The day victory was complete

Today is the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s homecoming day, a red letter day in the annals of Bangladesh’s history. Bangabandhu returned to the newly independent Bangladesh on 10th January 1972 after he was released from his prison cell in Pakistan. He reached Dhaka via London and Delhi. On the very day of his arrival in Bangladesh Bangabandhu delivered a momentous speech on at the Race Course (now Suhrawardy Udyan) outlining the principles upon which Bangladesh would function as a sovereign state. “My Bangladesh is independent today, my life’s desire has been fulfilled today, people of my Bengal have been liberated today. My Bengal will remain free,” Bangabandhu declared. At one point in the 17-minute long speech, he stressed, "A grave was dug up beside my cell. I was ready. I am a Bengali. I am a man. I am a Muslim—a Muslim dies once, not twice.'

Bangladesh emerged victorious on 16th December, 1971 as the occupying Pakistani military were vanquished by the marauding freedom fighters supported by the Indian armed forces. The Pakistani army surrendered on the day but for the 75 million Bengalis the victory was incomplete. His people back in the newly independent country were in the dark about the fate of their beloved Bangabandu. No one in occupied Bangladesh knew if Sheikh Mujib was dead or alive. On the night of the crackdown on 25 March 1971, the Pakistani forces arrested Bangabandhu from his Dhanmondi 32 residence. For the entire nine months of the war of independence, the Pakistani junta kept him in the darkness of the prison-cell in Layalpur, Pakistan. However the Liberation War was fought in his name. It was Bangabandhu’s political inspiration and moral persuasion that made mass people embrace martyrdom for the motherland.

The whole of Bangladesh was in a celebratory mood when they heard that their leader would arrive in Bangladesh on the 10th of January, 1972. Indeed people had been in a festive mood since news filtered in about Bangabandhu's arrival at London's Heathrow airport from Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The great man alighted off the plane in Dhaka at noon.  The truck carrying him, in the company of Bangladesh's prominent leaders, to the Race Course took nearly three hours to reach its destination. At the Race Course, Bangabandhu broke down in tears as he paid tribute to the millions who had sacrificed their lives for freedom. Two days later, Bangabandhu, who had been declared Bangladesh’s President by the Mujibnagar government in April 1971, took the oath of office as the country’s Prime Minister under a parliamentary form of government on January 12, 1972.

He was happy that his Golden Bengal was finally free, happy that Bengalis had emerged free of Pakistan. It was twilight when he and the million strong crowd made their way home after what had been a tumultuous day. That was an unprecedented moment, relishing the joy of freedom and the return of the great leader. The visual of the great leader’s homecoming is still fresh in the eyes of those who were present at the venue on that day.

Bangabandhu was unique in his own ways. He embodied the emotions of the nation.  His voice was redolent of thunder. His impressive physical stature, his courage, his way of communicating bespoke of genuine charisma, a charisma which worked like magic on people. The courage and charm that flowed from him made him a unique superman of his times. Taller and stronger than the average Bengali, possessing a supremely confident visage and the manner in which he carried himself contributed towards making him a man among men.

The nation celebrates the homecoming day of Bangabandhu every year as a symbol of trust and reliability in the life of the Bengali nation. Hence, the day is very important to the nation as a source of inspiration towards the development of the country in any situation. The day will be written forever in the history of Bangladesh and the Bangladeshis in indelible letters.