Bangla language survives because Bangladesh exists

The survival of Bangla language and literature would have been endangered if Bangladesh had not emerged as an independent country, said acclaimed Indian writer Swapnamoy Chakraborty while talking about his literary life before readers in Chittagong city on Saturday evening.

The writer, who was awarded Bankim Puraskar in 2005 and Ananda Puraskar in 2015 for his contribution to  Bengali literature, was addressing a programme themed “Amar Jibon, Amar Rachana” (My life, My writings) at Baatighar premises in the city.

The largest book shop in the city, Baatighar, organised the programme where eminent personalities, educationists and literature enthusiasts came together.

Excerpts from “Amader Rabindranath” by the writer were recited at the beginning.

Baatighar proprietor Dipankar Das gave a welcome speech.  

At the programme, Swapnomoy informed that his ancestors migrated to India from Noakhali after the partition of Bengal in 1947.

Later, he recounted an anecdote about how witnessed a worker plunge to his death after a fall from an under-construction building. He wrote a story named “Mangalghot” on life of the construction workers. And it was the beginning of his story writing, he said.

Going further, Swapnamoy said one day he was introduced to the acclaimed Bangladeshi writer Akhtaruzzamn Elais, whose leg had been amputated due to cancer. In the course of a conversation, Akhtaruzzaman Elias informed Swapnamoy that he was able to lead a normal life with one leg but often felt pain in the amputated leg.

Perplexed at this conundrum, Swapnamoy said he was inspired to write a short story about a football coach whose leg had been amputated.

Poet Ahmed Munir emceed and writer Harishankar Jaladas presided over the programme.