Pahela Baishakh this year
A positively revealing observance
The spontaneity with which the nation observed Pahela Baishakh on Thursday has revealed certain significant aspects about society in Bangladesh today. One is of course the remarkable growth in the numbers of people for whom the advent of the Bengali New Year is not only cause for a day's celebration and holiday but also a rededication to the traditions which for have ages nurtured Bengali culture in Bangladesh as well as beyond its frontiers. One notes that Pahela Baishakh is today much more than a Dhaka- or urban-based affair, for as this year's spirited observance of the day has so amply demonstrated, its celebrations have greatly diversified and are now as much a matter of rural exuberance as they are of the urban.
The economic aspects of Pahela Baishakh cannot be ignored. It is comforting to know that while the origins of Baishakh, rooted in early Mughal times, revolved around a closing of old accounts and an opening of new ones, in today's circumstances it is again economics which underpins the coming of Baishakh. The brisk trading which went on in the days and weeks preceding Pahela Baishakh is a testimony to the near religious fervour, not unlike that associated with Eid, with which people approached the New Year. On a wider scale, Pahela Baishakh this year was a resounding reassertion of the secular ethos of this nation. All Bengalis, among whom come followers of all faiths in the country, made it a point to remind themselves of the cultural stock they spring from. In addition, celebrations of the New Year by indigenous people, Bangladesh's original inhabitants, only added substance to the secular spirit.
Pahela Baishakh this year can, in that particular way, be regarded as a coming of age for the people of Bangladesh. And for the majority of Bengalis who also happen to be followers of the Islamic faith, a celebration of national culture has nothing contradictory with their adherence to faith (despite the attempts of the fanatical right to mislead people on this point). That Bangladesh's people are justifiably proud of their cultural heritage and aware of their religious values has never been in doubt. On Thursday, we as a people firmly renewed our faith in ourselves.
No let-up in land grabbing
Impunity feeds this crime on
Allegations of land grabbing continue to pour in from all over the country. In addition to foreshores, water bodies and arable lands the malady is now spreading into graveyards and cremation grounds.In Chittagong, a housing company is said to have grabbed nearly one acre cremation ground and a large portion of a temple over the last two years. The company is also forcibly purchasing arable lands for its housing project without approval from the Chittagong Development Authority (CDA). The CDA conveyed its disapproval to the company saying that the lands were arable. In spite of that the company continues to sell plots on such farm lands.
Land grabbing and the haughty denial of the grabbers of any wrongdoing continue unabated. Interestingly, grabbers continue poaching spaces and the authorities concerned issue orders to stop the crime. Then there is no follow-up. And when the authority intervenes it comes too late in the day by which time companies establish some sort of claim over the lands.
It is evident that the government is helpless in the face of their incorrigible defiance of law and let them get away with whatever they do. In most cases they are in collusion with officials in committing such crimes.
In recent past, there were reports of clearing parts of hills in Chittagong for housing projects, which led to heavy mudslide and loss of lives in the region.
We call upon the authorities, not only in Chittagong and Dhaka, but all over the country, to show zero tolerance and take stern measures against the realtors to stop this land piracy. They not only cause huge ecological imbalance and loss of valuable lands but also deprive thousands of people who are the legal owners of the land.
0 comments:
Post a Comment