A Glorious Chapter of Kachi-Kanchar Mela (reader's column)

ক্যাপশন যোগ করুন

Men may come, men may go, but the name of Kachi-kancher Mela will remain immortal in the pages of the movement of the children's organization. With the handful of children and their parents this children organization began its journey from Poet Sufia Kamal's Tarabagh residence on 5 October of 1956, whose association until her death on 20 November of 1999 inspired old and young members of this pioneer children national organization in the country. Most of the children were members of the Kachi-Kanchar Ashar, a children page of the Daily Ittefaq. The formation of this children's organization had added a new dimension to the movement of children's organization in the country. With a population of four crore in erstwhile East Pakistan there were two juvenile organizations in mid 50's. Mukul Fauz was one of the oldest children organizations whose emergence dates back to last part of the British rule in India. Mukul Fauz originated from the children's page of the Daily Azad: Mukuler Mahfil. This page carried the memory of the rebel and national poet of Bangladesh Kazi Nazrul Islam because it was poet Nazrul Islam who had chosen name of the children's page of the daily Azad: Mukuler Mahfil. Daily Azad did not exist. The same was the fate of Mukul Fauz.
Khelaghar Asar emerged as one of the children's organizations in  early 50's from the children page of Daily Sangbad. The date of the birth of this children organization was May, 1952. Kachi-kanchar mela was the brainchild of Mr. Rukanuzzaman khan  who was popularly known as Dadabhai to the children and old alike. This children organization grows up gradually through sustained efforts of an individual and a few others over a period five decades. Kachi-kancher Mela remains embedded in our memory as a glorious chapter in progressive movement of the children in erstwhile East Pakistan against the backdrop of exploitation economically and culturally by Punjabi dominated military-politico elite of Pakistan regime.

Being an editor of the children page: Kachi-kanchar Asar and feature editor of Daily Ittefaq, Rukanuzzaman Khan began his journey with handful members of the ashar to build up a pioneer children organzitiation. He  tried with a view to imbibing in them a sense of values and tradition of Bengalis and patriotism for the country. Against the backdrop of unhealthy atmospheres Rukanuzzaman Khan had the privilege to enjoy wholehearted cooperation and guidance from many personalities of the county which included Dr. Abdullah Al–Muti Sharafuddin, Professor Ajit Kumar Guha, Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin and Palli Kabi Jasimuddin. Dr Abdullah Al-Muti Sharafuddin was his right hand man in guiding the Kachi-kancher mela. On many occasions Dr. Abdullah Al-Muti hosted meetings of Kachi-kancher Mela in his house. He introduced science class in Kachi-Kancher Mela when office of Kachi-kancher Mela was located at Purana Paltan.


Kachi-kanchar Mela is the only children organization in Bangladesh which has its own building on two bigha land at Segunbagicha. Incidentally, this two bigha marshy land was offered by the government of President Ziaur Rahman for central Kachi-kanchar Mela in perpetuity.
This marshy land remained untouched for about four years. By now I had approached Saudi Ambassador Abdul Latif A. Al-Maimanee with whom I have had good relation. Saudi Ambassador promised during a meeting where Director Rukanuzzaman Khan and Dr. Abdullah Al-Muti were present to do something about Kachi-Kanchar Mela, but did nothing. Charge d' affairs of Denmark embassy committed to us to develop lands having met with Director Rukanuzzaman, Dr. Abdullah Al-Muti, Khandakar Ibrahim Khaled and prepared  assessment report by embassy's specialist. Charge d' affairs called me to regret for backing out financing for construction in view of the fact that government of Bangladesh needs certain amount of money for another project. NORAD (Norwegian Development Assistance) in fact showed interest in developing marshy land and built an auditorium. The chief Justice Habibur Rahman inaugurated the auditorium in 1995 and Barrister Abdul Haq was present as a guest. Incidentally, I had developed friendly relations with Counselor of Japanese embassy in Bonn, Germany and provided him a Bengali teacher to teach him Bengali since he was expecting posting to their embassy in Dhaka. When he got   posting to Japanese embassy in Dhaka as Minister, I hosted farewell party for his family. On my return to the Foreign Ministry I was appointed Director (Far East) in 1999. Some time in November I received Japanese Ambassador who called on Foreign Secretary Faruk Sobhan. Having bade him farewell I asked about my friend: Shigeharu Maruyama, Minister in Japanese embassy, the Ambassador replied he was still in the embassy and said he would inform him about myself. I made a telephone call on the second day and Shigeharu asked me what I would do after retirement. My reply was that I would concentrate on children organi