Created on April 18, 2014 at 14:30 Madhur Canteen- The adda crucible that forged history Promiti Prova Chowdhury Weekend There is no adda-house which rivals the historic significance of the canteen sitting at the centre of Dhaka University PrevNext The Language Movements of 1948 and 1952 were born here. The movement of fourth-class Dhaka University (DU) employees in 1949, the student’s revolt against the “kalakanun” of the university, the observation of February 21 ignoring a government ban in 1962, the initial 1969 movements of uprising in East Pakistan, the non-cooperation movement of 1971, the historic moment when the national flag of Bangladesh was hoisted for the first time on Dhaka University premises. At the heart of all of these glorious incidents lie the meetings and addas that took place at Madhur Canteen. Whispers and shouts of revolution Today, Madhur Canteen still serves food and tea like any other canteen. What makes it so unique? Mujahidul Islam Selim, president of Communist Party of Bangladesh and former vice-president of Dhaka University Central Students Union (DUCSU), answers this question. He recalls that he visited Madhur Canteen for the first time in the 1960s, after passing school. “The canteen is different from other canteens for three reasons. One, it is situated in Dhaka University, the pinnacle educational institution of the country, from where many significant political movements have been conducted. “This canteen is not just a silent spectator of the movements, but is intricately linked with the struggles. During those days, if we needed to contact each other to discuss something, Madhur Canteen was the place to meet. If a rally had to be organised, it would definitely start from Madhur Canteen. This is the second dimension,” explained Selim. “The third dimension is that this was not just an establishment inside Dhaka University. Students from all over the country used it as a platform to connect with each other. It was a communication hub for students across the country. “Ayub Khan was implementing a lot of strategies to suppress student movements back then as suggested by the Americans,” he said, “They established the Teacher Student Centre (TSC) to divert students from Madhur Canteen. TSC’s ambience looked better, and lunch and dinner items were available at cheaper rates. Madhur Canteen did not have any rice items. This was a very subtle but planned political move. But this move did not detract from the popularity of Madhur Canteen. “ All students, particularly the leaders of different student bodies, would gather here regularly. “During Ayub’s tenure, it was a difficult time. Many students were burdened with the constant fear of arrest. There were not as many student organisations as we have today. There was the Chhatra Union, which was a left leaning party, and the Chhatra League [the precursor of the Awami League]. Ayub and Monem Khan’s infamous organisation was the National Students Federation (NSF). Members of the NSF would occasionally visit the canteen, but only to create terror and intimidate students. They used to roam around with snakes coiled around their shoulders, wielding hockey sticks,” Selim continued. He said every morning students came to the canteen to meet and have a breakfast of bread, butter and omelettes, with rounds of tea. Student leaders would sit at the tables all day long, and Madhu prepared a bill for them at the end of the day. Interestingly, many prominent political figures were listed in the “bakir khata” (credit ledger) of their Madhu Da, as he was affectionately called, being unable to pay their dues back then. “For some particular student leaders, Tk23 was their fixed rate for the day,” said Selim with a grin. “Though he would pester them to pay their dues, he never forced them to do so. Because he saw the boys doing politics and assumed that one day they would become established in respective sectors and start earning well. Even five or ten years later, he would approach one of them and claim good-naturedly: “Bhai, you have Tk300 due!” To Madhu Da, with love “We used to discuss issues related to our ideologies. Loud debates were always erupting over some international event or philosophical issue. But Madhu never identified himself with a particular organisation or ideology. He was Madhu Da for everyone, even for the NSF men. His door was open to everyone. He was definitely against communalism. In my opinion, he had a progressive mind. That is why when the oppression broke out against students, he conveyed to us the secret information that he had overheard from NSF discussions,” added Selim. Madhu Da helped students in other ways as well. “We took loans from Madhu Da to make posters and hire microphones during the struggle for independence,” said Selim. “We have lots of memories of Madhur Canteen. During the preparation period of the Liberation War, we used to hide the explosive making materials under his shelf. But we ensured that he did not get hurt. Sometimes we would keep money with him. He was like a guardian. “Whenever I go to DU today, I always visit Madhur Canteen once. Now Arun runs the canteen. He was a kid back in the 60s. Pratima, Madhu’s elder daughter resumed operation of the canteen after independence,” said Selim. Madhu Da: Shaheed Madhu Sudan Dey Swarak Grantha, published by Madhu Da Smriti Sangsad Publications, is a compilation of writings by various academics and cultural personalities, each in remembrance of Madhu. In the book, Professor Rafiqul Islam wrote: “In Madhur Canteen, there were three big tables that could accommodate around 30 people ... which were unofficially reserved for renowned student leaders of that time. From morning to night, those law students would occupy the three tables. Before partition, I would see prominent leftist student leaders there, including S M Ali and Munir Chowdhury. “The planning, preparation and activities of March 11, 1948, and February 21, 1952, were conducted from Madhu’s shop, so he again and again became the target of police and EPR operations, his canteen was destroyed several times in those attacks. “Madhur Canteen became the hub of cultural activities as well. Institutes like Sangskriti Sangsad and Drama Circle were born out of tea conversations held at Madhur Canteen during the first half of the 1950s. The drafts of many write-ups by Shamsur Rahman, Hasan Hafizur Rahman, Alauddin Al Azad, Syed Atiqullah, Abu Zafar Obayedullah, Syed Shamsul Haque, Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury, Zahir Raihan were written in Madhur Canteen. “In the 1950s, the university’s best sportsmen would gather at Madhur Canteen after practice. Excluding the holidays, everyday Madhur Canteen was vibrant with the presence of the university’s finest political, cultural and sport personalities. There was no other place in Dhaka where one could find such a huge conglomeration of contemporary rising talent,” Prof Rafiqul Islam said. Madhu the martyr In the preface of the book, Bangla literature Professor Anisuzzaman wrote: “Madhu’s love for the students, the students’ respect for Madhu – all of these made Madhu a suspicious character to the oppressors. How could such an affectionate relationship develop during business transactions? Surely there was something fishy. Madhu’s exceptional personality and the students’ dependence on him, none of these was understood by them.” Prof Rafiqul Islam recounts the tragic events of March 25, 1971. “The Pakistani military group entered Madhu’s residence inside the university premises, and killed him and his family members. After cutting down the old banyan tree, they tried to blow up Madhur Canteen with dynamite.” The canteen today Arun Kumar, Madhu’s son and the current director of Madhur Canteen, said: “Right after independence, there was a desire among the students to build the nation, to do something for the country, which was evident in their adda. Now I feel less passion among them regarding the country or our history.” He recalls the stormy days of anti-Ershad movement in 1983. He was arrested along with many other students on February 14, 1983. “During the nine years of Ershad’s tenure not a single day passed peacefully on the DU campus. On February 14, 1983, police started arresting whoever they found around,” Arun said. Another change he witnesses today is that Chhatra League and Chhatra Dal activists no longer sit together inside the canteen and have chats over tea, as they used to. They would draw conclusions on different topics through debates and discussions, no matter how many rallies and activities went on outside. “This, however, is unthinkable today,” said Arun with a sigh. His day now starts around 8:30am by putting flowers in front of the portraits of his parents, hanging on the walls of the canteen. He operates the canteen until 10pm. It is still a place with a retro ambience, where you can enjoy a plate of mishti for Tk25, four slices of bread with butter for only Tk12, and imagine the founding fathers who once birthed a nation in its halls. - See more at: dhakatribune/weekend/2014/apr/18/madhur-canteen-adda-crucible-forged-history#sthash.Smrf2CJY.dpuf
Posted on: Mon, 21 Apr 2014 11:32:03 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015