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I One Off I

Convention of the clinically insane

AMANUR Aman, Kushtia
A two-day long "Pagal Sammelan" (convention of the clinically insane) ended here in Kumarkhali, Kushtia last Thursday.
It was the fifth such convention held at the old Kumarkhali College premises. The first convention was held in 1996 at Gilapitala. The late Mohsin Siddique, better known as 'Lulu Pagal' or 'Pagal Samrat' in the area, came up with the idea. Lulu Pagal died in 2006.
Around a hundred clinically insane from different pans of the country gathered at the conference this year.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Kumarkhali, M. Nuruzzaman inaugurated the conference. Rezaul Karim Hannan, former chairman of Kumarkhali upazila, one of the initiators of a rehabilitation programme for these psychologically imbalanced individuals, also spoke at the programme.
Some of the participants also got the opportunity to speak at the convention.
A number of curious locals from all walks of the society also gathered at the area.
A five-point demand for the welfare of the psychologically imbalanced was introduced at the convention. The points included rehabilitation, construction of a clinic/ hospital for their proper treatment, monthly allowance and social recognition as "mentally challenged’ people.
Motaleb Hossain, president of the Pagal Punarbashan Committee (Committee for rehabilitation of the psychologically imbalanced) read out the demands. Motaleb became the president of the committee after the death of Lulu Pagal.
Blaming all...
At the conference, most of the "mentally challenged" blamed all including the government. They complained that the local law-
maker, government officials and an NGO that is working for the disabled assured them that assistance would be provided. They named local lawmaker Syed Mehedi Ahmed Rumi and ADD Country Director Mosharraf Hossain (who attended the last conference held in 2006) who apparently assured them that immediate steps would be taken to assist them. However, according to them, neither followed through.
"Give me Tk two lakh then..."
When asked what triggered "insanity", one of the participants at the convention who goes by the name "Bakkar" said that he came from an "unknown place", and demanded Tk two lakh first for his response. After much coaxing and haggling, Bakkar shouted, "Robert Clive, Mir Jafar, Ghaseti Begum made me insane..." And then there was silence.