Weekend Tribune Vol 2 Issue 21

Dhaka Tribune | vo l 2 I ssu e 21 | F R I D AY, OCTOB ER 3, 2014

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Interfaith marriages

7

True sacrifice

15

Gandhi in Noakhali

CONTENTS

1

Volume 2 | Issue 21 | October 3, 2014 Editor Zafar Sobhan

News

Executive Editor Shahriar Karim

2 News

Managing Editor Jahangir Hyder

3 Meanwhile

Features Editor Sabrina Fatma Ahmad

Features

Assistant Magazine Editor Rumana Habib

4 Listology Interfaith marriages

Weekend Tribune Team Tasnuva Amin Nova Mark S Baidya Farhana Urmee Ishrat Jahan Farina Noireet Faisal Mahmud Tausif Sanzum Sabrina Toppa

5 Feature Adivasi beauticians

Art Direction/Photography Syed Latif Hossain Cartoons Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy Rio Shuvo

6 Origin story Puja in the Raj

9 Photo story

7 Feature True qurbani 8 Business Dirty jobs 15 Feature Gandhi ashram

Holy cows

17 Standpoint Violence against minorities 20 Social Construct On being Hindu in Bangladesh

Contributors Jennifer Ashraf Kashmi Shadman Hasan Reema Islam Demitra Katyani Dina Sobhan

Regulars

Graphics Md Mahbub Alam Alamgir Hossain Tahsin Momin

14 Legalese

Colour Specialist Shekhar Mondal Kazi Syras Al Mahmood

18 Stay In

Production Masum Billah Advertising Shahidan Khurshed Circulation Masud Kabir Pavel Website dhakatribune.com/weekend facebook.com/WeekendTrib Email your letters to: weekend@dhakatribune.com

the cover

This cow was imported from India for sale in the Eid-ul-Azha cattle market, while wearing traditional Hindu decorative art. It made us ponder the coexistence between Muslims and Hindus, as well as between man and beast.

Photo: Syed Latif Hossain

16 Tough Love

14 feature

Shankhari banglemakers

19 Go Out

Coexist E

Editor’s note

id Mubarak and happy Durga Puja.

It is not often that we get to say those in the same breath, but this extra holy holiday weekend reminds us of the virtues of peaceful coexistence.

Once upon a time, Bengal was known for harmony among its different ethnic and religious groups, but with the anniversary of Ramu and the recent Durga statue vandalism, we are troubled (pg 17).

On Gandhi’s birthday we recall the Noakhali ashram he founded, but we may have forgotten some of his wisdom (pg 15).

Being Hindu in Bangladesh is not without its challenges (pg 20).

Still, this is a time of celebration, and we do that too: highlighting

interfaith marriages (pg 4), shopping for gorgeous shankha bangles (pg 1213), and visiting parlours to prep for both holidays, where we meet adivasi beauticians (pg 5).

Durga Puja has a fascinating story in Bengal, bearing influences from Muslim and British friends (pg 6).

The story behind Eid-ul-Azha stretches back to the time of Abraham.

We remember its origin and check if we’re still upholding those original values. (pg 7).

And in our photo story we honour the cow, holy to Hindus, and holding a sacred place for Muslims too (pg 9-11).

Have a blessed holiday.

- Rumana Habib

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2 News | This week

The world at a glance Weekend Tribune Desk Telecom minister sued for antiHajj statement

Six separate cases have been filed against Bangladesh’s Post and Telecommunications Minister Abdul Latif Siddique for hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims with his recent comments about Hajj.

Two cases were filed with Dhaka courts, three were filed with a Chittagong court, and another was filed with a Sylhet court on Wednesday morning.

On Sunday, addressing a programme organised by immigrant Bangladeshis in New York, the minister said: “I am strongly against Hajj and Tabligh Jamaat. I am more against Hajj and Tablilgh Jamaat than I am against Jamaat-e-Islami.

Just think how much manpower is wasted. Two million people have gone to Saudi Arabia for Hajj. They do not have any work to do. They do not have any production. They only do deduction. They only eat and spend the country’s money there. How much money is spent if one lakh people go from Bangladesh and spend Tk5 lakh each on an average? Tk500 crore.”

31% female migrants physically abused

At least 31% of Bangladeshi female migrants have been physically abused in destination countries due to a lack of proper security measures, according to a study of Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program (OKUP) yesterday.

“Bangladeshi female migrants face many challenges in their destination countries. They face different forms of abuse – physical, sexual, and verbal – and this poses a barrier for female migration,” said Shakirul Islam, chairman of OKUP, a grassroots migrant organisation.

ISIS closes in on Kurdish border town

Turkish soldiers and tanks took up position along the border with Syria on Tuesday as its government debated whether to deploy troops to battle the Islamic State terror group, a move that comes as tens of thousands pour into the country to escape ISIS fighters.

The flood of refugees from Syria has escalated – with 150,000 people

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fleeing to Turkey in recent days – as ISIS fighters armed with tanks and heavy weapons advance on the predominantly Kurdish town of Kobani, known in Arabic as Ayn al Arab, destroying villages in their path.

First Ebola case diagnosed in US

A patient being treated at a Dallas hospital has tested positive for Ebola, the first case of the disease to be diagnosed in the United States, federal health officials announced.

Officials at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital said the unidentified patient is being kept in isolation and that the hospital is following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations to keep doctors, staff and patients safe.

The patient is a Liberian national who was admitted on Sunday.

Modi announces lifelong visas for Indian diaspora Amid cheers from thousands of Indian-Americans, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced several measures to ease travel to their motherland including lifelong visas.

“Happy?” he asked as the crowd cheered his announcement with chants of “Modi, Modi” at the huge Madison Square Garden community reception for him.

“There is even more to come,” he said smilingly as he announced that People of Indian Origin (PIOs) staying in India for long periods of time would not have to report to police. “There is no need for them to do that anymore.”

In addition, the Indian missions in the US would grant long-term visas to US citizens, and US tourists will get visa on arrival in India.

Pro-democracy protesters raise their umbrellas on cue on Wednesday, as part of the demonstrations blocking central Hong Kong, in what has been dubbed the ‘umbrella revolution.’ Hong Kong has been plunged into the worst political crisis since its 1997 handover, as pro-democracy activists take over the streets following China’s refusal to grant citizens full universal suffrage

Pro-democratic protests wrack Hong Kong H

ong Kongers marked China’s National Day in unprecedented fashion on Wednesday, as huge crowds of pro-democracy protesters thronged the streets of the Asian financial hub. It is shaping up as a critical day in the territory’s “Umbrella Revolution.”

Huge crowds are anticipated to take to the streets throughout the

annual public holiday marking the anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Since 1997, when the sovereignty of Hong Kong was handed back to China, the holiday has been marked by a massive fireworks display, which was canceled this year due to the political unrest.

News: Desk. Photo: AFP

Endangered river terrapin discovered in Bangladesh

Japanese volcano may erupt again Increased seismic activity on Tuesday raised concern about the possibility of another eruption at a Japanese volcano where 36 people were killed, forcing rescuers to suspend plans to try to recover at least two dozen bodies still near the summit.

Volcanic tremors rose to a level not seen since Saturday evening, hours after Mount Ontake’s initial large eruption, said Shoji Saito of the Japan Meteorological Agency. The tremor levels were oscillating.

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female Sundarbans River Terrapin (Batagur baska), a critically endangered species, was discovered in a family pond in southern Bangladesh.

The turtle had been kept as a pet for 16 years. After much discussion, the turtle’s owner agreed to sell the critically endangered turtle to a breeding colony, adding a seventh female and diversifying the genetic

base. In this photo, the previous owner says goodbye to her beloved pet.

The breeding program at Bhawal National Park is collaboratively managed by the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), Vienna Zoo, and IUCN Bangladesh, with financial support from Columbus Zoo and Save Our Species.

News: Desk. Photo: Facebook/Turtle Survival Alliance

meanwhile ... | News

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Photo of the week Arohi This small boat on Kaptai Lake was seen from a bridge, and is used for ‘kheya parapar’ (crossing from one bank to the other). The title Arohi means rider, emphasising the people who travel by boat on a daily basis.

Photo: Rupom Atiul Ehsan

This photo was submitted for a contest in honour of World Tourism Day last Saturday and World Rivers Day last Sunday, organised by the tourism company Ghuddee.com

Say what?

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Barbie-fication of Kali outrages Hindus

wo Argentinian artists, Marianela Perelli and Pool Paolini, have hit headlines after previewing pieces from their upcoming exhibition The Plastic Religion, which features Barbie and Ken dolls altered to resemble religious figures such as Jesus and Virgin Mary.

One of the figures that resulted in mass condemnation by Hindus is of the four armed deity, Kali, holding a severed head.

Rajan Zed, a Hindu cleric based in the US, has said the Barbie-fication of Kali is “simply improper, wrong and out of place,” reports The Hindu.

“Hindus welcome the art world to immerse in Hinduism,” he added, “but taking it seriously and respectfully, and not refashioning Hinduism concepts and symbols for personal agendas.”

Mr Zed commented that Hindus strongly believe in free speech, but claimed that “faith is something sacred and attempts at belittling it hurt the devotees.”

The artists told BBC Mundo that it was not their intention to disrespect any beliefs, and that they have “nothing against religion.”

News: Desk. Photo: Facebook

Anti-rape device with teeth Rape has become endemic in South Africa, so a medical technician named Sonette Ehlers developed a product for woman to fight back.

Ehlers never forgot a rape victim who told her forlornly: “If only I had teeth down there.”

Ehlers created a product she called Rapex. It resembles a tube with barbs inside. The woman inserts it like a tampon, and any man who tries to rape the woman impales himself on the barbs, and must go to an

emergency room to have the Rapex removed. Some critics say it is a medieval punishment.

News: Desk. Photo: KCCN FM100

You’re welcome

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4 Listology | Interfaith marriages

All you need is love

These courageous couples break boundaries in our religiously diverse subcontinent, and show us that love can conquer all Tausif Sanzum When Jemima met Imran

The Grace Kelly of Pataudi

What happens when a screen goddess meets royalty? We get our very own Grace of Monaco.

When the then-reigning queen of the silver screen Sharmila Tagore met Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the brooding young Nawab of Pataudi and captain of the Indian cricket team, sparks were bound to fly.

MORE Tales from Pataudi

Following the footsteps of his parents, Saif Ali Khan married Amrita Singh, who was born in a Sikh-Muslim family and raised as a Sikh.

Even though Amrita converted to Islam before the wedding, their union still raised many eyebrows, as Amrita was 13 years older than Saif. They split in 2004. Saif made up for this when he had his second marriage to another Bollywood actress, Kareena Kapoor who is 10 years his junior and is from a Hindu family.

Saif’s younger sister Soha Ali Khan recently got engaged to longterm boyfriend Kunal Khemu, who is also from a Hindu family.

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However, it was only after courting for four long years that they finally tied the knot in 1969, amidst a lot of controversy, owing to their different religious faiths.

Thereafter, not only did they lead a happy married life until the Nawab’s death in 2011, but became proud parents to three beautiful children, who were raised Muslim.

It started back in 1995 when young heiress Jemima Marcelle Goldsmith met Pakistani cricket captain Imran Khan. Even though they had an age difference of more than 20 years, that didn’t stop cupid from striking.

In addition to their religious differences – Jemima belonging to a Jewish family and Khan from a Muslim one – they also had cultural differences to overcome. Jemima converted to Islam and even studied Urdu to be with Imran, and they married that very year.

After retiring from cricket, Imran started pursuing a political career. As he climbed the ladders of politics, controversies arose about Jemima by opposition parties.

Under all these strains and added pressure of Imran’s linkup with Sita White, the couple split up in 2004.

They have two sons together.

The truly royal romance

Heer Kunwari, popularly known as Jodha Bai, was the third wife of Akbar, the great Mughal emperor.

When they married as part of a political alliance, they probably didn’t know that their romance would be the benchmark for centuries to come.

Jodha was able to win the heart of the emperor, who showed his fondness for his wife by allowing her to continue to follow her religious beliefs. Since she was the mother of the future heir to the throne, Jahangir, she enjoyed unprecedented power in Mughal court.

Bowled over

There’s something about cricket players... Sangeeta Bijlani and former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin had a controversial wedding. However, more than the fact that they were from different religious backgrounds, it was Azharuddin leaving his first wife for Bijlani that fueled the controversy.

three Khans of Bollywood

Three Bollywood superstars Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan are living proof of interfaith marital harmony.

It all started with Salman Khan’s father, noted scriptwriter Salim Khan, who married famous cabaret dancer Helen in 1981 while still being married to Salma Khan, who herself converted to Islam after marrying Khan. After initial friction, the family became a symbol of religious and marital harmony, with Helen and Salma seen sharing a warm relationship.

Salman’s younger brother Arbaaz Khan has a successful marriage with another famous Bollywood “item girl” Malaika Arora, who hails from a Punjabi-Malayali Catholic family.

Their youngest brother Sohail Khan also had an interfaith marriage with Seema Sachdev.

King of Bollywood Shahrukh Khan has been married to Gauri Khan, who was born a Hindu, and has had a successful marriage since their wedding in 1991.

Aamir Khan married his childhood sweetheart Reena Dutta.

The couple divorced in 2002. Like his first wife, his second wife Kiran Rao also comes from a Hindu family.

Bangali connections

Legendary Bangladeshi Nazrul sangeet singer Firoza Begum married musical genius Kamal Dasgupta back in 1956.

Human rights activist Sultana Kamal, who serves as the executive director of Ain o Salish Kendra, has had a successful interfaith marriage with husband and fellow lawyer Supriya Chakraborty.

Notable stage and television actress Ferdousi Mazumder also found marital bliss with Ramendu Mazumder.

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ADIVASI beauticians | FEATURE

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wonder women

Both Muslim and Hindu women will be flocking to beauty parlours this holiday weekend. Here is the story of an adivasi worker on the other side of the thread Sabrina Toppa

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efore 27-year-old Shoma Ritchil relocated to Dhaka in 2011, she had worked as a substitute teacher in her hometown Netrokona, and never visited a beauty parlour. Today, her hair coiled into a tight bun, she works in a small, local parlour in Dhaka.

Ritchil is a member of the Garo ethnic group, whose young women gravitate toward Dhaka’s beauty parlours in large numbers.

Although 98% of Bangladesh belongs to the Bangali ethnic group, almost a million members of various Sino-Tibetan groups are dispersed throughout the country.

Originating from the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Mymensingh, Sylhet, and adjoining areas, indigenous women form the backbone of Bangladesh’s urban beauty parlour service industry, which has ballooned since the 1970s as a product of rapid urbanisation and increased demands for bridal services.

Most parlour clientele expect, even prefer, adivasi women, who are perceived as loyal and disciplined staff.

The all-female environment – men cannot enter parlours – engenders a safe occupational zone absent of sexual harassment or ethnic discrimination. For Ritchil, who is part of the predominantly Christian Garo community, working in a parlour in the Christian neighbourhood of Farmgate provides added security.

Parlours provide stable income, but suffer from underpayment and lack of trainee salaries, irregular compensation, and limited long-term prospects.

Changing Customs

The Garo are a matrilineal group split between Bangladesh and India. Women inherit family property, and men move into their wife’s home upon marriage.

At least that was the case back home.

In Dhaka these days, Garo families are re-negotiating the terms. Ritchil says many young men opt not to move into their wife’s home – one alteration to the social fabric in an urban context, where Garos mix freely with Bangalis.

Traditionally, Garo women bear a household’s economic responsibility, and become adroit savers in the process. A 2011 study in the Asian Journal of Business Management recorded that 67.1% of adivasi women in parlours were able to save money for property purchases and children’s education.

But women like Richtil demonstrate that it may be taking longer for urban Garo women to reach marriage.

Waiting to thread a customer’s eyebrows, she explains that her family expects her to complete her degree and switch to a different field, such as teaching.

Parlour work remains the province of lesser-educated Garo women, she says.

depriving them of identity in a Bangladeshi national framework.

“For economic development, Garo women are forced to displace themselves from their territory. They come to Dhaka for survival. But in a new area, they are also excluded once again. They become economically self-dependent and empowered. But simultaneously they are excluded socially.”

Misconceptions about Garo women are rife in big cities. In the parlour, one Bangali beautician married to a Garo man says: “Bangalis usually think all Garos eat frogs, snakes, dogs, and strange insects.”

But Ritchil does not allow this to perturb her. Often working 9am-9pm, Ritchil reduces her daily work shift by four hours each day to attend classes at the Open University.

She lives above the parlour, earning Tk5,000 monthly after food and lodging costs are deducted. Married

Garo women commute from home, but young unmarried women often have accommodations arranged by parlour management.

Most of Ritchil’s earnings pay for schooling, while her small savings languish in a Christian credit union.

Her colleagues are given one day off a week, but Ritchil only takes off during exam periods.

Ritchil does not return to her hometown for the annual Christmas celebration, though she is granted leave.

With Bangladesh’s accelerated urbanisation, more adivasi women are settling in Dhaka’s parlours than ever before.

In the upscale Farzana Shakil beauty parlour in Dhanmondi, like parlours all across the city, most of the women ladling hot wax are Garo or Chakma. As customers pile in and out of the shop, women like Ritchil prepare their threads anew for the tasks ahead.

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Parlour clientele expect, even prefer, adivasi women … and the all-female environment … engenders a safe zone absent of sexual harassment or ethnic discrimination

Social Exclusion

As rural-to-urban migrants, Garo women are vulnerable to social exclusion. According to Dr Asrafi Bintay Akram, Garos are “neither Bangali by ethnicity nor Muslim by religion,”

Shoma Ritchil

Photos: Courtesy

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6 Orgin story | durga puja

Durga Puja in the Raj A truly Bangali affair, Durga Puja evolved over time from a private affair to a grand communal spectacle that included British and Muslim friends Reema Islam

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he British had a surprising influence making Durga Puja the lively festival we know today.

In the 16th century, one of the first recorded mass celebrations of Durga Puja occurred in Malda and Dinajpur. The British were honoured guests, and the hosts considered British presence a marker of status.

The pujas were also patronised by the era’s nawabs. The six zamindars (Nadia, Burdwan, Natore, Dinajpur, Birbhum, and Bisnupur) displayed their wealth, fervour and joy with their communities.

The zamindars helped unify the Hindu community and maintain a relationship of religious tolerance with ruling nawabs.

Offering to Clive

Raja Nabakrishna Deb, founder of the Shovbazar Raj family in Kolkata, celebrated the decline of Muslim rule at the hands of Robert Clive.

After the battle of Plassey and the crushing 1757 defeat of Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah, Warren Hastings’ clerk Nabakrishna offered Robert

Clive his own home and the goddess Durga in thanks.

The famous dancing girl Nikki Bai was invited, ham and alcohol were consumed, and religious pretences more or less disappeared.

Goddess Victoria

Since that time, many Kolkata Hindus considered it a privilege to invite the British over for Durga Puja festivities. They even went so far as to fashion the mother goddess statues to look more like Queen Victoria.

The British encouraged this show of fervour until 1840, after which

Many Kolkata Hindus fashioned statues of the Durga to look more like Queen Victoria

they totally banned it. So much for religious harmony.

Puja for all

As upstarts like Nabakrishna used his position to create a lavish affair of a simple religious ritual, the Barowari (twelve friends) of Guptipara became responsible for making this a communal festival in 1790.

This could also be as a result of the Cornwallis Agreement, by which zamindars could not extract tax from tenants any longer. The community members, led by the Barowari, chipped in, later resulting in 1910’s sarbajanin (all-inclusive) Durga Puja. The traditional food served was niramish (mixed vegetable dish) with rice and chholar daal, customarily cooked with coconut, and followed by malpoa dessert.

In Mirzapore, Tangail, RP Shaha’s family of the Kumudini Welfare trust still hosts the most organised and festive pujas in the country.

Neighbouring Hindus, countrywide guests and trust patrons congregate for the sarbojanin puja.

Rani Bimola Devi, of the Muktagacha family of zamindars, built a twin Shiva temple, where Durga Puja was also celebrated as a sarbojanin affair.

As Dashami (the final day of puja) nears, and Hindus far and wide prepare to bid their mother goddess a teary farewell – we pay homage to the course of events that led to the transformation of this once private tradition into a public one.

It brings people of all religions and sects closer – through music, artwork, and food.

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Puja food founders

Nobin Das was no inventor. At least he didn’t mean to become one until he learned the complex art of making a cheese dessert, or chhana. He discovered it in Orissa and recreated it in Kolkata in 1868.

The journey had been long, and Mr Das believed in saving time, so he invented what became the most popular dessert in Bengal: the revered sponge roshogolla.

Mr Gopal Pal enjoyed the privileges of being the official sweetmaker of the Maharajah after he presented the Maharajah with his unique creation, the Muktagacha monda, in 1824.

Today, his shop is still open and is run by his great grandchildren.

Muktagacha Monda Photos: Courtesy

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True sacrifice | feature

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The spirit of qurbani

Our best laid plans for cows and goats often go awry Farina Noireet

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id-ul-Azha, the festival of sacrifice, commemorates the prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail, in submission to God’s command.

According to the Quran, Abraham had a recurring dream in which God asked him for his most beloved possession. He took his son to a mountaintop to end his life, but God was moved to spare Ismail’s life and replace the sacrifice with a ram.

In keeping with this example, able Muslims around the world are also expected to make a sacrifice in the name of God, in the form of a cow, goat, camel or other four-legged herbivore.

Choosing the sacrifice

What it’s meant to be: Sacrifice is about giving up something of significant personal value for a higher cause.

In conforming with this concept, the tradition of acquiring the animal to be sacrificed has a few prerequisites regarding the age, the health condition and the ownership of the animal.

At least one month prior to Eid, usually an adult male member of a Muslim family would go to buy the animal. Then he and the family spends the time leading up to Eid tending to the animal. This process leads to a spiritual bond between the family and

the animal, and a sense of ownership.

Hence when the day comes to carry out the act of sacrifice, it actually means something to give up what has been cared for and is close to the heart.

What it usually becomes: While there are still those who uphold this custom, many people in Dhaka sidestep it. Apartment-living and the pace of modern life can make this beautiful tradition an inconvenient one.

Instead of being involved in the process of buying and caring for the animal, most of us end up sending an employee to buy the cow/goat at the very last minute, on the eve of Eid. Often not bothering to even look at the animal, let alone spend time bonding with it, we are only too happy to move on to the next phase: Feasting on the meat of the sacrifice.

Making the Sacrifice

What it’s meant to be: While “slaughter”

is the word most commonly used to describe this procedure, the intention behind it is not to assault the animal, but to sacrifice it in the name of God. According to tradition, particular care should be taken to not let the sacrificial animal see the knife beforehand, nor should it be slaughtered in front of another animal.

What it usually becomes: This concept is often disregarded.

The animals are brought to markets in massive numbers, often in inhumane conditions, over-packed in vehicles and lacking room for breathing or movement.

It is not uncommon to see animals all gathered up and slaughtered in the same place. Witnessing the slaughtering of another animal puts the creature in shock.

This goes against the hadith (saying) of Prophet Mohammed that states that it is wrong to subject the

Photo: Bigstock

animals to any sort of inhumane treatment.

Sharing the Sacrifice

What it’s meant to be: The tradition behind the sharing of the sacrificial meat includes dividing it into three shares – one third retained by the family, one third given to relatives and friends, and one third distributed among the poor.

What it usually becomes: While this tradition is possibly the one most diligently followed, a tendency remains of keeping the best cuts at home, while the portion meant for the poor is the least desirable allotment.

This tradition is all about sharing and caring, particularly with the needy. But many of us spend more time picking out the choicest raan (leg) of the cow to be sent over to the daughter’s in-laws, while conveniently giving away the scraps to the poor.

While it’s understandable that most city-dwellers may not have the luxury of space that is required for keeping a large animal for an extended period of time, we could expend more effort to strike up some semblance of egalitarianism in the name of sacrifice.

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8 business | dirty jobs

the qurbani aftermath With Eid-ul-Azha around the corner, it’s not only the cattle owners who are banking it Faisal Mahmud

A seasonal tanner

temporary tanners

When Eid-ul-Azha approaches every year, Salat Uz Zaman takes a leave from his software company job and becomes a full-fledged leather businessman for one week.

“I first started this business during qurbani Eid of 2007,” Zaman told me.

“One of my friends who had a leather business asked me to collect all the raw hides I could from my residential area in Uttara.”

“At first, it was challenging and I was new to it,” he said. “But I bought nearly 300 raw hides from different households and gave it to my friend, who then later processed it in his tannery and sold it.”

It proved to be a very lucrative business. “I earned a good commission by doing so, and since then every qurbani Eid, I do this business with my friend,” said Zaman, a quality assurance engineer at a local software firm.

Zaman is not alone in this, however. There are thousands of other seasonal leather businessmen like him who are taking advantage of the occasion to make quick money. Shamsul Huda, former president of the Bangladesh Tanners Association, said these seasonal leather businessmen are helping the tannery industry.

“Every year, nearly 4-6 million animals are slaughtered across the country in commemoration of Eid-al-Azha.

One-third of these are slaughtered in Dhaka alone. It would have been a hard job for leather businessmen to collect all these raw hides from the different parts of the country if there were no seasonal leather businessmen. They collect hides from various areas and sell them to the tanneries.”

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Photo: Hasan Habib According to the data from the tanners association, in 2013, around 4.5 million pieces of raw hide were collected from different parts of the country. This year the tanners predict that the number will be around 6 million.

Hazardous chemicals

With millions of raw hides to look forward to, chemical businessmen are already stocking up their warehouses with the different types of chemicals required for the tannery process, ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

Many of these chemicals are highly flammable, including sodium bisulfite and dimethylamine, which are used in the leather industry for the removal of hair from hides. These are being stored in residential buildings in old Dhaka, flouting a forgotten government directive to remove the chemical godowns from residential areas.

In June 2010, a devastating fire flared up in the Nimtoli area in old Dhaka, killing 134 people.

One of the chemical godown owners, Akmal Hossain from Chankharpul, said he supplies chemicals to a number of tanneries in the Hazaribagh area, the centre of the tannery industry.

“Business is high during this time of the year, as tanneries require lots of chemicals to process leather.”

When asked whether he was aware that storing chemicals in residential areas violates regulations, he simply stated that the businessmen no longer abide by that directive.

“If you roam the local area, you will find that chemicals are stored in almost every household here, particularly this time of year. This is because

most people here are chemical businessmen, and their storage spaces at Armanitola are too small to hold all the chemicals needed during this time. So we store chemicals here.”

All about garbage

If you think cleaning up after cows is a task no one wants, you haven’t met Dhiraj.

“I clean cattle dung – in fact I collect it,” he said.

Nothing at the qurbani haat goes to waste, especially not cattle dung.

Workers like Dhiraj clean the shallow drains that run between the rows of cattle and collect the dung in baskets.

Dhiraj said the dung will later be dried in the sun, and “ghute” would be made from this. According to him: “Ghute has great demand in the slum areas, where it is used as a fuel for cooking.”

Shumon’s people cleaning the area

Dhiraj says he would also sell the dung to nurseries, where it would be used as fish feed.

While men like Dhiraj attend to the cow dung, Hemayetul Islam in Bakshibazar, deals with the sacrificial animals’ waste.

Islam collects waste from the households in his area, and charges a little money for the service. “First, I started it as a community service, back in 2003. Later on, I thought I could make a business out of it.”

“It serves two purposes. Each year, during this time, around 40,000 tonnes of garbage are produced during the three days of Eid-ul-Azha. The cleaners of the civic body are not sufficient to clean up that mess.”

“I love to play a small part in cleaning the mess,” he said.

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Photo: Heyatul Ismal Shumon

holy cows | Photo story

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sacred sacrifice Photos: Syed Latif Hossain

It is that time of year again, when the megacity of Dhaka suddenly looks and smells like a hometown village grazing field. Cows and goats can be found around every corner, and citizens both rich and poor ready themselves for the meat festival.

This year, a total of 16 qurbani haats (cattle markets) are being set up across the city. An estimated 6 million cows will be sacrificed across the country, one-third of which will take place in the capital.

Turn for more photographs

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10 PHoto story | holy cows

Cowabunga

• Bovine buddies – Like humans, c much of their time with 2-4 prefe years, and may dislike particular • Red herring – The colour red doe the colours red and green. In bull bull’s attention, not the colour.

• Longevity – Cows can live more t that long, and cows raised for me horns, you can guess their age by • Formiddable creatures – Cattle w exception of those found in Sout cies of wild cattle which evolved extinct in 1627. Very different to m huge in stature. The bulls measu

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cattle form close friendships and choose to spend erred individuals. They also hold grudges for individuals. esn’t make bulls angry. In fact, cows are blind to lfights, it’s the motion of the cape that draws the

than 20 years (although dairy cows rarely live eat are lucky to live to be 2 years old). If they have y counting the number of rings. were domesticated about 5000 years ago with the theast Asia, descended from the aurochs – a spein India about two million years ago and became modern cattle, Cows were strong, fearless and ured as much as six and a half feet at the shoulder,

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and weighed 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lbs) with very long horns.

• Foster mothers – Cows are referred to as the foster mothers of the human race because they produce most of the milk that people drink.

• Bed time – Cows like to sleep close to their families, and sleeping arrangements are determined by individuals’ rank in the social hierarchy.

• Sentimental – Cows display emotions and have been shown to produce more milk when they are treated better and as individuals.

• Jump for joy – Cattle get excited when they solve problems. When faced with a challenge of finding out how to open a door to reach food, their heartbeats increase, their brainwaves show excitement, and some even jump into the air.

• Large tummies – Cattle have one stomach but it is divided into four compartments, the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum. The rumen is the largest compartment and this arrangement helps cattle digest grains and grasses more efficiently.

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12 feature | Shankhari banglemakers

Bangles for my beloved Conch bangles are an emblem of a married Hindu woman, but do you know how they’re created?

Farhana Urmee

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nveloped in white dust from the conch shells, Bhandari Sur is busily labouring over his motorised saw.

Bhandari Sur and Shadhu Rokkhit work together in the crowded room that is their conch bangle factory.

Rokkhit, the elder of the two, is bent over his traditional tools used to carve out intricate designs.

This is the world of the beautiful, authentic conch shell bangles – essential adornments for married Bangali Hindu women.

Bhandari Sur and Shadhu Rokkhit at their factory

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Photos: Shadman Hasan

The puja season is peak business time for shankharis, the conch shell bangle artisans. During Durga Puja, the largest Hindu celebration in the country, the “harvest season” of the conch bangle business comes alive in old Dhaka’s Shankhari Bazar.

One of the more popular stores is Sur and Rokkhit’s shop, Maa Manasha Shankha Silpalaya, at 35 Shankhari Bazar. During puja, they work from 10 am until 3 am.

For artisans these days, the entire design process is done by machine.

The traditional shakher korat, a moon-shaped big saw, is seldom seen anymore.

Sur works on engraving heavy conch bangles that he will embellish with gold.

This handcrafted artisanry is in danger of disappearing. Sur says: “We are in a rush now because of puja. But artisans are leaving their forefathers’ professions, as the scope of their work has been decreasing.”

Ten years ago, one could find at least 80 shankharis in the neighbourhood.

These days, only 10-12 remain.

“Craftsmen are losing their work here, as raw conch slices are directly and easily smuggled from India,” he says. “Many of us have started to move to Kolkata for work, and do not let our children continue in our professions.”

Sur and Rokkhit both have sons

We are in a rush now because of puja.

But artisans are leaving their forefathers’ professions, as the scope of their work has been decreasing Types of shankha bangles:

1. Tin gachi: two thinner bangles. Durga is fond of this kind 2. Bada: four thinner bangles are joined together to create one 3. Guru Dakshina bangle: broken bangles joined strongly by wires 4. Pati khilna: two broken pieces joined with copper wire 5. Bala shankha: thick bangle which is equal to eight thin bangles who will not take up this profession.

During the last 3-4 days of the Bangla month of Bhadra, the shankharis in India and Bangladesh do not touch or trade the holy conch element, according to the Hindu ponjika (calendar). Often, this means customers cannot buy the bangles when artisans are observing Paloniyo at the end of Bhadra.

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Raw materials

Shankha bangles are made from the shell of a species of large sea snails in the Indian Ocean and are collected from India and Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh imports the conch shells with 35% VAT, from Sri Lanka or India. Craftsmen have protested this steep tax.

Tools used:

• Hammer, motor/ grinding machine, filer, piercing machine • Kush karan: the moon-shaped large saw

The sacred conch

Construction Timeline:

The conch, used for worship by Hindus, has religious significance for both Hindus and Buddhists.

The sound made from the shonkho (conch horn) is believed to drive out all evil and signify the start of good things. Conch shells are thus played by the pujari (priest/ worshipper) before any worship ceremony. According to Hindu scripture, the conch brings one fame and prosperity. The conch is also the abode of Laxmi, the goddess of wealth.

1. Cleaning and whitening 2. Sun drying and selection 3. Malui daga, or breaking the shankha into two pieces to make bangles 4. Slicing bigger pieces of malui daga and shaping into bangles 5. Rubbing 6. Designing

Types of conch shell

• Jajir: heavy and clean, milky white • Titkuti: costliest, light weight, garlic white • Patir: light • Selamat: light and looks like banana flower • Pati: reddish and light • Kanya Kumari: bright and light • Kelakar: light, collected from Tamil Nadu • Rameshwari: best variety, collected from Rameshwar Ghat • Moti shankha: round and flat, pearl colour • Khoga shankha: dull coloured, collected from Tamil Nadu • Kachcham: light reddish, thicker inside • Kori: a variety of snail • Padma shankha: a variety of snail, used as trumpet • Panchanakhi: slightly reddish, light, found in Tutikarin Port • Nakshinabarta: Rare type with right sided opening, believed to be owned by Lord Vishnu • Dhola shankha: breakable, heavy and rare • Devagari shankha: Artisan’s favourite variety

Mythical adornment

How to make it T

he process of making authentic conch bangles is a unique one, and needs excellent craftsmen.

A conch needs to go through many phases before it transforms into a desirable ornament. The first phase is cleaning.

After cleaning they are dipped into water for a couple of days to get soft enough to work on. Nitric acid is also mixed with the water to whiten the shells further.

After a good soak, the conch pieces are dried under the hot sun. The most perfect ones are selected for bangles.

Conch shells are broken into two pieces from the middle of the conch, where the pieces are the most round.

This conch cutting process is called malui daga. Malui daggas are sliced into further pieces of bangles. This process is called rekh kata.

Once these cuts were done by a traditional kush karat saw, but that has now been replaced by machines.

For rings that are 2.5 inches wide, a total of five bangles can be made from one single conch. Although it used to be cut by shankharis in Dhaka, this part of the job nowadays is solely done in India.

Next is rubbing, to turn the raw pieces of bangles into more polished ones. Conches have inner nodes which need to be cut off too.

The final phase of the design transforms the plain white bangles into a piece of art, which a woman wears with love and gratification.

Motifs are engraved into the conch rings – from flower and leaf motifs to historical images. At least 25 types of motifs are engraved in conch bangles.

A married Bangali Hindu woman wears a pair of conch bangles until her husband dies.

According to Hindu mythology, a demon named Shankhachur had become a symbol of uncontrollable terror, using a sacred gift of power from Shiva to defeat kings and gods.

Shiva and the defeated kings appealed to Brahma to intervene.

But even Brahma was helpless, as he had blessed Shankhachur’s wife Tulsi, so that Shankhachur would not die unless she lost her chastity.

Hearing this, Vishnu disguised himself as Shankhachur and laid with Tulsi, enabling Shiva to defeat Shankhachur.

Tulsi was outraged, the repentant Vishnu promised to honour Tulsi with the presence of tulsi leaves in many holy rites. Shankhachur would be given a new life under the sea, and the shankha shell would become the symbol of purity and chastity of women, and loyalty to their husbands.

Shiva’s own wife Parvati wore the very first pair of conch bangles, made by Viswakarma, gifted to her by her husband at a fair, where all the ornaments of universe were present.

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14 Legalese | Jennifer Ashraf Kashmi

The sympathetic sibling

Q

It’s been seven years that my father passed away.

He left me and my sister ownership of the flat where we live. What steps should I take if I wanted to split ownership of the flat equally, as I received 70%. My sister deserves more than just 30%.

A

A. Dear Reader: I applaud you. Frankly I do wish that more and more people would develop the same mindset that you have. The world, and Bangladesh, would have been a better place. Sadly, it appears that we are still a long way from this.

It seems every single family is embroiled in some sort of land and/ or property dispute, which is really quite sad if you think about it. This is why mentalities and thoughts such as yours need to be appreciated and applauded.

Let me start off with a brief background of the inheritance law applicable in this instance.

According to the Muslim Law there are three kinds of heirs: (i) “sharers” who are entitled to a prescribed share of the inheritance, (ii) “residuaries” who take on prescribed share, but succeed to the residue left after satisfying the claims of the sharers, and (iii) “distant kindreds” who are blood relations other than the sharers and residuaries, and succeed generally in the absence of sharers and residuaries.

The Muslim Law of Inheritance does not differentiate between collective and individual property, as well as between ancestral and acquired property.

The share of a daughter is half the share of a son whenever they inherit together. To summarise and in easy terms: you will inherit two-thirds of your father’s property, whilst your sister will inherit the remaining one-

Jennifer Ashraf Kashmi is a barrister and solicitor of England and Wales. She is currently Senior Partner at Legacy Legal Corporate.

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Got a problem?

Write to Jennifer at weekend@ dhakatribune.com

third. In such cases, as per the law, a 100% property (flat) will be divided into 3 shares of 33.33% each. The daughter will get one share (33.33%), and the son will get the other two shares (66.66%) as residuary.

Here, if you want to split the flat equally then you will have to give the 16.67% shares from your share with a “hiba” deed to your sister.

It should be borne in mind that a hiba deed must be registered in the registry office. A hiba or gift is “a transfer of property, made immediately and without any exchange, by one person to another and accepted by or on behalf of the latter.”

According to section 122 of the Transfer of Property Act, a gift means: “The transfer of certain existing movable or immovable property made voluntarily and without consideration by one person, called the donor, to another, called the done, and accepted by or on behalf of the done.”

A voluntary transfer of property is one in which nothing of value is received in return. If the Internal Revenue Service is to recognise a transfer as a gift, the donor(s) must unconditionally transfer all title and control of the property to the recipient(s) at the time the gift is given.

If I may suggest another alternative, the best thing to do here (for the both of you) would be to sell the property and divide the proceeds of the sale between yourselves as you see fit, keeping in mind (of course) that the minimum entitlement of your sister would be 33% as per Muslim inheritance law.

Once again, I applaud your train of thought, and do pray that we see a similar thought evolution very soon in the near future.

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Cartoon: Rio Shuvo/Dhaka Tribune

Gandhi ashram | FEATURE

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Gandhi in Noakhali

For Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday today, we remember the time he came to our country to spread his message of non-violence and communal harmony Demitra Katyani

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first became curious about the Gandhi Ashram in Noakhali a couple years ago, when I read an article on Gandhi’s visit to the remote regions of Bangladesh after the heinous 1946 Noakhali riot.

Since then I had been dreaming of visiting the ashram, but it was not until last year that I found like-minded travel companions.

The day after we finalised our travel plans, we heard the refreshing news of the nomination of Jharna Dhara Chowdhury, the ashram’s secretary, for India’s Padma Shri award for social work.

We departed from Shahbagh in Dhaka at 10am, and arrived at 3:30pm. As soon as our vehicle halted at the premises of the Gandhi Ashram – with the adjoining green fields and ponds – we felt pacified within.

Some employees of the ashram greeted us and led us to the guesthouse. We still had an hour to visit the Gandhi Museum (open 9am-5pm).

Here’s what we learned.

Purnima), the Hindu families of Noakhali were preparing for bed after the day’s celebration.

Suddenly, a violent communal riot erupted with full ferocity, and lasted for three weeks. Thousands were killed and hundreds of women were raped.

Mahatma Gandhi rushed to Noakhali on November 7, 1946, and addressed the mass gathering at Chowmuhani railway station. He remained in the area until February 17, 1947, travelling from village to village, working with traumatised locals.

Gandhi visited Joyag, a village in Lakshmipur, on January 29, 1947.

Greatly inspired by Gandhi’s ideology, Hemanta Kumar Ghosh, the then zamindar of Joyag, donated 125 acres of his property to Gandhi to implement programmes for the welfare of local people. He established the Ambika Kali Ganga Memorial Trust in 1949 as an emblem of Gandhi’s stay at Joyag.

A women’s volunteer team from Indian congress – comprised of eminent women political activists – had also come with Gandhi to search for and rescue the thousands of kid-

napped and raped minority women in the now-deserted villages of Noakhali. A number of male activists had come as well.

Gandhi’s followers working on the peace mission established a permanent settlement at the Joyag property, known as Gandhi Camp. They took on many projects, such as rehabilitating the riot-affected people, introducing a hygienic water and sanitation system, and rebuilding feelings of fraternity between the communities.

On March 1, 1947, Gandhi had to leave for Bihar to pacify another communal riot. Before his departure, he instructed his follower Charu Chowdhury, a native of Sylhet, to remain in Noakhali until he could return. That was not to be, as Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948.

After partition in 1947, the Pakistani government earmarked the land as “enemy property.” Most of the volunteers of the Gandhi Peace Mission were held captive. Charu Chowdhury was imprisoned several times. His last imprisonment was in 1963 until he was freed after the Liberation War. Several other Gandhi followers of

the ashram, including Madan Mohan Chaterjee and Debendra Narayan Sarker, were brutally killed by the Pakistani army and collaborators in 1971, while they were in meditation.

In 1975, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman re-established the Ambika Kali Ganga Memorial Trust under a special amendment, and renamed it the Gandhi Ashram Board of Trust, with representatives from Bangladesh and India on the Trustee Board.

Charu Chowdhury stayed on at the Gandhi Ashram until his death on June 13, 1990. Of the ardent followers of Gandhi who decided to stay, none are still living. Today, of the 125 acres, only 25 acres is still retained by the trust, after decades of illegal grabbing.

At present, the trust is implementing development activities in livestock rearing, vocational training and training to enhance human consciousness among the 115,000 members of 20,000 families in 332 villages, 34 unions and four upazilas of the Noakhali, Lakshmipur and Feni districts.

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It was October 10, 1946. On the full moon night of Lakshmi Puja (Kojagori

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16 TOUGH LOVE | DINA SOBHAN

Generous boyfriend & distant husband

Got a problem?

Write to Dina at weekend@ dhakatribune. com

Q

I don’t understand my girlfriend sometimes.

She thinks I’m more interested in her twin after this one incident when I hugged her sister. It turned out to be a “generous” hug, but it didn’t mean anything, I swear.

They’re not identical twins, but they are the same age. I guess she enjoys giving me guilt trips, because she has been doing that a lot lately. How do I help her to just get over it and move on?

A

Women are quite perceptive when it comes to sussing out flaws and weaknesses in men. Crushing on your girlfriend’s twin sister definitely falls under the category of creepy and weird, which – it can be argued – reflects a serious deficiency in character.

While it’s certainly possible that you’re just a kind-hearted individual who felt compelled to show affection, it is more likely that you’re a dimwitted opportunist who seized the moment and embraced another woman “generously” … in front of her sister.

I’m afraid the only way out of this fix is to elevate your girlfriend by denigrating all other women, even those in her immediate family. Your job is to convince your GF that when you look at her sister, all you see is a broken-winged bird who envies the soaring grace of her more beautiful and talented sibling.

You need to somehow make her believe that you were so flooded with sadness for the pathetic existence of her sister that you had no choice but to hold her to your bosom as an act of compassion. The only way she will forgive your transgression is if she truly believes that all you feel is sympathy – not blind lust – when you look upon her sister.

Whenever you see her, shake your head with a sigh of resignation and say: “Poor kid.” Your woman will get over it soon enough. And word to the wise: Keep your hands to yourself in the future.

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Cartoon: Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy/Dhaka Tribune

Q A

My husband was recently promoted and now works abroad. I’d fly to be with him, but he wants me to stay home and doesn’t want

Well, the idea that immediately jumps to mind is that you pay your husband a surprise visit and see what exactly is going on over there.

I am very suspicious of a husband who lives apart from his wife and has no interest in seeing or talking to her.

Doesn’t that strike you as a little odd?

How do you know that your husband hasn’t started leading a separate existence, replete with new wife, new kids and a new lease on life?

Naturally long-distance

me to work. He used to call more often. I’m worried we’re growing apart. Everyone says that longdistance relationships don’t work. Is that true? What should I do?

relationships don’t work if one party is no longer interested in the other. It requires a great deal of commitment and dedication to keep a marriage alive based on phone conversations and occasional visits, especially if said conversations and visits no longer exist.

While it could be perceived as a sad thing, the alternate scenario is that you start enjoying your life and your new found freedom from the ol’ ball and chain. Get yourself a pretty new dress, a pretty new ‘do and a pretty new boyfriend!

Go out and enjoy yourself, much

like he seems to be doing without you.

However, before you strap on the dancing shoes, do find out if the hubby has actually checked out on the marriage, or if he’s quietly saving up to surprise you with a beach holiday or a 3-carat ruby ring.

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Dina Sobhan is a freelance writer, and cautions readers not to take her ‘advice’ here too seriously!

Violence against minorities | Standpoint

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Stop the insanity

A region once known for harmonious coexistance is stained with communal violence in recent times Faisal Mahmud during the partition of Bengal in 1905, Muslims and Hindus began to think differently about their political interests.

This was the first use of religion as a means of manipulation and political motivation, which resulted in Bengal’s division into two wings, West Bengal and Bangladesh. A great migration resulted, predicated solely on religious grounds.

Since then, minorities in other territories have remained nothing but the political scapegoat of the rulers.

Revolutionary thinking Idols vandalised at Ramu on September 29, 2012

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wo years ago on September 29, all that it took to spark the destruction of 22 Buddhist temples in Ramu, Cox’s Bazar, was allegedly a Buddhist posting a link on Facebook to content denigrating Islam.

At the beginning of this year, the nation witnessed sudden postelectoral violence against Hindus.

In the last week, neither derogatory Facebook links nor elections nor political games materialised. Yet Hindu idols were destroyed in Natore’s Lalpur and Barisal’s Kawnia ahead of the annual Durga Puja festivities.

It seems violence against minorities has transformed into a chronic disease.

Election nightmares

Minorities are the perennial political pawns of each successive government in Bangladesh.

To minorities, each parliamentary election is a nightmare. Hate speeches and rumours are frequently used to unleash communal terror on marginalised groups. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and other rights groups conducted independent research studies, concluding that “widespread and systematic” communal violence occurred in 1992, 2001, 2013 and 2014.

Photo: Rajib Dhar Durga’s head found chopped off in Natore on September 18, 2014 Photo: Dhaka Tribune

A distinctive feature of our country is religious co-existence and communal harmony According to a 2003 report by the UN High Commission for Refugees, an unknown number of Hindus and other religious minorities from Bangladesh became internally displaced or sought asylum in India due to post-election violence beginning in October 2001.

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre of the Norwegian Refugee Council observed that the post-election violence of 2001 compelled up to 200,000 Hindus to flee the country.

After the 2014 post-election violence against minorities – which included rape, arson and murder – the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad rallied in as many as 25 districts, demanding the formation of a speedy tribunal to prosecute the attackers.

They inculpated the culture of impunity as the primary force behind the recurrence of violence.

The recent idol vandalisms – which continues unabated – illustrates the feebleness of the government’s minority protection.

A history of nonviolence

Ironically, Bangladesh was never a communal country. The region Bangladesh occupies has served as an exemplar of religious harmony for centuries.

While ancient Europe was struggling with feuds among competing religious dogmas, Gautama Buddha pioneered an idea of fraternity, freedom and peace, even though he was a prince.

People in ancient Bengal embraced Buddhism widely from the Sanatan religion, without any pressure from the ruling class. After Muslim conquest of the region, no one was forced to abandon their religions.

In this way, people of all religions in Bengal have lived together.

There was also a very powerful bond among different communities during various movements like the Fakir-Sannyasi Movement, Indigo Movement, Sepoy Movement, Tebhaga Movement.

Divisive British rule

The communal harmony deteriorated thanks to the British “divide and rule policy.” Imposed

At the beginning of Bangladesh’s statehood, things were different.

Minority groups, regardless of religion, had fought in the Liberation War alongside with the majority. This was part of the vision for our country: religious coexistence and communal harmony.

Nowadays, things have changed.

As the spirit of the Liberation War fades away, anti-minority state policies and bureaucracy – along with communalisation of politics and social relations, and the rise of religious extremism – are jeopardising the very existence of minority communities.

The gradual marginalisation of minorities in politics, economics, public services and social welfare opportunities places them on the brink of extinction.

On December 18, 1992, the UN General Assembly adopted a Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, in order to ensure effective implementation of international human rights instruments for minority rights worldwide.

Bangladesh was signatory of that charter, but it still failed to establish a national commission for minorities to create an enduring safety net in compliance with the 1992 declaration.

The time has come to wipe off the communal stain of shame from the country that was once considered the epitome of communal harmony.

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18 stay in

Meat market 2.0 Put off by the crowds at the qurbani haat? Order your sacrificial animals online Faisal Mahmud Digi-qurbani sites

1. Amardesheshop.com 2. Bikroy.com 3. Biponi.com 4. Ekhanei.com 5. Akhoni.com to ensure the online financial transaction,” Sejuti says. The prices are inclusive of service and bank charges, ranging from Tk50,000100,000. Payment is taken by card, direct bank transfer or bank draft.

Amardeshshop.com has centres in eight districts across the country: Narsingdi, Tangail, Jamalpur, Kushtia, Mongla, Sirajganj, Rangpur, and Jessore. “Farmers in those areas can come to our centres and upload information regarding their

Clues

ACROSS 1 6 7 8

Cunning shout holding back (6) Scent of a European capital (5) Distances from centre air I’d relocated (5) Run when a boy becomes grown up? (6)

DOWN

2 African was in charge of holding stick (7) 3 Calf finally making noise and moving along (7) 4 Before time after your first annual (6) 5 A marsh transformed into religious retreat (6)

6. Clickbd.com 7. Expatads.com 8. Olxbd.com 9. Ajkerdeal.com 10.Ehaatbazar.com cows,” she says. “We have two trained individuals at each centre to help farmers with the process.”

Sejuti says the company offers home delivery services for the clients at an average cost of Tk5,000. According to Sejuti, the website sold 72 cows last year.

This year the website has so far uploaded information on 110 cows.” n

Last week’s solutions

ACROSS 1 Lettuce for boy from South Africa (5) 5 One card? (3) 6 First of games in red sport (5) 8 A step forward once more (5) 10 Place to exercise in soggy mud (3) 11 Delivery of venue for 6 Across (5) DOWN 1 Unusual saint was General Electric boss (7) 2 Record piece of wood (3) 3 Diary, oddly, of movie star Doris (3) 4 Arrange hens and vet after the 6th (7) 7 Listen secretly to insect (3) 8 Current unit of map arrangement (3) 9 Painting of confused rat (3)

Solved it? Email answers to weekend@dhakatribune. com and win one free month of the Dhaka Tribune.

E

-commerce websites are again selling cows and goats online. Over the last few years, online cattle markets have become a popular and trustworthy trend.

Amar Desh Amar Gram is the frontrunner in the business. The trade for qurbani took off in 2012, as an extension of their existing agricultural business.

“Once a prospective customer logs in and has chosen a particular cow, the rest is taken care of by the website – from the moment of purchase till the delivery of the product,” explains Sadequa Hassan Sejuti, managing director of Amar Desh Amar Gram’s parent company Future Solution for Business.

“The customer only needs

Mini cryptics

Sudoku

Use the numbers 1-9 to complete each of the 3x3 square grids such that each horizontal and vertical line also contains all of the digits from 1-9

Last week’s sudoku solutions

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Go out another big mandap at the Kalabagan field by 3pm. On your way there, you are sure to come across trucks carrying the devi, followed by processions of festive devotees, towards the river for immersion.

The festive trucks join the huge procession towards Sadarghat. Each and every truck will be playing loud music, and the people riding the trucks often dress up as different gods and goddesses. Everyone is in full festive mode, with dancing and singing and basking in the general revelry of the joyous occasion.

October 4 |

Dashami tour of Dhaka

W

ant to join in the Durga Puja festivities? Dashami is on Saturday, the day of the goddess’ departure. Follow her daylong procession from mandap to river.

A) Banani mandap: The puja mandap in the Banani field on Kemal Ataturk Avenue is a must-visit if you want to take part in the Bijoyar Mongol Shobhajatra, which is organised by Gulshan Banani Puja committee. Be there in the morning.

The goddess from this mandap will be immersed in the Turag River, which lies towards the north of the city. While some spend their last day of celebration with drums, dancing, vermilion and sweets, you can start moving toward the southern part of the city to explore more.

B) Kalabagan mandap: If you start from Banani soon after lunch, you can reach

C & D) Dhaka University mandaps: The more budget a puja committee has, the bigger, more beautiful, and louder are their puja celebrations. There are a total of 205 pandals set up across the city. Do not forget to drop by the two big puja mandaps in the Dhaka University area: at Jaggannath Hall and Ramna Kali Mondir.

E) Dhakeshwari Mandir, Lalbagh: The 800-year old temple, which is also the national temple of the country, is possibly the most famous mandap during Durga Puja.

They serve a special bhuna khichuri to all visitors on the day of Ashtami, with the objective to enhance communal unity. On the occasion of the puja, the national temple also arranges the distribution of clothes to the poor and a voluntary blood donation programme.

On Dashami, the temple also holds a Bijoya Sammiloni at the temple premises, featuring cultural programmes and performances of devotional songs.

F) Shop in Shankhari Bazar: While following the festive procession, you can take a small detour through Shankhari Bazar. The entire area looks like a massive puja mandap. The streets are blocked, so the only way to navigate is either on foot or bicycle.

With puja mandaps sprouting up every ten steps and the smokey smell emitted from dhup (traditional incense), you will feel like you are in a completely different world altogether.

G) Sadarghat immersion: The final destination of the procession will bring you to Sadarghat around sunset.

The area is well patrolled by Dhaka Metropolitan Police to ensure security for the people participating in the festivities. Here you will see hundreds of idols being immersed into the river from boats, thus ending the Durga Puja this year.

19

Eid getaways

Can’t handle the bloodshed in Dhaka? Or need to recover after the back-breaking business of qurbani? Get out of town without breaking out the passport. These hotels and resorts are in our very own Bangladesh DuSai Resort & Spa

Location: Moulvibazar district Telephone: +88086164100 Room rate: Tk9,600-72,000 dusairesorts.com Find refuge from the city at the picturesque DuSai Resort. Pamper yourself in the open air jacuzzi, allow Thai therapists to be your stressbusting mechanism, or arrange for some family bonding sessions while boating, canoeing or cycling.

Grand Sultan Tea Resort & Golf Location: Srimongal Telephone: +8801730793551-8 Room rate: Tk23,280-75,280 grandsultanresort.com This five star resort is expensive, but seriously, your thinking will change once you lay eyes on this grand structure surrounded by several acres of lush green land, state of the art facilities and amenities. Plus it is the festival of sacrifice, so you might as well splurge and sacrifice some extra money to get this luxurious vacation for your Eid.

Hotel Naz Garden

Location: Bogra Telephone: +8805162468 Room rate: Tk2,800-16,000 hotelnazgarden.com If your destination lies north, Naz Garden may be the place for you.

This four star hotel is spread over 15 acres of land, and provides you with all facilities and amenities at an affordable price.

Nazimgarh Resorts

Location: Sylhet Telephone: +8801730712600 Room rate: Tk8,222-20,240 nazimgarh.com Nazimgarh Resorts provides not one but three exciting getaways, spread over the lush locales of

Sylhet. Nazimgarh Garden Resort will allow you to stay luxuriously on a landscaped hillside. You can have your big slice of nature at Nazimgarh Nature Park located on the banks of river Sharee. Their sister property, Nazimgarh Wilderness, will fulfill your desires of living in a forest.

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20 Social Construct | Being Hindu in Bangladesh

Walking the Hindu Streets of Puran Dhaka Although Bangladesh’s secondlargest religion is Hinduism, the country still struggles to achieve a society that has religious harmony devoid of prejudice Sabrina Toppa

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angladesh is home to over 15 million Hindus, representing under 10% of the country’s population.

In old Dhaka’s Shankhari Bazar, Dr Debnath watches the clay-master work in a gray-walled shop adjoining a Hindu temple. Horipada Pal, now in his sixties, has worked on Durga figures since he was a teenager. His deft craftsmanship traces back five generations, and clients often use his designs instead of their own.

“There are few men like him in this subcontinent,” Dr Debnath says about Pal, the ageing Hindu statue maker.

“He has been cheated many times and lived a hard life, but he is full of wisdom.”

Each day, after his work ends at Dhaka Medical College, Dr Debnath arrives to sketch statues at Pal’s shop, where preparations are underway for the Durga Puja festivals.

Hinduism in Bangladesh matches the form practised in India’s West Bengal province with heavy devotional emphasis on Durga and Kali – incarnations of the goddess Shakti.

Pal’s work is so popular that he has been commissioned for pieces as far away as Washington DC. However, for Dr Debnath, the spiritual lessons imparted by Pal are as important as the artistic.

“This place is like a sanctuary,” Dr Debnath says, pointing out all the religious statues under construction.

“It is a temple for me. Pal teaches me not only how to sketch Durga, but also about life, truth, and trust. I receive lessons about philosophy and spirituality, in addition to art.”

Under strain

But Dr Debnath admits that the condition of Hindus in Bangladesh is ailing. “We are suffering under our political system. Our freedom is hindered in workplaces, schools, and even in our own homes. The situation for Hindus in Bangladesh is like that

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Dr Debnath watches claymaster Horipada Pal at work Photos: Courtesy

of Kashmiris in India,” Dr Mithun Debnath says in accented Hindi. “We have freedom, but we are not free.”

Although Bangladesh hosts the world’s third-largest Hindu population, the percentage dwindles each year. In 1941, almost a third of Bangalis were Hindu, but today the figure is less than 10%.

Hindus face many challenges from political representation to property rights. Hindus are particularly vulnerable to the Vested Property Act (formerly the Enemy Property Act), which enables the government to expropriate the property of anyone labelled an enemy of the state. It is estimated that over 10 million Hindus have fled Bangladesh – often settling in India, North America or Europe – during periods of high political unrest.

Given the link between Bangladeshi Hindus and India, rumours circulate that Bangladeshi Hindus hold two passports: one Indian and one Bangladeshi.

However, when asked, no one in Shankhari Bazar claimed to hold anything other than the Bangladeshi passport.

Coexistence

“I never felt any kind of wall between Hindus and Muslims,” says Amar Sur, the Hindu owner of a shop selling shankha bangles worn by wedded Hindu women.

He works in a team of 5-6 people to create bracelets from seashells, flattening the white parts and cutting them length-wise. From a single Sri Lankan seashell, which he buffs with a round brush, four bangle pieces emerge after 2-3 hours of cutting, shaping, designing, and smoothing.

Sur reports an increase in sales during the week-long Durga Puja festival – the most prominent social event of the year among Bangali Hindus.

“In general, our communities embrace each other. Hindus partake in Eid festivities and Muslims celebrate Holi,” he says, clasping a seashell. “We don’t really differentiate. Since my childhood, no one has bothered me.”

Gold standards

Nearby atop a rickety staircase, shirtless men toil in a tiny room,

meticulously stitching together ornaments of gold. Drops of gilt pieces dust the floor. Once a month, a Hindu nihar-wallah (gold dustcollector) pays Tk2,000 to sweep the floor for remnants of gold, which he separates in water and resells.

“It is impossible to fool him,” the sweat-drenched men laugh. “He pays us based on the quality and weight of the gold.”

Next door, in earshot of the Muslim call to prayer, a temple’s statues greet entrants strolling down the narrow streets. Dr Debnath, sitting near to the temple, adjusts his glasses and asks Pal about the Durga statue he is chiselling.

“Look at the way he renders the proportions,” Dr Debnath says. “If you visit other places in Dhaka, you will not find this skill.”

For Dr Debnath, though, the chance to build a statue in Dhaka is itself celebratory. Earlier this year, many Hindus had been dispossessed of homes and temples during a violent election period.

“I am Hindu,” he rejoices, “and I am Bangladeshi.”

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