Sunday, May 05, 2024
Bangladesh and Bangabandhu are the same, complementary to each other. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is the main leader or hero of Bangladesh's freedom struggle.
The independence war of 1971 is the most glorious event in the hundred years of history of the Bengali nation. The victory of freedom was achieved on December 16, 1971, in return for the fresh blood of three million martyrs, the loss of honour of two million mothers and sisters, and unlimited self-sacrifice.
After 23 years of agitation and nine months of armed war in 1971, the brave Bengalis won the victory by defeating the invading forces of Pakistan. Many sun children of Bengal may have dreamed of breaking the shackles of the Bengali nation. But that dream has been transformed into reality by the best son of Bengali for a thousand years, the greatest Bengali of all time, the great hero of history, and the father of the nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. As long as the Bengali nation lives, Sheikh Mujib's name will be reverently pronounced. Sheikh Mujib is not just a name, but a history, a fighting spirit to establish an independent state. The life and politics of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the establishment of an independent-sovereign Bangladesh state on a geographical boundary, is an integral part of history.
March 17 is the happy birthday of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the Bengali nation. On this day in 1920, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was born in Tungipara of Gopalganj in a noble Sheikh family. He was the third among four daughters and two sons of father Sheikh Lutfar Rahman and mother Saira Khatun. The affectionate name given by his parents was Khoka. As a teenager, he boldly raised the demand of their village school in Gopalganj to renowned political leaders Sher Bangla AK Fazlul Haque and Hossain Shaheed Suhrawardy. At the age of eighteen, young Sheikh Mujib was arrested for taking a protesting role in an incident while attending school. At that time he had to stay in jail for a week. It was the first imprisonment of his life. After that, this great leader was imprisoned numerous times for the rights and freedom of the Bengali nation. His father did not stop him from joining politics. According to his unfinished autobiography, his father told him, 'Dad, I don't mind doing politics, you are fighting for Pakistan so much happiness, but don't forget to study. If you don't learn education, you can't become a person.
Kishore Mujib went to Kolkata immediately after his matric examination. The major changes in his political life began while he was a student at Islamia College, Calcutta. He became active in the Pakistan movement and came close to leaders like Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy, and Abul Hashim. When the state of Pakistan was created in 1947, Sheikh Mujib also moved to Dhaka. Formed the Chhatra League in 1948 with new political thinking. In 1949, he was elected joint secretary of the newly formed East Pakistan Awami Muslim League. Sheikh Mujib's political activities started by participating in the movement that demanded Bengali as one of the state languages. He became the undisputed leader of Bengali through the great language movement of 1948 to 1952, the anti-military movement of 1958, the education movement of 1962 and the historic six-point-based movement of 1966.
He was given the title of 'Bangabandhu' by the students in the 1969 mass uprising. In the 1970 elections, Bengalis gave their unwavering support to Bangabandhu's 6 points. But without handing over the power to Awami League, the Pakistani ruling group started the politics of conspiracy against the Bengalis. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman called for independence in his historic speech on March 7, 1971. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared independence on March 26 when the Pakistani forces started a planned massacre on March 25. Responding to his call, the vast people of the country fought for almost nine months and achieved independent and sovereign Bangladesh. The historic moment came on January 10, 1972, after the Father of the Nation was imprisoned in Pakistan. Bangabandhu stepped on the soil of an independent country and returned to the independent Bengal of his dreams. The flight touched down at Tejgaon Airport at 3 pm. Standing on the steps of the plane, Bangabandhu waved his hand to the sea of people. In his eyes then were rivers of pain-laden tears of bereavement, and across his radiant countenance was the smile of the victorious hero's satisfaction. As soon as the father of the nation climbed the steps of the plane and stepped into the golden Bengal of his dream, the head of state was honored with 31 gunshots. Then Bangabandhu was taken towards the stage.
In an emotional 20-minute-long speech on a platform set up at the race course from the airport, he said he was ready to be hanged while in captivity in West Pakistan. But he knew that no one would be able to 'hold down' the Bengalis. "The land that I love so much, the people that I love so much, the nation that I love so much, I did not know whether I could go to Bengal or not. Today I have returned to Bengal to the brothers, mothers, and sisters of Bengal. Bengal is my independence; Bangladesh is independent today.”
Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman only promised that the state will take effective measures to achieve radical change in rural areas through the agricultural revolution, electrification of rural areas, development of cottage industry and other industries and development of education, communication system and public health to continuously eliminate urban and rural disparity in an independent country. By including it in Article 16 of the Constitution of Bangladesh, he committed to permanent and firm affirmation. Bangabandhu realized the then East Pakistan, that is, our country is a country with immense potential. He made the country independent by uniting the Bengali nation with his talent and strong leadership. He saw that all facilities were city-centered. He dreamed of developing the villages of Bangladesh as modern and planned villages. He adopted the first five-year plan keeping this principle and ideal of moving forward without leaving anyone behind.
The people of Bengal followed the 35 instructions given by Bangabandhu as a duty during the war. These directives include administration, education, law and order, port operations, foreign trade, communications, agriculture, services, infrastructure development, industrial construction, food regulation, bank and treasury bills, tax collection, insurance and commerce, Payment of retirement allowance to retired government officials-employees, payment of allowance to government private officials-employees and primary school teachers etc.
In his Homecoming Day speech, Bangabandhu made a list of important tasks aimed at uplifting a war-torn country to a prosperous state. He first focused on infrastructure development. Because at that time it was very important to rebuild the communication system to provide assistance to the people and conduct business across the country. The father of the nation was uncompromising against all possible irregularities to create a welfare state. He said I am warning my officers not to take bribes. Corruption will not be tolerated in this land.
One of the important directives of his speech was to maintain peace and harmony in society. He ordered the people to maintain peace. He said, 'You must maintain peace. Peace-loving Bengalis shed a lot of blood for freedom. They also know how to keep the peace. In his speech, he said in an unequivocal voice, 'I want to say clearly that Bangladesh will be an ideal non-communal state.
The father of the nation was also vigilant about the foreign policy of the newly independent Bangladesh. He also gave a clear idea about the main content of foreign policy in his speech. He said, "Friendship with everyone, enmity with no one." The father of the nation gave directions to build an inclusive modern Bangladesh where everyone will enjoy equal rights regardless of party affiliation. He said, "I want to say clearly and unequivocally that Bangladesh will be a secular, democratic and welfare-oriented state".
Pointing out that the independence will be meaningless if the nation is reorganized without proper guidance, he said, 'I want to say, if the people of Bangladesh do not get enough food if the mothers and sisters do not get clothes and if the youth society does not get work, then our freedom will remain incomplete.'
With reverence, Bangabandhu remembered the sacrifices of all and encouraged everyone to build the country, saying, 'From today my request, from today my order, my command as a brother, not as a leader, not as a prime minister, not as a president, I am your brother. , you are my brother. This freedom will not be fulfilled if the people of Bengal do not get enough rice, this freedom will not be fulfilled if the mothers and sisters of Bengal do not get clothes, and this freedom will not be fulfilled if the youth of this country do not get jobs. Mukti Bahini, the student society congratulates you, you have become guerrillas, you have given blood, blood will not go in vain, and blood will not go in vain.
One thing - from today, there should be no more theft and robbery in Bengal. There should be no looting in Bengal. There are other people in Bengal, people from other countries, and people from West Pakistan who do not speak Bengali, I am telling them to become Bengalis. And I say to my brothers don't raise your hands on them, we are people, and we love people. But those who brokered, those who entered and killed my people, they will be tried and punished, the Father of the Nation said, 'Leave them in the hands of the independent government of Bengal, not a single one will be spared. But I want them to be tried and punished in an independent court in a free country. I want to show the world that a peaceful Bengali knows how to give blood, and a peaceful Bengali also knows how to maintain peace.
The great architect of Bangladesh, the father of the nation Bangabandhu, started the journey toward the prosperity and development of today's Bangladesh. He always thought about the people of this country. Bangabandhu dreamed of a golden Bengal that would change the fate of the people of this country, and lead a better and more prosperous life. He showed prudence in leading Bangladesh in just a few years.
He said that the people of my country will get food, shelter, education and a better life - this is my dream. In this context, the mass-oriented cooperative movement has to play a very important role. Because the way of cooperatives is the way of socialism, the way of democracy. Through cooperatives, poor farmers will jointly own the means of production. On the other hand, every small farmer will get a democratic share and rights in the system of increased production and equitable distribution of resources. They will be freed from the exploitation of the landlord-rich cultivators by the collective power of cooperatives. In the same way, if farmers, laborers, weavers, fishermen, and blacksmiths can unite and accumulate capital and other productions, then the middle class of rich businessmen-industrialists will not be able to plunder and consume the produce of their labor. Through co-operatives, small industries will be developed in villages and Bengal which will be owned by ordinary farmers, laborers and landless oppressed people. We have already nationalized all major industries, banks, jute mills, sugar mills, textile mills etc. to establish socialism. I have fixed the maximum land ownership limit. Today, the joint ownership of hardworking people should be built in villages, police stations, and ports in the cooperative system. Farmers will get a fair price for their produce; workers will get a fair right to the fruits of their labor.
But if we have to reach this goal, we have to radically change the social system of the past and build a real people-oriented movement. Cooperatives of the past were exploitative group players. So there was a massive role of vested interests.
Fishermen's Associations, Weavers' Associations, and Rural Farmers' Associations should be real fishermen's, weavers', farmers' organizations, middlemen traders or rich farmers should not repeat past corruption by taking over these associations. If those vested interests ever again destroy the sanctity of co-operatives, be assured that we will abolish all the old arrangements. With the help of my dear peasant laborers and fishermen weaver brothers, we must build a new and balanced system that will forever defeat exploitative and reactionary vested interests.
Bangladesh is the treasure of my dreams, meditation, ideas and adoration. And that golden Bengal sleeps in ever-neglected villages, in ever-neglected rural villages, around vast swamps and deep in vast forests. My brothers - let's wake up the dormant village of Bengal with the magic touch of cooperatives. Let him rejoice in the frenzy of new creation and the triumphant song of life.
The father of the nation had two dreams - to make Bangladesh independent and to transform the country into a hunger-free, poverty-free golden Bengal. He gave us freedom and his second dream is being fulfilled by his privileged daughter Sheikh Hasina. Under his leadership, Bangladesh has established itself as a role model of a hunger-free, poverty-free country. Bangladesh is going to become the golden Bangla of Bangabandhu's dream. But today we feel much prouder as Bengalis. Because Bangabandhu's privileged daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina continues to make Bangabandhu's dreams come true one by one.
Hiren Pandit is a columnist and a researcher
