Saturday, December 17th, 2022শনিবার, ২রা পৌষ, ১৪২৯ বঙ্গাব্দ
I do not know how many of you read September On Jessore Road, I have. I have read it a number of times. Everytime it is painful to read, perhaps more than the last time. It is strange that Allen Ginsberg wrote this and not Sunil Ganguly. I think it was possibly too painful for Sunil to write, although if I am honest Sunil wrote volumes of literature on partition and or the liberation war. Today Arjun comes to mind by Sunil. I have read the books years back and only once, so details have completely faded. I have searched and was unable to locate a legitimate edition of the book. If I remember correctly Arjun was published in 1971, exactly at the same time as September on Jessore Road. That fall of 1971 Ginsberg and Sunil visited many refugee camps along Jessore Road, which connects Khulna to Barasat, across what suddenly became an international order in 1947.
Partition of India was a mistake, wait, NOT a mistake, a blunder of epic proportions driven by greed of our leaders and parting imperialistic policies of departing British Empire. How it is possible to divide India based on religion where religion has always been intertwined and weaved between the very fabric of the society of the Indian subcontinent. That wound which started well before 1947, in 1905 with the first partition of Bengal, continued through the partition of 1947, to the liberation war of 1971, and perhaps still continuing in some form or the other. What is left, if perhaps just a corpse of humanity.
My apologies for making this column negative today, however, it is hard for me not to think that when Sunil and Allen Ginsberg were visiting the camps along Jessore Road in Barasat, they might have seen my family! This is before I was born, but my family walked that road just as it was described in the poem and in Arjun. When my dad arrived in Kolkata, his ‘address’ for weeks was platform number 7 of Sealdah station. Can you imagine that? Unfortunately, I can. I wasn’t even born, but I heard that story so vividly and so many times from my grandmother, that it is permanently etched in the back of my mind. She was a great story teller. My dad was a man of few words, and he especially didn’t like to talk about those years. However, much later, when in school we started to celebrate ‘bhasha dibash’, yes, it was widely celebrated across the ‘sanko’ as well, when there were kids; he sometimes asked why? By then I am newly learned and boasting my newfound education in history, not only do I explain ‘bhasha dibash’ in detail, but I have also explained ‘vijay dibash’ too! My dad asked me ‘vijay’ from whom? I don’t remember what I answered, but most likely the standard line from textbooks back then.
Many years later as an adult when I started reading about the conflict and learned every side of the story, and read volumes of literature on the subject, I slowly began to understand how he might have felt. “A refugee in my own country”......he used to shake his head during his terminal stage of dementia. I wasn’t beside my dad when he passed away. By then I was traveling the world doing ‘bigger and better things’ mocking myself obviously, but I am quite certain the last thing his demented mind must have thought (by then he barely spoke) is “A refugee in my own country!”
……. Editor
As I returned home this afternoon, I saw the neighbor's kid putting up the Bangladesh flag all over their door. By late afternoon the entirety of the stairway was filled with the green-red flag. Ah, the innocent patriotism! I had it, too, you know. একটা সময় ছিল যখন patriotism আমার নাক মুখ দিয়ে উছলায় পরতো! Gone are the days!
Every 16th December, I used to wake up really early on those cold December mornings. For a regular school-going kid, you must understand how difficult and annoying it must be to wake up early on a cold morning, and that too on holiday! But I used to wake up quite enthusiastically, one of the very few days of the year I didn't need to be woken up by my parents. That's how much patriotism I had. I was naive, of course.
And I stayed naive for a very long time, apparently. Even as a medical student, I used to get into arguments with my friends about the liberation war. It was a sensitive spot, and it still is, but I just don't get too worked up about it anymore.
This patriotism is what brought me back to the country after I graduated from med school. I ignored every warning from every well-wisher I had - ওই যে, দেশের মানুষের জন্য কিছু করবো। Yeah I know, as I said - I stayed naive for a very long time.
The reality is, I hadn't really interacted with the common people of the country too much because I left Bangladesh at a pretty early age - the age when one really starts going out and experiencing the "real world." There's, of course, good and bad everywhere - but that innocent desire I had to do something for the people of this country out of sheer patriotism has been sucked out of me by the population themselves. The morals of the general population have gone so low; it's pretty depressing to even think about. On top of that, as I spend most of my time interacting with people at the hospital, I get to experience people at their very worst.
And the way we doctors are treated by starting from the general population to the administration to the policymakers of the country - সোজা বাংলায় আমার patriotism এর হোগা মেরে দিসে।
So no, I don't celebrate victory day anymore. But I will not suck the fun out of the naive kids who do. In fact, I try to take my nieces out on victory day every year - they need to learn the history, know what was at stake, and understand what could have been. They deserve to experience the thrill I did when I was a kid.
What freedom means to you?
Is it becoming free like a bird? Is it becoming victorious over things you desire? Is it doing whatever your mind speaks? Being financially free? Being nothing at all?
Whatever…
You cannot particularly cage the feeling of freedom in some denotative terms, neither it's possible to define unless you ask it to a robot, not a human— for that us, the human being, is synonymous with infinite.
At one moment, freedom implies nothing, but immediately after, it may mean the whole world to you. The game of perspective; no one wins it as long as your heart reflects your head— that never happened, never will.
But we can try. Better said, we can pretend.
For a moment, we can send our sensible entities to vacation and onboard all the fantasies. How that'd be?
Fly like a bird freed from a cage, perhaps? Dance like a lotus rooted deep in the clogged water in a distant pond? Fall like a dry leaf? Or march like a flood that breaks the barrage and enters dry land?
How spontaneous they are.
Is it freedom? Tuning out and nothing to be worried about? Complaining without fear— the fear of being shackled for life?
To me, freedom is enjoying the privilege of being ignorant. Freedom is to love, to be loved— to hate, to be hated without obligation.
To me, freedom is not giving a damn about the word itself.
প্রায় ৪ মাস পর তূর্ণির জন্য কিছু লিখছি, তাও আবার বিজয় দিবসে, ভেবেই আনন্দ লাগছে! আমাদের এই ছোট্ট কমিউনিটির ম্যাগাজিন আবার শুরু হচ্ছে, প্রতি সপ্তাহের শেষে প্রিয় সব লেখকদের লেখা একসাথে পাবো, আয়েশ করে বসে একের পর এক পড়ে যাবো এ এক বিশাল প্রশান্তির ব্যাপার! আমাদের সবার মধ্যে এই খুশির আমেজ যাতে সব সময় থাকে এটাই আশা করি।
তো যাই হোক, বিজয় দিবসের কথায় আসি। শিক্ষক পরিবারের মেয়ে হওয়ায় দেশপ্রেমের মূল্যবোধ একদম ছোটবেলা থেকে নিয়ে বেড়াচ্ছি। ১৬ই ডিসেম্বর মানেই ছিলো স্কুলের অনুষ্ঠানে শামসুর রাহমানের "স্বাধীনতা তুমি" আবেগ ভরা কন্ঠে আবৃত্তি করা, বাসায় এসে "আমার বন্ধু রাশেদ", "জয়যাত্রা" এমন সব সিনেমা দেখে চোখের আর নাকের পানি এক করা, বিকালে মা'র সাথে সবুজ শাড়ি পরে বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের মুক্তমঞ্চে গিয়ে সাংষ্কৃতিক সন্ধ্যা দেখে চাদর গায়ে দিয়ে হাওয়াই মিঠাই খেতে খেতে রাতে বাড়ি ফেরা। কিন্তু দিন যত যাচ্ছে বাস্তবতা আর দেশের হাল দেখে স্বাধীনতা দিবসের আনন্দ দিনকে দিন ফিকে হয়ে আসছে। ছোটবেলার আবেগ, আনন্দ কিছুটা আনার চেষ্টা করলেও ওভাবে আর আসে না। স্বাধীনতার মানে বুঝতে গিয়ে বাংলাদেশকে যদি কেউ স্বাধীন রাষ্ট্র হিসেবে সংজ্ঞায়িত করতে যায় তখন অনেক বৈশিষ্ট্যই ফাঁক ফোকর দিয়ে গলে পরবে। একনায়কতন্ত্রের উপর গণতন্ত্রের প্রলেপ লাগিয়ে দেশ চলছে, যেখানে বাকস্বাধীনতাকে খুঁজে পাওয়া যায় না। মতের মিল বা "তাদের" সাথে তাল মিলিয়ে না চললে দেশের নোবেলজয়ী, শিশুসাহিত্যিকদের নাকে খত দিতে হয়, শিক্ষকদের সবসময় ভয় নিয়ে কথা বলতে হয়, কোন কথার জোরে সম্মান খোয়ায় আবার না জেলের ভাত খেতে হয়, লীগের ছাপ্পা না লাগালে ছাত্রদের আবাসিক হলে থাকা অনুমতি মেলে না, রাজনীতিতে না এসে নিরপেক্ষ থাকারও জো নেই, চাকুরী মিলবে না, সাগর-রুনি, ত্বকী হত্যার মতন কত কেসের বিচার হয় না এ দেশে। উত্তর কোরিয়ার সাথে বলতে গেলে তেমন আর তফাত খুঁজে পাই না!
এতসব অনিয়মের মধ্যেও চেষ্টা করি দেশপ্রেমটা জিইয়ে রাখার, ব্যক্তি পর্যায়ে থেকে যেইটুক পারা যায় সেই কাজ করি। বেশিরভাগ সময়ই সম্ভব হয় না, তাও যাই হয় ওই দিয়েই মনের শান্তি। দেশের জন্য বড় কিছু একটা করে যাবো এই স্বপ্ন দেখি। এসব নিয়ে ভাবতে গিয়ে প্রায়ই হায়দার হোসেনের ত্রিশ বছর পরেও আমি স্বাধীনতাটাকে খুঁজছি গানটা আওড়াই। আমি আশাবাদী মানুষ, এ গানের কথাগুলো যাতে আর মানুষ বেশিদিন সময়োপযোগী না বলতে পারে সেই কামনা করি।
সবাইকে বিজয় দিবসের শুভেচ্ছা!
Just over a year on Hive and in the crypto realm, what a crazy ride it's been so far. From the high hills of green to the hellish pits of red, funny thing, this is just the start, it seems.
Yet, the best part has to be our little group here, the lifeline that offers refuge from all the chaos. Also, some of the amazing users here on the chain, who I've gotten to know over the past few months, these people keep the engagement game alive and interesting.
Me joining Hive was quite sudden, though, quite an unexpected decision from my side, then becoming a so-called "crypto enthusiast" this fast was quite overwhelming as well.
Getting to learn about this whole WEB3 and Decentralized way of the internet was like being introduced to a new way of life. A realm where people are investing and working towards true ownership and are also being encouraged and rewarded for their time, effort, and content? Surely does sound like a fairy tale at first.
We're mostly used to seeing the opposite on WEB2; you don't own your content after it's uploaded. You are punished by a series of random ads while your activity gets tracked from A to Z.
Crypto is an interesting space. It's like being in a different dimension, a dimension that a lot of people still don't know about or just end up disregarding. Even though I myself don't have much skin in the game, a part of me says that I'm quite lucky to be a part of this space and sector.
What really surprised me the most are the people that I've met on this journey so far. I've been a part of many groups and communities, but none of them are as diverse, so talented as the ones here on this chain and community. In the other "very real" communities, we all get together for one common interest, sharing the same hobbies and lifestyle almost, but over here, it's just a fiesta of many different talents, interests, and professions.
The only common interest that really unites us is the love for writing/blogging. Fiction, poetry, art, you name it, some love reviewing, blockchain/P2E gaming enthusiasts are there too, and a lot of tech and development-related content as well. The list just goes on.
I've worked in a few startups and businesses; mostly called upon to guide and manage, but in return, I barely got to learn much. Most of those projects didn't last too long either, thanks to a greedy bunch of people who were in charge.
Fortunately, here on Hive, it's the total opposite you can say; people are understanding, there's also an abundance of productive blogs, information, and material to learn from, you just have to put in the time to actually go hunting for such posts and authors. A lot of room and time to grow as well. Many different communities from all over the world are all here in one place, focusing, working, and guiding people in certain aspects of the blockchain.
I say I'm one of the lucky ones, though, getting introduced to a handful of members in BDC surely gave me a head start. No rules and regulations here, if you're willing to put in some honest work and effort, then you are always welcome to join in. Thanks to them and their unbounded love, guidance, and support; I've managed to build quite a decent network and "portfolio" within such a short period of time.
But what I really love is the energy, the confidence that exudes from the ones who are still in it; even in this bloody bear. These little chats and shenanigans, debates, the minute details, all of these combined are keeping some of us from going insane, and I say that's rare in the crypto realm, or any sector in general.
I'm glad we're all back in action, under the shelter of this little safe haven of ours.
We have a long way to go. I just hope all of us will be here, together, through thick and thin.
