Problem with many of us is that we are more prone to fantasy and false imagination than accepting the truth. This characteristic of Bengali speaking people kept them in darkness and caused much suffering but still we do not try to learn.

First, let us ask what Bengali culture is. Is there any such culture that Bengali speaking people can claim as their standardized culture? And for that matter can any Indian nation claim such a homogeneous culture? The answer is a big ‘NO’. It is more so and greatly true about Bengali culture.

Bengali speaking people have two distinctive cultures, the Hindu Bengali culture and the Muslim Bengali culture. If culture is as E. B. Tailor said, "culture or civilization, taken in its wide ethnographic sense, is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society" Or, as UNESCO defines, ‘Set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, and that it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs’.

From the above definition, Bengali Hindu culture and the Bengali Muslim culture are TWO clearly different cultures. It does not mean that we need to fight on it. There are many common cultural heritages of these two religious groups but differences are also wide and varied. Let us speak about Bengali language. Anybody with a little sense of critical observation will find sharp distinction between Hindu Bengali and the Muslim Bengali. The Hindu and the Muslims have different words even for common material things. For example, let us take the word ‘water’.

The Muslims say it is ‘Pani’ whereas a Hindu will automatically call it ‘Jal’. There are hundred of words like this. The very personal words of relationship between the Hindus and the Muslim are also clearly different. The word uncle or brother, grandfather or grandmother are also different.

The various words for food are never same in Hindu and Bengali culture. Bengali Hindu food and Muslim food are also different; they do not inter marriage or socially mingle with each other. .Religion has separated people so deeply nowhere on each. If anybody, by reading a Bengali novel, cannot recognise or understand the religion (or the cultural origin) of the writer must be intellectually a reader of very low calibre.

I close this narration by saying the last point. The name Abdullah cannot be a Hindu name and similarly Ram Mohan can not be a Muslim name. Understanding the religion of a person by name is a unique characteristic of Bengali culture. Those who can not see it need not join in any cultural discussion. I say this not to infuriated cultural clash between the Hindus and the Muslims but for the clarity in understanding. Hiding truth brings disaster but recognising it makes the path of conflict and disarray narrower. .We must also know that it is not the differences that cause trouble but disrespect and disapproval of diversity in culture do bring disaster.

In Indian sub-continent, religion has always played an important role in the life of the population. On the basis of religion an individual is judged, unfortunately. With education and economic development it can be changed and I am hopeful that one day it will be changed. Now, what we need to do is to find the problems and try to solve it with mutual understanding. We need to remember, a society with a mono culture is a dull society and social and cultural diversity makes a society colourful and interesting.

Now, coming back to Mr. Abdullah’s criticism of Rabindranath Tagore, one needs to understand Mr. Abdullah reasons for doing so.

Tagore was a great Bengali intellectual. He is unique in one sense and that is his versatilities. He was a poet, dramatist, novelist, essayist and what not? That is his greatness. But he is not the greatest in the world in any particular field. For example, he can not match Tolstoy as a novelist or Shaw as a dramatist. These are verdicts of literary experts and not mine. Tagore, again, unfortunately was not a decent man like Bidhasagore. Even Bankimchandra was much better than him.

There is much evidence that proves candidly that he was a highly communal man. It was people like Tagore and his type that caused division of India. Bangladesh’s adaptation of Tagore’s song as the national anthem is also perplexing. Tagore despised Muslims and the Muslim majority country Bangladesh adopts his song as her national anthem is nothing but an irony of fate for the Muslim Bengalis. Mr. Abdullah does not approve it and has called for a correction. I for one do not blame him for that.

Mr. Abdullah has right to speak out his mind and now it is up to the Bangladeshi people to decide and take action. Those who criticise Mr. Abdullah also need to ponder for a while and judge him from the substance he has presented and not from any personal fascination he or she may have for Tagore.


Saleh Ahmad, Bangladesh
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