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Spirit of '71 still burning bright at DU

Christine Wanner
In 1971, students at Dhaka University would take to politics to serve the nation, risking their very lives. But the present generation of students is not so committed to the cause of the nation, regrets Arun Kumar Dey, owner of Madhu's Canteen.
"The liberation movement was driven by the hope for a new coun-try--a free, secular land. Nowadays, students do not commit themselves in such ways to the nation," Arun points out, adding, "What we need now is another strong movement to unite the country."
Arun holds out to day the legacy of over 150 patriots killed on tire campus during the Liberation War, including his mother and father Madhu, the founder of the canteen. Outside the canteen, a plaque names the martyrs to remind the students that the victory for the nation did not come easy.
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"When .people visit Madhu's Canteen, they realise its impor-hince,” he says pointing at the plaque.
Visitors at the canteen from other places show more interest about its history dian students from Dhaka Itself, Madhu observes, "There are tivo types of students-one is very serious and gathers information and the other just does not bother about our history."
"I have never belonged to a political party even though I love my coun -try and strongly believe in politics," says the man who has been running the famous canteen for the past thirty years. "I cannot belong to any party, Because I want to keep the spirit of liberation War alive. Our ancestors' aims are not yet achieved. So, I keep Stalling their stories and rely on the ucated, aware section of the new
generation."
r But.itsecms,theaveragestudents too dream of a prosperous Bangladesh. It is just the 'dirty politics' that is keeping them away from expressing their dreams politically, through joining the ever-fighting platforms, they say.
. At the canteen, Smriti and Nadeem were enjoying tea and Snacks yesterday. She is studying history and he is a civil engineer. (Jone of them ever belonged to any political party or a student movement. But that does not make them apolitical.
Nadeem says, if he had a chance, he would fight poverty to change the society. "When people get at powerful positions, they often forget about the poor, even though
every thing in this country is related to poverty. Should I once attain such power, I would not forget them," he vows.
With the slowly gathering crowds on the campus, mingles Kawsar Chowdhury, who has documented 1971 in his film-Sei Rater Kotha Bolte Eshechhi [1 have come to tell youaboutthat night).
Kawsar says, "At a candleprocession on March 25th in 1993,1 met a young mother. She was there with her daughter to tell about her losses in 1971, when she was just a kid. She wanted to keep the memories and the knowledge alive. Then I realised what I could do with my camera."
He then started looking for eyewitnesses and surviving family members of the martyrs. Based on their interviews, he remodelled the war scenes, compiled tape recordings and filmed a prize-winning documentary on the killings at Dhaka University in 1971. He was screening that documentary on the campus yesterday evening.
Looking forward to the documentary and the concerts in the evening to celebrate the victory day, students like Mutiny, Borna, Shoma and Niti, beautifully attired In saris, were sittingonapavement.
"If I had the power, I would fight for a better environment and make my country corruption-free," says Munny.
But politics, they add, is not yet in their minds. "We do not want to get involved," Borna notes, "There are students' organisations that fight witheachother.Wehatethat."