Million, torrential rain welcome the leader who changed nation’s destiny

Today will become history tomorrow, what will remain is the event of the day in our memories. Today we mark the memorable homecoming day of a political leader who was destined to change the political history of Bangladesh. Million people and torrential rain welcome the leader who promised the nation as harbinger of hope.

Exactly 39 years ago on this day, the current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ended her life in exile and landed in Dhaka - shouldering a massive challenge to reinstate her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's  (our Father of the Nation) lifelong struggle to free his people from the shackles of all oppression by establishing democracy ending unconstitutional rule in Bangladesh.

It wasn't only a political challenge for an emerging leader, but it was also a challenge of her survival amid a brutal military rule reining over her country. However, when it comes to the particular term of homecoming, the Bengali national psyche is deeply attached to the 10 January 1972 home coming of the Father of The Nation. But there is a deep rooted link between the two respective homecomings between the Father of the Nation and the Daughter of the Nation.

Bangabandhu had landed in a free, independent and sovereign nation with a dream of rebuilding his war torn country with a new identity. The reality for his daughter was completely different.

In a cruel twist of fate, Sheikh Hasina landed in the same country nine years later in 1981, which her father led to independence a decade ago, where the dream

Democracy was a far cry in that Bangladesh and the people was stripped off from their long cherished dream stood on the very foundations of self-sacrifice made in the War for Liberation.

Reflecting back to those heady days of 1981, one would surely agree that it has been a rough ride for an uncompromising pro - democratic leader to come this far. In less than two weeks time since Sheikh Hasina's homecoming, she would witnessed President and military ruler General Zia's gruesome assassination. After that for about a decade she had to struggle against another autocratic military general to bring him down to his knees to restore democracy in 1991. And another five years she had to fight to remove yet another 'democratically elected autocrat' before she finally assumes power through a free and fair general elections in 1996. To cut a long story short, since the very moment Sheikh Hasina has set foot in Bangladesh soil on 17 May of 1981 - it has been a life full of political and personal struggle complimented with numerable assassination attempts on her life. We fail to wonder when her struggle will end or perhaps this is how the lives of the greats have been preordained by the Almighty.

Nevertheless, all of her today's national and global achievements have come at a tremendous cost and risks she had to undertake. If we keenly observe her patience, perseverance, courage and undiminished love for her people and country helped her to rise to her political peak being elected as the Prime Minister for four terms.

Being the perfect successor of Bangabandhu's political legacy as of now, she has been the one and only undaunted political torch bearer of democracy in Bangladesh. From rescuing, organising and leading the ruling Bangladesh Awami League from chaos and leading it from the forefront, her life has been the epic tale of political struggle and survival.

We are not surprised the least, as we come to note how today Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is considered as one of the most powerful women in the world - ranking 26th on Forbes' list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2018 and 30th  in 2017. She has also made it in the list of "top 100 Global Thinkers" of the present decade. More to it, she is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, an International network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers. All these accolades have come after decades of sincere hard work, sacrifice and of course for her relentless effort to establish democracy in Bangladesh.

The billion dollar question, however, was all the sacrifices made necessary?

History would have been written differently had Sheikh Hasina not decided to pick up the massive challenge and return home. She could have easily chosen a secured life of comfort and safety in exile, but as it is said the leaders and statesmen are made of extraordinary substances. She is too.

The political significance of her home coming day is that the making of today's Sheikh Hasina had commenced on 17 May, 1981. And after nearly four decades of ups and downs and dramatic turns in events, the making is yet far from completion.

It is indeed awe-inspiring to follow her incredible tenacity to persevere in the midst of all odds. Throughout much of the 80s she was frequently detained by the Ershad regime. In 2004, she narrowly survived grenade attack in the most despicable political vendetta orchestrated by the then ruling party BNP. She remained unnerved and uncompromising in the face of the political anarchy, chaos and violence unleashed by BNP-Jamaat forces during 2013-2015 and remained firm to ensure the constitutional continuity by holding parliament election in 2014.  More to say , during the short tenure of the last military backed caretaker government after 1/11 in 2006, not only was she arrested and confined in her house but was also barred from entering Bangladesh for nearly two months. Every time she reached the end of the rope, she tied one more knot to keep hanging. 

We admiringly recall that bold and courageous decision of Prime minister Sheikh Hasina nearly four decades ago to return home and pickup the challenge to serve the country in the absence of our Father of the Nation. Despite all her success stories, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is yet to take her country to its desired place as she says her Vision 2021 and 2041. But given her tenacity, confidence and strength to stand in the difficult of times, we are confident she can lead the country in the right direction to fulfil her Vision.