Today is a wonderful day for all the sons because today is ‘World Father’s Day’. This memorable day is being celebrated in Bangladesh like many countries of the world.
Every year the day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June. Fathers are greeted or remembered in various ways on this day. Many social media users such as facebook are commenting and sharing memorable pictures with their father. Remembering my beloved father, I also posted some photos on my facebook, instagram and twitter handles.
But how was the introduction of Father’s Day? Mother’s Day has been celebrated since hundreds of years, but Father’s Day is much newer than that. I have been a journalist working in the media outlet for so long. But no writings had ever been written on or about Father’s Day. The corona pandemic has shaken the mind at this time, which has not been imagined in this life. I posted some photos of our father for the first time in the lockdown a few days ago.
Many today can reminisce about their father and the best of their lives. I have also become a father now. As a parent, I also understand how emotional a child is.
That is why it is said, “The father’s shadow is bigger than the shadow of the last afternoon’s banyan tree. He protects his child from all the heat of life.”
“Everyone of our siblings has had children. They have all become parents. Our father was not very emotional. But our father was not lacking in love. He is still etched in the memory of the older three of our five siblings. My younger brother, Illias bin Quashem and Farhana Afroz can’t remember his memory very much.
My sister was very young when my father died. She gets very emotional when we talk about him. But all our brothers and sisters have great respect for him. He was a proud freedom fighter of the motherland. I did not get close to him even at a very young age.
After 1990, of course, I spent my whole life without my father. I read the proverb, “Does my father’s foot move faster than everyone else’s?” Otherwise, how could he keep everything so tight in such a short time? ” However, we did not get these. Our mother has fulfilled everything of our father with one hand.
My heroic freedom fighter father Md. Abul Quashem was a recluse. While serving in Bangladesh Air Force, he came to the country from Karachi, Pakistan in 1971 at the crossroads of the motherland and actively participated in the war of liberation and provided armed training to the locals.
I heard my father’s story from my cousin Mohsin who is a Bir Muktijoddha and local commander. My father was the first graduate and MA in his time in our area. How he came to the country from West Pakistan after fleeing in 1971, and what he did in the war of independence as a soldier. He trained and fought directly in Sector No 2.
I heard many incidents during the Liberation War from Commander Mohsin Bhai. But to me, an incident I heard from my father is more inspiring. Dad was then posted in Karachi. At the beginning of the Liberation War, he used to get the news of the country from radio.
After March 26, however, the then East Pakistani officers and soldiers were kept in the prison camp and later he joined the war. He fought directly to sector No 2 and trained young freedom fighters. We hear a lot of events during the liberation war from Sonargaon’s commander. We did not go to Sonargaon after my father’s death.
At that time, he did a double MA from Karachi University. But I heard from my father about an incident with more inspiration. My Dad’s posting was in Karachi. At the beginning of the war of liberation, the country kept the news on the radio. After March 26, however, the prisoner camp was held by the then East Pakistani officers and soldiers.
When the war started from Balkh in East Pakistan (in Bangladesh), the western part of the Bengali officers and soldiers were putting in the messages. The West takes all the two major trunks of the time, the West. In 1971 October, Dad came back from Pakistan and joined the battle for the country’s mother.
When Bangladesh became independent, he rejoined the Air Force. He retired from the Air Force in 1984. But I have never seen my father showing heroism to anyone. He is always worried about the future of the child. We are very proud to be the children of a heroic freedom fighter. I can swear it, no one can say it. Even then I think, “Is my father’s cry wider than everyone else’s?” If not, how can the father carry so many responsibilities in the society and the world”.
All of my brothers and sisters are proud of our lovely father and mother. But we could not take any kind of benefit by pursuing the identity of my father from this state. All of my brother and sister are established on their own stand. No one can blame it.
(Bellal Bin Quashem is a writer, poet & columnist. Email: [email protected])
