AHAMMOK
“AR AHAMMOKDER AR EK DAL ASE TARA BHARATER KAS THEKE KISU CUSTOMS FEE PABE BOLE BORO ONKER LAVER KOTHA SHONAE”
Simple Arithmetic
That was the Bengali verbatim of a sentence of an article published in the daily Naya Diganta on the 19th January. The sentence in English version may be like this: There is a group of idiots who tell us about big earnings from customs duty from incoming Indian goods (through the river ports of Chittagong and Mangla). They had possibly simple Arithmetic calculations of the two ports and of the transit route goods through Ashuganj river port of call but possibly made no micro-analysis of many relevant elements closely related in the matters that needed treatment of statistical regression analysis of multiple variables as the economists do. May be that they did not go for the cost effective analysis of all possible and at least identifiable cost variables and might do just simple arithmetical cost benefit analysis in money revenue figures.
Wondered
The quote presented above is from an article rendered by a prominent economist Abu Ahmad on the fallacy of the likely gains of the Bangladesh P.M.’s offer in the recently concluded treaty with India. At the first my reaction of the use of the term AHAMMOK or idiot or stupid occurred very odd and harsh. But after a while it sounded to me appropriate.
Bangal/ Bhadrolok
For how long, may be for centuries the people of East Bengal were pejoratively labeled as BANGAL, meaning foolish or idiots. I am not certain about the background of sociological reason, but so far I could enquire about, the term BANGAL started to be used by the Calcutta based English educated new elite BANGALI BHADROLOK, obviously after the start of the British bureaucrat Macaulay’s educational curriculum in 1835. But things changed particularly after 1947, and more so after 1971 for that the many sons and daughters of the Bangal’s got modern education. Bangladesh thus can now boast of many brilliant professionals making their mark at home and abroad. Specialist in medicines, brilliant engineers, expert administration executives, renowned lawyers, commerce and business managers, academics ,etc are not in short supply who all happened to be sons and daughters of erstwhile Bangal now Bangladesh. Even the Oxford University renowned professor of Indian History Dr. Tapan Roychoudhury, a brilliant native of Barisal, asserted his identity as the ‘seventh generation Bangal’ (Bangalnama, 2009).
IQ levels
It as such stands that among many idiots we have many brilliant ones in the society just as in any other human society. In fact, nature has endowed human society consisting of members- some intelligent, some mediocre and some of low IQ (Intelligence Quotient). Or in other words, all human beings are not endowed with equal merits or innate abilities. That did not mean though that inequality would be perpetual for basic living conditions, but only to fit in socially productive living in accordance with one’s merit and inborn capabilities nourished and developed through providing useful learning and training.
Useful Learning
Present day organized societies cater for education and training not only for professionalism but also for social training to turn up one as useful productive member of the society one would live in.
Professional Training
Politics in free democratic society is identified as a profession like any other job specific trade or profession. Unfortunately, no school/college/university trains any member to take up politics as a life profession just as engineers are trained in technological institutions, physicians in medical colleges, lawyers in law faculties of universities etc. Not only this is the reality, yet Bangladesh is not short supply of politicians. The other and crucial issue since about the last six decades is that while engineers, doctors, civil bureaucrats, professors, army officers, etc .were drawn from the most meritorious lots, politics was left to the drop outs. Such is not the case in advanced countries where politics as well fetch brilliant and meritorious lots. Being the reality as it is, how could one get rid of AHAMMOK decide our future for national gains in political, diplomatic, economic and strategic dealings with the counterpart of, say, Harvard educated guy? Would any brilliant meritorious guy with sense of self dignity willingly work under any AHAMMOK?
Wrong-Headed
The certificate one received years before as WRONG HEADED from the Bangladesh Supreme Court was not lost in oblivion and hence we got ‘100% successes’ even though Bangladesh side yielded not only the only two river ports of Chittagong and Mangla for paltry customs duty earning but also forgotten all about natural and due water sharing of the 54 common rivers including the life and death question of Bangladesh involving the Tipaimukh Dam of India. Now we are told that they are going to make a short term treaty for Teesta water sharing that must remind informed others of the ‘experimental 40 days operation’ of the Farakka Barrage withdrawal of water in early 1975 by the ‘father’ that since then turned to be the ‘Cold-Blooded Murder of Bangladesh’ by India.
Bhashani’s & Sohrawardy’s Views
The syndrome so put up reminded me of other facts. The late leader Maolana Bhashani would somewhat affectionately though call the ‘icon leader’ of Bangladesh as one of UPPER CHAMBER KHALI or no grey matter. The late Huseyn Shahid Sohrawardy, the mentor of the very person in the days of misery, would later on use the term for the same leader as the ILLITERATE GRADUATE. He had an academic Degree from the Calcutta Islamia College but was well known to have had obtained through impersonation in examination hall of some Muslim League cadre in early 1940s just as the ‘wrong headed’ one had one degree through similar alleged impersonation and of undue grace from the Dhaka University in those days of GONOTOKATOKI or mass copying in the examination hall and that also under the condensed syllabus in early 1970s.
Sympathy
One must have some sympathy. Unequal parties can not fight, only equals do. Defeat in unequal fight for the weaker is a must. That was what happened on the 12th January in Delhi. The Bangladesh side poorly equipped with much inferior knowledge, mental power, expertise and self-confidence obviously got what they had deserved.
BY : H B Khair.
“AR AHAMMOKDER AR EK DAL ASE TARA BHARATER KAS THEKE KISU CUSTOMS FEE PABE BOLE BORO ONKER LAVER KOTHA SHONAE”
Simple Arithmetic
That was the Bengali verbatim of a sentence of an article published in the daily Naya Diganta on the 19th January. The sentence in English version may be like this: There is a group of idiots who tell us about big earnings from customs duty from incoming Indian goods (through the river ports of Chittagong and Mangla). They had possibly simple Arithmetic calculations of the two ports and of the transit route goods through Ashuganj river port of call but possibly made no micro-analysis of many relevant elements closely related in the matters that needed treatment of statistical regression analysis of multiple variables as the economists do. May be that they did not go for the cost effective analysis of all possible and at least identifiable cost variables and might do just simple arithmetical cost benefit analysis in money revenue figures.
Wondered
The quote presented above is from an article rendered by a prominent economist Abu Ahmad on the fallacy of the likely gains of the Bangladesh P.M.’s offer in the recently concluded treaty with India. At the first my reaction of the use of the term AHAMMOK or idiot or stupid occurred very odd and harsh. But after a while it sounded to me appropriate.
Bangal/ Bhadrolok
For how long, may be for centuries the people of East Bengal were pejoratively labeled as BANGAL, meaning foolish or idiots. I am not certain about the background of sociological reason, but so far I could enquire about, the term BANGAL started to be used by the Calcutta based English educated new elite BANGALI BHADROLOK, obviously after the start of the British bureaucrat Macaulay’s educational curriculum in 1835. But things changed particularly after 1947, and more so after 1971 for that the many sons and daughters of the Bangal’s got modern education. Bangladesh thus can now boast of many brilliant professionals making their mark at home and abroad. Specialist in medicines, brilliant engineers, expert administration executives, renowned lawyers, commerce and business managers, academics ,etc are not in short supply who all happened to be sons and daughters of erstwhile Bangal now Bangladesh. Even the Oxford University renowned professor of Indian History Dr. Tapan Roychoudhury, a brilliant native of Barisal, asserted his identity as the ‘seventh generation Bangal’ (Bangalnama, 2009).
IQ levels
It as such stands that among many idiots we have many brilliant ones in the society just as in any other human society. In fact, nature has endowed human society consisting of members- some intelligent, some mediocre and some of low IQ (Intelligence Quotient). Or in other words, all human beings are not endowed with equal merits or innate abilities. That did not mean though that inequality would be perpetual for basic living conditions, but only to fit in socially productive living in accordance with one’s merit and inborn capabilities nourished and developed through providing useful learning and training.
Useful Learning
Present day organized societies cater for education and training not only for professionalism but also for social training to turn up one as useful productive member of the society one would live in.
Professional Training
Politics in free democratic society is identified as a profession like any other job specific trade or profession. Unfortunately, no school/college/university trains any member to take up politics as a life profession just as engineers are trained in technological institutions, physicians in medical colleges, lawyers in law faculties of universities etc. Not only this is the reality, yet Bangladesh is not short supply of politicians. The other and crucial issue since about the last six decades is that while engineers, doctors, civil bureaucrats, professors, army officers, etc .were drawn from the most meritorious lots, politics was left to the drop outs. Such is not the case in advanced countries where politics as well fetch brilliant and meritorious lots. Being the reality as it is, how could one get rid of AHAMMOK decide our future for national gains in political, diplomatic, economic and strategic dealings with the counterpart of, say, Harvard educated guy? Would any brilliant meritorious guy with sense of self dignity willingly work under any AHAMMOK?
Wrong-Headed
The certificate one received years before as WRONG HEADED from the Bangladesh Supreme Court was not lost in oblivion and hence we got ‘100% successes’ even though Bangladesh side yielded not only the only two river ports of Chittagong and Mangla for paltry customs duty earning but also forgotten all about natural and due water sharing of the 54 common rivers including the life and death question of Bangladesh involving the Tipaimukh Dam of India. Now we are told that they are going to make a short term treaty for Teesta water sharing that must remind informed others of the ‘experimental 40 days operation’ of the Farakka Barrage withdrawal of water in early 1975 by the ‘father’ that since then turned to be the ‘Cold-Blooded Murder of Bangladesh’ by India.
Bhashani’s & Sohrawardy’s Views
The syndrome so put up reminded me of other facts. The late leader Maolana Bhashani would somewhat affectionately though call the ‘icon leader’ of Bangladesh as one of UPPER CHAMBER KHALI or no grey matter. The late Huseyn Shahid Sohrawardy, the mentor of the very person in the days of misery, would later on use the term for the same leader as the ILLITERATE GRADUATE. He had an academic Degree from the Calcutta Islamia College but was well known to have had obtained through impersonation in examination hall of some Muslim League cadre in early 1940s just as the ‘wrong headed’ one had one degree through similar alleged impersonation and of undue grace from the Dhaka University in those days of GONOTOKATOKI or mass copying in the examination hall and that also under the condensed syllabus in early 1970s.
Sympathy
One must have some sympathy. Unequal parties can not fight, only equals do. Defeat in unequal fight for the weaker is a must. That was what happened on the 12th January in Delhi. The Bangladesh side poorly equipped with much inferior knowledge, mental power, expertise and self-confidence obviously got what they had deserved.
BY : H B Khair.
