Understanding the dichotomy
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Mahmudur Rahman
The tri-van carrying bubbly school children snaked to a halt in one of the famous traffic jams on Kamal Ataturk Avenue. Slow as it was, the suddenness of the stoppage was beyond the ability of the rickshaw puller following behind who gently bumped in to the back of the tri-van. The tri-van puller looked around in bemused rather than belligerent annoyance and whatever tension generated was broken by the cheerful "Hi, hello" from one of the youngsters. The rickshaw puller broke into a toothy grin as he responded "Hi, hello….ingraji to bhaloi shikhso".
One wonders what the late Abu Hena Mustafa Kamal who had bemoaned the indignity of having to submit his doctoral thesis in England to obtain the PhD title would have made of it had he been in the land of the living today. A great proponent of Bangla, the man had gleefully taken on and won a jest of a bet in conversing in fluent Bangla for an hour without using one word from a foreign language.
But such is reality. The villager prefers to say "hello bhai" rather than "ei je bhai"; the street beggar implores the "uncle" or "auntie" for a few takas, firm in the belief that "mama" or "khala" would get him nowhere; the waiter in a posh restaurant is trained to greet guests and describe the menu in English and everyone hesitates to call "bhat" anything but "rice" when in a restaurant.
And so it was with a "willing sense of disbelief" that viewers to the various talk shows on different channels on " Ekushe February" watched proceedings. In spite of having redoubtable credentials, hardly any of the talk show guests managed to complete their deliberations without reverting to some or the other English terminology to put emphasis on their views even as they collectively had a go at English itself. Perhaps it isn't all that strange given that our bureaucrats' lapse into regional dialect when speaking Bangla and students use strangely accentuated colloquial Bangla generously spiced up with English words to express their feelings after doing well in examinations. And of course the wonderful discourse of our young cultural personalities who have to use the words "so" and "but" in between half-sentences of Bangla during interviews.
It was difficult to understand the outrage expressed by a talk show guest about billboards being in English. Apparently the legal issues surrounding trademarks and brands were of no consequence or import. The way the discussions progressed it was almost as if a complete transition to Bangla with a reluctant but condescending agreement of the need for English, is the only way the language can flourish. English medium schools have been in recent times lambasted for their obsession of the language over Bangla. Unfortunately, the fact is that most graduates, the majority of who have had Bangla mediums schooling have rather dubious language skills in Bangla, let alone English.
Dramatist Mamoon-ur-Rashid was brave enough to voice his opinion in saying that it had been a mistake to abandon English in the post-liberation enthusiasm of ensuring the use of Bangla in all spheres. What transpired from his and the others' views is the simple fact that the standard of teaching of both languages has fallen alarmingly. It has been a combination of teachers examining scripts being forced to be lenient in marking, a lack of platform for youngsters to practice and hone language skills and a curriculum that has become woefully outdated. Another reality that the discussants appeared to have overlooked is that the objective of language is to communicate and in so doing, evolves. Just as certain Bangla forms, while holding their positions in literature, are no longer in common use, youngsters of today are creating their own form-amply demonstrated by the FM radio channels. It's all about communication no matter how much the purists shudder.
If English is being ravaged partly by the newer and popular style of communication techniques, the internet and the short message system on cell phones Bangla is undergoing its own fearful change. The faithful fight a sadly losing battle as they cling desperately to the work of Tagore and Nazrul. Their inspiring work is fast becoming limited to commemorative occasions giving way to the appeal of band concerts and hip-hop.
It's time to invest afresh in Bangla language by reforming the teaching of language and literature. Pragmatism must replace parochialism and subjectivity not objectivity needs to return. The youngsters of today are much brighter than yesterday. They have the awareness and the desire. What must be provided is the space and opportunity to apply their minds. And perhaps an explanation is required as to why it is "Ekushe February" and not "Aat-e Phalgun". Forty-eight years ago the brave souls that braved bullets did so to ensure we can speak in Bangla, not to isolate ourselves from the world. Today we have that proud right but in a global village the demands of internationalism require a sensible approach. Looking over the shoulder is easy; the challenge lies in looking ahead. (The writer is a former Head of Corporate & Regulatory Affairs of British American Tobacco Bangladesh, former CEO of Bangladesh Cricket Board and specialises in corporate affairs, communications and corporate social responsibility. He can be reached at e-mail: mahmudrahman@gmail.com)
The tri-van carrying bubbly school children snaked to a halt in one of the famous traffic jams on Kamal Ataturk Avenue. Slow as it was, the suddenness of the stoppage was beyond the ability of the rickshaw puller following behind who gently bumped in to the back of the tri-van. The tri-van puller looked around in bemused rather than belligerent annoyance and whatever tension generated was broken by the cheerful "Hi, hello" from one of the youngsters. The rickshaw puller broke into a toothy grin as he responded "Hi, hello….ingraji to bhaloi shikhso".
One wonders what the late Abu Hena Mustafa Kamal who had bemoaned the indignity of having to submit his doctoral thesis in England to obtain the PhD title would have made of it had he been in the land of the living today. A great proponent of Bangla, the man had gleefully taken on and won a jest of a bet in conversing in fluent Bangla for an hour without using one word from a foreign language.
But such is reality. The villager prefers to say "hello bhai" rather than "ei je bhai"; the street beggar implores the "uncle" or "auntie" for a few takas, firm in the belief that "mama" or "khala" would get him nowhere; the waiter in a posh restaurant is trained to greet guests and describe the menu in English and everyone hesitates to call "bhat" anything but "rice" when in a restaurant.
And so it was with a "willing sense of disbelief" that viewers to the various talk shows on different channels on " Ekushe February" watched proceedings. In spite of having redoubtable credentials, hardly any of the talk show guests managed to complete their deliberations without reverting to some or the other English terminology to put emphasis on their views even as they collectively had a go at English itself. Perhaps it isn't all that strange given that our bureaucrats' lapse into regional dialect when speaking Bangla and students use strangely accentuated colloquial Bangla generously spiced up with English words to express their feelings after doing well in examinations. And of course the wonderful discourse of our young cultural personalities who have to use the words "so" and "but" in between half-sentences of Bangla during interviews.
It was difficult to understand the outrage expressed by a talk show guest about billboards being in English. Apparently the legal issues surrounding trademarks and brands were of no consequence or import. The way the discussions progressed it was almost as if a complete transition to Bangla with a reluctant but condescending agreement of the need for English, is the only way the language can flourish. English medium schools have been in recent times lambasted for their obsession of the language over Bangla. Unfortunately, the fact is that most graduates, the majority of who have had Bangla mediums schooling have rather dubious language skills in Bangla, let alone English.
Dramatist Mamoon-ur-Rashid was brave enough to voice his opinion in saying that it had been a mistake to abandon English in the post-liberation enthusiasm of ensuring the use of Bangla in all spheres. What transpired from his and the others' views is the simple fact that the standard of teaching of both languages has fallen alarmingly. It has been a combination of teachers examining scripts being forced to be lenient in marking, a lack of platform for youngsters to practice and hone language skills and a curriculum that has become woefully outdated. Another reality that the discussants appeared to have overlooked is that the objective of language is to communicate and in so doing, evolves. Just as certain Bangla forms, while holding their positions in literature, are no longer in common use, youngsters of today are creating their own form-amply demonstrated by the FM radio channels. It's all about communication no matter how much the purists shudder.
If English is being ravaged partly by the newer and popular style of communication techniques, the internet and the short message system on cell phones Bangla is undergoing its own fearful change. The faithful fight a sadly losing battle as they cling desperately to the work of Tagore and Nazrul. Their inspiring work is fast becoming limited to commemorative occasions giving way to the appeal of band concerts and hip-hop.
It's time to invest afresh in Bangla language by reforming the teaching of language and literature. Pragmatism must replace parochialism and subjectivity not objectivity needs to return. The youngsters of today are much brighter than yesterday. They have the awareness and the desire. What must be provided is the space and opportunity to apply their minds. And perhaps an explanation is required as to why it is "Ekushe February" and not "Aat-e Phalgun". Forty-eight years ago the brave souls that braved bullets did so to ensure we can speak in Bangla, not to isolate ourselves from the world. Today we have that proud right but in a global village the demands of internationalism require a sensible approach. Looking over the shoulder is easy; the challenge lies in looking ahead. (The writer is a former Head of Corporate & Regulatory Affairs of British American Tobacco Bangladesh, former CEO of Bangladesh Cricket Board and specialises in corporate affairs, communications and corporate social responsibility. He can be reached at e-mail: mahmudrahman@gmail.com)