Probalda Says...

Probalda wrote back on my mother-tongue day rant; I stand corrected.

And I have wicked pleasure in putting in the commas and dot the T's (or is it i's). I am like Telemachus, able in my own way...

Like I said, or if I haven't said I say now, Probalda is God's gift to Humaninties:

I wrote, erroreously, that: There is an interesting story about how this day was picked up for the mother tongue day. Four people died in Dhaka, fighting for separation from Pakistan – on the grounds that their language was Bengali.

Probalda says:

Seven died; we only get four (middle class) names, namely, Barkat, Jabbar, Rafik and Salam, [believe me, dear readers, Prof Probal Dasgupta is writing from memory - not checking references on wiki - shank] but we are told that three others died; not clear to me if all of them were lower class. [hazaar chaurasi ki ma, wo weilest du?]

This happened in 1952.

Wiki says: International Mother Language Day originated as the international recognition of Language Movement Day, which has been commemorated in Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) since 1952, when a number of University of Dhaka students were killed by the Pakistani police and army in Dhaka during Bengali Language Movement protests.

[Of course Probalda is right; and it is not surprising that I get my facts awfully wrong. But the thing about Prof Dasgupta is that he can make facts interesting, a knack which lot of academix don't have... Now, at this hour, don't get me started about mixed up academic folk.]

Back to 1952

At that early date, nobody is asking for separation of East from West Pakistan; the thought would never have crossed their minds.

They died because they were demonstrating for the right of Bengali to be accepted as a co-official language with Urdu. Note that Bengali was spoken by considerably more than 50% of the population of Pakistan. [The unified Pakistan, that is - Shank]

[Again, I got it wrong, and I stand corrected, in writing that]: the people of East Pakistan (erstwhile East Bengal) fought for independence on the grounds of language; four people, apparently, died in police firing on this day (21 Feb.) and it became the international mother tongue day.]

Probalda goes on: The relevant events are apparently not as well known as they should be. [This is his way of telling me - Shank, his 'chela', that you should get your facts right before you open your trap :)] Anyway, P.D. goes on: In the 60s, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, fought for simple democratic rights (in the face of West Pakistani oppression of the east which was siphoning off all the resources away), refusing to build industries in the east, and so on, (standard colonial behaviour); Mujib languished in jail and was often tortured. In 1970, after much hesitation, the military regime held national elections; the results were announced in winter (I recall December, may be getting the month wrong); in a parliament of just under 300 seats, 169 seats belonged to East Pakistan, and Mujib's Awami League had won 167 of those seats. He had an outright [overwhelming - Shank] majority and should have been asked by Yahya Khan to take office. Instead, Yahya Khan temporized [guys, like many of you, I would have said, what on earth does this word mean? and then I checked out: "to act to suit the time or occasion : yield to current or dominant opinion" - shank] and then invited Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to take office -- Bhutto's PPP had won something like 84 seats. [Bhutto's daughter, Benazir Bhutto, later became Prime Minister, got corrupt - or her husband was corrupt, and she was assassinated a few years ago - Shank] Given this flagrant violation of norms, mujib led protests; these went unheeded. [There was a stalemate for more than 6 months in Indonesia circa 1999, when Megawati Sukarnoputri won the elections outright, and someone or the other 'temporized' and got an old blind man into the president's seat - Shank]

Here I (shank) would like to add a tidbit I know: companies that produced match boxes in (current) Bangladesh had to ship them to Islamabad, or some place in today's Pakistan, to get them shipped back after a small sticker pasted saying they paid excise duty. Imagine a match box of one rupee's worth (today) going across the continent!

Over to Probalda: The background was a Dcember 1970 cyclone, lots of loss of life, Pakistani authorities ignoring the whole thing and causing more tragedies, by such ignoring. Popular anger peaked. On 7 march 1971, Mujib announces that he is now struggling for an independent East Pakistan as there is no hope that the unified Pakistan system can deliver. [What can any goddamn demonocrazy deliver? is another question, which I will write aboutlater - shank]

On 25 March, the pakistani army begins its systematic
repression.

They killed three million people in those eight and half months, and raped two million women. [Probalda doesn't mince his words; and never gets his facts wrong. What if he is careless about commas and dull teaching 'periods'; he has minions and binions to help out on that score. Just let me, sir, and I will take care of the 'mechanics' of writing - any day!]

While language was the basis on which Mujib - ur - Rehman was able to cement political unity in East Pakistan, there is no direct connection between the language movement of 1952, a time at which they all believed in the idea of Pakistan, and the independence struggle of 1971, a response to the throttling of democracy.

You know what, dear readers? If it hadn't been for my goofy observations on the Mother Tongue day (and my cheeky mood that made me send a link to Probalda), I don't know if this cogent summary of what happened in East Bengal - names and all - would have come to light. Oh, yes: you could read a bunch of articles, books and stuff; but, a summary of it in three paragraphs! No, the credit goes entirely to my rant...

As on many occasions, if not always, I stand corrected. And it is Prof Probal Dasgupta's job to put me on the right track. Well, I don't know or care how he likes his job.

I don't like mine. But am I complaining?