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Obama's 'Jobs Bill' to spur the economy will be a tough sale to Republicans

Jaffor Ullah

New Orleans USA

September 10, 2011

 

President Obama has finally delivered his address to the joint house of Congress on September 8, 2011 at sundown.  The media here in America was abuzz for the last few days discussing whether Republicans in the minority chamber (House of Representatives) would pass Obama's Jobs Bill designed to spur the anemic economy in which virtually no jobs growth took place in August 2011.  It is a worrisome issue for the president who will be up for reelection in November 2012.

 

Right now, the unemployment figure got stuck at 9.1%, which is a tad better than what it was in 2010 when 9.5% Americans could not find any employment.  Lately, American news media is paying a lot of attention to the nation's economy because recovery from the last recession is anemic at best and it is taking such a long time to get back to normalcy.  On top of it, the jobs growth is not robust by post-recession standard; consequently many Americans are hurting as financially. 

 

In the past, when U.S. economy came out of recession, the annual GDP growth was usually a robust one showing 3-4% growth. Unfortunately, in 2011 the economy was growing but ever so slowly.  In August this year, the Republican lawmakers in Washington were putting all the roadblocks they could so that the debt ceiling could not be raised by President Obama.  It was seen by most observers as being a ploy to portray the president a weak leader.  The legislators belonging to Tea Party wing of the Republican Party were vociferously opposed to Obama's request to increase the debt ceiling so that the government could pay all the bills.  A deal was however struck at the eleventh hour to raise the debt ceiling but by then the damage was already done.  The premier credit rating company, Standard and Poor's, had downgraded the government's credit rating from AAA+ to AAA while citing a dysfunctional Congress in Washington.  This is the first time ever that a credit rating company has downgraded the credit worthiness of the U.S. government.  This action by the S&P had spooked the financial market in August; consequently, the Americans have suffered a paper loss of over trillion dollars. Now, their nest egg is worth less and many would-be-retiring Americans are worrying how they are going to make their ends meet in the golden years.

 

The other fallouts from the anemic post-recession recovery are deteriorating housing market, sluggish jobs growth, consumers not opening their wallets, new construction at a historic low level, and the nation's factories not humming as they should — had there been healthy demands for durable goods.  All in all, a very dismal picture for the economy of the premier industrial nation on earth.

 

Many pundits in America have opined that the rancorous partisan politics in Washington is not helping either the anemic economy to expand at a healthy rate that would have spurred the jobs growth and build confidence among American consumers.  To make matters worse, the president is at loggerhead with the majority lawmakers in the House of Representatives where Republican Party is in control.  If you've not noticed, President Obama was bruised very badly during the debt ceiling debate in late July and early August this year.  The austerity measures propounded by Republican lawmakers were deemed counterproductive to the expansion of American economy.  Under this dismal backdrop, President Obama decided to unveil his Jobs Bill so that millions of unemployed Americans, who were out of work for a long time, could be gainfully employed.

 

President Obama's Job Bill if passed by the Congress would infuse about $ 450 billion into the economy over the next 12 months.  The government would spend money to rebuild the infrastructure such as roads, bridges, schools, etc.  The construction industries were hard hit by the recession and fresh infusion of money would certainly put millions of construction workers back into the job.  In 2010, the Federal Reserve Bank of America has done quantitative easing (QE) to buy the government bonds so that the interest rate remains quite low.  The Fed has done it twice already in the last two years, which had helped the economy to grow. The Federal Reserve's QE program had ended earlier and many economists have expressed their opinion that more infusion of money into the economy is needed to help expand the economy. Thus, President Obama's call for another round of infusion of money to help the infrastructure of the nation is being viewed by many macro-economists to be a positive development.  In theory, it is a Keynesian approach but many Republican lawmakers abhor the idea because it runs counter to free market approach to governance, which they believe.

 

The million dollar question is – would the Republican control lower house give their seal of approval to Obama's Jobs Bill?  One line of thinking is that even though they dislike the bill but if they do not pass this bill, then they would be viewed by many Americans as doing politics at the cost of robbing the future of many people who are now unemployed.  In a popular poll taken recently by a few polltakers, the members of the House of Representatives received a low score than President Obama.  The entire members of the lower chamber would be up for reelection in November 2012.  Therefore, if the House would not give their seal of approval to Obama's Jobs Bill, then many of the Congressmen would face ignominy in the next election.  There is a real danger lurking out there for them vis-à-vis November 2012 election.  Thus, they may not take a hard position on Obama's Jobs Bill.

 

Like a crafty and seasoned politician, Mr. Obama had taken the high road at this time. He wanted Americans to know what is at stake here if his Jobs Bill is not passed by the Lower House.  The president has urged Americans to contact their representatives and press them for the passage of the Bill.  Mr. Obama is anxiously waiting to have the bill into his desk after its passage in the Congress.  If everything goes okay, then he expects the piece of legislation to arrive his desk, which he would sign very eagerly to make it a law.  Money could then flow into the economy right away to re-employ tens and thousands of construction workers.  Many economists think that this infusion of $ 450 billion into the economy may lower the unemployment rate from 9.1% to 8% within a year.  If that happens, then candidate Obama would look good in the eyes of American voters in November 2012.  The Republican think tank members and politicians know what it would mean for their party's challenger.  Thus, the members of the Congress belonging to Republican Party may do the foot-dragging and not pass the Bill the way it is written.  Therefore, let us stay tuned.

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Dr. A.H. Jaffor Ullah, a researcher and columnist, writes from New Orleans, USA

             

 

The 10th anniversary of 9-11 terror attacks sans Osama bin Laden

"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent" - Isaac Asimov (Famous science writer)

It is rather amazing how a decade has passed so quickly! The terror attacks that took place exactly 10 ten years ago on the eastern seaboard of America in which more than 3000 lives perished needlessly had us all lose faith in humanity albeit for a brief period of time. The world that we live in now bore the marks of these senseless killings which most pundits now believe to be the handiwork of a few madmen of Middle Eastern origin.

The war in Afghanistan, which is raging now as of this writing, was spawned by the action of Osama bin Laden and his cohorts aided by the one-eyed monster by the name Mullah Omar who was groomed in Pakistan by equally infamous and rogue institution by the name Inter-Services Intelligence of ISI. The blueprint of the terror attacks through hijacking of commercial aircrafts of American companies was drawn in Kandahar, Afghanistan by none other than Osama bin Laden much earlier. The al-Qaeda terror cells located in Germany and elsewhere in Europe did the execution of the plan in which 4 commercial aircrafts loaded with passengers were hijacked. Two of those ill-fated flights, America Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, both originating from Boston's Logan International Airport, were commandeered and then rammed onto New York City's World Trade Center – a symbol of American Mercantilism ‒ that resulted about 2750 being dead after the towers had collapsed. The third plane, American Airlines Flight 77 which flew from Dulles International Airport in Virginia had crashed at one of the sections of Pentagon at about 9:38 am causing the death of few hundred Pentagon workers. The last plane, UA Flight 93, started from Newark International Airport in NJ, which made some erratic movements while airborne and then crashed mysteriously at 10:03 am at Shanksville, Pennsylvania – a rural place.

As I recall, September 11, 2001 was deceptively a pristine fall day in America with hardly any cloud in the sky. After the collapse of WTC buildings most Americans were glued to their TV sets listening to the news and commentators' analysis. I also recall that the entire air traffic system in America came to a screeching halt immediately after the enactment of the tragic drama in east coast. Mr. Bush, the president, was visiting a kindergarten school in Florida on that fateful morning. He was then flown to an air force base for safety reason. The vice president, Dick Cheney, was in Washington DC who was then taken to an undisclosed fortified space in an underground location. The entire day was a chaotic one and we gleaned news from the Internet too.

Later in the day Americans learnt that the hijacking and subsequent collapse of the WTC towers and a portion of the Pentagon building was the work of al-Qaeda terrorists. By afternoon, Muslims in many urban areas were subjected to taunting and derisive remarks. In Dallas, Texas, an immigrant woman from Pakistan clad in hijab was almost run downed by an irate driver. Sikh Indians in the west coast were roughed up by some angry Americans wrongly thinking that the turban-clad immigrants were Arabs. In summary, temper flared and many Americans wrongly thought that Arabs and other Middle Easterners were all sympathizers of al-Qaeda who perpetrated the crime against Americans. In retaliation, some evangelists in America even invoked Crusades citing the terrible events of the day as merely being "the clash of civilizations" as put forward by Samuel Huntington in 1996.

Ten years have passed since the terrible terror attacks took place in the eastern seaboards of America. And that spate of hijacking passenger airliners by Arabs and subsequent wanton killings of civilians in New York City, Virginia, and western Pennsylvania had spawned a full-scale war in Afghanistan. The tragic events of that day had changed our world as we knew it forever. The details of the terrorists' attack may have erased from our mind but the war in Afghanistan still continues and is a grim reminder that our world had gone a bit awry on September 11, 2001.

Nearly 4 months before the 10^th anniversary of 9-11 an event took place on May 1 in a remote corner of Pakistan. A team of U.S. Navy SEALs stormed a fortified building in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where they killed the mastermind of 9-11 terror attacks, Osama bin Laden. In December 2001 when American jet fighters were pounding the mountains at Tora Bora Mountain, Osama bin Laden crossed the porous border to enter Pakistan. The U.S. intelligence now thinks that the terror master had lived the entire duration in different parts of Pakistan being assisted by none other than some members of ISI and Pakistani military. It is an irony that Americans have spent billions of dollars helping Pakistani military all the while sharing intelligence data with them to eradicate al-Qaeda from tribal areas of Northwest Frontier Province while a section of Pakistani army aiding Osama bin Laden to evade the American intelligence.

To tighten the security in airports all across America in the aftermath of 9-11 terror attacks the American government sought legislative act to institute new laws such as the Patriot Act by virtue of which new measures were put in place to make the air travel safer. Department of Homeland Security was established for the first time after the terrible terror attacks hit America. The government had established a new department calling it Transportation Security Administration (TSA) whose agents now check and man passengers in the airport. Some of the techniques that the TSA agents routinely use to screen passengers at the airport have made many Americans quite apprehensive about air travel. Some even say that their privacy is being breached by new imaging devices that are being installed in all airports. This is just an example how American lives have been affected by the terror attacks on September 11, 2001.

In the decade since September 11, 2001 terror attacks public opinion on global terrorism and Afghanistan War were being sought by many pollsters. Americans now believe that there will be another terrorist attack, but they don't believe they will be the victims. About 69% told CBS News/New York Times pollsters in May 2011 that there would be another terrorist attack on American soil. In another CBS question, 22% were concerned about an attack where they lived.

These days as American economy is heading south and public cynicism aroused by a dysfunctional Congress in Washington is widespread; Americans still believe the country is safer due to the government's quick action. They also believe George W. Bush made the nation safer and that Barack Obama has kept America safe. A 69% told the Pew Research that the government was doing very or fairly well in reducing the threat of terror.

While things look promising for Americans as far as combatting terrorism in American soil, this could not be true for al-Qaeda and its leaders. The West waged a full-scale war against the terror outfit in early 2000s by dismantling the pipeline through which the terror organization used to procure their funding. Also, the widespread use of the drones in Pakistan and Afghanistan had resulted in the killings of many top echelon al-Qaeda leaders. In fact, the remnant of the leadership of the terror network is on the run. It is doubtful whether this one-time powerful terror network could execute any serious attack against the West. All we hear these days is how al-Qaeda influenced fringe organizations all across Pakistan and Afghanistan are wreaking havoc as they blast bombs to terrorize the members of respective civil society.

In summary, ten years have gone by since al-Qaeda terrorists caused hijacking of 4 passenger airliners in America. Since then the world has experienced a profound change. Two full-scale Wars have been waged by President Bush in Afghanistan and Iraq and the war still lingers in one of them. In many western nations the governments have instituted stricter safety codes, which infringe civil rights of people. This is the greatest tragedy of all. The work of about 2 dozens terrorists on that fateful morning in the eastern seaboard of America had changed the life of 6.5 billion people on earth. However, the chief leader of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, won't be there to "celebrate" the 10^th anniversary of the terror attacks, which al-Qaeda routinely does. Nor would there be any video or audiotape forthcoming from him that could have energized the al-Qaeda foot soldiers. It is to be hoped that a good sense would prevail and the terror organization would become so weak that going forward people will eschew violence of all forms and shapes and make our orb a better place to live.

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Dr. A.H. Jaffor Ullah, a researcher and columnist, writes from New Orleans, USA

List of students who matriculated from Tejgaon Polytechnic High School in 1962

A.H. Jaffor Ullah

তেজগা পলিটেক্‌নিক স্কুল থেকে ১৯৬২ সনে দেয়া শেষ ম্যাট্রিক পরিক্ষায় উত্তীর্ন ছাত্রদের নামের তালিকা

সংগ্রহকঃ এ এইচ জাফর উল্লাহ (হাস্‌নু)।
নিউওর্লিয়ান্স, আমেরিকা। আগস্ট ২০১১

আমার জানামতে প্রায় ৪০-৪২ জন ছাত্র ১৯৬২ সনে ম্যাট্রিক পরিক্ষায় পাশ করেছিল । এই ব্যাচের ছাত্রদের অধিকাংশই ১৯৫৬ সনে ক্লাস ৫ এ ভর্তি হয়। এরা স্কুলের নাম করা শিক্ষক যেমন পরিমল সেনগুপ্ত (ইংরেজী, ভূগোল), দীনেষ চন্দ্র (বাংলা), মাখন স্যার, রউফ স্যার (অঙ্ক), তাহের স্যার (ইংরেজী), হেড মৌলভী (আরবী), নুর মোহাম্মদ (হেড মাস্টার), আজিজ স্যার (ঊর্দূ), সালাম স্যার (ইতিহাস), হেকমত আলী শিকদার (ইংরেজী) এদের দ্বারা শিক্ষাপ্রাপ্ত হয়। ম্যাট্রিক পরীক্ষায় পাশ করে এদের অধিকাংশই কলেজে ভর্তি হয়। পরবর্তী জীবনে এদের কেউ কেউ ডক্টোরেট ডিগ্রি, মাস্টার্স্‌ ডিগ্রি ও ব্যাচেলার্স ডিগ্রি প্রাপ্ত হয়। চাক্‌রী জীবনেও এদের অনেকেই সাফল্যতা অর্জন করে। এদের বয়স এখন ৬৩-৬৪ বছর আর এরা এখন অবসরপ্রাপ্ত। তবে যারা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ে পড়াচ্ছেন তারা এখনও চাকরী করছেন। এই লিস্টটিতে কিছু ছাত্রদের নাম নাও থাকতে পারে। সুদীর্ঘ ৫০ বছর পর নামের তালিকা তৈরী করতে গিয়ে দেখি আমার স্মৃতিভ্রম কিছুক্‌টা ঘটেছে। তবে অন্য ছাত্রদের সাহায্য নিয়ে সেটি পূর্ন করা যেতে পারে ভবিষৎ এ।

১। অরুণ কুমার দাশ - মহাকালী কলেরা রিসার্চ স্টাফ-কোয়ার্টার এলাকা থেকে আসতো । পরীক্ষায় পাশ করে পশ্চিম বংগে খুব সম্ভবতঃ কোলকাতায় চলে যায়। সেখানে ফিজিক্সে মাস্টার্স করে কলেজে অধ্যাপনা করে আজীবন। ম্যাট্রিক পরীক্ষায় ১ম বিভাগ অর্জন করেছিল।

২। মোয়াজ্জেম হোসেন - কলাবাগান/ধানমন্ডী এলাকা থেকে আসতো। ঢা বি থেকে ফিজিক্সে মাস্টার্স করে আজীবন কলেজে অধ্যাপনা করেছে। ম্যাট্রিক পরীক্ষায় ১ম বিভাগ অর্জন করেছিল।

৩। এ এম মাহমুদ - নাখাল পাড়া থেকে আসতো। ময়মনসিংহ কৃষি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় থেকে প্রথম ব্যাচলর ও পরে হর্টিকালচারে মাস্টার্স করে আজীবন বি এ ডি সি তে চাকরী করে ডাইরেক্টর পদে উত্তীর্ন হয়ে অবসর গ্রহন করে। ম্যাট্রিক পরীক্ষায় ১ম বিভাগ অর্জন করেছিল।

৪। এ এইচ জাফর উল্লাহ (হাসনু) - তেজকুনীপাড়ার পোস্ট অফিস এলাকা থেকে আসতো। আদি দেশ সিলেট। বাবা, মঞ্জুর উল্লাহ্‌, সরকারী চাকরী করতেন ঢাকা সেক্রেটারিয়েটে। ময়মনসিংহ কৃষি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় থেকে প্রথম ব্যাচলর ও পরে ঢাকা এটোমিক এনার্জীতে গবেষণা করে ময়মনসিংহ কৃষি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় থেকে ক্রোপ-বোটানীতে মাস্টার্স করে। ক্ষণকাল কলেজগেটের কৃষি ইন্সটিটউটে শিক্ষকতা করে ১৯৬৮-৬৯ সনে। পরে আমেরিকায় ১৯৬৯ সনে চলে যায় মলিকুলার বায়োলোজীতে ডক্টোরেট করতে। ১৯৭৪ সনে পি এইচ ডি লাভ করে। আমেরিকায় দুটো বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ে রিসার্চ এসোসিয়েটের চাকরী করার পর আজীবন চাকরী করে মার্কিন সরকারের কৃষি বিভাগে (ইউ এস ডি এ) বৈজ্ঞানিক হিসেবে নিউ ওর্লিয়ান্স শহরে। এখনও চাকরীরত। ম্যাট্রিক পরীক্ষায় ১ম বিভাগ অর্জন করেছিল।

৫। আনোয়ারুল আজিম (সকু) - মণিপুরীপাড়ার পশ্চিম প্রান্ত থেকে আসতো। তার বাবার নাম মৌলভী মালু মিয়া। আদি বাড়ী কুমিল্লা জেলা। ঢা বি থেকে অর্থনীতিতে ব্যাচেলার্স করার পর করাচী বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় থেকে মাস্টার্স ডিগ্রি প্রাপ্ত হয়। আজীবন চাকরী করে বিদেশী বাণিজ্যিক সংস্থায় প্রথম সিলেটের চা-বাগানে ও পরে ঢাকায় ফোস্টার্স হুইলার কোম্পানীতে।

৬। আব্দুর রশিদ - রাজা বাজার এলাকা থেকে সে আসতো। বড় ভাইর বাসায় থেকে পড়াশোনা করতো। আদি দেশ রাজশাহী বা মাল্‌দহ। ঢা বি থেকে ফার্মাসীতে ব্যাচেলার্স ডিগ্রি করে। পরে সামরিক বাহিনীতে অফিসার্স পদে যোগ দেয়। কর্নেল পদ থেকে অবসর গ্রহন করে।

৭। আব্দুল মতিন - রাজ বাজার এলাকা থেকে আসতো। ভাল ফুটবল খেলতো স্কুল টিমে। এর আর কোনো খোঁজ পাওয়া যায় নি ১৯৬২ এর পর।

৮। গোলাম মোস্তফা (ল্যাংড়া মোস্তফা) - ইন্ডাসট্রিয়াল এরিয়া থেকে আসতো। দেশ ছিল চাঁদপুর। ব্যবসা করতো। পরে এর কোনো খোঁজ পাওয়া যায় নি।

৯। নুর আলী - রাজা বাজার এলাকা থেকে আসতো। ভাল ফুটবল খেলতো স্কুল টিমে। আদি বাড়ী পশ্চিম বংগের মুর্শিদাবাদ। ১৯৭১ সনে দেশ স্বাধীন হবার পর বিদেশী সাহায্য সংস্থায় কাজে যোগ দেয় এবং আজীবন সেখানে চাকরী করে। এখন অবসরপ্রাপ্ত।

১০। গোলাম সারোয়ার (টিপু) - প্রথম তেজগা থানা ও পরে রাহাত মঞ্জিল থেকে আসতো। টিপুর বাবা, গোলাম মস্তফা সাহেব, তেজগা থানার ওসি ছিলেন ১৯৫৭-৬০ পর্যন্ত। ফুটবল খেলোয়াড় হিসেবে খুব নাম হয় তার ১৯৬০-৭০ দশকে। পরে কোচ্‌ পদে আজীবন কাজ করে ঢাকায়।

১১। মতি রহমান (মতি) - লালদীঘির পশ্চিম পার হতে আসতো। ওর বাবা, গফুর মুন্সী সাহেব, একটি বাঁশের দোকানের মালিক ছিলেন তেজগা পোষ্টাপিসের পাশে। সেখানে মতিকে পাওয়া যেতো প্রায় সময়। মতি ম্যাট্রিক পাশ করে আর অন্যদের মতো সঙ্গে সঙ্গে কলেজে যায় নি। প্রায় ৫-৬ বছর পর সাভারে জাহাঙ্গীরনগর বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ে ভূগোল বিষয়ে প্রথম ব্যাচেলার ও পরে মাস্টার্স করে। পরবর্তী কালে কানাডার ম্যানিটোবায় ডক্টোরেট করে সেখানে চাকরী করে বছর কয়েক। এখন সে জাহাঙ্গীরনগর বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ে শিক্ষকতা করে।

১২। সানোয়ার আলী - মণিপুরী পাড়ার পশ্চিম প্রান্ত থেকে সে আসতো। ওর আদি বাড়ী জলপাইগুড়ি। কলেজে যেত ঢাকায়। পরে বিমান বাংলাদেশে স্টুয়ার্ডের চাকরীতে যোগ দেয় এবং আজীবন সেই পদে বহাল থাকে। ২০০০ সনের দিকে দেহত্যাগ করে।

১৩। গোলাম হুসেন হেদায়েত উল্লাহ (ফইয়া) - তেজকুনীপাড়ার পোস্টাপিস এলাকা থেকে আসতো। সে হাসনুর বড় ভাই। বার্মা ইস্টার্ন তেল কোম্পানীতে প্রথম পতেঙ্গা এয়ার-পোর্টে এবং পরে তেজগা বিমানবন্দর ও উত্তরা বিমানবন্দরে চাকরীরত ছিল। ১৯৯৩ তে সপরিবারে আমেরিকায় চলে আসে ইমিগ্রান্ট হিসেবে। এখন অরিগনের পোর্টল্যান্ড শহরে সপরিবারে বসবাস করে।

১৪। মাহবুব - রাজা বাজার এলাকা থেকে সে আসতো। স্কাউটিং করতো স্কুলে। ম্যাট্রিকের পর ব্যবসায় যোগ দেয়। খুব অল্প বয়সে বিয়ে করে নিজ বাড়ীর এক মেয়েকে। পরে সস্ত্রিক ইউরোপে চলে যায়। তার আর কোনো খোঁজ জানা নেই।

১৫। আরিফ - তেজগার বাহির থেকে সে আসতো। এর আর কোনো খোঁজ পাওয়া যায় নি।

১৬। শামসুল হক (শামসু) - তেজকুনী পাড়ার পূর্ব প্রান্ত সো-মিল এলাকা থেকে সে আসতো। আদি বাড়ী নোয়াখালী। পাকিস্তান বিমান বাহিনীতে যোগ দিয়েছিল । তার আর কোনো খোঁজ পাওয়া যায় নি।

১৭। শামসুদ্দীন আহ্‌মদ (শামসু) - তেজকুনীপাড়ার পোস্টাপিস এলাকা থেকে আসতো। বি কম পাশ করে সে ব্যাঙ্কে যোগ দেয়। তার আর কোনো খোঁজ পাওয়া যায় নি।

১৮। উইলফ্রেড রড্রিগাস (উলু) - ফার্মগেট-হলিক্রস সন্নিকটবর্তী খৃষ্টান পাড়া থেকে সে আসতো। ঢাকায় কলেজে লেখাপড়া করে পরে গভর্মেন্ট সার্ভিসে যোগ দেয়। উপসচিব হিসেবে অবসর গ্রহন করে। সে এখনও তার পৈত্রিক বাসায় হলিক্রস কলেজের পাশে থাকে।

১৯। মতিউর রহমান - মণিপুরীপাড়া হতে স্কুলে আসতো। আদি বাড়ী কুমিল্লা। তার কথায় কুমিল্লার আঞ্চলিক টান ছিল। ফর্শা এবং ছোট-খাটো সাইজের লোক ছিল সে । তার মামার বাসায় থেকে সে লেখাপড়া করতো। স্কুল পাশ করার পর এর আর কোনো খোঁজ পওয়া যায় নি।

২০। মোজাম্মেল হক কচি - তেজতরী বাজারে সে থাকতো গ্রীন রোডের কাছে। আদি বাড়ী মালদা-মুর্শিদাবাদ, বাবা সরকারী চাকরী করতেন। বি কম পড়ে সে ব্যাঙ্কে চাকরী নিয়েছিল। তার পোস্টিং ছিল তেজগা বিমান বন্দরে ১৯৭২-৭৪ সনে। সারা জীবন সে ব্যাঙ্কে কাজ করেছে অফিসার র‍্যাঙ্কে।

২১। শফি - মহাকালী থেকে সে সাইকেল যোগে আসতো। পরিবার কৃষিকাজে জড়িত ছিল। স্কুল পাশের পর এর আর কোনো খোঁজ পাওয়া যায়নি।

২২। এস (সিব্‌তে) এস (সোবহান) জি (গোলাম) পাঞ্জাতন - কলেজগেট হতে সে আসতো, বাবা ছিলেন তেজগা কৃষি কলেজের অধ্যাপক। আদি বাড়ী কুমিল্লা শহর। বিজ্ঞান বিভাগে পড়তো ঢাকা কলেজে এবং পরে ঢা বি তে ফার্মাসী বিভাগে ভর্তি হয়ে ডিগ্রি লাভ করে। ১৯৭১-৭২ সনে সে ইমিগ্রেশন নিয়ে নিউইয়র্ক শহরে আসে। সেখানেই সে চাকরী করতো। এখন আর তার কোনো খোঁজ পাওয়া যাচ্ছে না।

২৩। কাদ্‌রী - রাহাত মঞ্জিলে সে থাকতো তার বড় ভাইর বাসায়। স্কুল পাশ করার পর তার আর হদিছ পাওয়া যায় নি। কাদ্‌রী বানোয়াট কথা বলতে খুব উস্তাদ ছিল। এর কথায় কেউ আমল দিত না।

২৪। মইনুদ্দীন - কারওয়ান বাজার বা পাকমোটর্স এলাকা থেকে সে আসতো। অত্যাধিক মোটা হবার জন্য তার ডাক নাম ছিল "মোটকা মইনুদ্দীন"। সে অত্যন্ত ফর্শা ছিল এবং গরমের সময় সে খুব ঘামতো এবং তার মুখ লাল হয়ে যেতো। স্কুল পাশের পর এর আর কোনো খোঁজ পাওয়া যায় নি।

২৫। মইনুদ্দীন ২ - নাখালপাড়া হতে সে আসতো, মাহমুদের সম্পর্কে খালাতো ভাই। ক্লাশ ৮ বা ৯ এ সে অন্য জায়গা থেকে এসে আমাদের স্কুলে ভর্তি হয়। এর ও কোনো খোঁজ আমরা পাই নি। মাহমুদ পর্যন্ত এর আর কোনো খোঁজ পায় নি।

২৬। আকরাম খান - মনিপুরীপাড়াতে সে থাকতো তেজগা মসজিদের পেছনে লালদীঘির কাছে। ১৯৬৫-৬৬ সনে সে তেজগা কৃষি কলেজে ভর্তি হয়। খুব সম্ভবতঃ সে সরকারী কৃষি বিভাগে চাকরী নেয়। পরবর্তীতে এর আর কোনো খোঁজ পাওয়া যায়নি।

২৭। ফারুক - ইটখোলা-খেজুরবাগান এলাকা হতে সে স্কুলে আসতো। আদি বাড়ী ছিল সিলেট। তার বাবা ছিলেন ইটখোলায় কৃষি বিভাগের ডিস্পেন্সারীর ডাক্তার। তারা থাকতো ডিস্পেন্সারীর পাশে একটি গভর্মেন্ট কোয়ার্টারে। ১৯৬৫-৬৬ সনে সে তেজগা কৃষি কলেজে ভর্তি হয়। খুব সম্ভবতঃ সে সরকারী কৃষি বিভাগে চাকরী নেয়। পরবর্তীতে এর আর কোনো খোঁজ পাওয়া যায়নি।

২৮। মোঃ নুরুজ্জামান ওরফে ব্যায়ামবীর - স্কুলের পেছনে তেজতরীবাজার এলাকায় সে থাকতো। সব সময় সে পান চিবাতো। সেও আকরাম ও ফারুকের মত ১৯৬৫-৬৬ সনে তেজগা কৃষি কলেজে ভর্তি হয়। ডিগ্রিলাভের পর সে সরকারী চাকরী নেয়। বেশী দিন সে বাচে নি।

২৯। আবু (ডাক নাম), ভাল নাম জানা নেই - তেজকুনীপাড়া থেকে স্কুলে যেত। আদি দেশ জলপাইগুড়ি, বাবা-মা থাকতেন রংপুরে, তেজগায় মামার বাড়ীতে থেকে লেখাপড়া করে। সম্পর্কে সানওয়ার আলীর ভাগ্নে। স্কুল পাশের পর কি করেছে তা জানা নেই। আবুর ছোট ভাই রতন মামার বাড়ীতে থেকে প্রাইভেট ম্যাট্রিক দিয়ে ১৯৬২ সনে পাশ করে।

৩০। এর নাম আমার মনে নেই। নোয়াখালী তার দেশ, থাকতো তেজকুনী পাড়ায় তার চাচার বাড়ীতে। এর পারিবারিক নাম হয়তো ছিল হক । খুব ফর্শা ছিল দেখতে। আমরা তাকে 'মদিনা' বলে ডাকতাম। শুনেছি যে সে পুলিশ ডিপার্টমেন্টে যোগ দিয়েছিল।

৩১। এরও নাম আমার মনে নেই। ক্লাস ৯-১০ সে এসে যোগ দিয়েছিল। তেজগা থানার ওসির শালা ছিল সে তাই তার নাম দেয়া হয়েছিল 'শালাবাবু'। সে তেজকুনীপাড়ার থানার কম্পাউন্ডে থাকতো। কলেজে ভর্তি হয়েছিল। তবে এর আর কোনো খোঁজ পাওয়া যায় নি।

List of students who enrolled at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) in Agriculture Curriculum in 1962 and graduated in 1967

The 2nd Batch (1962-1967)

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The 2nd batch of BAU Agriculture Faculty attended classes from June/July 1962 through December 1967. About 52-54 students had graduated. The results were declared in late january 1968. About 32 students finished theirs M.Sc. Ag degree in 1969. And a total of 18 students went on to receive Ph.D. degree. A remarkable achievements indeed! Most students have had a distinguished career. Most of the students have now retired but a few (three) are still working in America full-time. Four students from this batch have become American citizens and are now wroking there. My high school and BAU class friend Mahmood helped me to prepare this list. There maybe some minor mistakes but I could correct the list if anyone could bring the error to my attention.

A.H. Jaffor Ullah
New orleans, USA
e-mail: jaffor@yahoo.com
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1. Mafizul Haq Khan - Kurigram, Rangpur. M.Sc. Ag from BAU in 1969 in Entomology. Ph.D. from Australia. Worked in BARC near Farmgate, later worked in the US AID, and as a consultant. Lives in Uttara, Dhaka in his own residence.

2. A.K.M. Shahjahan - Daudkandi, Comilla. M.Sc. Ag in Plant Pathology from BAU in 1969. Ph.D. from Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge, USA (circa 1977). Worked in BRRI, Joydebpur. Later immigrated to USA. Worked at Purdue University, Indiana, USA and at LSU, Baton Rouge, LA, USA. Now teaches at a College in Baton Rouge, LA, USA

3. A.H. Jaffor Ullah - Sylhet/Dhaka. M.Sc. Ag in Crop Botany, 1969. Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA (1974). Worked as a research associate at SUNY New York (1974-1977), senior research associate at University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana (1977-1985). Senior Research Scientist at Southern Regional Research Center, ARS, USDA at New Orleans, LA USA (1985- ). Still working full-time.

4. Nurul Islam Bhuiyan - Comilla. M.Sc. Ag in Soil Science 1969. Ph.D. in Soil Science from Cornell University, Ithaca NY USA (circa late 1980s). Worked at BRRI, Joydebpur. Retired as the director general of BRRI.

5. Abdul Hamid Miah - Tangail. M.Sc. Ag in Entomology 1969. Ph.D. in Entomology from England (circa late 1970s). Worked at the BARC near Farmgate. DG, BARC. Consultant for IRRI.

6. Hasan Ali - Dinajpur. M.Sc. in Horticulture 1969. MS from University of Cincinnati in Biological Science (1974). Ph.D. in Food Sciences from Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio USA (Circa (1980). Worked in the State of Ohio in the Department of Motor Vehicle Bureau. Retired in 2010. Lives in Philadeslphia, USA.

7. Shahidul Islam - Rangpur. M.Sc. Ag in Soil Science 1969. Ph.D. from England in late 1970s. Worked in BRRI (?).

8. Maqbul Hossain - Trishal, Mymensingh. M.Sc. Ag in Soil Science 1969. Ph.D. in Soil Science from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY circa (1980s). Worked at BINA (Atomic Energy Center) inside BAU campus.

9. Noor Hossain - Jamalpur, Mymensigh. M.Sc. in Plant Pathology. Ph.D. from ? Year ?. Worked in the Tejgaon Manipuripara's Agricultural Research Lab.

10. Pronoy Kumar Roy Barman - Brahman Baria. Did M.Sc. Ag in 1969. After the Liberation War migrated to W. Bengal. Whereabouts not known.

11. M. Jalaluddin - Sariakandi/Bogra. M.Sc. Ag 1969 under Prof. Ashraful Huq. Worked in the Bangladesh Agriculture Department in Habiganj. Came to USA in late 1980s and did his Ph.D. in Agronomy at Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge, LA USA in early 1980s. Joined Arkansas State University at Pine Bluff as a professor. Still working now (2011).

12. Abdullah Il-Husein (Emran) - Jamalpur. Probably did his M.Sc. Ag in BAU. After liberation went to the Middle East. Now probably lives in Canada.

13. Motilal Banik - Chittagong? Probably did his M.Sc. Ag in BAU 1969. Joined Bangladesh Agriculture Department and worked there all through his life and now retired.

14. Dilip Chakrabarty - Chandpur. Worked all through his life at Bangladesh Agriculture Department in Khamar Bari Tejgaon in the publication department.

15. Nanda Lal Ghosh- Noakhalli. Worked all through his life at Bangladesh Agriculture Department. Area of expertise - Agricultural Extension and Seed Certification Department.

16. Abdul Mannan - Tangail. M.Sc. Ag in Horticulture (MS advisor Abu Hena Farouk) 1969. Worked all through his life in Bangladesh Agriculture Department.

17. Abdul Hannan Bhuiyan - Brahman Baria. M.Sc. Ag in Entomolgy 1969. First worked in a Agro-Chemical Company. May have done Ph.D. (?). Now works in Agricultural Institute in Dumki, Barisal as a professor.

18. A.M. Mahmood - Noakhali/Dhaka. M.Sc. Ag in Horticulture (Prof. A.H. Farouk thesis Advisor) 1969. Joined Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) and worked there all through his life.

19. Abdur Rahman - Comilla. M.Sc. Ag in Agronomy (Prof. A. Latif Miah thesis advisor). Ph.D. in Agronomy from Manila, The Philippines. Suffered an unusual death early in 1980s.

20. Shirajul Islam - Matlab/Comilla. Joined Bangladesh Agriculure Department in the Agricultural Extensin Department all through his life.

21. Abdul Baten Khan - Mymensingh town. M.Sc. Ag in Entomology. Early in his life worked in the Middle East. Later may have done his Ph.D. Now working at BAU.

22. Latifur Rahman - Chapai Nawabganj. Worked all though his life in the U.S. Aid Program.

23. Sharifur Rahman - Chapai Nawabjang. Worked all through his life in the Sugarcane Research Institute, Ishwardi, Pabna.

24. Zainuddin - Mymensingh town. Joined BADC and worked there all through his life. Died in early 2011.

25. Abul Kasem - Comilla. Joined in Bangladesh Agriculture Department and worked there all through his life in the Extension Department and retired as Director (Training).

26.Abdullah al Mamoon - Comilla or Joydebpur ?. M.Sc. Ag in Agronomy. Ph.D. in Agronomy from (?). Joined the Agronomy Department at BAU as a professor and worked there lifelong. Deceased since early 2000s.

27. Abdul Hakim - Maulvibazar Sylhet. M.Sc. Ag. in Horticulture 1969 (Prof. A.H. Farouk thesis advisor). Joined BADC and worked in Jessore. Deceased since 1980s.

28. Fazle Rabbi Chowdhury- Sitakunda/Chittagong. M.Sc. Ag in Agronomy 1969. Joined BADC and worked there until his death in 1990s.

29. Musleuddin - Jamalpur/Mymensingh. Joined Bangladesh Agriculture Department. Retired as Director General (Extension).

30. Abdur Rashid - Comilla. A cheerful person who also was a footballer. After liberation joined Bangladesh Police Service as Superintendant of Police in Comilla. Whereabouts not known.

31. Abdul Wahab Mollah - Gopalganj. M.Sc. Ag in Crop Botany 1969. Joined BADC and worked there lifelong. Now lives a retired life in Shewrapara near Mirpur Dhaka.

32. Shamsuzzoha - Comilla. M.Sc. Ag in Agronomy 1969 (Prof. Shamsuddin thesis advisor). Joined BADC and worked there all through his life. Retired now.

33. Golam Ahmed - Comilla. Joined Bangladesh Agriculture Department. Died in 1990s.

34. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman - Satkhira/Khulna. Joined Bangladesh Agriculture Department (Extension Jute).

35. Golam Sarwar - Sylhet. Joined Bangladesh Agriculture Department's Training Instute. Whereabouts not known.

36. Ruhul Amin - Mymensingh. Joined Bangladesh Agriculture Department and retired as the Additional Director.

37. Sayedul Haq Khan - Noakhali. Probably worked early in his life in the private sectors and changed jobs many a time. Whereabouts not known to any of his class frriends.

38. Ameer Hossain - Barisal. M.Sc. Ag in Extension. Joined BAU and worked there all through his life.

39. Nurul Anwar - Mymensingh town. M.Sc. Ag in Extension. Ph.D. (maybe). Joined BAU and worked as a professor all through his life.

40. Idris Ali Moulvi - Mymensingh ? M.Sc Ag in Agronomy. Joined Dhaka's Agricultural Institute as a professor and taught there lifelong.

41. M. Rashid Moulvi - Chapai Nawabganj. Joined Bangladesh Agriculture Department. Whereabouts not known.

42. Shafayet Hossain - Barisal. Worked in various Agro-chemical companies. Whereabouts not known.

43. Tajul Islam - Netrokona. Joined Dhaka's Agricultural Institute and taught Botany.

44. Zahedul Haq - Rangpur. M.Sc. Ag in Agronomy (Abdul Latif Miah thesis advisor). Ph.D. from Manila, The Philippines. Joined International Jute Organization, Tejgaon Dhaka. Deceased in mid 1990s.

45. Fazlul Huq - Comilla. He did his Ph.D. Worked in BARI in Joydebpur.

46. Nurul Islam Talukdar - Chandpur/Comilla. M.Sc. Ag in Agronomy. Joined the Sugarcane Institute at Ishwardy Pabna. Deceased.

47. Musharraf Hossain - Noakhali. Joined BRRI at Joydebpur and worked there lifelong.

48. Abdus Sattar - Mymensingh ?. Joined Bangladesh Agriculture Department in the Extension Service and worked there lifelong.

49. Abdus Sukkur - District not known. Probably joined Bangladesh Agriculture Department. Whereabouts not known.

50. Nazrul Islam - Brahman Baria/Comilla. After graduation he joined Pakistan Central Government's Plant Protection Department. His posting was in West Pakistan. After Liberation he returned to Bangladesh he joined Bangladesh Agricultue Department in the Extension Service.

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The following students from the 2nd batch were held back either in the 1st or 2nd year. They however graduated in 1969 with the students from the 3rd batch.

1. Nazimuddin Farouk.

2. Abdur Rouf Mintoo - Dhaka. Joined BRRI(?).

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Names in blue had earned doctorate

Conniving Mullahs of Bangladesh

A.H. Jaffor Ullah

How did conniving Mullahs gain upper hand in sonar Bangladesh?

How time has changed in my ancestral homeland, Bangladesh! Hardly few years ago if I would have written an article critiquing the obscurantist mullahs of my motherland detailing how they are dictating the social agendas and submit those article via Internet, the chances were higher that the articles won’t see the light of the day. However, now things have turned 180 degrees. Go ahead and open the web version of any newspapers in Dhaka excepting maybe Inquilab or the likes of it that peddled fundamentalists’ view – you will be in for a pleasant surprise. Now most editorials and Op-Ed articles would vilify one way or another the fundamentalists of various hues that took the nation of 145 million mostly impoverished people for a joyride in a slow and outdated cart whose name I better not mention here lest I offend the religious sensibility of many a folk in Bangladesh. The ride ended rather abruptly. Thanks to western governments for they threw the proverbial monkey wrench to spoil the fun and games of scheming mullahs who are now running for the cover. It seems as if, the only language the ruling government of Khaleda Zia understands is the spoken by Uncle Sam. What the powerful uncle wants he gets it. The memory of Daisy Cutter Bombs wreaking havoc amongst Afghan and Iraqi people while creating soccer stadium sized enormous crater in ground zero is still fresh. So, why fuss with the Bush Administration? Good logic one might say.

The ruling elites of Bangladesh were having endless parties for the last few years and they want the party to continue; thus, why not listen to America or EU. Or else, they may take the punch bowl away from the party. No body amongst the ruling party wants this to happen; thus, came the arrest order for troublemakers who had been blasting homemade bombs since 1999. The editors of Dhaka’s newspapers welcomed the move by the government and they wrote rather effusively how the government became so proactive in catching the masterminds of Islamic terrorism for once and all. A few of the editors however thought the arrests were stage-managed. It has been a while that the two bigwigs (Shaikh Abdur Rahman and Siddiqul Islam) of Jihadi movement were nabbed but the government is buying time to make the exciting story into humdrum gossip stuff. Soon people will find other interesting subjects such as the upcoming parliamentary election to talk about and in the process the nation will forget who did protect the Shaikh and Bangla Bhai and which banks help laundered the money coming from Middle East. Haven’t we seen how the memory of grenade blasts in Awami League meeting ground in August 2004 and Kibria killing in January 2005 had faded from the mind of our people. Time, for sure, has healing power and the government of Khaleda Zia knows this axiom. Therefore, wait few more months to notice that not many people are talking about diabolic figures such as Shaikh Rahman, Bangla Bhai or Prof. Ghalib. Oh, I forgot one more thing. People will become disinterested in knowing who amongst the ruling party did lend a helping hand to JMB goons and which bank helped the bombers and grenade tossers to bankroll their heinous activities.

Through this article, I would like to bring into fore how the mullahs or Islamists gained the upper hand while transforming this docile agrarian society into a very violent one in the span of over half a century. Yes, readers believe it or not the seed of Islamization was sown in pre-partition time. It took more than two decades to break the dormancy of the seed. The seed germinated and the young seedling was about to be killed in post liberation day by Sheikh Mujib’s policy. Boy, was it good news for the Isla mists that a Ray-Ban clad Major General who once joined the liberation movement under questionable circumstances brought back the Islamists into the parlor politics of Bangladesh after conspiring with a band of rogue majors in the army and a pro-west Awami League leader. Sheikh Mujib, the father figure of the nascent republic, was assassinated along with his entire family barring two daughters who were out of the country at the time. The seedling of the poisonous plant (in Bengali called Bish-Brikkho) was growing happily under the tutelage of the first military dictator of the nation, Gen. Ziaur Rahman. A cantonment intrigue did him in following the adage that that plays with sword may die from it. It was a blessing in disguise, really. Another charlatan army general was waiting in the wings in 1982 to take the nation the path of Islamization only to consolidate his power. The rogue General provided the needed nutrition to make the poisonous plant grow at an accelerated pace. Lake, the bespectacled first army General who engineered the first coup d’etat, the second one also maimed the secular constitution of Bangladesh by inserting such phrase as “The state religion of the Republic is Islam, but other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony in the Republic.” (Article 2A of Part 1 – The Republic].

The first despot (the Ray-Ban clad one) also changed the preamble of the 1972 constitution effacing the word “secularism” and then replacing later the following phrase: “The principles of absolute trust and faith in the Almighty Allah, nationalism, democracy and socialism meaning economic and social justice, together with the principles derived from them as set out in this Part, shall constitute the fundamental principles of state policy. (1A). Absolute trust and faith in the Almighty Allah shall be the basis of all actions.] [Part II Fundamental Principles of State policy].

The mullahs of the country took the cue from the military despot thinking that the nation has become a full-fledged Islamic country. The founding fathers of the nation had this idea that the newly formed nation will have a secular fabric going forward. But how quickly, politics had changed the course of the nation. Many observers of Bangladesh in the mid seventies thought there was a conspiracy in three camps, namely cantonment, civil bureaucrats, and in a faction of Awami League headed by Khandaker Mustaque to remove Sheikh Mujib from power. They thought Islam was in great danger in the nascent republic where fine arts, music, drama, poetry, etc., were flourishing at an astonishing pace. The Mullahs were marginalized in the new republic because of their conspiratorial role during our liberation movement in 1971. The Islamists, therefore, heaved a great sigh of relief when they learned that Awami League was made a leaderless political entity in the aftermath of Sheikh Mujib’s assassination and in the wake of November jail House killing in which the top echelon of secular political party were wiped out by the waving of conspiratorial hands in the military barrack. Thanks to army General Ziaur Rahman. No wonder the mullahs revered this dangerous man.

The two military despots who ruled with an iron fist from 1977 from 1989 helped the cause of Mullahs. The marathon outdoor preaching session by Wahhabites, which dates back to 1940s, received a boost in the arm when the first despot gave government land to Tablig al-Jamaat in the edge of the northern suburb of Dhaka in Tongi. The General himself used to attend the 5-day preaching session in winter month to show his utmost religiosity. The same thing happened during the rule of second military despot. These two men in uniform thought that if they could please the hoi polloi of the nation, they could rule the country uninterrupted. These two despots were not religious at all, but the wily mullahs played into their game willfully.

The real dark horse during the reign of the second despot was the political party Jamaat-i-Islami. This was a hodgepodge of Islamic-minded people who believed in theocracy. This party wanted Bangladesh to be a truly Islamic nation a la Taliban Afghanistan. Many rank and file Jamaat went to Afghanistan to fight Russian communists alongside with Afghan Mujahedeens. When the Soviet soldiers left Afghanistan in 1989 after ten years of bloody fighting, these Jihadi Bangladeshi fundamentalists returned home with Islamic ideals. They learned guerrilla warfare tactics while they were in occupied Afghanistan. Now they wanted to put their newly acquired skills into use in theirs motherland. Many of them joined madrassahs (Islamic schools) where they recruited young students for the cause of Islamic Bangladesh. As this was going on, we read the news of frequent post-Jumma (Friday) prayer procession from Dhaka’s main mosque where calls for Islamic Constitution Movement were given with a regular periodicity.

The Islamists did their ground work all through the 1980s and 1990s in all nooks and crannies of Bangladesh. Many Islamic NGOs were set up in the villages and the nation saw a proliferation of mosque and madrassahs construction. No accurate count is available but suffice it to say that there are tens and thousands of madrassahs scattered allover the tiny nation of which some are even called Quomi or National madrassah.

Let us look at the financial sector Bangladesh for telltale sign of Islamization. The Islamic banks started their business in the nation at the same time to address the difficult question of interest payment to Muslims, which is against the basic tenet of Islam. No body noticed that suddenly many activities got underway all in the name of Islam. All these enterprises had one goal – take the nation to the path of Islam. Some Muslim preachers thought being a Muslim was not good enough – Bangladesh needs to be an Islamic country – 100%. The impetus for this idea came in late 1970s from two world events namely emergence of mullahdom in Iran where Imam Ayatollah Khomeini transformed the Iranian society from pro-western to an Islamic one. The second idea came from a predominant Sunni nation of Afghanistan. The clarion call for saving Islam in Afghanistan came from the clergies as they fought the mighty Russians. When the Russians finally decided to leave Afghanistan in late 1980s after fighting a bloody war for about ten years the mullahs allover were elated falsely assuming that no force is good enough to block the growth of Islam as a political entity.

The above political developments in Iran and Afghanistan helped solidify the belief amongst mullahs in Bangladesh that the nation of teeming Muslims will one day become a truly Islamic nation just like the ones in Iran and Afghanistan. Thus, one of the battle cries in Bangladesh was “amra hobo taliban, bangla hobe afghan” (We will become Taliban).

While visiting Bangladesh in the summer of 2001 I went to Cox’s Bazar by road from Dhaka, which gave me a rare opportunity to see the countryside of my ancestral homeland. I could not believe my eyes what I saw happening to the secular fabrics of this nation. Not only that many roadside mosques and madrassahs mushroomed in the rural areas, the number of preachers in bazaars doing fund raising while resorting to marathon preaching also went up. Most local preachers were using a language that had Arabic and local dialects mixed up and they were telling horrific tales to scare people if they do not follow the strict dictums of Islam. Upon inquiring I learned that these mullahs mostly belong to Ahle Hadis group or some variety of Wahhabi sects. Needless to say that the Sufi variety of Islam that was so prevalent in rural Bangladesh was on the way out. The likes of Tablig al-Jamaat, Ahle Hadis, and Wahhabites had made a good penetration in Bangladesh society for which the Kakrail mosque located in the eastern corner of Ramna Garden should get the full credit. What is more disturbing is Bangladesh’s educated class who I thought was the shock absorber of these alien concepts fell victim to marathon preaching of the mullahs. Thus, Delwar Hossain Saydee (a self proclaimed Allama from Jamaat), Obaidul Hoque (Khatib of Dhaka’s main mosque Bait-ul Muqarram), Fazlul Haque Amini (a self acclaimed Mufti), Azizul Hoque (a self proclaimed Shaikh ul Hadis), Ghulam Azam (ex-chief of Jamaat), Motiur Rahman Nizami (present chief of Jamaat and cabinet member of Khaleda Zia government, 2001-2006), and more like them have becomes the spokesperson for Islam in Bangladesh.

Recently, I visited a website by the name Islam in Bangladesh (http://www.islam-bd.org/), which I think is a mouthpiece of Jamaat. Quite a few things are very interesting and worth noting in this website. They have given a prestigious list of “Legendary Islamic Heroes” in Bangladesh in which one could find the name of General Ziaur Rahman, the first despotic military ruler who ushered in the Islamic parties into politics. Ziaur Rahman was never inclined to Islam in his personal life but to consolidate his power he used it rather blithely. The mullahs know it very well about the General’s pro-west lifestyle but to show their allegiance to him they included his name in the coveted list of Islamic heroes in Bangladesh. The website also includes the name of Prof. Shamser Ali, Shah Abdul Hannan, and quite a few mullahs who are prominent among preaching (waaz mehfil) circuits in the country. Prof. Shamser Ali’s dubious contribution to the growth of Islam is legendary for he found a connection between the celestial trip Meraj and Einstein’s theory of relativity. Another secularly educated charlatan, Shah Abdul Hannan, has already become a think-tank guru among Islamists for his “erudition” and vast knowledge in Islam. These crafty writers have given the much-needed intellectual support for the growth of Islamism in Bangladesh.

As I was penning the article, a thought came to my mind regarding the role of civil society in Bangladesh in the rapid growth of Islamism in the country. The pillars of Bangladesh civil society are all educated from secular schools, colleges, and universities. Many of them also had gone abroad to receive higher education and training. But surprisingly, they let the mullahs take over the control of Bangladesh society. I am still waiting to hear or read any article in the 1980s and 1990s in which some brave thinkers would tell the mullahs bluntly that a line should be drawn to demarcate the province of religion and social life. Mullahs have a role to play in society but the context should be religion. Thus, they have a role in birth, marriage, and death of Muslims similar to one played by church preachers and Brahmins for respective communities. But when the jihadi Mullahs of Bangladesh started to cross the line telling people how to lead their life and restructure the governance of the society to reflect Islam in all layers of the society, then, the writers, intellectuals should have forewarned the Bangladesh society about the negative side of this transformation. The polity under the control of mullahs would transform an otherwise vibrant society immersed in science and technology, and modernity into something like antiquated time. All the growth humanity had made in last two-hundred century in communication, education, medicine, civil law, public administration, etc., would stop to make rooms for obscurantist-led ideas in which all the gains made thus far will be wasted. Still then, the pillars of society kept their mouth sealed and saw the glide of society to yesteryears. This was very painful for me to watch the inactivity amongst the very brightest people of Bangladesh.

In 1999, I wrote some satirical pieces in Daily Star while revealing the inane behavior of Bangladesh’s mullahs for which I received not commendation but execration. In 2000 I met a DU professor of Economics in New Orleans when I asked him what he thinks about the growing menace of Islamists. His flat reply was that in Islamists won’t pose a threat to Bangladesh society. To bolster his opinion he said that Jamaati politicians are not vote grabbers. I however begged to differ with him.

Every time I visited Bangladesh I saw telltale signs of Bangladesh going the Mullahs way. It was scary to see the one-hundred names of Allah in Arabic written on a wall outside the Old Airport located in Tejgaon where I grew up in the 1950s and 1960s. Please see the Islamic structure right opposite the gate of Zia International Airport that sports some Arabic slogans. Who are paying for all these and where do they want to take this nation. A foreigner would mistakenly think that Arabic is widely spoken here and our culture is stepped in Middle Eastern ethos.
The Mullahs of Bangladesh brainwashed our people to the extent that many college graduates changed their view once they cross half-century mark. These otherwise sensible people become so much enamored with Islam that they don’t mind joining Tablig al-Jamaat, a revivalist movement that flourished in Sonar Bangla because of tireless work of many Mullahs who were influenced by the teachings of Deobandi Mullahs and Wahhabi doctrine. These folks suddenly become fatalistic thinking that everything about human being is programmed by a superior force. With this kind of thinking, the Mullahs “learned” opinion made inroads in many folks’ personal life. They do not question the intelligence of a preacher; they simply followed his dictums. Suffice it to say that rationality has no place in these environs. It is not only the common people but many full professors of Dhaka University, Rajshahi University, Chittagong University, etc. suddenly find their epiphany in late life. Some of them tirelessly work to find out if Meraj was possible in the light of quantum physics, or if DNA was programmed by God. Thus, it is not out of the ordinary to find that many of the ex-professors in Bangladesh then join dubious Islamic organizations. These are Shamser Alis and Shah Hannans of Bangladesh civil society. Some of them are Internet-savvy enough to post their rebuttals in various forums. People like Mr. Shah Abdul Hannan think it is their duty to defend the superiority of Islam in the Net. By defending the religion these folks think that they are serving Islam.
I could easily write more on the subject of roles played by poorly educated mullahs to Islamize Bangladesh. However, I should limit my discussion lest the article becomes a prolix one.
To sum up, through the caprice of some genius politicians the Mullahs came to the limelight. A faction of Islamists became delusional in thinking that they could change the secular and manmade constitution of Bangladesh if they simply give a clarion call for jihad. Is the worst is over as far as Islamization of Bangladesh is concerned? I do not think so. The government caught a few radical Islamists who were blasting homemade bombs to usher in Islamic Sha’ria laws. The government only caught few leaders from one banned Islamists’ party but what about the others? My take on this is the following: as long as Mullahs are spreading fundamentalists’ dogma through hard preaching, the jihadi activities will remain alive in our ancestral homeland. Therefore, we should not think for a moment that bomb blasting, and grenade lobbing is going to go away from Bangladesh. On top of it, all the proliferation of Islamic schools (read: Madrassahs) would produce innumerable numbers of new graduates every year. Would the graduates come home to roost? Only time could tell. Therefore, remain alert. Contrary to what Alex Perry wrote in Times Asia in the second week of April 2006, all is not well in Bangladesh.
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Dr. A.H. Jaffor Ullah, a researcher and columnist, writes from Ithaca, New York.

Raga Review

Bhimpalasri - A Delightful Afternoon Raga

A.H. Jaffor Ullah

Of all the day-ragas, Bhimpalasri is my most favorite one, unquestionably. If you listen to the raga intently, you will realize what I am talking about. Once you begin to like it, the raga will grow in your mind like a contagion and there will be no escape or immunity from it.

In the book 'Sangita-Raga-Kalpadruma,' Bhimpalasri is described as a maiden “With wide eyes and fragrant with celestial flowers," the same article goes to describe the raga as follows: "Bhimapalasri, the sages tell, sings with her deep voice to the lute. Her lovely form is the embodiment of art.”

A western musician by the name Michael Robinson, who specializes on eastern music, described the mid-afternoon raga as follows: "I find this monumental mid-afternoon raga to reach deeply into our hopes, dreams and memories with a vision of mystical adventure, blissful union and ecstasy."

This raga belongs to thaat Kafi, which contains many beautiful ragas played mostly at afternoon and early evening. The raga Patdeep is a case in point that sounds very much like Bhimpalasri with minor variations, of course. Bhimpalasri uses komal gandhar (Ga), komal nishad (Ni), all other notes are shuddha.

For those of you who follow musical notations (our sub-continental one), the ascending or Aaroho is: n-S-g-m-P-n-S’. The descending or abaroho notes are: S’-n-D-P-m-g-R-S. The signature or Pakar of Bhimpalasri raga is: ’n-S-g-m-P-g, m-g-R-’n-S. If you happen to have a harmonium, then play the ascending, descending, and the signature tune of the raga and immediately you will realize what a beautiful raga Bhimpalasri is. Also you will realize that quite a few beautiful Nazrul Gitis are set in Bhimpalasri raga. For example, the song "mor ghumo ghorey ke ele monohor, nomo nomo" immortalized by Feroza Begum. Another Nazrul song sung by Gitasri Shandhya Mukherjee entitled "biday sandhya ashilo oi" was also set in this raga. Quite a few Atul Prasadi songs are set in this raga too. For example the song "dao dao go morey amar porano bhoria dao." I also remember from my childhood days in 1950s one particular Shyama Sangeet that became very popular allover Bangladesh. The lyric is as follows:"ma amar sadh na mitilo ash na purilo shokoli furaye jai ma." This masterpiece sung probably by Dhananjoy Bhattacharyya was also set in Bhimpalasri raga.

Many Bombay film songs in Urdu/Hindi were set in Bhimpalasri in the days when songs in the celluloid were simpler and melodious. One particular haunting song sung by Lata Mangeshkar in film "Mere Saya" (My Shadow) went like this: "nainon mein badara chhaye, bijali si chamke haaye." Undoubtedly, this is still considered by many as one of the best song that Lataji did for Bombay film. The music director was Madan Mahon who mostly composed film song based on ragas.

Another song from yesteryears that I have in my collection is a song sung by Suraiyya (the legendary film actress of 1940s and 1950s) in the film Mirza Ghalib. The first line of the song is; "ye na thi hamari kismat ki visaal-e-yaar hota." Those of you who belong to my generation and were interested in semi-classical music may remember some of the songs that I mentioned in this article. I trust many will agree with me on this that songs tuned after Bhimpalasri could stand apart from other songs. The raga is very effective in expressing one's thought whether it is the yearning of a person to meet his or her beloved or expressing a vision for blissful reunion. There is also a devotional side of the raga that is so obvious when one listens to Shyama Sangeet.

Not long ago, Pundit Ajay Chakrabarty of Kolkata had published a CD that contains 12 raga-based modern songs of which one is based on Bhimpalasri. I am including this song in my write-up. Please click on the following link to play the song. After listening to it several times you will agree that Bhimpalasri as a raga is class by itself. This raga is also called Bhimpalasi in Hindi belt of North India. It hardly matters what you call it, this raga is a gem.

For serious music lover, may I humbly request you to please listen to a sitar or sarod recital set in Bhimpalasri? You will then agree with me that this is one of the best ragas to come out of our subcontinent. I feel pity for those who had all but ignore our sub-continent's classical music all through their life. I don't know about you but my life would be incomplete without the raga music of our motherland. If you say you do not understand the raga music, I would say try to listen to some simple melodies. Start with lighter form of classical music such as ghazal, thumri, etc., and only then go full blast for kheyal. The beauty of classical music is awesome. Ask someone who loves our raga music. Please click on the following link to listen to Pundit Ajay Chakrabarty’s melodious voice who sings with passion the song "ami nutone'r avilashee."

Please audition "ami nutone'r avilashee" (a song from his CD "feraye diona morey"

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Dr. A.H. Jaffor Ullah, a researcher, columnist, and a blogger, is from Ithaca, New York

Comments could be directed at - jaffor@yahoo.com

Ithaca, New York is where deer roam freely

A.H. Jaffor Ullah

Ithaca, NY is the place where deer roam freely. We moved to Ithaca in late September 2005. One day, when we spotted some deer in the fall, we all were hyper excited. Our Ithacan friends told us, "Don't be excited, you'll see them everywhere."

In the dead of the winter, we spotted some fresh deer footprints on our yard's snow. In one wintry night we heard some noise outside. We looked and saw a bunch of deer munching on green things burried beneath the snow. Our friends were right. You could spot deer in the meadow, on road, front yard, backyard, everywhere. In early May this year, my wife and I were hiking on a trail after work in late afternoon and we spotted a flock of deer. Luckily, I had a Nikon Coolpix 4800 ED digital camera with me (with 8.3X optical zoom). I took it out from the bag and started to snap the photos. Here I am posting some of the better photos.

The deer on the right was found loitering next to a truck garage. We were on the other side of the fence. The deer was unperturbed, looking at us straight on. The picture is a testament to my comment. These semi-urban deer is accustomed to human being around them.

A colleague at the university (Cornell) told me that the deer population is on the rise. I asked him if they allow hunting. He said, "A plenty of hunting is around." He also said, "The deer population would be even more if hunting was barred."

Deer love eating fresh vegetables. Therefore, homeowners here first post a fence around their vegetable patch or else everything will be eaten by the uninvited guest.

Now, do you believe that Ithaca and the vicinity is packed with deer? The entire northeast of America barring big urban sprawl is populated with deer.

We are lucky to be here. The joy of watching deer munching on green grass is too good to be true. We don't know how long will we stay here. My employer may call me back to New Orleans at moment's notice. We were displaced by hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. There is no other place we wanted to be. We liked the ambience of Ithaca where crime is virtually nonexistent. The winter is harsh they say but it was a very mild winter in 2006. The spring has sprung, lately. Red bud is abloom and so are many trees such as crabapple, saucer magnolia, forsythia, and assorted bulbs. there is no place we would rather be at this time than Ithaca. This Fingerlake country where American Indians came up from Mississippi a long time ago is still very pretty. The low mountains, waterfalls, green trees, all make a wonderful habitat for human beings, birds, animals. Would'nt you like to be here?

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A.H. Jaffor Ullah writes from Honnes Lane, Ithaca, New York

Comments could be directed at - jaffor@yahoo.com