& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

'Ekatturer Chithi' Published

Vivid memories of War of Liberation

Staff Correspondent
Pin-drop silence was there in the jam packed ballroom of Hotel Sheraton when the letter of Nurul Islam, a freedom fighter, was read out. Nurul Islam sent this letter from the battlefield to his beloved mother which was published in a book yesterday.
Like the letter of Nurul, another 79 letters, which the freedom fighters sent to their near and dear ones from different battlefields during the liberation war in 1971, were also compiled in the book, jointly published by the Prothom Alo and Grameenphone.
Titled 'Ekatturer Chithi' (Letters of'71), the book, first of its kind in Bangladesh, was launched in commemoration of the sacrifices made by the freedom fighters. At the same time, it will be a source of inspiration for young generations.
Each letter bears a vivid glimpse into the war and emotions of the freedom fighters
and their family members.
"Dear Mukul, a great tragic incident has already happened; we are now in a state of affliction and caught in exhaustion. Our dearly beloved Azad was killed with seven other comrades...,” freedom fighter Mujahidul Islam Selim, presently general secretary of CPB, wrote this letter to one Abul Quaiyum on November 16,1971.
in a letter to his newborn baby, a freedom fighter wrote, "Dear baby, we, the 17 co-fighters, are now spending nights in a run-down, shabby building. Our guerilla operation will begin before dawn. I don't know whether I will be able to meet you. I only know that we are fighting to free the country for you. See you later if lam alive...”
Matiur Rahman, editor of the Prothom Alo, said it is unfortunate that the complete history of the liberation war is yet to be brought out.
"This book is not a mere compilation of letters of the
freedom fighters or the history of our liberation war, it is an emotional as well as special effort to create hope,” he said.
Grameenphone CEO Oddvar Hesjedal said these letters are a source of inspiration and strength for the freedom fighters as well as families of the martyrs.
“These letters will live forever in these pages to be passed onto the coming generations in order to inspire them to take this country forward,” he added.
The first phase of the letter collection campaign started on December 16 last year. A five-member selection committee was formed headed by historian Prof Salahuddin Ahmed to sort out letters for publication from 180 letters received.
Maj Gen (retd) Amin Ahmed Chowdhury, writers Rashid Haider and Selina Hossain and cultural personality Nasiruddin Yousuf were the members of the committee.