Abul Mansur Ahmad's 100th Birth Anniversary Celebrated
man...@my-deja.com
Anniversary
Abul Mansur Ahmad Sung
A commemorative discussion in celebration of Ahmad's 100th Birthday
By Nadine Murshid
BANGLA Academy honoured Late Abul Mansur Ahmad through a discussion as
part of celebrating his birth centenary on September 16, 1999 at the
Bangla Academy Seminar Room.
Ahmad was an acclaimed journalist, an eminent writer, a politician as
well as a lawyer. Born on September 3, 1898, he had seen the turn of
the twentieth century and perceived things with a keen eye and a broad
mind.
Director General of Bangla Academy Syed Anwar Hossain speaking at
length about Mansur Ahmad, said, 'As a politician and as a journalist
Abul Mansur Ahmad had done his job well and as a writer he had produced
an excellent array of books of which Ayna, Food Conference, Asmani
Porda, Gulliverer Shophornama are best known. His autobiographical
books too have earned popularity among the general populace.'
Quoting Ahmad, he said, 'Culture is our corporate personality. Our
culture is what we are. If culture can be compared with the personality
of a human being, so can civilisation, which means what we have, is our
civilisation.'
He further quoted Ahmad cultural and said, 'Civilisation is a rational
construction and culture is an emotional growth.' On the divide of West
and East Pakistan Mansur Ahmad wrote, 'West Pakistan and East Pakistan
may be of the same nation, but their nationality is different and they
have two different corporate personality. So, the culture of the two is
different as well.'
Professor Rajeeb Humayun read the key-note piece on Abul Mansur titled
Ahmad and Bangladesh's Culture. The seven-page article included
anecdotes about Ahmad, his life, his beliefs and his nobility. Prof
Humayun said, "At that age and time the broadmindedness he had is still
remarkable. Ahmad was first a Bengali, then a Muslim. Some thought him
to be a fundamentalist, but he was not so. He practised Islam and he
wanted Muslims to spread around the world - not enclosed in a single
country. He had said that West Bengal and East Bengal differed the way
the American English and the European English differed. He said that
our culture is to be built and created and not imitated from the other
Bengal. By our Bengal, he meant Bangladesh and Assam. The Hindu-Muslim
conflict also features in the paper. Professor Humayun then spoke about
the Bengali language and how it is losing its many dialects because BTV
and Radio Bangladesh present their programmes in a particular manner.
He said all should prevail starting from the 36 dialects to Joy Bangla
and Bangladesh Zindabad.
Renowned journalist Syed Abul Maksud said, 'Abul Mansur Ahmad was a
journalist, a writer and a politician; and he was good at them all.
While he was in Jagannath, Abul Kalam influenced him to be a journalist
and later he worked for Mujibur Rahman's paper. In 1947 he worked for
Doinik Ittehar in Calcutta and by the 1960s he was a renowned
journalist.'
He then displayed two old newspapers, Doinik Ittehar and Noboyon
containing news reports by Abul Mansur Ahmed. In his books, Mansur
Ahmad emphasised on content, not the words he used or the language.
After the partition he had said in his book Amar Dekha Rajnitir
Ponchash Bochhor, "All Hindus should be ready to leave Pakistan. If
they do not it would mean that these people want to be Pakistanis. The
fight is against Hindus, not India. Will and can Hindus be Pakistanis?
This depends on the behaviour of the Muslims towards them. Can they be
respected? Only time can tell."
Syed Abul Maksud continued, "Abul Mansur Ahmad considered Islam to be
East Bengal's one and only force. He had said that years of practising
Islam had made East and West Bengal completely different." He said that
Mansur Ahmad was one of the founder fathers of modern Bangladesh and
had he governed Bangladesh, this would have been a place where a person
can live in harmony. He said he felt that a road should be named after
this man so that everyone gets to know him.
Professor Shaheen Akhtar then went up on stage and said, "My first
contact with Abul Mansur Ahmad was when I was in school. I had won a
prize for something and I was awarded with his book, Food Conference. I
didn't like it - the cover was attractive but the name did not appeal
to me! While handing it to me our principal told me to read it saying
it was a very good book. Later when I started to read it, I was
spellbound. Then I read all his books starting from Amar Dekha Rajnitir
Ponchash Bochhor to Relish. I think Abul Mansur Ahmad is a writer with
whom you always cannot agree or ignore. He was a writer in such a time
when we were not independent, when we did not have our identity, our
culture. Now, we have a culture of our own, the culture in which he
believed. We even have our words, like egg used to be 'anda' and now
it's 'dim'. Eminent writer Syed Shamsul Huq used to write 'butum'
instead of 'botam' (button); Sanjida Khatun uses words which are our
own and we no longer use the words the West Bengalis use - we have
developed a language of our own."
Professor Anisuzzaman, who presided over the function, 'We are here to
bestow our respect to Late Abul Mansur Ahmad. Ahmad was a writer and he
wrote with emotion and utmost sincerity. He joined Muslim League in his
time and one of his goals in life was to help the less fortunate and
the disabled. He had always maintained that the two Bengali cultures
were completely different. When he talked of East Bengal he meant
Bangladesh and Assam. In my opinion he over-emphasised on the idea that
Muslims have no contribution in literature.'
Professor Anisuzzaman concluded the seminar with the words, 'Abul
Mansur Ahmad wanted an identity of our own and now we have it. We have
tried to commemorate this man of great calibre but it is not enough.
Nothing we can do can honour him as much as he deserves.'
[The Daily Star, Sept. 19, 1999]
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
Nalinaksha Bhattacharyya
: Bengal. By our Bengal, he meant Bangladesh and Assam. The Hindu-Muslim
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What about the Assamese?
: He then displayed two old newspapers, Doinik Ittehar and Noboyon
: containing news reports by Abul Mansur Ahmed. In his books, Mansur
: Ahmad emphasised on content, not the words he used or the language.
: After the partition he had said in his book Amar Dekha Rajnitir
: Ponchash Bochhor, "All Hindus should be ready to leave Pakistan. If
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: they do not it would mean that these people want to be Pakistanis. The
: fight is against Hindus, not India. Will and can Hindus be Pakistanis?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: This depends on the behaviour of the Muslims towards them. Can they be
: respected? Only time can tell."
Doe it mean that Mansur Ahmed was communal? I have not read his works.
: Syed Abul Maksud continued, "Abul Mansur Ahmad considered Islam to be
: East Bengal's one and only force. He had said that years of practising
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: Islam had made East and West Bengal completely different." He said that
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What about Bengali Hindus from East Bengal, what about Bengali Muslims
from Murshidabad?
: it's 'dim'. Eminent writer Syed Shamsul Huq used to write 'butum'
: instead of 'botam' (button); Sanjida Khatun uses words which are our
: own and we no longer use the words the West Bengalis use - we have
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: developed a language of our own."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Really? Then Rabindranath and Nazrul must be authors of a foreign tongue.
--
Nalinaksha Bhattacharyya
http://finance.commerce.ubc.ca/~bhatta
"The lifestyle of the Indian elite is amazing...I've never seen
such opulence even in America"---Noam Chomsky in New Delhi in 1996
ani...@my-deja.com
bloody shoddy racist religious fundamentalist.
It's good to see the bankruptcy of the Bangladeshi intellectuals
honoring a racist religious fundee pygmy. One of those who's
responsible for the deaths and destruction of millions of
Bengalis. And it's carrying on till today. I hope those
million cries are allowing him to rest in peace in hell.
I liked particularly this quote:
>After the partition he had said in his book Amar Dekha Rajnitir
> Ponchash Bochhor, "All Hindus should be ready to leave Pakistan. If
> they do not it would mean that these people want to be Pakistanis. The
> fight is against Hindus, not India. Will and can Hindus be Pakistanis?
> This depends on the behaviour of the Muslims towards them. Can they be
> respected? Only time can tell."
Nice quote Killer!!
In article <7s2lh9$kvp$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>,
Before you buy.