'Post-independence history has fallen victim to divisive politics'

"Though an essential discipline of academic study, history started getting marginalised in different ways since the partition of the sub-continent," said noted academician Prof. Zillur Rahman Siddiqui.

The book titled 'Bangladesh National Culture and Heritage' was published by the Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB).

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Former chief justice Habibur Rahman, who unveiled the book, said, "Bangalee culture and history is more than thousand years old but people are less concerned over the past."

As to history being controversial, he said, "We are passing a critical time."

The book is a compilation of write-ups by eminent writers covering topics such as agricultural and industrial economy, rural culture, literature, painting, architecture, music and sculpture, Prof. Zillur Rahman said, adding that it would be useful for a great variety of readers.

Appreciating the initiative of IUB, he said, "Most of the private universities focus on business and computer studies instead of offering disciplines of humanities and social science studies which is an integral part of the idea of a university."

"The book, which is fairly advanced and well-researched, has successfully focussed that culture is a living present," said Prof. Syed Manzoorul Islam of Dhaka University.

He said the book could be more comprehensive if it contained a separate chapter on the country's ethnic group and could capture the contemporary history.

"We have to have the courage to correct the history, otherwise we will fail to do justice to ourselves," Prof. Islam said.

Historian Prof. AF Salahuddin Ahmed said that the history part of the book dwells on the country's history since ancient time till the independence in 1971.

Said Abul Ahsan: "We deliberately avoided incorporating post-independence history as it has fallen victim to controversial politics."