Why East Pakistan Became Bangladesh: Part 2 - Language and Culture

Why East Pakistan Became Bangladesh (Part 2)

Part 1- Economic Exploitation of the East

Part 2: Language and Culture

Part 3: Cyclone Bhola

The Final Part (Part 4): Military and Politics

In this series of posts, I will highlight just a few of the many reasons why East Pakistan seceded from Pakistan and became Bangladesh. 

Part 2: Language and Culture

Pakistan was an anomaly when the nation was created. Two wings, East and West, divided by 1000 miles of Indian territory. Yet, it wasn't just the vast land that separated the two wings.

West Pakistan had 5 primary languages: Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Balochi, Urdu. Yet none of them could be used by a West Pakistani to converse with a man from East Pakistan who spoke Bengali. West Pakistani culture was influenced by Arabic and Persian, while East Pakistan's Bengali culture had influences from Sanskrit and Hindi. Food, music, culture - everything was different. Yet, even modern India has sizable populations speaking over 150 languages, 22 of which are official. So what went wrong for Pakistan?

As a side note: In modern day Pakistan, Urdu is officially understood and spoken throughout Pakistan, despite being the mother tongue of only 8% of the population.

Islam and Religion

At the creation of Pakistan, the religion of Islam was used as a glue to hold such a diverse nation together. In fact, one of the architects of Pakistan was a Bengali man called A.K. Fazlul Hoque (also called Sher-e-Bangla, the Lion of Bengal). It was he who presented the Lahore Resolution in 1940 that ultimate resulted in the creation of Pakistan based on religious lines. Being Muslim, and Islam the religion, was to be the unifying factor of Pakistan.

Yet, even Islam was different in between the two wings. In 1947 the Bengali Muslims had identified themselves with Pakistan's Islamic project. Yet by the 1970s the people of East Pakistan had given priority to their Bengali ethnicity over their religious identity. Many Bengali Muslims strongly objected to the Islamist paradigm imposed by the Pakistani state in the interim years. The history of Islam in Bengal has been strongly influenced with Sufism - a much less extreme, more tolerant variety of Islam, which allowed for a strong connection with cultural heritage, language and ethnicity.

Cultural discrimination also prevailed, causing the eastern wing to forge a distinct political identity. There was a bias against Bengali culture in state media, such as a ban on broadcasts of the works of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. And then there was the Language Movement.

The Language Movement and the birth of Ekushey

In 1947, almost immediately after the birth of the nation, the government of Pakistan declared that "Urdu should be the sole state language".

At that time, only 7.2% of Pakistanis spoke Urdu, while 55.4% of Pakistanis spoke Bengali.

Immediate protests erupted in East Pakistan. At the height of civic unrest, Governor-General of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah arrived in Dhaka on 19 March 1948. On 21 March, at a civic reception at Racecourse Ground, he declared that "Urdu, and only Urdu" embodied the spirit of Muslim nations and would remain as the state language. West Pakistani politicians even suggested Bengali be written in the Arabic script.

The culmination of the protests led to the famous killing of students on Feb 21, 1952. Today that date is marked worldwide as International Mother Language Day. Finally in 1954 the government of Pakistan relented and declared that Bengali will also be a state official language of Pakistan, which finally came into place in 1956.

The Effect of the Divide

The almost ten year struggle by Bengali Pakistanis to have the right to speak, converse, teach, and obtain government services in their own language, in their OWN country, further highlighted the differences between the two Wings.

It heightened the sense of alienation and 'otherness'. It was not the final straw that broke the camel's back, but it was one of the many in a series of unfortunate events that ultimately led to civil war.

PS. Interesting trivia: the famous Pakistani patriotic songs Sohni Dharti Allah Rakhay, as well as Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan are composed and originally sung by Shahnaz Rahmatullah, a Bengali artist.

To be continued ...

Why East Pakistan Became Bangladesh: Part 1- Economic Exploitation of the East

Why East Pakistan Became Bangladesh (Part 1)

Part 1- Economic Exploitation of the East

Part 2: Language and Culture

Part 3: Cyclone Bhola

The Final Part (Part 4): Military and Politics

In this series of posts, I will highlight just a few of the many reasons why East Pakistan seceded from Pakistan and became Bangladesh. Today, I want to focus on the economic disparity between the two wings before Liberation.

Part 1- Economic Exploitation of the East

Take a look at the chart. In almost every year since the creation of Pakistan in 1947, spending was more on West Pakistan than East Pakistan. 

This, despite the fact that the majority of Pakistanis were Bengalis and lived in East Pakistan.

Here are some highlights amongst the stats:

• During the period of 1947-55 only 10% of total expenditure of the central government was spent in East Pakistan.
• In 1948 there were 11 textile mills in the East and only 9 in the West.
• In 1971 there were 26 in the East as opposed to 150 in the West.
• Presence of the country's capital city and more immigrant businessmen in the Western wing directed greater government allocations there.
• Much lower foreign investment in Eastern wing as opposed to West.
• The Pakistani state's economic outlook was geared towards urban industry, which was not compatible with East Pakistan's mainly agrarian economy.
• In 1947 and 1966, East Pakistan had a trade surplus of Rs. 4924.1 million where West Pakistan ran into a deficit of Rs. 16,634.6 million. Naturally, East Pakistan’s surplus was used to meet up West Pakistan’s deficit.
• Three capital cities - Karachi, Rawalpindi and Islamabad were built in phases in West Pakistan. An amount of Rs. 5700 million was spent till 1956 for Karachi alone to build it up but Dhaka got only Rs. 250 million.

As can be seen, despite more Pakistanis being Bengalis, and living in the East, money, resources and man power was always directed at the Western wing, despite Ayub Khan's brief investments in East Pakistan.

Thus it isn't hard to see why the people of Bengal felt exploited. The British had left, but the Bengalis had remained a colony. This time in their "own" country.

To be continued ...

Sources:

1. Economic Exploitation of East Pakistan, by Shanawaz Ahamed

2. Reports of the Advisory Panels for the Fourth Five Year Plan 1970–75, Vol. I, published by the planning commission of Pakistan.

Lego 21325 || Medieval Village || One of the best Lego sets of ALL time!

 I recently purchased the Lego 21325: Medieval Blacksmith set. I honestly did not realize just how much fun this set would be!

When the set was released in February, I put a video out that I was NOT going to buy this set ... immediately. When I finally did purchase it in March, it was because they had included the Amelia Earhart promo.

The real joy of new adult-aimed sets like this compared to my childhood sets is all the interior details. Sure, they're not that visible once it's finished, but they add so much to the build experience. 

I spaced out the build over several days so I could enjoy it more. If you followed me on Instagram you would have seen the build develop over time in my stories.

This set instantly reminded me of the classic Lego Kingdoms sets and the Castle sets. A blast from the past and when I was constructing this beautiful building, I wanted more. More medieval buildings to construct a town. Please, LEGO!

Adding the light brick, and the way it is positioned under some translucent bricks, is truly genius and must be experienced first hand. It really does look like the forge is hot and ready to melt iron!

Every bag had different colours and pieces, interesting building techniques and something interesting to explore. It felt like a real trip down memory lane and was filled with nostalgia, yet when compared to the previous Blacksmith sets, it was actually far more sophisticated. What was even better was that each bag was actually LESS building than the bag before, leading to a race to the finish!

Here's the finished product. I put it on a baseplate with some additional tiles so it becomes easy to lift and maneuver. I also added one extra blacksmith (perhaps an apprentice?) minifig that I had in my inventory.

The two Black Falcons minifigures are a throwback to an earlier Lego Medieval/Castle era, one which I hope they bring back!

The only negative thing I could say about the Blacksmith set is the tree. It took some time to build, had lots of little pieces, and LOT of repeat steps, but in the end, the final look is only somewhat worth it.

Much like the Ideas Old Fishing Store, this set is packed full of detail and interesting building techniques. Each building floor is removable, as well as the roof for playability. This makes a great display piece as well. 

Lots of extra shield, knight headgear and ingots, as well as other stuff in the forge.

Details! Details! Details! The light-up forge, the upstairs fireplace, the writing desk with quill and ink pot, the bed with colorful quilt, and the kitchen range complete with stewpot are just delightful! 

I loved the roof detailing with the Nexo knight shields. They were so much fun to place! The roof gives the appearance of an old building, with some moss, and some missing shingles. 

And again, in true modular style, you can take off even the roof to display the interiors. I was surprised Lego went all out - we even have a bearskin rug!

Overall this is an extremely fun to build set, and fun to play set, and fun to display set. Worth every dollar, and highly recommended!

Bangladeshi ODI Squad Needs New Faces - NOW

Bangladesh needs fresh blood in the ODI squad before 2023 World Cup

And it must start NOW. As a selector once said to Dhoni in 2007, "Why are you worried, we have four years to the world cup." And Dhoni replied, "We have ONLY FOUR years to the world cup."

Let's take a look at our batting. I have listed our Big 4, and their statistics, and chosen a few players from some of the teams ahead of us to highlight the difference. Take a look at the averages.

Is it any wonder that we don't win games more often? And most of our games that we DO win against them seem to be upsets? On AVERAGE, the top 4 of any of these teams will score 40 more runs than ours. That's almost a whole extra batsman. Our Big 4, despite having more than a decade of experience, still cannot move their average out of the 30s. Mahmudullah can be excused as he comes in late in the innings, and Shakib also brings world class bowling to the team, but the uncomfortable question has to be asked about Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim. And unlike Dhoni, we ONLY have TWO years to the next world cup.

In the 2019 world cup, we carried Mashrafe Mortaza as a bowler and this hampered our team (and not just me, even Shakib hinted at it). What will be our story in 2023?

The Racism of Stephen Harper Conservatives

As we look at the ineptitude and incompetence of the current Liberal government, it is tempting to look at alternatives. We see Conservative leader Erin O Toole trying to "move his party to the centre" and coming up in polls. Perhaps this is a good time to remember why in 2015 Canadians overwhelmingly voted to kick out Stephen Harper and his Conservatives, many of whom still remain in Erin O Toole's party to this day.

Racism.

No political party or government in Canada is or ever will be overtly or blatantly racist. But subtle and indirect forms of racism did persist in the Harper Conservatives and PM Stephen Harper was an expert in playing dog whistle. Let us see some examples.

1. During the evacuation of Lebanese-born Canadians from that war-torn country during the Lebanon-Israel conflict in 2006, many of Harper's ministers including Immigration Minister Monte Solberg, criticized Lebanese Canadians for living abroad most of the time and allegedly returning to Canada only for health care and social benefits. The Conservatives questioned these people’s “loyalty” to Canada. No mention was made about Canadian celebrities such as Wayne Gretzky and Celine Dion, who also live outside Canada for extended periods while retaining their Canadian citizenship status.
2. “West of Winnipeg, the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by...immigrants.. who live in ghettos and are not integrated into Western Canadian society.” -- do you know who said this? Stephen Harper.
3. In unveiling Bill C-51, Harper singled out Canada's mosques as the place where people became radicalized. This drew widespread condemnation, as there was no basis for that statement.
4. Even as Canada's domestic terrorism (aka white supremacy) was being targeted by CSIS as a big danger to Canada, Harper and other officials repeatedly cited jihadi terrorism in speeches and comments about the changes proposed in Bill C-51. More on Bill C-51 later. In fact, during the January 2015 Charlie Hebdo incident, even as the suspects remained on the loose, Harper said "the international jihadist movement has declared war” and ascribes a hatred towards “anybody who does not think and act exactly as they wish they would think and act”.
5. It wasn't just Muslims who were targets. The Conservative Party ran an online petition asking for "more transparency for First Nations governments” — despite having already passed a First Nations Financial Transparency Act. The Conservative Facebook page was subsequently overrun by racist commentary from supporters.
6. Stephen Harper announced that he would appeal a court ruling allowing a Muslim woman to perform the citizenship oath while wearing her niqab (a veil covering her face). So much for those values of “freedom, openness and tolerance”. It is now a point of note that EVERY single argument their government had made is now destroyed in this era of covid19 and masks.
   
   But by appealing the ruling, Harper found a wedge issue he could ... harp on ... dividing Canadians. He himself began to exaggerate this divide, by famously talking about "old stock Canadians".
7. Who can forget the famous "barbaric cultural practices" hotline that Harper planned to institute? It was another wedge issued initiate to divide opinion against Muslim Canadians, who make up less than 2% of Canada, and play on their stereotypes. Indeed Jason Kenney tweeted a picture of Shia Muslims and mistakenly (I am assuming) labelled them as 'ISIL' .
8. Harper famously stated, "Islamicism is the biggest threat to Canada".
9. And who can forget the famous bill C-51 that would make a whole category of Canadians second class citizens? You could be stripped of your citizenship, based on the decision of a Minister (not a judge), and deported to a country where you have never been to and a country to which you are a foreigner.

This is not an exhaustive list. But the highlights. Yes, Erin O Toole is not Stephen Harper. But it is till the Conservative Party. Mr. O Toole will have to work a lot harder if he has to convince us that things have changed.

New links:

Muslim groups troubled by Harper's Mosque remark:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/muslim-groups-troubled-by-stephen-harper-s-mosque-remark-1.2940488

Harper racism timeline:

https://pressprogress.ca/a_detailed_timeline_of_stephen_harper_s_weird_racially_divided_vision_of_canada/

Niqab controversy:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/niqab-controversy-stephen-harper-justin-trudeau-wade-into-culture-war-over-the-veil-1.2989576

Barbaric Cultural Practices Hotline:

https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/senate-passes-bill-to-remove-mention-of-barbaric-cultural-practices-from-law-passed-by-harper-conservatives

Harper on Threat to Canada:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/harper-says-islamicism-biggest-threat-to-canada-1.1048280

Travelling in Canada: The East and West Coasts, and Right Home here in Ontario

 A lot of people ask me about travelling to Canada's East and West Coasts. Since I have travelled extensively through Canada, and written about it, I thought I would consolidate all the links here.

Banff, Yoho and Jasper (2021)

Here's my full list of travel diaries for Banff, Jasper, Yoho in 2021. Each post has details on what to see, etc. These trips are all post-Covid era, so they are updated with procedures, tips etc.

West Coast Canada (2019 and 2016)

A trip to the beautiful and majestic Rockies has to be done again and again. You fly into Calgary, and then rent a car. Calgary itself has a few things to see, especially the Peace Bridge. From there, you drive to the magnificent and awe inspiring Banff National Park. After spending a few days there, you can head over to Jasper National Park, and the adjacent Yoho National Park. Each park is unique in its own way and has tons to see and do. From Calgary, it's about ten hours drive away to Vancouver, and on to Victoria.

Click here to access the overview and dive deeper into the details.

East Coast Canada (2019)

A beautiful drive, starting from Toronto through Quebec and all the way to the tip of the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia and back. Beautiful highlights included PEI, the Hopewell Rocks and of course, Peggy's Cove. 

Click here to access the overview and dive deeper into the details.

Ontario

If you are living right here in the Golden Horseshoe, there's lots of neat things to do right around home.

• Point Pelee National Park (2023)
• Sudbury and Port Perry (2022)
• Day 1 - The Thirty Thousand Islands Cruise
• Day 2 - Dynamic Earth and Onaping Falls
• Day 3 - Northern Ontario Railroad Museum & Heritage Centre
• Port Union Waterfront Trail
• Port Perry (2021)
• Sibbald Point Provincial Park in the Spring (2021)
• Reptilia Zoo, Vaughan (2021)
• Sunflowers and Apple Picking (2020)
• Niagara Falls (2020)
• Butterfly Conservatory and Whirlpool Aero Car
• Bird Kingdom
• Brooks Farm (2018)
• Exploring Nature in Owen Sound and Grey County (2017)
• CNE (Canadian National Exhibition, 2017)
• Toronto Light Festival (2017)
• Woodbine Mall Fantasy Fair (2017)
• Ottawa Tulip Festival (2016)
• Tobermory and Flowepot Island (2015)
• Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto (2014)
• A cruise to the Thousand Islands (2013)
• Tobermory and Flowerpot Island (2009)
• A Photography Workshop: Ducks in the Park
• A Photography Workshop: Cherry Blossoms

Quebec City and Tadoussac (2008):

• Day 1
• Day 2
• Day 3

Other Links:

• How to Enjoy a Family Vacation
• Handling Kids on Long Flights

Dr Theresa Tam's "Prophetic" Statements on Covid19

Let's look at some statements of Dr Theresa Tam, our chief Public Health officer:

I don’t think there’s any reason for us to panic or be overly concerned. - Dr Tam on Jan 20, 2020, as cases (and deaths) continue to pile up in China.

The risk of an outbreak in Canada remains low. - Dr Tam on Jan 25, 2020, even as 5 cases and a possible outbreak was being investigated in Quebec.

For other completely asymptomatic people, currently there’s no evidence that we should be quarantining them. We do know that asymptomatic people are not the key driver of epidemics. - Dr Tam on Jan 29, 2020, arguing with Liberal MP Marcus Powlowski that we don't need to quarantine anyone coming from abroad, especially from China.

WHO declaration “doesn’t really change what we do”. - Dr Tam on Jan 31, 2020, a day after WHO declared COVID19 a "global health emergency".

The risk to Canadians from the novel coronavirus remains low. - Dr Tam on Jan 31, 2020, a day after WHO declared COVID19 a "global health emergency".

I think that in the public health domain we certainly have to remember that our borders are not a solid wall, as was just said.- Dr Tam, on March 13, 2020, after WHO declares it a pandemic. She was justifying her decision NOT to recommend travel restrictions.

Face masks may give you a false sense of security (so do seatbelts and helmets) and they are really not necessary. - Dr Tam on March 30, 2020 after most of Asia had already border checks, travel restrictions and masks.

It is now recommended you wear a non-medical mask - Dr Tam on May 20, 2020.

(Former) Conservative MP Derek Sloan was wrong when he asked if Dr Tam was working for China. The question he should have asked was if Dr Tam was working at all. 

Source:

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/canadian-health-chief-i-don-t-think-there-s-any-reason-for-us-to-panic-over-coronavirus-1.4775957

https://nationalpost.com/news/coronavirus-risk-to-canadians-remains-low-despite-who-declaring-it-a-global-emergency-top-health-official

https://globalnews.ca/news/6451464/canada-coronavirus-health-minister/

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/national/the-road-to-canadas-covid-19-outbreak-timeline-of-federal-government-failure-at-border-to-slow-the-virus

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/national/the-road-to-canadas-covid-19-outbreak-pt-3-timeline-of-federal-government-failure-at-border-to-slow-the-virus/

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/it-s-now-recommended-that-canadians-wear-face-masks-1.4946752?cache=%3FclipId%3D89530%3FautoPlay%3Dtrue

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/jonathan-kay-the-case-for-wearing-face-masks-during-covid-19-was-obvious-a-month-ago

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1717905987907

Nova Scotia Fishery Dispute Explained In A Minute

 

What is happening in Nova Scotia ? Important for us to know as Canadians.

1. 21 years ago the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the Mi'kmaw nation has a right to earn a "moderate livelihood" from fishing. The court later said the federal government could regulate the Mi'kmaw fishery but must justify any restrictions it placed on it.
2. Sipekne'katik First Nation launched a "moderate livelihood fishery" last month. Mi'kmaw fishers were storing their catches at their facilities in this fishery.
3. Many commercial lobster fishermen say they consider the new Sipekne'katik fishery in St. Marys Bay illegal and worry that catching lobster outside the mandated season, particularly during the summer spawning period, will negatively impact stocks.
4. A "suspicious" fire has now destroyed the lobster facility.
5. This case has pitted Indigenous and First Nation rights against regulations of fishing abided by others, and has sparked a lot of tension in the community in Nova Scotia.

Source: Fire destroys lobster facilty in south west Nova Scotia amidst escalating fishery tensions (CBC)

The French Connection and its Inferiority Complex

 Let us talk about France. This is a country that is at war with its own citizens who are Muslim. Previously, this same "secular" mindset was at war with Christianity, a fact they conveniently ignore.

1. The French Revolution at the end of the 18th century involved the mass murder of the Christian clergy and the destruction and desecration of tens of thousands of churches. 30,000 Catholic priests were exiled. 17,000 official executions were conducted and hundreds of thousands more killed due to revolts and unrecorded murders. All in the name of "freedom and secularism" that till today continues to be celebrated (Bastille Day).
2. In1830, France invaded and colonized Algeria. They killed between 500,000 to 1 million Muslims, out of a total population of 3 million. 1 out of 3 Muslims were killed in a deliberate program of extermination that numerous historians have documented.
3. Today, France continues its war on its own Muslim citizens. I am not even going into the racism (the Hijab laws), the discrimination (in jobs, in residences, in opportunities for advancement) that exists in France. Imagine the PM of the country openly mocking your religion and saying you are a fifth column. A national newspaper making fun of your religion in the name of freedom of speech (that somehow doesn't apply to their own icons).

This is France today. This is where a teacher feels it's perfectly fine to tell a group of children "Here, I am going to show you some cartoons of the person you hold holy".

Yes, I condemn his killing, but I also condemn France in general. And France has the bigger share of the blame.