Why Our Kids Must Know Our Culture?

Times are changing, and with them our lifestyle, clothing, thoughts and ideas are changing—everything seems to be floating in the tide of modernity. But at a time when children have smartphones in their hands and English-accented school and college education is all around them, one question keeps coming to mind—is our familiar, native, Bengali culture being lost?

We want our children to be modern, to move forward, to keep pace with the times. But at the same time, we also want them to hold on to the roots of the culture in which we grew up. We don't want them to find themselves only in the shell of modernity. We want them to get a touch of our culture along with modernity—and not just a little bit, but a full one.

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Because if they don't know at all about the history of our Bengali people, our festivals, customs, and the glory of our language—then one day, it will be seen that our culture will no longer exist. We will remain Bengalis only in name, but inside we will become a strange, confused nation—neither fully modern nor fully Bengali. In the midst of this dilemma, a kind of subculture will be born, which will be a shadow of Bengaliness—but it will have no connection with real culture.

We don't want that. We want our children to grow up with a worldview, but their hearts should be filled with the smell of the earth. They should know how to celebrate Pohela Baishakh, know the history of our Shaheed Diwas, or understand the meaning of Ektaara, or Rabindra Sangeet.

Culture means roots. If children are not given those roots, they may one day soar very high, but that flight will be lonely. And we, our generation, cannot avoid that responsibility. So now is the time to pass on to our children our songs, stories, history, and traditions—which will one day feed their thoughts, be a source of pride, and keep the future of Bengali alive.