In Burdwan, Yunus’s in-laws have ‘only one dua’: Indo-Bangla ties must heal

At Lashkardighi — a small town in Bengal that’s home to Md Yunus’s in-laws — residents anxiously follow developments in Dhaka and Delhi amid strain in India-Bangladesh ties. Proud memories of his post-Nobel visit linger, but any mention of politics brings silence

It’s a rather nondescript neighbourhood in Lashkardighi, in West Bengal’s Burdwan, nearly 1,450km from Delhi and around 370km from Dhaka, but some residents here are keeping a close eye on developments in the two capital cities, especially the relationship between them. It’s a relationship which has soured considerably over the last six months or so, as the head of Bangladesh’s interim administration, Md Yunus, has — according to some commentators — decided to go against history and geography to steer his country away from India and as close as possible to Pakistan.



Geopolitics change over time, but some relationships run deeper. Lashkardighi is home to Yunus’s in-laws — who obviously have enough reason to wish that the two countries see eye to eye. Spend even five minutes talking to them, and they will tell you that they are rooting for peace between the two countries. They will happily talk about their deep connect with the Nobel laureate who is now leading his country — and what kinds of fish were prepared for him when he dropped in for a visit after being awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 2006, and just how proud they are to be associated with him. But talk about politics, and their unease is palpable… almost as if that topic is off the table.

Each of them pointed out that they have “nothing to do with politics” but were firm about their only hope: that all remains well between India and its eastern neighbour.

Yunus’s wife, Afrozi Yunus (Begum before marriage), grew up at a house in Lashkardighi; she did both her school and college from here before moving in late 1970s to Manchester, where she pursued her higher studies in physics. She married Yunus in 1983. It was Yunus’s second marriage.

The house, say neighbours, used to be bustling with visitors, cousins and other relations from near and far, including Bangladesh. But, in what mirrors the now frosty ties between the two neighbours, the house itself has grown quieter and more subdued. Its inmates, too, now prefer keeping more to themselves.

On a Friday afternoon, TOI visited the home and neighbourhood of the better half of the man who has overseen, and perhaps effected, a paradigm shift in Bangladesh’s foreign and domestic affairs. Yunus’s brother-in-law, Ashfaq Hossain, is recuperating from a cardiac surgery and is unable to speak at length to visitors. But he lets us know that he has made “only one dua (prayer)”, lifting both hands instinctively: “That relations between India and Bangladesh become good again.”

Standing in the driveway of his onestorey home, Hossain spoke slowly, choosing his words with caution. “The bond between India and Bangladesh is very special,” he says. “It might be facing a temporary setback, but everything will be fine. You mark my words.”

Incidentally, Lashkardighi is just half a kilometre from Curzon Gate in Burdwan. The name of the former viceroy is inseparable from the 1905 partition of the then Bengal province.

The area is unremarkable: residents sit outside their homes, soaking up the sun, exchanging small talk as masons chip away at brick and mortar nearby. At the end of one such lane is the house behind a large black gate where Afrozi Yunus grew up.

Afrozi was born and brought up in this house in Lashkardighi.

Soon after Yunus received the Nobel, he visited his in-laws in Burdwan — a visit that many locals still remember. “Our mother was alive then,” said Hossain, Afrozi’s younger brother. “She cooked several varieties of fish. Yunus bhai relished them.” It was the last time he came to this house. “Those were such good times. So many relatives came to meet him and congratulate my sister,” said Hossain, a brief smile appearing on his fatigued face. “Yunus bhai brought honour to Bangladesh with the Nobel. He will play a big role in establishing peace in Bangladesh.”

He also spoke of his hope for renewed economic ties between the two countries. “India will earn foreign exchange, and Bangladesh will get things at affordable rates. We want good relations with Bangladesh — in fact, with all neighbouring nations. When I last visited Dhaka, I carried mihidana and sitabhog (sweet specialties of Burdwan) for them. Bhai is fond of them.”

Politics, however, was a topic he did not wish to discuss. Asked about allegations of attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh — accusations levelled by Bangladesh’s deposed PM Sheikh Hasina and by human rights groups — Hossain fell silent. Moments later, he excused himself, saying he needed to rest.

Doctors, he said, had told him to avoid stress. “So much stress is not good for me. I find it difficult to even talk to people,” he said, adding that his sister, too, was not keeping well in Dhaka, and that she had retired as a physics professor. “It has been ages since I spoke to her. She is unable to speak now. I keep praying for her health,” he said.

Shortly after, his wife stepped in, requesting that he not be disturbed as he was recuperating from surgery. She was concerned about her husband’s health.

But the family is perhaps also aware that any word spoken inside their modest Burdwan home could have far-reaching consequences.
The same hesitation is palpable across Lashkardighi.

In a neighbouring house lives Afrozi’s nephew, Mohammad Kalimuddin, bedridden for several months. Speaking slowly inside his room, he recalled Yunus’s last visit. “We arranged a lunch of fish and vegetables, but he was in a hurry and could not eat anything,” he said. Kalimuddin remembered his aunt fondly. “When we were young, we would play with Afrozi chachi . When we got the news that she was getting married to Yunus, we were all very happy.”

He allowed himself a brief pause. “Whatever is happening in Bangladesh is concerning, but it will be fine, I am confident,” he said.
As Kalimuddin spoke, his son intervened: “Why are you talking? Don’t you see what is happening in Bangladesh? It is better you don’t say anything.”

This conversation captures the mood in the neighbourhood — pride and memories mixed with unease. Several relatives of the family live in houses around the lane. They refer to Yunus simply as jamai — Bengali for son-in-law. Some came forward to talk, while others preferred silence, wary of speaking amid the current turmoil in Bangladesh and the strain in the two countries’ relations.

According to neighbours, the family first found itself in the spotlight when Yunus won the Nobel. That attention returned last year when he was chosen to head Bangladesh’s interim govt following the hasty flight of Sheikh Hasina to India after weeks of unrest.

In the current scenario, some of Yunus’s actions are under sharp scrutiny. Hasina has accused the interim administration of perpetrating atrocities against non-Muslims. Human rights groups have alleged interference with the freedom of people of different religions to practise their faith. The interim govt faced criticism even as it grappled with the task of restoring order after months of unrest that had wracked the country.

Yunus and other members of the interim govt denied wrongdoing. But the allegations have created a rift between the two nations.
In Lashkardighi, nobody wants to speak of this geopolitical churn, but its tremors are palpable.

“The house used to be lively,” said a neighbour, requesting anonymity. “People from across India and Bangladesh came often. Now, the family members keep to themselves.”

As dusk falls on Lashkardighi — far removed from the slogans and speeches raised in the Bangladesh capital — the masons pack up for the day. The lane grows quieter. Inside the black gate, the family retreats into privacy.

Hossain and other residents closely track events across the border from a distance, holding on to memories of fish cooked for a visiting son-in-law, of sweets carried across borders, and of a time when the distance between Burdwan and Bangladesh felt shorter.

For now, all they are doing is pray for peace to prevail.