‘What is my culture?’—while this question might not have seemed particularly important during our youth, almost everyone in Bangladesh today is facing this fundamental inquiry. Long-standing faith-based politics, well-orchestrated historical distortions, and artificial narratives manufactured for narrow self-interests have not only muddied the waters but have also cast a shadow of doubt over our very identity. Consequently, many find themselves suffering from a profound identity crisis.
In these unsettling times, some are confused, whilst others are deeply sceptical. Very few individuals possess a well-formed and transparent cultural philosophy. In other words, the number of people who can confidently anchor “what they choose to practice or skip” or “what they like or dislike” onto a solid, logical foundation is negligible today. This internal conflict has become particularly evident to me during conversations with a few younger peers; their struggle is intensely real, uncomfortable, and amounts to a kind of helplessness. To offer them some support in resolving this mental stagnation and hesitation is the primary objective of this series.
I am not here to define anyone’s culture for them, nor do I have any intention of influencing anyone. I merely wish to invite you to take a stroll through the courtyard of my thoughts, or rather, the garden of my culture. The purpose is singular—to help you think, so that along that path of reflection, you may unearth your own cultural roots.
In this series, we shall converse about every facet of culture, including language, religion, literature, music, the arts, and social customs. For the time being, I will write these pieces in short, digestible instalments and will update the links to all the episodes here as time progresses.
I am neither a cultural pundit nor a luminary. Therefore, there is absolutely no need to accept what I am saying, or will say, as an absolute benchmark. Instead, you may view it as me sharing my own conflicts and doubts with you. Let us speak of our collective scepticism and strive to draw closer to the truth.
Essays in this Series:
- My Language | My Culture Series
- The Problem is Not with the Urdu Language, the Problem is the Pakistan Syndrome | My Culture Series
- The Pohela Boishakh New Year Festival: For Whom Is It, and For Whom Is It Not? | My Culture Series
- Why Can Right-Wing Reactionaries Never Contribute Anything to Art and Culture? | My Culture Series
- The Urdu Syndrome versus My Perspective on the Urdu Language | My Culture Series
- Which Cultural Hegemony is Actually Dominating the Youth of Bangladesh? | My Culture Series
- What Does a Thousand-Year-Old Culture Truly Mean? | My Culture Series