Photo : Messenger
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was brought up and grown in the light and air of ever-continuing Bangla. He, from his boyhood, perceived intense pleasure and pain and the smiles and tears of an eternal rural society. The rural soil and people used to intensely attract him. From his childhood he saw persecution, sucking and money-lending in the then social life. Since childhood Sheikh Mujib was human, a promised organiser, and a protester against injustice.
From boyhood, Sheikh Mujib was severely willful, impetuous, and opposed to the community. He, pressing hard, was admitted to the Mission School and sat on the front bench. The development of leadership happened in him during the learning period at the school. The Prime Minister of Bengal, A.K Fazlul Haque and his Commerce and Rural Development Minister Hossain Shahid Suhrawardy came to Gopalgonj for inspection in 1938. On the occasion of their coming Krisok-Proja party and Muslim League prepared a reception for them.
On the other hand, Congress created obstacles for the ministers. Sheikh Mujib, taking the students, worked on behalf of reception. The Congress backed out, seeing his boldness. Fazlul Haque and Shahid Suhrawardy also inspected Mission School, and in the way of their coming back, Mujib stood in front of them with a demand for hostel- reform. Fazlul Haque allocated money to reform the hostel. This was the first meeting of Sheikh Mujib with two eminent leaders of Bengal. They got the identity of Mujib’s boldness and genius. This identity was more intense, especially Hossain Shahid Suhrawardy made him his own and also made him a leader. He was committed to prison several times in the school life.
Sheikh Mujib, from his boyhood, was generous and liberal. Once, a scarcity of food came in sight in the village. The people of the village were fasting. His heart bled for hungry people. He distributed paddy among poor people from his granary.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was admitted to the Islamia College of Kolkata in 1942. In college life his activities, getting more speed became stronger. He got near to some of the then undivided India’s renowned politicians, including A.K. Fazlul Haque, Hossain Shahid Suhrawardy, and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Sheikh Mujib was a follower of Netaji. He participated in the Halwell Manument Movement of Netaji. He was also a supporter of Netaji’s Azad Hind Fauj. Those movements took place in an effort by the Muslim League and Muslim Student League from 1942 to 1947 to demand Pakistan where he was in the front. He was the first-line leader of the student league.
Hossain Shahid Suhrawardy and Abul Hossain gave him the responsibility to work in the Faridpur district for the Provincial Parisad election in 1946. Having an identity of unprecedented organising power Suhrawardy’s dependence on Sheikh Mujib increased more. During the riot in Kolkata, Sheikh Mujib came forward to resist the riot. He restrained the rioting people with sticks in hand. A Bihari killed a Bangalee Hindu in front of Islamia College. Sheikh Mujib, protesting this killing said, ‘A Bihari has killed a Bangalee. He realized in 1946 that non-Bangalee Muslims could not be friends of Bangalee Muslims.
Sheikh Mujib’s unusual role was in the state-language movement. He surrounded the East Bengal secretariat talking with the students. The police fired on students and arrested 65 students including Sheikh Mujib. Even in prison, he used to give directions to the students. The Awami Muslim League, a new political party, was formed in East Bengal in 1949.
He was given a joint-secretary post, but he was then in prison. Sheikh Mujib called a strike in support of the logical demands of 4th class employees of Dhaka University. For this reason, 27 persons including Sheikh Mujib were arrested and were driven out of the university. Later, many students returned to their university life in exchange for fines and bonds. But Sheikh Mujib did not compromise with injustice. He did not give a fine and bond and did not give back to the university. The government used to feel safe in keeping him in prison.
Due to his extraordinary organising power, Sheikh Mujib was given the General Secretary post of the party. Having responsibility, he began to enforce his thoughts especially when he imposed importance on the Bangalee nation’s freedom. Sheikh Mujib’s contribution to the Jukto-front election in 1954 was unique. He, turning round various villages of East Bangla united the people. Jukto-front became successful in huge votes of his organizing charisma. But a new dimension was linked in Bangalee’s spirit very soon due to the downfall of the Jukto-Front government in a deep conspiracy of West Pakistani rulers. The dimensions were: persecution, sucking and coming together to the Bangalee to protest against the discriminating rule.
Due to Moulana Bhasani’s giving up the Awami League and Hossain Shahid Suhrawardy’s sickness and death the leadership of the Awami League was actually in Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s hand. He, in his charisma, made speedy the movements, processions and protests organizing the whole Bangalee nation which his aged leaders could not. It is said that sixty’s decade was a decade of his being a hero of the Bangalee nation.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman pointed out freedom from the Pakistani ruler’s persecution, sucking and cruelty. His six-point was the way to freedom. The people of East Pakistan, realising the gist of the 6-point gradually regenerated. The ruler of West Pakistan, feeling the gist of 6-points, was frenzied on Sheikh Mujib as well as Bangalee. A state-rebellious suit was filed against many patriot personalities, including Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Even an order of a sentence was given to Sheikh Mujib by the Court, but in an intense mass upsurge of ’69, the Pakistan Junta government was obliged to release the state prisoners including Sheikh Mujib. The crowd, in sincere love, adorned Sheikh Mujib with the ‘Bangabandhu’ title in a vast gathering at Paltan Maiden. Mujib became Bangabandhu from that day.
The movement against the government became more forceful in touch with freed Mujib. President Yahiya Khan, being confused became obliged to give a general election in 1970. The Awami League got a majority in the election and had been preparing preparation of forming a government. But Yahiya Khan began willful delay to call the parliament assembly. As a result, the people of East Pakistan, being frenzied became violent through meetings, processions, and agitation. At last, the date of the assembly was fixed for March 3, but without any reason the called assembly of 3 March was suddenly closed.
The capital Dhaka was shaken in impetuous agitation then and there of Yahiya’s radio speech. The Chattra Sangram Parishad, burning the Pakistani flag raised the Bangladesh flag at Dhaka University. In this perspective, Bangabandhu gave a historical speech on March 7 at Race Course Maiden. In his speech Bangabandhu put forward 23 years’ history of persecution, sucking and discriminating on Bangalee in brief and in other words, he gave a message of Bangalees independence.
The Pakistan junta suddenly attacked unarmed and sleeping people of Dhaka at midnight on March 25, 1971 and killed about 10 thousand Bangalees on that night. Having this news Bangabandhu called to wage war against the Pakistan military through a message that was disclosed on the morning of March 26 in various places including Chittagong. Bangabandhu was arrested from his house at 1 a.m. on March 25 and kept in a prison in West Pakistan. He was living in a lonely prison with his people’s thoughts and in inhuman pain, on the other hand, Bangalees were going forward in his directive way. They, being engaged in the armed war against the Pakistan junta, were making Bangladesh little by little. At last, Bangladesh was completely freed from the enemy in December 1971. Bangabandhu came back to the fertile soil of Bangladesh as the maker of Bangladesh and the nation’s father.
The writer is a columnist and retired Deputy Director of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy
Messenger/Fameema
