The Boers and Bangalees

Nehal Adil | Published: May 24, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

The Boer war had inspired the Indian nationalists in the fight against British imperialists. But how much we know about the saga of relations between Boers and Bangalees. Recently a distinguished Bangaleee intellectual and freedom fighter told me the saga of Mary Van Bengal, the legendary Dutch Bengali lady who could be termed as the mother of the Boer nation.
The Portuguese pirates had occupied Southern Bangladesh and had set up a Kingdom in Sandwip under Domingo Carvalho. The clever Mogul Governor Islam Khan sought help of the Dutch to drive away the Portuguese. The Portuguese lost the battle of Chittangong. It was the Bangalee sailors who helped Dutch adventurer Abel Tasman to discover Australia.
There was no question of discovery. Bangalee sailors who visited Australia according to Swedish author and researcher Ase Otossson were known as banias which in Bengali means traders. The Banias planted rice in present day Queensland and Northern Territory.
But the Dutch had their eyes on fertile soil of East Indies not the barren deserts of Australia. The Dutch set up Batavia, the present day Jakarta, the capital if Indonesia. Here comes the story Mary Van Bengal, a mixed blood Dutch Bangalee. Many distinguished Boer families are reported to have her blood according to Dr Qazi who told me the story.
According to certain researchers, present day Ahsan Manjil was the Dutch Kuthi. The Dutch introduced Kalam, the wooden shoe which we still call Kharam.
Amsterdam was a favourite city of my friend Ahmed Sofa. He wanted to build an atel bazaar, intellectual market with book stalls, fashion shops, handicrafts, cafes and meeting places. He wanted to have Ummukta Mancha Vishwavidyalay like in the Vandel Park in Amsterdam. But Sofa died early. Unfortunately his friend Dr Kazi could not save him. But the dream remains.
Most of our history has been distorted by the colonialists and local cronies.
Maulana Bhashani had told me the naval headquarters of India was situated at Savar which in Farsi means Shahi Bahar, the Imperial Navy. Its resting place was Jirabo. Jirabo is a Turkish word meaning rest. According to the agreement that Emperor Akbar and Isa Khan made the navy would be commanded by a Bengali. Subedar or governor would be from Delhi. The Chief Minister will be Bangalee. This was a unique form of Federal Government. We see its echo in the Federal Governments of India and Pakistan even today.
Keeping the tradition of Shahi Bahar, Maulana Bhashani in the United Front's 21-point programme wanted Pakistan's naval Head Quarters in East Pakistan.
If Pakistanis paid heed to it, the sad collapse of that country could not happen.
But no doubt the Boer war played a formidable blow to the British Empire. In one after another war they suffered crushing blows. Ultimately the British naval power won. But that was not the end. The shocking blow of the Boer war helped Britain's other enemies to raise their heads. Germans and Austrians who were racially related to the Boers launched the First World War. Britain won at the cost of millions of life. Its rebel child USA took over the leadership in the Second World War.
The Empire crumbled, nearly entire Europe was occupied by the Germans. Only with Soviet help the Anglo-Saxons won. But they betrayed the Soviets in the Cold War. But the world is not peaceful. Agonies of war and terror prevail and we remember Mary Van Bengal in Batavia in remembering the memory of the First World War which was an indirect product of the Boer war. It was aimed at ending all war.
All wars are illusion between life and death. Both Bangladesh and South Africa are free now. We don't want war. But Britain faces disintegration with the Scottish referendum and call for independent city states in Northern England like Free Bristol.