Yunus Martyred, Bangladesh Marred

THE PERSONIFICATION of climate change, unimaginable poverty and simmering religious extremism; Bangladesh doesn’t really have much going for it. And now we have even less. The Supreme Court’s decision to back the Central Bank’s dismissal of Grameen Bank Managing Director Mohammad Yunus, the pioneer of highly- controversial microcredit, has stunned civil society in Bangladesh and potentially done the country more harm them good. The Nobel Laureate was unceremoniously relieved of his duties last month with a letter from the Central Bank (on request from the Ministry of Finance) citing a breach of contract. The septuagenarian, self-proclaimed “ banker to the poor” was kicked out for being 10 years past the required age of retirement, 60 , civil servants said. Internationally, the government’s actions have been frowned upon and seen as arbitrary and capricious – an embodiment of governance in today’s Bangladesh. Yunus first came under attack late last year after a Danish documentary accused him of embezzling Norweigen government aid money. Oslo later cleared Yunus and Grameen Bank of any financial impropriety, but the damage had been done. The Bangladesh media lashed out and the government pounced to remove the man they linked closely with the interim (military- backed) government of 2007 , which arrested the current Prime Minister on allegations of extortion. Yunus further exacerbated the situation by forming his own political party. His campaign failed; the gloves came off. The Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who in 2009 brought her arch-rival Khaleda Zia to tears on national television, was now after Yunus’s neck. In 2010 she publicly proclaimed him as “blood-sucker of the poor.” However, Mohammad Yunus we have to understand is more than just a managing director of a bank. He is, and I fear I am stating the obvious, MOHAMMAD YUNUS, a Bengali and a Muslim, who until now was the only squeaky clean ambassador of the nation. His high-profile removal from office ( for which he must partly share the blame) has done more to tarnish the image of Bangladesh than the 2005 serial bomb attacks or the countrywide protests against women’s inheritance rights earlier this week by religious extremists. Similarly, microcredit is more than just a service that provides small loans to the poor. It’s an idea, home grown, to help deal with one of society’s biggest challenges, rural poverty. It is as quintessentially Bangladeshi as cucumber sandwiches and industrialisation were British, and we ought to be proud of it. Today, we stand to lose all that. As a sombre Grameen Bank recovers from the shock of losing its public face, others in the microfinance industry wait nervously to see the impact the Central Bank’s order will have on foreign aid flow into Bangladesh. Last month, the World Bank froze over $500 million of funding because of concerns over governance. Microfinance institutions too will no doubt come under tougher scrutiny. Time to reflect on the last 20 years of exponential growth though is perhaps just what the industry needs. Bangladesh microfinance has a long, hard battle ahead to make sure it doesn’t fall victim to mission drift as has been the case in India and Mexico where privatisation has capitalised on the helplessness of the poor. Whilst the national media and the government attacked Yunus’s integrity and legitimacy, the international press now took a swing at microcredit itself. From the start, microcredit was hugely misunderstood as a concept. It was never meant to be a panacea to alleviate poverty. It was part of a multi-faceted approach and as such, it worked. However, when the money came rolling in from donors, nobody checked the expansion of the industry. Microcredit stole the limelight and bullied other equally important development issues off the agenda and became the lone silver bullet in the hunt to end poverty. When that bullet missed its mark, the onslaught began from all quarters. The government, instead of protecting the country’s most well respected celebrity, only dug its knife in deeper. Yunus’s response to the controversy that has surrounded him since the Danish documentary, Caught in Microcredit, has been calm and measured. His uncharacteristic silence and humility over the last few months has risen above the belligerence of a government that practises bulldozer politics, and not diplomacy. Consequently, most hope that Yunus will clear his name and gracefully step down from office, allowing fresh thinkers to mould the future. The question now is whether the 65- year-old Prime Minister will follow in his footsteps.

Mahatma A 'Gay' Icon? Why Not?

Come on, India. Grow up! If the Great Soul was indeed attracted to another man, is that so hard to accept or understand? Which century are we living in? This column is being written on April Fool’s Day. We are looking like the biggest fools on earth right now. One can expect bachelor boy Narendra Modi to instantly cash in on the ‘sentiments’ of the people of his state and ban the controversial book after dubbing it ‘perverse’. Paradoxically enough, those same people are free to visit the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad and read those ‘ perverse’ letters for themselves. I wonder how many people from Modi’s city bother to go to the ashram in the first place, forget about examining the many Gandhi volumes that it houses. Yes, the same archival material used by the author (Joseph Lelyveld) for the book “Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India.”    The biggest slap in the face has come from Gandhiji’s own — his grandson Rajmohan Gandhi, and great-grandson Tushar Gandhi, both of whom have described the ban as ‘un-Gandhian.’ Any sensible policymaker would let it go at that. And chances are the book will find its own level, its own takers and detractors, as should happen in a democracy. By attempting to suppress it, the one fallout will be this - “Great Soul” will register even greater sales! Censorship is always counter-productive — the more you suppress, the higher the curiosity. We saw that with the James Laine book on Shivaji (thank you Supreme Court, for showing better sense than the government of Maharashtra). We shall see the same happening with this book as well. But, hello! Who can think of reading a red-hot book, when the collective focus of the country is on the red-hot game of cricket?    Let’s face it, what’s the single most startling disclosure in the book? That the author has claimed our revered Mahatma (and perhaps the world’s most famous, self- declared celibate) had a long-term relationship with a German-Jewish architect and body builder called Hermann Kallenbach? Which makes Kallenbach, not Kasturba, the great love of his life! So? Since this ‘juicy’ tidbit was carried in nearly all the mainstream newspapers in India, it has been met with a rather tepid reaction that may surprise the more conservative elements of our society. “Really? Interesting!” said a slightly bored 20- year-old reading the news, before turning away. That was it. No rioting on the streets. No demand to ban the book. No baying for Lelyveld’s blood. We have grown up! That is the best news ever! Today, homosexuality is no longer a taboo subject and is out there, along with other aspects of sex.    Whether Gandhiji’s subsequent ‘ experiments’ with various truths were a part of his mission to come to terms with his own inclinations will remain a topic for future historians to tackle. But, according to this well-researched book ( Lelyveld has based his work on material that is easily accessible, and quotes from “The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi” - supplementary volume 5 from the archives at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad) there are several controversial nuggets that suggest Gandhiji was indeed in a relationship of sorts with Kallenbach, with whom he shared a home for two years. He quotes from one of Gandhiji’s letters to Hermann, in which he confesses, “ How completely you have taken possession of my body. This is slavery with a vengeance.” A reader is free to interpret those passionate lines any which way and even disregard sexual implications when Gandhiji jokingly refers to himself as “Upper House” and Kallenbach as “Lower House”.    I have yet to read the book, but I would think an author with such impressive credentials would have done his homework scrupulously before going into print. In any case, Gandhiji’s sexuality has always been a subject of such complexity and debate that one more tome shouldn’t matter. Unless, of course, some overzealous politician with nothing better to do, decides to make an issue out of it. Whether the Mahatma preferred men over women is nobody’s business but his. We in India have such idiotic standards when it comes to sex. If Gandhiji wrote, “I cannot imagine a thing as ugly as the intercourse of men and women,” he is entitled to his opinion.    So, it’s best we keep scholars, intellectuals and academics out of this. And please, let’s also leave out his great-grandchildren, assorted grandnephews, grandnieces and other descendants. Nobody can possibly speak on behalf of the Mahatma and ‘clarify’ anything. It’s not necessary either! There is this book and no doubt, there will be many more in the future. Nothing can take away from Gandhiji’s greatness, least of all his love for another man. It’s amusing to read Gandhian scholar Tridip Suhrud’s ‘ defence’ of the Mahatma, in which he says, “In the late 19th and early 20 th century men addressed each other in a way that can be construed now as lovers.” That’s pretty twee. Who needs such justifications? Suhrud also explains that the two had “a deep bond that borders on attraction of the platonic kind.” Okay, buddy. If you say so.    Let’s hope whatever it was that Gandhiji shared with Kallenbach brought joy and fulfilment to their lives. Gandhiji as a gay icon? Why not? I think that’s pretty cool! Perhaps it will drive young Indians to read more about the man who altered their destiny and gave India freedom.

Banglaesh, India Mull Swap Of Lost Land

Little bits of India are in Bangladesh, and little bits of Bangladesh are in India. The existence of enclaves on either side of the border is a bizarre anomaly that might finally be solved by a swap. The islands of land result from ownership arrangements made centuries ago between local princes, surviving partition of the sub-continent in 1947 after British rule, and Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence with Pakistan. Many thousands of people live in the enclaves -- often without basic services such as electricity, schools and hospitals because they are cut off from their national governments. Most historians believe the messy situation originates from 18 th-century peace treaties between the kingdom of Cooch Behar (now in the Indian state of West Bengal) and the Mughal empire, which ruled much of South Asia. But local folklore suggests some enclaves were wagers during chess games between the Maharaja of Cooch Behar and the Fauhdar of Rangpur, who then ruled northern Bangladesh. Rezanur Rahman Reza, 46 , is the headmaster of a primary school in Dahagram, a large and relatively well- served Bangladeshi enclave inside India where about 15 ,000 residents live. "None of my parents' generation could even go to school, so they can't read or write," he said. "And residents in other enclaves still live in dark ages without electricity, legal rights or any land deeds." The exact number of people in the enclaves is uncertain, but estimates range from 150 ,000 to 300 ,000. There are no marked borders separating the enclaves from the surrounding land, but there are checkpoints and the movements of those who live in them are controlled by guards. "Now is the time to settle this problem because the ties between the two nations are the best since 1975 ," said Akmal Hossain, a professor of international relations at Dhaka University. "I have been to an Indian enclave located in Bangladesh and the residents are some of the most unfortunate, stateless people, without any basic facilities," he said. "This should have been settled a long time back." The residents of the enclaves and the surrounding areas are all Bengalis, whether they technically hold Indian or Bangladeshi citizenship. All speak the same language with local dialects and could be either Hindu or Muslim. Officials in New Delhi and Dhaka are now working to negotiate a deal over the 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 55 Bangladeshi enclaves in India. "Both sides have begun a land survey of the enclaves and other border lands illegally possessed by the other. We shall also launch a headcount of enclaves' residents very soon," said senior Bangladeshi official Kamal Uddin Ahmed. The largest enclave is about 1 ,900 hectares (4 ,700 acres) while the smallest is just the size of a couple of football fields. And there are even enclaves within enclaves, making the puzzle fiendishly difficult to solve. "Swapping is the most practical solution," said Ahmed, who leads the Bangladesh side of the joint group of officials now working to find a solution. He said the negotiations are based on unimplemented parts of a 1974 border agreement. The deal, signed by India's then-prime minister Indira Gandhi and Bangladesh' s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, has been revived in part because Rahman's daughter Sheikh Hasina is now prime minister. Under Hasina, cross-border relations have improved after decades of mistrust, with Bangladesh gaining favour with India by handing over fugitive Indian rebels. "Our aim is to sign an agreement during the Indian prime minister's visit here," Dhaka's foreign secretary Mijarul Quayes told AFP. He could not give a date for the visit but officials said Manmohan Singh is expected in May or June. Indian officials are more coy about any talks on the subject of swapping enclaves, though they confirm discussions have been taking place. The Indian enclaves in Bangladesh are bigger in total than the Bangladeshi enclaves in India, and any net loss is likely to infuriate India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, a Hindu nationalist group which is antagonistic towards Muslim Bangladesh The border itself also remains a cause of friction, with India erecting barbedwire fences along much of the divide to prevent mass migration from impoverished Bangladesh.

Bitter Battle Of Microcredit Celebrity Likely To Strain US - Bangladesh Ties

A SENIOR United States official once again warned that its bitter battle between Muhammad Yunus and the Bangladesh authority could dent diplomatic ties between two countries. US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O Blake warned that failure to find a compromise that respects Dr Yunus’ global stature and maintains the integrity and effectiveness of Grameen Bank “ could affect our bilateral relations. ” The apex court on Monday confirmed the High Court ruling that backed the sacking of the Nobel Peace laureate from Grameen Bank as its managing director. Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus unceremonious exit from the bank he founded for having no legal authority to act as the micro-lender's managing director, since its board had not obtained the Bangladesh Bank's sanction to re-appoint him beyond the bank's official retirement age of 60. A day later Blake made the remark on Tuesday in his testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington, reports private wire service United News of Bangladesh. The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is a close friend of Yunus, who has won the two highest civilian honors of the US — American Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal. Last month in Dhaka, Blake issued a thinly-veiled threat that if a compromise was not reached at on the Yunus issue, the US- Bangladesh relationship would get 'impacted', writes news agency bdnews24. com. “Dr. James Wolfensohn and I pressed the government of Bangladesh to protect the integrity of civil society and the autonomy of the Grameen Bank, and I warned that a failure to find a compromise that respects Dr. Yunus’ global stature and maintains the integrity and effectiveness of Grameen could affect our bilateral relations, ” Blake told the Congressional Committee. Finance Minister AMA Muhith last month said the government would be open to some compromise – such as to allow Yunus to remain an emeritus fellow at Grameen – but not, however, to his proposal that he should step aside as managing director and be made chairman instead. As a democratic and moderate Sunni Muslim majority nation of 165 million people, the US State Department official said Bangladesh is a country with which the United States has a vested interest in maintaining close relations. Blake said Bangladesh is a secular democracy, with a history of religious and ethnic tolerance. It also can be proud of its vibrant and innovative civil society, which has produced such outstanding global citizens as microcredit celebrity Muhammad Yunus, who’s Grameen Bank, was a pioneer of the concept of “microcredit” - providing small loans to tens of millions of Bangladeshis, especially women, who possess little or no collateral. Despite success in economic growth and outmatched US trade with Bangladesh in recent years, but he said country still remains among the poorest countries in Asia.

India's Farakka Dam Strangulted The Ganges Devastating Fertiles Bangladesh To A Desert

Defying international law and violates the rights of lower riparian country, India built a barrage on the Ganges in 1975 just 11 miles from the border with Bangladesh. The dam diverted the water of the Ganges in India Hugli River, which is an immense problem for Bangladesh. As Washington Post staff writer Kenneth Cooper commented: “India’s Farakka dam adds a man-made catastrophe to that natural prey is regularly in Bangladesh.” Twenty kilometers before the Ganges is a river border between India and Bangladesh, the Farakka Barrage on it diverts water through a supply channel near the river Bhagirathi, the main distributor of the Ganga. Further downstream Bhagirathi is maintained Hugly Kolkata port. India supports the conversion of 40 ,000 cubic meters of water per second are necessary Farakka Barrage These are two different pathogens affect during the two seasons. India during the dry season to pull huge amounts of water in the monsoon season, and he opens the Farakka Barrage may be that the Bengal is increasingly flooded. Bangladesh is a crying evil, argues that the reduction of the natural flow of waters of the Ganges has been affected by agriculture, fishing and boating. Lower Coastal States supports Gorai, distributaries have dried up and caused the Ganga add salt up to 3000 folds increased devastating and endanger freshwater mangroves, the largest mangrove of the planet Earth, the Sundarbans and associated part of the  Bengal Delta. The dispute was taken to the United Nations in Bangladesh. This is a barrage of 40 million people, mainly farmers are directly affected 70 million people are infected with the disease who have been forced to use arsenic in groundwater in their drinking and agricultural purposes. India is not only to draw water from the Ganges, but also 53 other common international rivers shared by two countries. More than a third of the territory of Bangladesh the Farakka Barrage is not only a threat to the existence of Bengal, but also cause global ecology. India declared war on the environment pressing tiny lower stream Bangladesh. The Farakka Barrage is the “atomic bomb” for Bangladesh. He is the greatest crime against humanity of this kind had occurred in world history. In 1998 , 30 million people were affected by floods caused by the Farakka Barrage. With the adverse effects of Farakka, hundreds of the river tributaries of Ganges were total dried up and rushing of sea water, the salinity increased over 3000 folds is devastating natural flora and faunal pattern of  Bangladesh including those of the Sundarbans. World Bank, IMF and other international financial institutions have the commitment and dedications are the direct beneficiaries of this emergency. The negative impact of globalization on ecology and environment, the Bengal is the worst victims. Bengal, the main economy is based on agriculture. Without water for irrigation and flood situation in Bengal one of the world’s poorest countries in the world. This is the time to think about a serious and important issue in new ways. If anyone wants to see the impact of the Farakka dam in Bangladesh, which sees the present condition of the river Padma, the surrounding area and through thin. There are journalists who have recently visited Kushtia, Chapainabaganj, Shundarbas area. Kushtia’s Gorai River and are now found only one field wide open sand. Anyone can accidentally think of the river in the desert. The same scenario is seen as a case Mohanonda the river, the river Ichamoti, Kopotakhkho river, and some channels close to a variety of Sundarbans. Field shundorbans Koromjol, Soronkhola, Morolganj as some of the smaller canals and rivers gradually lose the power of fresh water, leading to the entrance of salt water and the river channel at high tide at sea level to almost 3000 times ‘increased salinity affecting Sundarbans flora and fauna in the last 35 years. In the district of Jessore, was greater than ever seen a flood 1998 and in 1999. It’s nothing more dangerous that the impact of Frakka prey. As major rivers are nothing more than a few fine lines, could not bear the enormous flow of water in the rainy season. Which flooded around these rivers? Was seen by the flow of water from the Farakka Dam, rivers gradually declined during the summer and built several ribs in the center of the stream. But each time the Farakka opens its new main beams increases water flow to other natural disaster named coastal erosion. We have seen each year in Faridpur, Munshiganj, Rajshahi, Manikganj. This makes also lose a lot of fertile agricultural land. Impact of Farakka affects not only the environmental problems in the southern part of our country; it is also a disastrous impact on many areas of our economy. For and example, we address the issue of maritime transport. Because of losing the depth of the river is almost at the door of the reduction of maritime transport sector. Chalna port is already closed and the port of Mongla roughly to the same fate. But if larger vessels could anchor in Mongla Port and Bangladesh could capture market in Nepal and Bhutan sea transport. They have used the Mongla port as the main port for cargo. It could also make some currencies of these countries. Currently the foreign currency received by India as Bhutan and Nepal using Kolkata on the bank of Hugli river as their main port. They have all things are not new topics. All Bangladeshis are aware of these problems more or less. Until the Indians will sought out a amicable solution, that is remove Farakka’s death trap which they erected once unilaterally without discussing the Bangladesh in the lower stream, anti-Indian sentiment Will possible prevail in Bangladesh as nobody want to see their fertile most land in world is becoming a desert. And Anti- Indian quarters in Bangladesh are using their Farakka trump cards very successfully as there lies the truth.