Quazi Moshurool Huda

There is an immediate need to address the significance of this chapter in the determination of Bengali Mime Art Culture and Movement. Especially, those of us who are the Bengali citizens of Independent Bengal (Bangladesh) and who practice the Mime Art Culture of the West. But now we feel the need for the formation and practice of our own Mime Art (Body and culture) in the spirit of Independent Bengal, i.e., Bangladeshi nationhood.
In an attempt to create a distinctive Mime Art medium which can reflect Nation’s own rich traditional culture, we have recently initiated the Bangla Mime Art Culture (Mukavinoy) Research Center in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh is an independent nation which is vibrant on the four pillars of sacred principles in the very spirit of the Liberation War in 1971 under the leadership of Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibar Rahman. Of the four pillars, two main pillars are Bengali Nationalism and Secularism.
First, we should consider understanding the meaning of Bengali nationalism. The history of Bengali dates to thousands of years. Wikipedia defines Bengali nationalism is a political expression that refers to the Bengali people living in South Asia since ancient times, as well as the inhabitants of the Bengali linguistic region. The ancient in Wikipedia depicts perhaps thousands of years. The Bengali Nation is an influential nation influenced by one of the most nationalist sentiments and emotions in the subcontinent.
Bengali nationalism was initiated during the anti-British movement in the Indian sub-continent and the Indus valley. During British Colonialism, the martyrs of liberating whole India were from East Bengal. Master Da Surya Sen, Bagha Jatin, Priti Lata Waddader, Badal, Binoy, Dinesh, Kalipada Mukherjee worth mentioning. The undivided Bengal was later divided into Erstwhile East Pakistan which is now Bangladesh and West Bengal (India) what has hitherto been the resultant of dirty politics of British Colonialism. The identity of the human community living in the ancient Bengal peacefully that covers Bangladesh, West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India have one language, one culture whose rich history dates to 4000 years old. Bengali nationalism demands a centralized independent Bengali state system in a broader spectrum as the language is Bengali. The language has been modified from Sanskrit, Maithili, and then 14th century poet Vidyapati’s Brojobuli (a mixture of Bengali and Maithili). The main inspiration for Bengali nationalism started through the 14th century, 19th century Renaissance of Bengal, the Bengali language movement in 1952, the great 1969 student movement and political upheaval. Finally, the Liberation War in 1971 and the ultimate creation of sovereign independent Bangladesh.
Bengali nationalism encompasses the Bengali language, tradition, art, literature, and culture. To mention Bengali nationalism, we reckon two aspects of East Bengal(Bangladesh) and West Bengal (India) which provides the historical evidence on the creation of Bengali nationalism from the mixture of indomitable blood of Negrito, i.e., Dravidian, Austriaco, i.e., Aryan, and Mongolian non-Aryan. Then in continuation, different invaders of foreign origin invaded this region, ruled for hundreds of years, and exploited under different religious beliefs. As a result, many cultural endowments entered and

mingled.The identity of Bengali nationalism covers the culture and traditions of the Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and the Muslim population of this region where the language is Bengali.
The great divide based on two-nation theory by the colonial British in 1947 separated Bengal into two: Hindu dominated West Bengal and Muslim dominated East Bengal as East Pakistan which is now Bangladesh an independent nation. Although the historical/political doctrines centered on Bengali nationalism demand a centralized independent Bengali state system of all Bengali speaking people in Southeast Asia. But the dominance of religious belief of the present-day Bengali culture has led to cultural debates in these geographical regions. In fact, Bengali nationalism in a broader aspect refers to its own language, culture, tradition, intellectual growth in its own Bengali nationhood. Bengali nationalism makes us realize the importance of building a culture of linguistic identity and creates an urge for emotional motivation. Now the question is, what would be the nature of Bengali nationalism in the tradition of the independent Bangladesh,i.e., Eastern part of Bengal. Should Bangladeshi follow the tradition and culture of Indian Bengali’s (West Bengal) although the debatable margin is very thin accepting religious belief
Author Hasan Mahmud, in his newly published book on Bengali Muslim question, tried to focus some points on the trend in the culture of Bangladesh through various debatable contention. In his book he discussed the identity of the people of East Bengal (Bangladesh). Since Bangladesh, is an independent nation with distinct geographical region, the national identity of Bengali-speaking Muslim population is debatable concern,where 90% of the total population with their social relations, culture, economy and politics are Muslims. The debate began with the results of the first Census in 1871. Even after 50 years of the independence of Bangladesh, the identity of the Bengali Muslim is still confronted with the original question of the early days of nationalist thought in the region. Would they be called Bengali or Muslim? It is necessary to determine this question in terms of Nationality. In this chapter, by knowing the history of East Bengal in other words Bangladesh, I believe that our nationalism or otherwise the nationalism of the Bengalis of independent Bangladesh would become clear and in the light of this, the field would be created, enrich,and disperse the stream of our Bengali culture. This discussion is based on history and there does not exist any religious prejudice.

In Bangladesh, along with Bengali nationalism, another important pillar of the country is Secularism. Religion is one of the main determinant factors among the populations of Bangladesh. According to the 2011 Census, 90% of country’s population is Muslim, 8.5% are Hindu and the rest are Buddhists, Christians, and other non-religious communities. In this Secular country, equal rights are prevalent to all the citizens without any prejudice to others. In this case, religion does not play any role in national identity or is not desirable to be. We are the Bengali nation, and we are the citizens of independent Bangladesh. Our identity is Bengali in Bangladesh and overseas. Indian Bengalis and Bangladeshi Bengalis are equally known as Bengalis living in different countries of the world as expatriate Bengalis.
Hasan Mahmud in his book mentioned that in the context of Bangladesh, the mainstream is now a Bengali nation. It is claimed that this land of Bangladesh has been inhabited by Bengalis for thousands of years and they have thousands of years of cultural history. Bengali nationalism tells the Muslim population of Bengal to become Bengalis. Muslim Bengalis are actually a part of the converted Hindu Nation who accepted Islam at a very historical level. The question is how the Bengali Muslim of Bangladesh region coming into being or were created. Are they from Hindu to Muslim, or Muslim from abroad, or something distinctive?

In 1881, ten years after the first census in 1872, the Muslim peasant population was discovered in the rural areas of East Bengal (Bangladesh). The famous novelist Bankim Chandra published a series of articles relating to the history of Bengali titled,’ A few words about the history of Bengal’. He claimed that most of the Muslims in Bengal are from the lower caste of Hindus and agriculturists/peasants and of course they are not noble or dynastic. It is not realistic that the King’s clan will not make a living by farming and the descendants of the lower class would never occupy the status of upper class. It is also not possible that a few Muslims who came to this land with external rulers could make more than half of the population of Bengal.
At this point, Bankim Chandra concluded that the lower-class peasants/farmers of Bengal must have given up their own Hindu religion and became Muslims. In an article entitled, ‘The Origins of Bengali’ published the following month, he mentioned at the very introduction that the people of Bengal and half of the Bengali-speaking population are Muslims. He referred to the Muslims as one of the four different types of Bengali people who are different from the other three types (Aryan, Aryan, and Non-Aryan). However, the discussion and analysis of the entire article covered how only the Bengali Hindu inherited the Aryan blood and therefore they have an argument of having pride. Bankim Chandra has at the same time included the Bengali Muslim community as Bengali having their mother tongue Bengali. He concluded that since this group did not have Aryan blood, he separated them from Hindus.
In the article titled,’ The origin of Bengali’, he also mentioned that Bengali language means a family-based language. But those who speak this language do not belong to the Aryan family. The Bengali Brahmins are pure Aryans. Apart from this, among the Bengali-speaking people, there is the Koll Aryan, non-Aryan Dravidian and there are the Bengali-speaking Muslims. Bankim Chandra referred to the Bengali-speaking Muslims converted from the lowest class Hindu Sudras.
The English educated Hindu Scholars also demanded the Theory of Preaching Islam with the power of the sword from Arabian power. They mentioned that during the rule of Muslim Sultans/Emperors in Bengal, lower class Hindu populations or castes were forcibly converted into Islam using royal power. This fact is not supportive. It is understood that like other Bengali Hindus, the Bengali Muslim population is actually Hindu. Then the British Ethnographer Richard Eaton came up with another theory. That was the theory of liberation, and stated that the lower castes of the caste related discrimination in the Hindu Society led Lower caste Hindu to accept the religion of socialistic Islam with the hope of social liberation and justice. Among all these doctrines, anthropological studies indicated that the physical characteristics of the Bengali Muslim population have a striking resemblance to the Sudra and lower caste indigenous Bengali populations.
The theories of the emergence of the Muslims from the lower castes considered beneath the dignity by the educated Muslim, the lower caste or Sudra identity was naturally not accepted by the educated Muslim community who were involved in government work. As a result, in 1893, Khandaker Fazle Rabbi wrote a book entitled, ‘The origin of Muslim of Bengal’. In this book he indicated that there were many immigrant Muslims who came from Iran, Turkey, and Arabian countries, who were different from these lower caste Muslims. He further mentioned that these group separated themselves and began to emphasize and compete on the basis of their glorious family tradition in a competitive manner which segregated them from the basic principle of Islam. It was these group of people who later joined the lower caste Muslims in the name of Islam to establish an Islamic state and tried to make the Muslims of Bengal obeying them to forget their century old own language and culture. But in the face of strong protests from the Muslim community of East Bengal (erstwhile East Pakistan), the independent Bengal, i.e., Bangladesh came into being.

150 years ago, from now, during the era of Bankim Chandra, there was a doubt about the national identity of the Bengali Muslims. Even today, it remains in a state of contradiction. Bengali Muslims, sometimes Bengalis or Muslims formed Pakistan and Bangladesh. But the national identity remained ambiguous.
In 1983, Asim Roy, in order to find the identity of Bengali Muslim society, published a research-based book entitled, ‘The Islamic Syncretic Tradition in Bengal’. In his debatable research, leaving all other previous doctrines, claimed the Bengali Muslim population rose from the Bengal’s aboriginal non-Aryan population. Hasan Mahmud, in his statement on Asim Roy’s publication, mentioned that at the time of the emergence of this population, the leadership was led by the Muslims in Bengal. During the process of social evolution, this agricultural society with its population while settling down, the influential Muslims gained the status of Saint (Pir), although the number of such religious personalities were low. With the march of time, Muslim writers developed an independent distinct cultural practice by combining external Arabic-Persian Islamic heritage and local social and cultural elements. Asim Roy called these writers, the Cultural Envoys. Because they made a bridge between these urban uneducated Muslim peasants and the educated metropolitan Muslim community. According to Asim Roy, this process of cultural adjustment was one of a small scale.
The last research-based study on the identity of the Bengali Muslim population was carried out by Richard Eaton. In 1993, he published a book, named, ‘The rise if Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204-1760’. On the second day of a special lecture series arranged by the Bengali Department of Rabindra Bharati University, Professor Salimullah Khan made a critical criticism on the theory of the origin of Bengali Muslims by Richard Eaton. He nulled Asim Roy’s theory that the Muslims of Eastern Bengal had been converted from lower castes and also rejected the reason of Muslim sword power of converting them into Islam. Professor Salimullah Khan also rejected the emergence of a large population by Foreign Muslims, he did not believe the fact that it happened due to the greed of property or government servants. He explained that ‘It was also not true that people of lower stratum due to prevailing caste discrimination accepted Socialist Islam. He also said that even it happened, it was only 5%, the remaining 95% Bengali Muslim population emerged during the reign of Mughal Rule in Bengal through the process of Scio-cultural evolution consisting of non-Aryan people and Muslim Pioneers in the process of agricultural expansion in the forest land. Eaton presented a number of theories. The main reason for the Muslim-dominated East was: i) the expansion of the Mughal Empire,, ii) Change of River’s flow of direction, iii) the expansion of agricultural practice.
When the Mughal Emperors conquered Bengal by overthrowing the Sultans, the Mughal Emperor gave revenue-freeland to the war veterans. Among them were both Hindus and Muslims. The Mughal emperor was secular. However, most of the soldiers were Muslims. The emperor awarded them landlord hood in the agreement that they had to clean the jungles and expand the areas for agricultural practices, and Muslims had to build a mosque and the Hindus had to build a temple. These soldiers or property holders did not know farming. Then they enlightened these half naked jungle dwellers and fishermen to agricultural farming. These indigenous people were not Hindus, They used to worship Monosa Devi and Hindu Deity Chandi. Hasan Mahmud has shown that Aseem Roy, after reviewing the studies that existed at that time referred to two tenets of the emergence of Islamization of the Muslim population of Bengal: the ‘incomplete process of conversion’ through which non-Islamic values and practices have infiltrated into Indian Islam. The core of this trend is that due to the long-term living among the majority non-Muslims in India, the separation from the original land of Islam, living with semi-converts from

among the Hindus, etc., the religion of Islam has taken on the Indian character, moving away from the original faith.
The corruption and the downfall that is the erroneous process of convicting the Bengali Muslim by judging him with the values of outward (i.e. ArabianIslam), because the Muslims of Bengal never liked the Muslims of Arabia. Reviewing the literature of the original Muslim writers, Aseem Roy has observed that due to the lack of knowledge of Arabic Persian, Islam, written and propagated in those languages, was not accessed by the Muslim population of Bengal. As a result, they remained within the local non-Muslim tradition and have given rise to a harmonious Islam through a combination of Islamic values and practices, such as the principle of Islam is that all Muslims are equal (there is no discrimination). But like in other parts of India, the Muslim community in Bengal was largely divided into outsiders and local groups. whereas outsiders were classes of society and local converts were in the lower classes. these two classes maintained completely different and distinct positions from each other. in the 1901 census, outsiders were identified as Ashrafs (or sharifs) who were capable and undoubtedly converted from outsiders or upper-class Hindus. and the locals have been known as Arjal (later described as ‘Atraf’ in Bengali) as a low caste. Thus, the Muslims who were able to establish that their lineage was related to the prophet found the most prestigious place among the Bengali Muslims named Syed. in this way, the Shah, Mir, Pathan, etc. clan took the title. and finally, the powerful feudal class of the local administration, Talukdar, Jotdar, Chowdhury, etc., took on the names. Exaggeration of lineage was observed everywhere. Everyone wants to get up. In the 1901 census in Noakhali district, 99% of Muslims claimed to be outsiders. Aseem Roy explained this trend from Meherullah to Meheruddin Muhammad and later Muhammad Meher Uddin and he said that such evolution of names among BengaliMuslims would have been possible due to the high social status. The lineage was determined by wealth, meaning prestige. Aseem Roy explained that through this Ashraf/Atraf division of the BengaliMuslim community, the BengaliMuslims became only Muslims and the Bengali Hindus became only Bengalis, and the Bengali language became a Hindu language. The BengaliMuslims also denied their local identity and identified themselves as outsiders or ‘Muslims’. as a result, the Bengali identity became the communal identity of only non-Muslims as well as Hindus.
This society has voluntarily identified itself as a foreigner in its homeland due to the desire to rise to the aristocracy. Muslims of Bengal are responsible for this. BengaliMuslims and Muslims of Bengal are two different types. On the basis of the Islamic Nationalism of the name of an outsider Muslim, Pakistan formed unity with the Muslims of Bengal for the establishment of the state but maintained the cultural distance that existed between Ashraf and Atraf. as a result, the Bengali Muslims broke up Pakistan and established their own independent state of Bangladesh. In the book ‘the BengaliMuslim question’, Hasan Mahmud gave an idea of the task of the Bengali Muslim on the question of national identity to return to the original. He said that it was seen that following the elite Muslim, the ultimate destination of the Bengali Muslim is abroad. If you follow the Bengali Hindu again, the destination goes to West Bengal influenced by the legacy of Aryan blood, Sanskrit language, and culture. However, the BengaliMuslim was born in the soil-water-air of this Eastern Bengal. At the same token, this community has a distinct culture. HasanMahmud’s question was why the people of Eastern Bengal did not settle down with their roots without imitating others? He blamed it on the inferiority complex among BengaliMuslims with their own national identity. although the BengaliMuslim community is a distinct nation on the basis of their place of birth, own language, and culture. according to HasanMahmud, the first step of the BengaliMuslim is to assimilate his distinct ethnic identity and throw himself both the infatuation and resentment that has been going on for so long towards the elite Muslimsand the Hindu population. only then will it be possible to build an independent nation-state. describing the establishment

of its own cultural unity in the process of nation-state formation, ali majri said, 1) localization of foreign elements, 2) glorification of local elements and 3) nationalization of local and regional elements. Bangladesh is a secular country. People of all religions have equal rights here. Bangabandhu said, “I am a human being, I am a Bengali, I am a Muslim. It means I am a Bengali Hindu, I am a Bengali Buddhist, I am a Bengali Christian’. On the way to building our own culture by recognizing the distinct ethnicity of the Bengalis of Bangladesh, the equal rights of the people of all religions, we must take various elements from the culture of Hindus and Muslims. but it must be our freedom and not someone else’s imposition through independent considerations.
Therefore, the history of East Bengal is the culture of living of the rural people of rural Bengal. Bangladesh is surrounded by farmers, fishermen, boatmen, and rural dwellers. their art, literature, and culture are the nationhood of Bangladesh and the nationalism of East Bengal as well as the Bengalis of Bangladesh. The rural people of Bengal are the elite of Bengal and their culture is our nationhood. I think the journey of Bangla Mime Art Movement should begin in the light of the culture that has been built in the traditions of rural Bengal. In the combination of the evolving culture of ancient Bengal, the atmosphere of daily life above religious practices will be developed in the form of contemporary Bengali Mime Art in the form of contemporary Bengal. as such, the form of the West’s Mime culture has been created. The next chapter will focus on the evolution of the West’s Mime Culture. This will make it easier to get deeper into research gradually.

Conclusion of Bengali Nationalism and Bengali Mime Art Movement
After reviewing the foregoing discussions on Bengali Nationalism, I profoundly conclude that the history of Bengal lies in the context of lifestyle and culture of rural Bengal. The farmers, Fishermen, Boat Dwellers, and Rural Population constitute the entire Bangladesh. Their art, literature and cultural heritage is bounded by the nationhood of Bangladesh and in other words, the nationhood of East Bengal, i.e., Bengalis of Bangladesh. The Rural population of Bengal with its nobility, is the determinant factor of our Nationality. I consider that the journey of Bangla Mime Art Movement should begin with the heritage of rural Bangla cultural characteristics. Even then there remains a dilemma on Bangla Cultural entity. Question lies with the people of East Bengal meaning Bengali Muslims. Is the cultural entity of East Bengal and the West Bengal same or different? Is West Bengal’s Bengali nationhood is the same or otherwise Indian nationhood and the other mingled with Muslim nationhood? We have to bring out with a neutral solution rather facing these questions. Due to the continuing trend of our tradition and religious process which pushed Bengali to Hinduism, we have to come out and we have to determine Bangla culture by accepting only the Rural tradition. We have to uphold our own tradition of Bangla life and style with its language, art, literary uniqueness, and culture without prejudice to the religion. There is a contradiction in Bengali Culture within the frame of religion. Specially, The Bengali of East Bengal or Bengali Muslim of Bangladesh in their usual living and culture find the touch of Hinduism. Such as, Bengali months, Bangla New Year, puffed rice, naru, pitted rice, Shari, Tips, wearing colorful decorative mask, painting, sculpture, ceremonial acceptance of winter, Chaitra Sankranti, music, dance, theater, cinema, Spring festival, Bengali naming, placing flower bouquet, candlelight, giving flowers, naming days, pronounce Bengali of water- all these indicate so called Hinduism. Is it really mean? Islam does not mean Arabian Culture, so Bangla culture does not mean Hindu culture either. Bengali nationhood is the traditional spirit of Bangla, definitely not Hinduism.

In the end, I strongly feel that we have to set aside the religious activities through the process of mixing in the ancient Bengal and we should create the continuing contemporary mime art and culture form of Bengal, the way the Western Mime Art Form was created. In the next chapter, the evolutionary process of Western Mime Art Culture will be focused and discussed. Thus, it would be easy to do a deep research to determine the Bangla Mime Art Form of its own and thus a new genre would be created.

bibliography:
Hasan Mahmud. “Bengali Muslim question” Ahmad Safa 2002. “The mind of Bengali Muslims”
Syed Abul Maqsood. “Bengali Nation, Bengali Muslims, Bengali Nationalism and Bangladesh” Salimullah Khan. “Achievements in the liberation war”
Salimullah Khan. “Why was the Bengali Muslim culture widely spread in East Bengal?” Md Abdur Razzak. “Tradition, festivals and vibrant Bengali culture”
Majid Mahmud. “Bengali language literature and culture” Swakrit Noman. “Transformation of the form of culture” Hyat Mahmud. “Bangladesh, cultural identity”
Syed Lutful Haque. “Civilization and culture of bengal”
Bankim Chandra Chattapadhay. “A few words about the history of bengal” Aseem Roy 1983. “ The Islamic Syncretic tradition in Bengal”
Richard Eaton 1993. “The rise of Islam and the Bengal frontiers during 1204-1760