লালন ফকিরের মাজার

লালন ফকিরের মাজার

Tuesday 10 April 2012

I'M HARUN BAUL SPEAKING (4)


এই দেশে মোর এই সুখ হোলো
আবার কথা যাই না জানি
পেয়েছি এক ভাঙ্গা নৌকা
জনম গেলো সেচতে পানি।
Ai deshe more ai sukh holo
abar kotha jai na jani
Payesi ek bhanga nauka
janam gelo sechte pani.
(This country has been of little satisfaction for me. I know not where to go again. I have a broken boat that requires life-long de-watering).
This song of Lalon is now the song of everyday life in village Bangladesh. Its metaphors apply to politics, social and economic life, and the environment - more truly than ever before. Interestingly, the successor of the political boat (nauka) of Bangladesh sounds quite differently; as if the nauka and its helmsmen are of celestial nature. They claim to have built the country Sonar Bangla (Golden Bengal). Villagers in general, though not formally educated, are ingeniously calculative. Increasing depletion of life supporting environmental resources such as soil fertility, wetland, forest, surface and ground water in one hand, and rising downturn of the country's law and order have made them to be so, on the other. The villager's are now like 'হিসাব জানি না কিন্তু কম দিলে টের পাই' 'hisab jani na kintu kom dile ter pai' - 'can not account, but can feel the deprivation'.

In the past, villagers hardly bothered about their future (days) in the environmental and political matters. They believed that

এই পৃথিবী যেমন আছে তেমনি ঠিক রবে
সুন্দর এই পৃথিবী ছেড়ে চলে যেতে হবে - বাউল বিজয় সরকার
Ai prithibi jemon ase temon e thik robe
Sundar ai prithibi sere chole jete hobe - Baul Vijay Sarkar
(This earth will remain in the state as it is at present. We will have to leave this beautiful earth.)

or
এক রাজা যাই আর এক জন আসে
রাজ্যের তাইতে কি যায় আসে?
Ek raja jai ar ek jon ashe
Rajyer taite ki jai ashe?
(One king replaces another. It matters little to kingdom).

This has changed. The magnitude of changes in village Bangladesh can be conceived only when a village is seen in the eye of the concept of our 'Eco-village' (www.bangladesh-web.com dated 9.4.2001 in 'FEATURE' section). Demonstration of an eco-village would even better depict the contrast. It is hoped that the Ministry of Environment and Forest of the Government of Bangladesh would take up eco-village project nationwide for demonstration. Interested Bangladeshis in foreign countries can also take part in eco-village development endeavour. I discount NGOs from the demonstration stage, for they are tied up with the preconceived ideas of 'development' of their western donors. They are no good for 'sustainable development'.

Villagers are now utterly unsure about their future days and generations. Recent village development program has not only destroyed the age-long environmental infrastructure, but also facilitated theft, robbery and other crimes. Better road communication system now attracts criminals equipped with motorised vehicles and fire-arms. A country with pro-crime law and order must keep villages invincible to the outsiders, especially at night time. It is possible, should government wish so.

বহু তর্কে দিন বইয়ে যায়
বিশ্বাসে ধান নিকটে পাই - লালন
Bahu tarke din boie jai
Biswase dhan nikote pai - Lalon
(Sophistries go futile endlessly. Faith can accomplish things quickly).
Politicians don't trust each other. Villagers are fed up with the present unworthy conflicts between the 'position' and the opposition. They have proved themselves to be utterly unwanted. Without knowing calculation, villagers understand right and wrong (thik bethik). They are told to vote for the 'honest'. Those who generally stand for election do not seem to be 'honest'. Before election, the leaders must publicly declare that their nominated candidates are 'honest'. Should the leaders themselves wish to stand for election, they must declare that they are 'honest' too. Otherwise Bauls would ask them to shun the politics of hypocrisy.

Easiest is for the the politicians to be 'honest'. The technique is to obey the guidelines for 'sustainable development'. One of the guidelines suggests 'to lead modest life and allow renewable resources for the future generations to come'. 'Honesty' helps stay in power with contentment. By 'honesty' politicians can sustainably do more for the country and for themselves as well. Practising 'honesty' is a simple technique that Baul gurus follow. It ensures sustainability in every aspects of socio-political and economical life. Politicians ought to seek it to avoid the repentance as follows:

মূল হারালাম লাভ করতে এসে


দিয়া ভাঙ্গা নাই বোঝাই দেশে।


জনম ভাঙ্গা নৌকা আমার


বাল ফুরালো জল সেঁচে - লালন


Mul haralam laav korte eshe
dia bhanga nai bojhai theshe.
Janam bhanga nauka amar
bal furalo jal senche - Lalon
(Profit is lost, should a broken boat be over burdened. Inherently broken boat drains out body energy in de-watering).

Political leaders are increasingly becoming burdened with misapprehensions. The days for the party in power are near to exhaust. Caretaker government is imminent. Competent people must be taken on board. Whoever wins power in the future, advisers of the caretaker government may continue. They are likely to be more worthy than the elected members, especially in policy making matters. A representative from the 'naturalist' Baul community may be taken aboard. He may be able to act as an 'adviser' to the 'advisers', for some of the followings of the Baul philosophy seem to be all-rounder. They can stop 'nakal' (copying) in the exam. halls. This is the most easiest for them of all problems in Bangladesh. The second easiest task is to mitigate 'durniti', 'ghush' and 'kalo taka' (corruption, bribery and black money). The third easiest is to stop theft, robbery and other social crimes. Poverty alleviation is the hardest. Neither it is possible nor it is desirable. Reasons are genuine - scientific and cultural. Geographical and environmental problems also influence on poverty. The process of 'sustainable development' is the only way out for poverty reduction. To solve rural energy shortage is the fourth easiest one. Renewable energy systems (solar, wind, biogas and tidal) can help solve this problem. The countries with excessive emissions of greenhouse gases are seeking countries with low emissions for constituting carbon trading. Bangladesh is a niche country in this regard. Foreign policy must be reconstructed (though Bangladesh has hardly any positive foreign policy). A small and compact country with about one hundred and forty million consumers is highly attractive for the industrial countries. Any pro-people foreign policy is supposed to work. The Baul followings living abroad are aware of the importance of renewable resourceful Bangladesh to the unsustainable industrially developed countries.

Bangladesh now needs a political party that understands the 'underlying' cultural basis of the country. Some politicians think stupidly that 'mathai tupi' (cap on the head) is the popular culture of the country. Many of the politicians now hypocritically wear tupi before their audiences. Bauls laugh at them. By this, they are confessing defeat with the hypocrite culture of 'Jam Azam'. Shame! বন্যেরা বনে সুন্দর শিশুরা মাতৃক্রোড়ে Bonnyera bone sundar shishura matri kole (The wilds look good in the forest and children on their mothers' lap).. I am not against tupi. It is part of our culture and nobility. Tupi and dari (beard) together immediately symbolize honesty, thus, respectability. Politicians who wear it are they at all honest? Probably NOT. Shame again.

A political party with tupi and pagri (turban) is urgently needed manifest their inner meanings including 'honesty'. Lalon's 'religious secularism' can guide a political party to build up a sustainable stronghold on the soil of Bangla. Many of the Baul songs are full of wisdom and guidance in this regard.

পাড়ে কে যাবি নবীর নৌকাতে আয়
রু কাস্থের নৌকা খানি নাই ডুবার ভয়।
বেচারা নাইয়ে যারে
তুফানে যাবে মারা
এক ধাক্কায়।
Pare ke jabi nabir naukate ai.
Rop kasther nauka khani nai dubar bhoy.
Beshara naie jare
Tufane jabe mara
eki dhakkai.
(One who wishes to go across, come to the boat of the Prophet (sm.).
The boat is made of the wood that has no fear of drowning.
Those who are indisciplined boatmen will be killed by a single blow).

Islamic political culture has failed to demonstrate ingeniousness over the global political culture. This does not necessarily undermine Islam's 'realism'. The Sufistic Islam of Bangladesh has the Tariqat (way) to safeguard the politicians who could embark on the Nauka that is built with the purity of Sufi Islam. Some political leaders have Sufi affinity. They visit Mazars. Interestingly, three leaders recently visited the Mazar of Hazrat Shah Jalal (r.) and sought doa (blessings) in favour of their individual political victory. This is a futile endeavour. How can the same Sufi pleader plead for the three leaders to go to 'power' at a time? The Sufi might have gone for one only. Mystic Bauls know who is it? Leaders should visit different Sufi Mazars including that of the Mazar of Lalon Fakir. Lalon's way is the way of 'syncretism'.

Dated 21/05/2001 www.bangladesh-web.com


Md. Amzad Hossain

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