Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the great leader, is a name and a history. The greatest Bengalee of all ages, the architect of Bangladesh, and father of the nation is Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. I came close to the great leader in the year 1948 centering round the historical Language Movement. East Pakistan Muslim Student League came into being on 4 January 1948.
I was associated with this organization since its inception. The role of the organization is especially memorable in the history of Language Movement. When Dhirendra Nath Datta's proposal in the Pakistan Constituent Assembly Session on 23 February, 1948 for recognition of Bengali as a language of Assembly with Urdu & English was repudiated the agitated student community brought up strike on 26 February, 1948 in Dhaka under the advice of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in collaboration with other student leaders.
After the reconstitution of State Language Action Committee in the meeting of the progressive student leaders on 2 March, 1948 declaring 11 March as State Language Day, we actively participated in the general strike of 11 March, 1948 for realizing the right of state language Bengali called under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with other leaders viz. Shamsul Haque, Oli Ahad, Muhammad Toaha, Abul Kashem, Ronesh Das Gupta, Ajit Guha.
The general strike on 1948 was the first successful Hartal in the history of the State Language Movement in Pakistan. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was arrested with police torture in the Hartal. This was the first political arrest of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Pakistan. I was a student of final year Hons B.A in the Dhaka University in 1952.
In the critical juncture of the historical Language Movement on 21 February 1952 I was arrested from the gate of Dhaka University for active participation in the Language Movement along with student leaders Habibur Rahman (in course of time Chief Justice & Chief of Care-Taker Government), Abdus Samad Azad (in course of time Foreign Minister), Shamsul Haque (VP of S.M. Hall & in course of time Minister & Ambassador), Gaziul Haque and A I M Taha and was imprisoned in Dhaka Central Jail for a long time.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman could not participate in the movement of 21 February, 1952 with us as he was in jail beforehand. The national leader Hossain Shahid Suhrawardy was against the Language Movement of 1952 and expressed his opinion in favor of Urdu. But Sheikh Mujibur Rahman became successful in his attempt to convince Mr. Suhrawardy to change his views and Support the right for Bengali to be one of the state languages of Pakistan.
In this connection, the deliberation of Mr. Suhrawardi supporting Language Movement was published in the issue of Weekly Ittefaq dated 29 June, 1952. I was part-time Sub-editor of Weekly Ittefaq while student of Dhaka Univesrsity and was associated with Student League leader M. A. Awal & M. A. Wadud who were also working in the same newspaper.
I remember a deliverance of Maulana Bhashani published in the Weekly Ittefaq wherein the great leader commented that not only Language Movement, but also the future of Awami League would be at stake if the stand of Mr. Suhrawardi could not be changed. It was only possible on the part of Bangabandhu. This noble deed of Bangabandhu will be ever remembered in the history of Bengali Language Movement.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman played a vital role in the first anniversary of great Ekushey in 1953 as a fore-front leader. As I remember on this day he raised the legitimate right for declaring Ekushey February as Shahid Dibosh and Bengali as one of the State Languages of Pakistan with immediate effect in the meeting of Armanitola Maidan.
The pungency of Language Movement of 1952 and its accrued consciousness hastened creation of United Front against the then Muslim League in harmony of Awami League, Krishok Sramik party & other allied organizations and the United Front achieved victory in the Election of 1954.
As a Minister of United Front Government in 1954 Sheikh Shaheb had remarkable contribution towards contemporary politics and development of Bengali. The historical role played by Bangabandhu in the United Nations Organization on 25 September, 1974 by delivering speech in Bengali will be inscribed in letters of gold in the page of history. This was an effective & perfect exertion to establish dignified position of Bengali Language in the world assembly.
As President, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman issued Government order first for use of Bengali in every stratum (Ref. President Sectt. Gonobhaban, Dhaka No. 30/12/75-genl.-729/9 (400) dated: 12 March 1975).
Language Movement is a glorious chapter in the life of Bengalees and the establishment of a language-based independent sovereign state is a rare event. Language Movement is the genesis and foundation of the Liberation war.
The deprived and oppressed people of East Pakistan advanced to establish the right of self-determination leading to war of liberation through Language Movement and the outcome of the language-based independent sovereign state came into being in the map of the world. The main-spring of the rare and mighty achievement is the greatest Bengalee of all ages Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
As I recollect my active participation in various programmes in connection with Language Movement it comes to memory the unparalleled contribution and noble-deed of the great leader. I also recollect my association with Bangabandhu in Itefaq office and in the Awami League Office at 94/95 Nawabpur Road. M. A. Awal, M. A. Wadud and myself used to go to Awami League Office with Bangabandhu at the time of visit by Awami league leaders Mr. H. S. Suhrawardy, Maulana Bhasani and Mr. Ataur Rahman Khan where we were given important assignment concerning Student League programmes.
I also recollect my participation in the election campaign in favor of United Front during Election of 1954 under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. We conducted vigorous election campaign in favour of Khaleq Newaz Khan at Nandail in the district of the then Mymensingh against the then Chief Minister Nurul Amin, Khaleq Newaz Khan was elected as United Front candidate.
On completion of University education I entered into Government service and naturally had to give up politics. The nation has to bear the deep grief of the brutal murder of Bangabandhu with heavy heart for years to come. By the time only a few cruel murderer brought to book and punished with death sentence. Proper punishment of the remaining murderers is awaited by the nation so as to be free from the black stain of infamy.
The writer is a veteran of Language Movement, a recipient of Ekushey
Padak and International Mother Language Award
