Martyred intellectuals remembered at the launch of ‘A Seaman’s Wife’
When Shahiduulah Kaiser created the character of Nabitun, he was echoing the plight of women down the ages. Nabitun was Penelope in Homer’s ‘Odysseus’, with a fierce fidelity to her absent husband. She was the women of Bangladesh today, fighting off evil advances while waiting for their husbands working in distant lands. In the novel ‘Sareng Bou’, Nabitun too had to fend for herself against the lascivious men of the village, against poverty and a host of other trials and tribulations. Writer Hasnat Abdul Hai, speaking at the launch of the English translation of the novel, drew these comparisons, pointing to the depth of understanding and compassion of the writer.
‘A Seaman’s Wife’, the English translation of ‘Sareng Bou’, was launched at an event organised by the publishers Prothoma Prokashon on Saturday at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the capital city. The event also commemorated 14 December, Intellectual Martyrs Day.
Presiding over the programme, Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman spoke about the contributions of Shahidullah Kaiser and his friend Syed Najmuddin Hashim who translated the book. Paying respects to the martyred intellectuals, he said that though 14 December is observed as Martyred Intellectuals Day, the massacre began on the night of the crackdown by the Pakistan army on 25 March, when they killed teachers, academics and other intellectuals of the country.
Panna Kaiser, wife of the Shahidullah Kaiser, expressed her joy at the publication ‘The Seaman’s Wife’. “I knew about this translation, but the manuscript had somehow been mislaid. It was such a joy to find it and today it is even a greater joy that it has actually been published.” She said that she would not cry on this day as she felt the launch of this English translation of Sareng Bou was a proud occasion to celebrate.
Nurunnahar Hashem, wife of the translator Nazimuddin Hashem, said she had been excited to hear about the translation being discovered after all these years. “It is a matter of great pride to see this book being published,” she said, thanking Matiur Rahman for his initiative in this regard.
Writer and educationist Syed Manzurul Islam, commenting on the book, said that the translation had conveyed the living spirit of the book, and held up the allegory hidden between the lines.
Kabori, who had been one of Bangladesh’s most popular actresses and had played the role of Nabitun in the film ‘Sareng Bou’, related her experience in the making of the film and her interaction with the novelist. “I was delighted to be chosen for this role, a role for which many actresses at the time were vying.” She went on to read excerpts from ‘Sareng Bou’, her voice reverberating with emotion as she unfolded the intense dialogue and narration.
The event began with Anima Roy singing the Rabindra Sangeet ‘O Amar Desher Mati’ and ending with Warda Ashraf singing her version of Joan Baez’s famous tribute to the independence struggle, ‘Bangladesh’.