Mahasweta Devi - Bortika - Baul-Fakir Movement - Saktinath Jha

Bortika; July-September 1997 Theme: An account of the movement targeted to destroy Baul-Fakir Founder President Manish Ghatak Founder Publisher Bijan Bhattacharya Publisher & Editor Mahasweta Devi Published by Mahasweta Devi from 18-A, Ballygunge Station Road, Kolkata 19 & printed at Samiksha Press, Kolkata 700002, 216p Contents 1. সম্পাদকীয় [Editorial] 2. বাউল-ফকির ধ্বংসের আন্দোলন -শক্তিনাথ ঝা। 1 [An account of the movement targeted to destroy Baul-Fakir by Shaktinath Jha] 3. বাউলদের বিরুদ্ধে নিপীড়নের তথ্যমূলক লেখা -শক্তিনাথ ঝা। 109 [A documented write up highlighting torture inflicted on the Bauls by Shaktinath Jha] 4. মৃত্যুহীন ধড়গুলি আর্তনাদ করে - শক্তিনাথ ঝা। 114 [The death-defying corpses scream in agony by Shaktinath Jha] 5. বাঘ ডাঙ্গার বৃত্তান্ত - শক্তিনাথ ঝা। 119 [An account of a rural area in Murshidabad by Shaktinath Jha] 6. একটি সামাজিক অত্যাচারের প্রতিবেদন এবং বিশ্লেষণ - শক্তিনাথ ঝা। 128 [A report on a social torture & its analysis by Shaktinath Jha] 7. মতামত। Matamat [Various opinions] 136 8. মুর্শিদাবাদ বাউল-ফকিরেরা নির্যাতিত - কালান্তর 16 April 1994 148 [Baul-Fakirs in Murshidabad suffer a torture by Shaktinath Jha] 9. কুমীরদহের অসাম্প্রদায়িক সাধকেরা - শক্তিনাথ ঝা। 152 [Non-communal spiritual seekers of Kumirdaho by Shaktinath Jha] 10.কুচাইডাঙ্গা গ্রামের বাউল ফকিরদের উপর নিপীড়ণের প্রতিবেদন । সিদ্দিক হোসেন খান। 169 [A report on the torture inflicted on the Baul Fakirs of Kuchaidanga village by Siddik Hosen Khan] 11.লাঠি তলোয়ার এবং গফুর মিয়াঁ। আকবর আলী শেখ। 186 [Stick sword and Gafur Mian by Akbar Ali Sekh.] 12.বাউল --এপিঠ এবং ওপিঠ। আমেদ আলী। 192 [Baul—this side and the reverse side by Amed Ali] 13.মৌলবাদ বাউল সংস্কৃতি শ্রেণীদ্বন্দ্ব-একটি সমীক্ষা। মহিউর রহমান। 199 [Fundamentalism vs Baul-culture class conflict-a survey by Mahiur Rahman] 14.বন্ধ নয়, খোলা গলায়। সুভাষ মুখোপাধ্যায়। 210 [Not shut, in open voice by Subhas Mukhopadhyay]. Editorial [no page number] An unpardonable delay has occurred in publishing this number of “Bortika”. Shaktinath Jha gave a thoroughly edited complete manuscript. Delay occurred elsewhere. He [Jha] deserves to be credited with whatever is found admirable in this number. Shaktinath Jha’s book dealing with Lalan Fakir has in the meanwhile received considerable recognition. Through two decades Shaktinath remains actively associated with a movement resisting the fundamentalist attacks inflicted on Baul-Fakirs. As expected, his movement arose from a protest itself organized by the Baul-Fakirs. Today in the annual convention of the Baul-Fakirs, people who fight for protection of human rights, who believe in the maintenance of a harmony between environment and Nature, who oppose fundamentalism, all of them. This convention stands out as of a special importance to all. It is a fact that the world today is in extreme danger. Hence it is very important that one should learn about the nature and character of the protest movement organized by the Baul-Fakirs. The reason is that an aggression is on, on whatever are there originating from land, Nature, environment, water-earth-forest-animals birds insects-moths, on everything. All of these maintained the ecological balance of the Earth. And, at the grassroot folk-religion [lokadharma] maintained a noble value-awareness. Baul-Fakirs held that the Creator is One and Unparallel, in whatever name you call Him and above all human beings remain the only Truth. Who is male, who is female can be ignored. These Baul-Fakirs would not care about caste-religion-gender divisions, and just as a cover of grass protects land, [similarly] the liberal human conviction of these – [Baul-Fakirs] protects the value-awareness of human beings. 07 September 2026 If the tradition of lokadharma remained afloat then it poses serious threats to the fundamentalist Fascists. Their desire is to crush that grass cover and plant poison trees of communalism, discrimination in religions. At the grassroot level no communalism exists, there the tradition of lokadharma is afloat. The reason is that lokadharma does not admit the term “sampraday”. Page [2] There are many other traditions of lokadharma such as this in West Bengal, about whom I am not quite aware of. I have seen persons who have taken spiritual initiation (Diksha) in Motua dharma. Potua/Chitrakar [Muslim Painter community] persons, whatever be their name, do not accept [paying allegiance to] mosques or temples. And among the tribals [adivasis] the religious differences do not exist at all, although once Christians who are at present Hindu fundamentalists, now remain busy hunting with them. I have not done research nor have I taken part in intense studies on the subject of Baul-Fakirs. But I, however, do protest against the movement aimed at crushing them. The reason why the destructive fundamentalists are conducting a movement to eradicate this faith in lokadharma which is as liberal as the sky and its spokespersons, the Baul-Fakirs, is, that they [the fundamentalists] feel threatened. Saktinath has made me specially indebted by taking the full responsibility for this number. Human beings search for shelter when a devastating flood arrives. Today an aggressive fundamentalism with which political, liberal economic and many dissenting interests remain involved. Vested interests get threatened whenever a religion of humanism is propagated and unleashes violent attacks. It is learnt from reading the book authored by recently deceased Mamtajur Rahaman Tarafdar that in the 16th Century a revolt by the Brahmins took place at Navadwip. It was suppressed by Hosen Shah. The dharma preached by Chaitanyadev was a religion of Humanity, something which common people held tightly. Caste [conflicts] and class exploitation forced all these people to search for a liberal religion. Hosen Shah supported Chaitanya because he threatened the existing Brahmin-ruled religion. If one read with an impartial point of view the “Chaitanya Mangal” of Jayananda and Tarafdar’s English book on Bengal, then it may seem possible that Chaitanya had to leave Bengal and move to Odisha. All these discussions are irrelevant here. I imagine that fundamentalists always felt threatened by lokadharma, tracing whose origin we can find a liberal Manav dharma, [Religion of Humanity], free from class-caste-religion related discriminations. Page 3 All of you please read this number, think deeply, speak aloud in protest-this appeal I submit here, Now is the time for protest and the responsibility for protesting against attacking fundamentalism rests on all in a society. Saktinath could have written books containing amazing information concepts from sheer research. I respect him because he has taken side with the tortured to prevent them from attacks. An extremely restless time, a time of conflicts among interests, the Third World is shaken with the attack of vested interests. At this point of time, it is a need of the hour to learn about the account of crushing the Baul-Fakir movement by the fundamentalists, to feel worried and to move forward to mobilize a unified protest. All anti-fundamentalist intellectual persons need to come forward on this issue. In 1980 when I took the responsibility for “Bortika” at that time I had no idea how much capacity “Bortika” can assume. In 1997 I understand within my own mind that though my body and mind feel exhausted within under pressure of various commitments that I have done the right thing by taking the responsibility for “Bortika”. Topics have been selected by Maitreya Ghatak. While I was active, he volunteered to take up the entire responsibility for this periodical making my charge lighter. Good wishes to all namely advertisers, readers, subscribers, Press. Editor & Joint Editor Maitreya Ghatak. Sri Saktinath Jha is the Co-editor of this number.