Bangabandhu's aesthetic thinking

Atiur Rahman

Every thing in this country, ever so small, ever so trivial, was precious to him.
The only thing of no consequence, to him, was his own life. His ever expanding figure measured the map of our motherland.
Rafiq Azad (The Stairs) [Original in Bangla: "Ei shiri"]

The fifteenth of August is certainly the saddest day for the Bengalis. Thirty-one years ago on this day, the greatest of our national heroes, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated. Rafiq Azad rightly says that, save his life, everything that is Bangladesh he cherished as most dear. Indeed: "His ever expanding figure measured the map of his country." This stalwart of a man "could clasp fifty thousand square miles with his bare hands/entwine seventy five million hearts/ reach out to the squalid storm of Baisakh with ease." (Bablu Joarder: "And a tall man he was") [Original in Bangla: "Shey chilo dighal purush"].

His fond, caring attention is showered on the face of Bangladesh, much as Tagore or Jibanananda and Nazrul's did. The dream of a free land epitomizing all our desires, alluring and eluding our people for a thousand years, suddenly surrendered in his hands and materialized. "His enraptured eyes envisioned the countenance of a Bangla with placid beauty, "a golden Bengal." So his heart conjured up a cherished dream of freedom." (Nirmalendu Gun: "Mujib Again") [Original in Bangla: "Punascha Mujib"]. That's why Bangladesh and Sheikh Mujib are isomorphic.

This August I would like to pay homage to this complete Bengali by unfolding some of his thoughts on art and culture. An artist, in a traditional sense, he was not. But great contemporary political observers did not exaggerate when they called him "an enduring poet of politics." Defining art, Tagore once said: "With the propensity of his heart a human reveals his personality. Personality entails variety. Good that it is so." (Rabindranath's Thoughts on Art, Collection of Tagore's Writings edited by Satendranath Roy). The collective emotions, dreams and dreads of a people find expression in poetry, song, drama etc. The conversation, public address or way of life of a great public leader can also be a work of art. The surfeit in human feelings/emotions find outlet in different ways at different times. If it is aesthetically satisfying, if it can resonate in other hearts, we can call it artistic. The ultimate expression of a personality may also fall into the domain of art.

An immortal poet of Politics
In the entire period after the fifties, Bangabandhu held the reins of the political, social, cultural powers. His clarion call, his direction to turn every house into a fort, the raising of his finger; his firm, erect and confident posture-everything influenced the emerging nation. His unique address on March '7, 1971 is itself a super political lyric. A tall figure like Tagore or Satyajit Ray, his very gestures in that address added a new dimension to our national culture. In this famous address, Bangabandhu unleashed his compassion for the poor and the downtrodden of our country in a passionate yet restrained manner. He, like a political bard, sounded his thunder-like voice, parched on the roof-top, as it were, on every Bengali dwelling. In short, he declared an all-out war. He said, "This time we will take up arms for our liberation, our emancipation … we offered blood, more blood will we offer, until, by the grace of God, we liberate the people of this country." He did not want to be a premier, he said, he wanted people's rights vindicated. The address proved him a son of the soil, an offspring of our heritage.

"You can no longer subjugate us," he said in a mix of provincial dialect, local intonation and an all- embracing feeling loudly verbalized. Many lauded this address as an epic in politics. Such epics are not made in a day. Because he was ever committed to the culture and politics of the soil, he could utter impromptu the rhapsody of his heart to the millions listening to him that day. His contribution to the efflorescence of the Bengali psyche was so great!

A patron of Bengali culture
Bangabandhu was the chief guest at the founding ceremony of Hotel Purbani on December 31, 1970. His address reveals his deep love for Bengali language and culture. He said: "Artists, poets, literati must reflect in their work the aspirations of the common man. They belong to their people, country and culture. I appeal to them to devote wholeheartedly to mould anew our language and culture for the benefit of common man. I assure them that my party and I will fight any obstacle to their creative expressions. Gone are the days of conspiracy against our culture, of control and guidance. Artists will no longer work for a small number of elite beneficiaries. I appeal to them to make common people, the deprived, their struggle and joys and sorrows, the motif of their art and literature." His incremental love and bias towards the common man found poignant expression in every speech he delivered.

He loved to co-opt representatives from literati in all his organizational activities. He patronized our own culture, as exemplified in the aesthetic presentation of the copy of our constitution. Eminent artists of the country were given responsibility to embellish a handwritten copy -- an artistic homage to the 3 million martyrs. The formal presentation of the 'six points' made at the conference in Eden Hotel on March 20, 1966 was beautified by artist Hashim Khan among many others. The artistic presentation of "6 points" reveals the depth of his aesthetic sensibility.

Tagore's influence on Bangabandhu
The influence of Tagore on Bangabandhu was pervasive. In an interview Begum Mujib said: "Kabi Guru presides in the heart of his heart. During the ups and downs of his political career, he drew solace from the recitation of Tagore. The magical words of Tagore's songs such as 'O, Lord, I do not pray to be sheltered from danger/Rather make me fearless in the face of all odds' or 'If no one harkens to your call/Walk, walk, walk on alone' -- helped him through the calamity-stricken days. He hummed them and drew strength from them.

Apparently, the emotion-throbbed recitation from his powerful voice was in tune with the realities of his own life. His lifelong motto was to transform the Golden Bengal of Tagore into a sacred placidity. For this he fought, for this he lived. Sayings by Tagore were his constant source of inspiration. Every time he was put to prison, he took with him his copy of Tagore's Shanchayita (collected poems). In the loneliness of the prison cell, Shanchayita was his only companion. The copy is defaced with many censored seals from the prisons. His love for Tagore is spelled out in a speech delivered on the birth anniversary of the poet, organized by the Bangla Academy. There he said: "Tagore's birthday is for the first time observed in a new environment and consciousness in a freed Bangladesh. Bangladesh was librated at the cost of millions of lives, immense sacrifice. The idea of truth, goodness, justice and patriotism that the Bengalis derived from Rabindranath contributed a lot to our independence. Our struggle was crowned with success. I can not think of a greater example of Bengalis practising Rabindranath."

Simultaneously, he was inspired and charmed by Nazrul also. Immediately after liberation, he made arrangement for bringing him over to Bangladesh on the occasion of his 73rd birthday. Here is an excerpt from his letter to Nazrul: "I invite you on behalf of the people of a free and sovereign Bangladesh. On the occasion of your birthday, allow Bangladesh to be saturated with your ideals. We are eagerly awaiting your arrival." The poet responded to his call. He landed in Dhaka, showered in a rain of flowers. In a touching scene the two giants met.

An insatiate soul
The deprived people of this country imbibed the basis of his ideas of culture. His eager questions to artist Qamrul Hassan made him give birth to the pristine art forms of Bangladesh on his canvas. On advice from artist Zainul Abedin, he made an ambitious plan to erect sculptures depicting the liberation war in every nook and corner of our country. But, he did not live to see that happen. He loved to discuss art with Zainul whenever time permitted. Inspired by Bangabandhu, Zainul Abedin organized at Sonargaon a folk arts and crafts foundation. The idea was to identify folk art specimen and popularize them internationally. Extremely busy though he was, he yet made time for our traditional art and culture. He assigned artist Rashid Chowdhury to embellish Gana Bhaban, an architectural emblem of the Bengalis' pride.

His death, a Himalayan burden
Thirty-one years ago fate cut short his life. Since then the Bengalis are in a slush. We are immersed in a bottomless pit. A country won with such a blood-bath is difficult to identify. A secular, human and just nation whose emergence was blessed by Ravi Shankar, George Harrison, Ginsberg, Annada Shankar, has reverted to communalism and violence. We have earned world wide notoriety for bombing and terrorism. It seems like it has become a "Banglastan."

A country where the killers of her founding fathers walk free, even thirty-one years after the crime, will inevitably condone any crime. That is reality. Lives of people -leaders and the led, sell very cheap here in Bangladesh. The August 21 grenade attack on the opposition leader Sheikh Hasina spared her miraculously but claimed the lives of 21 people, Ivy Rahman being one of them. The killing of AMS Kibria, Ahsanullah Master, Kazi Arif, Manjurul Imam strengthen the culture of internecine killing. The simultaneous detonation of five hundred bombs on August 17 is a part of the continuum.

On the cultural front much is done and much is to be done. Great poets have dedicated their best verses to him. Other branches of literature should follow. Timeless stories, novels, dramas wait to be written on him. If a Robert Paine can write a novel titled The Tortured and Damned, why can our writers not immortalize him? Let it be remembered that a struggle for liberation is a continuous process. Individuals die, nations rise and fall but an ideal is never obliterated.

Our war of liberation is an ideal and a process. It cannot end. Its light will not be extinguished. It will go on inspiring other exploited people in other times. And Bangabandhu will lead those continual wars. Oppressive governance, poverty, disease, terrorism, war and injustice are our "common enemies" against which we must fight together. This is an enemy within and without. This is the undying message of liberation war -- a message we received from the life long struggle of the father of the nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Our aesthetic workers cannot evade the responsibility of transmitting these messages to the future generations.

It is expected that litterateurs and artists of this country will re-create Bangabandhu in their art. Let it be remembered that the travail of freeing this country was entirely borne by Bangabandhu. If it had not been for him, the name "Bangladesh" would not have manifested on the world map. We could not have been free citizens of a free country. We owe it to him to honour him in our song, poetry, novel, drama, cinema, painting and sculpture. Without him Bangladesh and Bangla are incomplete concepts. Workers on the cultural front should raise the demand for state observance of March 17 and August 15. If the government fails to respond, society should light up its candles of devotion in every dwelling to save and honour the memories of Bangabandhu, a symbol of our existence.

The author is an economist and columnist.