Splendid success story in snowy Toronto
Afsan Chowdhury finds Bengali culture thriving away from home
Bangla Journal, Editor Iqbal Hasnu
Quietly tucked away in the rather bland environs of Toronto, Canada, a high quality literary journal called Bangla Journal has been making its yearly presence felt for over a decade. The editor of the magazine, Prof. Iqbal Hasnu, is from Bangladesh but his audience is from all over the Bengali-speaking world. While many journals carry a distinct geo-national identity mark, Iqbal Hasnu has crossed these boundaries by choice and in the process has even brought closer common interests, concerns and interests of the two peoples living in Bangladesh and West Bengal. And it is bi-lingual to boot. Since its debut in 1999, first as a twice yearly and now an annual, the Bangla journal has reached a point of excellence in a mature cultural space. Hasnu's dedication to the journal is reminiscent of ventures undertaken by people of a vanished time and space where passion towards the arts and literature as well as politics was considered a form of dharma, which deserved total commitment. "I see this venture as a link between literature and life in an organic sense. Questions of sacrifice, commitment and joy are part of the same mental process that leads to the production of the journal. I accept the pain that comes with the responsibility and satisfaction." Living in Toronto, Iqbal Hasnu has the opportunity to look at the Bengali world and respond to it as a cultural unit rather than political nationalities. Much of his work is about hunting down contributors, often willing and sometimes unwilling, but in the end he has succeeded in delivering riches and excellence between two covers. The journal reflects that sense of his psychological location, poised in between several conversations that are happening in the Bengali speaking world. Hasnu is very inclusive as far as his content choices are concerned. Nor does he prioritize by any criteria. He tends to give the same attention to a book review as he does to a longer piece of fiction or essay reflecting his sense of worth of what he publishes. Many of the published pieces have become well known for their literary and sociological value. The memoirs of a young Muslim boy growing up in a liberal Hindu household in 1960s' Dhaka by Dinu Billah in "Kakababur Toyhouse",(The Uncle's Toy House ) is an ideal example. Now out as a book, this piece is worth its weight in gold. Not only is it an eminent read but the reflections show the cultural construction of the new Bengali as an emerging Bangladeshi which subsequently laid the foundation of the psyche of the nationalist movement of that era. As luck would have it, Dinu Billah has been a long time resident of Canada and a supporter of the journal. But then, an editor is entitled to a touch of luck every now and then. "Dinu bhai's work is remarkable because he portrays a world we rarely get to hear about. It describes how broadminded the Bengali Muslim middle class was and how families inter-acted with each other at a community level. This is such a valuable social diary that its merit is immediately understood. It's also a window to a world that is now gone, culturally, physically and emotionally." Journal traverses into many worlds and is quite eclectic in its subject choices. Welcoming both English and Bengali contributions has meant a rich harvest. Ketaki Kushari Dyson, the well-known litterateur from India and the UK, has turned in a significant piece on demystifying Mother Teresa which is interesting not just for the subject but also how it is approached. As is said by some, Mother Teresa was 'constructed' by the British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge, an anti-establishmentarian who doubled in later life as a Catholic establishmentarian upholding all things 'holy' and ranting against everything 'new'. In his earlier years he led quite a promiscuous life and so did his wife, though to a lesser degree having mothered a child from another man and so on, so typical of the English between the wars, caught with their world in tatters and their pants down and at the same time not being able to figure out what to do with either. Ketaki does a job on Mother Teresa by using the writings of a Kolkata Bengali expat residing in London and other related stuff to hack down her image. She argues that Teresa is quite the opposite of what Muggeridge claimed, that she used Kolkata and its people to glorify herself and the Church. In the process, this piece, which is neither an investigation into Teresa's work or ideology nor an analysis of cultural construction of the saints, church, colonialism or such matters become more of a rant than one would have wanted. Here was this remarkable person --- evil if you have it --- who lived in that city and became a part of its myths yet in the end was a simple Albanian nun of deep belief and prejudices who refused to look after a dog as it had no soul. It deserved a better treatment based on some sort of social semiotics rather than a piece which uses well known material that is known to many. More of an opportunity lost, but what we get is also what we usually don't get and anyone wanting to learn about the other Teresa will be satisfied. "I have avoided taking any positions including on politics but some values are deeper which deserve attention because they support the identity of my journal itself. I am for an education system that is free from dogmatism, I love discussion on all topics, freedom of thought and speech, cultural competence, anti-imperialism etc. I am open on all matters." The discussion on the Iraq war as a post-modernity phenomenon held just before the Iraq war at Jadavpur University in Kolkata which has been reported verbatim is a real valuable commodity. It develops a theme that is far more complex and sophisticated than the typical anti-US abuse. It does treat the war as a product of the present age and late capitalism that has been cooked by the contemporary world. This intellectual approach of what is a very emotional issue for many is refreshing and helps Journal be what it has become, such a major achievement. The variety that is on offer is a major contributor to this magazine's success. Of course the editor has to deal with many demands, cultural, geographic and focus-wise. Some of the gems are just waiting to be discovered and provide great pleasure. French-Canadian Fortier's lost memoirs on the Calcutta theatre of the 19th century is a fine find. It is a discovery to read such a piece on a period that is entertaining and illuminating of both Kolkata as well as the mind of the writer coming from remote French-Canada. The list of quality writing is endless. The journal has attracted many of the best writers as well as some new blood that is very illuminating. A reworking of the ancient Mahabharat myth of the monster-woman Hirimba and her son Ghotothkach is notable. Hirimba was married to Bhima, one of the five Pandav brothers, but was left back in the forests where they had met while Bhima's son grew up to be a fabulous warrior who died at the battle of Kurukshetra. These characters originated from the non-Aryan culture but were appropriated into the invading Aryan myths. Interestingly, just as they are imagined as demonic and monstrous, they were also given beautiful faces and seductive powers to which the Aryans reluctantly succumbed to. It describes the uneasy but growing inter-actions between the Mahabharata and local cultural imaginings. In "Ghatakhkach-Hirimba dialogue" by Monohar Mouli Biswas, the theme itself is taken into a new space where humanizing the demon is the main objective. Hirimba's role as a mother occupies a larger space than others, reducing the traditional imageries of these characters in India's cultural history. The discovery of these characters as brave and noble souls is already enjoying a spree with the mainstream media and there is even an animation series on this theme. Bangla Journal will have introduced this trend to a new readership, particularly those looking for literary reflections of fresh cultural interpretations. The avant garde sits well with the traditional in Bangla Journal. There are many such examples on the pages of this splendid product. In essence, Journal is both a reflection and a constructor. While its pages mirror the declared ideals of a Bengali society in two states, which also differ from each other, they also show the many common threads and bonds that exist. The common historical and social values are implicit in most pieces, making it a great showcase of what this culture is and also what it rejects. And by focusing on these aspects through literary endeavours, it is acting as the constructor of common aspirations and values. It is a great double-edged cultural sword. And Iqbal Hasnu wields that sword magnificently.
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