The Bangladesh anti-government protests against quota-based systems for job recruitment have been going on since June. They took a serious turn recently as the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina suddenly resigned and flee the country. As the nation is dealing with a difficult time, Indian celebrities with connections in Bangladesh talk about the state of unrest there.
CHUNKY PANDAY, ACTOR I worked in Bangladesh in the ‘90s and I keep going back quite often. I am saddened to hear what has happened and any kind of unrest is disturbing. I am sure they will resolve it and find a solution.
I have a few friends there, like old producers, and I spoke to a couple of them a few days ago. I know these are quite trying times but the last I heard from them, they were doing fine. I have friends in Kolkata too who are in constant touch with my Bangladeshi friends.
ONIR, FILMMAKER I have Bangladeshi and Indian friends who are stuck there. This period is incredibly uncertain for them, and their daily lives have completely gone for a toss. As their friend, I’m deeply concerned.
On one hand, there’s a sense of jubilation because they feel they’ve overcome a dictatorship. On the other, there’s anxiety and fear. This kind of conflict is unprecedented, and there will be miscreants who might exploit the chaos.
Fortunately, the majority of people support a secular and democratic government. Hopefully, in the coming days, things will stabilise BIDITA BAG, ACTOR I have Bangladeshi friends whom I’ve known for 10-15 years, and they are currently stuck there. They don’t have continuous internet service, so I’m not receiving instant replies when I am reaching out to them.
However, they are still able to post on social media occasionally to let everyone know that they are safe, which is somewhat reassuring. SALIM MERCHANT, COMPOSER I have a lot of musician friends in Bangladesh and what’s happening there is tragic. The law and order situation has been so bad.
I haven’t been able to speak to them due to network and internet connectivity issues. I just pray that things get better for the country as soon as possible. TALAT AZIZ, GHAZAL SINGER Two students from Bangladesh have been learning music from me online.
They told me how difficult things are in the country right now. While one of them hasn’t been able to attend the classes due to internet issues, the other one joined on Saturday, but had to disconnect as the network was patchy. I just hope things get back on track in Bangladesh soon.
RAHUL SHARMA, SANTOOR PLAYER I performed in Dhaka four years ago and the audience was amazing. It’s appalling to know the current political scenario there. I haven’t been able to touch base with any of my musician and promoter friends there, and hence, I’m worried.
SHARMISHTHA CHATTERJEE, SINGER Since I haven’t been able to connect with my friends in Bangladesh over a call, I connected with a few on Facebook. Thanks to social media, I have been getting regular updates from them about how horrible the situation is. RAJDEEP CHATTERJEE, SINGER I became friends with a lot of event organisers and musicians in Bangladesh when I performed there for three back-to-back years, starting 2010.
I haven’t been able to speak to them ever since the political turmoil started and I’ve been worried. I hope things get better soon. BINDIYA KHAN, BANGLADESHI MUSICIAN We have been homebound for almost two weeks.
Things have been quite scary, specially for women and children. Hence, we haven’t really stepped out of the house. I learn music online from Talat Aziz sir and I haven’t been able to attend any classes for the last 15 days due to network issues.
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