Sunday Times 2
Sunny ties between Lanka and Bangladesh
View(s):By Satharathilaka Banda Atugoda
Certain thoughts crossed my mind as I was watching the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka cricket matches. Several events between the two countries are also absorbing our interest. Bangladesh has performed magnificently, at cricket in Sri Lanka’s home grounds, and the 46th Bangladesh independence and national day was being celebrated on 26 March, Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, has personally congratulated all the Bangladeshi cricketers on their victory over a strong team in the latter’s own soil. Another factor, of course, is that the cricket team of Bangladesh is being trained by a top Sri Lankan cricketer-coach Chandika Hathurusingha.
Bangladesh won the recent one day international match against Sri Lanka. Pic Amila Gamage
As an old Sri Lanka- Bangladesh hand, naturally there was a throw-back into reminiscences, of the links of the two countries, including their history. The result is this short article. History: The legend of Vijaya really begins in the then Bengal, (Vanga), from where our ancestor set sail to Thambapannni, with his seven hundred retinue, and settled into establish a nation. The Kingdom of Lata, according to historians lay in Kalinga, Bengal, or Gujarat; but, in present Bangladesh too, there is a legend that Bijoy Singh an ancient ruler of Vanga annexed Lanka, and this story is similar to the history recorded in the Mahavamsa, Dipavamsa and travel tales of yore. In Comilla infact, there is place named Bijoy-Singpur.
These historical antecedents relate closely to the physiognomic resemblances, languages spoken, and the similarity of the cultural traits, of the two peoples. The Bangladesh contemporary cultural components are embedded on an Indo-Aryan, Hindu-Buddhist foundation. The Chittagong hill tracts Hindu-Buddhist population, and similar pockets of Southern Bangladesh Buddhists, co-exist with a predominantly Islamic population. They have close links with West Bengal, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh of India, which have ancestral links with Sri Lanka as well.
These are corroborated with archaeological excavations in the Lalmai- Mainamati Ridge area in present Mainamati, sponsored by the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Such ancient ruins exist in the Mainamati-Devaparvata, Gawr-Lakhnawati, and Sonargoan-Panam regions.
In Buddhist historyTapassu-Bhalluka, the two merchants who offered dhana to the Buddha after enlightenment were supposed to have been from Vanga Desha, or Orissa, or from Ukkala. They later travelled to Eastern Lanka for trade by sea with the bowl of holy hair relics gifted by the Buddha. It is said that these holy relics are presently reverentially placed at Giri Handu Seya. If the Ukkala region was in the eastern region of ancient India, it signifies, historical trade routes, were a major aspect in relations between these two regions. It follows that Buddhist relations existed, along with trade with present Bengal, Orissa, and also Bangladesh.
It was inand around 1100 A.D. that Islam moved to the sub-continent and it took another 100 years for Islam to spread to the east, the present Bengal, and Bangladesh. James J. Novak in his book, ‘Bangladesh – Reflections on the water’ describes how Islam spread in this region under Turkish ruler Baktiyar Khilji, who captured the Sena Empire and how a band of Muslim scholars and teachers (mullahs) converted the population to Islam. It started with the raids by Mahmud of Ghazni of Central Asia, who entered via the Khyber Pass. He was with scientist-scholar, Alberuni, who studied Hindu culture, religion, astronomy, mathematics, and agriculture and industry. He wrote on them and Alberuni’s India is a classic today.
The Islamic movement spread to Northern India; and when the western colonialists came, the two main religions in the sub-continent became Hindu and Islam, as Buddhism had already declined in India. However there was a peaceful co-existence of the two faiths although, in the later centuries they became the conduit for usurpation of political power by the maharajahs and princes who ruled the varied states. It was this phenomenon that existed even in East India to which Bangladesh became a part.
This ethos was further exacerbated by the British in their ‘divide and rule policy.’ Lord Curzon, Governor-General of India for six years divided Bengal on communal lines separating the Muslim east from the Hindu west. This divide paved way for untold misery and even Gandhiji could not reverse the trend which partitioned India and created Pakistan, as portrayed in ‘Freedom at midnight’, by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre.
Proceeding from the legendary cultural and historical links to more modern times, Bangladesh was a country twice born, once in 1947 when India was partitioned, and secondly in 1971. In 1947 when the British gave independence to colonial India, the Hindus and Muslims in the sub-continent opted to have two separate nations based on religion. The British found it a difficult proposition, and the modus-operandi, was a very painful experience as they were the originators of one single nation called India after uniting all the States and small kingdoms in the 19th century. Lord Mountbatten who presided over the partition of the Indian nation, (along with the British Government) gave the option in a majority vote and in a decision by the Rajahs. It is well-documented history that saw millions moving from one region to the other, making some of them refugees and some were massacred in the journeys.
The newly established nation was called Pakistan in which Bangladesh became the eastern wing. The father of the modern Bangladeshi nation, Bangabandhu Mujibur Rahman himself says in his life story how he joined the struggle for Pakistan’s separation from India; in the same vein when Muhammad Ali Jinnah the Father of Pakistan made his famous speech in Dhaka Paltan, Maidan (grounds) about the language, religion, and culture of the newly born nation he had his misgivings. Perhaps, the future separation of the two wings was written even during the partition process, due to the distance of 1800 miles, (non-contiguity of the regions) between the two wings, the non-homogeneity of the cultures, except religion, the differing economic bases, and the non-equitable distribution of wealth. From 1947 to 1971, there was agitation for self rule as the eastern wing was basically another far-off land to the central administration
It all ended with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declaring Independence on 26 March, 1971. There was a bitter war for nine months and on 3 December 1971, Bangladesh was born. This history is common knowledge and Bangladesh is a lower-middle income economy fast moving towards developed status. In this endeavour the contributions of all Bangladeshi leaders including, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of the father of the nation Sheikh, Mujibur Rahman, opposition leader Khaleda Zia, daughter of another national hero General Zia Ur Rehman, who fought for independence and also led the nation later, and all the people of Bangladesh are remembered by the nation.
Bangladesh has developed friendly relationswith all the nations of the comity of nations and especially the Asian region and South Asia in particular. They pioneered the formation of the SAARC, as a regional grouping, BIMSTEC, while developing links with ASEAN, and the Asia-Pacific region. In 46 years, of turbulent history the nation of Bangladesh is proud of her achievements. They have learnt from experiences of Sri Lanka on education, health, and sports.
In the field of sports they have shown their ability and the march towards dominance. Cricket is one such game and Sri Lanka has helped them from the 1990s. When Sri Lanka won the world cup, for example, Sri Lankan cricketers assisted Bangladesh to form their squad. The names of Sri Lankan cricketers became household names in Dhaka. They were really adored. When Sri Lanka won the world cup on 17 March, 1996 in Pakistan, the writer happened to be the High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in Bangladesh. Being enthusiastic about our winning I returned to my residence early to watch the match on the television. When the last ball was played we were so overjoyed that some of my friends and I were just talking as to how we should celebrate, when we saw a mammoth crowd of our brethren from Bangladesh with their chantings of joy Sri Lanka and joy Bangla at the residence gates.
The security were trying to stop them. I walked quietly to the gate with some of my friends and told the police to open the gate. In the sprawling lawn of the residence in Gulshan they gathered and were dancing and singing, joined by our own Sri Lankan compatriots. What followed was an impromptu party with whatever was available, and I was really so touched by this outpouring of love towards Sri Lanka by our historic friends. On the following day I had so many messages from the leaders of the country, that we felt we were the same people.
(The writer is a former High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Bangladesh.)