Age-old MT Hossain Institute lies in neglect

Cultural workers and civil society members are ringing an alarm as the age-old moveable theatre stage 'MT Hossain Institute' of Lalmonirhat is being pushed to the brink of further destruction even though it was supposed to be protected as promised.

Railway staffers have started taking away the rails from in front of the institute.

'Lalmoni 71' was the last theatrical presentation by Bangladesh Poribesh Theatre (Bangladesh Environmental Theatre) held on the stage on October 29. Since then, there has been no activity centring the site as it lies empty and unattended.

Bakul Miah, a railway employee, said that they were taking away rails from the MT Hossain Institute as per the order of the authorities. 'We are working the way we have been instructed to,' he said.

The institute was built during the British rule in 1934 on 2 acres and 73 decimals of railway land on Fire Service Road in Lalmonirhat town. It became an epicentre of literary and cultural practice. Poets, litterateurs and theatre personalities from Bangladesh and West Bengal of India frequented it.

Political personalities from different places also used to come here. Even after the independence, this institute played a crucial role in literary and cultural activities for some period. Even ten years ago, the condition of this traditional theatre was not so dilapidated.

The institute is being destroyed due to a lack of maintenance.

Several attempts have been made to occupy the land in collusion with a section of unscrupulous railway officials but those were foiled due to the vigorous movement of literary and cultural activists.

The land grabbers became desperate to take possession of the land in November 2017. At that time, the movement also became strong. Many national and local literary and cultural organisations including Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, International Theatre Institute, Department of Theatre and Performance Studies of Dhaka University, Bangladesh Pathonatak Parishad and Aranyak Natyadal demanded that the heritage site be preserved.

Sufi Mohammad, founder and director of Lalmonirhat Cultural Centre, said that the then Railway Minister and Railway GM, who came to Lalmonirhat in January 2018, told that MT Hossain Institute would be preserved and its original design would be restored. Railway officials and employees were also instructed to maintain the traditional theatre properly. 'But there is still no implementation of that promise,' he said.

However, Idris Ali, a senior sub-assistant engineer in Lalmonirhat railway division, said that since the rails outside the institute were being stolen, they are taking these elsewhere. They have not yet received any instructions from the higher authorities to maintain the site.

'I have heard that the MT Hossain Institute will be restored to its previous design but it is up to the higher authorities of the Bangladesh Railway,' he said.

Lalmonirhat Railway Divisional Engineer Anwar Hossain said they have not yet decided on the fate of MT Hossain Institute. For the time being, the institute's lines are being preserved to prevent theft. They were vigilant so that no land grabbers could take the land of the institute, he added.