Book Review
Title: Being Hindu in
Bangladesh
Authors: Deep Halder &
Avishek Biswas
Publisher: HarperCollins
India, 2023
Pages: 178
Sheikh Hasina has abandoned her country after having
been its longest-serving Prime Minister. She was the country’s PM for more than
20 years. In fact, she was the world’s longest-serving female Head of
Government in history. Yet she had to save herself by running away from her own
country. She has sought temporary asylum in India.
Sheikh Hasina tried to foster
secularism in her country. It couldn’t ever have been an easy task given the
presence of Islamic militancy all around. Secularism longed to get rooted in
that soil right from the time of her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who declared that:
“This is not the land of Muslims. This is not the land of Hindus. This is
everybody’s land.”
Mujibur Rahman wanted Bangladesh to be everybody’s land. He even went to the extent of forgiving his enemies and allowing them to return from Pakistan to live in their motherland. “They started trickling back,” says this book written by Deep Halder and Avishek Biswas whose roots too lie in Bangladesh. ‘They’ refers to those who had supported West Pakistan during the Liberation War of 1971. “Some of them even got back into the Awami League (Mujibur Rahman’s party). Bangabandhu (Mujibur Rahman) may have hoped a new land would leave behind old hate. (But) he was assassinated.”
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| Indira Gandhi being honoured with the highest posthumous award by Bangladesh |
It is difficult to teach good lessons
to certain people who are very religious. Those religious men drove Mujibur
Rahman out and eventually killed a lot of people instead of learning to leave
behind old hate. Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana were the only survivors of the
brutal assassination of Mujibur Rahman’s family on 15 Aug 1975. They were in
Germany at that time. The two surviving sisters sought shelter in Delhi after
that tragedy. Indira Gandhi, who was Prime Minister then, not only provided
them a good house to live in but also arranged a job for Hasina’s husband.
Religion didn’t come in the way of
Indira Gandhi’s love for these asylum-seekers. Later, when Hasina became the PM
of Bangladesh, she extended similar love to the Hindus there. The example of
Purnima Rani Shil stands out particularly.
Purnima was 12 years old when she was
attacked by “thirty to forty men on 8 October 2001…. ‘They tore my clothes and
tied my face with a gamcha [towel]. I knew their voices; I could see
their face in the light of their torch. They took me to a nearby field and
raped me one after another until I lost consciousness.’”
Her family fled to Dhaka where
Purnima met Hasina, then Opposition leader. Hasina took Purnima under her care
and educated her. Eventually Purnima became an engineer though finding a job
wasn’t easy because her past always went ahead of her. The authors met her personally
while they were in Bangladesh for collecting material for this book.
It is not easy to be a Hindu in
Bangladesh. That is the fundamental assertion of this book. There are 1.30
crore Hindus there. Even when Hasina was PM, they didn’t feel secure enough.
What about now that the country has fallen into the hands of religious
extremists?
This book is not about Sheikh Hasina.
I chose to focus on her because of her present circumstances. The miseries
faced by the Hindus in that country are delineated in fair detail in the book. It
should also be mentioned that Hasina had become quite autocratic towards the
end. Maybe, she was helpless in a country of militants and fanatics.
Towards the end the book quotes journalist Subir Bhaumik. “Just before Hasina assumed power for a second time in 2009, the world had begun to talk of Bangladesh as ‘another Afghanistan’. Not only were some Islamist radicals raising slogans as (sic) ‘Bangla hobe Taliban’ (Bangladesh will be Taliban), but the systematic Pakistani-style sponsorship of terrorism by Khaleda Zia’s BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami government was threatening to take Bangladesh down the Pakistani path.” Now, three years after Bhaumik wrote that, it looks like Bangladesh is all set to become another Pakistan which is certainly not good for India. Already, soon after the departure of Hasina, attacks on Hindus have been reported.
PS. This post is part
of the Bookish League blog hop hosted by Bohemian Biblioppost::
Related post: Being Muslim in India
https://matheikal.blogspot.com/2024/08/being-muslim-in-india.html
Man is intent on self destruction using religion!
ReplyDeletePeople don't understand religion, they think it's a weapon!
DeleteDown with all religions; some are extreme, some moderate, but all have one purpose, use people to promote their exclusivity for selfish ends in the name of a 'God'. And it has become a number one tool in the hands of politicicans, whether they're secularists or otherwise.
ReplyDeleteIf politicians kept themselves away from it, religion wouldn't be so evil.
DeleteReligion... *shakes head*
ReplyDeleteAnd I join you in that.
DeleteHari Om
ReplyDeleteNo doubt you'll have seen the news from England (being reported rather emphatically as 'Britain' because the media hopes the world won't notice no such riots have occurred in Scotland or Wales...if they want to count the single incident in NI, then they should be saying 'UK'). Everything looks bleak as hatred rises and burns the heart of humanity, reminding us we're no better than all other animals. Indeed, worse... YAM xx
Sad. I'm worried particularly because my niece just reached London as a nurse.
DeleteReligion cause usually a lot of problem..
ReplyDeleteTrue. If politicians stay away from it, probably it will do better.
DeleteThat is a timely book review given Bangladesh's problematic situation. Divide and rule has never served the common man. This fanning of hatred is bound to affect India.
ReplyDeleteI reviewed another book yesterday: Being Muslim in Hindu India!
DeleteIt's a sad state of affairs. Even as globalisation and technology are bringing the world closer together, we are being driven further apart thanks to religion.
ReplyDeleteIrresponsible and visionless leaders are the real problem.
DeleteIt seems like the book was written for the upcoming (current) scenario in Bangladesh. It's really sad. Everything that's happening all around the world. One by one.
ReplyDeleteNot sure about the book, but this review is a well written piece.
This cancer called religion is causing a lot of havoc all over including our own country. I wish someone found a cure.
DeleteLeave behind old hate - I wish more people would understand that hatred can only breed hatred. We have all become scared of our own shadows and see enemies everywhere. We seemed to be caught in an endless cycle of hate and violence.
ReplyDeleteHate is the official policy of many countries now!
DeleteIt is sad to see Bangladesh go down this road. I had followed their self help groups' growth trajectory under Mohd Yunus and had believed they were on a better path. But I think it isn't simply economic progress that stirs a nation's consciousness to adhere to peace and tolerance. Indeed a relevant book for our times.
ReplyDeleteOne person alone cannot redeem a nation especially if the religious leaders are in disagreement. Yunus has too big a responsibility.
DeleteYou have raised critical points about the interplay between politics and religion, and it’s a stark reminder of how deep-rooted prejudices and extremism can impact minority communities. It’s striking how Sheikh Hasina’s efforts towards secularism, despite her own eventual escape, highlight the ongoing challenges in fostering true religious harmony in the region.
ReplyDeleteThe worst that may happen is Talibanisation of BD.
DeleteSuch a sad state of affairs that every religion/community feels unsafe somewhere in the world. If that 'somewhere' happens to be your own homelands, that's even sadder.
ReplyDeleteI often wonder what religion means to people who are aroused to violence by it.
DeleteA sobering look at the challenges faced by Hindus in Bangladesh. The reflection on Sheikh Hasina's struggles and the broader context of religious extremism underscores the persistent tension and danger in the region. The review aptly highlights the book’s exploration of secularism's fraught journey and the impact of historical and contemporary politics on minority communities.
ReplyDeleteI am an Indian and Hindu, But I have my paternal distant relatives my father's cousin brothers and their families although I dont have any idea right now If that distant Uncle of mine is there or not in this world all I rememeber I met met him just once when I was some 5-6 years and he was in India and came to meet my grandfather. I really hope and pray they are safe there. This book titled striked a painful chord in my heart. Will read it
ReplyDeleteWhat makes Being Hindu in Bangladesh a compelling read is the passion with which it is written. A the perfect blend of academic rigor with journalistic flair.
ReplyDeleteBangladesh had so much potential. As always, the fanatics take over defining how a religion needs to be followed. And the moderates have to pay the price for it.
ReplyDelete