The latter part of Ramadan is preserved for charity; the wealthy coming to the aid of the less fortunate. This has been the norm for centuries and I am not mistaken in stating that helping the poor during a religious festival is integral to all faiths.
However, the evolution of how society interprets faith, vis-a-vis the prevalent credo, gives us a diluted form of spirituality laced with sleaze. I am sorry if I have hurt anyone, but religion in modern-day society seems more tilted towards PR rather than inner satisfaction.
The deaths of 27 people during the handing out of free clothes in Mymensingh is but a glaring example as to how charity has been firmly placed within a very material template.
Reportedly, the lackeys of the tobacco moghul, used batons on people who lined up to collect free gifts.
Locals have said that such a human frenzy happens every year when this individual hands out clothes before Eid.
This means there have been occasions of mad rushes in the past but our benevolent man never thought it necessary to take the help of the law to ensure a systematic way to tackle the whole Zakat-giving process.
Of course, if there is no ruckus and pandemonium, people from surrounding villages won’t know about the event and it won’t go down in rural lore.
The objective was very crass: To let everyone know that a person was handing out stuff to the down-trodden.
Just a little more expenditure perhaps to pacify certain quarters! Question is, will this sad episode work as a lesson for other such large-hearted men with plenty to spare?
Making a spectacle out of charity has become common culture. Just look at what a lot of us do during Eid-ul-Azha when animals are sacrificed. The competition at that time is about who has bought the biggest cow for the highest amount.
The person who paid over a lakh for a sacrificial animal becomes the talk of the area, village, or town.
People look at him with reverence; even the local mullah feels privileged to perform the slaughtering duty for him.
The ultimate act of wealth publicity is to walk into a cow/goat/camel market, look at five of the best animals and say: “Oi, aigula kaar? Shobgula baan!” (Whose animals are these? Tie them up and bring them).
In the past, the trend among film actors was to take a truck loaded with clothes and food to rural areas, astutely having such acts be covered by the press. So, helping anonymously has been out from this society for a long time.
If I do good then you must see it!
Come back to the current episode; while we blame the tobacco man for not managing the distribution of clothes properly, we also have to point out the nature of people who come to collect free items.
Maybe such a frantic rush would have been understandable in the 70s, when Bangladesh was struggling to deal with the effects of war, famine, and political upheaval. But in 2015, when starvation is no longer a major problem in the country, and extreme poverty has been reduced to a large level, why do people have to go into a state of delirium when something is handed out free of cost?
And that too in Mymensingh, not a remote place or a “char” area!
Coming down to reality -- Eid-time culture is bizarre, although there is a lot of talk about the holy month injecting much-needed modesty and humility in us.
Reality is, today, roughly seven days before the major day of celebration, this Mymensingh tragedy is already out of the national psyche. With shopping and fashion obsession taking over, all will be forgotten.
Practically speaking, it’s absurd to expect society to remember the deaths, though it would be apt if the government were to issue a declaration stating that Zakat distribution on a large scale must be carefully managed, with support from local police.
I know, on the ground, that means handing something extra to the law enforcers, which should not be a problem for the rich. Everyone’s happy and no one has to die. Only the gossip-fueling epic rush will have to be ruled out.
Oh well, at least human lives will be spared. And, if publicity is so essential, then why not video the whole Zakat-giving event and then play it at the local bazaars on strategically-placed screens for all to see?
As for our tobacco moghul, time will tell if, like the famous Amjad Hossain TV character Jabbbar Ali, he gets to eat Eid morning shemai inside a jail cell or not.
