I AM HARUN BAUL SPEAKING (22)

আমার দেখে শুনে জ্ঞান হল না।

কি করিতে কি করিলাম দুগ্ধেতে মিশালাম চোনা।

মদন রাজার ডঙ্কা ভারি 

হলাম  রে তার আজ্ঞাকারি 

জার মাটিতে বসত করি

চিরদিন তারে চিনলাম না। লালন ফকির

Amar dekhe shune gnan holo na.

Ki korite ki korilam, dugdhete mishalam chona.

Modon rajar donka vari, holam re tar agnakari

Jar matithe boshot kori

Chiro din tare chinlam na. Lalon Fakir

(I learn not from listening, seeing.

To do things right I err like mixing urine with milk.

I have become wish-bearer of powerful king Modon - lust.

Living in someone’s land I never bother to know Him). Lalon Fakir

According to Guru Aziz Shah Fakir the song reveals the four-fold evils such as stubbornness, willful erring, greed and ignorance have inflicted most of our people in power. The progressive deterioration of sustainability in all sectors of the country including foreign affairs, political, economic, social, moral, law and order, and ecological conditions bear the witness. He considers the rising trend towards the worst as an indication of a potential social revolution. A revolution is of course desirable for retreat facilitating the emergence of a new era with a new set of revolutionary people enriched with values and spirituality of Sufism, and new governance for restoration of our degrading sustainability. The guru is elated  about it, for a new governance would hopefully cause to end the inherently oppressive, exploitative and corrupt western democracy in one hand, and implant a righteous democracy embedded in the spirit of Khelafat system of deliberative governance, on the other. To help restore historic Sonar Bangla, the guru outlines a guideline for establishing the Khelafat system of governance largely compatible to our sustainability icons:

নদী ভরা জল

মাঠ ভরা ফসল

পুকুর ভরা মাছ

গোয়াল ভরা গরু

বাড়ী ভরা গাছ

পাখির কলতান

শিশুর কোলাহল

বাউলের ও মাঝির গান

রাতে বন্য জন্তু ও ভূতের ভয়।

nadi vora jol (water in river),

math vora sashya (field full of crops),

pukur vora maas (pond full of fish),

gohal vora garu (cow in the cowshed),

bari vora gaas (homestead with trees),

pakhir kolotan (melodious tune of the birds),

shisur koahol (uproar of children),

bauler o majheer gaan (songs of Bauls and boatmen),

Rathe banya jantu O vuther voy (fear of wild animals and ghosts at night)

The guru would call the new era as the era of ‘Ecocracy’ (ecological democracy). The Ecocracy of the historic Khelafat system needs to be revived and intrinsically implanted at National, Thana, Union and Ward level. Firstly, a national Khelafat committee can be constituted with 2 representatives (1 male, 1 female) from each of the like-minded (pro-Sufi) political parties. This integrated committee can recruit a national recruiting body consisting of 50% male and 50% female members. They should be distinguished practicing individuals of various disciplines who are laudable for their stewardship values such as patriotism, competence, trustworthiness, honesty and resilience. With the expertise of the national recruiting committee, the national Khelafat committee can recruit 1 male and 1 female Ward Khalifas, Union Khalifas and Thana Khalifas throughout the country. There may not be any Khalifas at the district level. The districts can be administered by a team of  patriotic civil servants.

The selection process must be based on the basis of merits of the candidates as outlined in “I am Harun Baul Speaking (part 19; www.bangladesh-web.com Tuesday June 03 2008)”. The selected Ward Khalifas can then recruit one male and one female member from the Ward Gotras (clans) to form an Integrated Ward Khelafat Committee. The national Khelafat committee and national recruiting committee jointly can form the Thana Committees who can form the Union Committees in their respective unions. Both the Thana and the Union committees need to be selected strictly on the basis of merits of the candidates.

The Khalifas at all levels may be given honorarium to meet their basic living costs. They will work from their respective Ward Community Centre which will be constructed in every Ward. The centre should be large enough to accommodate a training centre, a healthcare facility, a food security go-down, a crop bank, a cooperative shop, a ration shop, an organic fertilizer centre, a permissible entertainment facility, a Shalish Kendra etc. The local agenda with regards to social, economic and ecological issues must be identified and prioritized locally reflecting the deliberative wisdom of the local people including the local elders. The resolved matters and any unresolved ones (legal matters etc.) including any socio-economic conflicts and future development plans are to be forwarded to the Union and Thana Khalifas. The Thana Khalifas will endeavour to resolve them. The yet-unresolved matters will be sent to the National committee. This bottom-up functionality clearly means that a Ward Community Centre is the primary hub of community activity. This model of governance, the guru claims, is a sustainable grassroots-based  Ecocratic system.

The guru suggests that the National Khalifas have to be trained up by the guru’s authorised trainers on all aspects of the national election manifesto and ministerial framework as revealed in “I am Harun Baul Speaking part 21”. The National Khalifas will train the Thana Khalifas who will train the Union Khalifas who will train the Ward Khalifas who will train the Ward Committee members who will implement development in their respective community. The focus of training would be to reinforce Khelafat governance’s intrinsic capital such as patriotism, belief (Iman) and spiritual strength that can synergistically revitalise our degrading culture to advance a transition towards reviving our inherent cultural values such as caring for the environment, learning from nature, honesty and trustworthiness, responsibility and obligation, patience and resilience, and kindness and cooperation. The synergies between these values can transform the people of ignorance into “the people of integrated understanding”.

The guru asserts that a nation comprised of a people of understanding can cause to prevail a culture where the rulers are guided by the pious. The rulers of Indian sub-continent enjoyed this privilege during the time of Pir Minuddin Chisty of Ajmer (d. 1230), Pir Shah Jalal of Sylhet (d. 1384), to list a few. Under the guidance of the pious, rich are obliged to see the poor as their valued patrons, and the people in general understand themselves as the custodian of all in nature. Tyranny and exploitation have no chance to prevail under this circumstance.

On the contrary, the rulers devoid of the guidance from holy saints, and also the highly recognised pundits who venerate the western democracy often tend to talk like idiots, behave like blinds, and act like cheats. The advocacy for the highly profiteering micro-credit programs in order to push the country’s various types of poverty caused by both human (social and political) and natural causes into museums is a living example. The guru asserts that the previous proclamation made by a distinguished personality regarding poverty alleviation through the business of micro-credit has resulted in creating a massive destitution compared to its microscopic economic well-being. However, the socio-moral losses that our culture has already suffered due to this deceptive micro-credit business stand irrecoverable. To add salt to injury, another deceptive slogan is being made now-a-days. This is to trigger the marketing of values-driven social business with moral obligation to be undertaken by the university graduates. Again, it is being told that the social business shall put poverty into the museums. This is also a classic bluff.

The social business of indiscriminate sale and usage of mobile phones is at the root of some serious evils in Bangladesh. Blackmailing, cheating, mugging, extortion, robbery, theft, road accidents, mobile marriage, suicide, illicit relationship between male and females, watching of immoral scenarios, murder, potential damage to ear (and/or brain) from over-use - all have flourished hundred times greater than when it was not in use. Many students and non-students youths are being spoiled, even losing their lives, because of the evil use of mobile phones. Innumerable city parents pass their times in dreadful stress. It has also caused nutritional deficiency to many low income people. As the people first increase food consumption when they have extra money, so they decrease it when in deficit. The guru claims that wise distribution and morally acceptable use of mobile phones will gradually lead to abolish all the negative consequences significantly.

Recognizing the above unsustainable anti-values phenomena, the guru repeatedly asks the values-driven pro-Sufi political parties to act in unity for devising an action plan for effective values education program from the early childhood – not at the tertiary level as has been suggested in view of promoting so-called social business. Beside enriching the primary and secondary school curriculum for values education, a dedicated TV centre is long due in order to facilitate moral and spiritual development of our people including children through moral advertisements, depicting the sayings and doings of the Sufis, Baul songs, religious discourses, educational drama, and sustainability-centric documentary shows including sustainable development activities in the country. A concerted effort is required to achieve this. The political parties in context have so far failed even to come to a common platform for mutual discussion. But it is an imperative for creating a discussion based synergy for uniting the pro-Sufi political parties who can collectively motivate people to ignite a social movement. The time is substantially favourable now, but is running out fast. Missing this great opportunity this time may result in a missing for forever. Lalon reminds: 

সময় গেলে সাধন হবে না।  .

দিন থাকিতে তিনের সাধন কেন করলে না।

জানো না মন খালেবিলে

মিন থাকে না জল শুকালে

কি হবে তার বাধাল দিলে

শুকনা মোহনায়।

অসময়ে কৃষি করে

মিছা মিছি খেটে মরে

গাছ যদি হয় বীজের জরে

ফল ত ধরে না। লালন ফকির

Somoy gele shadhon hobe na.

Din thakite thiner sadhon keno korle na.

Janona mon khale bile,

Min thake na jol shukale,

Shukna mohonay.

Osomoye krishi korile,

Misamisi khete more,

Gass jodi hoy bijer jore.,

Fol to dhore na. Lalon Fakir

 (Futile is untimely contemplation. Why not complete for the three (brotherhood for social sustainability, modesty for economic sustainability and nature conservation for ecological sustainability). Know you not that fish never exist in the dried out wetlands? What result would it produce if a dam is constructed there? Even if plants grow because of quality seeds, fruiting never occurs).

Over two months have passed since the last discourse on “I am Harun Baul Speaking (part 21)” was published on April 24, 2012 in the News From Bangladesh describing a simple framework for a sustainable Khelafat governance in Bangladesh. Guru Aziz Shah Fakir is relentlessly discoursing about the need for and significance of the Khilafat governance not only for making Bangladesh a happy and sustainable country, but also for orchestrating of a sustainability showcase for the global socio-economic and political management. It is rather unusual that the dedicated political parties are hardly doing any visible endeavours  to constitute a governance framework in light of the Khilafat democracy in congruence with Bangladesh’s pluralistic cultural and climatic conditions. The guru suggests that the political parties in context should foster the 'underlying' cultural basis of the country.  Our culture  is by and large a Sufism centric culture vibrant with spirituality, Milad Mahfil and Urs  manifesting brotherhood, modesty and conservation of nature.

The guru, thus, urges:

মিছে মায়ায় মদ খেয়ো না

প্রাপ্ত পথ ভুলে যেও না

এবার গেলে আর হবে না

পরবি কয় যুগের পিছে ।

Misse mayai mod kheo na

prapto path bhule jeo na

Ebar gele ar hobe na

Porbi koy juger pisse.

(Do not follow prohibited paths under false temptations forgetting the sustainable pathway that you have been bestowed with. To miss opportunities this time will leave you behind time).

Md. Amzad Hossain

a.hossain@curtin.edu.au