History often has a way of challenging our biases towards our present. Perhaps the one thing common to humans of all generations is our steadfast belief that our own time, unlike any other time in the past, is the most developed, the most inspiring. A dip into the archives, into memories and oral histories is an exercise in humility they remind us of the fact that all that remains to be done can only be achieved with a clear-sighted knowledge of the events of the past.
Faiz Ahmed (born in 1902), who passed away on March 2, 1974, was one such figure in the history of divided Pakistan s labour rights movement whose contributions, over the passage of time, have slipped through the cracks of collective memory. With passion and sharp farsightedness, Faiz Ahmed had begun advocating against capitalist British forces for the rights of the Pakistani working classes from early in his career in law. Between 1950 and 1965, he was the only Bengali Muslim to be elected as a representative of Paki
For anyone looking to immerse themself in the literary culture of Bangladesh, Professor Razia Khan Amin s name and presence are unavoidable. A poet, novelist, and literary critic (1936–2011) who taught some of the most prolific litterateurs of our time, her towering personality reaches the current generation through fascinating anecdotes. She was a truly colourful person… precocious but also ahead of her time in her ideas and ways , Professor Fakrul Alam wrote in
Once More into the Past (Daily Star Books, 2020), a collection of his essays earlier published in the Star Literature pages. She led the young women going out to face the world. Led them into sunshine and self-confident awareness [.] with wit and anecdote, with original insight and analytic criticism , Professor Rebecca Haque wrote of her in another
On October 9, 1965 a day before the World Children s Day celebrations the Engineering Institute of Dhaka rang with the melody of young voices, their footfalls and bright costumes. Children from across the two Pakistans had been invited to take part in a competition of musical performances. Among them, 20-year-old Farida Hossain had always been drawn to the tale of Hans Christian Andersen s Snow White . Born on January 19, 1945 in Kolkata, Farida had grown up a quiet child amidst five other siblings, moving first to Narayanganj, West Pakistan and finally to Dhaka to attend her schooling. It was a quiet child still who grew up in this new city, always away from the ruckus of her household, away from the siblings and cousins and other children playing in their neighbourhood. Her silence guarded a fiercely imaginative world that lived inside her mind, where the pain of flowers could be heard when their petals were torn, where magic prevailed and emotions reigned. This ability to be self