Day 14 in Dhaka

Feb 5, 2012

My days in Bangladesh are coming to an end. I am scheduled to fly back on the 9th of Feb. This might be my last blog as I intend to spend some time with my family and ofcourse, shopping :)

Last week, I visited the Haridasi Woman and Child Care and Nutrition Centre in Gokorno, Comilla. It is an NGO that works for the poor villagers of Gokorno. The founder, Dr. Marufi Khan and her team of volunteers (that included a doctor, an accountnant a teacher) and I headed for Comilla one fine morning. We reached there by noon. The little ones arrived by 1 PM for their meal. I had the opprtunity to serve food for the little ones. I will remember this day for a long time.

Haridasi Woman and Child Care and Nutrition Centre started 12 years ago and works to improve the health of the young children and pregnant mothers of the area. It serves free milk and meal twice a week to the children and pregnant and nursing mothers. It also has a clinic that has doctors and a pathology lab that treats the villagers with a nominal fee.

Dr. Shirin Jahan volunteers for the Haridasi Centre on weekends

The team of volunteers from Dhaka with Dr. Marufi Khan at the Haridasi Centre, Gokorno, Comilla

Day 13 in Dhaka

Feb 4, 2012

If you ever lived in Bangladesh, you'd be familiar with the name Ispahani. It is a common household name. I grew up with it as it is the brand of tea that is used in our house everyday. And it is probably the best brand in Bangladesh. I did not think of much of the name Ispahani until I was introduced to someone named Mariam Ispahani in San Jose, California by my friend Guneeta. The first time I met Mariam, I took a Ispahani tea bag in a ziploc bag and asked her, "Is this your people?"

She laughed and said, Yes!
I was happy that I could relate the name with a person. Mariam and I became friends fast. Coincidentally, when I made my plans for the Bangladesh trip for the 1947 Paritition Archive, Mariam too made plans for coming to Dhaka. We decided to meet and have 'tea'.



Mirza Ahmad Ispahani (1898-1986) establised the Ispahani Limited in 1934 in Calcutta

The plan was to visit her parents and hear her family history from her dad, Alijoon Ispahani. Unfortunately, Alijoon uncle was not in in town when I was in Dhaka. But I did get a chance to meet Mariam's mom, Ameneh Ispahani. Mariam and her parents live in a place called the Ispahani Colony in the heart of Dhaka. I was curious about the origin of the name and learnt that the Ispahanis had a huge property in that area and primarily lived there. Today many of the family members have moved to other locations but the name stayed behind. Mariam and her family have been living in the Ispahani colony for more than 30 years now. The house is a 3 story building with a beautiful lawn and garden infront of it. It is quite rare to have such a big compound and garden in the city today. I sat down and asked Mariam about her family history.




Mariam Ispahani talks about her family in the Ispahani Colony in Dhaka, Bangladesh

The Ispahanis moved from Espahan, Persia to Bombay in 1820 and established the MM Ispahani Limited, one of the largest business concerns of the Sub-Continent. The family subsequently expanded to include a broad range of businesses stretching from Bombay in the west, to Madras in the south and Burma in the east which until the 1930's was part of British India. Mirza Abu Talib Ispahani was one of the earliest visitors from the sub-continent to England in 1799. Many of their descendants were educated at universities in UK. Some held legal, diplomatic, and political positions in the West as well as some in the sub-continent. His grandson Haji Mirza Mehdy Ispahani (1841–1913) moved the corporate headquarters to Madras. He also spent twelve years in Cairo expanding his trade - leather, tea, turmeric; tamarind, peanuts and other produce of India. He opened a branch office in Dhaka in the year 1888. His son Mirza Mohamed Ispahani (1871–1925) established the Calcutta office of MM Ispahani & Sons in the year 1900, when a branch office was also established in London.

Mirza Ahmad Ispahani (1898–1986) eldest son of Mirza Mohamed Ispahani joined the partnership in 1918 and established the private limited company, M.M. Ispahani Limited in 1934 in Calcutta along with his younger brothers Mirza Abol Hassan Ispahani and Haji Mirza Mahmood Ispahani. When the British India was devided, the Ispahanis moved their corporate headquarters to Chittagong in the newly created East Pakistan in 1947 where it stands today. By 1947, MM Ispahani Limited was the foremost exporter of shellac, kapok, hessian, jute bags, tea and chemicals. In 1948 Mirza Ahmad Ispahani left the family business for public service where he and his brother Mirza Abol Hassan Ispahani played a pivotal role in the formation and industrialisation of the new country of Pakistan (currently Bangladesh).
His son Mirza Mehdy Ispahani (a.k.a. Sadri Ispahani) born in 1923, was made chairman of M.M. Ispahani Limited in 1949 and remained in that post until he died in 2004. The company now has corporate offices in Chittagong, Dhaka and Khulna where it employs over 20,000 people in many sectors such as tea, textile, real estate, crisps, poultry, shipping and internet services.

Mirza Mahmood was Mariam's grand father. He, along with most of his family members migrated to W. Paksitan from Calcutta after partition. While Mariam's father, Alijoon and his cousin Sadri migrated to E. Pakistan. The families kept close touch during the years of Paksitan (1947-1971). When the liberation war broke out in 1971, many of the Ispahanis left Dhaka for Karachi, while Alijoon, Sadri and his sons stayed back in Dhaka. When Bangladesh became independent, it was these members of the Ispahanis who took hold of the family business.
The Ispahanis have many charitable organizations, such as the Islamia Eye Hospital, the Ispahani School and College in Dhaka, Comilla and Chittagong. Today this big family is spread all over the sub-continent, in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.







Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._M._Ispahani

Day 12 in Dhaka

Feb 1, 2012

Her name is Abeda Fahmi. She lives in Uttara, Dhaka in a big apartment building. When I went to meet her, I met a young man in the garage vacuuming his car. I asked if he knew the apartment Mrs. Abeda Fahmi resides in. He told me that she lives on the fourth floor, I should press 3 on the lift. Oh yes, the British system, I almost forgot that first floor is really ground floor here.

The last Moghul Nawab, Wazid Ali Shah of Lucknow, 1847-1856

Mrs. Fahmi opened the door herself and welcomed me into her apartment. I sat down and talked to her about the 1947 Partition Archive. She began to unfold her story. The Fahmis are descendants of the last Moghul Nawab Wazid Ali Shah of Awadh. When the British took over the Mughal empire in 1856, he left Lucknow and settled in Matiyaburuj, Kolkata. The Fahmis are originally from Matiyaburj but are scattered all over the world today. While she was talking about her family, the young man from the garage appeared and introduced himself. He was Mrs. Fahmi's only son and a pilot for the Bangladesh Biman.

Abeda Fahmi graduated with an MA from the Karachi University

Abeda Fahmi was born in KishoreGanj, E. Bengal, British India in 1936. Her father was a goverment service holder and was posted all over India during his service life. Eventhough she was born in E. Bengal, her early days were spent in Kolkata. She remembers the riots of 1946 as a little girl. Her house was in Park Circus, which was a Muslim majority area. Baligunje was a little further away, which was a Hindu majority area. She saw many processions between these two neighborhoods.
In 1947 her father was given a choice of migrating to Pakistan or staying back in India as a government employee. He opted for Pakistan. The family moved to E. Pakistan on 14th Aug 1947. They took the train from Kolkata and arrived in Goalondo. Then took a steamer to Mymensingh.

Abeda Fahmi did most of her schooling in E. Pakistan. When she was studying in the Dhaka University, her father was posted in Karachi. She graduated with her MA in Islamic History from the Karachi University in 1962. The Fahmis are Urdu speaking but has adopted the language of the land, Bangla. She studied in Bangla medium. Her career  spread over 4 deacdes. She retired as the headmistess of the New Government Girls High School of Armanitola, Dhaka. Eventhough she has settled in Dhaka, her family is spread all over the world. Her sister lives in Karachi, brother in USA and many relatives back in India. Today she lives with her son, Golam Abid in Dhaka.

Abeda Fahmi talks about her family

Rajshahi days-3

Some pictures of Rashahi....

My first school, P.N Girls High School. I went to this school from grade I to III

I found this beautiful terracota mandir in Rajshahi....

Rajshahi is the silk city of Bangladesh. I visited a silk factory and watched how the silk worms are grown and silk sarees are made.

And I bought sarees :)

Rajshahi silk

Rajshahi Days-2

Jan 27, 2012

Kaiser Ali was born in Murshidabad, British India. He told me that his house was next to Mir Zafar's house. He went to the primary school founded by Mani Begum, Mir Zafar's wife. He completed his matriculation in 1946 from the Nawab Bahadur Institution. He learned Arabic, Urdu, English and Farsi in school. The years before partition was full of turmoil and chaos in Musrshidabad. There were several riots. On March 1, 1950 Kaiser Ali left for East Pakistan. He and his wife started at 2 AM on a palanquin. Later, they took the train from Lalgolahat to Rajshahi.

Kaiser Ali and his brother in law in Hajar Duari Garden, Murshidabad in the 1930s

Since they had to leave in the middle of the night, they could not bring much with them. His wife had some cash on hidden in her clothes. When they arrived in Rajshahi, the means of transportation was 'tomtom' (horse driven carriages). It was a new thing for them. Kaiser Ali started working for a cloth merchant in Shaheb Bazar in Rajshahi city. Later he joined the Star Studios and worked there for 35 years until his retirement in 2003.

Kaiser Ali said life in Rajshahi is mostly peaceful. He bought a house that was owned by a Hindu, who migrated to India. He went to Murshidabad once during the Bangladesh liberation war in 1971. But his relatives back in his hometown were not welcoming. They feared that Kaiser Ali might ask for his property back. He never went back since then.

Kaiser Ali is 80 years old now. He lives with his son and grandson in his house in Rajshahi. He calls it his town, but home is Murshidabad. I have met his grandson, Mridul, an aspiring youngman. He did not know much about his family history and sat beside me during the whole interview. It is situation like this that makes the work for the 1947 Partition Archive worth it.

Kaiser Ali with his grandson Mridul

 

Rajshahi Days-1

Jan 25, 2012
I met Mrs. Suraiya Begum today. She lives in a big mansion in Rajshahi. Once her house was full of people. She and her husband late Advocate Abdus Salam had 3 sons, 5 daughters and many helping hands living in the house. Now the house is almost empty. Mrs. Suraiya Begum lives there with one of her daughters and grandchildren.

Mrs. Suraiya Begum talks about her life in Calcutta

Suraiya was born in Sundarpur, Darshana. She was married at an early age to Mr. Abdus Salam of KrishanaNagar. After the  partition she migrated to Rajshahi with her husband and in laws. They exchanged most of their property in India. Mr. Salam was a successful lawyer and was an influancial man in Rajshahi.
But tragedy struck the family in 1971. On 25 March, Pakistani Army came to their house and took her two sons away. The eldest son was going to Engineering University and the second one was in Rajshahi College. They also took her 2 of her brother in laws and a nephew that night. These 5 innocent men never came home.  Mrs. Suraiya Begum sheds her tears till this day for her sons.

I also met her brother in law, Mr. Badiuazzaman. He too had migrated from India during partition as his father, who was a government employee, opted for Pakistan. They migrated thinking, Pakistan would be a new country for the Muslims. But things changed in 24 years. The East Pakistanis felt they were treated differently by the West Pakistanis. The liberation war started in March 1971. Mr. Badiuzzaman was a freedom fighter. He fought for his country, he fought to save the people of his country. He too remembers the 5 members of his family who were lost forever on March 25, 1971.

The 5 men of the family who were taken away by the Pakistani Army on Mar 25, 1971. They were gone without a trace.

Travelling across the country

Jan 23, 2012

All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy. I decided to take a break and have some fun. I attended a friend, Suravi's wedding in Dhaka. I met so many of my friends of my childhood.

Then, I felt it was time to change gear. I headed for the North Bengal. First stop, Sirajganj.

The scenary changed as soon as I left Dhaka. The countryside is soo green!

Sirajganj is on the river Jamuna. I crossed the river via Jamuna bridge by train. Jamuna is so wide that one cannot see the bank from the other side.



On the bank of Jamuna

I spent couple of days in Sirajganj, visited the very old grandmother and headed for Rajshahi. I have a special attachment with Rajshahi. It is the city where I was born. It is the city where I spent the first few years of my life.

Rajshahi photos...coming next

Day 11 in Dhaka

Jan 22, 2012

During this trip I met an extra ordinary, inspiring and energetic young man named Khalid Hussain. He was introduced to me by my friend, Hannah Sholder of UC Berkeley. Khalid is an Urdu speaking youth, who was born and brought up in the Geneva camp of Mohammadpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh. His life story is the story of partition. Here is Khalid's story in his words.

Khalid Hussain in Italy at the UNESCO Leadership Training

My name is Khalid. I was born on Aug 21, 1981 in the Geneva camp in Dhaka, Bangladesh. My father's name is Mohammad Siraj. He was a waitor at a hotel. My mother's name is Amena Khatun. My father was 10 years old in 1947. He was from the village Hilsa in Patna, Bihar. My grandfather was a well off man who had grocery stores in Patna and Calcutta. He died at a young age in 1946 of liver sclerosis leaving 3 young children (10, 6 and 9 months) and a young wife behind. 1946 was a scary time in Bihar. Riots broke out frequently, many muslims were killed, women were raped and tortured. When all the male of my family were killed, my grandmother gave my father, Siraj his little bother's hand and asked him to take him to Calcutta to save themselves. And then she jumped into a well with her 9 month old daughter to avoid being raped by the mobs. It was a huge shock for little Siraj to witness such an event. One of the Hindu servants of the family came and hid the two boys in a rice drum for two days and supplied them food and water. Later, he dressed the boys in dhoti (typical Hindu attire) and put them on a train headed for E. Paksitan. The man himself could not accompnay the boys as he was a Hindu and was afraid that the Muslim mobs might kill him.

The train came to Jessore, E. Pakistan. Little Siraj and his brother Riyaj stayed at a refugee camp for a few days. Here, Siraj lost his brother and did not find him for almost a month and half. While looking for his brother, he found a few men that he knew from Bihar. They too looked for Riyaj and found him in an orphanage. The friends from Bihar headed for Naogaon and took the brothers with them. Siraj worked at grocery stores to earn his living. His schooling eneded right there. Later, he moved to Dhaka to earn better wages and found a job at the Jenny Kabab in Dhaka. Mohammad Siraj settled in Dhaka and started his family. He had 2 kids when the liberation war of 1971 broke down. The family sufferred great trauma one more time. My maternal grandmother and her family lived in Naogaon. During the war, everyone except my grandmother and one uncle were killed. One of my aunts who was married 4 days ago, was picked up from her house. She never came home. My father was also picked up and put in the central jail in Dhaka. My mother went to the jail everyday looking for him. Bihari men were tortured and killed in brush fire every night. We were very fortunate that we found him alive with the help of a Bhojpuri officer. But he had deep wounds all over his body. He was severely tortured. After the war, Bangladesh government put all of the Urdu speaking people in various camps all over Bangladesh. My father was given a 8x10 room in the Geneva camp in Mohammadpur in 1972.

My father had 8 children. He promised himself that he would send atleast one of his children to school. I was the youngest and was fortunate enough to go to school. In the beginning, I went to the camp school, later when I went to High School. I was ridiculed by my classmates. We were 10 boys from the camp who attended high school. We were often called, Biharis, Pakistanis and other names. We were made fun of our Bangla and often asked to go back to our country, Pakistan. Yes, it is true that the previous generation opted for Pakistan. But we are born in Bangladesh. We are Bangladeshi by birth. This is our country. This is my home.
After HSC, me and 9 of my friends organized an association called the Association of the Young Generation of the Urdu Speaking Community (AYGUSC). I was the founder president. Many prominent people, such as Ahmed Ilias, Professor C.R. Abrar, Advocate M. I Faruqi helped us. We were becoming aware of our rights ascitizens of Bangladesh. On May 5, 2003 the High Court gave 10 of us the right to vote. It was a historical moment for us, the Urdu Speakign community. Later, the High court ruled that all camp dwellers in Bangladesh are bangladeshis and can vote.

Farhana Afroz meets Khalid Hussain at the Geneva camp in Mohammadpur, Dhaka

One thing we have realized very well and that is, we have to work ourselves to improve our future. No government will come and change things for us. We are encouraging the Urdu speaking Youth of the camps to get education. If we don't get education, we will not be able to leave the camps, if we don't leave the camps, we will not be able to change our future. It has been 40 years since our families started living in these camps. It's time we change out fate.

Farhana's comments:
Khalid Hussain graduated with two degrees in BComm and Law. He is an advocate at the Dhaka Bar Council. Khalid works relentlessly to improve the future of the Urdu speaking community, specially the youth. He represents the Urdu speaking linguistic minority of Bangladesh. He has been awarded many times for his leadership roles. He has been chosen by UNESCO for leadership. Khalid has been to many countries, such as, Italy, Switzerland, USA, Nepal, India.

Day 10 in Dhaka

Jan 21 2012

The Urdu speaking community in Bangldesh is one of the worst sufferers of the 1947 paritition. They are mostly descendants of the muslims, who migrated from what is now the modern Indian state of Bihar, where violent riots broke out in 1946 and 1947. They migrated to the eastern wing (now Bangladesh) of Pakistan in the hopes of being in a muslim state.

Begum Khairunnisa (3rd from left) left Bihar in 1947 when the riot broke out. She carried her daughter, Julekha (far right), who was 13 days old. Today she lives in the Geneva camp with her daughters, Sultana (first left), Farida (2nd left) and many grandchildren.

Not sharing the ethno-linguistic heritage of the Bengali people, who formed an overwhelming majority in the eastern wing, they opposed its agitation for independence from West Pakistan in 1971. Their support for the Pakistani army and participation in pro-Pakistani militias such as the Razakars led to considerable hostility and retaliation from the Bengalis. After the independence of Bangladesh, the Biharis were relocated to refugee camps and have since petitioned the Pakistani government for the right to settle in Pakistan. Their petition has only met with marginal support from Pakistani authorities, who have allowed only a small number of the "Stranded Pakistanis" to settle in Pakistan. Today about 600,000 Urdu speaking people live in Bangladesh.



This is one of the 116 camps in Bangladesh that was established in 1972 as a temporary shelter for the stranded Pakistanis. They have been living here for 40 years now. This camp is located in Mohammadpur, Dhaka.

I spent three days in several camps, such as the Geneva camp, the CRO camp, the Market camp and the Community camp where I met many Biharis and Urdu speaking people. One cannot imagine the living condition in these camps unless one sees with their own eyes. In 1972 the Bihari couples or families were given small 8x10 rooms as shelters. They counted days to go to their 'promised land', but nobody came for them. The treaty of 1974 in Simla between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh resulted in the following. Pakistan will take a) The central government employees and their families, b) The people who were born in W. Pakistan and c) 25,000 people on humanatarian ground. This excluded left 90% of the Urdu speakers in Bangladesh. They have been living in camps since then.

The Bazar is infront of her living quarter. She also entertains her guests on these steps.

Their families have grown from 2 to 12. However, the living quarter is still the same, 8x10. It is hard to believe that people are living in such conditions. Problems are many, there are not enough toilets, sanitation is bad, water and electricity is not adequate. Most of the men of these camps work as bus/cab drivers, barbers, butchers and on handlooms. Women mostly stay at home. Some work with "zari" and embroidary. The Benarasi sarees are mostly made by the Bihari community.

Beautiful Zari work done by Bihari women

The young generation of this community is waking up. They are going to schools and colleges and asking for their rights. In 2001, ten young Urdu speaking youngmen went to court asking for their rights as citizens of Bangladesh. On May 5, 2003 the High Court granted them the right to vote. In 2008, the high court ruled that camp dwelers born in Bangladesh are Bangladeshis by birth, hence, will have all rights as citizens. The older generation, who migrated in 1947, can either choose to be Bangladeshis or be Pakistanis. Today 90% of the camp dewlers consider themselves Bangladeshis. They feel that this is the land they were born and brought up at. This is home.

The young generation of the camp. These women are going to colleges and universities and want to change their future.

Day 9 in Dhaka

Jan 20, 2012

Just like any other big city, trafiic is horrible in Dhaka. I have seen traffic in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. I hate to say it but traffic in Dhaka is worse than that. I can go on and on about it. My first appointment of the say was with Mr. Amiya Kanti Mutsuddy at 11 AM. I felt really bad that by the time I reached his house, it was Noon. I was told that the locals of Dhaka city knows about the traffic jam and will understand. It is very common to be an hour or so late for an appointment!

Anyway, I was welcomed by Mr. and Mrs. Mutsuddy to their home. Mr. Mutsuddy sat down and talked to me about his partition experience. He was born in Rangunia, Chittagong in British India. He went to a local primary, Kadamtoli School as a child. He had many Hindu and Muslim friends along with Budhdhist friends. They often attended each others social and religious festivals. There were no communal riots in his village before or after partition. Shortly after partition, he saw many of the Hindu families migrating to Calcutta. However, the Budhdhist community that he belonged to pretty much stayed back in Chittagong. The Budhdhist community was so small that no one felt threatened by them.

Mr. Mutsuddy talks about his '47 experience

It was only after partition that little Amiya realized things have changed in the new country. When he was in 6th grade, Urdu became compulsory in school. That was the first blow of partition. Chittagong's commerce was primarily run by HIndu merchants. Most of the Hindus (Marwaris) left after '47. Later it was the Aga Khanis who ran most business. After 1971, they too left. Mr. Mutsuddy gave me an example, the village Shahapara in his area had 50% Hindus, 40% Budhdhists and 10% Muslims. Now, there are almost no Hindus left in Shahapara. Mr. Mutsuddy joined Pakistan Civil Service in 1966. He felt the descrimination as soon as he joined. He Bengali officers were required to lean Urdu, however, the W. Pakistani officers were not required to learn Bangla eventhough 60% of the Pakistan's population spoke Bangla. The Bengalis held less than 10% posts in civil service, in Army, Navy and Foreign Service. The war in 1971 was inevitable. Mr. Mustsuddy was a Deputy Magistrate in Bhola in 1971. He saw how the Pakistani Army destroyed all of the Hindu houses, looted their business. When asked, the officer incharge said, "Ye to Hogai" (This was bound to happen)".

Mr. Mutduddy graduated from Dhaka University in 1961

Mr. Mutsuddy helped the freedom fighters in many ways and protected the people in his area. He retired as a joint Secretary of the Bangladesh government and lives in Dhaka with his wife.

My second interviewee of the day was Mr. Mohammad Abdul Hannan. Mr. Hannan was born on 31st Oct 1947 in Karimganj, Assam, India. He has not seen the partition of the country but has very much experienced the aftermath. Mr. Hannan and his family is originally from Karimganj, Assam. However, the border that was drawn between India and Pakistan left Karimganj in India. Mr. Hannan migrated to Sylhet, East Pakistan and lived with his uncle in 1954 while his parents continued to stay  back in Karimganj. Those days it was not too hard to travel between India and Pakistan. Mr.Hannan travelled 3/4 times with his Indian passport. Eventhough he lived and went to school in Sylhet, E. Pakistan, he held onto his Indian passport as his parents were back in Karihganj. It was only after the 1965 India-Pakistan war that the border patrol became tough. Karimganj was a Muslim majority town before partition. But it saw the exodus of Muslims leaving for Sylhet and flux of Hindus from Sylhet. By the '60s it was becoming tough for Muslims to stay back in Karimganj. There was a huge riot in 1967. His family sold their land and joined him in Sylhet. Mr. Hannan bought an 'enemy property' (belonging to a Hindu who left for India) and settled in Sylhet.

Mr. Mohammad Abdul Hannan talks about his home back in Karimganj, India.

He retired as the Headmaster of Baralekha Girls' High School and now lives in Dhaka with his family. Mr. Hannan told me, "We became independent in 1947 and again in 1971. But I do not see any difference"

Day 8 in Dhaka

I walked into her apartment and saw this poster of Gandhiji. I was in Khursheed Irfan Ahmed's home. Khursheed Ahmed was born Khursheed Akhund in Sindh in 1929. Her father, Mr. Abdullah Shafi Mohammad Akhund was a man who believed in women's education. He sent all three of his girls to school. Khursheed went to Kinnaird College in Lahore. She was preparing to take her ISc in 1947 when a communal riot broke out.

Khursheed learned that the resistrar of the college, Mr. MG Singh was murdered. It pained her very much as she knew the gentleman personally. Mr. MG Singh was killed just because his last name was Singh. He was not even a Sikh, rather a Hindu. Because of the turmoil, the ISc examination was cancelled and Khursheed returned to Sindh. On her way back home she wore a cross around her neck at the suggestion of the nuns of her school for protection. She remained safe in the train.

Khursheed Irfan and her brother in Sukkur, Sindh in the 1930s


  After partition, she saw things change slowly. She saw her frineds, Swaran Malhotra, Indu Chatterjee, Jaswinder Gill and many others leave Lahore. In a few years, Kinnaird College was an All-Muslim girls' college.

Khursheed Akhund married Mr. Irfan Ahmed Chowdhury and came to Dhaka in 1958. Mr Erfan Ahmed brought up and and educated in Calcutta . Mr. Ahmed saw the terrible riots of Aug 1946. He felt that he could not take it any more and moved to Dhaka. He was the general manager Burma Shell  in Dhaka and  was later assigned  on ambassadorial  posts by the government of Bangladesh.  The couple had 2 daughters. Mr. Chowdhury passed away in 1974. Today Mrs. Khursheed Irfan Ahmed lives in Dhaka surrounded by books, music and friends. She is a social worker, psycho therapist and a humanitarian.




Khursheed Irfan Ahmed

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This city no longer mine
-Khursheed Irfan Ahmed

Withered memories of emotional ties
Of  families frittered away
Memories
Of parental care
Of mates no longer alive
Of the  native language
forgotten....distorted
With words from other lands

This city    no longer mine

The ominous blackness of the kites
across the high rise
Scar the sunlit skies
birds in flight
send a message of fright
To the return of the prodigal
That karachi is no longer the city of light
The fiery laburnums shed no light
shadowed by black shrouds
marching in
--------------------------------------------------------------



Day 7 In Dhaka

I joined the 1947 Partition Archive as I feel passionately about this chapter of our history. It started as a weekend volunteering thing for me. But has become much more than that in recent months. I have met so many wonderful and fascinating people for this project. I feel honored and blessed.

Dr. Hameeda Hossain in 1950s

Dr, Hameeda Hossain talks about her days in Sindh at her Dhaka residence

My first interviewee of the day was Dr. Hameeda Hossain. She is the wife of a notable Bangladeshi lawyer, statesman and politician, Dr. Kamal Hossain. When I went to her house, Dr. Hameeda Hossain opened the door herself and welcomed me to her living room. She was kind and encouraging with her words. She speaks fluent Bangla even though it is not her mother tongue. Dr. Hossain was born in Hyderabad, Sindh (now in Pakistan) in 1936. She was born as Hameeda Akhund. Her father, Abdullah Shafi Mohammad Akhund was a judge and man with a progessive mind. It was not very common for Muslim girls to go to school in the 1930s in Sindh. Mr. Akhund sent all 3 of his girls to school and encouraged them for higher education. Little Hameeda went to a convent in Karachi. Those days, Karachi was a different city. People of all races and religions could go out freely. There was no discrimination against minority groups. There were many Hindu, Christian and Parsi families in Karachi. Partition came as quite a shock to many. Little Hameeda rode her bike to school. Often she would hear the slogan, "Larke Lenge Pakistan". But she did not quite understand the meaning of it.
After partition, she went to school and found herself among only 10-15 students. They were all Muslims, all Hindu, Sikh and Christians had migrated. At the same time, she saw trains full of passengers arriving from India. They were injured, helpless and alone. Her grandmother established a clinic and shelter for the refugees where she helped out.

I met Dina Hossain and Catherine Masud, two film makers at Dr. Hossain's house

Dr. Hossain graduated from the Welleseley College, USA and got her PhD from Oxford University. She lives in Dhaka with her family. She is the chairperson of Ain O Shalish Kendra of Bangladesh, a social worker and humanitarian.

Day 6 in Dhaka

One thing I realized while interviewing in Dhaka, the story of partition does not end with 1947 here. It goes as far as 1971. History is connected. One cannot relate their 1947 story without 1971 and vice versa.


Today I met with Prof. Abul Alam, a former Professor of  Physics  in B.L College, Daulatpur, Khulna. Born in 1930, Prof. Alam's early days were spent in Barisal. He was an exceptional student, stood 9th in order of merit in the High Madrasah Examination under Dhaka Board in 1945 and also got scholarship in the I.Sc. Examination under the Calcutta University in 1947.  He had made plans to go to Shibpur Engineering College in W. Bengal, but due to partition the same year, his plans were shattered. Later, he went to B.M College and got his B.Sc. in 1949  and M. Sc in Physics from Salimullah Muslim Hall, Dhaka University  in 1952, and LL.B from Karachi University in 1967.  

Prof. Abul Alam relates his story of partition in Dhaka



Prof. Alam remembers the days before 1947. The Muslims of the then Bengal overwhelmingly supported the idea of a separate State for the Muslims. During Roll Call in the class (B.M.College, Barisal), Muslim students yelled "Pakistan" as for attendance. They would write ‘Pakistan’ in their mailing addresses on letters/postcards even though it was still British India and Pakistan was yet to come much later.

Prof. Alam saw the changes that took place gradually. Upto 1946 both Hindus and some young Muslim men wore Dhoti outside their home. As partition came nearer, Muslim men adopted pajama and kurta. All professors in BM College until 1947 were Hindus, except for the Moulvi Sahebs for Arabic.  In 1948, the first Muslim Professor joined the college in the Political Science Department.

Prof. Alam had many Hindu friends in school and college. He fondly remembers, Satya Ranjan Sengupta, Bimalendu Das, Sunil, Anil  and Shanti Biswas, Amulya Sheel, Rakhal Chandra Chouwdhury and many others. All of his friends migrated to W. Bengal along with their families.  Prof. Alam bears that pain in his heart to this date and still maintains contact with the surviving ones of them in Kolkata.

Even though partition was a very much welcome chapter in his  early life,  Prof. Alam felt  later that 1971 was inevitable. Though he was not there in Dhaka University when Jinnah had said, "Urdu, and Urdu alone shall be the State language of Pakistan", he, still in Barisal,  resented it very much . He was ever an active participant in the Language Movement and took part in the procession of 21st Feb 1952.
He has seen the turmoil of the nine months of 1971 and feels proud to be a Bangladeshi.
Today, Prof. Alam is retired (Legal Officer, UNESCO, Paris), and lives in Montreal, Canada. He spends his leisure time in social work, writing, Photography, reading and occasionally playing his favourite bamboo Flute and Violin.



Prof. Alam plays a folk, "Amay eto rate kene daak dili..." on his flute at my request.



Day 5 In Dhaka

Jan 16, 2012

Today was a busy and productive day. I met 3 gentleman from the Defense and interviewd them. Last Sat I was at a party of a retired Navy comander, MA Majid. He introduced me to some of his colleagues who expressed their interest in talking about their partition experience.  I met Comander (retd) MA Majid of Bangladesh Navy, Lt. Col.(retd) MS Alam Joarder and Brig (retd) Mohammad Shahidul Islam of Bangladesh Army. All three gentlemen were born in British India and told me about their pre-partition and post-partition lives.

Comander MA Majid was born on Aug 23, 1930 in KandoPasha, Gouronodi, Barishal. He was from a well respected family. Mr. Majid remebers the days of WWII. Often times Kerosene and Salt would be unavailable. After the war there he heard that India will be devided. Young Majid did not support the partition, and was a minority who followed Fazlul Huq's principle. Gouronodi was a Hindu majority thana with only 15% muslims. However, things changed drastically after partition, most of the Hindus left for Kolakata as they did not feel secured in the new land for Muslims, Pakistan. Mr. Majid feels that eventhough partition is a sad chapter of the Indian sub-continent, without partition there would be no Bangladesh today.

Navy Comander (retd) MA Majid talks about his partition experience

My second interviewee was with Lt. Col (retd) MS Alam Joarder of the Bangladesh Army. Mr. Joarder was born in village Nagdah, Alamdanga, Nodia district in British India. His early days were spent in Jagaddal.  Jagaddal is a town in North 24 Parganas district, on the banks of the Ganges river in the state of West Bengal,  On the eastern banks of the river, the town has many jute mills which drew a large labour force from the neighbouring states of Bihar and Orissa, as well as eastern Uttar Pradesh, quite often forming an overwhelming majority of the population in the area. Mr. Joarder's father, Golam Rasul Joarder was an employee of the Alliance Jute Mills in the town.
Life was happy and peaceful in the small town. Little Alam and his sister went to Kolkata almost every weekend to visit the famous sites, such as, the Victoria memorial, the zoo..etc. Mr. Joarder recalls riding the trum and the city of Kolkata in the 40's. It was a beautiful city with lots of attractions for tourists. One day in 1946, there was a big procession on the GrandTrunk Road (now Jessore Kolakata Haridaspur Road). Little Alam and his sister also wanted to join the procession with their father. But it was too crowded and his father decided not to take them to Kolkata. Later, he came home in sweat and blood. An awful riot had broken down in Sealdah. Hindus were killing Muslims and Muslims were killing Hindus without any reason. Mr. Joarders'a father said, "Thank God I came home alive. If I took two of you with me, I 'd not have been able to save you from the mobs".


A rare photograph of the Joarder family taken in the 1930s. Mr. Joarder's father is wearing a Dhoti, which was the outfit for both HIndu and Muslims males in the pre-partition period.


Mr. Joarder's father felt things becem tense between Hindu and Muslims after partition and decided to move to E. Pakistan. He sent his family to his ancestral home in AlamDanga and loaded his furniture and belongings on a truck and headed for the border. However, the border patrol did not allow him to take a single piece with him. Thus, the family migrated to E. Pak only with their clothes on. Mr. Joarder and his family migrated to the new country and started all over again. He completed his intermediates from the Magura college and joined the Pakistan Army. He retired as a Lt. Col from the Bangladesh Army. Today he lives in his residence in Dhaka and has 4 grown children. Mr. Joarder spends most of his time preaching Islam and for humanitarian causes.


Farhana Afroz With Lt. Col (retd) MS Alam Joarder at his Dhaka residence

The last interview of the day was with Brigadier (retd) Mohammad Shahidul Islam (Bir Protik). Mr. Islam was a young boy of 8 years in Noakhali during partition. He remembers a few deatils of the last days of WWII and partition. He remebers running and hiding in the bunkers when the Japanese planes were heard. The British had build many hangers and an airport in the small town. The district Noakhali and his village had Hindu majority in the pre-partition era. But most of the Hindus left for W. Bengal in the '40s and '50s. Mr. Islam remembers the Eid of Aug 1947 when they stayed up all night along with many others to guard the Eid Maidan fromt the mobs. The fear was that the Muslims might be attacked during the congragation.


Interviewing Brigadier (retd) Mohammad Shahidul Islam

Mr. Islam lagter joined the Pakistan Army and fought for Bangladesh in 1971. He was awarded the prestigious title, Bir Protik for his bravery in the war. Today Mr. Islam is retired and lives in Dhaka at his residence.

Day 4 in Dhaka

Jan 14, 2012

Today was the last day of Biswa Ijtema. It is estimated that about 5 million people will attend the prayer at the end of the congregation. Tongi, the place where Bishwa Ijtema takes place is about 5 km from my house. Since early morning I saw trains full of people, even on the rooftops going towards Tongi. And thousands on foot.

I had scheduled to interview Mr. Ahmad Ilias at 11 AM today. Eventhough he lives only about 3 km away, I was told that it'd be almost impossible to meet him as the police have closed all roads and there is no means of transportation. The roads are only for pedestrians, who are headed for the Bishwa Ijtema. I did not quite believe them. So, my father and I started walking towards to main road. Nothing but a few rickshaws were on the local streets. We took 2 Rickshaws, walked and finally reached his house.


Sea of people headed towards Tongi, Bishwa Ijtema. The road on the opposite side is kept empty for the VIP cars

Ahmad Ilias is a Urdu speaking poet, journalist, human rights activist and a migrant in Bangladesh. He was born in Calcutta and migrated to E. Pakistan in 1953. The first years were full of struggles. But eventually he established himself as a journalist in Dhaka. However, after 1971, he along with many other Urdu speakers were mistreated with the suspision that they were against the liberation of Bangladesh. Mr. Ahmad was greatly disappointed and was forced to move to India. However, he and his family were not welcome there either. So, he moved back to Dhaka again in 1973. Today Mr. Ilias is the esecutive director of Al-Falah Bangladesh. Al-Falah is a non-governmental, non-profit, development and welfare organization. It was formed in1981 in Dhaka with its main objective to work for the socially and economically isolated Urdu-speaking miniroty community, specially in the camps for development and rehabilitation of it's members in the mainstream of Bangladesh. Mr. Ilias continues to encourage, assist and advice the young Urdu speaking generation.


Mr. Ahmad Ilias reads a poem from his book "Aina Reze"

 I also met and interviewed another gentleman, Mr. Asghar Ali Khan. He was born and brought up in CoochBihar, British India. However, after the partition his family was also forced to leave CoochBihar and migrated t the nearest town in GaiBandha, Rangpur, East Paksitan (now Bangladesh). He, along with his family also faced many troubes as 'Biharis' specailly after 1971(this term is loosely applied to all Urdu speaking people in Bangladesh). However, Mr. Khan graduated from the University of Dhaka with a degree in Law and is established in life. He too works for the betterment of the Urdu speaking minority in Bangladesh and is currently the president of Al-Falah Bangladesh. Both Mr. Khan and Mr. Ilias mentioned that the young generation of the Urdu Speaking community cannot speak Urdu. They are born and brought up in Bangladesh and are citizens of Bangladesh by birth. They have known this land as their own. The community is losing their mother tongue, Urdu as they only learn Bangla in schools where there is no option of getting education in the Urdu medium. 

Innterviewing Mr. Asghar Ali Khan at his residence in Dhaka



Day 3 In Dhaka

Jan 14, 2012
Today I went to the Geneva camp and the CRC camp in Mohammadpur. These are 2 of the 116 camps where thousands of Urdu speaking people are stranded for last 40 years. My friend Hannah Sholder from the UC Berkeley was in Dhaka couple of years back doing her research on a Full Bright Scholarship on the stranded camp-sweling Urdu speaking community in Bangladesh. Hannah gave me her local contacts. One youngman, Khalid Hussain, secretary of the Association of the Young Generation of the Urdu Speaking Community took time out of his schedule and took me aournd in the camps and introduced me to some of the members in the community. The elders of this community migrated from many parts of Bihar, UP and Assam in 1947 in the hopes of living in Pakistan, the land for Muslims. In 1971 many members sided with W. Pakistan and after the war opted for repatriation to Pakistan rather than the new nation, Bangladesh. While waiting for repatriation, they were housed in the camps. Many never made it to Pakistan and now has been living in the camps for last 40 years.


A lady cooks on the street as there is no other room. Her family of 8 people live in a 10x12 room in the Geneva camp

A typical living quarter in the Geneva camp

Geneva camp in Mohammadpur is the largest camp in Bangladesh with 25,000 people living in an area of 235,000 sq. ft.  It was established in 1972 by the ICRC and now is a thriving neighborhood.
The second camp, CRC is a small one with 282 people living in a three story building. I was introduced as a friend of Hannah and was welcomed with smiles. It is amazing and hard to believe that the stranded Biharis and the Urdu community has been living in such conditions in camps for last 40 years. Little has been done to improve their situations.



She cooks, sleeps and eats on this tiny room with 6 memebrs of her family



Her roof is at the verge of collapsing. Yet she continues to live in this quarter with 4 other members of her family

I intend to interview the elders of the community who migrated to this land in 1947.