Interfaith Queer Culture in Bangladesh (Part One)
MADAR PIR: The Folk Theatre, Crossdressing, and Social Struggle
Folk musical theatre in Bangladesh is a very popular pastime and forms an integral part of many religious, cultural, and social gatherings. It was a symbol of good luck. The belief and practices of the Bengali folk Sufi/Baul, and some other older and ancient genres of folk music captured and ushered in the perceptions of tolerance and unity among the members of communities. The notion of equality that unites humankind is metaphorically presented in this song. The Bangla service of Voice of America (VOA) in the early 50s started its Bangla transmission from Washington with it as its theme song – a fact that most of us are unaware of. One of the oldest Bangla folk music genres is known as Madar Pir Song, practiced in north Bengal parts of the country, which has got the most significant essence of this universal value. The performer mainly pays tribute to Madar Pir.
WHO WAS MADAR PIR?
Hazrat Sayed Badiuddin Ahmed Zinda Shah Madar was a Sufi saint who founded the Madariyya Silsila. He was also known by the title Qutb-ul-Madar.
He hailed originally from Syria and was born in Aleppo in a Syed Hussaini family. His teacher was Bayazid Tayfur al-Bistami. After making a pilgrimage to Medina, he journeyed to India to spread the Islamic faith. He converted many Hindus to Islam in India. Here he founded the Madariyya order. His tomb is at Makanpur.
The Madariyya are members of a Sufi order (tariqa) popular in North India, especially in Uttar Pradesh, the Mewat region, Bihar, Gujarat, and West Bengal, as well as in Nepal and Bangladesh. Known for its syncretic aspects and focus on internal dhikr, it was initiated by the Sufi saint 'Sayed Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar' (d. 1434 CE), called "Qutb-ul-Madar", and is centered on his shrine (dargah) at Makanpur, Kanpur district, Uttar Pradesh. He came to India in the eighth century A.D. in Gujrat at Khambaat first time and he came to India the last time in the thirteenth century along with the saint Ashraf Jahangir Semnani.
Originating from the Tayfuriya order, as his Pir, spiritual teacher was Bayazid Tayfur al-Bistami, Madariya reached its zenith in the late Mughal period between the 15th to 17th centuries and gave rise to new orders as Madar's disciples spread through the northern plains of India, into Bengal. As with most Sufi orders, its name Madariya has been created by adding a Nisba to the name of its founder Madar, leading to Madariya, sometimes spelled as Madariyya, though it is also referred to as Tabaqatiya.
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FILM DIRECTOR BIO:
Dipa Mahbuba Yasmin is a trans-disciplinary artist and a screenwriter, director, and producer whose work has been called " antagonistic", “belligerent”, and "courageous". She was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and educated at the University of Dhaka in Fine Art.
As a director, Dipa is known for her directorial debut The Longest Night of the Year (2016), and Planchette on 25 April (2018). She is currently running a major queer archiving documentary project called ‘Bangladesh Cross Dresser Theater Archive’. Her films are an important part of her activism, she archives historical and contemporary queer stories & struggles. Besides film making Dipa Mahbuba Yasmin is familiar as an asexual queer leader with over 10 years of experience, working with various queer organizations across cities in Bangladesh & beyond. She is the founding director of Epiphania Visuals and the founder & board of trustees of Asexual Pride Asia & (ANOAQA) - Asian Network of A-Spec Queer Activists. She is also the Co-Founder & Trustee of the Bangladeshi Asexual Association.
