WALKING the talk

Sometimes I wish I was a gifted fiction writer and not a mediocre columnist.

I have always had a hidden desire to write a novel on Bangladesh, presenting its bizarre realities in the garb of fantasy like Garcia Marquez. Or a satirical tale in the style of George Orwell's 1984, highlighting political conspiracies, police deception and public manipulation. Imagine the degrees of freedom I would have in "saying the unsayable" -- about vanishing CCTV footages, disappearing human beings, bloggers hacked in full public view and sexual predators escaping police custody with impunity. Fiction can be a powerful tool for drawing public attention to social and political issues. At the same time it gives the author immunity by protecting her from legal censure and backlash from authorities. Unfortunately, even if I attempted to pen fictional stories, my impact would likely be minimal since I neither have the magic of Marquez's imagination, nor the skill of Orwell's linguistic elegance... This not withstanding, once in a while I do take the plunge and cross the blurry line of self-imposed censorship to address topics like religious bigotry, denial of justice to ordinary folks, abuse of power by authorities and misdemeanors committed by the police. However, it's not easy to write about these sensitive topics since an op-ed columnist bears the burden of proof. She must back up her opinions with hard facts – facts that are sometimes impossible to winnow from the heap of lies and fabrications that pervade our overall social system. Each week before writing my column, I invest time in answering a basic question: what could I write to create a dent in the status quo? Would the "powers that be" care if I wrote a scathing piece about the shameful and despicable assault on twenty women in the Dhaka University premises on Pahela Baisakh? Can I, for instance, write boldly about the ongoing grand conspiracy to undermine the progressive, secular trend in the country by employing terror tactics? I could point fingers at the university authorities for their failure to maintain the sanctity of the highest seat of learning, but no one would be held accountable. As for the police – the back and forth admission and denial by high-ranking officers of facts recorded in the CCTV footage tell their own story. Yet there have been no suspensions or resignations. Not even an admission of negligence of duty. Do I sound too pessimistic? Indeed, I am sometimes filled with serious doubts about whether or not my columns make an impact in addressing the social challenges bedeviling the citizenry! Despite these moments of despair, I must confess that at a personal level my writing adventure has turned out to be rewarding. I am gratified that I have added my voice to the prevalent social discourse and might have leavened the discussion at a minuscule scale. By now most of you may be wondering why I am dwelling on the inner workings of my mind as an op-ed writer. This month marks the fourth anniversary of my weekly column "Shifting  Images". Four years back when I started writing, my objective was to address humane issues and formulate them into concrete images that would give readers reason to ponder and reflect. As some of you may have noted from my earlier writings, I am a believer of American psychologist Abraham Maslow's notion of the hierarchy of human needs with physical needs at the bottom rising through love, self-esteem and finally culminating in "self-actualisation". Maslow describes the latter as the happiest moments -- perhaps from being in love, or listening to music or suddenly being inspired by a book or painting. This has been the underlying theme of my columns. I have candidly shared my intellectual and spiritual experiences from inspiring musical performances, rare paintings and artwork, nail-biting sporting events and novel ideas expressed in books. And I have tried to emphasise the importance of relationships over material objects, underscoring the healing power of love and compassion. I have opted to write on diverse topics because I wanted to retain the spontaneity and freedom of traversing unexplored territory. But I was afraid that I would be a lone voice thinking out of the box. Surprisingly, the journey has turned out to be not only fulfilling but also companionable. For I have made meaningful connections with my readers. They are a disparate group – the struggling business entrepreneur, the young student aspiring to be a writer, the frustrated voter disillusioned by the politicians, the freedom fighter disenchanted by the rise of non-secular forces and the American Bangladeshi straddling between two cultures. They have sustained this column through their constructive feedback and steered it in a direction that I never envisaged. Their reactions and comments have made this a two-way conversation rather than a monologue. Most importantly, they have given me the courage and conviction to continue.
 

The writer is a renowned Rabindra Sangeet exponent and a former employee of the World Bank. 

E-mail: shiftingimages@gmail.com