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Literature At a Crossroad

Syed Shamsul Haq Reflects on Culture, Politics and the Nation
***Born on December 27,1935, in what he described as the most impoverished and deprived district of Bangladesh, Kurigram, SYED SHAMSUL HAQ has enriched the literary world of this country through three decades of dedicated and imaginative endeavour. Author of over 70 books, including 11 novels, 12 collections of poems and seven verse plays, Haq is Bengalee to the core of his heart. Since his first piece of writing was published in 1951, Haq has won virtually every major national literary awards, including the Ekushey Padak, the Bangla Academy Padak and the Nasiruddin Gold Medal. Currently a Fellow of the Bangla Academy and Senior Vice President of the International Theatre Institute of UNESCO, Haq recently spoke at length with a DAILY STAR team led by the Editor S. M. Ali about art and literature, nation and nationalism, politics and life. Ali was assisted during the interview by
Executive Editor Mahfuz Anam and Assistant Editor Sabir Mustafa:
DAILY STAR: We all Jeel that Bangladesh may be at a crossroad when It comes to literature and culture. How do you Jeel about it? Do you agree? IJ you don't please tell us why? (f you do. let us know how the crossroads are like? What we want to know really Is that, are our culture and literature In such a stale from where It can lead us to many directions?
SYED SHAMSUL HAQ: What I always say is that as Bengalee people we have a common heritage. But since the partition of India. Bengal has been divided and the two parts of Bengal have had totally different social. economic, cultural experience and that has made the difference.
It's not only the language. You see, Americans speak and write In English. But their literature is not the same as the British, because the cultural, political, economic experiences are different.
Over the years, since 1947 till now, we have gone through a kind of experience which is not the same as the other part of the Bengal.
For instance, when I visited Calcutta couple of years back In connection with staging one of my plays there, one journalist asked me whether I could hint at the difference between Bangladesh and West Bengal regarding the use of words. In my reply, I cited that I had complied a list of at least 200 words which had different meanings In West Bengal and in Bangladesh. For instance, the word Krlshnachura'. In Bangladesh corresponds to the event of the Language Movement 21st of February. But the same word has only love connotation in that part of Bengal, being related to the story of Radha and Krishna.
When In Bangladesh someone utters the word rokto (blood) Immediately the same word as it Is used In West Bengal becomes different. Because we have gone through 1952, 1969. 1971 and the word, after weathering away these crucial years obviously bears a different connotation for the people of this region.
One thing we must not forget. that since 1958. till today, with the exception of four to four and half years, we constantly struggled under Martial Law, one man rule and autocratic rule. 1 do not think that any other country or It's people In the subcontinent has had the same experience and that has made a lot of difference — specially to a writer.
In 1952 when the Language Movement was on and on 21st February I was not In Dhaka But when I came back a few people advised me. like the late Fazle Lohanl, who inclden ' tally published my first story, that this country had no future so there was no fruitful reason for me to stay here and pursue my literary endeavor In Bangla.
He suggested that I should migrate to England and start anting tn English. 1 strongly protested to this saying. "No way whatsoever I was bom in this society and I shall not forsake this country and I shall continue to write In Bengali."
Such was our spirit back In • 1952. Most of the major writ ers, Including Shamsur Rahman who started writing poems In 1948 are the prod uet. of this period. I call them "Children of 52". Actually we found a sense of direction dur Ing this time.
Recently 1 wrote a documentary play on the language
the Central Shahecd Mlnar on February 18 this year and it Is totally a documentary play in every respect. I collected my materials from political resolu tlons of the lime, pamphlets, speeches as recorded from newspapers, editorials and even from the proceedings of the legislative assembly.
J was really amazed to see nearly five thousand peoplc spell bound for nearly one and a half hour I could only identify one reason behind their undivided attention and inter
Most people only knew that in 1952 student fought for establishing their demand of Bengali a* one of the state tan ^ages and that they laid down their precious lives for this demand This is a. far as mow
goes re
gardtng the Language Movement.
They know more about 1971 than they know of 1952. Because there have been 200 or more books published on 1971, but unfortunately there arc not even one and half a dozen books on the language Issue.
I was really greatly surprised looking at the huge gathering of about five thousand who for one and a half hour were totally spell bound. For creative reasons I sort of telescoped the incidents and the expressions of the audience. they were spell bound. I always believe that In our country, the writer Is not only a creative personality. He has his social duty, his political commitment and the duty to his people.
DS: You have already pointed out that we Bangladeshis have a different kind of identity than the peo pie who Hue in the other Bengal. You mentioned about the Language Movement, which you probably looked at as the most decisive tn the whole evolution. This search for identity, ff it is at all a search for identity, or would you Just say that within the framework of the larger Identity as Bengalees, we have different variations of people who line with the rivers, the different kind of folksongs, different type of socio-economic evolution or Is it because of any reason something quite different? How would you put 1971 tn this context? Does it widen the gap. narrow the gap or eliminate the gap?
SSH: If you allow me. I will go back a little. Mr Humayoon Kabir, one of the great Bengalees, he wrote a book on Bengal about Its cultural identity and the elements of it's culture.
He In his book said over 50 years ago that East and West Bengal have two different kinds of cultural identities. East Bengal Is a riverine country and West Bengal is a flat land and land of the red soil (Lal Mattr Desh] and Bauler Desh'.
In his book he tried to find out the differences of this two parts of Bengal In respect to Its cultural practice. He discussed thoroughly about the poems, songs and plays of these two parts and finally drew the conclusion that East Bengal had a distinctive cultural heritage, which is their very own.
So there Is a different cultural Identity. Yet two of these cultures combined to make the Bengalee culture as a whole. He wrote this book even before the partition of India when the British Raj was there.
We believe that after our Independence In 1971, we wanted to establish certain things, are we Bengalees first and Muslims second? Or are wv Muslima first and Bengalee second? Actually It became a vital question to us whether we were Bengalee Muslim or Muslim-Bengalee We decided that we were Bengalee first and then Muslims
Because, as you know culture is a set of symbols February 21 means nothing to many other countries, but It bears an immense symbolic value for our people. Nineteen seventy-one can mean just a set of numbers to any other country, but to the citizens of Bangladesh these numbers make the history of our nation.
1 believe that one's culture is formed by a set of symbols What we wanted to do after our Independence was that we tried to Identify these vital symbols. The symbols which make us Bengalee people
When we consider religion In this evolution of culture, I believe that It Is a major element. but not the only element In the growth of our culture.
A phrase that has now be-
ple now a days is Island cul ture. I do not think that there is any such thing as Islaml-cul-ture. I believe that any religion may be a contributing factor In forming one's culture, but It is never the ultimate criteria.
Today in Bangladesh, where eighty 85 cent of it's citizens are Muslims, our religious rites and their practices have obviously become a part of our culture.
For Instance when I wrote the play Payer Aayqj Pawa Jal I was In London and had to work very hard for it. I went to various libraries studied the mind of rural Bengalee people whose religion is Islam and I tried to use Islamic myths' tn this play, myths like Habil and Kabil (Abel and Cane) and numerous other myths.
At one point tn that play a person was describing the wretched plight of Bengalee people during Pakistani occupation of our land In 1971. He (the character) described the plight of our people as similar to that of a half slain sacrificial cow, this of course, had a con neetton with the practice of Qurbani in Islam.
I think first we have to know what Is the Bengalee culture. As a person I believe we shared a common heritage which goes back to Charja Pada and after travelling a long way from there, almost a thousand years, on February 11. 1947 there was a Hindu-Muslim riot in Dhaka.
Then there was a great migration of Hindus from this part of Bengal to the other and Muslims from West Bengal.
The city that we knew, where we were born and brought up suddenly became alien to me. I saw strange faces on the street. One thing that we understood then was that we had to decide about our selves, we had to know from where we came and to where we belong, so the search for identity was on.
One thing 1 say quite often. It may seem a little cerebral. Is that. If we do not know why we are a nation, then we are gone as a nation Ijving In an Independent land today I be lievc that we should under stand and make others under stand the fact, why we are a nation and writers can play a steeler role In this connection. Ancient Greece Is no more, but writers like Sophocles and Aeschylus remain, they continue to live through the ages ’
DS: Is there really any coun try of the world which has known the basis of U s nation? Once at a conference tn Greece organized by the UNESCO, they came up with this answer that there are no pure races tn the world. and added to this, U also pro claimed that there was no such thing as a tradition or ennuen Hon nation — state. What Is your opinion about It?
SSH: As I now sit here with you. 1 really cannot tell whether my forefathers few generations back were Bengalee, s People have been moving around through the centuries
As I have said earlier on, I believe culture la a eel of sym bob. After living In a land for a considerable length of time, you agree and respond to these symbols and that very place becomes your nation. When one agrees to these set of sym bols, which sire really compo nenta which make one s cul lure only then one forms an idea of nationhood about the place.
Tagore once said that ag greastve nationalism narrows the mind of people, which is in fact very true He said that he loved the soil In which he was born and felt a sense of duty towards this soil And on my own. as Syed Shamsul Haq I try to find out answers to these questions — why I am here? Who am I? What am I doing here and what is my purpose of being here?
I think ft high time now In 1992 before It Is loo late to try to define our culture, make clear what our set of symbols are. understand that Islam or any other religion are not the cardinal clement of one's culture. but only a component of the culture as a whole.
The four major pillars on which our country was founded — secularism, equality of man, socialism and nationalism (of course by nationalism) I mean patriotic nationalism not ag grrsslve nationalism — have become a target of the vested quarters.
DS: How would you really define our nationalism In 1992 ?
SSH: I am a Bengalee I share a long heritage of Bengalee nationalism, culture or whatever have been achieved till now. In palming, sculpture, architecture and history starting from the days of Charja Pada till now, all of which are a part of us, we have Inherited this through the ages
Today we have a country, a nation, nation does not only mean a piece of land, a na tional anthem, a parliament and a few political leaders. Nation means much more than that. It s scope and Its horizon explain much more that
Once again I quote Rablndra Nath here, because I consider him as one of the greatest Bengalee men who had ever lived Tagore said In one of his books Palll Chinta that the land Is not anything. Soil Is noi the nation, but It Is the people who make a nation and I think that It la now the duty of writ era and Journalists to nurture these people who soil make a real nation out of Ihls soli. Of course among writers I have Included the whole section of creative people
DS: Yau mentioned that we are the Inheritors of a roller line experience. Bui how does our experience differ to that of out West Bengal counterparts ?
SSH Differences tn political experience. social experience and economic experience sep aretes one land from the other even If the language Is mhx Only affinity being language, has never been a criterion ad equate enough, to combine these two parts of Bengal to get her Our social political at mospherc had always moulded our thoughts In a different way Constantly living under martial laws and autocratic regimes have definitely Inffucncx^ the thoughts of numerous creative personalities of this region. But people who live In West Bengal did not have the same experiences as us and eventually this had made a lot of difference.
Specially In Bangladesh, what wc have gone through politically, socially and culturally had changed us radically
In the mid '70s I resided for a decade In England. There 1 once fortunately saw a documentary film In which a baker was being Interviewed by a Journalist who asked him about his contribution to the libera Hon of Parts, the man's answer was "to keep myself altvc as a French man”
This Une is one of the most quotable lines I have ever heard. In 1971 what wc tried to do was that we tried to keep ourselves alive as Bengalees and even now what we are trying to do 21 years after our Independence Is to keep our selves alive as Bengalee jx-oplc of Bangladesh
US: Would you say then that before 194 7 we. the East and West Bengal were the same?
SSH: Well, before 1947 both shared a common struggle. But after 1948 things were a little different, because then our experiences were different.
When I was working on my documentary play on the 1-anguagc
Movement I came Across such documents In Ishtehar that when the monthly salary of primary school teachers was taka seven only, the Governor General's official salary was taka 10.000
So you sec the Issue of the Language Movement did not only speak for the language Issue. but It spoke for our overall socio-economic demands.
This type of questions you see. were rarely raised In West Bengal. Al the time West Bengal was more concerned with the Influx of refugees Into their land So this Is how our own experiences led us to a different nation.
Actually the seed of differ ence was planted tn 1948 and It bloomed In 1952 A K Fazlul Haque's Calcutta statement was misunderstood He did not really want a united Bengal. h< was talking about the common heritage which I have meq Honed earlier on. he was misunderstood
Now we know from history that Ijaquat All Khan was mur dered by the military. A con •Piracy was on.
In 1958 before we had set tied down I remember at the time I was Involved with the shooting of a film for which I had to work In night shifts, at four o'clock In the morning I came out and 1 was greatly shocked to see an army tank placed hear Kaoranbazar. where at present Hotel Sonargaon In situated. This was the first time, out side photographs or cinema screen, 1 saw a tank physically present Infront of me. There was a couple of GI's there who ordered me to clear off at once.
I came to my house and later tn the day heard that the parliament had been dissolved. Iskander Mirza had taken over, and on October 27, Ayub Khan over.
Then there was a great movement In '62 on question of food and everything. I myself from the lop of Provincial Library Building saw men killed in the streets by armed forces. During the war in 1965 I was politically bit confused.
But the later development of our national history helped me In my evolution. During the war of 1965 and Sheikh Mujtb's placing of Six Point programme 1 really failed to understand the crux of the situation. But gradually during the days of '69 I began to realise the situation and it was a vital metamorphosis for me. because It had led my thoughts to a very positive stream.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was convicted at the Agartala conspiracy trial. Today the case which has been filed against 24 of us who participated In the public trial of Golam Azam accused us of waging was against the state. Is Golam Azam the state?
The Irony is that everyone knows who the real conspirators are —Golam Azams or we?
It demanded at lot of time from '52 to '92. 1 took time. I think that I am every gradually coming to such a stage from where 1 can contribute something worth-while to my nation and people as a creative writer I think I am advancing to such a position from where I can contribute to my nation cul rurally and politically.
But I do not ‘belong to any political party. I want to be free as a writer. Because if I want to praise you as a political leader I shall have to be a free num lo praise you. If 1 want to criticize you, I shall not do that as being your enemy, but rather being your friend.
I do not belong lo any political party. But as Tagore said, "It Is not the soil that makes nation. It Is the people". As I care for these people who make our nation 1 took a political step and participated In the People's Court trial of Golam Azam without any party affiliation what so ever. Because I never want to be used as a political pawn, and I have been careful so far. because J never really had political experience at large. I believe that there was an obvious misinterpretation of the government of this public trial. It was actually a gathering who expressed their public opinion or verdict. With all humbleness. I would like to say that I am the only creative personal Ity In the list of 24 person accused. Creative tn the sense that I am a creative writer Others come from various dif ferent Unes of profession.
DS: We are interested tn knowing from you as a leading writer and dramatist your per ception of what .«• hove done in the field of literature In the last 20 years since 1971. Have m not achieved much, (f not why? And If we have achieved are the^spectflc areas iff
SSH: I have been writing over four decades. So I am familiar with at least three generations of writers, and very closely since 1971.
I am a poet, playwright and a novelist myself. But since '71 subject matter or creative lit erature has entered a narrower field They have dealt with our struggle for freedom or Muktl Juddha. Razakars and social problems, but more Interest Ing and Intriguing sides of hu man psychology and essential conscious of man which Is a very ripe subject for modern literature Is hardly dealt with.
It has become a trchd fashion with many writers, including a few major writer, to dqal with the subject of our struggle for freedom or Razakar problem. Any prolific writer has at least two or three publications on these topics. These common topics are more favourite with fiction writers. Any writer who has not yet written a book on The war of Liberation or Razakar' feels that he Is still lacking In qualification to join the patriotic club'.
To tell you the truth since 71 there have been hundreds of books on Muktl Juddha but very few of them can stand the test of time. As a writer, I write when I really feel an urge to write. But I refrain myself from over burdening my readers with a lot of rulwlsh In the more of patriotic feelings.
So 1 think our subject for writing has become very limited. Instinctive human traits, such as love. Jealousy or filial feeling etc. can very well be a grand subject matter for any kind of writing.
One of the great directors of West Bengal once said that "Wc would have been Independent tong ago If half the revolu lion which shook the stage had taken place in the streets." And If wc think that by using these narrow subjects tn our literature we arc helping our nation then We are greatly mistaken.
Fiction I think, is a Journalism of creative order. One novel should the highest form of creative journalism about the age. Mrinal Sen. the great film director from India, once while having dinner with me at my residence, agreed with me that we are failing to Induce adequate hatred into our reader by using these sensitive issues so often.
In the filed of poetry 1 think there has been 50 or more poems written on Nur Hossain alone, who died as a mark of protest during the days of anti—Ershad demonstration. It seemed that anyone who could lay a hand on a pen was prepared to write about Nur Hussain. I think we should have tried to preserve the essence of the youth and uphold the values for which he had laid down his life.
DS: But would not you say that writing on such sub/ects can be possible from genuine feelings? If I am affected by loss of my near and dear ones. If I have travelled through the same experiences of my char aclers In the novel or poetry, isn't my emotion bound to be genuine and my creation read worthy?
SSH: You see, as I have said subjects like this have become popular fashion with most of the writers, If not the major ones. One thing you cannot deny Is that one can never write about subjects like this out of the cloud or from mere detouched necessity. One has to be very committed and hard working to write anything worthwhile on chosen subjects like that.
DS: We do not seem to have enough feature films and TV serials on the subject qf our Liberation War Do you think that the lack of quality literary products discourages film makers to make films on such issues?
SSH: Even though I am not a film producer myself 1 have seen that producers are not very enthusiastic about subjects such as war of Independence or movement of the people. So they are least Interested to throw away their money on matters such as these.
Most of the Investors tn the film line feel happy to believe that they were much happier during the rule of Pakistan. Another thing Is that any Investor would want his money back In surplus. Again the jaws of VCR have taken a heavy toll on local Bangla film. The producers are left with very little choice but to compete with their commercial Bombay counterparts. What I think about our audience here Is that, people are frustrated. There hopes after '71 have virtually come to nothing. So they want a momentary escape from the mundane realities of life. So they go for commercial films. But there has been some good and positive contribution In short films I am opposed to the Idea of calling it short film. I call It free length film. It is an alternate movement which was supposed to have happened In feature films.
Actually every creative endeavour is divided into two distinct categories — entertaining and deductive. Not only in Bangladesh but all over the world there arc these two types. Even In England and America there are many paperbacks which you might read In the sub way then throw it away In the bln. But the difference is that any best-seller there would not claim to belong to the mainstream literature or literary persult. as In our country It happens quite often.
Television has always been a government controlled medium and I am quite familiar with Its do's and don'ts. I remember that about three years ago one of my programmes was cancelled Just because I used Bengalee’ instead of Bangla desh)'. When I go abroad and fill in my embarkation card.I always write that I am a citizen of Bangladesh. 1 think the word Bangladeshi Is a mlsn omer. Of course, this Is my own point of view.
DS: Will you not say that there are not even one or two great works on the subject of Liberation War tn fiction or in any nonjictional work?
SSH: Second World War ended In 1945 and now it Is 1992 but critics think that Norman Mailer s Naked in the Bed Is still one of the best pieces ever written on World War II. This book has simply weathered away more than 30 years which is not a great amount of time for a nation. In my play Nurol Deener Shara Jeeban Nurol Deen is a peasant leader who upholds the people of Dlnajpur. Rangpur. Kuch bihar In 1783 against British rule and mahajans' and benyas. He was forgotten totally. In 1983 I wrote a play about him which was staged by Nagorik’ theatre group.
A few days ago 1 saw someone write that for 200 years we have passed heroes like Nurol Deen and Tltumeer . and I was really proud. For 200 years Nurol Deen was forgot ten. So you sees if we can wait for Nurol Deen for 200 years then why cannot we wait another 50 years for good literature on 1971?
It Is not that people are not trying to write on our war of liberation and not all of them are bad either, but yet I think It would lake time before we write some thing which can really stand the test of time
I believe that this will be possible by the generation of creative personalities who are now young and was born Just after the Independence of Bangladesh. This will be possi blc because they are learning to grow up In a soil which Is Independent and free. So they will be the one's to stir the stillness of the atmosphere tn which we constantly feel trapped, that 1 firmfy believe.
We say that after 1971 If any medium of creative art realty flourished that Is drama or stage play I have a theory about this. I believe no nation which ts under the yoke of officialdom can produce quality plays You need a free at mo
has now become the centre of theatrical performances existed in the pre Independence Bangladesh Everything was there for a theatre to operate, but what was greatly lacked was the spirit.
I believe that theatre de wall a century*to'ta'dtaci^ ered Poetry may wait, novels may watt for the ultimate result but drama ceased lo wait. And virtually that has brought drama to a position to which It stands today
My one complaint about theatre Is that wr have concentrated on the Mahlla Samlty too much. Dhaka Is an expanding city. What about the old part of the city? What about Uttara? What about Mohammadpur? They cannot come to Mahlla Samlty with all the muggings In the streets and all the expenses of transport involved. A middle class person cannot afford to pay 50 takas for the scooter fare and then another 100 for the actual play.
I think that in Dhaka, there should be two theatre halls tn the older parts, two In the northern parts and two around the centre.
Then there is another thing. In old Dhaka, for Instance In NazirabAZaar there Is a gymnasium where people go for exercises tn the evenings. If we can motivate the younger local boys, then that can be converted into an auditorium for staging of plays.
This has been done tn Britain, where I once spent three months looking Into small auditoriums which have been converted Into drama theatres. This wc can do. we can spread drama.
Between 1971 and 1985. there was great enthusiasm for drama and new creations were coming up. 1 took up writing plays In 1975. although I had been writing poetry and fiction since 1952.
However, since ’85, it seems to me that we have declined tn the field of theatre because we have remained concentrated on the Mahlla Samlty. Let me give you a parallel.
Tltumlr. one of our heroes about whom I'm writing a play, committed a big mistake. Instead of going to the countryside he concentrated on one fortress, and that’s why he was finished off. Tltumlrs biggest political blunder was that he did not go out of his fort.
DS . De did not road Ho Chi Minh ...
SSH : Similarly, today when wc stage plays at the Mahlla Samlty or at the Shilpakala Academies in rural towns, what we re doing is we re keeping It confined It to the slightly upper middle class elites. We arc not being able to reach the common people.
I spend at least five days In a month outside Dhaka, because I think the capital is an' Island Real life Iles outside Dhaka. So. this year 1 have taken up a project on people’s theatre.
I am going to the people, talking to them, asking them to use a place for staging plays, see something that they can do. I have drawn up a list of subjects that they can Write, and If they can show II to me then I'll give them time
DS : We hour reached a very interesting turning point, right? You have an overall assessment of what we have achieved and where we have Jailed How do you see the Ju lure, and what ivould be your advice to writers, playwrights and film makers about how they shout go about?
SSH : There is an allerna live film movement. They're working on 16mm formal I think they should adopt 35mm format and play on the other guy's turf There Is a necessity to show these films on the big screen.
OK. Satyajit Roy took a chance and believed his Pother PUnrhaU would create a big stir In the country, he believed It.
I believe there are film makers In this country with gn ..l ideas, but they do not h.» - ihe financial resources But I also believe that there are people with money In this country who love this country. If they help this alternative film movement tn any way. then I'd be very happy.
In the fields of plays. I think we should go for people's theatres, we should go for open-air theatres and Involve 85 per cent people of the land, and not confine It to the elites of Dhaka or Chittagong, Mahlla Samtty here or Shilpakala Academy there.
In literature. I think we need to widen the subjects. We've entered a very narrow and confined field. I do realise that because of the historical period we are going through, it Is not always possible for us have the right perspective. But 1 think, as creative people, wc have to look far ahead.
A creative person must think and have a long-term view. He has to cultivate human values in his work. If you cannot cultivate human values, then you won't get what you wanted, like a Razakar-free country, a free Bangladesh, because there won’t be any humans there, because the essential human qualities won't be there- With four decades of work behind me and with all my humbleness, this what 1 feel about literature.
Now. there are two sides to painting, that is painting and sculpture. We often make a mistake by confusing between sculpture and Idols.
People lack a clear understanding about these two In this country. When people destroy works of sculpture, they think they are breaking idols because Islam docs not permit making of idols.
But a sculpture Is not an Idol. It Is a creative expression. This is one thing I think art critics and the artists themselves should talk about. They should make It absolutely clear that a piece of sculpture Is sculpture and an Idol is idol. I have nothing to do with Idols.
What's happened with our painters is that they are tmllai Ing the West rather too much. Techniques, treatment of sub-jeets, even subjects. Of course, by West I mean Europe America. Australia etc.
If you go Io any painting exhibition. you will hardly find any Bengali cultural element. Now you can ask how Bengali cultural element comes Into painting.
We did not start painting only after the British came here. We have been drawing since the lime of the Pals (mid 8th century Io 13lh cen buy).
The Pal era la one of our great periods of painting, with thick contour lines, the use of brick red.
We have been painting since then.
Now I'm not saying that we have lo Imitate that, because every medium has Its own nv^ment. and you have lo use 1t wilhln the context of the time, and say what you ve got to say
Hut there has to lies contl nutty.
But what most of the younger painters have done. I find. Is they have adopted the European and American tech nlquvs of execution, even when they are perhaps drawing something that is Bengali.
Now you can ask if It is wrong to borrow or assimilate from outside? No, it is not Today when 1 write poetry. I'm influenced by T S Eliot. I'm Influenced by Ezra Pound, by Octavio Paz, by Pablo Neruda. However. I'm assimilating these Influences in my own way. You have to take the Influence from within, but most of our painters are adopting it from outside.
OS : Is there a particular thing we are lacking badly in the field of art and literature, apart from the general side?
SSH : 1 feel particularly the absence of a serious literary journal. There are politically oriented popular weeklies like Bichitra. there isn't any liter-acy magazine like Chaturanga for Instance or Samakal. Nobody Is doing anything like that these days. I don't know If this Is so because of a lack of financial viability.
But I*feel there Is a great need for a journal tike that today. and I repeat, there is a need for a literary magazine today.
Otherwise, we don't have a place to write. Where do we now write? We write in the special supplements of dally newspapers, but as you know, daily newspapers have a lifespan of one day. People would pick it up and say. 'oh I see. there Is a short story by Syed Shamsul Haq, yes. OK.' then he read one para of that story and turn the page to news, read a bit about Rohingyas, a little of Khaleda Zia and that’s • It. Finished. Forget It.
However. I want journals like Chaturanga. Partchai. Purbasha. Kauitar Patrika of Buddhadev Basu. Shaugat. Samakal. even Sonibarer ChUht
Now the Bangla Academy publishes a magazine called Uttaradhikar, which Is badly planned and badly edited Yet Bangla Academy has the money. It has a press. It has offices and staff, why they are not able to produce a good ht crary journal. 1 do not know
OS Have you ever thought of setting up something like a writers guild? O do you fear that it might gel confused with what Ayub Khan set up?
SSH: No. Several years ago. perhaps six or seven years ago. around 100 writers with various political beliefs - Awaml League. Communist Party, pro Moscow. pro-China. NAP. whatever, but Independent — we came together and formed a Lekhak Union. I was very surprised that I was elected the president.
However, after one year we had a convention, then, most unfortunately fighting began among those who were pohll rally oriented In the process I. who was not connected to any political party, left the organ Wation
Now I do not believe In unions, because there are several unions and they are ail po Ittlcally -oriented. I won t name names. but there are three or four unions and they are all. in one way or other, affiliated directly or Indirectly with one political party or an other.
So. I don't think the wrjt-ers guild you mentioned is possible In this country. One of the major problems is that we are too fragmented. People In one district don’t know anything about another district. If you, for Instance, ask people In Barlsal about what Is going on In Rangpur, 99.99 per cent would not be able to tell you. Responsibility for this fragmentation lies on journalists as well as us (writers)
This fragmentation of the country was Initialed by the martial law regime which was imposed on Bangladesh in 1958.
Then Pakistani military rulers said. Islam was in danger. A K Fazlul Huq was a traitor, Suhrawardy and Sheikh Mujlbur Rahman were not good men etc.
They started the process of fragmenting this country so that people could not come together on an Issue
Today, it is difficult to unite people on a common cause. On Eid-ul-Fttr day In Satkhira. the Imam started his munajat by seeking freedom for Golam Azam. Ten thousand devotees pul their hands down and de manded that the Imam should apologise for his comment. The Imam was forced to apol ogise and somebody else took over the conduct of the muna jaL Now. this should have happened all over Bangladesh
Today, the biggest duty in front of us, as writers, journal Ists, politjfal workers and whoever loves this country. Is to work to unite the entire country mentally
DS: We hfwe talked about fragmentation of writers, fragmentation of the society. Do all these things reflect what you might call a crisis tn our values and standards from which we may take a long time to recover?
SSH: 1 could not agree with you more. Now. it Is our re sponslbihty. yours and mine, to explain why wc are a nation. But fm not talking about ultra nationalism when 1 talk about the nation. I m saying, why are we a nation.
By nation I mean a set of symbols which make culture Bangladesh Is very fortunate that at least 97 per rent o( the people speak one language, and when our Prime Minister addresses the nation, everybody understands, unlike India or Pakistan or even China. We have this favourable condition, but somehow we cannot make use of It. There Is no parallel to this homogeneity in other parts of this subcontinent But we cant use this power. 08 We have og the oduon lopes pet we seem to kuwnl reasons tof^hl one another ...
SSH: There is one thing I d like to add. and It is that we are becoming more and more Intolerant Not only among common people, but alao among writers, cultural peo plc. academicians, there la Intolerance I don I know arhat the remedy Is. but I think It is on the rise It Is the fragmen tallon of the country and the rising Intolerant that worries me.
DS Thank you. ti ling. Joe your tone
SSH Thank you all. If I may say Mr. All. It was a particular pleasure to talk at length with you after such a long time I think It was nearly three decades ago that I spoke to you on the Press Club verandah
Since then friends have been getlng fewer and fewer. I have lost many friends to 1871. while others sent over to the other side to recent years