Three years after his death, Congress leader Ghani Khan Chowdhury lives on in Maldah, politically and otherwise, writes Chandrasekhar Bhattacharjee
In Maldah, history is omnipresent. So is the legacy of Abu Barkat Ataul Ghani Khan Chowdhury. Members of the late Congressman’s family still hold as much sway here as the aroma of the city's famed mango.
The relics of pre-Mughal rulers of eastern India at Qutab Shahar in the district’s Pandua town stand mute witness to the region’s glory days. On the ruins of Adina Mosque (1364-1375 AD) one can see stone pieces with Buddhist (and also possibly Jain and Hindu) art. “These were brought from nearby stupas to decorate the temple,” says an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) official. Local historian Sushmita Som corroborates the view: “Adina was perhaps a temple of Adinath, the God of Hinduism's Nath sect.”
In Gour, capital of ancient Bengal, the Fateh Khan Maqbara and Kadam Rasool Mosque, too, resemble Hindu temples. Yet Malda has never known communal tension. “Ghani Khan Chowdhury taught us peaceful coexistence,” says the Iman of the mosque.
“He was a truly secular politician. Despite being educated in England, he never gave up his Maldah accent,” says a local CPI leader. Three years after his death, Barkatda, as he was known, is still a presence in these parts.
His niece, Mausam Benazir Noor, MP from Maldah North, was in the news recently – she camped on the endangered Bhaluka ring dam of the Mahananda River to draw the attention of the governments in Delhi and Kolkata to the plight of the people of the area.
Mausam, whose wedding took place on December 5, won the battle after spending several tough nights at the embankment. “These embankments,” she says, “were built by Baro Mama (eldest maternal uncle) to protect the people from recurring floods. He had these dams built when he was the state's irrigation and power minister. The benefits are being reaped to this day. But the state has done little since."
In Maldah, history is omnipresent. So is the legacy of Abu Barkat Ataul Ghani Khan Chowdhury. Members of the late Congressman’s family still hold as much sway here as the aroma of the city's famed mango.
The relics of pre-Mughal rulers of eastern India at Qutab Shahar in the district’s Pandua town stand mute witness to the region’s glory days. On the ruins of Adina Mosque (1364-1375 AD) one can see stone pieces with Buddhist (and also possibly Jain and Hindu) art. “These were brought from nearby stupas to decorate the temple,” says an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) official. Local historian Sushmita Som corroborates the view: “Adina was perhaps a temple of Adinath, the God of Hinduism's Nath sect.”
In Gour, capital of ancient Bengal, the Fateh Khan Maqbara and Kadam Rasool Mosque, too, resemble Hindu temples. Yet Malda has never known communal tension. “Ghani Khan Chowdhury taught us peaceful coexistence,” says the Iman of the mosque.
“He was a truly secular politician. Despite being educated in England, he never gave up his Maldah accent,” says a local CPI leader. Three years after his death, Barkatda, as he was known, is still a presence in these parts.
His niece, Mausam Benazir Noor, MP from Maldah North, was in the news recently – she camped on the endangered Bhaluka ring dam of the Mahananda River to draw the attention of the governments in Delhi and Kolkata to the plight of the people of the area.
Mausam, whose wedding took place on December 5, won the battle after spending several tough nights at the embankment. “These embankments,” she says, “were built by Baro Mama (eldest maternal uncle) to protect the people from recurring floods. He had these dams built when he was the state's irrigation and power minister. The benefits are being reaped to this day. But the state has done little since."
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