If the making of a nation is the unfolding of a fascinating story, not all people share the tradition in the same measure. The Bangalees are both fortunate and unfortunate to experience the birth pangs on their way to emerging as an independent nation. When observance of the Independence Day for most peoples around the world is an unmixed euphoric event, the august occasion that arrives here every year on March 26 bringing the memories of one of the history's worst genocides for long nine months gets somewhat tempered and sublime for the people of Bangladesh. The price this nation had to pay through its trial and tribulation is unequalled. So this day is not just like any other day. It is more sacred than the most this nation can think of. Because of the blood spilled and sacrifice made for achieving the liberation of the people, it has become all the more revered and sweeter as well. It is a deep-rooted feeling -one to which the nation must return for guidance, for inspiration and for starting its journey afresh.
Sadly, the spirit that needs to be kept alive all the time is missing from many an area where it matters most. Achieving political independence is certainly an arduous journey but then building on it meaningfully and adding quality to it is even more daunting. As many as 43 years have passed since the country gained its independence and in terms of creating wealth, the country has also come a long way off. Yet it cannot be said that the nation has been faithful to the spirit that has made the miracle happen. The war that was fought to establish a few fundamental ideals, values and principles are no longer in sight of the people who are presiding over the social and political affairs or others who are reaping the benefits of independence otherwise. Fundamental human rights complemented by socio-economic justice have remained illusive to a large extent. Even the political dispensation has been distorted to the advantage of the privileged and the influential. One of the core issues that prompted the separation of what was then called East Pakistan from its western wing was economic exploitation. It cannot be said that the same exploitation has ceased to exist in independent Bangladesh.
It is this contextual reality that should give a cause for serious concern for political scientists and sociologists. Why class barriers could not be dismantled here is a key question. If opportunities are kept open to the underclass, they can move up the social ladder. But isolated cases are not the answer. There has to be a well-devised system for pulling up the poor from the poverty trap. Instead, the fruits of independence are being enjoyed by a select few in the country. This was certainly not the objective for which the martyrs laid down their lives. The Liberation War was fought to make all people -- irrespective of caste and creed -- materially solvent, if not affluent, and morally strong and culturally rich. The dream of a country where everyone will live in peace is fast fading away. The need is to relive the dream.
Reliving spirit of independence
FE Team | Published: March 26, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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