Based on extensive field research on Sundarbans, a new book titled ‘The Saline Quest for Honey: Living with Tides, Tigers and Traditions’ was launched at a programme at Goethe-Institut Bangladesh of Dhanmondi in the capital on Tuesday.
The deputy ambassador of the European Union delegation to Bangladesh Baiba Zarina was present as chief guest at the book launch event while Goethe-Institut Bangladesh director and President of EUNIC Cluster Bangladesh Frank Werner and Alliance Française de Dhaka director François Chambraud, among others, were present as special guests of honour.
The publication was authored by a cross-disciplinary team including Mohammad Tahajibul Hossain and Simita Roy from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Sheikh Rokon and Pavel Partha from the Riverine People Trust, and Hasib Zuberi Shihan from the cultural partner, Team Platform.
The publication is an outcome of the collaborative project titled ‘Sundarbans Across Borders: The Spirit of Cultural Resilience’ an initiative was jointly spearheaded by the Heritage and Technology Integration Cell of the department of Architecture BUET, and the Riverine People Trust, under the aegis of the EUNIC Cluster Bangladesh and Kolkata project.
The research was held in the Shyamnagar Upazila of Satkhira District, the publication documents the livelihoods and built environments of the forest-dependent honey-collector communities of Datinakhali and Mirgang, as well as the Munda indigenous settlement of Mundapara.
The Saline Quest for Honey focus on the geographical context, anthropological origins, and the ecological symbiosis these communities maintain with the mangrove forest. The indigenous ecological knowledge in honey collection and resource extraction, alongside the religious syncretism that shapes their daily lives also addressed at the book.
The book also comprised of the architectural mapping, ethnographic illustration, and photography of the Sundarbans region.
The event also screened a documentary film titled The Spirit of the Delta a 15-minute visual journey covering the research, field interviews in Datinakhali and Mirgang, and focus group discussions with the Moual and Munda communities.
The event comprised of a panel discussion participates by authors with landscape architecture expert Alia Shahed and intangible cultural heritage researcher Nurunnabi Shanto.
