Published: 12:00 AM, 04 September 2016
Reviewed by Ishrat Binte Aftab
The reviewer is amazed by the forfeiting intellect of the writer that prompts a well-pictured analogy of our nation
It could be a usual spring morning, lulled by a utopian ballad, coming from the Tagore's maiden of distant land....if Mridu didn't wake his father up with a look of terror in her eyes. "Abbu, military didn't let me go to school today" his angel daughter was crying as if her whole world is shattered forever. Military-maybe the only word that could enter in Rashed's ear, traveled to the nervous system to arouse his childhood memories haunted by martial law. These are the nutshell of few pages of "Chappanno Hajar Borgomile" written by Humayun Azad.
Can any book contain the past, present and future of a nation? If so, then certainly, "Chappanno Hajar Borgomile" is one of them, auguring this country's future in few pages. This book is a fine satire of Bangladesh's condition during once enforced martial law, eventually sketching about all other crucial political events of it. The writer portrayed the confluence of his and his daughter's childhood which took place in different times; yet, depicts the same journey, same agony. Then again, the writer's pen ran like a chameleon on the paper, delineating different political turnouts, transitioning tantrum scenario of the country in bold words. His pen takes us from the outrageous environment of 1971 to the turmoil of post liberation period including the autocracy of Ziaur Rahman and Hussain Muhammad Ershad.
While mocking the top to bottom structure of government system, Azad casually incorporated some truth, which is why we are still deviating from the ideology of our liberation as a country. "Bengali Muslims cannot bear anyone's success. All they want is to overthrow someone, that's the only pleasure they can feel nowadays", the writer claimed firmly. So far, after 45 years of liberation war, this is inevitably true, isn't it? Admittedly, the writer's pen also fights with the hypocritical viewpoint of so called sacred Bengali Muslim. It seemed, this society could not get a sound sleep without categorizing every single deed into delirium, sin or crime may be! Azad dug deeply into the holy system of governance and pointed out every single loophole our big guns have created over the time for catalyzing convenience to them. That is what makes this book a legendary one!
I believe, a writer can be considered as the "hiuen tsang"-the best traveler of all time. To outline the disoriented doodle of a nation, s/he has to travel, in his mind with the guidance of word. The more traveling a writer can do, the more enthusiastic the book can be. From that point of view, Humayun Azad nailed the traveler's guide, taking his readers from the drawing room of a bureaucrat to the river bank of his childhood. Moreover, the writer mesmerized about his ruined childhood which was previously ornamented with clean blue and gloomy sky, cradle of night-long scribbles, moonlit and pitch-dark night, crayoning the picturesque elegance of a perfect beauty.
The best part of the book is writer's metaphorical presentation of our country. While his AK-47 pen was firing the tyranny of corruption, the central character of the book "Rashed" was in a constant feeling of urination which lucidly represents the uneasy condition of our nation, trying to exert its most toxic materials-politicians. The writer's lamentation turns out as a shout of question to Bangladesh, "Oh Bangladesh! How are you? Are you happy? Sad? Or you have gone beyond that, in no feeling's land?" Azad sobs for a word with dear country face to face, but sadly, his country lost its face!
Apparently, from a bird's eye view on this book, it may seem a bit scattered. Well, our whole nation is scattered, isn't it? In comparison with his other books, this book seems a bit disorganized yet capable of conveying his message. The writer penned the map of Bangladeshi social and political system well with his words. Throughout the book Azad unintentionally proved his own quote-"The world belongs to pseudo-gods!"
The reviewer is schooling with BRAC University
-Publisher: Agami Prakashan, published in 1994, price- Tk. 176
Can any book contain the past, present and future of a nation? If so, then certainly, "Chappanno Hajar Borgomile" is one of them, auguring this country's future in few pages. This book is a fine satire of Bangladesh's condition during once enforced martial law, eventually sketching about all other crucial political events of it. The writer portrayed the confluence of his and his daughter's childhood which took place in different times; yet, depicts the same journey, same agony. Then again, the writer's pen ran like a chameleon on the paper, delineating different political turnouts, transitioning tantrum scenario of the country in bold words. His pen takes us from the outrageous environment of 1971 to the turmoil of post liberation period including the autocracy of Ziaur Rahman and Hussain Muhammad Ershad.
While mocking the top to bottom structure of government system, Azad casually incorporated some truth, which is why we are still deviating from the ideology of our liberation as a country. "Bengali Muslims cannot bear anyone's success. All they want is to overthrow someone, that's the only pleasure they can feel nowadays", the writer claimed firmly. So far, after 45 years of liberation war, this is inevitably true, isn't it? Admittedly, the writer's pen also fights with the hypocritical viewpoint of so called sacred Bengali Muslim. It seemed, this society could not get a sound sleep without categorizing every single deed into delirium, sin or crime may be! Azad dug deeply into the holy system of governance and pointed out every single loophole our big guns have created over the time for catalyzing convenience to them. That is what makes this book a legendary one!
I believe, a writer can be considered as the "hiuen tsang"-the best traveler of all time. To outline the disoriented doodle of a nation, s/he has to travel, in his mind with the guidance of word. The more traveling a writer can do, the more enthusiastic the book can be. From that point of view, Humayun Azad nailed the traveler's guide, taking his readers from the drawing room of a bureaucrat to the river bank of his childhood. Moreover, the writer mesmerized about his ruined childhood which was previously ornamented with clean blue and gloomy sky, cradle of night-long scribbles, moonlit and pitch-dark night, crayoning the picturesque elegance of a perfect beauty.
The best part of the book is writer's metaphorical presentation of our country. While his AK-47 pen was firing the tyranny of corruption, the central character of the book "Rashed" was in a constant feeling of urination which lucidly represents the uneasy condition of our nation, trying to exert its most toxic materials-politicians. The writer's lamentation turns out as a shout of question to Bangladesh, "Oh Bangladesh! How are you? Are you happy? Sad? Or you have gone beyond that, in no feeling's land?" Azad sobs for a word with dear country face to face, but sadly, his country lost its face!
Apparently, from a bird's eye view on this book, it may seem a bit scattered. Well, our whole nation is scattered, isn't it? In comparison with his other books, this book seems a bit disorganized yet capable of conveying his message. The writer penned the map of Bangladeshi social and political system well with his words. Throughout the book Azad unintentionally proved his own quote-"The world belongs to pseudo-gods!"
The reviewer is schooling with BRAC University
-Publisher: Agami Prakashan, published in 1994, price- Tk. 176
