Hamlet on Indo-Bangla border to be replicated

What is life without freedom? What is life without an assured sense of independence? And what is life without the existence of an identity?

The dark clouds looked dour enough in the early morning sky, but there was a little sunshine too now and then with floating white clouds lighting up the azure blue sky. And amid the piercing voice of excited 5-year-old Jihad, the gloom seemed to disappear and the light of hope shone <g data-gr-id="51">bright</g>. But what was Jihad so excited about? 

He was excited about his identity. He was celebrating his Independence with many others that emerged as a result of the historic land swap of enclaves involving patches of land on the India-Bangladesh border. This consequential move has been so intrinsic and fundamental that it has found a place as a theme in one of the puja pandals in south Kolkata.

The Kasba Saktisangha Club has invited as many as 10 residents of the erstwhile enclaves to visit the fabricated dwellings of Moshaldanga, the hamlet that has been replicated in the theme.

This idea to depict a dilapidated village of the struggle-torn area had been conceptualized last year itself by the committee members. There was an urgent need to bring to the forefront life and issues of people living along the border. “It is our good luck that the agreement was finalized in August and our concept became a hit,” says secretary Sanat Mukherjee.

It is important to remember that this historic agreement has changed the lives of hundreds of people living along the border, resulting in a stable and peaceful boundary. For nearly 70 years, the residents of Bangladeshi enclaves in India and Indian enclaves in Bangladesh have been suffering neglect, harassment, lack of access to a rule of law. Finally, on August 1, 14,000 Bangladeshis became Indian citizens after the historic Chitmahal <g data-gr-id="46">Chukti</g> (land swap) of around 162 enclaves, ending one of the world’s most intractable border disputes.

Raktim Das, researcher and one of the <g data-gr-id="48">organisers</g>, says: “How these enclaves came into being is very fascinating. Successive Maharajas of Cooch Behar – a kingdom that once encompassed entire undivided Bengal (now West Bengal and Bangladesh), Assam and major parts of what is now North East India – indulged in games and gambles with their counterparts, the Nawabs of Rangpur (now in Bangladesh).”

They used to wage prosperous villages in their own fiefs as pawns. Thus, villages in Cooch Behar became the properties of Rangpur while villages within Rangpur came to be owned by the Cooch Behar Maharajas. This peculiarity did not pose any problems till Independence. But the whole scenario changed after 1947 — Rangpur became part of Bangladesh while Cooch Behar became part of India.”

Installation artist Manik Nath and his team have been busy in attempting to replicate Moshaldanga as immaculately as possible. He believes that the showcasing of a handful of villagers in a temporary, fabricated structure will definitely prove to be a crowd-puller. The Durga idol here wears the look of the enclaves’ womenfolk. Das further elaborates: “Along with Devi Durga, there will also be a replication of the 250-year-old Shiva temple that is there in the village and a <g data-gr-id="44">mazhar</g> as well.”

The committee members have also invited Diptiman Sengupta, the key leader behind the final protocol exchange between the countries. Apart from him, the oldest resident of the village, 102-year-old <g data-gr-id="43">Azgar</g> Ali, octogenarian Monsur Ali Mia, Roshan Ali, Bishnu Burman will also be present during the festival.