Gandhi said, “When all of India was sleeping, Barisal was awake.”
“Let me explain why he recognized us — the Hindu population of Bengal, especially those living in the Padma basin.”
Khudiram was caught in Narail, which is no longer a part of India, but he remains a symbol of the subaltern. Khudiram could not gain reconciliation either from his political party or from other politicians. There is a Medinipur Jail, and a Jugantar revolutionary named Santos Kumar Mitra was hanged there. But history hides the fact of where Khudiram was caught. He was hanged in Muzaffarpur Jail in Bihar, which is very close to the place where he was captured.”
“From 1772 to 1912, Kolkata was the military hub of the British Empire in India. They called it a Presidency; we called it the capital. For 140 years, it was the strongest military center. They claimed to shift the capital to Delhi, saying it would take 20 years for the official transition. In 1932, the shift was completed. But Delhi was never a Presidency — Bombay and Madras were. It was never truly a shift; it was just a gesture.”
When the real war came, they won the Great War by using nuclear weapons in Japan. After that, they could no longer stay here — all the settlers left, along with their allies.”
“Bengal Presidency and the Presidency (Kolkata) are different. The Presidency refers to Kolkata, while the Bengal Presidency was governed from Dhaka as a business hub. However, Dhaka could not govern the Padma basin effectively.”
“We always talk about the denial by the British Army. This decision came from the Presidency. The Muslim League allied with the British. Dhaka was a business hub. The Bengal Presidency was the biggest cash cow of the British Empire. Together, they collected food from all the farmers and set up collection hubs using the Muslim League. All the boats were destroyed, as they were the main mode of transportation. This led to a famine sponsored by the Empire. Five million people died of hunger. The British never officially left their empire behind — instead, they made all the revolutionaries ‘wanted’ by the Empire.”
“Even today, the families of old revolutionaries operate within a subaltern context, constantly forced to accept aid and remain under a political hierarchy that sustains the interests of the old imperial power groups.”
All the 10-, 20-, 50-, and 100-year policies are made by them, or they simply renew old policies every year — yet none of this changes the reality of the subaltern. It remains economically deprived. If a semi-meritorious mind emerges, it flies to a Western country; if not, it ends up in a Malaysian restaurant — at least for five years. Many of those living in the West proudly clean toilets for white people and even brag about it. Yes, that is the policy — to flush all the merit down the Western toilet.”
“Still, we live here despite the brutality of imperialism. We grow our own food and share it with others as much as possible so that they can survive. Now, we see that they are coming for the land again — brutally — and this time, it takes the face of all kinds of fundamentalism.”
We see and observe but don’t strike that bechouse we understand its back by imperial hayrarky. Its can only be strike when world worder is shifting.
We see and observe but do not strike, because we understand it is backed by an imperial hierarchy. It can only be struck when the world order begins to shift.”
“We know it will happen — it always does, whether on a large scale or a small one. People are drawn here because the land is fertile, the weather is beautiful, and our culture is rich and full of welcoming energy. We are proud not to depend on anyone. We can wait until the time comes. We can fight when the time comes. We can win — and still, we can welcome others when the fight is over.”
“Now we are taking the fight to its final point — where we aim to avoid as much bloodshed as possible. If an ethnic riot, communal clash, or any form of conflict breaks out — call it what you will — this land could witness the greatest bloodshed the world has ever seen. We will do everything we can to prevent that. Those rising in fundamentalism don’t yet realize that they are ours — they belong to this land, even before they became fundamentalists. We don’t need their blood. We need their consciousness. Sooner or later, they will find it.”
“In this land, people have become Buddhists, Christians — but they avoided bloodshed. We don’t need bloodshed if someone chooses a different path or identity.”
“We are proud — others were once us, became something else, and eventually became us again.”
“We are proud — even prouder than India.”
Biswas 