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(Cont ued)
Discourse on the Victory Day
that spirit and values of the liberation war vanished from amongst us - the people of that time? It seems as if everything is sinking in the turbulence of distortions! And the new generation of our present time? Their brain-washing has been accomplished in a most clever and shrewd manner. They are learning another kind of history. They are unaware of all the great deeds of their fathers. Instead, all-out vile efforts are being made to groom a parasitic population oblivious of the heritage and legacy of their forefathers.
It is an infinite mercy of God that the memorable day of achieving victory in Bangladesh's liberation war has arrived at such a dark hour. That is why this humble submission - now is the auspicious moment to look at one's face in the mirror, to rise, to resist those who had opposed 71 and to become invigorated with the Bangalee spirit of Bangladesh. And justifiably, the questions of relevance will come over and over again: liberation war - freedom fighters; killing of the Father in August 75; Indemnity Ordinance; martial law - coup -counter-coup in the country; rehabilitation of the Razakars; the episode of autocracy; victory in the antiautocracy movement; and what followed after that.
When we speak of people’s rights and freedom and relate those to our present, the relevance of Bangladesh's liberation war and its backdrop becomes huge. Overall, it deserves a thorough discussion. However, for the sake of easy deciphering, it can be narrated as follows. It was freedom of the common people from the tyrannical rule and exploitation of the plunderers, freedom from the repressions of servitude and occupation. History says that the process of enchainment is more or less similar in all countries and ages; aggression by wearing socio-economic and religious garbs. The emperors, generals, churches, feudal lords, merchants and industrialists arrived. They forged coalition with local vested quarters. Their main objective was to exploit the general masses by forcing them into slavery. On the other side, people got organised for freedom in many countries of the world throughout the ages; they revolted through resistance movements and ultimately waged armed wars. We have read about the Spartacus mutiny against the Roman Empire in the remote past. From then on, history has been beset with so many upsurges, revolutions and revolts. We have seen at the height of the Twentieth Century how Ho Chi Min of Vietnam, Martin Luther King of the United States and Nelson Mandela of South Africa had provided leaderships in the fight against various strands of autocracy. For the freedom of the underprivileged teeming millions. Now it becomes clear that a war was fought for complete freedom under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in our own country as well.
History is not created all of a sudden. Outbursts may occur due to momentary excitements. But that is quite temporary and evaporates quickly. On the other hand, our 71 was the accomplishment 6Fa' lufothous' history; a mass upsurge throughout the land and factors in the background depths and currents of time. And we witnessed it when history got consolidated on the surface. There were many who had the experience of active participation. Let us present an outline of relevant events, especially for our present generation:
g.The mass upsurge reaching a climax during 1968,1969;
h. Then how swiftly arrived the fiery month of March 1971! Bangabandhu called for a non-cooperation movement; then came his historic 7 March speech -The struggle this time is for our freedom, the struggle
a. I shall say, history started its journey with the language movement of 1948-52;
b. Cultural conferences at Chittagong, Comilla, Dhaka and Tangail's Kagmari during the 1950s. The source of our heritage was becoming clearer; the cultural reservoir of a thousand-year old Bangla was enriching our ethos;
this time is for independence". Then within a span of three more weeks, we reached the stage of an armed liberation war.
c The massive defeat of the flag-bearers of Pakistan -Muslim League - in the 1954 elections. This event propelled the movement for political autonomy and economic rights of the people of East Bengal;
d. Observance of the centenary of Rabindranath Tagore's birth in 1961; a cultural resistance movement was waged throughout the decade, based on Tagore's ideals; it played a supportive role in boosting the nationalistic spirit of the Bangalees;
e. Intense protest movement by the students against the Sharif Education Commission Report of 1962;
f. Spreading the movement for realization of ^-points throughout the country in 1966.
It is not merely a chronology of events. It was a cinema of transition, from one layer of history to another. At the same time, we should look at how the roots of a people's belief had widened and deepened in their hearts. This could be interpreted from the following significant slogans: The address of yours and mine -Padma Meghna Jamuna’, 'Wake up Bangalee, Wake up', 'Joy Bangla' (Victory to Bangla), 'Bangla's Triumph', 'Brave Bangalee, take up arms, liberate Bangladesh', etc. And finally, all these met at a confluence, where we find the immortal words of inspiration - the war-cry 'Joy Bangla'. It is obvious that the tales of motherland Bangla and the Bangalee people are bound to resurface over and over again. ■
Translation: Helal Uddin Ahmed