Majhar Mannan :
I dare to write about a man who has been compared to the Himalays and no ordinary person made this comparison. This comparison was made by Cuban leader Fidel Castro. This great man is the architect of Bangladesh’s independence, father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He is not just a great hero, he is an institution and a history. In every age when exploitation and oppression go beyond the limits a great man appears. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was such a great man.
This great leader was born just when the system of governance of Bengal looked like a wracked body eaten by insects. Bangabandhu had to deal with endless torture and conspiracy at every stage of his life. His life is like a boat that survives in the midst of a terrible storm. The huge waves as high as the mountains could not sink his life boat. This is possible only for a great man. Infinite courage, endless self-confidence, ready wit, genuine love for people, strong patriotic zeal, excessive self-sacrifice made him a star.
This great man was born on March 17, 1920 in Tungipara, Gopalganj. From an early age he had immense courage and would protest whenever he saw injustice. Sher-e-Bangla A.K Fazlul Haque pulled him to his chest for his boundless bravery. He strongly presented the demand to repair the roof of his school to Sher-e-Bangla A.K Fazlul Haque. He passed Matriculation in 1940 and was admitted to Islamia college, Calcutta. At that time he was elected a councilor of the Bengal Muslim students Federation. While studying at Islamia college he became actively involved in politics and was elected G.S of this college. In 1947, he graduated from Islamia college.
At this time he played a leading role in preventing riots in Calcutta. In 1948, he was admitted to the Law Department of Dhaka University and this year he founded the Muslim Chhatra League. At that time, there was a conspiracy to make Urdu the state language and Young Mujib strongly protested against it.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman played a pivotal role in the language movement and was arrested in October 1949 for leading the language movement. In 1949 when the fourth class employees of Dhaka University called a strike to meet their demands, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman supported it.
The University administration unfairly expelled him. In 1955, he started a movement demanding autonomy of East Pakistan with 21 points. In 1958, Ayub Khan’s government wanted to destroy Mujib’s political career by issuing Martial Law and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was arrested and he spent a long time in Jail. In 1963, he demanded the introduction of a parliamentary system of government by an adult vote. In 1965, a sedition case was filed against him and during this time he also spent a long time in prison. In1966, he presented 6 points and the first point was autonomy. During this time he was arrested more than once and sent to jail.
Dr. Mohammad Hannan said, ”The six points were a reminder of Bangladesh’s independence where the struggle for the liberation of Bengalis reached a new dimension.” In the words of eminent researcher Obaidul Haque, ‘The six points were the advance birth certificate of independent Bangladesh.” According to Bangabandhu, the six points were the certificate of emancipation of working class, middle class and the common people. The six points were the weapon to snatch the economic, social and political rights of the exploited from the hands of the exploiter.
Agartala conspiracy case was filed against him in 1968 and was released through the mass uprising of 1969. Under his leadership, the Awami League got an absolute majority in the election in 1970. but the government of Pakistan resorted to deception with the transfer of power.
Bangabandhu called the Non-Cooperation Movement and it succeeded through spontaneous participation of Bengalis. From 2 March to 25 March, 1971, at the call of Bangabandhu, all-out non-cooperation was observed all over Bengal. Bangabandhu guessed the trick of the Pak government and on March 7, 1971 he delivered an everlasting speech on the right and freedom of the people of Bengal.
Through this speech he called upon the people to build a fort in every house and instructed to be ready to deal with the enemy with whatever they had. This historic speech contained some messages and instructions about the freedom, struggle and rights of the people of Bengal. The most important words of his speech were — ” The struggle this time is a struggle for freedom, –the struggle this time is a struggle for emancipation.”
On the night of March 25, 1971 the Pak army launched a terrible attack on the innocent Bengalis and on the same night Bangabandhu declared independence. The original declaration was in English.
” This may be my last message. From today Bangladesh is independent. I call upon the people of Bangladesh wherever you might be and with whatever you have to resist the army of occupation to the last. Your fight must go on until the last soldier of Pakistan occupation army is expelled from the soil of Bangladesh and final victory is achieved.”
Bangabandhu was a leader whose own happiness was trivial and a visionary leader like him was rare in the world. He was a fearless and courageous nationalist leader who worshiped democracy. He was a strong strom against the exploitation, torture and oppression of the Pak government. He was honest, brave, indomitable and the magician of leadership.
There was a magic in the voice of this legendary leader and his great speech is a big document of history today. He was world icon, a great dreamer, a grand symbol of patriotism, a preacher of humanism and a worshiper of true democracy. He was a mighty spark against exploitation and brought a flag and a map for the Bengalis breaking extreme obstacles. The path of this popular, visionary, secular, cosmopolitan and uncompromising leader was not smooth.
His golden days were spent in street movement and dark room in the prison. The dreamy leader was able to awaken the sleeping Bengalis because of his innate qualities. Under his strong leadership, the Bengalis snatched independence by fighting against a mighty armed force in just nine months.
He possessed a charismatic personality whose words and love attracted the Bengalis to sacrifice their lives for their motherland.
He never dreamed of personal gain. His dream was to free the helpless people trapped in closed cage and give them a taste of freedom. He was able to free a nation from the shackles of subjugation and no threat or conspiracy could stop him from moving forward. He was a successful leader and became able to fulfil his cherished dream and dedicated his life as a selfless and militant leader of the world.
British laureate Ted Huge called Bangabandhu ‘ The tiger of Bengal” for his boundless courage. At the call of Bangabandhu, all men and women participated in the war of liberation in 1971 and the independence of Bangladesh was achieved in exchange for the blood of 3 million martyrs.
Just as he was reorganizing the war-torn country, a group of heinous and treacherous shot him in the chest. He and almost all of his family members lost their lives at the hands of traitors. The most nasty and stigmatized chapter in history was created that day. They took away Bangabandhu’s life but they could not kill his ideology. Bangabandhu will remain immortal in the history.
(Majhar Mannan, Assistant Professor, B A F Shaheen College, Kurmitola)
