What is our aim?...Victory, Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror; Victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival" - Sir Winston Churchill.
With basking in crisp winter sunlight of a mid-December day, at last the Victory smiled on braves, in all gaiety and grandeur on 16th December, 1971, who fought ceaselessly a nine month long War of Liberation to free the motherland from the Pakistani occupation forces. With having no parallel in the national history of Bangladesh, it came and gifted the Bengali nation with the taste of real freedom after a Liberation War against the occupation forces of Pakistan that eventually brought 94 thousands strong Pakistan army to their knees in the Surrendering Ceremony at the Race Course Maidan (Shuharawardy Uddan) on 16th December, 1971.
Long 47 years have passed since our Great War of Liberation took place when the freedom fighters, most of who are now visibly walking into the twilight of life, were in their prime time of youth with inexhaustible agility and steam of life as could be seen metaphorically as 'the right time to go to war'. Engaged in an enduring war for long nine months to destroy the last enemy from the soil of the dear motherland, freedom fighters going hand in with the people, at last saw the dream of great Victory Day come true on the 16th December 1971.
Recounting the great occasion of Victory Day in 2018, along with most of the freedom fighters, caught-up with the fever of nostalgia; I also fall back upon a reverie with the reminiscence of tumultuous days of 71 in the battle field when our dear motherland fell prey to ghouls and monsters of occupying military junta of Pakistan who vowed to obliterate this brave nation from the surface of the earth.
Emerging from mellow land standing on alluvial soil of world's biggest deltaic region, Bengalis are ever peace-loving nation living in the serenity and sublime beauty of nature enriched with hundreds of rivers and tributaries running with the rippling sounds to savour the souls of the teeming million.
Life was so precious and easy-going in those pre-liberation and pre-partition days for the Bengalis till the time this beautiful land came under the political and economic subjugation of Pakistani rulers for long 23 years following the British packed up their baggage in 1947 after ruling this land for long about 190 years. Rulers of Pakistani evil force in the garb of pseudo Muslim brotherhood did not feel themselves contended only to bring the Bengalis under their jackboot, but finally cracked down on Bengalis in the fateful night of March 25, 1971 with their all out monstrous force and fire-power to wipe out this nation once for all.
To be briefer at this point, with his long enduring and charismatic political career of trials & tribulations, sufferings of oppression and incarceration caused by the Pakistani ruler, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who by then became an undisputed leader and de-facto head of the country made his historical announcement on March 7, 1971 mammoth gathering in the Race Course maiden (Shuharawardy Uddan) clearly telling a prelude to the declaration of Independence in his poetic grandeur.
Bangabandhu's clarion call to his nation on March 7, 1971 largely inspired the whole Bengali nation but nevertheless infuriated the Pakistani military junta. Under the camouflage of political dialogue, they were in fact silently building military power, troops and ammunition for genocide. People from all walks of life, regardless of age and sex took preparation for an all-out liberation war under the leadership of Bangabandhu except those traitors; sons of Quislings and Mir Zafars from Jamat-e-Islam and Muslim League political outfits.
On 25th March 1971, there were fears, distrusts and rumours everywhere. At last the gate of hell was opened at mid-night as per blueprint and the Pakistani marauders attacked the armless innocent Bengalis and played the orgy of death with monstrous force. It was an unprecedented genocide in the known history.
Needless to emphasize that 16th December Victory Day was a day of great joy for all the people of Bangladesh. Freedom fighters with flaunting weapons hung on their shoulders were warmly greeted in their respective areas. Holding freedom fighter in their arms, people were chanting Joy-Bangla slogan at the top of their voices. On Victory Day, dreams of Golden Bangladesh have been translated into reality and people were eagerly looking forward to reap the harvest of long cherished independence and to see a new-born Bangladesh with an egalitarian society where all the people would enjoy the equal right and justice.
Alas! Following Bangabandu's assassination in 1975, with the wind blowing from the opposite direction carrying eye-blinding smoke unleashed from the gate of hell, grossly imperilled and molested our peoples' burgeoning hopes and visions. The freedom fighters fell prey to the diabolical act of vindictiveness and vengeance of those ruling political bigots who nourished and nurtured an active monster within, good for trampling the values and spirit based on which Bangladesh emerged as an independent country at the cost of a stream of blood.
It is long since we have had the occasion of enjoying the taste and flavour of Victory Day in 1971 in Jubilation and celebration in our prime time of youth. The local collaborators of the defeated forces went in hiding but their conspiracy to hit back on the core value of our independence did not end. Soon in 1975 when Bangladesh was gradually returning out of the trauma of war, the perpetrators with the deadly venom of vengeance, succeeded in assassinating the father of the nation along with all his family members except two daughters who were then abroad in the fateful night of Aug 15, 1975.
Victory Day 2018 has brought about a new dimension in the life of every citizen of Bangladesh to see at least in their life time that war criminals have been handed heavy punishment for their unpardonable crime causing to the martyrdom of 3 million beleaguered sons and daughters who laid their lives in the altar of Independence before a new sun with glow rose in the eastern horizon on Victory Day 1971. It is heartening to see that the sun of Victory Day with true spirit of Liberation War is now again in the middle sky with equal glare & flex from the state of long oblivion caused by being eclipsed for long 21 years under an ominous shadow from 1975 to 2008. It has indeed ushered in a new era with long cherished hopes of making a real Bangladesh; rearing in mind the formidable spirit and values of Great Liberation War and Victory Day.
It is indeed a great travesty of truth even to reason, in the wildest imagination in this month of Victory that freedom fighters exist in Jammat-e-Islami that stood against the freedom fighters and committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in 1971.
It is, therefore, important to witness at this critical juncture in the month of Victory that the people do not vote for and bring the forces, not truly believing in the spirit of Liberation War, to power even by default. After observing the Victory Day on 16th December, 2018 in jubilation, people will surely vote to power the Liberation War friendly political party or alliance, by rejecting anti-Liberation War forces, who will uphold the spirit of Liberation of War 1971 for years or ages to come in independent Bangladesh.
Great Victory Day visits us every year on 16th December with pomp and grandeur to rejuvenate our spirit of Liberation War and recount its glory for which Bengali nation had to pay a colossal price. On this auspicious day, let us pray that the nation remain united and steadfast to uphold the flambeau of Victory of our national pride as stronger than as ever before by undoing all machinations and rejecting the evil forces who do not bear in their mind the true spirit of Liberation War that brought in a glorious Victory Day.
Long live Great Victory Day. Long live Bangladesh. Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu.
The writer is a freedom fighter and former civil servant
