Tuhin Das: Poet, Activist and Writer in Exile

 

“I don’t know how I can express myself, as feelings become obtuse¹ from fear. Soldiers of darkness caught me like an animal and butchered me in dreams. You know the feelings of dreaming are like reality. It is midnight in my Bangladesh.”

Tuhin Das is from Bangladesh. But he lives now in exile. Forced to leave his home in April 2016, Tuhin Das sought refuge at City of Asylum² Pittsburgh, a sanctuary³ for endangered writers.

“I left my country in an extreme situation and I came here not for only security; I came here for freedom, freedom of expression, freedom of writing and freedom for living a certain way.”

Born and raised in Barisal, Bangladesh, Tuhin Das loved to read poems. Tuhin began writing his own poems when he was in seventh grade. Some of his works were featured in a local children’s magazine.

“Basically, I write poetry because that is my voice, my soul voice. I wrote a few rhymes, like children(’s) poetry. They were published in children’s magazines.”

Tuhin Das says he continued with poetry but also started writing other things, like short stories. However, he says in the 1980s things changed in his country. A military dictator took control and established Islamic rule.

Tuhin Das says he began to write more serious articles as a witness to the rise of fundamentalism.

“When I started writing articles, basically our community in Bangladesh was ninety-four percent Muslims and they did not think [writing] is good because some feelings hurt them. I wrote against war crimes, some war criminals in our country, and they are still in our country and they are doing their job. They were never condemned⁴, so for that, we wrote against them.”

However, freedom of expression came at a cost for Tuhin Das.

“Right now there are local collaborators of 1971, and right now in our country there are a lot of their supporters. So, when we wrote against them and the supporters, sometimes online, they personally threatened us.”

To save his own life, Tuhin Das left Bangladesh.

Since 2013, Das has been the target of fundamentalist groups who have murdered freethinking bloggers, writers and editors. In Bangladesh, writers are being persecuted⁶ under the country’s Information and Technology Communication Law. Instead of protecting Tuhin, the police collected and searched his writings for anti-Islamic statements to use against him.

City of Asylum Pittsburgh has given exiled writer Tuhin Das a refuge.

“I think a lot of bad things have happened in our country and already 16 writers are murdered by the extremists so, right now, I am feeling safe here. I am writing freely. Right now, I am writing a novel about (the) social structure of my country, basically the Islamization of my country.”

Tuhin Das appreciates the community support he is receiving. He joined the Greater Pittsburgh Literary Society where he is learning the English language and about American culture.

His work has continued to appear in Bangladesh. In his native language, Bengali, Das has authored seven poetry books. He has served as editor of several literary magazines, written short stories and published columns in his home country. He says his proudest accomplishment⁷ is the founding of a popular magazine called, ‘The Wild.’

However, Tuhin Das says he misses his Bangladeshi home and hopes one day to return there.

“I love my country and also my family, my parents and my nephew and my sisters and a lot of friends. I think the situation of my country will be good and I will come back to my country. I hope that.”

Words In This Story

melodious⁸ – adj. having a pleasing sound

sanctuary – n. a place where someone is protected or given shelter

fundamentalism – n. a form of religion especially Islam or Protestant, Christianity that upholds strict adherence⁹ to any set of basic ideas or principles

collaborator⁵ – n. a person who works with another person or group in order to achieve or do something

blogger – n. someone who writes about personal opinions, activities and experiences

persecuted – v. to treat someone cruelly or unfairly especially because of race or religious or political beliefs

appreciate – v. to be grateful for something

literary – adj. having a lot of knowledge about literature: known for reading or writing books

authored – v. to be the person of something, such as a book

column – n. an article in a newspaper or magazine that appears regularly and that is written by a particular writer or deals with a particular subject

accomplishment – n. something done, achieved successfully

1 obtuse   

adj.钝的；愚钝的

参考例句：

• You were too obtuse to take the hint.你太迟钝了，没有理解这种暗示。
• "Sometimes it looks more like an obtuse triangle,"Winter said.“有时候它看起来更像一个钝角三角形。”温特说。

2 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

3 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

4 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

5 collaborator   

n.合作者，协作者

参考例句：

• I need a collaborator to help me. 我需要个人跟我合作，帮我的忙。
• His collaborator, Hooke, was of a different opinion. 他的合作者霍克持有不同的看法。

6 persecuted   

（尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人

参考例句：

• Throughout history, people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs. 人们因宗教信仰而受迫害的情况贯穿了整个历史。
• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。

7 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。

8 melodious   

adj.旋律美妙的，调子优美的，音乐性的

参考例句：

• She spoke in a quietly melodious voice.她说话轻声细语，嗓音甜美。
• Everybody was attracted by her melodious voice.大家都被她悦耳的声音吸引住了。

9 adherence   

n.信奉，依附，坚持，固着

参考例句：

• He was well known for his adherence to the rules.他因遵循这些规定而出名。
• The teacher demanded adherence to the rules.老师要求学生们遵守纪律。