‘Bangabandhu’, ‘Muktijuddho’ and the Agartala connect: This Tripura club is making heads turn with a unique Durga Puja theme

Blood Mouth Club’s abrupt displacement successful theme

Speaking to indianexpress.com, Blood Mouth Club Secretary Sebak Bhattacharjee revealed that the determination to displacement this year’s Durga Puja taxable to ‘Bangabandhu’ was a abrupt but indispensable effect to the existent governmental concern successful Bangladesh. “We based our taxable connected societal reformer and renaissance icon Raja Rammohun Roy past year. This twelvemonth was expected to beryllium each astir Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. But considering the discourse of the Bangladesh concern and its significance, we person changed our taxable and adopted ‘Bangabandhu’ for this year, keeping Netaji for adjacent year,” Bhattacharjee said.

International interaction and extremist threats

Bhattacharjee, who besides runs respective socio-cultural organizations and a section tv channel, noted that their Puja taxable has garnered planetary attention, peculiarly successful Bangladesh. “Our Durga Puja taxable has succeeded successful sending retired its connection internationally, particularly successful Bangladesh, wherever galore person endorsed the idea, but a fewer others person besides issued threats of retribution aft NE India would supposedly beryllium occupied by Bangladesh,” Bhattacharjee added.

This year’s Durga Puja taxable is heavy focused connected Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, his transportation with Tripura, the 1971 Liberation War, and the publication of Indian soldiers. (Express Photo: Debraj Deb)

Noted writer and Agartala Press Club President Jayanta Bhattacharya reflected connected Sheikh Mujib’s legacy, emphasizing Tripura’s affectional transportation with Bangladesh’s Liberation War. “Change of authorities mightiness beryllium an interior contented of Bangladesh, but radical of Tripura volition ne'er hide Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s committedness to secularism, tolerance, and his intrinsic transportation with Agartala. I consciousness choosing Bangabandhu arsenic the taxable for Durga Puja is simply a large tribute to the past and bequest of Tripura’s transportation with the Liberation War,” helium said.

This year’s Durga Puja taxable is heavy focused connected Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, his transportation with Tripura, the 1971 Liberation War, and the publication of Indian soldiers. Partha Chakraborty, the organizing caput of this year’s Puja committee, explained, “We person built our pandal arsenic a replica of Dhakeshwari Mandir of Dhaka. We person acceptable up abstracted tableaus portraying Bangabandhu and Tripura’s transportation with the Bangladesh Liberation War. People are liking our pandal precise much. We person besides got affirmative messages from abroad.”

The Pandal’s humanities tableaus

The nine has acceptable up tableaus connected some sides of the roadworthy depicting important humanities events, specified arsenic the Muktijuddho Shahid Minar, Bhasha Shahid Smarak, Sheikh Mujib’s sojourn to Agartala, and his imprisonment successful the Agartala Conspiracy Case from 1967-68. They person besides portrayed scenes from the 1971 war, including the Pakistani army’s surrender to Indian General Jagjit Singh Arora.

However, Chakraborty mentioned that the Puja organizers person been receiving threats connected societal media from a fewer radicals, who assertion they bash not judge successful idolatry and would not tolerate specified Puja themes successful North East India, suggesting it would go portion of Bangladesh successful the future.

Chakraborty echoed Bhattacharjee’s sentiments, explaining that the nine has besides sought to represent the increasing anti-Indian sentiments successful Bangladesh, drafting comparisons betwixt attacks connected intellectuals and minorities successful Bangladesh contiguous and the wide sidesplitting of intellectuals by the Pakistani service earlier the Liberation War. “We person tried to amusement this by comparing however the onslaught connected intellectuals and minorities successful Bangladesh contiguous is akin to the wide burial of intellectuals by the Pak Army earlier the liberation of Bangladesh and the Jewish Holocaust successful Nazi Germany. We person tried to marque it contextual for radical to think,” Chakraborty said.

Public reaction: A antithetic benignant of theme

Many pandal hoppers consciousness that the connection is being well-received. Chunilal Goswami, a authorities authoritative from Agartala, who was visiting Puja pandals with his family, said, “We person seen erstwhile themes connected nationalistic and patriotic issues. I judge this taxable has Indian nationalistic elements isolated from the affectional transportation with Bangladesh arsenic well. They person portrayed the ultimate sacrifice of Lance Naik Albert Ekka, who laid down his beingness astatine the Gangasagar operation.”

Referring to Tripura’s 856 km borderline with Bangladesh, Goswami added, “History shows immoderate large incidents successful the neighboring state person the imaginable to impact Tripura. We person seen East Pakistani refugees earlier 1971. Anything happening successful Bangladesh is simply a substance of superior interest here. A antiauthoritarian authorities was thrown out, anti-Indian sentiments are rising…these are matters of interest for us.”

With a humble budget of ₹6 lakh, Blood Mouth Club has focused connected humanities and affectional value alternatively than erecting ample structures similar different big-budget Puja organizers. Despite its unassuming pandal, the club’s taxable this twelvemonth is hard to miss and has near a lasting content connected Durga Puja celebrations successful Agartala.

Tripura’s important relation successful the Bangladesh Liberation War

Back successful 1971, with a colonisation of 1.5 million, Tripura provided refuge to astir 1.4 cardinal East Pakistani refugees. The authorities besides hosted respective Muktijoddha (liberation warrior) grooming camps, with the authorities stepping successful to attraction for the influx of people, supported by the cardinal government. The conflict for Bangla connection rights, opening successful the 1950s, aboriginal saw Sheikh Mujib look arsenic the person of the movement. Tripura, arsenic 1 of the hubs of liberation warfare activities, played a captious relation successful supporting the Muktibahini fighters.

Tripura’s value successful Bangladesh’s liberation was further cemented with the ‘Agartala Conspiracy Case,’ which progressive Sheikh Mujib’s 1963 sojourn to Agartala. His gathering with past Chief Minister Sachindra Lal Singha helped laic the groundwork for the toppling of Pakistan’s President Ayub Khan and boosted the Muktibahini’s rebel activities, starring to the commencement of Bangladesh.

Deep ties betwixt Tripura and Bangladesh

Since Bangladesh’s liberation successful 1971, Tripura has maintained beardown affectional ties with the nation. Many who fled from East Pakistan earlier March 1971 were granted Indian citizenship nether the 1974 Indira-Mujib Pact, further intertwining the radical of Tripura and Bangladesh. These deep-rooted connections marque the caller desecration of Sheikh Mujib’s statues and rising anti-Indian sentiments successful Bangladesh each the much achy for the radical of Tripura.