[ A tribute to Prof Humayun Azad on his 74th birth anniversary.]
Advocate of individualism in 56,000 square mile
Criticizes Bengali race and society in his style.
Frank writings never cease to rile
Reactionaries and make bigger his smile.
I first encountered the name "Humayun Azad" when I was in college. Our English Teacher Terence Pinero had thrown out a question to his pupils: "Who is your favorite contemporary writer?" Almost everyone told the names of two brothers who dominated the publishing industry at that time. Then he asked: "Do you want to know the name of my favorite contemporary writer?"
Without waiting for our reply, he said:" He shared the first name of your favorite writer, but has a different title. His name is Humayun Azad. I know many of you haven't heard of him. Do read Azad. No one in our time reads our society and people better than him."
Between the spare time my HSC exam and my admission to the University , I sent a long letter to Subarnarekha, a literary supplement brought out by Daily Ajker Kagoj, without knowing that he edited the supplement. The editor did not get back to me. An interview of him on that page also garnered my attention. I was no literary connoisseur, but his criticism of what is going on around him and the media attention invoked my interest on him.
Back in August 2011, I wrote a piece about him on https://rezaulhoque.wordpress.com .
I had not read much of his works by the time I entered university. My orientation with his works began with "Chappanna Hajar Barga Mile", followed by "Kabi Othoba Dandito Opurush". He was deeply moved by the criminalization of society, decay of values and rise of the Islamists.1
One afternoon on the second floor of theater building while I was going to attend a class, I met this pleasant looking, plainly dressed professor who was ready to talk to anyone. While he was smoking I inquired about the subject that he was working on. He said, “There are some people who still believe the sun moves around the earth! I’m working on them!!”1
This is our Azad Sir.
He was never shy to talk openly to a stranger. A rickshaw puller and a man from the upper rung of the society got same importance and reception from him. From head to toe, he was embodiment of an educated gentleman.
Humayun Azad, born in Bikrampur, now Munshiganj and son of a School teacher, was Bangladesh’s leading linguist, writer and a strong critic of the extremists. He did his schooling at Sir JC Bose Institution, set up at the premises of renowned scientist and inventor of radio Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose. His teachers were erudite and had an impeccable style of teaching, reflected in his brilliant result at the national level.
He was no half baked intellectual. He did his PhD in Linguistics at University of Edinburgh. His books on linguistics and Bengali grammar earned him a lot of respect. But campus politics delayed his due promotion and gun violence at campus embittered him about the learning atmosphere prevailed in 80's and 90's. In an essay titled "Jatike Ekhoni Sthir Korte Hobe: Amader Bishwabidyaloyer Dorker Achhe Ki Na?(Decide Now: Do We Really Need University?)" wrote back in 1991 after witnessing a gunbattle at Dhaka University: " From school to University, we would like to see books, blooming of knowledge. University is a grooming ground, not an arms depot. And only learners will stay here, there is no place for gunners. We have to decide now: Do we really need any school, college or university? If we do really need them, then they have to be run accordingly. Otherwise, we may destroy them and engage in our suitable savage acts."2 He was however against banning student politics at campus.
He was apolitical. In an interview with Bolaka in 1999, he said:" I don't belong to any political party and never chant any slogan of any party. I do not follow any doctrine, nor do I think day and night how to spread a doctrine. I want profound creativity and ultimate freedom of an individual. I do not like a man being confined into a custom, doctrine or party."3
He was deeply disappointed by the absence of individualism in Bangladesh's budding democracy and one of leading critic to write about it: " To Bengalis, democracy is just like a legend; Bengalis heard of its beauty, but never see it, never hear its voice. Bengalis wanted democracy, but never practiced it in their personal, family, social and political life. A Bengali's life has been controlled by the joint command of feudalism and autocracy. Bengalis spend their domestic and political lives under the shadow of these two medieval axes. In Bengali society, individual has little value. This society values privileged individuals and fake customs a lot. In the democratic system, individual is the supreme thing, individual is the sun of the democratic solar system, individual is sovereign, individual is parliament; family, society, constitution, state and civilization are for individual. In democracy, individual is the truth, individual is as tall as the sky, individual never bends to anyone; everything lies beneath individual's feet. Democracy is the key to blooming of an individual; democratic civilization cannot be built by killing individual. Though Bengalis sacrifice lives for democracy, they are far away from democratic civilization."(Source: Jati Songsodio Ba Dolio Shoirotantro Chai Na( Nation Does Not Want A Parliamentary or Tribal Autocracy))2
Azad sir detested jingoistic nationalism. And in several of his writings he laid it bare and underscored that such nationalism is a perennial source of sickness of a society.
But it was his criticism of his own race, taking the baton from Nirod C Chowdhury who was equally unforgivable to Bengalis and dressed them down at every occasion, that made him popular and drew a lot of attention from Bengali readers.
Azad Sir put forward reasons for criticizing his own race. He said in an interview accorded to Natun Diner Dandhane on June 3 ,1992: " Bengalis have not created a civilized state yet, let alone a developed and just society. I have right to criticize the Bengalis, but I do not have right to criticize other races. That is why I am critical to my race."3
He was conspicuously outspoken and took great pride in his works, which he really deserved. This, however, made him very unpopular among his peers.
His sharp political commentary about what was going on around him and the growing radicalization in Bangladesh caused lots of anger among the radical establishment.
His work " Pak Sar Zamin Saad Baad which was later banned by the Government of Bangladesh, made the extremists furious and led a radical member of parliament, also an infamous war criminal, Delwar Hossain Sayedee, now sentenced to imprisonment for life for War Crimes, to raise the issue of introducing Blasphemy law in the parliament in 2004. Just a week later, while he was on his way back home from Ekushey Book Fair, a bunch of medieval thugs attacked him with kitchen tools. He survived the attack, but he was so traumatized by the incident that it ultimately caused his death in Munich, where he was doing a research on German Poet Heinrich Heine.1
I willfully avoided highlighting some of the important issues that Azad Sir pondered and worked as we have been going through an awful time . In this time , such discussion may give rise to fresh bout of bitterness and hostile feelings among certain quarter.
It is a pity that I will never see this simple but brilliant man at the gate of New Market or at the lecture theatre of Dhaka University. Unlike his writings, his very appearance radiates joy and makes one more optimistic. He was one of the brilliant graduates his alma mater ever produced and the Bengalis should be proud of him and his works.
With his demise, Bangladesh lost a great linguist and writer of our time. He was born much ahead of his time and in a regressive society like our ones very few were ready to hear what he tried to say. I think, in future, at our difficult times we will have to recourse to his writings.
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Notes and References:
1. A Man Ahead of His by Rezaul Hoque.https://rezaulhoque.wordpress.com/2011/08/11/a-man-ahead-of-his-time/
2. Protikreashilotar Dirgho Chhayar Niche(Under The Long Shadow of Reactionary Forces) by Humayun Azad.
3. Ekush Amader Aghoshito Shadhinata Dibash(Twenty First February Is Our Undeclared Independence Day).Anthology of interviews of Humayun Azad.