creativeBangladesh

creativebangladesh — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 13:48:00 +0000

British-born choreographer Akram Khan is celebrated internationally for the vitality he brings to cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary expression. His dance language is rooted in his classical Kathak and modern dance training, which continually evolves to communicate ideas that are intelligent, courageous and new. Khan performs his own solos and collaborative works with other artists, and presents ensemble works through Akram Khan Company.

cB: I was excited to find out that you are working on a piece scheduled for the 40^th anniversary of Bangladesh’s Independence. Growing up in the UK, how do you relate to Bangladesh’s Liberation Movement – what were some of the stories of the movement that you grew up listening to? How has your Bangladeshi identity evolved over the years and how have you woven this identity into your new piece, if at all?

AK: The ‘Bangladesh’s Liberation Movement’ happened during a period when I was still very young, so I was not aware of the struggle and the sense of patriotism that was deeply rooted in our house, in London. However, my mother did organize performances within the Bangladeshi community events, in which I performed regularly. Actually, I spent most of my childhood dancing short choreographies that portrayed the Harvest dance, the fisherman’s lives, I even danced pieces that reflected patriotic songs, that focused on memories of the language movement that had taken place on 21st February, 1952.

At the time, I did not understand much about the reason, I just enjoyed being on stage, and moving to music. It is only until recently, that I have started to focus on the events and historical moments, that took place during the transition of the independence of Bangladesh, and thereafter.

In terms of my identity, well, it is constantly shifting still today. However, I do not feel a deep sense of responsibility to help preserve Bangladeshi culture, or any other culture for that matter, because I wouldn’t know what defined a particular ‘culture’ anymore. I mean, most cultures have been contaminated in some way or another, and I am a ‘byproduct’ of that contaminated culture. So, I would not dare to preserve something that I was never directly part of, even if it is where my roots lie. Don’t get me wrong, my roots are an important part of my history, but my history is not what defines me, it is the present that defines my journey! My history only reminds me of what came before me, even if it is a large part of me. And only now, with the creation of the new piece called ‘DESH’, I am slowly learning about my parents’ culture. But I am only taking a few characters and events that are related to Bangladesh, because in all honesty, there is so much history in such a short time, and such incredible stories, that I will not be able to refer to all.

And so for the time being, I am focusing, to a small degree, on the Nur Hossain story, and then on one particular fisherman’s story (well, it is a fictional story), and several other characters that are from Bangladesh but now live in the U.K.

[image: Gnosis; photo credit: Laurent Ziegler]

cB: Your parents are very supportive of your work and it was your mother who enrolled you in dance classes as a child. We all know that the Bangladeshi community is not particularly fond of unconventional career choices. More often than not it is a constant uphill battle for the artist or, any creative person, to try to make our community understand and accept our work. On the flipside, these are the struggles that make us grow as a person and as an artist. Have you experienced these frustrations and, if so, to what extent have they affected and shaped your perspective as an artist? Do you feel that in some ways they may have even made you a better dancer/choreographer?

AK: I would agree that, by the community not accepting my dance and music as a serious career choice, it pushed me to then fight for what I believed in. Sometimes, when somebody fights for something, there evolves an inner belief in what they are fighting for, that then propels them to be better than what they might have been without that conviction. So, it worked out to my advantage, but I am also at a point now that the only person I have to prove something to, is myself.

But reflecting back, I must say that there are some people that are ‘dreamers’, and then there are others that are ‘believers’. And I feel that without the believers believing in the dreams of the dreamers, there would be no dream that would come into fruition. So here, I have to thank my parents for being absolute believers, not only in me but also in the arts, particularly my mother. She believed that art transcends and also erodes all borders – borders within religion, within cultures, within education, and more importantly, within oneself.

However, if I did not have my parents’ blessings, I would not have made it this far. They were and are still crucial to my growth.

cB: What advice would you give to a young Bangladeshi who wants to pursue an unconventional life?

AK: No comment!

I suppose my ‘no comment’, is a comment towards the way I feel about the uncertainties of choosing the path towards the unconventional life. I am not sure what advice I can give, simply because we are all so different, hence, we respond to different challenges differently. It all depends on what those challenges are, and how that person reacts to those challenges. The question is.. ‘How badly do you want it?’ For me, I did not simply want to dance; I ‘had’ to dance! Without it, I would disappear into a statistical number.

If anything, dance became my identity.

[image: Sacred Monsters; photo credit: Tristram Kenton]

cB: You are known for exploring cross-cultural themes in your choreography – from being influenced by Japanese philosophy and aesthetics to working with the National Ballet of China. Have you considered incorporating Jatra or other traditional dance forms from Bangladesh? It is sad to see the demise of Jatra, which in its current form is so grossly corrupted. Any suggestions on how to start a Jatra performing troupe and take it on an international tour?

AK: I have no idea about how to take ‘Jatra’ further than where it is, since it is not something I embodied as a child, and unfortunately, I know so little about it. To be frank, I become interested in a particular art form, when I recognize something within it, that reflects some part of me, and so a relationship takes place between my body and the art form, and I then move forwards towards learning and researching it. However, I hope I have an opportunity in the future to find that relationship between Jatra and myself.

cB: I was reading about your collaboration with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui on ‘Zero Degrees’. In one of Sidi’s interviews, he mentioned that you both drew from your experiences of being raised in Muslim families. Meanwhile your piece ‘Vertical Road’ addresses faith and life after death. What is your audience’s reaction when you bring a spiritual theme to your choreography? In your opinion, how do Muslim artists in the West deal with spirituality and Allah in their work? Is there a major tension or, do they draw positive inspiration from their beliefs?

AK: Most often, we are received well by Muslim audiences, but I would have been able to elaborate in more detail if you asked me after June 2011, since ‘Vertical Road’ will be touring to places like Lebanon, Cairo, and Ramallah in April/May this year.

I am very excited to learn about how they will respond, and to what they will respond to and why. I feel strongly about spirituality, and so in my humble opinion, what I admire about the notion of ‘spirituality’ is that it is a formless concept, that shifts its definition, depending on who is interpreting and experiencing it. So in ‘Vertical Road’, I wanted to stay true to that… hence, the narrative remains formless…

Also, I was not so keen with this project to turn it into something too readable for the audience, because in the end, I feel you cannot ‘see’ spirituality, I would like to think that you can only ‘feel’ it. So the same goes with this piece! Its what the audience feel from the images and movements that they witness, rather than the dots that they try to connect to, in order to make it more comprehensible for them to read. Dance is predominantly about feeling something, from what they see, and not reading something from what they see! And so spirituality seemed like an obvious subject.

[image: Vertical Road; photo credit: Richard Haughton]

cB: Are there any plans to bring the piece with the Bangla text to New York? I would love to see it and am also curious to know what text you are using.

AK: There are some plans that are being discussed that ‘DESH’ will be presented in New Jersey in 2012, which is so close to New York. But its still provisional, and depending on certain dates being available. However, I am extremely excited to embark on this project, even if I don’t know the end destination yet! I suppose the piece feels a little like returning to some place that I may dare to call ‘home’. But in saying that, what is home?

I always say ‘home’ is a place where you find yourself, even if you find yourself in a foreign land, but then again, sometimes I feel ‘home’ is a place where you have to escape in order to find yourself. So go figure! I don’t have a definite answer, except the fact that I don’t have a definite answer!

Thank you Akram for taking the time to talk to creativeBangladesh!

For more information on the Akram Khan Company, please visit their website here.

CREDITS:
1st photo of Akram Khan is by Laurent Ziegler. All other credits accompany individual images.

creativebangladesh — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 04:01:31 +0000

Shagotom, Welcome!

creativeBangladesh is a monthly blog-zine (blog+magazine) that publishes FEATURE STORIES focusing on an aspect of Bangladeshi art, history or, culture.

It is Edited and Art Directed by Bangladeshi-New Yorker, LABIBA ALI.

To subscribe by email or to the RSS feed, please visit the links on the right sidebar.

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Happy Reading!

Labiba Ali
Editor

creativebangladesh71@gmail.com

creativebangladesh — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:51:08 +0000

Sundaram Tagore is a New York-based art historian and gallerist. A descendant of the influential poet and Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore, he promotes East-West dialogues through his contributions to numerous exhibitions as well as his eponymous galleries and their multicultural and multidisciplinary events. A candidate for a Doctorate of Philosophy from Oxford University, Tagore writes for numerous art publications. He was previously a director at Pace Wildenstein in New York. He has advised and worked with many international organizations including The Peggy Guggenheim Foundation, Venice, Italy; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the United Nations. In 1999, he was nominated by Avenue magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential Asian Americans in the United States. He has served as a juror for the 2002 UNESCO Design 21 competition and the Asian American Arts Center in New York. Recently, he was profiled on CNN International’s Talk Asia. - bio from Sundaram Tagore Gallery website

cB: What was the inspiration behind starting your own gallery? Was it something that you have always wanted to do or was it a gradual realization?

ST: I opened the gallery in 1999 with the idea of bringing together a global community of artists and galvanizing intercultural dialogue. Although I represent artists from a wide range of countries such as Korea, Israel, Holland, Mexico, India and the United States, they are all linked by a similar philosophical view. Each artist shares a deep concern to harness art for the betterment of society. Moreover, each of these artists creates work for humanist purposes. Theirs is a quest for aesthetic beauty and spirituality. This has been a guiding force that has allowed me to bring together artists from such disparate places and create a cohesive vision for the gallery.

I believe that art and culture are of paramount importance to life. Art and culture have the power to bring people together, which is why I formed this gallery based on intercultural dialogue.

cB: I read somewhere that your father would take the family on month-long adventure trips all over India. What was it like growing up in such a family environment?

ST: Just about every single day was crazy during my childhood. Indian homes have this tradition of an open house. Starting from 8 to 9 o’clock people would gather at houses to drink until two in the morning. Each evening artists, writers, intellectuals, poets would flood into our home. In Bengali they called this “adda” or discussion. As a child, it was both exciting and confusing. While we were growing up the old world Indian aristocratic structure was collapsing and new wealth was being created. The old aristocracy lived for culture but that lifestyle was disappearing before my eyes. We led a very nomadic life continuously travelling not just to cosmopolitan centers but also to remote villages. My father was a true Bohemian.

[above image: Sundaram Tagore at the opening reception of 'New Creative Constructs' at the Sundaram Tagore Gallery in Chelsea, NY]

cB: What do you think of the current art scene in both the Bengals? Any Bengali/Bangladeshi artist whose work you particularly admire?

ST: There is a great deal of talent emerging both from Bengal and Bangladesh. In fact I am thinking about having a historical exhibition of Bangladeshi art but it takes some to identify the conceptual basis of the show as well as the most suitable curator who has the academic background to pull it together. It will be in the same line of exhibitions that we have done in the past.

cB: One of your visions for your art gallery is to facilitate spiritual, aesthetic dialogues. Do you see any change among the younger generation in that they are trying to lead more balanced lives and giving art more importance than their parents? (specifically among the desi youths..)

ST: Yes I believe that this is true. Art is a necessity. Art is very much like a diet that sustains one’s spiritual and aesthetic well being. It is not to be slighted that we as human beings have always created art since the pre-historic era. Art has existed for 40,000 years. We have a basic need to express ourselves in visual terms. It fulfills the realm of the imagination. The purpose of art is to inspire the soul, to make us think, and help us look at the world in new ways.

Today art has become an integral part of the economy and society has recognized the important role of aesthetics. Look at the Bilbao effect in Spain for instance. A single museum revived the economic standing of a city in front of a world audience. Prior to Bilbao’s museum, no one talked about that region of Spain. Today the cosmopolitan world visits Bilbao purely because of the museum. Art has allowed them to regenerate the economic side of the story. Particularly in contemporary democratic societies, people are realizing that art is a cohesive factor that can bring together people from many different levels.

[above image: Guests at the opening reception of 'New Creative Constructs' at the Sundaram Tagore Gallery in Chelsea, NY]

cB: You also have a gallery in Hong Kong. How has Asians responded to western art? Earlier art had predominantly traveled in one direction, from East to West – how has that changed in recent years as more Asians get access to western art?

ST: Asian buyers are playing an increasing role in the international art market particularly as they travel and create relationships overseas. As Asians continue to invest in properties and businesses abroad they are opening up to buy Western art as well as growing their Asian collections. I believe this will continue to a point where people will soon collect art based solely on aesthetics rather than the nationality of the artist. Cosmopolitanism is truly extending into the art world.

cB: What role can the younger generation play in cross-cultural exchanges especially in today’s fast-paced, hi-tech world?

ST: The younger generation are facing a globalized world that is more flattened and highly digitalized both in the positive and negative sense. There is also an economic brunt which they have to shoulder from the recent economic crisis. Hence their activities and decisions will either enable them to build a sustainable society or destroy it. I believe that the socially conscious entrepreneurs in our society will play an increasingly leading role in determining the kind of world we create and the kind of society we build. Within that context, art will come to play a progressively important role both offering a critique and serving a celebratory function.

[above image: 'Fragile-Dragon' by Kim Joon, part of 'New Creative Constructs' at the Sundaram Tagore Gallery in Chelsea, NY]

cB: And how can young members of the Bengali diaspora help to bring mainstream awareness to their cultural heritage?

ST: First and foremost I suggest they create a standard of high aesthetic value, whether they are talking about poetry, literature or compositional art. It is important to present artistic ventures or events with serious intellectual and spiritual thought behind them in a highly cohesive manner. And I am not talking about money, I am talking about ideas.

cB: Some future projects / plans for Sundaram Tagore Art Gallery that you are extremely excited about…

ST: I am very excited about our film making ventures. The first film is about an Indian artist and the Indian diaspora. The second film will focus on the Louis Kahn parliamentary complex in Bangladesh. In fact I have already had meetings with government agencies who are highly supportive of the second project.

I am including a short synopsis of the first film below for your reference:

Natvar Bhavsar The Poetics of Color

A Film by Sundaram Tagore

This documentary explores the life and work of the painter Natvar Bhavsar. Born in Gujarat in 1934, Bhavsar settled in New York City, the very nerve center of the art world, in the mid-1960s where he still lives and works. The central theme of the film is the multicultural nature of Bhavsar’s work and how that has influenced the trajectory of his career. Although it’s common today for artists to work cross culturally and find critical and commercial acceptance outside their own spheres of origin, Bhavsar was a pioneer who paved the way for subsequent generations of artists. This film is not only a history of one artist’s journey, but a celebration of the Asian diasporic community and its contribution to American contemporary art.

Thank you Sundaram for taking the time to join us for inConversation with creativeBangladesh!

For more information on the Sundaram Tagore Gallery, please visit their website here.

CREDITS:
photos: Labiba Ali for creativeBangladesh

creativebangladesh — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:37:41 +0000

Penned by prolific reader and regular guest columnist NAFIS HASAN, Dissecting Contemporary Bangla Literature (DCBL) reviews and informs us on which recent Bangla books are worth our while….and which ones don’t quite make the mark.

DCBL appears on creativeBangladesh on alternate months. Nafis Hasan writes and delivers his verdicts from an eastern corner of Pennsylvania.

- Labiba / creativeBangladesh

Given that the month of August holds a special significance in the history of newly independent Bangladesh – the death of the Father of the nation Sheikh Mujib, and also more recently, the death of the famous poet Shamsur Rahman, and co-incidentally I had just read two really awesome books on the liberation war, I thought it would be perfect to do my reviews this time on these two books. So without further ado, let me move on to the reviews.

“Taalash” by Shahin Akhter is very different than most other real life accounts of the liberation war. It is by no means for the weak-hearted and romantic minded for mainly 3 reasons:1. It does not talk about the glory of liberation

2. It depicts the most cruel and harsh pictures of the war, especially from the perspective of women3. It is all REAL

The book revolves around a journalist / social worker’s search for the truth about the post-war lives of the female survivors and victims of abuse by Pakistani soldiers. The story is mainly told by a certain Mariam aka “Mary”, a small-town girl who came to the capital for higher education along with her gullible, innocent brother, and by Mukti, the social worker in search of the forgotten lives of the “Birangonas” of 71.The story progresses from pre-war period to post-war era to a newly independent Bangladesh when Sheikh Mujib was still alive to even beyond that. Through riveting emotions and powerful, but simple words, the author erases the line between fiction and reality as she depicts the destitute state of the “Birangonas”, ones who were once hailed as his mother by the Bangabandhu.

The pages of this book are filled with vehement accusations, despair, defeat, and finally coming to a mystical conclusion making the reader acquainted with the ugliest face of war. The fact that the glory of war does not faze these defeated women, some who even grew to love their incarcerators out of desperation, is evident because as Mary puts it, “maybe we were better off in captivity as some officer’s object of lust and false love rather than being the object of humiliation by the independent society of Bangladesh”.The same words are echoed by a certain interviewed freedom fighter who stated that he could not bear to even look at these captive women once they freed them – forgetting how they were chanting their mantras of saving all their mothers and sisters from captivity. The author lashes out at this continued injustice, even years after the war, when the certificate of a “Birangona” became a license for prostitution, either in the park or in someone’s bed under the pretense of a marriage. All this and more as these women fight tooth and nail for establishing their place in society and to get recognized for bearing the ugliest pain of this land, this country that the Pakistani army inflicted.

This book will bring out the ugliest of the 1971 war, especially not only the highly publicized notorious image of the Pakistani army and the Rajakars, but also those of the freedom fighters, bringing everybody down to the same level of human emotions – be it Pakistani soldier, Rajakar sycophant or a glorified Freedom fighter.

About the author - SHAHIN AKHTER fights diligently for the rights of women through the organization Ain o Shalish Kendro (ASK) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She has previously tried her hand in writing through her journalism and documentaries, but this is the first time she has tried to write a fiction based on real facts.

Caution – This book is not for the weak-hearted or the hapless romantics.

Although Nirmolendu Gunn is mainly known for his poetry, especially the ones he wrote on his cellphone through texting and claimed them to be “Muthofoner Kabbo”, his skills as a prose writer are on the same par as his poetry skills. And this is very evident in his memoir of the 1971 war “Attokotha” where he blends in personal experience, poetry, ancedotes, publications and various other sources to depict the picture of the liberation war through the eyes of the one who fought with the pen rather than the sword.

The book is doubtlessly one of the best examples of how mellifluous and beautiful Bengali is, and the words juxtapose perfectly with each other without diminishing the effect of the other. In this book, he talks about his experience through the war, how he travelled for six months from Dhaka to his village in Netrokona during the war, his near-death experience and a poetic revelation even in the moment when he was expecting Death to come knock on his door, how his friend saved him from being incinerated in his workplace as he was about to go to work his shift on the night of 25th March.

The book is filled with powerful emotions, not only because of the amazing vocabulary skills of Gunn, but also because of the experiences and the fact that they are all true and real. The fine mesh of poetry and prose presented in this book is bound to move any reader, and the little sprinkle of humor characteristic of Gunn makes this a bittersweet read with both tears of grief and joy.

Nothing much can be said about Gunn himself, except his trademark beard and his quirky humor and absolutely astounding poetry that he writes. This book is definitely a must-read for all ages starting from 14. Just a note, this book was first published as a series in the monthly magazine called “2000” before compilation and publication as a book.

That would be all for this month folks! Any comments or questions or concerns are most welcome!

CREDITS:
illustration: Usa Seraj
art director / graphic design & layout: Labiba Ali for creativeBangladesh

creativebangladesh — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 13:08:07 +0000

It is rare that we at creativeBangladesh get an opportunity to converse with the younger school-going generation. Today we are very excited to have BASHMA SHEEA represent the 2nd generation of Non-Resident Bangladeshis who not only have to assimilate to their adopted homes but also retain the heritage of their parents and the motherland. A tough act of double-duty if there ever was one. A big welcome to Bashma!

- Labiba / creativeBangladesh

Tell us a little about yourself – where you grew up, what you like to do for fun, hobbies, etc.

I was born in Bangladesh and came to America when I was 7 years old. From the very beginning, I loved to draw, read, and play with Barbies just like any other kid does in her childhood. Believe it or not, I hated to sing. I hated to learn songs and found myself dreading each voice class and session. But after I came to America I started to find myself through music and learned that it’s not something to dread but to enjoy.

You attend the famous Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York. What made you decide to major in music?

What made me decide? Well, when I look at adults I know- mom, aunts, and uncles- they all complain about their jobs saying how boring and dull it is. I didn’t want to end up with a job like that; I wanted something that would leave me satisfied and happy at the end of the day. Music is something that moves me – that keeps me motivated to do more and that’s why I decided to make something out of my hobby.

Who is your role model and why?

My role model is my mom because she’s very straightforward, kind, and caring. She puts other people’s wants and needs before hers and will do anything to make them happy. She’s shown me to do things full heartedly and I love her very much.

Who from the music world is your inspiration?

Artists like Green Day, Kelly Clarkson, Linkin Park, and many many more. They are very talented and are not afraid to tell the truth, to express what they feel about something. They inspire me to step out of the box and think about what’s going on in the world.

If you could be a character from a book, which one would you be and why?

I’d be Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series. She gets to be Harry’s close friend, which I really to be, and she gets to be a wizard. I mean, how cool can that get? Magic really intrigues me because it something that ultimately doesn’t exist and Hermione gets to experience and learn about it everyday. She also has a lot of brains, guts, and strength that I love about her. It shows that she’s not just some sidekick who does what the leader tells them to do. I’d love to be her on any given day.

What is your favorite place to visit when on vacation in Bangladesh?

My favorite place to visit in Bangladesh is Dhaka because that’s where all of my family is. We all get together- my cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents- and just eat, laugh, and remember old times. No matter where I go in Bangladesh, if my family is with me, then I always have a great time.

Which was more fun – middle school or high school? Why?

Middle school was definitely more fun. That was the period where I didn’t give a care about the regents or what college I want to go. I had recess and a trip to Wendy’s every other week. It was a time of carelessness and freedom, where I felt like I had all the time in the world. But now, I feel like I need more time because I have so many things to do. I wish I can go back to 5^th grade.

If you weren’t studying music, what would have been your second career choice?

Honestly, I really don’t know. It’s one of those hypothetical things. I might have gone with a major in math because it’s my next favorite subject after voice. I’m really good in math and I actually love doing it so it’s kind of like my 2^nd passion.

If you were asked to do a cover version of a popular song, which one would it be and how would it be different from the original?

I really don’t know which song it would be because there are so many popular songs that I love. But if you give me a pop song by Lady Gaga, I’ll turn it into an acoustic/rock song. I have my own way of interpreting songs and each interpretation is different. For example, No One by Alicia Keys which is an R&B song sounds like a soft rock song when I sing and play it on the guitar.

What piece of advice you would give to young Bangladeshis your age growing up outside Bangladesh?

Don’t forget your roots. It’s easy to become westernized or modern or whatever you want to call it, maybe “cool”- I don’t know. But do not forget your culture, your religion, and your traditions. It is a part of who you are and who you will be as a person. It doesn’t matter that you live in America, England, or even France. What matters is that you don’t leave behind the origin of your ancestors.

BASHMA SHEEA, besides going to school and majoring in voice/music, is also part of the three member band – ‘Tin Konna’. The band has already played at a few gigs in New York to very positive audience response. The name, ‘Tin Konna’, was conceived by Shahnaz Yousuf of Adhunika Foundation.

CREDITS:
photos: Roshni Basu / Raad
graphic design & layout: Labiba Ali for creativeBangladesh

Event Gallery (july)

creativebangladesh — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 13:07:30 +0000

New York

LUBNA MARIUM and her troupe
“In Search of Creative Unity Through Dance”
July 18, 2010
Presented by Adhunika Foundation
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
405 West 55th Street (at 9th Avenue), New York, NY 10019

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New York

BIPA – Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts
Open Air Concert / Live Dance and Musical Performances
July 16, July 23 and August 6, 2010
Athens Square Park
30th Avenue at 30th Street, Astoria, NY

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CREDITS:
photography & editing: Labiba Ali for creativeBangladesh
music: ‘Esho Shyamolo Shundoro (Raag Desh)’ by Srikant Acharya and Rajib Chakrabarty.

creativebangladesh — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 14:57:53 +0000

On YAABA

by Rumana Habib

My short play “Yaaba” premiered at a theater in Times Square in New York City, on June 19th, 2010. Set in Dhaka, Bangladesh, it is a story about money, love, jealousy, shame, honor, corruption, feminism, emasculation, and other juicy themes.

Malika and Faruk are two privileged, fiercely proud people (and former lovers), who now face daily humiliation at the hands of their wealthy spouses. Frustrated by their dependency on those they despise, Malika tries to persuade Faruk to join her in a risky business venture to secure their freedom: make yaaba.

I am fascinated by the interplay of money and human relationships, especially as a means of cruelty and control. This happens the world over, but these tensions are conspicuous in Bangladesh. Social mobility is relatively new. The stress of living among ever-present poverty keeps the nerves raw and the stakes high. This makes it a ripe subject for drama.

I’m surprised at how well American audiences respond to my pieces about Bangladesh. It is encouraging. People here are increasingly curious about that part of the world, thanks to the fast-growing Indian economy, the war in Afghanistan, and Slumdog Millionaire.

I had a chance to examine Dhaka life during a recent six-month stay, which was my longest stretch there since high school. After university, I moved to New York, and could visit my parents occasionally. Seeing it with adult eyes gave me a new appreciation for our particular social dynamics. It is a world full of gossip, intrigue, and infidelity, all of which make appearances in this play.

The Indian-American actors in “Yaaba” really worked for cultural authenticity. They learned the Bengali accent by chatting with people, watching interviews, and listening to dialect recordings. Geeta found the Bengali accent to be similar to the Irish accent. And Kesav nailed our classic exclamation, “Oof!” They “chased the dragon” with a real taka note, but the yaaba pills were mini-M&Ms. Honest.

[above image: the cast of Yaaba - Geeta Pereira and Kesav Murthy Wable]

* RUMANA HABIB’s previous regionally produced plays include “No Man’s Land” and “Plight of the Biharis”. As an actor, Rumana has appeared in “Canker Sores & Other Distractions”, the film “Duniya” (Naila), and the musical “Sister Act” (Dolores). She studies at the Atlantic Theater Company and HB Studio. She has a BA in Psychology and Writing Seminars from John Hopkins University.

[above image: the playwright of Yaaba - Rumana Habib at the Dhaka Botanical Gardens]

CREDITS:
photos: Rumana Habib
music: ‘Moner Manush’ by Lalon (band).
art director / graphic design & layout: Labiba Ali for creativeBangladesh

creativebangladesh — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 14:48:47 +0000

Penned by prolific reader and new guest columnist NAFIS HASAN, Dissecting Contemporary Bangla Literature (DCBL) reviews and informs us on which recent Bangla books are worth our while….and which ones don’t quite make the mark. A big welcome to Nafis!

DCBL will appear on creativeBangladesh on alternate months. Nafis Hasan writes and delivers his verdicts from an eastern corner of Pennsylvania.

- Labiba / creativeBangladesh

RUPA by the famous contemporary author Humayun Ahmed is a recent publication that made its way to my hands few weeks ago. Now, I have pretty much read most of his new books that came out in the last couple of years, but I got really excited about this particular book because of the title. Rupa, in his previous books, has been the mysterious beauty who has had a love interest for his much-celebrated, anti-logical creation Himu and not much has been said about her throughout the whole series. But as I found out, this book is entirely different and only the title has any similarity to the character with the same name in the Himu series. Before I launch into my critical dissection of this book, let me unravel the plot a little bit.

The book follows on how Rupa met and fell in love with Rashed, a Math professor from the US, who accidentally comes to Rupa’s house. There are side stories that involve Rupa’s father, an eccentric retired person whose goal in life is to verify and debunk myths that come up in newspapers with the help of his friend; Rupa’s mother, who has divorced her husband, re-married and has another child but cannot get over her ex-husband; and a young village girl with a tumor in her frontal lobe that gives her some sort of extra sensory perception.

So that is basically the plot. After reading this, here is my verdict – this book is TRASH! I mean, after literally growing up reading Humayun Ahmed, this book does not even live up to the downplayed commercial literary standard. The plot is a stereotypical Humayun mix containing an eccentric father with childish traits, a very gullible but smart and established male protagonist, a hard-on-the-outside-but-soft-inside uber-beautiful, artist female protagonist and some side characters that include a super-talkative maid and a very helpful poor tea-stall owner.

These character designs have been used repetitively in the recent books that he has written. Even with all the unorthodox dialogues, character personalities and activities like when the tea-stall owner tries to alleviate Rashed’s headache through some herbal medicine and gets beaten and kicked out, the book fails to provide any sort of literary enjoyment. The over-used plot develops poorly and the ending is even worse when the author tries to tie all the strings together by throwing in the secret, ever-watchful, all-powerful NATURE who solves everything unknown to mankind.

Overall, I would definitely not recommend this book to any avid readers out there if you are looking for some intellectual fun! But, if you are in a bus or in transit or you would just can’t fall asleep, then you can read this!

You can find the book here but you will need to register!

MANUSH HISHEBE AMAR OPORADH-SHOMUHO – it was by a mere coincidence that I read two consecutive books by authors with the same first names. But I have been reading Humayun Azad for a while now and it still impresses me to see his use of the language to develop the plot, the characters, their emotions and thoughts, and even the plain simple surroundings. It was almost a 180 degree turnaround for me when I picked up this book after reading Rupa by Humayun Ahmed. Obviously, as you can understand from my elated sentences, I loved it! Before the critical dissection, here is a plot preview:

The protagonist, Anis, is a government official and the book tells the story of his life. Anis is a very normal, but sensitive and emotional person whose life, as he believes, is continuously haunted by his guilty conscience. He feels guilty to be alive when his friend dies and he gets involved in a relationship with his dead friend’s wife, Dolly. Although he feels attracted to Dolly and wanted to stay away from her lest he does something despicable, he inevitably gets entangled in a strange relationship where he cannot think of Dolly as his wife but he still wants to make her happy.

Anis does not want to procreate because of his belief that he shouldn’t add to the guilt of this world by producing offsprings, and that estranges him from his wife. As he steadily rises up the ladder of success through promotions in his job, he has come repeatedly in intimate contact with other females and his guilty conscience only comes to nascent after his tryst with these women. His final quickie with a teenage girl leaves him guilty and questioning what he wants from life – and in the end, he is seen to be leaving the city and going back to the nature where he wants to take refuge in the unknown.

The story is simply AMAZING! The whole network of fine language, character traits, scene settings come together in a fine mesh of literary excellence with shades of existensialism etched deeply between the lines. The book repeatedly points out the hypocracy that exists within our society and the urgent need for a victim to be blamed for any sort of mishap. The author shows us how the society judges an individual who questions the very foundations of such a society by trying to exercise his freedom of choice.

The contradictions presented in Anis’ life is very representative of what an individual would face in a stalemate marriage, or in a mid-life crisis or even at a government job where corruption runs rampant and honest officials are coaxed to participate or facilitate such activities. The ending of the book shows Anis tired of civilization where all his attempts to atone for his sins fail and he thus runs away to the place where he has no idea about how things work – to the wilderness.

This book is a must-read for anyone who would like some stimulating wordplay and want to get a glimpse at the machinations of the human mind. I am sure a lot of us can relate to Anis’ guilt trips since they are so common in our everyday lives. Just be warned that intellectual exercise, not too rigorous though, is required for understanding.

Enjoy folks!

CREDITS:
illustration: Usa Seraj
art director / graphic design & layout: Labiba Ali for creativeBangladesh

creativebangladesh — Sun, 23 May 2010 05:23:19 +0000

creativeBangladesh turns 1 this May and to celebrate cB is giving away this unique Folk Desktop Wallpaper (above) to its readers in appreciation for their continued support and encouragement.

Thank you, readers!

To download to your PC, please click the links below:

Folk Desktop Wallpaper jpg

Folk Desktop Wallpaper with Bangla months-seasons calendar jpg

The Folk Desktop Wallpaper was specially designed for cB’s first birthday by graphic designer ANITA RAHMAN. I fell in love with Anita’s aesthetic when we first worked together on a project for Drishtipat in 2004. When I asked Anita to provide a short bio of hers for this post, this is how she wittily responded….

Anita Rahman is formally trained as a designer. As a Bangladeshi, she happily contributes her skills to non profits, such as VAB, Drishtipat and Amnesty International. She is currently working on Wall Street with Jim Cramer’s company, TheStreet.com. Anita’s inspiration and muse is her mom. Her dream in life is to make a great horror movie.

creativeBangladesh would also like to convey a very special THANK YOU to each of its Feature Contributors for 2009/2010!

(in order of appearance)

MUBIR CHOWDHURY & AMTALI RESORT

creativebangladesh — Sun, 23 May 2010 04:52:18 +0000

Dear creativeBangladesh readers,

I had written this article a couple of months ago as a reflection on my interpretation of the modern life. Although the article has little bearing on art, history or culture – creativeBangladesh’s three main premise – it nevertheless touches on some aspects of life that concerns all of us. In this month of birthdays and new beginnings, I thought it would be an apt topic of discussion. Hope you will enjoy this diversion from our usual topics! (please be aware that the article is written in a slight satirical style)

Best Wishes, Labiba / creativeBangladesh

Accompanying illustrations are the immaginations of USA SERAJ (age 12).

Thanks to Sayeed Aziz for his valuable comments on the draft version and to Sarah McLachlan for writing such a powerful song (see below).

***

On Turning 30 : experiences & observations

As I bid farewell to my third decade, I thought it was high time to indulge in some retrospection of the world around me. After living on this planet for 30 years and witnessing its many adventures and misadventures, I have come to the conclusion that our modern way of living is in somewhat of a precarious position. Some of you may have already come to the same hypothesis and I applaud you for a fine analysis and deduction! Most of us hate our jobs, don’t have enough time to spend with our families, are missing out on our children’s growing up years, cannot take three months off to go backpacking in South America (the latter is my own personal dilemma), etc , etc and etc. Meanwhile, climate change is knocking on the door (no more leaving the AC on full speed, all summer!), corporate greed is eating up all our resources, while the ‘mighty’ rich leave the ‘destitute’ poor way behind.

I am avidly looking forward to my next 30 years on Earth: will there be a revolution in the way we live or will we continue with the same old grind of working nine to five (more like nine to midnight), overstressed, and with little time for creative thinking or self-contemplation. Let’s take a closer look at my version of ‘The Top 5 Crises of the Decade’. (disclaimer: this list is purely a reflection of my opinions; the readers may or may not agree – that’s the readers’ prerogative!)

Crisis #1 : Time is ticking for the modern slave

I sometimes wonder if investment bankers and ER doctors have the delight of feeling the touch of the midmorning sun on their backs as they stroll through Central Park or, even have the pleasure of having a blackberry-less day. When did this culture of over work, constant pressure and competition become a normal part of our lives? And why haven’t we revolted sooner, taken back our lives and set our own tune to it?

I get my dose of Dhaka news from my mother, who religiously updates me every Sunday during our weekly satellite-aided phone conversations. Recently she was feeling nostalgic about the good old days when most people worked until 2pm, then went home, took a nap, had cha-naasta, and then took the family out to visit friends or go to a shiter pita mela at Dhanmondi shaat-nombor maat. How quickly things change – nowadays most Dhakaites work till 7pm and get home only after traversing a very long sweaty two hour commute. Sadly, Dhaka has also entered the western rat race.

After all this khata-khatni at the workplace we now have less time for leisure and creativity. Unfortunately, for creative thinking it is absolutely essential to have a good amount of leisure time (trust me, writing this article took up some of that meager vacation time we get in the US). Rabindranath would not have been so prolific if he didn’t have sufficient leisure time (of course he got a little help from feudalism and his daddy’s zamindari but that’s another story). One theory explains that Bengal has been culturally so fruitful because we were blessed with good soil where food production was easy and we didn’t have to spend ogles of time to grow our food. So we had ample time left over to devote to the arts and culture which resulted in our rich Bangali Shongskriti.

The Jews struck a brilliant idea with regard to the Sabbath. One day every week to rest and do absolutely nothing can do wonders for the body and mind – it’s like spending a day at Deepak Chopra’s Spa! No matter how ardently we’d like this to be true, our bodies are not biologically built to work 100 hours a week. How can we have doctors working on 36 hours shift? I mean do I really want a doctor, who has been on his feet for 36 hours and his brain is more or less dead from lack of sleep, operating on me? I tell you I would rather run the other way! If it is not too much to ask, may I have a doctor with a fresh alert mind, who will not cut my liver instead of my pancreas, and which only happens after a good night’s sleep? (on the flip side, imagine the affect on unemployment if instead of one doctor working a 36 hours shift, there were three doctors splitting the 36 hours into 12 hours shifts – we’ll leave the details of this proposal to the economists to hash out.)

Crisis #2 : The (un)Education of youth

These days the competition starts as early as kindergarten, if not from the cradle. ‘Khokha, you have to come first in the year-end exams, otherwise, no Wii-fit for you!’ Poor Khokha has been flooded by a cyclone of homework, textbooks and question papers. No time for playing in the park or flying guddi from the roof top because he has to memorize four poems tonight (note the emphasis on memorize). And where is the park or the roof top? Everything has been gobbled up with concrete by the real-estate developers!

Native Americans taught their children civic duty and moral responsibility through story telling. It was the grandfather’s part-time job to narrate these colorful stories of their history and culture to the grandchildren. Today’s children are increasingly brought up in claustrophobic, temperature controlled, high-rise apartments with limited interaction with the extended family. Not only that, but many children have lost their parents to jobs with long stressful hours and may only get to spend time with them during the ‘oh so fleetingly short’ weekends. Then who will teach them the finer points of life, how to respect their elders, how to care for the poor? Add the unnecessary stress of competition and the pressure to excel to this already ‘goja-kichuri’ mix and you can imagine how stressed their little souls must be!

Recent studies have shown children learn best in nature – it reconfirms what we, Bangalis, have known for generations. Our village paatshala under the banyan tree brought the quest for knowledge right up to nature’s doorstep. The paatshala has survived for thousands of years because it works and is possibly the best way to nurture a young mind.

The Finnish school system begets children who consistently rank higher on evaluation tests than other schoolchildren from around the world. Yet Finnish children do not start school until age seven, much later than the world average, and their first 2 years in preschool are spent in self-reflection classes where they are taught to get to know themselves and their role in the world. These self-reflection classes may well be the most important gift a nation can give its young citizens. Kudos to the Finnish government for being so forward-thinking! Being ‘learned’ is not only about learning the ABCs and topping the exams – it entails so much more than what today’s concrete schools can or is willing to teach.

Crisis #3 : Material Wealth versus Spiritual Growth

If we were to put a monetary value on spiritual growth, how much do you think it would be worth? Would we publicly trade it at NYSE or Dhaka Stock Exchange? Would the Tibetan monks be ruling Wall Street? I don’t have a witty answer to these questions but an experiment on this might be more entertaining than an episode of Desperate Housewives or Celebrity Big Brother (no insults intended for the fans of these shows!).

Somewhere along the line we, the modern city dwellers, have lost touch with nature and that spiritual connection with our souls. If you take a look at our traditional Bangla culture, we are very attuned to nature and treasure spiritual experiences. Jibanananda reaffirms this:

‘Smells of moist grass, where Bengalis throng everywhere -

Inhale forever in sravan’s rains the soft soothing rhythms

Of mystic songs and fairy tales, folklores, and open air plays -

These warmed my soul.’

It never ceases to surprise and delight me how philosophical our villagers are considering that most of them do not have a Phd from Harvard; their insight comes from close observations of human emotions, relations and interactions with the environment.

Have you ever wondered why Bangladeshis top LSE’s survey as the happiest people although we are materially one of the poorest? Even accounting for some inaccuracies in the survey methods, it goes to show just how much the beauty of gram bangla, Lalon’s prose, Jasimuddin’s heart-rendering bhatiali, Padma’s tatka ilish, kejur gaacher thanda rosh make our people happy and content, and not the trappings of material wealth. And why do so many Americans regularly visit psychiatrists just to have someone to talk to when in Bangladesh all you have to do when you are feeling a little blue is talk to your nani, khala, chachir bon, cousin-er cousin or, mamar shali? This is the virtue of our extended family support system and the best part is – it comes FREE!

Guess what? Research has shown that after a certain level of material well-being, we do not derive additional satisfaction. It is called diminishing marginal returns, something I remember reading about in O level economics class at Anjum Miss’ (many of my friends reading this will remember those O level days). In effect, in the US, we are working more hours and earning less than those in the 1950s. Whereas before a household survived on one person’s income, now we need two incomes to attain the same standard of living. So how has all this growth helped us, the common man, who doesn’t have pockets as deep as Bill Gates?

Being materially poor doesn’t mean it is not a better way to live. An Australian aboriginal’s way of life is not inferior to the western standard of living. A farmer’s eco-friendly mud house in Lalmonirhat is no less grand than an energy consuming Greco-style mansion in Gulshan.

Crisis #4 : Doing business for the sake of profits

Bengal wasn’t always poor and Europe wasn’t always rich. In the sixteenth century, Bengal’s farmers lived better and had a higher standard of living than the average Europeans. A European visitor during this period commented, “Money is so plentiful in Dhaka that it is seldom counted, but always weighed. There is a profusion of food and other articles in the numerous bazaars of the city. The vastness of the wealth is stupefying.” Then the East India Company came, saw, conquered, and successfully killed our textile industry. And ever since then we have been living in ‘abject poverty’ (thanks also goes out to the ‘Permanent Land Settlement’ of 1790 for gifting Bengal’s peasants with zero land rights).

How many of us know that we once had a thriving economy? That our merchants traded with Ancient Greece and dominated the maritime trade with South-east Asia? Or that Gaur of Medieval Bengal had a democratically elected King called Gopala? We grow up reading about the cyclones, the floods, the durniti, the poverty, and the lack of gonotontro. But so many of our problems were created by colonialism and to this day perpetuates in the form of ‘development aid’ or other such varieties of neo-colonialism. We weren’t always an ‘international basket case’.

So now our dear Bangladeshi companies are busy generating economic activity to allow us to get out of poverty and to reduce our dependence on foreign aid. But while we become more ‘developed’ it is equally important for our companies to operate with a social conscience where the bottom line is not only about generating monetary profits but also about being honorable and ethical. We do not want to turn on NTV and see garment workers burned to death because they were locked in and could not get out, or that they can only go on bathroom breaks every few hours.

Natural capitalism and creative capitalism are innovative systems designed to bring a more holistic approach to doing business. But they will remain decorative words if we don’t take the necessary actions to implement them. The best change is from within. Those of us working in a corporate setting and will someday occupy that ‘elusive corner office’ have the power to shake things up. Why continue to do business the same old conservative capitalist way – that’s so twentieth century!

Crisis #5 : Hurry, the sea is rising!

Climate change is only one part of the story. It is not only a crisis of melting icebergs but also the advent of new mountains of greed and consumerism. The world doesn’t have the resources to sustain the current western standard of living for everyone. And the western standard of living should not be the yardstick to measure success with or the standard that we should aspire to. As Bangladeshis we also have an important part to play in this crisis because we are all members of the human race and we equally share in our responsibility to humanity and to Mother Earth.

Though it may come as a great inconvenience to many of us, comfortable as we are with the amenities of modern life, for us to save the planet we have to start consuming less and conserving more. So why not become fashionably Japanese or Bauhaus, who popularized the concept of ‘less is more’? To tell you the scientific truth – even with renewable energy, we will not have enough solar and wind power to sustain the current levels of industrial activity. Nuclear energy is not a viable option because where do we safely store the nuclear waste – in space? Our collective conscience cannot allow another Chernobyl or even a Bhopal (though not a nuclear accident it still holds a prominent place in the list of man-made disasters).

Do we seriously need 50 pairs of Jimmy Choos, one in every color, or 20 gold jewelry sets at our mammoth Dhaka weddings? Is it not a disrespect to nature with its finite resources as well as to all those who, primarily by accident of birth, do not even have two meals a day? Creating a more equitable and just society is the mantra for today, tomorrow and the day after. If we put our hearts into it and are less greedy and share more, we can have a just society. As that little bald man with the weird looking glasses aka Gandhi said, ‘The world has enough to satisfy everyone’s need, but not the greed of some.’ And with those wise words from a wise man, I leave you to ponder on how you can shake up and rattle the existing status quo.

The above is in no way a negative criticism of what the world has achieved in the last 100 years or so. There are innumerable benefits (hot showers included) that make yours and my life easier. But we also have to take into account the cost at which these benefits have been attained and try to see if there isn’t a more sustainable way to live our lives. There are many great traditions that our age-old cultures have preserved over the years just as there are many wonderful new concepts of this modern era that have benefited humankind positively. It is up to us to incorporate the best of both into our lives and to take living beings, including all our co-inhabitants on Earth (even those crawling red ants), forward to a more meaningful and enlightened existence. Amen.