The 'Joy Bangla' Deception: Don't Judge By The Cover, 'Study' It
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The 'Joy Bangla' Deception is divided into four clearly defined sections, with a logically progressive narrative that unfolds before you, presenting a highly disturbing picture
The complete title of the book under consideration is The 'Joy Bangla' Deception—Bangladeshi Islamism Under the Façade of Bengali Nationalism. I generally do not begin a book review with criticism. But this time I make an exception. The cover does not do justice to the book and its content. It does not capture the intensity of the work done by the two authors, Kausik Gangopadhyay and Devavrata. So, my first request to the readers is not to go by the dull, uninspiring cover; just grab a copy and study it, not just read it.
The book shook me up, like none other in recent times. I must confess that I, too, was going by the generally accepted narrative of Bangladeshi nationalism, the secular nature of Mujibur Rehman's politics. I was not so much aware of the bloody trail of the history of Bengal, divided into East Pakistan and West Bengal, and the new avatar of the Muslim League's two-nation theory—Bangladesh.
Abdul Mansur Ahmad, a Muslim Bengali leader, notes, after Bangladesh was created, 'Neither Pakistan is broken by the liberation or Bangladesh, nor 'Two Nation Theory' was proven false. Instead of one Pakistan, two Pakistans have happened as per Lahore Resolution. The GOI has assisted us to realise the Lahore Resolution and we are grateful to them. The Lahore Resolution does not mention the word Pakistan, only 'Muslim Majority state'."
If a person like me, who has done research on the northeast region of Bharat, which means I also had to study West Bengal and a little about East Pakistan (later Bangladesh), had only a limited idea about the ideology behind Awami League and the level of violent persecution of Hindus, I can imagine what an ordinary Indian knows. I was aware of Bouddh Chakmas but not to the extent that this book exposes. Hindu Bengalis of West Bengal may be aware, but they have chosen to gulp down the tablet called Amnesia to sleep well and forget about what their own families went through and what their unfortunate brethren are facing in Bangladesh even today. Tathagata Roy explains this mentality in his book.
The dedication of the book gives you a hint that you are getting into uncharted territories. It is dedicated to the Bengali humanist bloggers, writers, and activists, of whom 11 are dead; of these, only one is Hindu. And survivors, all of whom are Muslims, have been exiled from their country. You also realise that there are still some Muslims out there who believe in humanity, coexistence, and truth. The introduction of the book makes you uneasy. You feel lost because you have no clue of the context, about which you are ignorant. Ideally, read the introduction after reading a few chapters; it will make more sense.
The 'Joy Bangla' Deception is divided into four clearly defined sections, with a logically progressive narrative that unfolds before you, presenting a highly disturbing picture. There are 14 chapters and a very elaborate section of endnotes, not found in many books. As a critic, I can only say that it is too academic because it is written by academicians. But on the positive side, this academic approach saves the book from falling into the trap of emotional storytelling or raising tempers. It is a harsh story, told calmly, as it is.
The first section, The Propaganda of 'Joy Bangla', destroys many images of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman that we hold dear, and opens your mind with evidence based on the true political character of Mujib and his friends. One is surprised that our people never went beyond the disappointment of Jogendra Nath Mandal, who returned to Bharat and died an unsung, unhappy soul. Even this story was seen as a footnote in the history of partition, about which hardly anyone talked until recently.
Maulana Bhashani, the guiding light of the Muslim Awami League, later renamed as Awami League, time and again asserts that he may be called a socialist or a communist, but he remains a Muslim to the core. He says, 'Indians are the greatest enemy of Bengali Muslims." He notes that Mujib once assured him, 'I remained a lifelong Muslim Leaguer." He proved it when he did not give permission for the rebuilding of the huge Ramna Kali temple, destroyed by the Pakistani army in 1971 after the liberation of Bangladesh. He, in fact, bulldozed the remaining temple and built a garden, naming it in memory of Suhrawardy, the butcher of Bengal. Leaders of Bangladesh were and are clear all through that Bangladesh may not be an Islamic state, but it is a Muslim state nonetheless. Bengali nationalism was invented to overcome the Hindu resistance against the Muslim Awami League.
The oft-repeated theory that neglect of the Bengali language was the cause of the rise of Bengali nationalist sentiment is also stripped of its validity by the writers with evidence that Bengali had become the second national language in 1956 and was given equal space in the government. The fact is, the bold voice that called for the Bengali language was not a Muslim but a Hindu leader, Dhirendranath Datta. Once a powerful elected leader from East Pakistan days, he died a lonely man, and his property has since been taken over by the Muslims, like so many other properties of Hindus. The real issue was the exploitation of East Pakistan's economy by West Pakistan and the division of political power between the two wings. Since a separate Hindu electorate with a sizable number of seats was dissolved, Hindus were left with a choice between a radical Muslim party or the Awami League, which succeeded in projecting a moderate face.
The book discloses that right after partition, isolation and weakening of Hindus had begun. There was sustained economic deprivation that impoverished most of the Hindus. Their properties were taken away under the Enemy Properties Act. This Act was never removed by Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, only renamed. The desecration of Hindu homes of great Bengali leaders of the current West Bengal and Bangladeshi Hindus is a who's who list. Academic research papers have been written on this topic by independent Bangladeshi scholars, most of whom are Muslims. So, the news of the desecration of Rabindranath Tagore's home is not a surprise for the observers of Bangladesh's history. It is a continuity of the same process. Do not be surprised if, under Muhammad Yunus, you find Amar Sonar Bangla removed as the national anthem. Islamists are waiting for the right time.
The churn in Bengali society and its Islamist element is brought out well by Humayun Azad, a noted intellectual, in 1990: 'Muslims of this country after some time, became Muslim Bengali, then Bengali Muslims, and then Bengali. Now again, they are reverting, from Bengali to Bengali Muslim, from Bengali Muslim to Muslim Bengali and from Muslim Bengali to Muslim." This intriguing line explains the tragedy of Bangladesh succinctly, and more particularly of Bangladeshi Hindus.
The current designs of Bangladesh Islamists were laid before the world by Maulana Bhashani in 1972: 'Assam is mine, West Bengal is mine, and Tripura is mine too. Until those regions are liberated back from India, neither the liberation of Bangladesh nor its map is complete." The book is full of such surprising and disturbing quotes that you may not have read so far in any book on Bengal or Bangladesh. They answer many of the questions that one faces while reading or hearing about disturbances in Bangladesh and the misfortune of Bengali Hindus.
The writers assert that the only solution is to reclaim Bengaliness from the Islamic appropriation. As you move through the book, you are taken through the brutal persecution of Hindus, sustained killing and deprivation of Hindus, the fake history of Bengali nationalism of Bangladesh Muslim leaders, and the ambitious Islamist dreams of Bangladesh leaders. I can only say that sedatives are not a cure for a sickness. One needs to take a strong dose of bitter medicines or maybe undergo an operation to get cured of the cancer that is eating away at the core of the sacred land of Bharat, which inspired countless people to struggle for the renaissance of Hindu dharma and fight for freedom.
The reviewer is a well-known author and political commentator. He has written several books on RSS, like RSS 360, Sangh & Swaraj, RSS: Evolution from an Organisation to a Movement, Conflict Resolution: The RSS Way, and done a PhD on RSS. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views.
tags :
bangladesh bengali Muslim pakistan West Bengal
Location :
New Delhi, India, India
First Published:
June 14, 2025, 19:39 IST
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