Bengalis on both sides of the border will engage in a war of words on Saturday on the present and future of the community.
Five eminent bangalis from Dhaka will share the stage with as many well-known bangalis from Calcutta in the first ever Calcutta-Dhaka Tarka Bitarka, presented by Calcutta Debating Circle, in association with Anandabazar Patrika, with The Telegraph as the media partner, at Lake Club. The topic: Bangali du bhaag tai durbal (Bengalis are divided, hence weak).
"Geographically, we are just 250km (the Calcutta-Dhaka distance) away but we are still very far from each other. The commonality of language and culture is wasted because of the distance. Now is the time to bridge the gap. That's why this Calcutta-Dhaka debate," said cardiac surgeon Kunal Sarkar, president of the Calcutta Debating Circle.
It will, however, not be a Calcutta-Dhaka fight: both teams will comprise speakers from both cities. "If it were Dhaka versus Calcutta, there would be a barrier between the people of the two cities," said Arifa Rahman Ruma, a professor in Bangladesh Open University.
"The topic says we are weak. But I strongly believe we are not. The thing is, as an Indian or as a Bangladeshi, one can become an American or citizen of any other country, but you will always be a bangali. Nothing can change that."
The team to bat for the motion will comprise Alapan Bandyopadhyay, principal secretary, department of transport; Abhirup Sarkar, economist; Zayadul Ahsan Pintu, journalist; Shabnam Azim, professor at Dhaka University; and film-and-theatre personality Suman Mukhopadhyay.
Opposing them will be Md Jahangir, cultural activist and media specialist from Bangladesh; Arifa Rahman Ruma; Enamur Rahman, Bangladesh Awami League MP; Rithabhari Chakraborty, actress; and Anindya Chatterjee, musician and director.
For Shabnam, the division referred to in the motion might be a division in terms of borders and nationality but not bangaliyana (Bengaliness).
" Bhasha andolon marked the victory of the Bengali language. Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen is not just West Bengal's, he is a bangali. I think this is a very timely initiative to take the bangaliyana forward," Shabnam said.
The other speakers from Dhaka echoed Azim, applauding the initiative. "Our roots are the same and we are deeply connected. This is not just a debate, because it doesn't pitch one against another. Such events encourage positive developments," said Zayadul.
Enamur expressed the hope that he would learn about "our shared culture and history" from those participating in the event.
"I don't believe we are weak. But I do believe that if we the SAARC countries came together, we would be far better off than Europe or America," he said.
Unlike other debates, this one will have a panel of mentors who will critique the arguments of both teams after the debate. The panel includes actor Soumitra Chatterjee, authors Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay and Krishna Bose, and Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar.
For the Calcutta Debating Circle, the debate is an effort to start a civic discourse between the two cities, independent of politicians.