Winter notes
<i>In Purabi Basu's company</i>
Just think of it for a moment. Isn't it a puzzle that in spite 'of declining reading and downsized bookshops' book launch events are so much the 'in' thing these days? Publications of new books call for celebrations, and this is what is happening every day in Dhaka. Reading, so much like writing, is a lonely travel through time. The ancient Greek sage Cicero said, 'A room without books is like a body without a soul.' And, then, after him, a modern book lover notes that 'books nurture the soul.' So on 10 January at the Jatiyo Press Club on a 'paush masher shither deen,' in the company of prominent literati and Begum Motia Chowdhury, the minister for Agriculture, I was present at the launch of Purabi Basu's Nari Srishti O Biggan. The book is a product of Nabajuga Prokashani which, according to the writer, truly is more a literary connoisseur than a publisher, totally devoid of the popular sense of making big profits from the book publication business. Basu's work is likely to have an English edition in the near future. The book is outstanding for it introduces, perhaps for the first time, gender specific issues---the politics and power hidden behind female and male interaction. Through the twenty two titled chapters of the book, the writer raises the reader's consciousness to new heights by focusing on findings in medical science and the congruency of the social and cultural norms that takes shape. The presentation and projection of these findings are then media filtered, shaped and designed for target viewers and readers. Written in Bengali, the book is a first in initiating a discussion on female genital mutilation (FGM). There is a lengthy discourse on the injuries inflicted on female genital organs and on the broad issue of overall exercise of control over female sexuality. Singular or plural decision-making on the subject of pregnancy, the basic facts on this female biological function and prevention of unintended pregnancy are detailed. What are the risks of abortion? The decision to abort and the responsibilities that follow are clearly noted. A section of the book focuses on pharmaceutical care and intervention on the female body. The male as the continuous and constant counterpart of the female is dwelt upon in the writing. The book, like a whistleblower, draws attention to the ever-growing monopoly of human organs and situating the female body as a reproductive machine. Based on scientific findings, the major portion of the work also cites examples from day to day life. Primarily it uncovers grey areas of patriarchy; subjects that have remained camouflaged for long are now open to discussion, for purposes of adopting an egalitarian approach to empowerment and evaluation of female and male social status. A particular chapter emphasises an extreme need for cooperation, compassion, collaboration and coordination. Such social values then are only ensured, the writer assumes, through a state formulated by women. It, therefore, deserves mention that this proposition approximates Sultana's Dream, a tale from Begum Rokeya Shakhawat Hossain. The final chapter of the book enlists and discusses the merits of women Nobel Prize winners. The current year's awardees include two women scientists for chemistry, one (and for the first time) for economics and, of course, Herta Muller for literature.
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