Next year will mark the 100th birth anniversary
of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, whose struggles delivered independence
for Bangladesh. It provides an opportunity for us in India to learn to
appreciate that country better. For what that country stands for. For what
their aspirations. For why they are totally deserving and justifiably of
India’s respect.
The first description that needs correction is the Indian
characterisation of the events of 1971 on the eastern front as an India
Pakistan war. It wasn’t. Instead it
should be seen as Bangladesh’s war of independence. Yes, India fought Pakistan.
Yes, we sent our army in. Yes, the air force followed thereafter. But let none forget
that while 3,900 Indian soldiers died and another 9,851 were wounded, the loss of
Bangladeshi life was far more. Some say that the genocide unleashed by Pakistan
caused upwards of 3 million deaths. If the quantum of sacrifice made by its
people is any criteria, it was clearly Bangladesh’s fight in which India provided
substantial assistance with men and material to help the local population
capture power.
At the 100th anniversary celebrations that start
in March next year, no other country has as much claim to be on the main stage
as India. During the 1971 war, only India and Russia were with Bangladesh.
China sided with Pakistan but clearly Bangladesh has mended fences with China,
with the latter offering to invest huge sums of money in Bangladesh. Even with
Pakistan, Bangladesh relations are on even keel as evidenced by the socio cultural
interaction between the two countries from time to time. While it is true that
the Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League has sided with India on issues involving
Pakistan, the same cannot be said of the two main opposition parties, namely, Begum
Zia’s BNP or General Ershad’s Jatiya Party, both of whom have given Hasina hell
for cosying up to India.
It has been 48 years since independence. For more than half
the period, Bangladesh had governments which were not favourably disposed
towards having good friendly ties with India even if they may not always been completely
inimical. The population of Bangladesh at the time of its independence in 1971
was 65 million, today it is 165 million. Which means that most of the
population has no recollection of Mujib and his sacrifices or India’s
contribution. The 100th anniversary is a perfect opportunity to tell
them about Bangabandhu, his sacrifices and his contribution to the creation of
Bangladesh. India would therefore do well to showcase its own role but without
making Bangladesh uncomfortable. It is a perfect opportunity for India to pay
homage to the memory of the 3 million Bangladeshis who died during the
independence struggle.
It is in India’s interests to do so. Bangabandhu, or friend
of Bengal, Mujib wore his Bengali identity proudly on his sleeve. Which is how,
even today, the Bengali identity trumps the Muslim identity for most
Bangladeshis. The anniversary provides an opportunity to reinforce this in the
minds of the post independence generation. From India’s point of view that
alone will be enough to provide a bulwark against mass radicalisation of the
population. Bangladesh attaches great value to its secular credentials and the
fact that there are more than 100 temples where there is daily worship provides
testimony to this. Equally important, there is the Gurdwara Nanakshahi, in
memory of Guru Nanakji who visited Dhaka in the 16th century. It is
important for India to be invested in ensuring that Bangladesh stays secular
and does not become a breeding ground for any kind of radicalisation that can
hurt India. But to get there, we in India need to change.
The Indian mindset on Bangladesh has to change. Take the name with anyone and everything you
hear is negative. Illegal migration. Basket case. Poor country. Terrorist
haven. There is no denying that Bangladesh has its share of problems. But
today’s Bangladeshi is a proud Bangladeshi. And there is much for him to be
proud of. And he wants to be appreciated for it. With good reason too.
The Brookings Institution calls Bangladesh one of Asia’s
most remarkable and unexpected success stories in recent years. “Bangladesh
defies economic and political gravity,” screams the Nikkei Asian Review. They
are self sufficient in food and earned the world’s respect when they gave
shelter to the Rohingyas fleeing persecution in Myanmar in much the same way India
did when millions of Bangladeshis took refuge in India in 1971. Even Pakistan
calls Bangladesh a success story, admitting candidly that Bangladesh has done
much better than Pakistan itself.
There is more. I did not know until last week that India
exports 10 billion US $ of goods and services to Bangladesh and that we run a
trade surplus of over 9 billion US $ with them. It means that Bangladesh buys
over Rs 70000 crores worth of stuff from us. That is a lot of jobs they are
helping us create in India. They deserve our gratitude for this alone. But the
story does not end there. In 2017, more than 2.2 lakh Bangladeshis came to
India for medical treatment, that number will be much higher by now. They
create jobs too. With them come their families. The Indian High commission
issued over 15 lakh visas to Bangladeshis annually. I am not sure if there is
any other country on earth that sends as many visitors to India. Many of them
come to Kolkata for weekend shopping, some have started going to Guwahati after
a direct flight was introduced. The impact of these 15 lakh on the Indian
economy cannot be overstated. Thank you, Bangladesh. It is high time we
acknowledged their positive impact on the Indian economy. And give them the respect they so rightfully
deserve.
If that’s not all, Bangladesh trumps India on several
indicators. Bangladeshis’ average life expectancy is now 72 years,
compared to 68 years for
Indians says the World Bank. When it comes to banking, only 10.4 percent
of Bangladeshi bank accounts are dormant compared to 48 percent of Indian bank
accounts. Dormant accounts are those where there has not been a single
transaction for a year. When it comes to ready made garments, Bangladesh beats
India by a long way.
If none of this resonates with you as being reason enough
for Bangladesh to be proud, allow me to remind you of Shakib, whose performance
at the World Cup has been nothing short of phenomenal. The success of Shakib
has given the young Bangladeshi reason enough to walk with his held high. It is
time we in India recognised this and give them the respect that they so
rightfully deserve.