Page 12 - MUJIB100- Magazine on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

an order of the high court.
UGC Professor, Department of English, University of Dhaka
called' objec onable statements. He was sentenced to one-year imprisonment and was released by
Translated by Fakrul Alam,
The Pakistani government charged Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with sedi on and for making a 'so
1965
me a er my death!
Nevertheless, I know, regardless of how and when I die, you will be the first person to write a poem about
arrested 14 days before the 1965 presiden al elec on.
I have no idea how and when I will meet my death.
against the then Pakistani military dictator General Ayub Khan. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was
that poem. I commend the divinely bestowed courage you demonstrated then.
forces. A er the riots, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took the ini a ve to prepare for a united movement
suppor ng “secessionist” Sheikh Mujibur Rahman could have been dangerous for you. And yet you wrote
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He made a clarion call to the people to stand up and resist the communal
O poet, you composed your first poem about me when I was s ll alive. At that me wri ng a poem
in East Pakistan during 1964, a strong Riot Resistance Commi ee was formed under the ini a ve of
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Rahman were elected President and General Secretary, respec vely. As a communal riot broke out
were accepted. In the same mee ng, Maulana Abdur Rashid Tarkabagish and Sheikh Mujibur
moved towards the door with my hand in his hand, he said to me—
right of the general people of the country to vote and elect their own parliamentary government
I too got up from my seat. Hoping to touch him, I extended my hand out. He took my hand, and as he
ac vi es of the Awami League at its council mee ng during March 6-8, proposals containing the
Bangabandhu burst out laughing. He lit up his pipe and stood up from the sofa.
mee ng, the decision was taken to leave the Na onal Democra c Front (NDF) and revive the
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district commi ees was held at Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Dhanmondi 32 residence. In this
On January 25, a special mee ng of the party leaders including Presidents and Secretaries of the
1964
doubts now.
Don't embarrass me Bangabandhu! I have no reserva ons about you anymore. You have transcended all
formed the Na onal Democra c Front (NDF).
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to Lahore on September 24 and with Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and other opposi on par es
such doubts in your poem!
freed on June 18 following the withdrawal of the four-year-long mar al law on June 2. He travelled
If you were a really trivial poet, you would neither have composed a poem dedicated to me, nor express
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was again arrested by the Ayub government on February 6, 1962. He was
1962
doubts about my leadership, wondering, “Has Sheikh Mujib blundered?”
You are a poet of comparable stature. In your “Hulia” (Arrest Warrant) poem you had expressed your
Bangladesh.
died when they were very young, but as poets they are important.
Independent Bangladesh) comprising leading student leaders to work for the independence of
He set up a network called `Swadhin Bangla Biplobi Parishad' (Revolu onary Council for
No, no, please don't say such things. You may be young, but you are no trivial poet. Keats and Sukanto
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Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was released from jail a er the high court declared his deten on unlawful.
1961
months but was arrested immediately at the jail gate.
obliged. I am so proud too!
Therea er, he was con nuously harassed in false cases. He was released from prison a er fourteen
Thank you so much Bangabandhu! You have given a lot of me to a trivial poet like me. I am much
General Ayub Khan who ousted him from the country. On October 11, Sheikh Mujib was arrested.
Mar al Law and banning all poli cal ac vi es. Three weeks later he was toppled by the army chief
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On October 7, Major General Iskander Mirza took over as the President of the country imposing
1958
blood will be meaningless.
the benefits of independence to every Bengali home, the freedom achieved at the expense of so much
dreams dreamt by poets into reality. We have got independence now. Till we have been able to deliver
for the na on. Beau ful dreams. Dreams about independence. We poli cians transform the beau ful
But let's not talk anymore this day, O poet. A lot of important tasks have to do. You poets weave dreams
treason against me was the noose that I put on the neck of barbarous Pakistan.
The noose that the Pakistani Military junta wanted to hang around my neck by bringing allega ons of
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I remember everything, Bangabandhu, I was present in that oath-taking ceremony.
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to bury that person alive in this very Race Course Ground. “
Race Course Ground, “If anyone compromises on the issue of the 'Six Point Demand', even me, make sure
I had declared in the “Oath-taking Ceremony” for elected members of the Na onal Assembly held in the
The people of Bengal accepted my conten on and made me their leader by vo ng for me in the elec on.
I had said, “We want votes precisely because we want food.”
Mr. Bhasani had said then, “We want food before ballots”.
of them at that me.
for Bengalis. There was no be er poli cal agenda that the unfortunate people of East Bengal had in front
Demand”. I was able to make people understand that the “6 Point Demand” was the charter of freedom
held during June 13-14, 1957. From June 24 to July 13, he visited China on an official tour.
Yes, I did. I a ended nearly 60 public mee ngs in different parts of the country on behalf of the “6 Point
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was re-elected as the General Secretary of the Party at its council mee ng
1957