This article was originally published on July 28, 2000, in response to an article titled 'Naipaul's Pakistan' featured in the Chitra Post literary magazine on June 30, 2000. Previously confined to print, the article is now being made accessible to online readers.
The state of Pakistan was created in the Bengali year 1354. Even before its creation, extensive discussions had begun regarding its state language. Mohammad Nasiruddin, editor of the literary magazine 'Saugat', noted in his memoirs that Abul Mansur Ahmed's significant essay, 'Purba-Pakistaner Zaban' (The Language of East Pakistan), was published in the Kartick 1350 issue of the monthly 'Mohammadi'. Nasiruddin wrote that the essay hinted at the crises that might arise if Bengali were not designated as the state language and national language of East Pakistan.
However, despite the warnings and optimistic projections regarding the future of the Bengali language by Abul Mansur Ahmed and other prominent intellectuals, a section of Bengalis showed no reduction in their affinity for Urdu. This Urdu-leaning mindset was captured in a satirical poem titled 'Urdu vs. Bengali' by poet Farrukh Ahmad, written in 1352 and published in the monthly 'Mohammadi'.
The poem reflects the opportunism and cultural alienation of those who abandoned Bengali for Urdu in pursuit of status and official favor, adopting foreign manners while attempting to disown their native roots and heritage.
