The fiery speech
The Language Movement that began on February 21, 1952 when Rafique, Jabbar, Salam and others fell martyrs is now well conceived and rightly propagated as the first element to have sown the seed of separation from Pakistan. And after nineteen years, the historic 7 March (1971) speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib, following Pakistanis' conspiracy not to allow Mujib to implement his people's mandate, the Six-point programme with which his party swept to the election victory made it crystal clear that the Pakistanis' domination and subjugation would soon be over. More so, when Bangabandhu, before the biggest ever meeting of Bengalees in the then Race Course Maidan (now Suhrawardy Uddyan) concluded his speech by a forceful declaration, “Our struggle this time is for freedom, our struggle this time is for emancipation.” The speech just struck the right chord with hundreds of thousands of people there and on the roof-top of each and every building around, (and in reality with the nation as a whole) and they echoed in concurrence in thunderous voice, “Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu.” Flamboyant and fearless, he delivered a poetic, mellifluously worded speech, unique in style and presentation; that also delineated the deprivations in all sectors which Bengalees had to suffer in the hands of the Pakistani rulers since 1947, and cautioned them by uttering, “no more trampling down are dabya rakte parbana”. To frustrate their evil design, he called upon his people to face the Pakistani military by saying, “ Make every house a fortress and swoop on them with whatever you have”. Bengalees were left with nothing short of 'the green signal for disowning Pakistan and for preparing, lock, stock and barrel, for achieving their own homeland, Bangladesh'. And Bengalees already imbued with their leader's directives of 7 March, and final call of 26 March, fought the 9-month long liberation war, literally in his name (though he was absent due to his being taken prisoner to Pakistan on the charge of high treason for declaration of Independence of Bangladesh), and eventually materialised their dream of independent sovereign Bangladesh, but at the cost of three millions lives. Bengalees paid too much price in blood in too short a time. Think about the importance of the speech on 7 March 1971 which is called by many as his swan-song. Verily, that speech was the prelude to splitting of Pakistan and emergence of Bangladesh. Hence the speech is a treasure trove, like all great speeches in the annals of history.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments