Silchar: The ideals of Syed Mujtaba Ali, who championed the cause of a united Bengali identity throughout his life, found renewed resonance at a seminar held as part of the Mujtaba Ali Literary Festival in Silchar. The two-day event, organised by the Barak Upatyaka Banga Sahitya O Sanskriti Sammelan, concluded on Sunday with a seminar and a poets’ meet.

In his keynote address, Dr Dipendu Das, Professor of English at Assam University, recalled how Mujtaba Ali, despite being appointed principal of Bogra College in East Pakistan after Partition, was forced to leave due to his progressive socialist views.

His open opposition to the imposition of Urdu—first in a speech and later in a published booklet—angered the then government, compelling him to return to India. Even in India, during the 1965 war, he faced harassment from the police on suspicion of being a Pakistani spy.

Dr. Das underlined Mujtaba Ali’s deep commitment to the Bengali language, stressing his belief that education must be rooted in one’s mother tongue. He noted that this conviction led Ali to strongly resist Urdu imposition at the Muslim Literary Society of Sylhet.

Presiding over the seminar, Prof. Debasish Bhattacharjee, Head of the Bengali Department at Assam University, said that Mujtaba Ali had raised his voice for Bengali unity during a time of crisis, emphasising pluralism and collective identity. “Today, Bengali society stands divided into fragmented identities, creating a new crisis. To overcome this, Mujtaba Ali remains our guide, who endured humiliation yet stood firm for the Bengali cause,” he said.

Earlier, Gautam Prasad Dutta, General Secretary of the Sammelan’s Central Committee, delivered the welcome address. He pointed out that Bengalis had been targeted by conspiracies in the past and continue to face similar challenges today, urging especially the younger generation to remain vigilant.

As many as 20 participants, including teachers, researchers, and students, presented research papers at the seminar. Notable among them were representatives from Silchar Women’s College, Nehru College, Assam University, Karimganj Rabindra Sadan Girls’ College, Cachar College, and Radhamadhab College. Journalist Shanku Sharma presented a paper in English on Mujtaba Ali’s celebrated work Deshe Bideshe.

The festival concluded with a poetry session conducted by Dipayan Paul. Barak Banga central literary secretary Dipak Sengupta thanked all the participants and others present. Prof. Debashish Bhattacharjee congratulated all the participants. He said that presenting a paper at a seminar builds confidence.

Barak Banga Cachar district committee general secretary Uttam Kumar Saha, literary secretary Santasree Shome and members Biswanath Bhattacharjee, Sabyasachi Purkayastha, Paritosh Dutta, Bibhash Ranjan Choudhury, Binayak Choudhury and Saibal Gupta were present.

Organisational sub-committee convener Anil Paul, district committee vice-president Kh. Brajeshwar Singh, and several other prominent figures from the region’s literary and cultural circles were also present.

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