Culture of Unity :
The way of new development

`For a long time culture was considered an obstacle to development. Art was a luxury, reserved for the elite. And artists were irrelevant when it came to achieving ambitious development objectives. The priorities were limited to water pumps, dams, food, factories and houses. However, the realisation that culture not only plays a role in development, but is even the foundation for it, is slowly beginning to dawn on people. These days, statements such as ‘Culture is about people and their intellectual, emotional and spiritual existence. Support for culture enables people to define their future and to progress' appear in policy documents.` I agree with this statement of `Power of Culture`.

In culture language is the most powerful elements. It is not just combination of words and or phonetics. It is the history of a community or nation; resultant of thousand years of experiences, glorious lifestyles, and means of communication as well as the expression of a people's heart, that precedes the civilization. Bangalis have great experiences on language. In 21 February 1952 Bangali youth Barkat, Rafiq, Shafiq made an unprecedented record in world history by sacrificing their lives for their mother tongue. Facing the reality of `Language Movement` the `Culture of Unity` was cultivated in which consequence is today`s Bangladesh. The reality, with the muscle strength and huge global content in colonial English as well as less practices of small and local language, phasing the struggle of existence. Local values, knowledge and practices can not be developing as its needed. Half of the 6,000 or so languages spoken in the world are under threat. Last three centuries thousand languages passed way at a dramatic increasing pace of English-centered modernization, especially in the Americas and Australia . At the present moment, on average 2 indigenous languages per month are disappearing due to improper record of wisdoms alighted in that language. To inspire and protect the local and aboriginal languages as well as survive with self-pride and identity UNESCO has declared February 21st ( Shahid Dibos ) as International Mother Language Day.

Since last decade a big change happened in Bangladeshi culture; peoples view, life style, development approach, knowledge practice, media presentation, even the use of words has been changed abruptly. Multinational`s monopoly, NGO business, leadership thinking, Bangla cinema, bombing, silence youth, media entrepreneurship as well as westernizing are now in headline. People's participation, philanthropic approach, alternative thinking, civil voice becomes dull. Art, literature, science and philosophy practices become centralized and limited. However crimes, misuse of public money, political conflict become major national problem. Peace seeker individual life also influence dangerously by entertainment media. Negative values `Meism` (extreme selfishness/ individualism) , Nihilism (is a potent and seductive option of young people who are growing up without proper parental love, and or in broken family ) and fundamentalism growing up silently and riskily. Personal peace ( mind body unity ), family prosperity ( husband-wife unity ) and national harmony ( leaders- people disagreement ) are facing questions, although we all are looking freedom, peace, unity and happiness.

This change is far from local values, needs, knowledge and practices are mostly contaminating by misuse of global culture and free flow of information. I believe, by strengthen the practice of `Cultural of Unity` as like as 1952 with unselfish with public mind, the nation can unite; and can initiative a flow of `New Development` with patriotic spirit.

Shahjahan Siraj
Editor, UnnayanNews

Dhaka, 1 February, 2006