Must we wait for an artiste to pass away to give them their due respect?
Art is an innate form of self-expression, and there's no doubt that any kind of art reaches its highest artistic peak when the artiste is celebrated and recognised nationwide for his full immersion in the craft.
As the country's most loved artiste, Rabindra Sangeet legend Sadi Mohammad, died by suicide on Wednesday (March 13), around 7pm, two discussions on this untimely death have resurfaced–clasps of depression and grief and the practice of conferring national awards to artistes posthumously.
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The artiste had been introduced to trauma and suffering at a very early age. On the fateful night of March 26, 1971, his father, martyr Salimullah, was brutally murdered by the Pakistani army. The incident also caused his mother Zebunnessa physical disability, which confined her to a wheelchair for the last 15 years of her life. With the death of his mother last year, Sadi fell into a bottomless pit of depression.
After everything the artiste had endured all his life, the pain and agony magnified–as if it were the final nail in the coffin–when he was deprived of any national recognition, such as Ekushey Padak, Swadhinata Padak, till his last breath.
Since its inception in 1977, Ekushey Padak and other national award conferrals have been honouring artistes posthumously. The recognition symbolises honour and acknowledgement for the cost of the Language Martyrs, who sacrificed their lives for our mother tongue Bengali during the Language Movement of 1952.
The growing list of posthumous awardees was understandable as well for a country that was just liberated. However, over the years, it became a practice with artistes like Andrew Kishore, Fazal-e-Khuda, Jalal Uddin Khan, Bidit Lal Das, not getting any recognition for their lifelong contribution till they made their journey to the other side.
Sadi's brother, Shibli Mohammad, who has recently been honoured with the Ekushey Padak, said, "If my brother received any national recognition, he would not have been so miserable. Sadi Mohammad is my mentor, my inspiration. He didn't agree to attend the award-giving ceremony when I invited him. He said, 'You go. I don't want to attend it. Many will question why I didn't receive the award and this will haunt us.'"
Pointing out Sadi's disappointment and frustration over the matter, his protégé Anima Roy, said, "I met sir [Sadi] at Bangladesh Television's 'Ganer Jhornatola' programme. During the recording, we talked for hours. He was frustrated and in despair over not receiving any recognition for his work," she said.
"My sir also said that even if he was awarded the posthumous honour, he would not accept it."
"How is this normal that an artiste of such stature didn't receive any national recognition for his contribution to Bengali music and our cultural arena? The only recognition he received was people's love. Many of his contemporaries got such recognition, then why was he deprived of it? How could the national award-giving committee ignore such a visionary man like him who mentored so many talented artistes in our country?" objected the grieve-stricken Anima.
From the inception of these national awards, deceased individuals who have contributed significantly to national history have also been honoured posthumously with living cultural personalities. Often, the number of posthumous recipients exceeds the number of living ones. A glance at the past few years' data makes this evident. In 2002, the Ekushey Padak, the second highest civilian national award in Bangladesh, was conferred upon 14 individuals, out of which seven were posthumous recipients. Similarly, in 2003, amongst the 12 recipients, five had already passed away.
The scenario hasn't changed much since then. In 2021, amongst 21 Ekushey Padak recipients, five were conferred posthumously. In the following year (2022), the number grew to seven (amongst 19 total recipients). In 2023, six cultural personalities were awarded posthumously among 21 recipients.
The nation has to wait for years to recognise music and literary legends like Andrew Kishore, and Rudra Mohammad Shahidullah to pay their due respect.
Ekushey Padak-winning singer Farida Parveen told local media, "Sadi Mohammad is a name, who passionately loved his music and also helped to mentor young talents in music industry. Unfortunately, he did not receive the recognition from the state that he rightfully deserved, which was a source of great sorrow for him. There are artistes who are receiving Swadhinata Padak and Ekushey Padak without notable contributions. Personally, I feel like he took his life as he was tired of not getting respect for his work that he deserved. He left this world with a lot of pain and agony."
Singer Farhin Khan Joyita, who was close to Sadi as he was her mother, another Rabindra Sangeet singer Mita Huq's friend and colleague, said, "The pain and frustration of not receiving enough recognition were there [in Sadi]. But I saw Sadi Mama suffering for a long time for another reason as well. You got to understand that he had witnessed his father getting brutally killed before his eyes. He used to keep himself occupied in teaching and singing, but I think he had undiagnosed PTSD, which worsened after his sister and mother's death. I fully respect his decision to leave and pray that he finds peace."
Esteemed author and filmmaker Humayun Ahmed once penned his disgust over the fact that eminent artiste Humayun Faridee did not receive an Ekushey Padak [till then] in his autobiographical book, "Rong Pencil". The laureate wrote, "How come a person of his calibre had not been recognised with the Ekushey Padak in the field of performing arts? Isn't he the most deserving of this honour?"
Six years after his demise, Humayun Faridee was posthumously bestowed with the award.
Similarly, dramatist and modern playwright Sayeed Ahmed and filmmaker Tareque Masud were posthumously awarded the Ekushey Padak, just a year after they passed away in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Author and writer Humayun Azad passed away in 2004 and was posthumously honoured with the award in 2012; And ironically, the list goes on.
Recently, Dolly Zahur, a recipient of this year's Ekushey Padak, shared that she felt fortunate to have received the award in her lifetime. She said in an exclusive interview with The Daily Star, "It's important to prioritise honouring artistes while they are alive, so they can fully appreciate their achievements."
Sadi Mohammad once said in an interview, "I believe the creator lives in his creation. By loving his creation, we can get closer to God. He who defrauded me defrauded himself."
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