I have read reports in The Daily Star as well as in its sister publication Prothom Alo about a discussion held in Dhaka on 27th March 2016 by the eminent Muchkund Dubey, former High Commissioner of India in Bangladesh, focused on his efforts to translate Fakir Lalon Shah’s work into Hindi. While I respect his deep admiration of Lalon, I am nonetheless constrained to note that in his well meaning intentions to ‘spread the message’ of the Sage so that they ‘claim their own place in bookshops and libraries all around the world’ and other comments in the reports, unfortunately demonstrates a mindset that percolates strong strains of patronization, language chauvinism coupled with closet supremacism.
It is precisely this mindset that in effect defeats the very lofty ideals of Fakir Lalon Shah’s message and his enduring legacy. If ‘humankind is one’ then Dubey’s delineation of mankind into languages other than ones of the original stakeholder defeats the ultimate objectives of South Asian liberation philosophy – the only philosophy if we may of the region, or ‘Jogot Mukti’ as articulated by Lalon. The genesis of ‘ultimate liberation’ is in the ancient Bhakti movement which Dubey I presume is well informed? It is hurtful that discussions following Dubey’s presentation had in attendance several Bangladeshi ‘academics and intellectuals’, scholars as well as researchers in the discipline – yet other than ritualistic co-opting and blatant flattery there seems to have been none in the audience with moral integrity to present things in their coherent perspectives.
While I am in no way opposed to the translation of any works of Lalon into other languages, least of all Hindi, my objections on Dubey’s translation is his insistence that if done in Hindi, Lalon will reach a ‘world audience’ begets a few pertinent questions and counterpoints.
Is Hindi at all a world language?
While list of spoken languages have always been controversial, it is conceivable that Hindi dominates in South Asia as a spoken and understood language given the sheer size of India’s population. However as per the Ethnologue Report updated in 2015, Bengali with 210 million speaker ranks 8th in position of spoken languages, whereas Hindi (together with Urdu) with 160 million speakers ranks 11th. If this be true and since a majority of Bangladesh’s and West Bengal’s Bengali speakers have absolutely no problem understanding Hindi, where then lies the problem of Hindi speakers to make efforts to learn Bengali and understand the verses of Fakir Lalon Shah?
Coming a month after the International Mother Language Day, it was imperative of the morally bankrupt intellectuals present in Dubey’s program to insist on Bengali language, not because as a nation we believe in language supremacism or chauvinism, not even because we are ‘parochial’ – but a simple and conscious realization that the basis and foundation of Bangladesh as a nation state was because of our Bangla language, that the sparks of our own liberation struggle from the Pakistanis came about because our language was to be oppressed. Ironic that it is these same gang of intellectuals who every year during Ekushey Observance sing dirges about the ‘importance of Bangla language and preservation of our heritage’.
Dubey’s makes a fundamental error of judgment when he calls Lalon’s work ‘poems‘ and him a ‘poet‘ when in reality they/he are neither. His works are ‘verses’ embodied in words and language that have their own divinity decipherable only by the stakeholders to the heritage, arguably the Baul practitioners, -and NOT those who dwell and thrive in the periphery of mainstream literature and the arts, pompously and most erroneously termed ‘culture’.
Lalon wasn’t a ‘Saint poet’ for he never claimed any more honorific other than a simple ‘Fakir’ before his name, which duo entendre implies – a) humble seeker of deep knowledge, and b) the poorest of the poor. Thus terming Lalon a ‘Saint‘ severely contradicts and limits Lalon the Sage and visionary. His deep revulsion for any human to be raised to a pedestal for ‘worship’ being well known let it also be documented that deities or deification had no place in Lalon’s persona.
Dubey terming Lalon an ‘illiterate’ is very unfortunate. Perhaps ‘unlettered’ would have been more appropriate for ‘education’ or an ‘educated status’ as our current understanding dictates, is zero indicators to sum up Lalon’s intellect. If his wisdom, imagination or state of consciousness is not taken into consideration ‘translating’ his work may just be another exercise in futility. Other than seeking deep knowledge, understanding and fathoming perplex ‘shandyo bhasha‘ or metaphorical language usages embedded within the verses, implies specifically – that Bengals divinity and its divine thoughts process is one that has to be endured and captured through its own unique praxis.
Baul life is an experiential process that has to be lived and exercised to the fullest, and whatever one’s intentions may be, they cannot be casually or randomly ‘intellectualized’. The concept in Lalon’s words is ‘Bhaaber Udoy‘ in that the ‘connect to the divine’ is just not in singing Lalon’s song or reading them as poetry. It is to live the life of a ‘ in that the ‘connect to the divine’ is just not in singing Lalon’s song or reading them as poetry. It is to live the life of a Shadhok – a seeker before anything can be conceivably advanced as also a thorough understanding of an existing informal curriculum. The curriculum again has four carefully formulated and rigorous stages 1) – a seeker before anything can be conceivably advanced as also a thorough understanding of an existing informal curriculum. The curriculum again has four carefully formulated and rigorous stages 1) Sthulo Desh – mundane level 2) – mundane level 2) Proborto Desh – transformative seeker 3) – transformative seeker 3) Shadhok Desh – and acknowledged and identified seeker 4) S- and acknowledged and identified seeker 4) Siddhi Desh – a perfected seeker, Sage, Godhead, Guru. Thus more than relying on ‘educated’ yet fossilized ‘intellectuals’ to assist him in his noble endeavor, Dubey may be well advised to spend time with ‘illiterate Fakirs’ and Gurus down in rural Bangladesh to fathom Lalon for his translations.
Without a clear understanding of the curriculum and only after having experienced them, will the works of Lalon ‘reveal’ itself to singers, researchers and translators. A random list of one hundred ‘translated poems’ in Hindi cannot be treated as banal poesy – not least the works of Lalon for contrary to popular misconceptions while on surface Lalon’s work may seem ‘simple’ or even rustic, etymologically explored they are profound and their spectrum infinite.
For instance while Dubey eulogizes Lalon’s messages having ‘contemporary values’ the truth is those ‘values’ are eternal and infinite and for times to come, yet ones we brush under the carpet willingly in our ignorance. What the current status quo will however not permit even as they go foaming in their mouth with soliloquies and patronization of the Sage, or write huge PhD thesis, sponsor Baul festivals, publish his music or even ‘translate his poems’ is making any effort to give Bauls their cultural space in mainstream society, or least – inculcating their time tested and politically correct ‘values’ into their own. Simply put Lalon’s message has one foreboding warning and that is to discard the ‘perform or perish’ retinue of crass materialism.
While Dubey’s prime focus in the presentation appears to have him juxtapose Lalon’s verse to indicate his understandable concerns at the spectre of the rising sectarianism, communalism, militancy or fundamentalism in ‘contemporary times’, they are in no way testament to the only or greatest evils in our society, or in our life and living. ‘Jogot Mukti’ clearly spelt means liberation from all forms of oppression, the foremost being dehumanizing class, social, political and economic exploitation’s. Our so-called ‘democracies’ will dogmatically resist Bauls and the message of Lalon for in our so-called devotion to many God and Goddesses, many religions and belief system, we have systematically chosen to oppress and oppression’s likewise have become viral, organic, even genetic.
One speaker is quoted as saying ‘Lalon was both a spiritual person and a rebel’, but truth be told, in Bangladesh of 2016 – or for that matter the world, the greatest and newest enemy, the new devil is called corporatocracy, which nourishes kleptocracy and all its associated ills. At the end equation these devils conspire to push people away from the core of Lalon’s message. Yes Lalon was a rebel, however if he was born in these times he would be spending them not in his Akhara at Seuria, but in a prison. The self serving ‘academics and intellectuals’ besieging Dubey would have demanded that he be locked in permanently and the keys thrown away for good!
On the religious front Lalon has fewer friends, for he was neither a Sufi nor a Vaishnab and Muslims, Hindus, Christians or Buddhist alike would never tolerate him for the challenges he raised had nothing to do with their core belief – but, essentially that the Mullahs and Purahits have made complicated and meaningless rituals more important than ‘bhakti’ or a simple and willful submission to God. That scenario has not changed in 200 years and our ‘contemporary’ status quo will surely not risk it, regardless of their ‘love’ for Lalon.
Fakir Lalon Shah is the property of the world yet his language was Bangla. His verses are brutally put ‘un-translatable’. Even editing his work is fraught with enormous difficulties. Part of the fractured legacy of Lalon can be noted in his first public verses edited and published by the Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. In catering to the neo-elite of then Calcutta, Tagore systematically circumcised many archaic Bangla words from the originals considering them ‘out of context’, ‘bad spelling or grammar’ and consequently many of the original message of Lalon delivered in rustic Nadiya dialect have been erased from history. The dangers of translating Lalon into Hindi can hardly be over emphasized.
Nonetheless here is wishing Mr. Muchkund Dubey the very best!
Joy Guru Alek Shai!
March 2016
প্রসঙ্গ মুচকুন্দ্ দুবে এবং ফকির লালনের হিন্দি তর্জমা
মাকসুদুল হক রচনারাশি
gaanpaar English
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