বাংলাদেশের নির্মানে সাম্প্রদায়িকতার ভূমিকা : প্রসঙ্গ শহীদুল্লা কায়সার - এর ‘সংশপ্তক’/ The Role of Communalism in the Formation of Bangladesh : Context of Shahidullah Kaiser’s ‘Sangshaptak’

Abstract

The recent unprecedented mass uprising in Bangladesh, centered around the quota reform movement, July revolution, the fall of the government led by Sheikh Hasina, the formation of a new interim government, and the developments surrounding the thirteenth national parliamentary election have repeatedly revealed incidents of communal violence and brutal attacks on religious minorities. These events have deeply disturbed people of conscience across the world. However, such incidents are not entirely new in Bangladesh. It may be argued that communalism has accompanied the country since its very inception.

           In fact, the political transformation of this region was significantly shaped by communal divisions, which ultimately contributed to the birth of Bangladesh. Consequently, communalism has continuously asserted its presence throughout the country’s history. Even major collective struggles that transcended divisions of religion, caste, and ethnicity—such as the Bengali Language Movement of 1952, the 1969 Mass Uprising in East Pakistan, and the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971—could not completely eradicate the roots of communalism.

           This raises an important question: when exactly were the seeds of communalism sown in Bangladesh, and how did they grow so rapidly into a deeply entrenched social and political force? The answer may be explored through two parallel perspectives— history and literature. In this paper, we attempt to investigate the origins and development of communalism in Bangladesh by examining both historical realities and literary representation, particularly through an analysis of Shahidullah Kaiser’s novel ‘Sangshaptak’.