Unveiling Bengal's Legacy of Greatness: Samier Mansur at TEDxDhaka

Samier Mansur is a research scholar, columnist, and photographer. He is also the initiator of the Bangladesh Pluralism Project with the vision of creating a more open, inclusive, and globally engaged Bangladesh.
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www.tedxdhaka.com
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[@mikeyleungDOTca]

I thought Samier's content was fantastic, plus he was an amazing speaker too! The message is important -- Bangladesh needs to define an identity that goes much further and deeper than the raw wound that is 1971, if it is to heal and then rebuild the roots of its previously magnificent civilisation.

[@mehbubulalam7889]

Mikey Leung thank you and I love your work. Thank you for everything.

[@MissBangladeshMeghna]

One of the most powerful speeches I have ever heard from Bangladeshi speaker. It has increased my sense of confidence and self-esteem as a Bengali person.

[@akhoba]

Thank you Samier Masur. I think this clip should be shared with all the politicians of Bangladesh especially the forthcoming younger politicians

[@himaldew]

I’m a Bengali and Buddhist from Bangladesh ..Bengal once had spread knowledge all over the Asia in the form of Buddhism now we have only ruins of that history and legacy😞😞

[@mihrimaainunferdaus388]

My best friend is Buddhist ☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️

[@jijijijijjjiijijijjjjj]

Yes. Islam conquered bengal and Alhamdulillah bengal is a land of Islam

[@thinktank8471]

@Mr Wonder right world 10% economy belonged to Bengal Sultanate

[@Daddy-R]

Islamic, Buddhism, whatever the religion they all made the region great.

[@t.f.r287]

Britain might diminish our former prestige. But one day Bengal will rise like a phoneix and reclaim it's place on international world. The whole world shall see the rise of Bangladesh or Bengal(if west Bengal reunites with Bangladesh)

[@Daddy-R]

Not just WB, entire North East of now occupied india and Bihar,Jk, Odissa

[@AASufi]

Amazing .... These are things that had to be said and you said it .. Go Samier Mansur!!!

[@RiponMajumder]

উপস্থাপনা, পোশাক, ইংরেজি উচ্চারণ, ষ্টেজ, লাইটিং, পাওয়ার পয়েন্ট স্লাইড মিলিয়ে এটাকে বিশ্বমানের মনে হচ্ছে আমার কাছে। বাংলা অনুবাদ অথবা বাংলা সাব-টাইটেল করার জন্য সবিনয়ে অনুরোধ করছি।

[@vdoslayer]

pluralism is the force that can uplift the economy and make way for foreign investors. the idea of pluralism remains a new idea in Bangladesh and it is worth spreading, hence the TED talk.

[@Love1Apprentice]

Well said.. i couldn't agree more.. I am very happy, you guys doing something.. I want do something about identity problem. I want list and track what bengalis doing around the world and home. promote bengal and inspire bengalis. I can provide with hosting and websites just need few people to gather info. I should say, i will help on any similar project. Lets do something.

[@shailatanju]

Plaban Majumder I can work, let me know if you want till now

[@shahadathassan7674]

i am grateful to this person

[@bengalsultanate5034]

Bangladesh is an ancient country. Our history is more older then 1971. Buddhist pala empires, Bengal sultanate both are glorious history. Plz do some thing about Bangladesh

[@nirjhor14101989]

Mikey, 1971 is the final culmination of the thousand years of history that Samier talks about. 1971 is a part of that history, a continuation, and not at all a raw wound. That point in history defines the country that is Bangladesh.

[@bengalsultanate5034]

Thanks

[@LuminousKugelblitz]

Our producers and directors should come forward to make series and movies about our rich 2500 year old history !

[@newnewnewnew100]

excellent presentation. opened my eyes. thanks many many.

[@kaykobadhosen1502]

feeling proud

[@Debprasad-Dutta]

Heartiest Appreciation towards Bangladesh Pluralism Project. Best wishes to men and women behind it.

[@kabirhasan1467]

It's a unique presentation for us Bengali people... Thank you Mr.Samiur

[@asifmohammad9782]

thanks for bringing this information.........just wow

[@KAZIISLAM1]

Thanks you sir. I had same Question almost 40 years. Y just answered it. Thanks a lot

[@Mortuja707]

A great appreciation for Samier Mansur

[@arman1191]

Amazing point of view.

[@sabrinashitu8791]

Missed historical facts of Bangladeshi History. 1. Alexander didn't continue his invasion of India further because of Gangaridai and Nanda Empire . Because they were the most powerful nations of India at 326 BCE. As you can understand from the name Ganga it means lands besides the Ganga Rivers. It means the Ganges Delta. 2. Mauryan and Gupta Empire dominated the land just like British and Europeans did. Because it had wealth. 3. Finally we see the rise of 14 Janapadas. The prominent ones are. Varendra, Bongo, Pundro , Somototh, Horikel, and Gaura. 4. After this the Janapadas were unified under Shashanka. 5. We see rise of Pala Empire. They were Buddhist . They ruled over Bangladesh for 500 years. 6. We see the rise of Chandra and Sena dynasties

[@tahsinakarin1629]

splendid speech~ gud 2 knw about all those unknwn facts!! keep moving on.All the best!

[@mihrimaainunferdaus388]

Its 2021..... You are a great speaker sameer bro

[@Shaker123445678]

I hope oneday you will identify yourself as both Bengali and Muslim. Also, you missed one important point, that is, two nation theory was not about religious identity. It was mostly about growing huge economic inequality between two religious communities during colonial period and a solution for economic prosperity of Bengali muslims.

[@786swe]

I totally agree.

[@asifmohammad2785]

i want to make second part of it ..................

[@dabangshuduttashaon]

Great speech

[@kaziahsan_habib]

Tagore was a legend in literatute, But he failed his own legacy, when it came to politics

[@AzizTarak]

Samier Mansur is a Great storyteller.

[@siddharthachakraborty3115]

Excellent video.

[@BengaliFilmmakers]

enlightening stuff !

[@rationality1908]

Great history lesson. Note that pluralism is not a good tool for political popularity so until we have a solution, different groups will continue to polarize the nation. What's your solution?

[@believer5578]

You can't reach people by just telling & writing history. Bangladesh government should make a series on Bengal's rich history, at least a documentary!

[@redblade962]

Yes we need to hear and see about our motherland

[@nox6948]

Reunite Bengal.

[@fahimakash]

Well Every day we learned something *new*.. Back then that land was Like USA wowo

[@asifmohammad9782]

wow

[@m.islamnafees5770]

Masterpiece

[@rafiqueullah5759]

Bravo bravo. Joy bangla.

[@bipa517]

@MentalHenryKissinger: TED is about ideas worth spreading and Samir Mansur's idea that Bangladeshi's identity is more, much more, than the Liberation War of 1971 IS very much an idea worth spreading in our identity starved nation

[@spaceagegeocon4880]

Dear Sameer (yes I call you that way) as it is Bengali means pleasant breeze. I hope you will not dispute being a pride Bengalee, as you indicated language and culture should precede before religious affiliation. I am impressed with your talk and knowledge. I hope people like you come forward to change cloud of division of Bengal. If you carefully read history then you will find the partition of Bengal was imminent due to only narrow religious causes, where people affiliated with Islam played most decisive role (both during 1905 Bongo-bhongo, and 1947 partition), although we criticize British rulers (no doubt they just took the advantage of the situation). If you think bigger Bengalee harmony it would be responsibility of Bangladeshi to come forward first. The most important one is change your name from Arabic to Bengali (it should not hurt your religious affiliation and sentiment. If you disagree please read about Kamal Atatur Turk). The language, the culture for which Bangladeshi fought and spilled blood to get independence is more important than any other things. This should be motivating force for every Bengali. Let not narrow religious sentiment, be it Islam, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, took over the basic sentiments of Bengalis

[@spaceagegeocon4880]

@VevO AcCouNtS Dear Madam/Sir -- It seems that you fail to understand my comment. Or you may be too blind with your religious affiliation as the undertone of your statement suggests. If we start arguing about the role of religion on the development of human civilization, I am afraid, we may soon find religion has always played regressive than the progressive role.

[@LadyAtemu]

Next I will watch yours :D

[@stonecold7589]

❤️

[@manikasarkar1738]

জয় বাংলা 🙂🙂

[@megapad100]

interesting but he growing up in america no longer gives islam the imprtance its due especially when that is a crucial part of the bengali identity. being our main religion for 650 years. yes our identity is so much more than 1971 and our old history is super interesting.

[@akidfromhell2058]

megapad100 but Bangladesh is secular country

[@Kakeru2Kurosawa]

Are you saying that people can't be Bengali if he or she wasn't born or raised here?

[@indigoclassic9894]

Religion is not barrier to us. From bhuddist, hindus to muslim,,we are proud to be a Muslim and only a muslim secular country of the world. But we are always Bengali. No matter what.

[@mandyswe559]

This product of young generation doesn't understand what took place in British Raj that made Jinnah joined the partition movement.

[@hisham2854]

Like others I hope Oneday Bangladesh will become True Secular country Again. May Be 50Years or 100Years Later Eventually It'll be.

[@Pagalchhagal]

Sameer started off talking about being a Bangladeshi and changed into a narrative of utterly irrelevant redundant episodes that could not explain why Bangladesh carries the borders it does today (and therefore could not explain the heritage and identity of the people known as "Bangladeshis" today). if he cannot talk about the right historical episodes, he might have as well started off how he had an identity crisis of being a human. moreover i was quite surprised actually to see someone trying to glorify pre-Islamic times on this land this much (and strictly that). such times are known as ayyam-e-jahiliya in Bangladesh or the age of ignorance. he needed to acknowledge the unique historical elements the land known as "Bangladesh" and the (Bengali and non-Bengali) people known as "Bangladeshis" are a result of. for a start Bangladesh never came into existence for any "secular" reason whatsoever. East Pakistanis/Bangladeshis found a separate land to conserve their Muslim values (considering non-Muslims a natural part of this Muslim state) and in a desperate attempt to safeguard against their ongoing decline in a non-Muslim-dominated greater-Hindustan starting since the defeat of Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula's sultanat

[@Xelljon]

Your questionable argumentation fails on many points as you have not directly responded to my arguments. Once again, your argument for the two-nation theory simply does not reflect historical reality, for Hindus and Muslims lived in co-existence ever since the Moghul empire. Oh, your sympathy to Jinnah is ironic...for Jinnah was an atheist. "Demeaning Pakistan = demeaning current Bangladeshis", ie. myself and the majority? lol! Worst argument I have ever read! Yeah...Urdu is NOT an Islamic language, pure Arabic is. Urdu is not spoken and never has been spoken by Bengalis (ie. in West Bengal and in Bangladesh), so get to know your country better and don't make up wrong facts. Further, my point was that Bengali should have equally been held as an official language in the light of the majority Bengali population in former Pakistan, which, again, shows that the establishment of Pakistan never reflected demographics and thus democracy. Then something about Karachi and "Bengali city"...(a tip: your arguments must be written more clearly and structured): It is correct that Karachi has a big Bengali population, I know that because my mother's family is from Karachi. But, how does that contribute to your argument? It is irrelevant to your answer. The last part of your answer is also unclear to me as it does not give any informed argument at all, but I sense that you think that people like me try to rewrite history...well, history is already written, and it is the winner who writes history, ie. Bangladesh. But mainly, your fatal loophole in your opinion is that you simply dismiss and deny that a genocide happened in 1971 (not to imagine how your parents must probably be ashamed of you for denying what happened to our ancestors in 1971). And the way you convey it also shows that you have no sympathy to the ones that died...is it not in Islamic faith to have mercy to people that died? If you disagree, I would carefully submit that you are surrounded by radical elements that sacrifice mercy for a political agenda covered in the light of "Islam". It's like trying to make sense to a Holocaust denier, beneath my standards...Oh, if you are one of the Holocaust deniers, let me say right away, I'm also German, and you don't know SHIT what cruel things the Germans did to the Jewish people, so save the "Zionist conspiracy theory" in your next response if you would like to make a comparison! And please, the next response should be better structured. Otherwise, I'm happy to debate with you, Chaggol!

[@Pagalchhagal]

Xelljon you are not even part of "bengal". otherwise educate yourself. farsi and urdu were and are part of bengal. historical facts won't change no matter how much you want to slave for sanskrit culture and hindu dominance. i'm sorry to hear what happened to your "ancestors" but it can't be an excuse for denying and even mocking the genocide of non-bengalis and bengali ulema. not only what happened about 40-50 yrs ago, but what had went on for 200 hundred painful years. this is just sickening. about Karachi, it was just an example of the settlement of E. Pak Bengalis across W. Pak, especially around Karachi, with investments made by big businesses on the other side across E. Pak. i could cite general facts and figures that would only support something in the lines what you ve been believing until now was the earth is flat. it's not surprising either for the sheer volume of filth circulated by leftists of BD. of course there is politics and agenda. and when a muslim dispenses them, it should only be natural to expect there is "islam" somewhere. or maybe you think there was nothing "religious" about demanding self-determination for muslim areas of then-british hindustan, but only "hidden political agenda"? hmm.. keep it coming

[@mandyswe559]

chhagol13 He didn't talk about being Bangladeshi. He said that he just moved from Bangladesh. He's talking about BENGAL, ancient Bengal that constituted Bangladesh, the state of Bengal in India, and in fact the Arakan which currently is a part of the Union of Myanmar.

[@swe7869]

Xelljon Firstly, I am a Bengal descendant who has never been to any part of South Asia. No, I did know grow up in the west as the ignorant lad who gave this speech. I am responding to your claim that I disagree with your "Jinnah was never as broad-minded and educated, despite being a lawyer, as Gandhi or Nehru." Acoording to my Indian class mate at a university in US, Gandhi favored Nehru over Jinnah whoc was more experienced in politics, to be the first prime minister of Jinnah which caused Jinnah decided to join the partition movement. Hence, you are wrong that each and every Muslim in India would be treated equally as a Hindu. Oh, BTW. you should search for the video "The Day Indian burned" to understand what caused partition accordng to an honest non Muslim.

[@swe7869]

Xelljon You are wrong about Urdu. Bengalis of upper Socio-economic class prior to Partition did speak Urdu. My gandfathers who came form prepartitioned India spoke Urdu as well as Bengali. I never met them but their children also spoke Urdu along with Bengali. Yes, my parents did. I agree that Urdu is NOT an Islamic language, but it is NOT Arabic language either just because it uses Arabic alphabet.

[@SuridAkhand]

Why not we see the dream of revisionism again?!

[@MentalHenryKissinger]

Now Ted is a story telling group?

[@swe7869]

If you didn't know what you are at 8 years old, your parents had failed you. Everyone has an identity despite the diversity blah..blah..blah. I personally think that your presentation is a bit shallow because you lack historical knowledge what took place to cause Partition.

[@FS-me8mj]

We are all not Bengalis. We are all human beings. Sorry I have to disagree with you on this.

[@UmayirChowdhury]

Kid, you're smart but you better go and do some homework on british period and what led jinnah and muslim leaders to initiate a process to build a different land for sub continent muslims. if 2 nations theory wasn't there you would be under BJP rule by now and persecuted for eating cow. we got Bangladesh because, in the first place, we had 47 and separation. and, you better know your identity well so that next time you don't get confused when people ask what religion you're from.

[@tasinal-hassan8268]

And we also have better hygiene.

[@melianna4103]

Atisa wasn't a bengali because in those years there wasn't the bengali language but he was from nowdays bangladesh

[@km99999]

Rubbish 🗑 u Don't know about Bengal civilization.

[@ishaqalexander1305]

Tagore was not so gentle man..... as you are representing😒

[@eeem0n]

More like you never learned about Tagore honestly. You had a prejudice and it's easy to live with that because you've people like you around you. You followed your prejudice, partly because he was not a muslim. I bet you don't know anything about Tagore and haven't even read a book or two.

[@kaziahsan_habib]

Tagore was a legend in literatute, But he failed his own legacy, when it came to politics

[@HarshKumar-tj9kn]

Jinnah was right muslim and hindu are from different civilization and when bengal became muslim that means it cut of its pre islamic history and its history starts from their now.

[@itsme6461]

@Rejwan Rahman Some people like you only exists in few no... most of Bangladeshis nowadays is busy in hindu-muslim conflict.

[@itsme6461]

@? Bro, I am a Bengali. Just open your eyes and try to see

[@m.islamnafees5770]

The fact that you missed out there were no long lasting native rule in Bengal in pre-Islamic era except the Pals show how much of a knowledge you have regarding the significance of Muslim Sultanate in Bengal.

[@thinktank8471]

Kumar muslims needed seperate country for their existance Otherwise we will see communal riot everywhere like what modi govt is doing with minorities

[@FS-me8mj]

angladesh was majority Muslim by 1400. Before that we were majority Buddhist in Bangladesh side, not sure about west Bengal. But Islam is our Bengali identity as well. Don't try to separate these 2 identities.

[@rosesushmit5861]

He has not even mentioned Bengal Sultanate, the Mughal era as though they don't exist

[@Daddy-R]

Listen again. He did mention them

[@pradipghosal9786]

That's west Bengal not Bangladesh

[@Daddy-R]

Tor ki bichi chulkai