Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque :
The pioneers of rural development used to value institution building for mobilizing the benefiaries for whom development was meant. The critics of rural development recocnize the role of some contributers in enthusiazing rural masse into positive action through co-operation and united action. We can readily name some contributers to rural development: Rabindraanath Tagore, Sher-E- Bangla, TN Nurunnabi, Guru Sadaya Dutta, and Akhtar Hameed Khan
Institution building is the core concept of development jargon. We would like to come to grips with the phenomenon of institution building. The significance of the study of institution building is consequent upon phenomenal reflection of institutional direction of project management. An attempt to elicit a better understanding of the connotation of institution building is to surmise momentum of development intervention that has been institutionally conceived, institutionally formulated, institutionally implemented and institutionally evaluated at the local, regional, national and global levels.
‘Institution building focus’ depicts “complicated cultural patterns and an exclusive organized working system. The purpose of institution building is to ‘introduce, foster and guide more efficient social changes and new patterns of individual and group relations’. Institution building activities focus around ‘specific strategies of action and tactics’, ‘construction of viable organizations’ and establishment of linkage with other organizations. Development is not an isolated effort. It is approached well with continuous process of interaction with various institutions.
The pioneers like Tagore, Sher-E- Bangla and Akhtar Hameed Khan reconceptualized the perspectives of institution building with the doctrine acceptable to the villagers. The touch tone of his institution building was the cooperative. They came forward to prepare the ground for leadership in the cooperative ‘to formulate the programme of integration.’ Leadership pool based on management structure was considered sine qua non for directing operation of the cooperative linking it to the financial institutions and nation building departments
Sher-E- Bangla was a force to be reckoned with so far rural areas in Bengal concerned. In fact, ‘his soul was with them’. His endeavor to build up a grassroot platform as a countervailing force against exploitation and persecution was a clear ‘indication of the nature of his political heartbeat than anything else he sought to do in life.’ He established a meaningful link with the rural masses in the gangatic plain in order to impoverish their emancipation. Using his institutional capacity being the Chief Minister AK Fazlul Huq set up the Eloud Commission in November 1938 putting interests of the rural peasants first.
There was so much enthusiasm that Sher-E- Bangla sparked among the peasants. He was an icon among the Bengali Peasants and rising jotdars who joined him in his institutional mission – all for the ordinary peasants. Being ‘a full blooded Bengali, the friend of peasantry’ he was frustrated to see the termination of the Floud Commission without any commensurate results and had to ‘wait until 1950 to see his dream of ending landlord elitism-feudal over lordship in other words.
Bengal under colonial rule presented a desolate scene. From the very start of the colonial rule the peasants were seen to have been protesting colonial intervention affecting peasantry. Due to rack-renting and persecution of peasants by the rent receiving agents of East India Company and money lenders there happened to be the fast deterioration of the peasant economy. Bengal was treated as the hot-bed of anti-British rebellion with rising militancy of peasant movements against the oppression of the Hindu landed class. As a result of the periodic peasant eruption against the landlords and money lenders in the wake of abysmal poverty a handful of Muslim leaders ‘started flirting with the Muslim peasantry vigorously promising land reform and pro-peasant measures projecting the Hindu zamindar-bhadralok-mahajan triumvirate as the sole enemy of both the Hindu and Muslim peasants.’ ‘Eventually Muslim leaders successfully organized Muslim peasants in the region and formed a government under the leadership of Fazlul Huq, who in 1937 became the chief minister of Bengal.’ He and his Krisak-Praja Party ‘committed to an anti-zamindar and anti-mahajan economic programme, as reflected in the election manifesto of Krisak-Praja Party that formed a government in April 1937 with Muslim league. Sher-E-Bangla represented the upper peasantry (jotdars). Several Muslim jotdars joined him to espouse a peasant and anti-landlord programmes on the eve of 1937 election.
In fact, Sher-E-Bangla occupies the foremost place among the leaders ceaselessly fighting for the emancipation of Bengali peasants. Indeed he was matchless and had only a few equals well known in history as humanists and philanthropists. By dint of his extraordinary genius, he created an era. In fact he was a versatile talent making remarkable marks in public life as politician, peasant leader, teacher, lawyer, administrator, statesman, freedom fighter and a person with incredible physical strength and guts.
He ’emerged from the heart of rural Bengal, stormed the bastions of elitist Calcutta and showed his downtrodden community a way to economic freedom, educational skills and political ascendancy’. He was a symbol of peasant vision articulating peasants’ point of view with all their cognitive orientations and rural ethos.
(Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque, Professor, Department of Public Administration, Chittagong University)
