Editorial
Abandoning the sculpture project
How long will we allow religion to be so misused?
The removal of five baul sculptures, including that of Lalon Shah, from around the traffic intersection in front of Zia International Airport under threats from a group of zealots flies in the face of our commitment to age-old cultural and religious values and pride in our national heritage. There may have been genuine questions about the aesthetic deficit, flawed design or lack of proportion in the cluster of structures raised, but the real reason for which these have been ultimately pulled down is far more insidious and unacceptable than any artistic naivete or design fault. This is pure genuflection before the forces of orthodoxy topped off by some ulterior political motives that the nation needs to take guard against.
Actually, a whole range of issues arise here: it was not a question of any deities being placed, it was not meant ever to hurt any religious sentiment but to recognise, honour and showcase iconic figures of our rich cultural heritage. The issue is of the detractors' attempted imposition of values on others through a narrow and expedient interpretation of Islam. This is an impingement on artistic flourish and creative freedom, a certain refusal to acknowledge the need for and value of modernity anchored in best of our traditions. They must know majority of Muslims do not subscribe to their views tainted by political motives to spread their influence among simple, religious-minded people of Bangladesh. The Islamic heritage of Bengal, and especially of Bangladesh, is far more liberal and enlightened than what is sought to be propagated by sectarian interest groups having ulterior political designs.
A point about the culture ministry's approach to and handling of the project; needless to say, these have been rather naïve, even shameful. They took a month sculpting the figures and spending Taka half a crore which is going waste now. And, by succumbing to the pressure of the zealots, and abandoning the project half way, the government has sent some wrong signals to the public about its capacity to hold the ground against elements of orthodoxy.
The very foundation of all forms of intellectual freedom that lies at the core of all creativity is now being threatened under the guise of religion. The moot question is: how long will we allow such political use of our religion to continue?
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