Freedom and linguistic identity: Is Bangladesh losing its anchor?

It was a period of atrocities and genocide (by Pakistan) and a fight-back by the Mukti Bahini. In 1971, I was a first-year under-graduate student at Presidency College, Kolkata. East Pakistan’s resistance to West Pakistan had economic and political reasons. 

But underlining all this, there was pride in Bengali language and culture, and resistance to the forcible imposition of Urdu. Unesco observes 21 February as International Mother Language Day. The roots of it go back to 1952, when people gave up their lives for the Bengali language. 

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There is a famous poem (which later became a song) written by Abdul Gaffar Choudhury. It sounds far better in Bengali: “Amar Bhaiyer Rokte Rangano Ekushe February" (How can I forget 21 February, which is splattered with the blood of my brothers?). 

Some 79 million speak Bengali in West Bengal and about 171 million in Bangladesh. In 2017, Sudeep Chakravarti wrote a wonderful book on Bengalis as a community, those in India and Bangladesh, and those who reside elsewhere. Bengalis of a certain generation living in India know Choudhury’s poem by heart.

In 1971, the fight for Bengali language and culture resonated in West Bengal. As students, we promptly formed an organization known as ‘Bangladeshi Mukti Bahini Sahayogi Andolan Samiti’ (Association to cooperate with the Bangladeshi Mukti Bahini). 

We wore black armbands and demonstrated in front of what was then the Pakistan Deputy High Commission in Kolkata. There were roars of applause when the Pakistani flag was lowered and the Bangladeshi one raised in its place. 

We roamed around the streets of Kolkata, holding spread-out bedsheets, asking people for donations of money, medicines and clothing.

The Petrapole-Benapole border is a major transit point for Indo-Bangladesh trade. Its infrastructure must have improved vastly (I haven’t visited it since 1971), but at the time, its roads were rudimentary and one approached the border through Bangaon. 

Gathering what we had collected, we took a train to Bangaon and traipsed across the border to Jessore Road. It was a daily routine and there was no sign of the Pakistani army. Bengalis on this side empathized and connected with Bengalis on that side.

Some 15 years ago, I happened to be in Dhaka for a conference. It coincided with the commemoration of 21 February and I happily joined in. Some six years ago, I and my wife visited our ancestral village in Bangladesh and everyone had moist eyes. 

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With more than double the number of Bengalis in Bangladesh than in West Bengal, there was general admiration for the way Bangladesh had established Bengali as a global language and had gone about preserving Bengali culture and identity.

A few days ago, I was in Kolkata and happened to pass what is now the Bangladeshi Deputy High Commission. Several thousand Bangladeshis (probably on medical and tourist visas) were agitating there, aspiring for a new freedom movement. I remembered the past. 

1971 resonated with an older generation. It is a distant memory, as the two countries have pursued different development trajectories. For the new generation in both countries, it is sentimental nostalgia. For India, Bangladesh is a neighbour, often hostile, though there is grudging admiration for its prosperity and improvement in social sector outcomes. 

(The per capita income of Bangladesh is considerably more than that of West Bengal and has recently surpassed India’s figure.) There is no question that the Awami League regime was repressive and post-covid Bangladesh has been plagued by economic problems. 

Inequality is far higher than in India and there have been unemployment problems. For Bangladesh, India has been the big brother breathing down its neck, meting out unfair treatment.

After its regime change, once the chaos is out of the way, Bangladesh will chart out its own course. There will be tricky foreign policy issues for India. Reminiscent of 1971, there is a refugee problem of sorts, with Hindus in Bangladesh having suffered amid the mayhem and bedlam. 

For the sentimental and nostalgic generation, Bangladesh has been moving away and will move further from the Bengali identity that wrought freedom in 1971. Its shift towards an Islamic republic has been palpable, even before the recent unrest. That will clearly become more accentuated, with spillover concerns for India. 

Also read: An alternative history of modern Bengal

There were non-economic reasons behind East Pakistan becoming Bangladesh. Those non-economic reasons, of language, culture and identity, seem to be less pertinent now. Apart from nomenclature, given this month’s reign of terror, what is the difference between an East Pakistan and Bangladesh?

As we celebrate Independence Day, there is much to be grateful for. Apart from a brief interlude in the 1970s, our democracy has strengthened in contrast to our immediate neighbours. This may not be palatable to some countries that seek to destabilize India. Notwithstanding their efforts, India will endure.