Let alone the whole of Pakistan, the attempt to make Urdu the provincial government language of East Pakistan did not succeed on the soil of East Bengal. Following the establishment of Pakistan, many believed—and still believe—that Urdu alone would be the state language of Pakistan. Be that as it may, after many bloody struggles, it has recently been announced in the central legislature of Pakistan that Bengali, the most prominent regional language of Pakistan and the language of the majority of the population, will be granted the status of a state language alongside Urdu. After twenty years, Bengali and Urdu will be equally adopted as state languages instead of English. And over these twenty years, the endeavor to enrich the regional languages, including Bengali, will continue.
Twenty years is no short span of time. During this period, various changes may occur in the landscape of the country and in the minds of the people. The fierce opposition that the West Pakistanis, particularly the Punjabis, have mounted and are still mounting against making Bengali a state language has been fueled by various opinions regarding language and literature within our own country.
Whether the language of the Bengali Muslim should be Bengali, and if so, what form it should take? Should it be mixed with Arabic and Persian, influenced by Sanskrit, or a hodgepodge of Urdu and Bengali in the changed context of the present times? And what about its literature? Islamic? Or leaning towards West Bengal? Or 'Bangal-Islamic' rooted in the soil of Bengal, or something else entirely? Debates over this have been ongoing ever since the creation of Pakistan. Centered around this debate, there has been just as much mudslinging among writers as there has been muddying of the waters.
This problem did not arise merely out of the political necessities of Pakistan; it is a problem of Muslim Bengal spanning nearly seven hundred long years, which has reared its head anew due to present political imperatives.
Therefore, a group among us thinks that since it was not possible to completely discard the Bengali language and embrace Urdu, Bengali must gradually be brought to the level of Urdu by importing an abundance of Arabic, Persian, as well as Urdu words, and even by altering the Bengali alphabet. These are the extremists. The moderates believe that a major political evolution brings about a change in the national life of every country. Thus, since we have successfully achieved Pakistan, a change in the future Bengali language and literature of East Pakistan is inevitable. There is no need for bluster regarding this, no urgency to completely overhaul the language today, and no 'necessity' to adopt Urdu letters under the deception of the Quranic script (Huruf-ul-Quran) by shoving the Bengali alphabet across the Ganges into the 'Kufurstan' [land of infidels] of West Bengal. Along with the progress of the Pakistani state, the Bengali literature of East Pakistan will also gradually bear a Pakistani (East Pakistani, of course) stamp.
The moderates are unable to accept the views of the extremists; however, they commend their intellect because, from the perspective of Pakistan, their intentions are noble. Considering the dire situation we will face in the near future if their views are accepted, they argue that attempting such a massive 'Experiment' will take at least twenty or twenty-five years; in the process, neither will the inherent ethos of Bengali remain intact, nor will our language become Urdu. With a grotesque hybrid language, neither will our true literature be formed, nor will we earn the sympathy and respect of West Pakistan. The failure of this practical experiment will breed deep despair in the minds of our nation (Bengali Muslims). And due to the political situation, Urdu will gradually become something we get accustomed to internally. Then one day, whether by the force of law or as a result of psychological distortion, Urdu will be festively embraced not merely as a language for earning a livelihood, but as our spoken and written language, our medium of education, and the language of our literature. After that, the pursuit of Urdu will continue in East Bengal. Because Urdu is neither the mother tongue nor the cultural language of the Muslims here, it will not yield good results there either; yet, over all these years, West Pakistan will have advanced far ahead in the fields of education and culture. We will then become a burden to them, an object of disrespect. Straddling two boats in that situation, let alone surviving, we will not even have the luxury to die in peace.
Returning to what I was saying earlier. On one hand, today's Pakistan and East Pakistan within its context; on the other, the imperial rule over the whole of India during the Muslim era of the Middle Ages, and undivided Bengal against that backdrop. Even then, the Bengali Muslim faced a dilemma—what was his language, and in which language should he compose literature? Even then, among the Bengali-speaking Muslims residing in this country, there were two such factions. One group wanted to reject Bengali and compose literature in who knows what 'Islamic' language. Much like the extremists of today, they too did not spare the moderates devoted to Bengali language and literature from ridicule, nor did they embrace the Bengali language and literature as their own. It seems that, caught in such a turbulent environment, the sixteenth-century Bengali Muslim poet Syed Sultan—much like the moderates of today—was compelled to write with deep sorrow in the preface of his epic Rasul Bijoy—
In so many lands, in so many languages, are the words of the Quran told.
They provide the teachings to make the religion of Muhammad understood.
Due to the faults of the work, Bengalis are produced in Bengal.
Not understanding, the Bengali speaks only Arabic words.
How will I explain to all the people of Bengal?
Bengalis cannot be understood in Arabic.
The Lord has created what floats in the jar.
That float is his priceless treasure.
This quote from a poet long ago; yet today we seem to particularly grasp the essence of the last two lines. Alongside this, we must consider the uncompromising and cautionary words of Abdul Hakim, a 17th-century Muslim poet from the village of Shadhuram in Sandip, Noakhali, which is inhabited by numerous mullahs and scholars. In anger and sorrow, he wrote—
Those who are born in Bengal envy the Bengali language.
He does not know the customs of everyone. In Bengal, there is a settlement of ancestors and parents.
Advice in the native language is very beneficial.
The knowledge of the native language does not reside in the mind.
Why does one who has abandoned their own country not go abroad?
Three hundred years ago, the Muslims of Bengal were somewhat independent under the nominal rule of Delhi, and today, the Muslims of East Bengal, bound to Karachi in our long-desired Pakistan. Has there been any change in the mentality of Bengali Muslims regarding the Bengali language and literature over the span of several centuries? What can we, the Muslims of this era, do for our ancestors' shortsightedness except for mercy? If we do not focus on creating our own literature by putting an end to this unnecessary strife, will not our future descendants turn away from us in disgust, remembering the conflicts of contemporary Urdu and Bengali and the resulting failures?
When discussing the history of the medieval period of Bengali literature, we see that there were significant obstacles for Muslims in contributing to Bengali literature; these obstacles did not come from their own royal power but from the extremist shortsightedness of their society. Nevertheless, it can be observed that for nearly seven hundred years throughout the entire medieval period, Bengali Muslims have created literature in the Bengali language. Whether good or bad, within that literature, they have managed to retain the imprint of the eternal characteristics of Muslims. The Muslim 'Jangnama'; their 'Kasasul Ambiya', 'Marfati Gaan', and 'Padmavati' or 'Lorchandranie', and the ultimate and greatest treasure of manuscript literature still carry the Muslim ideology and life philosophy. To speak the truth, regardless of how we view manuscript literature today, just as the Mangal Kavya of Bengal quenched the thirst for life of Bengali Hindus, the manuscript literature of Muslims also stands beside it, fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of Muslim life with a grandeur akin to epic poetry. Judging from the perspective of this era, the value of both manuscript literature and Mangal Kavya will certainly diminish as they do not stand on the foundation of human life; however, it is true that just as the Padavali literature belongs to Hindus, the Marfati Gaan belongs to Muslims, and alongside the Mangal Kavya of Hindus, it is only this vast treasury of manuscript literature that has established the Bengali Muslim of that time in a position of respect and honor. The creative talent of the Bengali Muslim of that time was not any less than that of the Bengali Hindu—manuscript literature is proof of that.
Despite obstacles and challenges, the way Muslims created Bengali literature in Bengal before the arrival of the English, a significant portion of it was also embraced by Bengali Hindus, as the political power remained in the hands of Muslims. The Muslim influence we observe in the combined Bengali literature of the Hindu and Muslim eras is certainly valuable for historians in determining the past of this land and its people.
In social and practical life, Islam has spread a very healthy and simple political consciousness, as well as feelings of equality, friendship, and love, providing shelter to countless people in India who are tormented by caste discrimination and oppression. Similarly, in the effort to preserve their identity and religion, figures like Ramananda, Kabir, Nanak, and Chaitanya—who were practitioners and advocates of liberal and moderate views—emerged. Just as there is an indirect influence of Islam in the lives of Hindus, there is also a Sufi influence in the thoughts of Bengali life and in the combined literature of Hindus and Muslims in Bengal, which is a gift from Islam and Muslims. Even if this gift is indirect, it has not failed to enrich Hindu Vaishnav literature. Additionally, the creation of narrative poetry in Bengal has come in the context of the Persian studies of Hindus and Muslims.
The influence of Muslims in the entire Bengali literature, in terms of thought and life, has not been as significant as was hoped, but it must be said that the influence of Muslims is quite considerable in the practical life of Bengalis, regardless of Hindu or Muslim. The furniture in a Bengali home, their clothing, the materials of their luxury, their treatment for illnesses, the equipment for their grand games, the monthly rituals, the custom of riding in carriages, their trade, the arrangements for land ownership, their court cases, their titles and surnames, and even the language of their daily life are largely governed by Muslim influence. Bengali literature continues to carry this evidence to this day.
Not only in the pre-British era of Bengali life and literature, but the influence of Muslims is also significant in the literature of the English period. Leaving aside the language of Bharat Chandra's 'Jaboni Mishal' from that time, when reading the works of 19th-century writer Parichad Mitra, also known as Tekchand Thakur, such as 'Alaler Gharer Dulal' and 'Hutom Pyanchar Naksha', one can observe a considerable abundance of Arabic and Persian words. In almost every line of Alaler, there is such a dense presence of Arabic and Persian words that even a well-versed person in Arabic and Persian today would be taken aback. Moreover, even in the works of writers like Bankim, a significant amount of Persian and related Arabic words have been used.
The Hindus have indeed created literature for Muslims in this era through their own perspective. The Hindu Girishchandra was the first translator of the Holy Quran and Hadith, the first biographer of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH); he was the first promoter of the biographies of Muslim saints. Akshay Kumar Maitreya was the first to remove the stigma of Siraj and Mir Qasim. Professor Jadunath Sarkar and Rampran Gupta were historians of Islam; Satyen Dutta and Mohitlal were the architects and poets of Muslim culture in Bengal. Among the renowned Muslim writers of this era are Mir Mosharraf Hossain, Mozammel Haque, Lutfor Rahman, Imdadul Haque, Kaykobad, and Nazrul, who have been the pioneers of Muslim life and civilization in Bengali literature. Their creations were not solely for Muslims; they have enriched the soil and literature of Bengal by drawing essence from Muslim culture and life. This has become part of Bengal and the Bengali people.
The middle period of British rule is the mature phase of Bengali literature. Even at that time, the remnants of the Muslim era had not completely vanished; their last rays were flickering like a faint light. It is true that if the fate of Muslim royal power in Bangladesh had not been disrupted in the Battle of Plassey, the language of manuscript literature or the Arabic-Persian influenced Bengali language would have been the language of Bengali literature for both Hindus and Muslims, and the advanced form of modern Bengali literature could have stood on the basis of that language. But that is beside the point. The past does not return; clinging to the past or trying to preserve it properly does not yield fruitful results. There is no benefit in lamenting that; only those who do not learn from history and wish to drape the present in the tattered cloak of that skeletal past suffer from it.
The political reasons led the Muslim community to drift away from all the legal systems under British rule. They fell into financial instability and were deprived of education and knowledge. Therefore, how could they create any significant literature in this great despair? The period from the second half of the nineteenth century to the third decade of the twentieth century is considered the best and golden age of Bengali literature. The Bengali literature of this era is primarily the creation of Bengali Hindus. In contrast, the literature created by Muslims shines like a faint island light. Therefore, it is not surprising that the best literature created by Hindus carries the imprint of Hindu culture. The extent to which it has woven the narrative of human inner life is equally applicable to Bengalis and, consequently, to Muslims as well—this is certainly acknowledged. From that perspective, by inheritance, Bengali Muslims are also entitled to a significant portion of that literature—how can one deny this?
Therefore, he does not have to create his own literature, and the fact that he will find solace in the Muslim community as a world-enchanting aspect of Bengali literature (perhaps the word should be 'enjoy'— Akhra Team) is also a significant dilemma for him. Just as he has created literature in the Middle Ages in competition with Hindus, although insignificant compared to Hindus, he has highlighted his cultural imprint in his own written literature during the glorious era of Bengali literature. Even in this age of great transformation in the current state system, he will similarly create his literature. That literature will be in Bengali, its language will also be Bengali, and its script will be Bengali.
West Bengal and East Bengal are not new concepts; only Hindustan and Pakistan are new. Long before this change in the political system, that is, from the infancy of the country and literature, there was a difference in the climate of these two regions of Bengal. This geographical difference is such that it has left countless marks of characteristics and uniqueness on every aspect of the lives of the people in their respective regions. Let’s set aside the age-old struggles and mockery between the 'Bengalis' and the 'Ghatis'—although this has been expressed in the literature of both Bengals, it has not been insignificant.
However, in the relatively moist soil of riverine East Bengal, the people of this region have given birth to forms of music such as Bhatiyali, Marfati, Jari Marsia, folk songs, and rural lyrics that are distinctly of East Bengal. Interestingly, in most cases, these are rooted in the experiences of Muslim life and have come to life centered around the poor and illiterate Muslim existence. On the other hand, the literature that has flourished in the dry soil of West Bengal seems to have relatively less of the watery essence, likely due to the region's natural dryness (excluding Vaishnav poetry). A subtle example of this is the Baul music of the west and the Bhatiyali of East Bengal. The emotional essence is equal in both, yet the Baul has a rise, while the Bhatiyali has a descent. Due to dryness and harshness, the Baul's breath is upward, while the Bhatiyali's breath is downward due to abundant moisture; one from West Bengal and the other from the East. One is Hindu, the other is Muslim. Is this the difference of today? It has always been so!
In the new light of Pakistan, it will not be sufficient to judge our literature solely from this perspective. The discussion has arisen that literature must also recite the Kalima of Islam. Let us examine this statement. Whether Pakistan is an Islamic state or not, since the majority of its inhabitants are Muslims, there must be a clear influence of Islam in their lives and in their literature. Islam is not just a religion; it is a code of conduct for living a healthy, strong, natural, and easy life in this world. A nation that wishes to survive must create literature that is suitable to this principle. Because literature shapes the culture of a nation, and it is through that culture that the nation is sustained. No nation has survived through the display of physical strength; similarly, we cannot survive by merely proclaiming Islam. We acknowledge the rise and fall of national life, but we must also accept that it is literature that inspires the journey from decline to resurgence; literature is the essence of national life; therefore, what does a nation have if it lacks literature?
One may question whether a work created by a Muslim qualifies as Muslim literature. Since that has not happened and will not happen, we must create the literature for the three and a half crore Muslims of East Bengal ourselves. The literature must be invigorated by the same vital spirit that governs Muslim life according to the Quran, Hadith, Fiqh, and Sharia. Just as the Hindu epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata, along with the Puranas and the Gita, serve as an endless source of inspiration for their literature, and as Hindus freely draw from these to bestow great magnificence upon their new age literature, our literary edifice will also be established on the vast expanse of the Quran and Muslim folklore. It can be said that if I see a female figure in Muslim society praying from Fajr to Isha, I would not be surprised; however, if she were to abandon her femininity and stand as an angel while performing acts of worship, I would not only be surprised but also pained. Therefore, the body and mind of our literature will belong to Muslims, but its soul will belong to all people of all times and places; in a word, it will be universal, and thus, global.
There is one thing we must remember with great caution. Our country is that Eastern Bengal, today's East Pakistan; the free land of the Muslim's independent abode; but the soil of the country is the same as before, and the nature is also the old one; the inherent mark of this land is preserved in the faces of the Muslims here for eternity. Therefore, if we want to bring a state influence on our inner and outer lives, we must look towards the people of this land to do so, otherwise, in the end, there is a fear that while trying to shape Muslims and humans, we might end up creating monkeys instead. The danger is not small for us.
The only thing that can save us from this danger is the literature of our East Pakistan. We are residents of Pakistan, yet we are from East Pakistan; if our literature is built upon this characteristic, then there is hope that we will not perish; and we will not become anyone's slaves, but rather we will be able to present our rightful claims in the full prosperity of the entire Pakistani state before the world. To move forward on this path, we must keep the language of our literature as Bengali; there should be no coercion from outside or inside for unnecessary fundamental changes. It is indeed a historical truth that every nation has seen various changes in its language and literature for various reasons over time, but such changes have not been possible in ten or five years; the changes that have arisen out of historical necessity have not been ingrained in the national life and literature in less than a century.
In creating the new Muslim Bengali literature of East Pakistan, we must remember the Bengali Hindus of the nineteenth century. Inspired by Western education and the ideals of humanity, the Bengali Hindus of that time created a body of Bengali literature that, although written against a Hindu backdrop, became a part of Bengali and Bangladeshi literature. Pakistan is the place of hope and trust for Muslims, their land of existence, and their resting place after death. The vision of a free life that had once driven Muslims to passionately create Pakistan, just like the liberation-obsessed Bengali Hindus of the nineteenth century, will similarly inspire today's Bengali Muslim community to create their own Bengali literature. Its auspicious beginning has been evident since the time of the Pakistan movement.
There is hope for our literature along the path of this practical experiment, where the Bengali Iqbal, with a profound connection to Islamic thought, will emerge alongside Muslim Rabindranath, Sharatchandra, and Tarashankar. In this regard, there is no problem for West Pakistan. The problem lies with us. Rejecting Bengali in language and script and adopting Urdu will not solve that problem. Just as the Bengali Hindu of the nineteenth century embraced and practiced the English language while cherishing the joy of creation in Bengali literature, we must also accept Urdu, which is familiar with Islamic thought [and is today’s state language for our new literary creation], in that same manner; if we go even a hair's breadth beyond that, we will not be able to stand in competition, let alone in the glory of our own uniqueness. History proves this. Those who neglect or deny this harsh reality face the death of their nation through misfortune. Even excessive eagerness and fanaticism will not save them then.
However life may be, life rises up from the wounds of existence. Just as one day, in the broken bower of the diamond maiden, the unexpected arrival of beauty filled it with flowers, fruits, and the fragrance of prosperity, similarly, the touch of Pakistan's golden stick has stirred the slumbering inner realm of the Bengali Muslim; today he is engrossed in the inspiration of creation. He must not make mistakes today. He is a person of Bengal. Therefore, his literature must be crafted upon the characteristics of his Muslim identity and Bengali identity, his Pakistan and East Bengal.
[Note: November 26 marks the birth anniversary of Muhammad Abdul Hai, one of the foremost phonologists, linguists, educators, and writers of the Bengali language. This piece by Abdul Hai was first published in a magazine called 'Dilruba'. Later, in 1954, it was included in his essay collection titled 'Literature and Culture'. On the occasion of Abdul Hai's birthday, the Akhra team has prepared this article for the readers of Akhra with minor edits.]