the game in this country is it really the lightning bolt we make it to be?

What should concern us all is how the issue will be handled by the board. The silver lining here being a recent change to positive outlook amongst its official towards the betterment of the game but a lot of the key figures remain the same and entrenched in the system so the ultimate result remains to be seen. When your star player says that he was not match ready and telling the board would not make a difference either ways goes on to show how the system is viewed by the players in the general sense.

Bangladesh as a cricketing nation is slowly gaining acceptance after 12 years of being taken lightly and ridiculed in the international arena. A time has finally come when we can stand with our heads held high and look forward. Dealing with fixing now is an opportunity for the board to set a trend on good governance and management and to root the issue for good once and for all. Steps should be taken for the greater good and not under influence and vested interests.

Rich-Richer-Richest-& it starts crumbling down!!

The cricketing world is like private club. A select few gain admittance (your full members today!) and there is always a long waiting list for entry. (the associate countries). The one's inside make their own set of rules on how to run the club and you find some are more powerful/popular than the rest who has a "bigger pull". This is how I see the universe of cricket today. Now before fans start calling for my head; I love the game, have played it from when I could hold a bat in my hand and have too many bruised and broken bones from diving and being hit for a count but let's be honest, is the ICC really anything less than the crude analogy I refer???

But I digress. You or me have no powers really to change (no matter how much it needs to!)how the game is run. What I want to go on about are the bouncers that we as fans are served with increasing frequency.

In April of 2000 the cricketing world was rocked by its first major storm when the South African captain and one of the game's most respected figure Hansie Cronje admitted to taking money from Indian bookies to deliberately underperform and encourage teammates to do the same thereby  fixing matches South Africa played in. I still remember the TV coverage and his tear stricken face something a 12 year old me could not really grasp but it saddened me even then. This ensured a period of promises, soul searching on how the game is run and steps to fix the gentlemen's game and 13 years later I am still unsure what if anything these steps have achieved.  We did get some years of normalcy and then came the cricket world cup of 2007 and we got strike 2!!! Two major upsets in the form of India and Pakistan losing to Bangladesh and Ireland and the "small" matter of the Pakistan coach who incidentally is a South African found dead in the team hotel and the words match fixing and betting syndicate were being uttered in hushed tones again!!  *Inset own  conspiracy theory about the evil Indian bookie market and how they clear away anyone who stands in their paths here……

Before I continue an honorable mention needs to be made of three Pakistani players including the captain being banned for various periods for spot fixing… an issue I will try coming back to later.

I think a major issue here is that cricket to an extent has always played 2nd string to football.. Be that in terms of popularity or the financial incentive involved in the sport. All this changed with the advent of cricket's newest baby T20 and the advent of the premier league system. Finally cricketers the world over had a stage to showcase their talent and for many it gave a chance to consider taking up this sport as a serious career. 

I won't go into the BPL and all the sordid financial mess it is in but let us start with the birth place of this system in India. A 'rebel' league called the Indian Cricket League(the same concept as the later day IPL) was started. The BCCI first cried foul as it was not their idea….. then resorted to huffing and puffing and using their pull to discourage players from joining. They threatened and got bans enforced on national and international players who didn't  follow the line. Finally coming up with the 'innovative' idea and dubbed it the Indian Premier League cricket's ultimate glamour baby filled with Razzmataaz!!

Ignoring the slightly dubious circumstances of its birth only a cynic will ignore the good sides of this system. Regardless of the Indian, Australian, Sri Lankan or Bangladeshi model the financial security and the confidence it gave to the youngsters are undeniable. From the glam of film stars to serious cricket entertainment; from the brutal hitting of Gayles and Maccullums to the successful purist approach of your Dravids and Kallis the IPL offered something for everyone. The organizers got a pat  for a good job and for us fans all was well again in the world…

Small hiccups existed in the league but as they were off the field we lived with that. But like a bad habit you can't hide spot fixing  resurfaced. Three players an Indian international included was arrested for spot fixing and now the flood gates just burst forth. A so called "team owner" Gurunath Meiyappan stands accused of being directly involved in the scandal. The BCCI President who himself has a murky relationship with the most successful franchise in the league happens to be Meiyappan's father-in-law. Their elite team of spin doctors are trying to put different spins to the issue each more ludicrous then the last! Saying a lot of things without really saying anything. Like a child they believe if you pretend it never happened. IT NEVER HAPPENED. We hear promises of impartial commissions strict actions against guilty are all well and good but given BCCI's known money muscle!!! I wonder what lies down that road?? Last checked two top BCCI officials have resigned on their own. But how many have the decency & courage like them?

So in the end we have the richest sports body in cricket…running the most expensive league some say as their own "fiefdom"  and we find ourselves in this incomprehensible mess that we are in.

This begs the more interesting question why despite being in the age of live television and social media people have been largely silent. In a country where you have riots in stadiums and streets because of their favorite player failed there hasn't been any squeak of protest in public.  Have we as a society reached a moral saturation and accept fixing gate as normal??? Or have we just gotten sick of cricket?? These are questions that needs answers and no manner of aggressive posturing can hide these real issues. Oh!! How I wish now for a simpler times when this game was a "gentlemanly" pursuit ONLY!!

Shahbagh: A country divided/A beacon of Hope?

This is not a piece to celebrate Shahbagh or bemoan it. This is not a piece that is going to delve in the pros and cons of the movement. This is a piece trying its best to articulate why, one and half months down the line of what started off as one of the most turbulent times of our history, Shahbagh still exists, and why it may need to.

To me, it appears that people in South Asia, including yours truly, are highly opinioned and politics runs in our blood. We may have a thousand worries on our mind but at the end of a day, there is nothing we like better than to sit around and talk politics; be it at the local tea stall or our dining table and everyone from your help to grandparents has an opinion and more often than not, they believe that they will do a better job if put in charge.

The ‘Gonojagoron’ of Shahbagh is something which I think about a lot. It holds a place in my heart which is difficult to define. What started as a platform of protest and demand for hanging of war crimes under trails has developed into a complex organism and keeps changing. Its detractors say it is just a mouth piece for the government while its supporters strongly deny it and this discourse divides us right through the middle.

I  had first read about the ‘Gonojagoron’ the evening it started and frankly did not pay much attention to it. Then, after literally stumbling across the ‘Moncho’ in Chittagong, I attended the first ‘Mohashomabesh’ (grand rally) at Shahbagh, with a friend who shared my opinion on the matter. What we witnessed there can never put into words. It moved me to an extent I did not think possible and gave birth to an array of emotions.

I have gone to Shahbagh a number of times since and each time I went, I met with something totally unrecognizable from the previous time. And herein lies my point. As Shahbagh metamorphosed, it became more and more unrecognizable from what it started off as. 

I believe Shahbagh started off as a movement which can truly be defined as the first of its kind ‘for the people, of the people, by the people’. It was the mass awakening of a generation that has been sitting on the sidelines for too long. It was innocent and pure like a new born but with a clear purpose. But alas, nothing stays pure and innocent forever!

I am not insinuating that the movement became impure or polluted. We cannot deny the fact that it survived the initial seventeen days as a continuous sit-in protest and till today, in some form, is a celebration of the people's spirit. What I am saying is as the movement grew, it got incorporated into too many things: your pro or anti groups, the beneficial or harmful dimension, the political or apolitical association, and the other ‘odd’ characteristics that are attributed to it by some groups that have turned a lot of people apathetic or negative towards Shahbagh.

People like Ahmed Rajib Haider and Tanvir Mohammad Tawki have been brutally murdered supposedly for being linked in some form or the other to the movement there are hundreds if not thousands others whose lives have been changed forever by what this movement has forced its detractors to unleash.

But the movement still carries on.

I mentioned in the beginning that we are a highly opinioned nation on most issues including politics; however, we are also a nation which prefers to operate from the safety of our homes than actually doing something about it and this is where Shahbagh is important. It is important because it is a symbol of hope, a platform to get ourselves heard, it is a platform under which we communicate our emotions and have a hope that it might make a difference. In these trying times we all need a symbol, a platform under which we can come under and unite. And Shahbagh is just that. It is a platform from which we get our voices heard even though we might not be the ones shouting out the loudest.

These are interesting times in Bangladesh and in these times we need a symbol to rally around. A symbol which gives us hope and shows us the way. To lead us from these darkest of nights into a hopeful new dawn. This movement has been bestowed a great power to define the course of history but what must be kept in mind is that ‘with great power comes great responsibility.’

The ‘Gonojagoron’ Moncho has great potential to shape history for our country, but whether it is ready to bear the responsibility of doing so is a question that only our future can answer.

Shahabagh- Where were You. "Ek desh ek dhoroni!!""

The title is not a question I ask of any of my countrymen. It is a question I keep asking myself and keep getting asked. Why did you go there? What do you think this will achieve? How do you feel inside? Do you think it is going to be worth it? I do not have a coherent answer to any of this because there are none. These questions cannot be answered in a word or sentence as it needs more. I am not even sure if I have an answer but I shall try. Am not writing this to brag, am not writing this cause to be in Shahabagh might be considered to be the "it" thing as I have heard again and again the last four days.  I am trying to write this to express what I feel.

Our generation is said to be the one which is saturated. We just sit by and watch the world go by safely ensconced in our little bubbles. Not giving a damm. Hell I have ranted myself hoarse about this for as long as I can remember. I have stayed most of my life outside this country which made me think I was different in that aspect but  today I stand corrected. Today I stand humbled. Today I can  hope to have faith again. I don't know what the end result of all this movement will be. It will probably achieve nothing But today my generation showed the world. They won't stand silently by, they won't keep quite. They to believe in taking a stand. Call them immature, Call them utopian or emotional but they will speak out against wrong.  They will take a stand and make their voices heard. I feel proud to say that I belong to this generation. Today I won't have it any other way.

So, written above was a jumbled thought process of what's going on in my mind right now.

I was lucky to be born in the family that I am. I was lucky enough to be loved for who I am. I was lucky because even though I was sent abroad from a very young age my parents never let me forget my country, they never let me forget the struggle the country had to endure for its birth what they had to endure. As I mentioned above I was asked today repeatedly by different people why I went there. Frankly speaking I can't come up with a specific answer even now. Putting it as coherently as I can. I went because I could not stand by and watch this go on anymore. I went because my conscience demanded I do not keep quite. I went so that I can believe once more. I went so that years from now when asked I can proudly say that I did not just stand by. That even if on a minute scale I protested. I can proudly say I was there at Shahabagh that day. I was there at Shahabagh that month, I was there at Shahabagh that year. I was there when the youth of Bangladesh woke up.

What I saw astounded me, what I saw cannot be put to words. I saw young and the old, I saw men and women unite as one. They had one identity, not that they were bangalees, more than that they where people who have had enough, they where people who simply couldn't keep quite anymore they were people who had become sick with our society and they were people who had kept quiet for simply too long.

For me Shahabagh does not represent the single demand of capital punishment for all Rajakars. I have no doubt that it is the least that they deserve. Shahabagh represents a common conscience of the masses, it represents a warning to the ruling classes do what you want but once our patience runs out be careful of what you have done. For there is no court greater or stronger than that of the people.

There were no political banners or parties at Shahabagh today. But there were people who belonged to different political alignments (even if those alignments were not voiced out loud). Today these people did not care about their differences. For once they were together on one issue. They were together on one common platform. They cared about one thing. "Capital punishments for war criminals" "No more politics on religious grounds, no more Jamaat, no more Shibir." This has been shouted out for the last 96 hours and hopefully will be shouted out till it is heard.

I have been trying to write this article for the last four hours but I still can't put my thoughts into words. Today I understand what my parents generation felt in 1971. Today my questioned was answered "What would my generation have done during 1971"? We might not have had the courage that they did. We may not have the strength or the zeal that they have but we will no longer sit idly by. Today I can proudly say "Ami 71 tor er 9 mash dekhi ni, Kintu ami 2013 r February mash e jonotar gonojagoron dekhechi".(I haven't seen the 9 months of freedom struggle in 71, but I have seen the awakening of the masses in February 2013.)  Very few people have the privilege but I can say both proudly and humbly: Today I have been a part of history, today I was there when history was created at "Sadhinota Projonmo Chottor."

"Rat Race"-Materialism

First up this is an article which may seem silly to a lot of you. I have been thinking about this for a long while now but due to this and that have always put off putting it to words. We all have taken the “rat race” of success as a permanent fixture in our life and made our peace with it. Last year I bought a new phone (finally!) and in January I watched the movie “3 Idiots” and this two incidents makes up the crux of what I want to say here.
Ok first on the phone. I am a 20 year old guy who is still completing my education. The phone in question I am talking about was in the pipeline for a long time (I have been saving up for quite a while so it was a big deal to me!). After getting the requisite amount and much tormented soul searching I finally decided on a model and went ahead and bought it. Now as I lay down admiring my new phone I suddenly got stuck by guilty feelings. Why did I get a phone (as such there was nothing wrong with my old phone!) Why did I spend so much on the phone? (There were other cheaper models) and so on and so forth and to assuage my mind I came up with a variety of arguments none of us actually made sense. I justified it as a treat for spending so many years away from home. It was a gift for moderately good results in my undergrad studies and so on and so forth. The truth was although I might have needed a new phone the driving force behind my selection was a need or desire to “be cool” and “fit in” Now as such there is nothing wrong with all this! I mean all of us have certain wants and we strive to fulfil them. As long as we are able to achieve all this and without causing troubles to anyone it should all be fine. And to take another different approach we are still contributing in some way or the other to the economy (if you want to look at it in that way!)
No I do not have any problems with any of this contention! What I have a problem with are the reasons by which these needs and wants are driven? What in the first place prompted me to for a new phone (when functioning wise my old phone was still good!). The truth is most of our needs today are driven by a false want. To put a more technical term to it “Demonstration effect”. We as a race have become more and more materialistic in nature. We want something because someone else has it. Driven by the “mall, pub” hopping culture we are increasingly driven to have the need for something for the simple reason that their neighbour or friend has it. Half the things we buy will either be not used properly or go to waste all together. We buy things simply for the reason that it’s the cool thing to do. We are in a race with ourselves and with the world. And that I think is the real “rat race” We need to make a niche for ourselves, we need to get accepted by our peers, we need to have the latest in gadgets and gizmos and that is the real rat race! Unfortunately in our endeavour to look cool we may well be losing something that is central to us. “Our identity”
Now coming to the movie “3 idiots” I know that most of you have already watched it so I will not spend time singing its praises. As much as you might hate to admit it the movie is an excellent portrayal of the education system as seen in Asian nations and it gives you a very clear reason for the existence of the “rat race”. As “Boman Irani” so eloquently put it “Life is a race, if you don’t run fast you will be left behind or get squashed in the stampede”
Well I am no “Amir Khan” But I would still like to state my disagreement with the above statement. Life is a race but only because we let it be a race. It is a race because that is how we have been brought up in our outlook. We have been taught to look at this world in either “black or white” while we conveniently forget about the huge grey matter that lies in between. I am not pointing fingers at anyone. I am just stating a point of view. We need to make a niche for ourselves, we need to get accepted by our peers, we need to make our identity and for all this we are in a race. We are in a race for all this. We are in a race with ourselves as well as with the world. But mindless running in this race is leading to us loosing something more important. We are losing “OURSELVES”.
In “3 Idiots” Boman Irani tells us how the “koyal bird” lays its eggs in another bird’s nest and how as soon as they hatch the small koyal birds destroy the eggs of the other bird. And what does the other bird do? Well it generally keeps faith and goes about its business,
We also need to have faith. We need to have belief and understanding. We need to believe and understand that although life may be a race it is not always important to come fast. As Sometimes we learn our greatest lessons in defeat.

Human and mother nature..

Dawn breaks over the horizon grey

The world wakes up to another day

I look up to the wild blue yonder

My mind begins to ponder

I think of human greed

About how they have destroyed the

And my heart is filled with shame

My soul cries in disgrace

In the jungles the lion once roared

Filling it with it’s majesty which all used to envy and fear

Then came us hunting them down

And called it ‘for fun’

There were once deer scampering about

With happiness and gay abandon nibbling here and there

Now they lower their heads in fear

And dread the sounds of men coming there

Other animals big and small

Were always happy and gay

As they knew their place in order

Until humans came bringing mayhem

Oh it’s a shame

We think they have to be tamed

We are all equally to be blamed

We should remember the time long gone by

When animals used to run around wild

They where full of pride

While we where cowering by

We own our existence to them

And yet we treat them with disdain