A.S.M Riad Arif writes for DOT :
After the 47 years of our Independence, the Voice of the Grassroots people remains silence at the mainstream media of the country. The highly centralized media has always been passive to focus the daily sufferings of the rural people. But the development of a country is largely depending on strong community journalism. Yet more than 80% of the total population of Bangladesh lives in the village area and still, they are far away from Policymaker of the country. Media can be a bridge between the mass people and Government. Only a few of the journalists in the country truly worked for this disadvantage people and feel the rhythm of their lifestyle. Monajatuddin is the pioneer on that sector who walked against the tide and modernizing the concept of rural journalism in Bangladesh. He wrote in-depth on socio-economic condition of the rural people so we could understand the cruel realities of Bangladeshi villagers, and how they perceive and lead their daily life. He developed a uniquely detailed, investigative grassroots method of reporting and brought a new dimension of journalism.
The Capital based Electronics and Print media keep them busy to cover the political move, seminars, and meetings or the activities of some common figures.
But Monajat traveled miles to miles through the muddy path of rural Bengal and wrote about the diverse life and living struggle of the people. He broke the typical method of journalism and introduced ‘situation journalism’. He suddenly appeared in a village and took shelter in an ordinary village home as a paying guest. After an underlying time of meandering the village and its fields, testing a wide sample of the inhabitants, he enlists and prepares group youthful villagers to lead a broad and incredible interview. This rundown normally covers essential subjects, for example, health, income, and current and past land ownership. He tried to find the real picture of the villagers and carefully noticed the response what has actually happened with the relief fund, development projects, and others. Consistently, Monajat embeds into the countries thinking his truthful, pictures of reality where it makes a difference most. The reports are starting to have a quantifiable effect:
In Bangladesh, rural journalism does not consider as a valuable profession but Monajatuddin wanted to bring the change. His way of delivering news was sensitive and technical. He was the real storyteller of the rural people. He portrayed the sufferings of a person who have lost his land in the erosion of river The Teesta, or the empty people who lay with nothing at the village of Payraband. He portrayed the very real phenomenon of Child Marriage that time no one else was taking it as a serious issue.
Monajatuddin was born at Rangpur town in 1945. He started journalism with ‘Bogra Bulletin’ in 1960. But he got fame as a reporter of Dainik Sangbad as its correspondent of North Bengal. We have also got some great literary work from him including Shah Alam o Maziborer Kahini (1975), Path theke Pathe (1991), Kansonar Mukh o Sangbad Nepathye (1992), Pairaband Shekor Sangbad (1993). He was a symbol of curiosity, empathy as well as activism. Monajat wasn’t a cookie-cutter journalist or the aristocratic’s reporter who reviewing the demeanor of the majority, yet the last’s straightforward dispatcher: one who had aced our tongue. He presented researched and evidence-based depiction of rural Bengal. We lost him in a tragic death he while fell into the river from a ferry during a reporting at Gaibandha on 29 December 1995.
Now the media industry of Bangladesh is much bigger. These media are colored by various types of news. But most of them are highly centralized and capitalized. But where is the space for the rootless people? Some years ago, an N.G.O named Mass Line Media Centre (MMC) tried to find out some causes for above discrimination between rural and urban and they found “The centralized infrastructure, Inequitable Policy, Lake of communication resources, Inefficiency, Lack of motivation and creativity etc are the main factors. The rural voice should be reached to the Government and they must be focused by our media. It’s the high time to examine Monajatuddin and his way of working. Now a day we are shouting for the free press. Although, the free press may not ensure quality. We actually need a good and effective media for the betterment of the disadvantaged section of the society. The duty of the journalist is more than a historian. They have the duty to seek out the truth, above all things and contribute to the development of the society. The modern newspapers are published to inform, to interpret, to serve the community and the reader. The country’s need for good rural journalism is enormous. Who can be the greatest example than Monajatuddin for that? His 23rd Death Anniversary will be observed on 29th December. Let’s re-think our pattern of journalism on that day by remembering his works.
The Writer is graduated from South Asian University, New Delhi under SAARC Silver jubilee Scholarship. Can be reached through riad.arif1952@gmail.com