Music is power. It helps people feel, heal, connect, comfort as well as revitalize themselves. But that is only a narrow definition of music. The power of music is much broader than that. Aside from simply entertaining people, music has also played a pivotal role in inspiring generation after generation of people around the world for much greater causes.
There are some timeless songs that created awareness among the common masses of various countries about their rights and obligations in critical times of their lives and inspired them for their ultimate freedom. During the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh, Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra (The Radio Centre of Independent Bengal) played many such songs that inspired the people of what was then East Pakistan for independence.
Among those songs, the best was by far the one that was sung by Apel Mahmood who was also a freedom fighter - "Mora Ekti Phulke Bachabo Bole Juddho Kori" (We Fight for Saving a Flower). This wartime hit song, written by Bengali lyricist and poet Gobinda Halder and composed by Apel Mahmood himself, played over and over on radio throughout the Liberation War in 1971 motivating millions of young people across the country to join the war.
However, the "Ekusher Gaan" (The Song of Twenty-first) popularly known as "Amar Bhaiyer Rokte Rangano Ekushe Februari " (My Brothers' Blood-spattered 21st February) is a song that stood out as a timeless track stirring up the whole Bengali nation. This song is very close to the heart of every Bengali and certainly the No. 1 patriotic and motivational music of Bangladesh which is sung by literally the entire nation at dawn every February 21 commemorating the sacrifices of the martyrs of the 1952 Language Movement.
Written by legendary journalist, columnist and poet Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury, the song was first composed by Abdul Latif and later recomposed by music legend Altaf Mahmud. The small song of only 30 lyrics has left a big influence on the nation. Since its first composition after the 1952 Language Movement, this song has been collectively sung by Bengalis as a chorus on every February 21 recalling the martyrdom of the fallen heroes and keeping alive the spirit for which they laid down their lives.
In Bangladesh, the day begins right from the very first minute of February 21. Unending streams of barefoot marchers -- men, women and young and old --from all walks of life keep proceeding slowly to the Central Shaheed Minar (Main Martyrs' Mausoleum) in the heart of the capital from all directions holding flowers, floral bouquets and wreaths and softly singing the most famous track of Bengalis to pay their respect to the language martyrs--a scene repeated in every town and city across the country and throughout the day.
The annual renditions of the song have become a cultural ritual of Bangladesh. Besides serving as a rolling reminder for recalling the sacrifices of four fallen heroes who demanded that majority-spoken Bengali be the official language of Pakistan, the immortal song created awareness among the people about the dignity of the mother tongue and their fundamental rights. The timeless track mobilized the masses, instilled in them a sense of patriotism and inspired the Bengali nation for the ultimate freedom.
During a 1995 interview with me in the American city of Boston, Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury said he wrote this song as a poem "on the impulse of the moment." Only the first of five stanzas of his poem - just 30 lyrics - has been given tune making it an immortal song of the Bengali nation. Legendary musician, cultural activist and martyred freedom fighter Altaf Mahmud recomposed the track in a 1969 movie of Zahir Raihan called "Jibon Theke Neya" (Taken from Life) and made it more appealing to the people. Since then this version of the song has become the official tune and been playing over and over.
Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury's "Ekusher Gaan" (The Song of Twenty-first) which is also called by many people the "second national anthem" of Bangladesh has a striking similarity to American writer and civil rights activist James Weldon Johnson's "Lift Every Voice and Sing." It was also first written as a poem in 1900 and five years later his brother James Rosamond Johnson converted it into a stirring melody. Often described as the "Black National Anthem," this 121-year-old hymn remains as popular as ever in the 21st century.
Johnson used the word "lift" in his song with a message of resilience and courage calling upon voices to join together in the "harmonies of liberty" and to "march on till victory is won." He asked people to "sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us" and also "sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us." James Weldon Johnson who died in 1938 was also a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) in America and established his reputation as a writer during the Harlem Renaissance for his poems, novels and anthologies.
The 1968 "Revolution" is another famous protest song of English rock band The Beatles. Inspired by the Vietnam War protests in the 1960s, the song was the first major political statement from John Lennon. The song was written by Lennon and credited to Lennon-McCartney partnership. With his lyrics, Lennon expressed his sympathy with the need for social change and "Revolution" received praise from many music critics. While studying Transcendental Meditation in Rishikesh, India, Lennon began writing the song there and completed it in England in May 1966.
And the 1980 "Redemption" sung by Jamaican singer Bob Marley is a globally popular track that stirred up people and inspired them for freedom. Marley was motivated by civil rights activist Marcus Garvey who wrote in 1937: "We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery because whilst others might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind." In his song, Bob Marley sang: "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds." "Redemption" is one of the best songs of freedom ever written and still sung for solidarity in times of strife.
But for Bangladesh, the "Ekusher Gaan" (The Song of Twenty-first) remains the all-time favourite. This is a priceless gift to the Bengali nation. No other song has ever influenced the people as much as this song has done. It wakes up an entire country at dawn every February 21 and brings it to the Shahid Minars (Martyrs' Mausoleums) for paying tribute to those who showed us the path to freedom. This track is, indeed, the "second national anthem" of Bangladesh. Thanks to the two men for giving this present to the nation.
The writer is a Toronto-based
journalist who also writes for the
Toronto Sun as a guest columnist.
