Saga of Jago Art Centre and Chhayanat
Nehal Adil | Saturday, 16 April 2011
Nehal Adil
In the saga of our cultural history and democratic struggle Jago Art Centre and Chhayanat have played a glorious role that the future generations should carry forward. On the premises of Shilpakala Academy the fiftieth founding anniversary of Jago Art Centre was celebrated in the presence of Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed of Vishwa Shahitya Kendra. Jago Art Centre carries the memory of the couple Gauhar Jamil and Raushan Jamil and Chhayanat that of Sanjeeda Khatun and Wahidul Huq. Like many of my generation both the couples have played important role in shaping my views on culture and politics. The partition of the country had brought havoc to our cultural life. The newly founded sectarian state of Pakistan identified culture as its main enemy. This blind belief of the ruling class provoked the language movement and ultimately the Liberation War that brought the end to the theocratic state. It was the House of Khwaja that was identified with the reactionary politics of the Pakistani rulers. To many they were more reactionaries than the Punjabees. But I might say it is far from the truth about the heterogeneous Khwaja family. My friends, Syed Marguib Morshed and Mahbub Hussein Khan, who too shared connections with that family would agree. Shyama Dadi and Kz Fufi were exceptional personalities engaged in culture and with forward democratic views sympathetic to common people. Shyama Dadi was the niece of Rabindranath Tagore and granddaughter of Dwarakanath Tagore. She had married in Nawabbari. She symbolised the secular Bengali character. I have not seen Kz Fufi since the fifties. After the liberation, in a press conference at the then Hotel Inter-Continental, somebody called me as Adel, that is the name used for me at my house. She said she was publishing an English journal and asked for a write-up. I had not met her since then. Kz Fufi according to sculptor Rasha had not been seen since 1971. A lady down the office of Kamal Lohani in Shilpakala Academy gave me a conflicting report about Kz Fufi. Was she her daughter? Rasha was sceptic, it is his habit. But to be frank with you when I remember Gauhar Jamil and Raushan Jamil, I remember Kz Fufi and when I remember Wahidul Huq and Sanjeeda Khatun I remember Nirmalda and Khoka Kaka. In the fiery fifties, as a child for some time I had shelter in Wise House between Ahsan Manjeel and Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts. Bulbul Choudhury and Afroza Bulbul I think were known to us. They were the parents of our dance world. My impression about Gauhar Jamil and Raushan Jamil is that they were from the house of Khwaja or personal friends of Kz Fufi. They spoke excellent Urdu like the members of House of Khwaja. I had no idea that Mr Gauhar Jamil was actually one Mr Narayan from Sirajdikhan in Vikrampur and a communist. Only on the 50th anniversary of Jago Art Centre, I came to know it. Fifties were stormy era of McCarthyism, the vicious anti-communist persecution. Even the children learned to keep secret. The Bombay Naval Uprising and Rawalpindi Conspiracy cases gave new shape to left movement. Shahid Dada was not a communist but rather anti-communist. But he came to their rescue in both the cases and the communists made the gigantic mistake of using him as a front man. That is the saga of our left movement and its confusion. As the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Hussain Shahid Suhrawardy supported Pak-American military alliance. This strengthened the American hold in Pakistan, the left was shattered and the Army got upper hand. We paid its price in Pakistan Army's brutal genocide in '71. After the 1958 coup, the left went to deep underground. Camouflaged cultural activity was the only strategic option. In Swamibagh, Raushan Jamil and Gauhar Jamil set up Jago Art Centre. It survives after fifty years. As I saw Garo dance, Gypsy dance and Polo dance, I remembered Gauhar Jamil's immense genius. Wahidul Huq Jatiyo Shishu Abriti Utsab was also held in Shilpkala Academy. Wahidul Huq and Sanjeeda Khatun played important role in establishing Chhayanat in sixties. It also served as cultural front organisation for left democratic secular forces. In the dark hours of our history Gauhar Jamil, Raushan Jamil, Wahidul Huq and Sanjeeda Khatun played heroic roles that inspired the whole nation to democracy, secularism and exploitation-free society. Through the passage of history, a younger generation has taken over their banners. As the young ones recited poems, I saw a new vision. They wanted to see Sudehi, Subeshi, Sukanthi Manush - people with good health, good dress and good accent. Namita, a follower of them, was not alone in that belief.
In the saga of our cultural history and democratic struggle Jago Art Centre and Chhayanat have played a glorious role that the future generations should carry forward. On the premises of Shilpakala Academy the fiftieth founding anniversary of Jago Art Centre was celebrated in the presence of Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed of Vishwa Shahitya Kendra. Jago Art Centre carries the memory of the couple Gauhar Jamil and Raushan Jamil and Chhayanat that of Sanjeeda Khatun and Wahidul Huq. Like many of my generation both the couples have played important role in shaping my views on culture and politics. The partition of the country had brought havoc to our cultural life. The newly founded sectarian state of Pakistan identified culture as its main enemy. This blind belief of the ruling class provoked the language movement and ultimately the Liberation War that brought the end to the theocratic state. It was the House of Khwaja that was identified with the reactionary politics of the Pakistani rulers. To many they were more reactionaries than the Punjabees. But I might say it is far from the truth about the heterogeneous Khwaja family. My friends, Syed Marguib Morshed and Mahbub Hussein Khan, who too shared connections with that family would agree. Shyama Dadi and Kz Fufi were exceptional personalities engaged in culture and with forward democratic views sympathetic to common people. Shyama Dadi was the niece of Rabindranath Tagore and granddaughter of Dwarakanath Tagore. She had married in Nawabbari. She symbolised the secular Bengali character. I have not seen Kz Fufi since the fifties. After the liberation, in a press conference at the then Hotel Inter-Continental, somebody called me as Adel, that is the name used for me at my house. She said she was publishing an English journal and asked for a write-up. I had not met her since then. Kz Fufi according to sculptor Rasha had not been seen since 1971. A lady down the office of Kamal Lohani in Shilpakala Academy gave me a conflicting report about Kz Fufi. Was she her daughter? Rasha was sceptic, it is his habit. But to be frank with you when I remember Gauhar Jamil and Raushan Jamil, I remember Kz Fufi and when I remember Wahidul Huq and Sanjeeda Khatun I remember Nirmalda and Khoka Kaka. In the fiery fifties, as a child for some time I had shelter in Wise House between Ahsan Manjeel and Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts. Bulbul Choudhury and Afroza Bulbul I think were known to us. They were the parents of our dance world. My impression about Gauhar Jamil and Raushan Jamil is that they were from the house of Khwaja or personal friends of Kz Fufi. They spoke excellent Urdu like the members of House of Khwaja. I had no idea that Mr Gauhar Jamil was actually one Mr Narayan from Sirajdikhan in Vikrampur and a communist. Only on the 50th anniversary of Jago Art Centre, I came to know it. Fifties were stormy era of McCarthyism, the vicious anti-communist persecution. Even the children learned to keep secret. The Bombay Naval Uprising and Rawalpindi Conspiracy cases gave new shape to left movement. Shahid Dada was not a communist but rather anti-communist. But he came to their rescue in both the cases and the communists made the gigantic mistake of using him as a front man. That is the saga of our left movement and its confusion. As the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Hussain Shahid Suhrawardy supported Pak-American military alliance. This strengthened the American hold in Pakistan, the left was shattered and the Army got upper hand. We paid its price in Pakistan Army's brutal genocide in '71. After the 1958 coup, the left went to deep underground. Camouflaged cultural activity was the only strategic option. In Swamibagh, Raushan Jamil and Gauhar Jamil set up Jago Art Centre. It survives after fifty years. As I saw Garo dance, Gypsy dance and Polo dance, I remembered Gauhar Jamil's immense genius. Wahidul Huq Jatiyo Shishu Abriti Utsab was also held in Shilpkala Academy. Wahidul Huq and Sanjeeda Khatun played important role in establishing Chhayanat in sixties. It also served as cultural front organisation for left democratic secular forces. In the dark hours of our history Gauhar Jamil, Raushan Jamil, Wahidul Huq and Sanjeeda Khatun played heroic roles that inspired the whole nation to democracy, secularism and exploitation-free society. Through the passage of history, a younger generation has taken over their banners. As the young ones recited poems, I saw a new vision. They wanted to see Sudehi, Subeshi, Sukanthi Manush - people with good health, good dress and good accent. Namita, a follower of them, was not alone in that belief.