[Reader-list] Mac Haque responds on Baul issue

[Naeem Mohaiemen]

Mac Haque, formerly lead singer of a rock band, now a baul devotee,
writes claiming that the demolished statue is not of Lalon Shah. Stay
tuned...


Dear Mr.Mahfuz Anam,

http://thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=59289

As has been the unfortunate situation with your newspaper,
misinformation and myths appear to creep into all
your reportings and it now sems is spiralling upward to your Editorials.

Let this be recorded that there are historically - no known 'images',
photographs or statues in existence of our
venerated sAGE anywhere in the world, and a lithograph going about
(and often seen in Posters/Tee shirts and
even Newspapers) is NOT that of our sHAIJI!

Indeed if at all - it is a representation of bAUL's - any bAUL for that matter.

Yours is probably the only newspaper that continues to write that a
figurative representation of /\Fakir Lalon Shah
was among 5 sculptures demolished by bigots last Wednesday opposite
the Dhaka Airport. It is far from the truth,
and most disturbingly lends credence to the bigots claims - that there
was an attempt to raise  an 'idol' of sHAIJI
- a misnformation of devastating consequence, because idolatry is
prohibited in the bAULs agnostic belief system.

We worship the gREAT gOD in MAN - indeed all mANKIND.

I hope you will be sensitive to the feelings of your audience and the
bAUL fraternity at large, and ask your people to
do some more research and study on bAULs and /\Lalon Shaiji.

Peace

/\ jOI gURU

Maqsoodul Haque - Mac