The making of a nation is the ultimate occasion for celebration because it recognises the uniqueness of a people and sets extra energies to burst forth for realisation of their collective dreams. But not all nations emerge in an environment of peace and poise; instead, for some it is tortuous and bloody enough to allow them the luxury of savouring the day's significance. The Bangalees had the misfortune of suffering under the yokes of two successive colonial regimes before they finally overcame those to claim their rightful place in the comity of nations. For them the Day of the Independence was not the day of deliverance; rather the night before saw the beginning of one of history's worst genocides against them. So the indiscriminate killing of people including some of the best sons of this soil the night before casts a grim shadow on the day's celebration.
When the sun kissed the eastern horizon at dawn fifty-three years ago this day, the people knew they were pitted against a brutal enemy that is not only dead set to subjugate them but also exterminate them if possible. The memory brings immense pain and agony for those who have lost their near and dear ones or were a witness to the massacre. The event of the day was the beginning of a nine-month ordeal, humanitarian crisis, tragic loss of lives and property and sacrifice. But had all this been the story of this nation, it would never become sovereign and independent. The brutality and atrocities of the Pakistani army brought out the best in the Bangalee people. Their steely resolve to defend themselves and also defeat the marauding army triumphed ultimately to free their motherland. Sure enough, the nation had to pay a heavy price for their independence: three million lives were sacrificed and about 300,000 women suffered the ultimate dishonour.
Against such a grim perspective, the nation pays tributes to the martyrs and the freedom fighters who survived the war. But the offering has waned into a mere ritualistic ceremony. The governing motive that went into spurring the Language Movement from 1952-56, and the subsequent 1962 Education Movement, the 6-point movement in 1966, the mass uprising of 1969 before the nation's liberation was the creation of an exploitation-free and equalitarian society. Unfortunately, the country has failed to live up to this most cherished mission and today it is riven by atrocious social discrimination and disparities with oligarchy reigning supreme. The best tribute the nation could pay to the founding fathers, the martyrs and freedom fighters was by relentlessly striving for establishment of the rule of law, economic justice, cultural and religious freedom for all the citizens.
Notwithstanding its wealth creation and progress on many fronts, the nation wobbles on upholding the ideals and principles that propelled its journey to freedom. By living up to those ideals development must be redefined in order to ensure that all members of society get the opportunity to savour the fruits of Independence.
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