Showing posts with label Tradition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tradition. Show all posts

Mar 15, 2020

Spiritual renewal, reconciliation and fraternity during Lent in Bangladesh

A scene from Jishu Nila, a folk-religious play on the life, suffering and death of Jesus, staged by a Catholic group in Bangladeshi capital Dhaka in 2017. (Photo: Stephan Uttom/UCA News)
On the first Tuesday of Lent, about 200 Catholic villagers — children, adults and the elderly — gathered in the yard of a Catholic family in Choto Satanipara, one of six villages under Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Rangmatia of Gazipur district in central Bangladesh.
From morning to afternoon, the faithful had special prayers, life sharing from elders, Way of the Cross, Mass, a special talk from the parish priest and a fraternal meal with rice, vegetables and lentils before heading back to their homes.
Nearly half of the village's 400 Catholics are non-residents who live in cities, mostly in capital Dhaka about 50 kilometers away, for reasons such as jobs and education.
The spiritual and social gathering on March 3 was part of a special village-based program during the Catholic Church's Lenten season, introduced by Dhaka Archdiocese about a decade ago.

Mar 12, 2020

Dhaka’s festival of ‘kites and lights’ promotes harmony

Young people release a paper lantern during the traditional Shakrain festival in old Dhaka on Jan. 14, 2020.  The festival is hailed for its secular character. (Photo by Piyas Biswas)
As the feeble winter sun starts setting, thousands of residents of the old part of Dhaka, on the banks of the Buriganga, clamber to their rooftops — to sing and dance, and to fly kites of various colors and shapes.
As dusk descends, the boisterous crowd start releasing hundreds of paper lanterns and firework. Some flamboyant groups arrange for daylong programs including music concerts, parties and fire-breathing by brave young men.
Men, women and children from all faiths—Muslims, Hindus and Christians — greet each other and offer sweets and traditional pithas (homemade cakes).
The narrow streets of Old Dhaka get overcrowded as residents and visitors rush to celebrate the feast in whatever way they can.
This unique feast is Shakrain, which marks the start of the sun’s northward journey at the end of Poush, the ninth month of the local calendar. It also marks the end of the winter solstice and the start of longer days.
This year, Shakrain fell on Jan. 14-15.

Jan 2, 2020

পথ চলতে ফিরে দেখা



গোড়ার কথা

ছোটবেলায় আমি বেশ লাজুক ও নিরীহ স্বভাবের ছিলাম সেটা হোক বাড়িতে, স্কুল বা বন্ধুমহলে। মনে পরে বাবা যদি কোনদিন কারো কাছে পাওনা টাকা ফেরত আনতে পাঠাতেন, তা চাইতে গেলেও আমার লজ্জা লাগতো। ক্লাস ফোরে পড়ার সময় আমাদের পবিত্র যীশু হৃদয় ধর্মপল্লীর (রাঙ্গামাটিয়া) সেবক দলে ভর্তি হই এবং ঐ বছরই কোন একদিন মিশায় সেবক হওয়ার পালা পরে। সেদিন ভয়ের চেয়ে লজ্জাই বেশি পেয়েছিলাম, আর তাই সেবকের কাজে ভুল করে ফেলেছিলাম। সাথে আমাদের বাড়ির এক বড় ভাই ছিল তাই কোন সমস্যা ছাড়াই পার পেয়ে যাই।

পরবর্তী জীবনে এই লাজুক ও নিরীহ ভাবটা কাটিয়ে উঠতে পেরেছি, এবং এর পেছনে বড় অবদান আমার দীর্ঘ নয় বছরের (১৯৯৯-২০০৭) সেমিনারি জীবন। ক্লাস নাইন থেকে বি.এ. চূড়ান্ত বর্ষ পর্যন্ত ঢাকার তিনটি ধর্মপ্রদেশীয় সেমিনারিতে নানা অঞ্চলের সহপাঠী, বড় ও ছোট ভাইদের সঙ্গে কাটিয়েছি। দেশের বিভিন্ন অঞ্চল ও জেলার নানা মানুষের সাথে পরিচয় হয়েছে—বাঙ্গালি ও আদিবাসী। একাদিক্রমে বাংলাদেশের বাকি সাত ধর্মপ্রদেশের সাথে যোগসূত্র স্থাপনে আমার সেমিনারি জীবন একটি চাবিকাঠি হিসেবে কাজ করেছে।

তবে, এ সত্ত্বেও, উত্তরবঙ্গ তথা রাজশাহী অঞ্চলে আমার ভাল কোন সংযোগ হয়নি। এর প্রধান কারণ সেমিনারি জীবনে আমাদের ব্যাচে এই এলাকার কোন সহপাঠী ছিল না। অন্যান্য ব্যাচে বেশ কয়েকজন বড় ও ছোট ভাই ছিল, বাঙ্গালি ও আদিবাসী। বাঙ্গালি যারা তাদের মুখের ভাষা ছিল হুবুহু আমাদের ভাওয়াল অঞ্চলের চলিত কথ্য ভাষা। তাদের কথা শুনে প্রথমে অবাক হয়েছিলাম, যদিও জানতাম ঐ অঞ্চলের তিনটি বড় ধর্মপল্লীর (মথুরাপুর, বোর্ণী ও বনপাড়া) প্রায় সব বাঙ্গালি খ্রিস্টানই আমাদের ভাওয়াল অঞ্চলের অভিবাসী ও তাদের বংশধর। আমার বাবার দুই মামা ও এক মাসি যথাক্রমে পাবনার চাটমোহর ও নাটোরের শ্রীখণ্ডীতে কয়েক দশক পূর্ব থেকে বসবাস করে আসছেন। ছোটবেলায় দেখতাম বাবার মামাতো ও মাসতুতো ভাই-বোনেরা আমাদের বাড়িতে বেড়াতে আসতেন। তবে সময়ের পরিক্রমায় যাতায়াত এবং সম্পর্ক উভয়েই ভাঁটা পড়ে যায়।

Tradition, spirituality and joy: Christmas carols in Bangladesh




A group of Catholics perform Borodiner Kirtan (Christmas carols) in Dhaka on Dec. 16. (Photo: Stephan Uttom/ucanews)
Hiron Patrick Gomes is a bit upset that his team lost its crown at a recent Borodiner Kirtan (Christmas Carol) contest in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka.

Gomes' team was among 17 Kirtan Dals (Carol Groups) from around the country that participated on Dec. 16 in a competition organized by the Christian Cooperative Credit Union Ltd (CCCUL), the country's largest cooperative bank.


It was the third version of the contest hosted by the CCCUL, coming just days before most Christians in the city head back to their villages to spend Christmas with family and friends.
Gomes and his team were champions last year but this year had to settle for fourth.
"We practiced for more than a week and performed quite well. We are a bit upset, but not heartbroken. In the past years, I have won many competitions and hope to win more in the future," Gomes, 32, a Catholic father of one, told ucanews.
Gomes Gomes has been an ardent kirtan fan since he was a boy and has sung in numerous carol performances in his home village of Doripara in Gazipur district, covered by Dhaka Archdiocese, one of Bangladesh's oldest and largest Catholic settlements.

"For Christians in the country, carols have special significance during Christmas season in terms of spirituality and culture," Gomes told ucanews. "I have been involved with carols since my childhood in the village. Every Christmas we used to form groups and sing carols at every house in the village."
Gomes, a professional singer, spent a few years at a diocesan seminary and his time there helped him learn various forms of traditional carols.
He is now a busy NGO worker and lives with his family in Dhaka but never misses the chance to take part in Christmas carols, whether at home or in contests.
"Carol is a soulful expression of our joy and spirituality during Christmas, our pride and heritage. We are glad that together we are back to revive and carry on our age-old tradition. I hope this will continue in the coming days," Gomes added.
A Christmas special


Kirtan is a widely popular tradition among Bengali Christians in Bhawal as well in other parts of the country and also among ethnic indigenous Catholics in the north and northeast of Bangladesh.

Aug 22, 2017

Indigenous peoples struggle for survival in Bangladesh


Indigenous peoples struggle for survival in Bangladesh
An indigenous Garo girl lights a candle in Dhaka, Aug. 8, 2016, to mark the International Day for the World’s Indigenous Peoples. (ucanews.com photo)

Two disastrous events in the past month have once again highlighted the vulnerability of indigenous peoples in Bangladesh.
On June 2, a Bengali Muslim mob, enraged by the alleged murder of a local politician by indigenous men, attacked their villages at Rangamati district in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The violence reportedly left seven villagers killed, dozens injured and 300 houses destroyed, with police confirming two deaths. Among some 300 accused, only a dozen attackers were detained.
The ridiculous failure to protect indigenous peoples from violence is a prime example of state negligence toward them.
Two weeks later, deadly landslides hit southeast Bangladesh, badly affecting the Chittagong Hill Tracts in particular. Over 160 were killed, dozens injured and thousands lost their homes. Most of the victims were poor indigenous people.
This was a disaster waiting to happen. Just days before, Cyclone Mora had lashed its wild tail, causing massive deforestation and cutting off the hills from Bengali Muslim settlers. The fatalities surpassed the 2007 landslide that killed 127 when it struck the same region.
The goodwill, support and sympathy from government agencies, rights groups, environmentalists and media in the wake of the communal violence and landslides will soon run out until another disaster strikes again. Hope for justice and remedy in those cases will soon blow up in smoke. After all, indigenous people in Bangladesh have a long history of political, economic and social discrimination at the hands of the state and mainstream Bengali society.
The forgotten people
In 1971, when Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan, the political leadership was obsessed with Bengali nationalism that helped propel the independence movement and engender war. Thus, in the first constitution of 1972, the new nation accepted religious pluralism but denied ethnic and cultural diversity. The ethnic minorities were forgotten in the charter, despite the fact that many of them fought against the Pakistan army side by side with Bengalis and took the brunt of the violence.
Nearly half of these ethnic communities live in the plain lands in the north, south and coastal regions, while others live in three hill districts: Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari, otherwise known as the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Until the 1991 national census, they were completely disregarded.
Even in the most recent 2001 census, they were erroneously enumerated. The government calculated between 1.5 and 2 million people, belonging to 25 small ethnic groups, as part of Bangladesh's population of 160 million. 
Indigenous leaders claim the number of groups is 45. However, independent researchers estimate the figure to be as high as 90 groups contributing a much larger population of 3 million. 
A struggle for recognition
The unique ways of life, cultures, traditions and heritage of the ethnic groups are extremely valuable to Bangladesh's history and multi-cultural identity, but they face increasing threats against their survival and struggle for recognition.
Constitutionally unrecognized, they are driven toward the edges and made to feel destitute. Forced to abandon their ancestral homes, they long for the forests that have been cleared and their lands that have been grabbed by Bengali people. This has led to a dislocation from their land, culture and history and a forced migration to the towns and cities in search of work. Bengali society has imposed its lifestyle and identity on them.
In 2010, at the time a constitutional amendment to citizenship identity was proposed, indigenous leaders appealed to the government to recognize them as "indigenous peoples," only to be rejected. Instead, they were given the new identity of "small ethnic groups" in the Small Ethnic Groups Cultural Institutes Act of 2010 leaving their identity in obscurity.
Our constitution guarantees equal rights to all people irrespective of race, caste, creed and religion but does not recognize non-Bengali ethnic minorities as distinct cultural groups.
The charter recognizes Bangladesh as an ethnically and culturally homogeneous nation of Bengali people whose national language is Bangla or Bengali. It calls for "establishing a uniform, mass-oriented system of education" which undermines the struggle of ethnic groups for protection of their culture and language from hegemony of Bengali language and culture.
Bangladesh is a signatory of the International Labor Organization's Convention on Indigenous and Tribal Populations (No. 107), but it has not ratified the Convention of Biological Diversity (No. 169) that contains more-detailed protective measures for indigenous peoples.
This country is governed by a strong, anti-indigenous nexus of ruling elite, bureaucrats, political parties, ultra-nationalists and bigots. They continuously put barriers up against the recognition, development and empowerment of indigenous peoples.
"No indigenous peoples"
The United Nations declared 1994-2004 as the First International Decade for the World's Indigenous Peoples and 2005-2014 as the Second International Decade for World's Indigenous Peoples. Annually, Aug. 9 has been designated as the International Day for the World's Indigenous Peoples.
This international day has never been officially celebrated in Bangladesh and the government perpetually discourages private celebrations. Political leaders, ministers and government officials claim there are "no indigenous peoples" citing historic references that say there were "no such groups" in this land before the 17th century.
The statement is based on a misguided interpretation of the label of indigenous.
The United Nations defines indigenous peoples as those "practicing unique traditions, they retain social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live."
Yet, our ethnic minorities still struggle for official recognition. Moreover, Bengali society often taunts them with the term "tribal" that they deem derogatory.
Time and again, ethnic groups such as the Garos of the Modhupur forests, the Santals in the north and Khasis in the northeast have faced threats of eviction, torture and even death over land disputes. Hamstrung by their lifestyles, indigenous people live modestly, are illiterate and ignorant of state economic or political processes. Many of them have lived on ancestral lands for decades but don't possess documentation for land rights. This helps to explain why they are susceptible to fraud and forgery, and have progressively lost their lands.
A double minority
The Chittagong Hill Tracts make up the country's only mountainous region, which borders India and Myanmar and is home to some 25 ethnic groups. The majority are Buddhists but there some are Christians.
Outside the Chittagong Hill Tracts, indigenous peoples don't typically have political parties. Where they do, they are often engaged in in-fighting and rivalry, which prevents them from truly safe-guarding their communities.
Ultimately, the fringe communities are politically marginalized, insecure and under-represented, seriously limiting their access to socio-economic development.  
The indigenous peoples are mostly non-Muslims—Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and ancient religions — making them a double minority. Some ethnic groups such as Garo, Khasis, Santal and Tripura, are largely Christian. Four out of the country's eight Catholic dioceses are predominantly indigenous.
Often the Catholic Church stands beside the indigenous people to protect their lives, livelihood and culture. Thus, the church also faces the ire of the state machinery and opportunist Muslims. In 1967, Archbishop Lawrence Granner of Dhaka was forced to leave the country after he strongly criticized state-sponsored communal riots against indigenous peoples.
In the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Islamic radicals sometimes accuse the church and church groups of acting as agents of foreign countries and fueling unrest to secede the region to create an independent country. Fearing backlash, the church works with indigenous people silently, sometimes compromising the interests of the people to save them from the threats of Bengali Muslims.
In general, indigenous peoples are poor, have little access to resources, are progressively losing their lands and properties, and continuously face social, political, cultural exploitation, discrimination and harassment. Constitutional and legal protections should be applied to help uplift them from their current struggle for survival. Support from aid agencies and civil society groups also play a vital role for their development and empowerment.
At a minimum, indigenous peoples deserve to be recognized as equal citizens to their fellow Bengali countrymen and given their entitlements to rights so they may prosper as equal human beings.
END

দক্ষিণ এশিয়ায় ভোটের রাজনীতি এবং খ্রিস্টান সম্প্রদায়

Bangladeshi Christians who account for less than half percent of some 165 million inhabitants in the country pray during an Easter Mass in D...